ChocolateBet: July 27, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

2 squares
Dolfin Chocolat
Noir Gingembre (Dark Ginger)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .313 oz. (9 g.) in 2 squares/ 3.76 oz. (108 g.) total package of 24 small squares (2 each of 12 flavors)
Calories: 46 calories (estimate) in 2 small squares
Cost: $11.00 for total package of 24 squares
Purchased from: Cacao Drink Chocolate, Portland, OR

Somehow Dolfin was able to infuse a gingerbread taste into these little dark chocolate squares. And, since I love gingerbread, you'll get no argument from me on this Noir Gingembre combination.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Spicy Roots Theme Week. Ginger is probably the most common spicy root mixed with chocolate. Ginger's strong flavor holds up nicely against almost any dark chocolate you can throw at it. However, sarsaparilla/sarsparilla, root beer, and other root-based flavors also mix surprisingly well with Theobroma Cacao (also known as the the food of the Gods).

ChocolateBet: July 26, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Root Beer - filled chocolates
Michael Mischer Chocolates
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .84 oz. (23.7 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces
Calories: 126 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $
Purchased from Michael Mischer Chocolates, in Oakland, CA

Yes, it is Day #1 of Chocolate and Spicy Roots Theme Week. And, what better way to kick off this theme week than with some root beer chocolates. Crafted in the shape of a small log, this filled chocolate from Michael Mischer was the product of artful flavor blending.

Seen in a relatively unskilled time lapse photography sequence (at right), the original two pieces can be seen as they slowly disappeared.

ChocolateBet: July 25, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 cup - 2 flavors of gelato
Gelateria Naia
1.) Cobblestone - Good + - Very Good
2.) Espresso - Very Good
Weight: ~ 4 oz. (113 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 250 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Gelateria Naia, in North Beach, San Francisco, CA

Today, Day #7 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week, I rewarded myself with some gelato. Naia has many wonderful chocolate-related flavors. "Cobblestone" is similar to rocky road, and contained chocolate gelato, marshmallows, and toasted hazelnuts.

The Naia Espresso gelato was a bit like affogato, one of my favorite desserts: a shot of espresso poured over vanilla gelato.

Thank you to Natasha (shown at right) who helped me pick out these two flavors.


And, finally, it's not every ice cream store that has a gelato cone "bouquet." Extra points for creativity.

ChocolateBet: July 24, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/5 bar
Green and Black's Chocolate Limited
Espresso (dark chocolate with coffee bar)
Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.)/3.5 oz. (100g) total bar
Calories: 110 calories in 1/5 bar or 6 squares
Cost: $
Purchased from:

Green and Black's produces a line of organic, dark chocolate bars. They've also continued to expand their Fair Trade story in 2010. The company's "Espresso" bar was the choice for today, Day #6 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week.

Whenever I decide to group similar chocolates into a Theme Week, I'm always interested to sample the different variations on a theme. For example, this dark bar -- unlike some chocolates included in this grouping -- was a completely smooth chocolate, and was flavored with "real coffee." That is, there were not actual textural elements in the form of crunchy coffee bits/espresso beans mixed into chocolate. However, there was a strong brewed coffee flavor to the bar. Once again, life is a chocolate banquet; there are many choices available.

ChocolateBet: July 23, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

2/5 bar
Endangered Species
Dark Chocolate with Espresso Beans (bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.)/3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 168 calories
Cost: $
Purchased from:

Today's Dark Chocolate (72% cocoa) with Espresso Beans bar, from Endangered Species (Indianapolis, IN), had a very slight crunch from finely ground espresso beans embedded in the bar. It was just the right amount of texture for me. This bar was my selection for Day #5 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week.

Endangered Species focuses on wildlife conservation, and features different animals, such as this tiger, on each of their bars. ("10% of net profits donated to help support species, habitat and humanity.")

ChocolateBet: July 22, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Anthon Berg
Chocolate Espresso Drink
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.)/5.3 oz. (150 g.) total package of 12 pieces
Calories: 55 calories
Cost: $
Purchased from:

This dark chocolate with a liquid coffee center from Anthon Berg was my selection for Day #4 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week. This non-alcoholic, Chocolate Espresso Drink was nestled in a package with 11 other small foil-wrapped "drinks".

ChocolateBet: July 21, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Michael Mischer Chocolates
Espresso
Very Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.3 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 58 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, in Oakland, CA

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit Michael Mischer Chocolates in Oakland, CA, with Sunita de Tourreil of The Chocolate Garage. There, we had an opportunity to meet Michael Mischer, and to try his filled chocolates, which were every bit as good as his chocolate bars.

Today (Day #3 of Chocolate and Espresso Theme Week) I enjoyed the "Espresso" -- one of the filled chocolates I purchased yesterday (Oakland shop, and 12-piece box pictured at right). The Espresso consisted of a dark, coffee-bean shaped chocolate shell that surrounded an espresso flavored filling. I recommend trying Michael Mischer's filled chocolates. In a world of overly sweet caramels and centers, his are a skillful blend of flavors and textures, with some wonderful twists.

What delighted me most about Mischer's Espresso, I have to admit, was that I was immediately reminded of a Coffee-et -- a type of hard, coffee toffee candy from my childhood. One of these could yank a filling out if you weren't careful, but it tasted wonderful. These Coffee-ets were individually wrapped candies with "real cream, fresh butter and pure coffee" (according to a 1945 ad in Life magazine); they used to be made in Alameda, CA, by Miss Saylor's Chocolates. Sadly, I believe this brand disappeared from the commercial scene about 18 years ago.