ChocolateBet: July 27, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
Fleur de Sel (bar)
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $ ?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate website

This handmade, raw, organic and vegan chocolate Fleur de Sel bar from Gnosis Chocolate (NYC, NY) was flavored with Fleur de Sel and Pink Himalayan Salt, and was also made with agave nectar instead of refined white sugar.

Gnosis Chocolate donates part of their profits to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation (www.ftpt.org).

ChocolateBet: July 26, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Zotter
Cheese-Walnuts-Grapes bar
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 2.47 oz. (70 grams)
Calories: 370 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.48 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

The English translation printed on the label of this organic and fair trade Cheese, Walnuts and Grapes bar (from Austria) stated the bar contained "Milk Chocolate filled with cheese cream." This unusual combination -- perhaps more commonly associated with a salad than a chocolate bar -- was great.

Filling ingredients include: cheese, raisins, almonds, apple balsamic vinegar, Grappa, salt and chili. Works for me. I ate this bar for lunch with a little lettuce and chicken on the side.

And, yes, if I had known about this bar earlier, I probably would have included it in "Chocolate and Cheese Theme Week" awhile back.

ChocolateBet: July 25, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 tootsie pop/sucker
Tootsie Roll Industries
Pomegranate Tootsie Roll Pop
Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 grams)
Calories: 60 calories
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased from: (don't know; this was a gift. Thanks Megan.)

Eating this hard candy Tootsie Roll sucker with the chewy fudge center did bring back fond memories from childhood. Pomegranate must be one of the newer flavors.

Television commercials for this candy (many years ago) invited viewers to discover how many licks it took to reach the chocolate center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. However, during the commercial, one of the characters (usually the owl) would bite into the hard candy outer coating to get to the center more quickly, and then viewers were left to wonder how many licks it took to get to the center.

And, shoot, I bit into mine too, before I remembered this. Ah well, maybe next time I'll find out the answer to this important question.

Also, according to the Tootsie Roll website, Tootsie Roll Pops are gluten free. Good to know. Now I'll have to try all their flavors.

ChocolateBet: July 24, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Bryne and Carlson (Portsmouth, NH)
Mendiant Bar - 68% cacao
Very Good +
Weight: 4.75 oz. (134.5 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: 712 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $ (?) Alas, receipt didn't break out individual items and prices
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

This lovely-to-look-at bar is the result of starting with a French (dark) chocolate base and hand-decorating the bars with "dried fruits, nuts, candied violets and mint leaves."

The taste of some of more delicate items got lost a bit in the dark chocolate. In this case, I was expecting to taste the mint and not the candied violets, but the reverse was true (which was great). The pieces of candied citrus peel and dried cranberry worked well in this mix as well.

This bar was my breakfast and lunch today.

ChocolateBet: July 23, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
ChocolateSmith
Green Chili Pistachio bark
Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56.6 grams)
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 package
Cost: $4.50 for 2 oz. package
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

I liked being able to taste the pistachio nuts in this Green Chili Pistachio Bar from ChocolateSmith (New Mexico). The pistachios were still crunchy (i.e. not too soft); and I thought the amount and distribution of the green chili powder was about right...Oops. I ate this bark before scanning an image of it.

Photo: ChocolateSmith.com

My apologies: All I have is the empty plastic bag/wrapping to show you. The chocolate was much more attractive than this. I don't usually do this, but in the interest of doing this product justice, I'm also including an image of this bark from the ChocolateSmith.com website at right. 

ChocolateBet: July 22, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Zotter
LimeHoney "Limonate" bar
(organic, fair trade, "hand scooped")
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 370 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $6.48 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

This chocolate bar from Zotter (Austria) contained "dark mountain milk chocolate filled with limes and honey;" and it contains a hint of cane sugar brandy. Brazil nuts, and honey and rice flour helped create a honey crunch element in the lemon-lime flavored filling. 

ChocolateBet: July 21, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Madecasse
Madagascar Chocolate - 70% cacoa bar
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 450 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

This 70% cocoa bar was grown, made (from bean to bar), and packaged in Madagascar -- from three ingredients: Madagascar cocoa beans, sugar and cocoa butter. That's all; nothing else.