ChocolateBet: July 31, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Askinosie Chocolate
Soconusco, Mexico, Dark Milk + Fleur de Sel bar
Very Good + - Yum
Weight: 3 oz. (85 grams)
Calories: 540 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $8.50
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Thanks again to the helpful staff at Chocolate Covered in San Francisco who helped me pick out this Dark Milk bar from Askinosie Chocolate (Springfield, MO).

This single origin bar was made like a lot of the best chocolate, with a few select, local ingredients - that in this case included Trinitario cocoa beans from Mexico, organic cane juice, goat's milk powder, cocoa butter, and sea salt. And, this bar wasn't too sweet, which was a real plus for me.

ChocolateBet: July 30, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2/3 bar
Original Beans
Cru Virunga, D.R. Congo - 70% cacao: 20-hour conch
Very Good +
Weight: 2.37 oz. (66.6 g.)/3.57 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: ~ 357 calories (estimate)
Cost: $16.00
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Original Beans bars represent an example of chocolate for a good cause. If you buy a bar, you get information on a (cacao) tree that will be planted, possibly in an area that is being reforested (or restored, after the land has been clear cut).

I'm guessing the company's relationships with farmers (co-ops) in various countries, the tree planting (and the use of small batches and rarer beans) help explain the high price; although the chocolate is rich and smooth, and appears to be very high-quality chocolate.

The bean-to-bar makers carefully process their cacao beans to arrive at "a crisp snap and a luscious melt with vivid fruit notes."

ChocolateBet: July 29, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Torn Ranch
Tea Infused Chocolate - Masala Chai with Black Tea
Very Good
Weight: "1 oz. (28.5 grams)"
Calories: 174 calories
Cost: $2.25 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered in San Francisco, CA

This milk chocolate bar from Torn Ranch (Novato, CA) was a bit sweet (I think I've gotten used to eating mostly dark chocolates this past week); however it was infused with very nice, well balanced chai tea flavor. And, while I couldn't taste black tea specifically, I'm guessing the tea taste (and maybe the tannic acid in tea) blended well with and balanced the milk in the milk chocolate. 

ChocolateBet: July 28, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
MarieBelle
Apricot - Dark Chocolate Bar, 70%
Very Good
Weight: 3.1 oz. (90 grams)
Calories: 428 calories (estimate) in total bar
Cost: $8.50
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

Very nice dark chocolate; and I liked the crunchy pieces (potato starch?). I couldn't really taste the apricot pieces, but I enjoyed the bar -- enough to eat the whole thing. Whoops. High rate of chocolate evaporation in my house.

I loved the packaging, design too. It reminded me of my visit to Mariebelle in New York City, a place with a very attractive and inviting interior space, with a combined shop and cafe/tea area.

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.