ChocolateBet: May 26, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Coastal Cocktails Inc.
Indulge Hot Cocoa Set
Good - Good+
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) mix in 1 bag/ 8 fl. oz. for beverage with marshmallows
Calories: 100 calories + 30 calories for marshmallows = 130 calories
Cost: $9.99 for set that included mug
Purchased from: Bed Bath and Beyond, Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week.

It was a little cool and cloudy out, and I was feeling lethargic. So, a mug of instant hot cocoa with mini marshmallows hit the spot.  I added boiling water, and I had the whole hot chocolate experience in less than 1 minute.

This "Indulge" set, designed and distributed by Coastal Cocktails (Irvine, CA), came complete with one mug, one packet of marshmallows, and two packets of hot cocoa mix. (It's always good to have a spare or share packet on hand.)

ChocolateBet: May 25, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Harry London
Dark Chocolate Espresso
Good - Good +
Weight: 0.42 oz. (12 g.) 1 piece
Calories: 63 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - sample
Purchased from: N/A - sample

What does a chocolate breakfast look like? Well, this morning it consisted of a small, hot cup of espresso (with milk and melted chocolate shavings whipped into it), and one individually-wrapped piece of Espresso Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa), from Harry London (North Canton, OH).

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week. 

ChocolateBet: May 24, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Emmi Roth USA, Inc.
Caffe Latte - Mocha
Good - Good+
Weight: 3.85 fl. oz. (115 mL) / 7.7 fl. oz. (230 mL) total container
Calories: 85 calories
Cost: $1.99 total container
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #8 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week; and this afternoon I choose a pre-dinner pick-me up -- in the form of a gluten-free, chilled Mocha beverage from Emmi (Monroe, WI).

The flavor was fairly smooth, and sweet but without being cloying. The container was packaged for convenient use, with a lid that I used to re-cap this espresso, Swiss chocolate and low-fat milk beverage, when I saved the rest for later.

ChocolateBet: May 23, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates
Dark Hot Chocolate
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) estimate / 12 oz. (340 g.) total bag
Calories: 120 calories (estimate)
Cost: $34.00 for large bag of cocoa; cup and saucer; metal whisk (set)
Purchased from: L.A. Burdick, Walpole, New Hampshire

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week.

Tonight I savored a small cup of hot chocolate from L.A. Burdick (New Hampshire). This cup was part of a hot chocolate set that included a generously large bag of mix with dark chocolate ("69% - 72% cocoa content") shavings; a customized, L.A. Burdick chocolate cup and saucer; and a small metal whisk.

The best chocolate beverages tend to have a short list of minimally-processed ingredients. In this case, the short list read: cacao beans, sugar and cocoa butter ("may have soy lecithin and vanilla").

This set also included a small gift card with a picture of an L.A. Burdick chocolate mouse with almond ears. These mice are delicious. Just ask the squirrel in my yard who, last year, tunneled into an L.A. Burdick box that had been left on my doorstep in order to excavate and eat said mice. (Eventually I did get some mice of my own to taste, and I concurred with the squirrel's excellent judgement.)

ChocolateBet: May 22, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mink Chocolates
No Grumpy
Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) /1.76 oz. (50 g.) total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 3/5 bar
Cost: $6.25 + tax
Purchased from: Mink Chocolates, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This morning I was running around, trying to get things done. I felt much better after taking a break and enjoying some of this "No Grumpy" bar from Mink Chocolates (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) -- a breakfast beverage in solid form.

This organic, dark chocolate bar contained just the right grind of organic espresso -- not too coarse and crunchy, but enough to add a little texture and flavor. The 70% cacao bar base was just right for this blend of two flavorful, dark roasted beans (cacao and coffee) that have much in common.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: May 21, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

CocoaVia (Masterfoods USA)
Rich Chocolate Indulgence Beverage
Good
Weight: 5.65 fl. oz. (167 mL) in 1 small bottle
Calories: 150 calories in 1 small bottle
Cost: $ info no longer available
Purchased from: info no longer available

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate Beverage Theme Week.

Today's chocolate choice was a small bottle of CocoaVia "Rich Chocolate Indulgence Beverage" from Masterfoods/Mars, that I scooped up to take on a hike at the beach. Nothing like a smooth chocolatey beverage (with added cocoa flavanols and vitamins) in your lunch bag while visiting a fern grotto by the Pacific Ocean, on a gorgeous Spring day with friends.

ChocolateBet: May 20, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Serendipity 3
Frrrozen Hot Chocolate
OK+ - Good
Weight: 6 oz. (170 g.) total dry mix
Calories: 130 calories in 1 serving (1/5 mix)
Cost: N/A - gift
Purchased from: N/A gift - thank you Debbie

I'd heard about the frozen hot chocolate served at Serendipity 3 (New York City) -- a unique blend of coffee shop, ice cream parlor and its very own self. Today I did the next best thing to visiting New York; I made a batch of the packaged version of this Serendipity 3 chocolate beverage. Thank you to Debbie D. who volunteered this packet of Frrrozen Hot Chocolate Mix.

The instructions: pour this mix, a cup of milk, and 2 cups of ice cubes in a blender, and voila! I did end up with about 30 oz. of what looked a lot like a refreshing, chocolate milkshake. (I used part coconut milk.) Had the quality of the cocoa mix been just a notch higher (or perhaps if I'd added some high-end dark chocolate shavings), it would have been even better.