ChocolateBet: February 14, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Baskin Robbins
"Made with Reeses" Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
Very Good
Weight: 1/2 cup (73 g.)
Calories: 190 for 1/2 cup serving
Cost: $5.59
Purchased from: Baskin Robbins, Santa Clara, CA

Ate with Valentines dinner. Happy V'day all.

Chocolate in the News:
Also, here's an example of a story where business and social good and chocolate all intersect.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2008/02/enter_a_contest.html
Bruce Nussbaum (Business Week) talks about an (Architecture for Humanity) contest/challenge to build a factory and Internet hub for Kallari villages (cacao famers cooperative) in Ecuador, based on an AMD-sponsored dinner Nussbaum attended in Davos. The indigenous Kallari will use the new factory for - the production of organic chocolate, and the Internet hub to help to connect them to markets for this chocolate.

(Architecture for Humanity and AMD) Open Architecture Challenge youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_wQ1z9oy1M

ChocolateBet: February 13, 2008

Chocolate of the Day
1 serving
Michele's Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate Chippers (chocolate covered potato chips)
Dark Chocolate & Ruffled Potato Chips
Very Good+ (because I really like dark chocolate, and potato chips I guess)
Wt: ~ 1.5 oz. serving (entire bag/pkg is 8 oz. (227 gm))
Calories: ~ 225 cals?
Cost: $8.99/pkg
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolatos, in San Francisco, CA

I'd tried chocolate covered potato chips before, a few years ago, before I started this bet, and I liked them then. These may not be for everyone, but they work for me.

ChocolateBet: February 12, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Z. Cioccolatos
Tiger Butter fudge
Very Good
Wt.: ~ 1 oz.
Calories: ?
Cost: ~$1.00?
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolatos, in San Francisco, CA

A small piece of fudge is usually plenty for me. I don't generally like fudge, but Z Cioccolatos (San Francisco) makes better fudge than most; and they offer a variety of interesting flavors.

Their Tiger Butter Fudge has some layers of chocolate and peanut butter, and also wide swaths of what I'm assuming might be vanilla.

ChocolateBet: February 11, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Harry London
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle
Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) for this piece /2 oz. (56 g.) for total box of 4 pieces.
Calories: 95 calories for this one piece
Cost: $5.00 for 1 box of 4 pieces (~$1.25/piece)
Purchased from: Macy's, Palo Alto, CA

I wasn't able to pick out the taste/mouth feel of hydrogenated oils as much with this Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle as the other three pieces in same box. It was quite good overall. The center was lighter, more gel-like than expected, and raspberry taste was authentic - including a few seeds.

ChocolateBet: February 10, 2008

Chocolate of the Day

1 piece
Harry London
Milk Chocolate Praline
Good+
Wt: .5 oz. piece/2 oz. (56 g.) total (for 4 pcs.)
Calories: 95 calories (estimate) per piece
Cost: $5.00 for whole box
Purchased from: Macy's, Palo Alto, CA

This Milk Chocolate Praline (with a hazelnut cream center and a "praline crunch") from Harry London was part of a 4-piece assortment box.

Chocolate in the News:
 (and spiced chocolate truffles with cocoa nibs recipe) by Greg Atkinson that appeared Feb. 10, 2008, in the Seattle Times (link below)

"Get a kick out of chocolate with salt, pepper and curry, too"
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2004163209_pacificptaste10.html

Summary:
- An increase in flavor combinations with chocolate (salt, spices, and cocoa nibs) were discussed.
- It's worth nothing that some of these flavor combinations (like chocolate and chilis) were popular centuries ago, and are now back in favor
- Local Seattle chocolatiers (Chocolate Box, Fran Bigelow, Theo Chocolate) were mentioned.

ChocolateBet: February 9, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Harry London
Cappuccino Truffle
Good+
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) for 1 box of 4 (different) pieces
Calories: 95 calories (estimate) for 1 piece (seems like a lot, but fat content was high)
Cost: $5.00 for a 4-piece assortment box
Purchased from: Macy's, Palo Alto, CA

These were nicely packaged and flavored truffles from Harry London. The Cappuccino Truffle had a coffee infused center, was coated with white chocolate, and dusted with cocoa powder. My only issue: I don't care for hydrogenated oils in chocolate.

ChocolateBet: February 8, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Harry London
Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) total for 4-piece assortment box
Calories: 95 calories (estimate) for 1 piece (This seemed like a lot of calories for just one .5 oz. piece, but the fat content is high.)
Cost: $5.00 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Macy's, Palo Alto, CA

These were nicely packaged in a black box with beige/gold script and the four (different) chocolates looked nice. And, I like peanut butter with chocolate. The only down side: I don't like chocolate with hydrogenated oils (palm, others). It may be psychological, but I can almost imagine these oils clogging up my arteries.