ChocolateBet: December 6, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving - 3 pieces
Jelly Belly Candy Company
Sunkist Chocolate Raspberry Fruit Gems
("Naturally Flavored Soft Fruit Candy Coated with Dark Chocolate")
Good + - Very Good
Wt.: ~1.28 oz. (37 g.)/ 3.2 oz. (90g) total bag
Calories: "30" calories per serving (Note: This sounds too low for 3 pc. srvg. I'm calling them to double-check whether this is correct.)
Cost: $1.95 for total bag/package
Purchased from: Village Stationers, in Palo Alto, CA

Jelly Belly is perhaps most well-known for their jelly beans, but a few of their items also contain chocolate and/or cocoa powder.

The company opens their facility in the Fairfield, CA, area (a few hours away from where I live) to visitors; and one of these days I'll get up there for a tour.

ChocolateBet: December 5, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Snickers/Mars, Incorporated
Snickers Nut'n butter Crunch
("Milk Chocolate, Peanuts and Creamy Peanut Butter taste")
Very Good +
Weight: 1.71 oz. (48.5 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: 250 calories
Cost: $~.69?
Purchased from: ? (need to find receipt)

All variations of the original Snickers bar (part of Mars) have been good. That is, in part, due to the power of chocolate and peanuts and/or peanut butter in this case.

ChocolateBet: December 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

8 small squares
Alter Eco Fair Trade
Dark Chocolate Almond ("sun-dried and slow-roasted")
(El Ceibo Cooperative, Bolivia)
Good+
Wt.: 33.6 grams in 8 squares/3.5 oz. (100 grams) in total bar
Calories: ~168 calories in 8 small squares
Cost: $ ?
Purchased from: ?

I'd bought these dark chocolate almonds from Alter Eco some time ago. A nice story was included, printed on the packaging, about where the cacao had come from (a co-op in Bolivia). 

ChocolateBet: December 3, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1.5 servings (3/4 cup)
Hershey's (branded)/Houston Harvest, Inc.
Hershey's Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn
Good +
Wt.: 3/4 cup (43.5 grams)/6 oz. (170 g.) in total pkg.
Calories: ~ 180 calories for 3/4 cup
Cost: $4.99 for total package
Purchased from: OfficeMax, in Mountain View, CA

I found this chocolate while shopping for office supplies.

ChocolateBet: December 2, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Saxon Chocolates
Dark Chocolate Dipped Apricots
Good +
Wt.: .7 oz. (20 grams)/3.5 oz. (100 g.) total package
Calories: 75 calories for 2 pieces/apricots
Cost: $7.99 for total package of 10
Purchased from: Loehmann's, in Sunnyvale, CA

ChocolateBet: December 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 cup
Barefoot Coffee
"deth chocolate" (hot chocolate)
Good +
Wt.: 12 fl oz. size cup; (~355 ml.)
Cost: $5.00
Calories: ~360 calories (wild guess)
Purchased from: Barefoot Coffee, on Stevens Creek Blvd., in Santa Clara, CA

Barefoot Coffee is a fun place; it's not your typical coffee chain. I received my hot deth chocolate with a smiley face in the foam on top. Barefoot's version of hot chocolate is fairly rich - which is good if you like stronger flavors. I took mine to go - and I should have taken a plastic stick or spoon with me to finish up the nice chocolate layer at the bottom of the cup. See if you can guess the secret ingredient.

ChocolateBet: November 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

~ 1 oz. serving
Lotte (distributed by Nishimoto Trading Co. of Tokyo, Japan)
Almond Chocolate Crisp (individual chocolate covered almonds, w/ addit. filling elements)
Good +
Wt.: 1 oz. serving/4.16 oz. (118 g.) in total box
Calories: 170 calories (estimate) in ~ 1 oz. serving
Cost: $2.35 for total box
Purchased from: store in Chinatown, in San Francisco, CA

These chocolate covered almonds from Lotte weren't bad; however, I shouldn't be eating chocolates with "malt puff" in them, because I need to avoid wheat/gluten items. And, I'm 99% sure that malt puff probably has at least some gluten in it.