ChocolateBet: August 21, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/5 bar (3 squares)
World Market
Triple Berry Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 80 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $1.99 for total bar
Purchased from: World Market store, in Mountain View, CA

This dark chocolate (64% cacao) bar contained "bold, bittersweet chocolate with flavors of blueberry, blackberry, and a hint of tiny raspberry bits," according to the label. The natural berry flavors and raspberry flakes (used in this bar) certainly did taste better than their artificial cousins that I've tasted in other bars, and were blended smoothly together.

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Berry Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: August 20, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1/3 bar
NewTree
Superfruit 65% Cocoa (bar)
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .94 oz. (26.6 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 106 calories (estimate)
Cost: $4.99 for total bar
Purchased from: BevMo, in Mountain View, CA

What is a Superfruit bar you ask? NewTree's rendition includes: Belgian dark chocolate (65% cocoa) with cranberries, goji berries, pomegranate, grape and papaya, and a bit of extra fiber (inulin, oligofructose). I found the sum total of all these ingredients to be a very tasty chocolate choice for today -- Day #3 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: August 19, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Kopali Organics
Organic Dark Chocolate Covered Mulberries
Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) total package
Calories: 260 calories
Cost: $
Purchased from: (misplaced receipt)

Organic dried mulberries from were the berries in the spotlight today, covered in (organic, fair trade certified) dark chocolate, and the choice for Day #2 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: August 18, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1.1 oz.
Michael Mischer Chocolates
Blueberry and Dragon Fruit (bar)
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.125 oz. (31.8 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 158 calories (estimate)
Cost: $
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, in Oakland, CA

While today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Berry Theme Week -- with blueberries being the featured berry today, perhaps the most interesting addition to today's single origin Criollo chocolate bar was the incorporation of dragon fruit. A 65% dark chocolate base made it a bit more difficult to detect a distinctive dragon fruit flavor; however, the unusual fruit added attractive rosy color and a slightly chewy texture.

ChocolateBet: August 17, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
5 pieces
Michael Mischer Chocolates
Five filled chocolates:
1.) Lavender and Honey
2.) Lilikoi (Passion Fruit)
3.) Tamarind
4.) Champagne
5.) Port Wine

Very Good
Weight: 2.25 oz. (63.6 g.) (estimate) for 5 pieces
Calories: 337 calories (estimate) for 5 pieces
Cost: $9.10 (estimate) for 5 pieces
Purchased from: Michael Mischer Chocolates, Oakland, CA


There was no crazy chocolate theme week going on today. Instead I enjoyed an assortment of filled chocolates, purchased earlier  from Michael Mischer Chocolates, located in Oakland, CA.

All these individual pieces were good. However, I do enjoy lavender; and so, no surprise, my favorite chocolate was the Lavender and Honey chocolate (log shape with purple dot), followed by the Lilikoi -- a small dome-shaped chocolate, decorated with a yellow brushstroke. I liked the butterscotch-like caramelized filling with a hint of passion fruit.

I was going to save chocolates #3 - #5 for tomorrow, but they served as my lunch instead. In keeping with my plan to replace all normal meals with chocolate today, I later attended an evening chocolate tasting (dinner) at Fog City News in San Francisco. Thank you to Fog City for the tasting and for carrying a wide variety of interesting chocolates.

ChocolateBet: August 16, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

2 slices cake + other items
Amy's Kitchen Inc.
Amy's Cakes - Chocolate
Very Good
Weight: 3.06 oz. (86.8 oz.) / 11 oz. (312 g.) total cake
Calories: 300 calories for cake (+ 75 calories for peach pomegranate jam sauce and light whipped cream)
Cost: $5.99 for total cake
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was the last day (Day #7) of Chocolate and Pomegranate Theme Week.

To celebrate, I tried a piece of Amy's Gluten Free, Non-Dairy, and Vegan Chocolate Cake. You might think you'd be missing out with a label with so many omissions; but you'd be wrong. This chocolate cake was moist and delicious, and provided a great base for peach pomegranate sauce and whipped cream.

ChocolateBet: August 15, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
3 chocolate covered figs (+ pomegranate wine and juice)
Wine Country Chocolates
Good +
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) (estimate) / 3.6 oz. (101.8 g.) (estimate) in total package of 6 figs
Calories: 230 calories (just for 3 figs)
Cost: $6.00 for total package of 6 figs
Purchased from: Wine Country Chocolates, in Sonoma, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Pomegranate Theme Week; and today's chocolate banquet took on a vaguely Mediterranean flavor.

A bowl of chocolate covered figs, topped with whipped cream, pistachio nuts, strawberry slices, and spices (nutmeg and cinnamon), was accompanied by pomegranate wine from Armenia.

Honest Ade Pomegranate Blue juice drink provided a refreshing, non-alcoholic tasting addition to this mix. No wonder I was ready for a nap afterwards.