Chocolate Bet: October 10, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
2 bon bons/pieces
South 'n France
"Peanut Buttah"
Very Good + - these are very nice, hearty bon bons
Wt.: ~ 1 oz. x 2 = 2 oz. total (estim.)
Calories: ~ 150 calories x 2 = 300 calories total (estim.)
Cost: $0
Purchased from: South 'n France, in Wilmington, North Carolina

South 'n France offers bon bons that combine the best of the South with French panache and technique, and more than a dash of fun. (www.southnfrance.com). Founders Charlene Dupray and Pascal Siegler met in Paris, and the later married. Their compay is based in North Carolina. I received a generous sample tin from South 'n France, with different flavors to try.

Today's choice was Peanut Buttah' (second from left in image above). This flavor was very good, and is, I was told, based on an old family recipe. Lots of interesting bits/flavors mixed in with the peanut butter filling. These bon bons are shipped cold, and while I had some reservations about eating chilled chocolates (as I can often taste more flavors at room temperature), these bon bons were excellent cold. I'm looking forward to trying another flavor tomorrow.

I really appreciate package inserts that list all the flavors in an assortment box/tin -- all the better to remember what you liked best, so you can re-order more later. And the card (image above) that South 'n France includes, showing the cut-away view of these bon bons, is even more helpful. (This certainly beats what my younger siblings used to do to find fillings they liked when we were young kids -- actions that resulted in occasionally finding chocolates with a small hole drilled in the bottom.)

These bon bons can be ordered from the South 'n France web site, and you can choose a customized assortment of flavors.

Note to those who watch their wheat/gluten intake: about half these flavors are also gluten-free, which is nice.

ChocolateBet: October 9, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
ethel's chocolate (Mars)
"Sweet Rose"
Very Good + - this has a nice authentic rose flavor (& the amount of flavoring was just about right for me - not too weak, not too strong)
Wt.: ~ .5 oz. piece
Calories: ~ 75 calories
Cost: $0 - free sample in store
Purchased from: ethel's chocolate lounge/store in the C concourse of the Las Vegas Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, NV

This rose-flavored chocolate is part of ethel's relatively new tea-flavored chocolate series; I look forward to trying more from this collection in the future. The ethel's brand was created by Forrest Mars, and ethel's chocolates lounges/stores can be found in Las Vegas and Chicago.
www.ethelschocolate.com

ChocolateBet: October 8, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 oz.; 1/2 bar
E. Guittard
"Quetzalcoatl" (72% cacao - bar)
Very Good - tasted fairly light and sweet for such a dark bar
Wt.: 1 oz. (28.3 grams)/ 2 oz. (56.7 grams) in total bar
Calories: 135 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99
Purchased from: Z. Cioccolato, in North Beach area of San Francisco, CA

This bar warmed up a bit sitting in the sun before I ate it. At some point, I'll have to do a side-by-side taste test where I eat different pieces of the same chocolate, at different temperatures.

In the past, I've noticed that other dark chocolates can have a hard waxy taste; and sometimes they benefit from a few minutes in the sun...But, you have to be careful you don't end up with fondue.

ChocolateBet: October 7, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 servings; 2 ounces
Living Intentions
Gone Nuts! - Raw Cacao Almonds and Raisins
("Raw, not roasted; air-dried")
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (56 grams)/4 oz. (113 grams) in total package
Calories: 206 calories in 2 servings
Cost: $? (need to find receipt)
Purchased from: Piazza's in Palo Alto, CA (need to double-check this)

Raw chocolate. It's getting better. These Gone Nuts! Raw Cacao Almonds and Raisins from Living Intentions (SF/Richmond, CA) kind of grew on me; they tasted better as I ate more of them. These were also vegan, gluten-free, with no GMOs or trans fats.

ChocolateBet: October 6, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 srvgs. (1 cup)
ConAgra Foods
Poppycock - Peanut Butter and Chocolate
Very Good
Wt.: 60 grams in 1 cup/ 8.5 oz. (240 grams) in total package
Calories: ~ 280 in 2 servings (1 cup)
Cost: $? (need to find receipt)
Purchased from: ? (need to find receipt)

Poppycock indeed. These peanut butter glazed popcorn clusters were drizzled with milk chocolate; and they were somewhat addictive the same way that so many other sweet and salty snacks are. The nutty flavor only increased the appeal.

Scharffen Berger - Antilles dark bar - October 5, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

Scharffen Berger*
"Antilles" (dark) ("Limited Series No. 9: Trinidad, Grenada, The Dominican Republic and Coastal Venezuela"); 75% cacao
Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (~42 g.) in 1/2 bar/3 oz. (85 grams) in total bar
Calories: 200 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ 6.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Scharffen Berger, in Berkeley, CA

Scharffen Berger makes dark chocolate worth eating slowly. While the flavors in this bar aren't as varied and complex as some others I remember tasting, it is uniformly good, smooth dark chocolate. These Scharffen Berger bars are just thin enough that I could really taste the flavors in a piece broken off and put in my mouth -- greater surface to mass ratio, and all that stuff.

The wrappers are printed on nice papers and, as shown (in scanned image above right), the "title" of the bar is printed on the edge of the wrapper, so that you may stack these together as you might books on a shelf - or tie a ribbon around a nice bundle of these and give them to someone (or yourself). I think this appeals to those who still enjoy books.

*Scharffen Berger is a division of Artisan Confections Company, which is part of Hershey's.

ChocolateBet: October 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

3 oz. bar
Scharffen Berger
Milk Almond ("Sea Salted Almonds and Milk Chocolate") bar
Very Good+
Calories: 420 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $ 5.00
Purchased from: Scharffen Berger, in Berkeley, CA

I prefer dark chocolate, but this was good milk chocolate. This 41% cacao Scharffen Berger Milk Almond bar had a very nice caramelized flavor.

I've been told that, legally, a chocolate product can be called "dark" if it contains over 35-36 percent cacao solids. High-end chocolate makers tend to include more/higher quality solids and to take steps in the manufacturing process that makes -- well, let's just cut to the chase -- their milk chocolate taste a lot better! In fact, I started out eating just part of this bar, and then...What do you know, it's all gone.