ChocolateBet: September 7, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Magnum (Unilever Ice Cream)
Mint ice cream bars
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 3.38 oz. (100 mL/77 g.) / 10.14 fl. oz. (300 mL) in total box of 3 bars
Calories: 250 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $
Purchased from: Safeway, in Palo Alto, CA

Magnum (Unilever Ice Cream) has created a line of higher end ice cream bars. Mint is the second flavor I tried. (The first was the company's Double Caramel flavor.) The small sparkles of crunchy sugar in this Mint bar were a unique addition; I thought these bits might be flecks of peppermint candy in the ice cream at first; but they were part of the Belgian milk chocolate coating and not part of the mint ice cream.

Thank you to the Magnum team for not using pink or green artificial coloring, to denote mint. I like simple and elegant chocolates with fewer additives and high-quality ingredients.

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

ChocolateBet: September 6, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Heavenly Organics
Honey Pattie - Chocolate Mint
Good
Weight: .39 oz. (11 g.) for 1 pattie
Calories: 58 calories (estimate) for 1 pattie
Cost: $0.59 for 1 pattie
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

For a different, organic twist on the chocolate mint, try the Honey Pattie from Heavenly Organics (Fairfield, Iowa). Gluten and dairy free, these chocolates were made with only three ingredients: raw, organic honey; organic unsweetened chocolate; and peppermint oil.

The honey filling in these individually wrapped patties made for a more liquid center, so take care where you buy these, and don't squish these before opening -- else (unfortunate result shown at right), you'll be licking the inside of the wrapper, Winnie the Pooh style, to enjoy that last bit of honey. Still wonderful honey, just a little messy.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 5, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Lillie Belle Farms
Fresh Mint Ganache
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 65 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $N/A sample - thank you Sunita
Purchased from: N/A - from The Chocolate Garage, in Palo Alto, CA

This Fresh Mint Ganache chocolate from Lillie Belle Farms (Central Point, in Southern Oregon) was made with refreshing mint from -- Lillie Belle Farms. It must be great to have fresh ingredients readily available. (The Farm also produces at least three types of berries.)

Decorated with a festive sprinkle of what looked to be mint-infused, green sugar crystals, the dark chocolate ganache (filling) was also infused with a touch of mint. Not overwhelming; rather, just a hint of authentic, fresh mint flavor.

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 4, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Amazing Grass
Organic Green SuperFood
Chocolate Whole Food Energy Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 230 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

This Organic, raw, vegan Green SuperFood bar (distributed by Amazing Grass, San Francisco, CA) was so jam-packed with gluten and dairy free ingredients, such as greens (spinach, alfalfa, spirulina, broccoli), nuts, seeds, dried fruit, cacao nibs, and peppermint, that it could have been a meal by itself. Dates and agave nectar provided a moist, slightly chewy texture and sweetness. This green, "alkalinizing" bar was coated in chocolate.

I'd seen two different versions of this bar this month in local stores (both versions shown at right), likely the result of a recent packaging change. The two bars were the same weight and the ingredients and calorie count appeared to be the same. I tried both to be sure. Sure enough, they tasted the same too.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week. And, even though the peppermint flavor was difficult to pick out in this tasty green salad bar, today was also Day #1 of Chocolate and Mint Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 3, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Olive and Sinclair
Bourbon Nib Brittle
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) serving / 5 oz. (141.5 g.) total box
Calories: 300 calories (estimate)
Cost: $16.00 total box
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Inside this attractively designed box was a package of Bourbon Nib Brittle from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Co. (Nashville, TN). The delicious, thin shards of brown sugar and butter brittle were coated with dark chocolate on one side, and the brittle was full of crunchy cacao nibs.

How strong the Bourbon flavor was seemed to be batch-dependent. This batch was a bit lighter on the whiskey; both batches/boxes I sampled from were good.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Nib Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 2, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Taza Chocolate
Organic, Chocolate Covered Nibs
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) total package
Calories: 135 calories in 1 oz. serving (estimate)
Cost: $2.99 (sale price)
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Taza Chocolate (Somerville, MA) specializes in traditional stone ground chocolate -- which they used used to coat this cocoa nibs, small rough ground bits of the larger fermented and roasted cocoa beans. Taza is offering a nuts and nibs collection this year (2012); and all these items are covered in Taza's signature chocolate, that they make themselves by hand in small batches.

It is more difficult to distinguish the texture of this ("67% dark") stone ground chocolate when it is serving as a thin covering for a crunchier item in the middle. It tasted fairly sweet but smooth, creating a contrast with the drier, rougher and earthier nibs.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Nibs Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: September 1, 2012

Chocolate of the Day:

Alter Eco
Dark Cacao Organic Chocolate bar
Good +  - Very Good
Weight: .564 oz. (16 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) total bar
Calories: 88 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $3.99 total bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods, in Los Altos, CA

Alter Eco's Dark Cacao (63% cocoa) bar with cacao nibs tasted like a rich cup of coffee -- smooth with light acidic and roasted notes and a bittersweet bite -- with the added textural dimension of crunchy cocoa nibs.

Information on the farmers/partners and the cacao bean origins (Fortaleza and Acopagro Co-op, and the coast of Ecuador) for this dark, organically grown and fairly traded chocolate is printed on the back and inside of the bar package. Alter Eco bars typically contain a short list of quality ingredients (5 in this bar), with no emulsifiers or artificial ingredients; this bar was free of soy or gluten ingredients and was GMO-free and vegan. Alter Eco is an international company, with a base in San Francisco, CA.

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