Intrigue Chocolate - Honey & Salt; Pomegranate Bay Leaf; Fresh Mint; Coffee & Balsamic Fig Truffles - Jan. 7, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.

• 1.) Honey & Sea Salt Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• 2.) Pomegranate Bay Leaf Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• 3.) Fresh Mint Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• 4.) Coffee Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• 5.) Balsamic Fig Truffle - Good ++

Weight: 1.57 oz. (44.5 g.) in 5 truffles / 4.09 oz. (116 g.) (estimate) in total box of 12 (13) truffles
Calories: 245 calories (estimate) for 5 truffles
Cost: $44.00 for 1 box of 12 (13) truffles
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate, Tea, Herb and Spice Week--featuring a range of bars, truffles, and hot chocolates infused with herbs and/or spices and/or teas.

Today's five truffles were made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA). These individually-wrapped truffles were part of a 13-piece truffle assortment box. 

Pairing these truffles with a few (non-competing) side dishes and some teas, resulted in an instant, well-crafted cacao feast.

Honey & Sea Salt Truffle aroma and flavor notes included: rich, creamy fudge brownie, honey, very faint honey cookie, and sea salt. Sounds simple, but the flavors were perfectly balanced in this truffle. Another favorite.

Pomegranate & Bay Leaf Truffle notes included: rich chocolate with flavorful red fruit and sophisticated herb (bay leaf). Well-executed, and wonderfully balanced. The result was something akin to a classy, vertical, floral arrangement with subdued, elegant reds and greens. (Ode to a truffle?)

Fresh Mint Truffle notes included: fresh and authentic mint infused into rich, creamy chocolate.But the mint wasn't the strong, overpowering, sweet peppermint found in most mint-flavored chocolates. Instead, the maker chose to use a mint closer to spearmint (and perhaps a touch of another mint). A very nicely balanced chocolate with pleasing, subtly complex mint flavor.

Coffee Truffle notes included: beautiful coffee, cream latte, and coffee cheesecake/cream cheese (there was no cream cheese). I really enjoyed that I could taste the nuanced flavors in the coffee, which was wonderful.

Balsamic & Fig Truffle notes included: rich fruit (dried fig), red wine (there was no wine) and chocolate notes. The Balsamic added some flavor depth and a sweet, rich, slightly tangy taste.

I enjoyed the buttery smooth truffle texture, the authentic and balanced flavors, and the choice of herbs and spices in the assortment box (of 13 truffles). 

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, soy lecithin), Cream (milk), flavors (as described in the truffle name).

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk.  

Intrigue Chocolate - Basil; Orange & Fennel; Ginger & Molasses Truffles - Jan. 6, 2025

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
1.) Basil Truffle - Good ++ 
2.) Orange & Fennel Truffle - Good ++
3.) Ginger & Molasses Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++

Weight: .944 oz. (26.7 g.) in 3 truffles / 4.09 oz. (116 g.) (estimate) in total box of 12 (13) truffles
Calories: 147 calories (estimate) for 3 truffles
Cost: $44.00 for 1 box of 12 (13) truffles
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate, Tea, Herb and Spice Week, featuring a range of bars, truffles, teas and flavored hot chocolates.

Today's three truffles were made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA). These individually-wrapped truffles were part of a 13-piece truffle assortment box. 

(I also enjoyed these with my own citrus, herb and spice tea that complemented these flavors.)

Aroma and flavor notes for the Basil Truffle included: chocolate (creamy, almost silken ganache) and faint green herb (basil).

Aroma and flavor notes for the Orange & Fennel Truffle included: chocolate (rich, creamy smooth ganache), fleeting savory (appealing mushroom jerky -- in aroma only); toasted fennel seed; and authentic citrus (orange). Light fennel lingered longest in the finish.

Aroma and flavor notes for the Ginger & Molasses Truffle included: creamy chocolate ganache, ground ginger spice, followed by appealing, authentic molasses that lightly lingered into the finish. 

I enjoyed the buttery smooth texture, the authentic and balanced flavors, and the choice of herbs and spices in the assortment box (of 13 truffles).

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, soy lecithin), Cream (milk), flavors (as described in the truffle name).

Allergen-related information: Contains Milk. 

 

Intrigue Chocolate - Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar) + Brandy Cherry and Anise Seed Truffles - Jan. 5, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.

Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Truffle assortment box 

• Brandy Cherry Truffle - Good ++ - Good +++
• Anise Seed Truffle - Good ++

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week(s).

Today's Gingerbread 60% Cacao (bar) made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA) was part of the company's bean-to-bar Origins line. The bar was made using cacao beans from Ghana (Asante Akim region). Community: Three Mountains, Kome blend; Type: "Criollo, Forastero, Trinitario, and more pending identification." Crop Year: 2023.

Aroma notes for this bar included: authentic gingerbread and gingerbread spices, and dark chocolate.

I appreciated the short list of quality ingredients in this well-balanced, judicious and warm seasonal bar. I often find 60% cacao chocolates a little too sweet; but this was not the case today. I could taste both the rich dark chocolate and the spices: the ginger, cinnamon, cloves and a bit of black pepper in this blend. 

(Disclosure I love ginger molasses cookies and gingerbread; and as an adult I also love gingerbread teas and lattes with similar spices.) 

I enjoyed today's Gingerbread bar with two different Intrigue truffles from an assortment box of 13 different, and individually-wrapped, flavors. 

Intrigue's Brandy and Cherry Truffle was a classic. Rich, creamy, dusted in cocoa powder. Very Good. 

A warm cup of Tazo Ginger Jasmine tea + Intrigue's Anise Seed Truffle (also authentic and tasty), provided the "tea" and "herb" components of this week's theme (Chocolate Tea, Herbs and Spices Week). 

Maker's Tasting Notes for Gingerbread bar: "...smells like home and grandma's baking."

Ingredients: Roasted cacao nibs, raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, ginger, cassia cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, black pepper, sea salt."

Allergy-related information: "No actual bread was harmed in the making of this treat..." (minimizes gluten worries).

ChocolateSpiel - Spicy Orange Chocolate Bar - Jan. 4, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

ChocolateSpiel 
Spicy Orange Chocolate Bar
Good ++ 
Weight: 1 oz. (27 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Etsy.com, ChocolateSpiel, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Spicy Orange Chocolate Bar was from ChocolateSpiel (Seattle, WA).

Aroma notes included: chocolate; citrus (orange) and spices.

Overlapping splashes of colored cocoa butter "paints" gave this bar an attractive/festive appearance.

This chocolate had a smooth, relatively creamy texture.

Flavor notes included: chocolate (smooth, dark ganache), citrus (orange) and a bit of spicy heat.

The orange flavor with the dark chocolate and spices was a successful blend. I enjoyed this bar with a cup of tea.

Maker's tasting notes: "72% bean to bar chocolate made with Colombian cocoa beans. This bar has a classic cayenne pepper spiciness to it and fruity orange flavor."

Ingredients: Cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, orange oil, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, harissa seasoning, colored cocoa butter.  

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of tree nuts, gluten, coconut and peanuts." (The colors are made with colored cocoa butter. "Some of the colors (used) are artificial."

Raaka - Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar) - Jan. 3, 2025

Chocolate of the Day

Raaka 
Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 130 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Raaka, online order

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's organic Winter Citrus Unroasted Dark Chocolate 53% Cacao (bar) was from Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY). 

This bar was made with unroasted, organic, cacao beans from the Semuliki Forest, Uganda. 

Aroma notes included: sweet, smooth chocolate, subtle coconut (milk), and faint citrus (bergamot orange--that flavors Earl Grey tea).

The texture was smooth, creamy, almost silky (from coconut milk + cocoa butter).

Flavor notes included: rich, sweet and creamy dark chocolate; subtle coconut milk; and lovely, floral, citrus (bergamot orange). Unlike some vanilla and floral aromas in bars that recede when you taste the chocolate, both the cacao and bergamot in this Winter Citrus bar blossomed very nicely (and harmoniously) with the first bite.

I felt like I was sipping a cup of Earl Grey tea out on the veranda in spring...an escape from the gray, rainy, cold weather today outside (and the fact I don't have a veranda).

I enjoyed the short list of organic, quality ingredients, the rich yet smooth chocolate, the uplifting citrus (bergamot orange), and the creaminess of the coconut milk. Yes, it was sweet; but it felt appropriately so, i.e. consistent with a cup of sweet tea/hot chocolate.

Note: this Winter Citrus blend is a Limited Batch flavor. So, it may not be available by the time you read this post. (Although I'd argue this would be a lovely chocolate for spring and summer too.)

Maker's tasting notes/description: "Cheery, Creamy, Citrusy. Our take on the holiday orange..." "We make our chocolate with unroasted cacao beans so you can taste the natural, fruity flavor of the cacao."

Ingredients: "organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic coconut milk powder, organic cacao butter, organic vanilla bean, organic bergamot oil"

Allergen-related information: Contains coconut. "Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free" "Certified Organic and Kosher"

Intrigue Chocolate - Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) - Jan. 2, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate
Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar + shipping
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Jasmine Green Tea Turkish Bay Leaf Lemon 67% Dark (bar) was made and distributed by Intrigue Chocolate Co. (Seattle, WA).

Aroma and flavor notes included: smooth dark chocolate, clean green herb/green tea, subtle citrus (lemon) and faint, diffuse herb/warm spice.

Texture: The bar broke with a well-tempered snap, and had a smooth, pleasing texture and melt with barely detectable, almost fully incorporated, very fine, tiny herb (bay leaf)/tea particles that were almost crunchy (not gritty). All these elements worked well together from both a textural interest and flavor perspective.

I enjoyed the choice of 67% cacao dark chocolate. It was smooth and not overly sweet--letting the flavor inclusions shine. 

The jasmine green tea, bay leaf and citrus flavors were well-balanced, complementary and subtle--causing me to lean in with interest to catch the nuanced notes. It was an intriguing chocolate. Not too woodsy or herb-y or lemon-y, just right. 

The choice of Turkish Bay Leaf meant it was a subtler, gentler bay note. (I live in California and our bay laurel trees (a different species) are potent and give some people headaches.*)

The floral (jasmine) notes were hard to pick out, but the "light" refreshing notes that I associate with floral green tea (and bay) were still somehow felt in the mix. (It's the difference between a walk in the woods in May vs. October in the Western U.S.)

Makers tasting notes/description: "...Floral and cool wood aromatics, lightly tannic and mineral, with a bright finish."

Ingredients: "Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), jasmine green tea, bay leaf, lemon powder"

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*California Bay Laurel trees (and leaves) have a stronger menthol note to them (think Eucalyptus) than milder, more tea-like, Laurel trees from European/Mediterranean regions. I found this description of the two online:

"Turkish bay leaves are shorter and fatter, more oval-shaped, and may or may not have a point. California bay leaves are longer and slender with a point, like a spearhead." 

Yes, and like a spear, a single California bay leaf goes a long way. Some people like its "nutmeg and camphor notes." I like the flavor punch it gives some items, like vanilla ice cream and certain slow-cooked soups and stews--if used sparingly.)

Intrigue Chocolate - Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) - Jan. 1, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Intrigue Chocolate Co.
Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar)
Good ++ 
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 388 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $13.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Intrigue Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate, Tea, Herbs and Spices Theme Week. 

Today's Hops and Clover Honey 59% Dark (bar) was created by Intrigue Chocolate, a small batch maker and specialty chocolatier (in Seattle, WA). Their chocolate maker also is a chef, and the 100s of bars and truffles (different flavor-infused chocolates) he's created have been inspiring and enjoyable to taste.

The word "tea" includes many infusions of leaves, herbs and spices--even plants like hops (or hop flowers), that are known for their distinctive bitter flavors they add to modern beers. (Their use in Germany can be traced back almost 1,300 years ago. And the Vikings used hops as well.)

Closer to home in the U.S....Wild hops growing in the Americas were used by indigenous peoples "to flavor drinks, and as a remedy for nausea, indigestion and inflammation"* -- before the arrival of Europeans.

Does that qualify hops as an ingredient in an herbal or medicinal "tea"? Close enough for me. 

(Disclosure: I'm a regular consumer of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Hop Splash (water), Hoplark's HopTea and other hop waters (that use hops and carbonated water--that's it, no alcohol). And I enjoy different varieties of hops; so I was pre-disposed to like this bar already.)

Today's Hops and Clover Honey (bar) from Intrigue Chocolate was also the first chocolate I recall tasting with authentic and prominent hops flavor. Great way to start the New Year with something new.

Aroma notes included: chocolate (cocoa, ganache, very faint vanilla and warm spice); hops (faint citrus (citra hops), faint bitter and menthol (evergreen/pine/Doug fir tips); and faint honey (warm, floral, sweet).

Texture: smooth, dark chocolate (hops and honey flavors were fully incorporated into the chocolate).

Flavor notes included: sweet, dark chocolate with a quick uptick in bitter hops that gradually receded back into honey-ed chocolate. For some who are most sensitive to bitter flavors, one bite may be enough to satisfy one's curiosity. 

Others (like me) who enjoy hops--and well-orchestrated ebbs and flows of nuanced and unabashed bitter and sweet--in a well-executed chocolate like this will appreciate the flavor teeter-totter ride to the end and will happily wait between bites as the hops finish gradually fades away. 

I loved the opportunity to try hops, honey (and a tiny bit of vanilla) + chocolate together in one bar, and the bold, yet balanced and authentic hop flavors. 

As with any well-made chocolate, eat this slowly so you can really appreciate it.

Intrigue Tasting Notes: "The lingering citrus and pine notes of the hops are softened by a familiar dark sweetness." 

Ingredients: Chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, soy lecithin [emulsifier], natural vanilla flavoring), honey, hops

Allergen-related information: "Processed in a facility with milk, soy and nuts"

*Source: Philadelphia Orchard Project