ChocolateBet: August 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Fresh and Easy
Swiss Milk Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: .7 oz. (20 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 110 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $1.99 total bar
Purchased from: Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market, in Mountain View, CA

Today was Day #8 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week -- which I celebrated with the lowest cacao percentage bar yet this week.

However, percentage doesn't tell the whole story. This smooth, 31% cocoa content Swiss Milk Chocolate bar from Fresh and Easy (El Segundo, CA), was imported from Switzerland, and I liked it better than some bars with more cacao. The bar also packed a secret weapon: a creamy, nutty taste thanks to a small amount of added hazelnut.

ChocolateBet: August 3, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Whole Foods Market
Milk Chocolate bar - Tanzania
OK + - Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 139 calories (estimate)
Cost: $2.99 in total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #7 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week. Milk Chocolate bars are, by definition, at the lower end of the cacao percentage range -- meaning that these bars have more sugar and milk than my usual dark chocolate fare. While I had a tough time tasting the cacao beyond the wall of sweet sugar, my daughter helped with today's tasting, and she picked up some "spicy" notes. The texture was smooth.


A portion of the proceeds from sales of this Organic, single origin 32% cacao (Tanzania) Milk Chocolate bar -- from Whole Foods Market (Austin, TX) -- will, according to the label, go to schoolchildren as part of a Tanzania Schoolhouse Project. 

ChocolateBet: August 2, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Whole Foods Market
Madagascar Milk Chocolate bar
Good - Good+
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 151 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $2.99 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Los Altos, CA

Today was Day #6 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week. At the beginning of this week, I asked myself:  How low can I go in terms of cacao percentage and still taste and enjoy authentic chocolate flavor?

This 32% cacao Milk Chocolate bar from Whole Foods Market, with packaging adorned with an image of baobab trees found on the Island of Madagascar, was the lowest cacao percentage bar this week.

Made from cocoa "sourced exclusively from Madagascar" that was "prepared and poured by Belgian chocolatiers" (who added milk and sugar), this bar was certainly sweeter than I was used to; however, it scored better in a blind taste testing than some other commercial bars that had similar percentages in the low thirties.

There was a very slight honey vanilla flavor to this bar, and a smooth milk flavor and mouthfeel that may be due to Belgian technique. I don't know whether the "natural vanilla flavor" came from Madagascar or not, but the large island nation off the southeast coast of Africa, is also known as a quality supplier of this flavorful pod.

ChocolateBet: August 1, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Endangered Species Chocolate
Natural Milk Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: .6 oz. (17 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 88 calories (estimate) in 1/5 bar
Cost: $2.19 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Happy first day of August to all, and welcome to Day #5 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week on Chocolate Banquet.

I haven't lost any milk chocolate bars to the warm, summer weather this week, but I've avoided transporting any chocolate outdoors, or in the car; and I've kept this stack of bars away from the skylight-death-rays in the dining room, and the usual hazardous (to chocolate at least) sunny spots inside my house. I had my "three squares" (chocolate, not meals - although I try to have both during the course of a day) this morning, while it was still cool.

Today's reasonably priced, Milk Chocolate (48% cocoa) bar from Endangered Species Chocolate (Indianapolis, IN), was smooth and sweet, with a short list of ingredients in the order I generally prefer: 1.) Cocoa liquor, then 2.) milk and then 3.) unbleached sugar. My only quibble was the addition of some lactose, as many people find this milk sugar hard to tolerate.

The company has combined good chocolate with good works. Endangered Species has donated ten percent of net profits to help support species conservation, habitat and humanity/communities -- noble goals indeed; and they buy cacao from small, family-owned properties with an emphasis on paying a fair wage to farmers.

Each Endangered Species bar featured an animal -- in this case a sea otter, and contained information about the animal and threats it has faced (inside label). Project Ecuador, a product of the company's foundation, is focused on giving cacao farmers access to the Sacha Tree, a hearty cacao tree with year-round yields. 

ChocolateBet: July 31, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Patric Chocolate
Signature Dark Milk Chocolate bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (62.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) total bar
Calories: 173 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.95 total bar
Purchased from: Fog City News, in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #4 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

This Dark Milk Chocolate bar, from Patric Chocolate (Columbia, MO), came with the added creaminess of some milk, but retained chocolate maker Alan "Patric" McClure's signature blend dark characteristics -- that is, a well-balanced blend of acid/fruit and earth notes.

Made with four simple ingredients: cacao, whole milk powder, cane sugar, and cocoa butter -- this Dark Milk bar, I'm guessing, might be anywhere from 52% - 62% cacao. No percentage was listed on the packaging or the Patric website. Thank you to Alan for his deft use of sugar, to enhance and not overpower the cacao flavors.

I look forward to trying the new, seasonal Patric Milk Chocolate bar with Anya Apricots soon. In the meantime, I'll work on biting Patric bars so that they more closely resemble the shape of their origin state of Missouri vs. the fictional jurisdictional outline of Chocolate County.

ChocolateBet: July 30, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Bonnat Chocolatier
(aka Chocolat Bonnat)
Surabaya Chocolat au lait bar
Good +
Weight: 1.15 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 173 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $12.00 total bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #3 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week. The choice of the day was the Surabaya Chocolat au lait (milk chocolate) bar from Bonnat Chocolatier (Voiron, Isere, France, since 1884), with cocoa from three origins: Asfarth, Java and Surabaya, Indonesia.

This attractively packaged bar was "65% de cacao." Once again, a shorter ingredient list correlated with higher quality. The four ingredients were: cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder. The consistency was in the "European style" --  that is, possessing a pleasing, creamy smooth mouth-feel. Because cocoa was the first ingredient (ahead of cocoa butter and sugar) there was a hint of richer chocolate aroma and flavor than is often detectable in overly sweet bars. Vive le chocolat.

ChocolateBet: July 29, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

NewTree
Milk bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .564 oz. (16 g.) in 1/5 bar / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 77.6 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $6.75 in total bar
Purchased from: NewTree store in San Francisco, CA

Today was Day #2 of Milk Chocolate Theme Week.

I started eating a different chocolate each day, almost six years ago. This year, it seemed easier to find quality milk chocolate bars (that were available in the U.S.) than when I started -- a sign that the market has continued to grow and evolve.

Today's NewTree Belgian Milk Chocolate bar was made from 50% milk chocolate sourced from the Dominican Republic and Peru. This bar, and most of their other bars, were made in Belgium; however, NewTree nevertheless has a strong presence in the U.S. -- with a new store that recently opened in San Francisco, where this bar was obtained.

This milk bar was quite smooth; however, it took a bit longer to melt in my mouth than I expected.