ChocolateBet: May 8, 2011

Before

Chocolate of the Day:
1 cup+
David Rio
Organic Mint Chocolate (Herbal Tea)
Good
Net Weight: .0425 oz. /0.85 oz. (24 g.) total box
Calories: N/A
Cost: $6.95 total package/box of 20 tea bags
Purchased from: Seabreeze Market, in Berkeley, CA

This is the last day (Day #8) of Organic Chocolate Theme Week -- and Day #1 of Drinking Chocolate Theme Week. David Rio (San Francisco) offers a variety of teas, chai, and other beverage products. The company's Organic Mint Chocolate herbal tea was made with Organic Peppermint, Organic Spearmint, and organic-compliant natural flavors (chocolate essence).

After

If this refreshing infusion (hot or cold) still leaves you craving more cacao, there are several ways to incorporate this tisane into chocolate beverages. For example, I dipped a Mint Chocolate tea bag into some Organic hot chocolate to steep for a few minutes, with good results.

I also added some hot milk with melted dark organic chocolate bar squares -- for a mint-infused dark cocoa drink. Both tisane (before) and mint-infused cocoa (after) versions were good. Some chocolate lovers may want to add a bit of honey or sugar, but I enjoyed this cup of mint tea, with and without milk and chocolate additions -- with no added sweetener.

ChocolateBet: May 7, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 oz.
ChocoLate Organiko
whydark 75% Organic Dark Chocolate (bar)
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2.4 (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A sample; The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #7 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week, and time to sample something from outside the U.S., from ChocoLate Organiko (based in Madrid, Spain). The company's whydark 75% cacao, Organic Dark Chocolate, "Fruity and Slightly Acid" bar was dark, rich and -- as advertised -- somewhat, but not too, acidic. Good thing, as I ate this just before bedtime this evening. After a day spent at a chocolate conference, I still needed to eat my daily chocolate before the clock struck midnight.

ChocolateBet: May 6, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Lulu's Chocolate
Maca Green Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.)
Calories: 147 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: N/A - Lulu's booth at San Francisco International Chocolate Salon

Today was Day #6 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. Lulu's raw, organic (55% cacao) Maca Green Bar was made with certified Ecuadorian cocoa butter, maca, coconut palm sugar, cacao nibs, spirulina, mesquite, vanilla and sea salt. The result: an attractively stamped dark bar with interesting, complex taste and crunchy texture.

ChocolateBet: May 5, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 


Organic Nectars
Raw Cacao Bar
54% cacao
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 100 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: Approx. $4.83 per bar ($29 sampler 6-bar pack)
Purchased from: Organic Nectars via Chocolate.com

Organic Nectars 
Raw Cacao Bar
70% cacao
Very Good
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 1.4 oz. (40 g.) total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: Approx. $4.83 per bar ($29 sampler 6-bar pack)

Today was Day #5 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. Hats off to Organic Nectars (based in Malden, NY, New York's Hudson Valley area) for their line of raw, organic (Organic Certification by NFC) vegan bars made with the company's PalmSweet palm coconut nectar and kosher parve ingredients.

Chocolate Banquet is all about the abundance of good foods available -- even if you, or someone close to you, is "living without" gluten, or dairy, soy, refined sugar, etc. Organic Nectars bars do not contain these ingredients, and are well made with a smooth texture (without being oily), and interesting flavors. Cocoa butter and a touch of non GMO sunflower lecithin are used, rather than soy, to help achieve a pleasant consistency and mouth feel.

The 54% cacao, raw cacao bar, was particularly intriguing, with its smoky, sweet tobacco notes. Normally, higher cacao content bars get all the interesting flavors and any milder notes are often overwhelmed by darker, or heavily roasted bars. So it was a treat to taste some rich flavor notes in a bar with lower cacao content.

The 70% raw cacao bar had a nice snap to it, and was smooth and just slightly richer/darker in taste than the 54% bar, with a much fainter smoky note than the 54% bar.

ChocolateBet: May 4, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Green and Black's Organic
Milk Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 220 calories
Cost: $2.29 total bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week, and today's chocolate comes from Green and Black's, a company that has been committed to using organic ingredients from the company's formation (in 1991).

This unadorned, Milk Chocolate (34% cocoa content) bar was made with higher quality (Trinitario) cacao beans than is found on most store shelves. It had a smooth consistency and taste, and would be fine for those who might not like the stronger flavor characteristics associated with many dark chocolate bars. I plan to re-taste this bar, later this month, alongside Green and Black's darker bars. 

ChocolateBet: May 3, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1/6 bar
Equal Exchange Chocolates
Organic and fairly traded
Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .583 oz. (16.6 g.) /  3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 92 calories
Cost: $4.50 total bar
Purchased from: Calafia Market a Go-Go, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. Several companies are producing or making chocolate using at least some organic ingredients -- some offerings are certified organic and others may not be. A look into the chocolate "supply chain" generally goes back to cacao growers in other parts of the world. Equal Exchange's Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar (55% cacao content) was USDA Certified Organic; also on the bar's label: "Fair Trade and Social Certified by IMO."

Equal Exchange (based in West Bridgewater, MA) is a somewhat unique company. It is a "worker owned Fair Trade company founded in 1986," and is focused on "building equitable trade relationships with co-ops of small-scale farmers."

Today's Organic and fairly traded Dark Chocolate with Almonds bar was made with organic chocolate, organic sugar, organic vanilla and organic chopped almonds, and was produced in Switzerland for Equal Exchange.

ChocolateBet: May 2, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 oz. (28 g.) serving
Kopali Organics
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) total package
Calories: 140 calories
Cost: $N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample; from Kopali Organics, based in Miami FL.

Today was Day #2 of Organic Chocolate Theme Week. These slightly irregular shaped, rich, dark chocolate covered cacao nibs from Kopali Organics were quite good. The smooth, organic dark chocolate coating enveloped slightly crunchy nib centers; these tasted rich and nutty, with a few fruit notes. I think I have a new Kopali favorite (although I still like the chocolate covered mulberries almost as much). Thank you Kelly.

A package insert (inside shipping box) showed Kopali Organics' five different organic chocolate covered items, and five different organic fruit items.