ChocolateBet: September 3, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
The Chocolate Fetish
Ecstasy truffle line, Velvet Sin
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .848 oz. (24 grams)
Calories: ~ 127 calories in one piece (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift) Thank you Ginger!
Purchased from: The Chocolate Fetish, in Asheville, North Carolina

This hearty truffle's ganache center was made with a blend of four dark chocolates. Last night I found this in a box (in my mailbox) from my friend Ginger who lives in the Atlanta, Georgia area. She stopped at The Chocolate Fetish during a recent trip. Given the recent hot temperatures in California, these arrived in good shape. But, just to make sure they were really OK, I had to eat the Ecstasy Ancient Pleasures chocolate truffle with cayenne last night as soon as I opened the box. (So, I'm not including this second truffle in today's entry, but will try to in the future, as it was very tasty.)

Note: the image of The Chocolate Fetish storefront above was scanned from a reprint of an article that ran in the February 2009 issue of Rapid River (Arts & Culture Magazine).

ChocolateBet: September 2, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Gnosis Chocolate
Almond Fig Spice bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2 oz. (56 grams)
Calories: 300 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate

I liked the combination of flavors: almonds, figs, cinnamon and other spices in this handmade, raw, organic chocolate bar from Gnosis Chocolate (New York City, NY). The texture of Gnosis chocolates seems smoother than many handmade, raw bars I've tasted.

The bar was also vegan, and contained no refined sugar.

Congratulations to Gnosis founder, Vanessa Barg; I hope you received the TV coverage this week you were hoping for.

ChocolateBet: September 1, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

3/4 bar
Tropical Source (by SunSpire)
Toasted Almond Dark Chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 2.25 oz. (64 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 375 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $0 gift (thank you Alec)
Purchased from: n/a (gift)

I melted down this (dairy- and gluten-free) bar to include it in a chocolate pudding cake of sorts. (I can't follow recipes, but it's hard to go wrong if you combine chocolate, egg, oil/butter, and a bit of rice flour.

I list vendor name(s) for each chocolate I eat. Determining who made this bar was a bit confusing. Tropical Source (by SunSpire) is owned by nSpired Natural Foods - now owned by Hain. This made me think of a nested set of Russian dolls, or of the little fish who was eaten by the medium-sized fish, who was then eaten by the larger fish, and so on. I don't know if this list of names was the result of a branding or acquisition strategy. Waves of change and disruption tend to wipe out lots of carefully crafted product names and brands over time. Ten years from now, I wonder how many chocolate brand names on my blog will still exist.

ChocolateBet: August 31, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

2 frozen bars
Fudgsicle (Unilever)
Dark Chocolate Flavored Frozen Dessert (bars)
(Triple Chocolate Fudgsicle assortment box: contained dark, milk, and white fudgsicles)
Good +
Weight: 3.3 fluid oz. (97.4 mL) in two bars/29.7 fl. oz. (878 mL) in total box of 18 bars
Calories: 120 calories in two bars
Cost: $0 (gift - thank you Megan)
Purchased from: n/a (gift)

When the last day of August rolls around, it's hard to stay in denial about summer coming to an end. I ate two dark chocolate frozen Fudgsicles (Unilever) as my farewell salute to warm, sunny days and sunsets that extend until after 8:00 p.m.

ChocolateBet: August 30, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving (5 pieces)
Marich Confectionary Co.
Dark Chocolate Brandied Cherries
Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) /4.5 oz. (125 g.) in total package
Calories: 170 calories in 5 pieces (per package label)
Cost: $3.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Safeway, in San Jose, CA

These mouth-watering, dark chocolate covered brandied cherries from Marich Confectionery Co. (Hollister, CA) might be nice with a fruit and cheese plate, and a small glass of wine or port.

ChocolateBet: August 29, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
Safeway Select
Mint Chocolate Chip (Light) ice cream
Very Good
Weight: 7.5 fluid oz. (222 mL)
Calories: 240 calories
Cost: $0.88 (estimate) for 1 container
Purchased from: Safeway, in San Jose, CA

After a 5.5-mile walk in the hot sun, this light ice cream tasted very nice and refreshing. (For more on the walk, see www.walking-the-bay.com.)

ChocolateBet: August 28, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package (3 rings)
Joyva Corp.
Jell Ring Chocolate Covered
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.35 oz. (38.3 grams) in one package
Calories: 190 calories in 3 rings (1 package)
Cost: $1.08 (.99 + NYC tax)
Purchased from: Cibo Market, JFK Airport, New York

Raspberry jell filling made these Jell Ring chocolates from Joyva (Brooklyn, NY) look like miniature jelly-filled doughnuts. However, as far as I could see these rings were dough-free (good for me as I can't have gluten), and made for a fun, berry-flavored, chocolate-covered snack.