ChocolateBet: January 26, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Bi-Rite Creamery & Bakeshop
Coffee Toffee bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.7 oz. (47.5 g.)/3.4 oz. (95 g.) total bar
Calories: 255 calories in 1/2 bar (estimate)
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar (3 for $15.00)
Purchased from: Bi-Rite Market, in San Francisco, CA

No need to sip a hot espresso today, this bar was full of crunchy coffee bean pieces. This bar also contained almond toffee, in a blend of dark and milk chocolate. The Coffee Toffee bar was made for Bi-Rite by Charles Chocolates (based in Emeryville, CA).

ChocolateBet: January 25, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
3/4 bar
Teuscher
Lemon Chocolate (bar)
Very Good
Weight: .675 oz. (18.75 g.)/.9 oz. (25 g.) total bar
Calories: 97 calories (estimate) in 3/4 small bar
Cost: $4.00? for small bar
Purchased from: Teuscher store, in Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA

This dark chocolate (50% cacao) bar flavored with lemon had real snap to it when I broke off a piece to share. I like dark chocolate and lemon combinations, and I was happy with this bar.  Unfortunately, the wrapper did not scan or photograph well, so my apologies if the image above is hard to read.

ChocolateBet: January 24, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Bi-Rite Creamery & Bakeshop
Peanut Praline Bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.7 oz. (47.5 g.)/3.4 oz. (95 g.) in total bar
Calories: 255 calories for 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.00 for 1 bar (3 for $15.00)
Purchased from: Bi-Rite Market, in San Francisco, CA

If the thought of eating peanut brittle bits in deep milk chocolate sounds attractive, this bar is a good choice. Made for Bi-Rite by Charles Chocolates (located across the Bay in Emeryville, CA), this bar tasted fresh, and had nice texture and flavors.

ChocolateBet: January 23, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Michel Cluizel - Bread - Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) in 1 "loaf" or piece (estimate)
Calories: 90 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.50
Purchased from: Miette Bakery, Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Very cute little baguette shape. If I'd had a chocolate fromage,
and chocolate sardines (which Michel Cluizel does make),
I would have had a complete picnic.

2.) Trader Joe's "Chocolate Palette" Single Origin Dark Chocolate Bars
Flavors include: Papua New Guinea (70%), Dominican Republic (70%), others
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.) (estimate) worth of several tastes
Calories: 375 calories for tastes of different bars
Cost: $ N/A
Purchased from: Trader Joe's by Lisa

Thank you very much to Lisa and Rolf for arranging a single origin bar tasting. Sampling different chocolates side by side really highlights differences and unique qualities much more effectively than sequential tasting over a period of days.

ChocolateBet: January 22, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

1.) Maison Bouche - Pine Cones (Bergamot) - 1 piece/cone
Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.)/3.6 oz. (101.88 g.) total package/clear box (estims.)
Calories: 82 calories (estimate)
Cost: $14.00 for total package of 6 chocolate pine cones
Purchased from: Miette Bakery, in the Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

2.) Teuscher - 66% dark chocolate log
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 87 calories (estimate)
Cost: $1.87 (guess) if $50/lb.
Purchased from: Teuscher shop, at Stanford Shopping Center, CA

And today's chocolates conclude (Day #7 of) Chocolate and Tree Theme Week. I tried the (Maison Bouche) rose marzipan pine cones earlier in the week, and today I noticed that there was a bergamot flavor as well. The rose cones win by a nose. I also enjoyed the Teuscher solid dark chocolate log.

ChocolateBet: January 21, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
DeMet's Candy Company
Stixx (Butterfinger)
Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.)/3.64 oz. (103.2 g.) total package of 6
Calories: 80 calories
Cost: $1.14
Purchased from: Safeway, in San Jose, CA

Made with Nestle Butterfinger pieces, these sticks (Stixx actually) sort of fit with Day #6 of Chocolate and Tree Theme Week.

While the Stixx were fine, I had hoped to find a chocsimile of the Tree mascot from Stanford University. (I live a few miles from Stanford.) The tree is rather infamous; however, the closest thing I could find in stores was a t-shirt proclaiming "Fear the Tree" and a tree golf club cover. Ah well.

ChocolateBet: January 20, 2010

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces/logs
Grand Bakery
Almond Logs
Very Good
Weight: 2.5 oz. (71 g.)/7.5 oz. (212 g.) total for package of 6 logs
Calories: 312 calories (estimate) for 2 logs
Cost: $7.99 for package of 6 logs
Purchased from: Piazzas, in Palo Alto, CA

Day #5 of Chocolate and Tree Theme Week had me searching high and low for more tree-themed chocolates. I was hoping to find some dark chocolates with a tree flavoring or component (or chocsimile) of some sort. (I may have to make something like this on my own, once I find some kind of food-quality pine or other tree flavoring.)  These "logs" were the closest I could find, and I was happy to see them after stopping at several stores this afternoon. These (wheat and dairy free) almond logs were also kosher.

Another happy discovery today involved visiting Monique's Chocolates, a new shop in downtown Palo Alto. I will be back to sample more dark, single-origin chocolates. Thank you to Mark West for allowing us to sample the house chocolate (a very nice mixture of milk and dark), and homemade marshmallows.