Heavenly Organics - Chocolate Almond Honey Pattie - January 6, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Heavenly Organics
Chocolate Almond
Good
Weight: .377 oz. (11 g.) in 1 small package
Calories: 110 in one 11 g. serving
Cost: $0.59 for 1 small package/pattie
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Heavenly Organics is a company that makes organic, sustainable, fairly traded chocolates. The company supports small farmers and indigenous forest dwellers in Central and Northern India, by buying honey from them.

The company's Honey Pattie product line, uses 100% organic Italian, slow-roast, dark chocolate, and is gluten free, dairy free and is sweetened with raw, organic white honey, with no added sugar. Flavors include: Mint, Pomegranate, Ginger, and today's Almond.

I carefully opened a wrapper that housed 1 small dark chocolate pattie. I've tasted many different combinations of chocolate, almonds and honey; and when I took a bite, I was half expecting chopped almonds inside. Surprise. Instead, I bit into a lovely, creamy, smooth white center with a light almond marzipan flavor.

Honey and flowers and almonds have inspired several serious poems about romance and good food for many centuries.

However, my poet of choice today was British author, A.A. Milne, the voice behind Winnie the Pooh (also known as Pooh Bear), a stuffed bear that comes to life in the woods with his friend Piglet, and an assortment of other stuffed animal friends, and who loves eating honey from bees nests in the trees.

Winnie the Pooh kept his treasured pot of honey, with the word "hunny" scrawled across it, in a special place.

While some of Milne's poems and songs were silly, Pooh actually was a fount of wisdom. I've included a few Pooh quotes below. With apologies to A. A. Milne, I found it easy to replace Pooh's honey, or "hunny," with the word "chocolate" in a few places.


"I don't feel very much like Pooh today," said Pooh.
"There there, said Piglet. "I'll bring you tea and honey, until you do."

"'Well,' said Pooh, 'what I like best' -- and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey (Chocolate) was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called."

"Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things that get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you."

I hope you all will be fortunate to be able to spend some time in the woods, a nearby park or a quiet patch, to relax and enjoy the scenery if you can.

Chocolove - Dark Chocolate bar - January 5, 2013

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolove
Dark Chocolate bar
Weight: 1/18 bar (1 small square) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 27 calories in 1 small square
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Paradise Foods (Market), in Corte Madera, CA

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

Straight, unflavored dark chocolate can be pure poetry to many people. Today's Pure Dark (55% Cocoa Content) bar from Chocolove (Boulder, CO) had faint hints of cherries, and chocolate fudge; and even one small square was fairly satisfying.

My intent had been to make a chocolate version of "Persian Love Cake" or "Persian Love Poem Custard" with this bar, but I ran out of time. What is a Persian Love Poem dessert? One that has been flavored with hints of rose water, lemon peel, pistachio, cardamom and saffron. After seeing several images of these fluffy cloud-white desserts with carefully placed, rosy pink, candied rose petals and  pistachio nut pieces, I decided to eat my chocolate a la carte with some rose-infused tea, but someday I will experiment with fusing these two sweets.

In the meantime, the good people at Chocolove included a love poem on the inside of the bar's wrapper. This particular poem (part of which is included below) was an ode to Autumn, translated from the work of Russian writer and poet Alexander Pushkin.

from Autumn

VIII
When autumn comes, I bloom anew;
The frosty air does wonders for my health;
Anew I fall in love with life's routine;
Betimes I'm soothed by dreams, betimes by hunger caught;
The blood flows free and easy in my heart,
Abrim with passion; once again, I'm happy, young,
I'm full of life - such is my view
When autumn comes, I bloom anew...

Chocolove - Almonds and Sea Salt Dark bar - January 4, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Almonds and Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 159 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $3.49 total bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week. The poem in this case was enveloping an Almonds and Sea Salt dark chocolate (55% Cocoa Content) bar by Chocolove (Boulder, CA). An uneven scattering of dry roasted almonds provided some crunch, texture and taste, and there were occasional hints of sea salt. Neither of these two flavor additions were too overpowering, letting the dark semisweet chocolate flavor shine in this bar.

A portion of the poem included on the inside of the Chocolove bar wrapper appears below:

A Magic Moment I Remember

A magic moment I remember:
I raised my eyes and you were there,
A fleeting vision, the quintessence
Of all that's beautiful and rare
I pray to mute despair and anguish,
To vain the pursuits world esteems,
Long did I hear your soothing accents,
Long did your features haunt my dreams...
...

translated from - Alexander Pushkin

Divine Chocolate - Fruit and Nut Dark bar - January 3, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Divine Chocolate
Fruit and Nut Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.75 oz. (50 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 287 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A
Purchased from: N/A

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Currants Theme Week, and Day #3 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week.

This afternoon, I tried Divine Chocolate's Fruit and Nut Dark Chocolate bar -- that incorporated currants and chopped almonds in a dark chocolate base.

Divine (with offices in London, and Wash., D.C. in the U.S.) is a long time supporter of Fair Trade, and building positive relationships with cacao farmers. In fact, the Kuapa Kokoo farmer's co-op in Ghana (the primary source of cacao beans used to make Divine chocolate), has a significant ownership stake in the company.

Divine has also supported an annual poetry contest, for students of various ages, for the last decade, with the Christian Aid organization.

Divine Chocolate executives talked about the 2012 Divine Poetry Competition, and award-winning writer and judge, Frank Cottrell Boyce, read winning entries, toward the end of this video earlier in 2012.

Sample soundbite from competition judge, Frank Cottrell Boyce:

"...One of the things that chocolate and poetry have in common is that they do these lovely things to your mouth..." 

Chocolove - Currants and Almonds bar - January 2, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Currants and Almonds bar
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 168 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Mollie Stone's, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week and Day #2 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week. I've worked my way through some tasty chocolates this past week combined with fresh red and dried black currants, currant jellies, and creme de cassis (made from black currants and brandy).

Today's featured item was a Currants and Almonds bar in Dark Chocolate (73% Cocoa Content), made with Fair Trade Certified organic Caribbean cocoa beans, and ingredients that were "certified organically grown and processed" by Chocolove (Boulder, CO).

The chocolate was rich and strong enough that it was difficult to detect the the small, dried currants. There was a bittersweet dark fruit flavor that I recognized. The same taste was present in the cassis dark chocolate truffles I made. It may not appeal to those who like milk chocolate and lighter flavors, but I enjoyed it. The organic, unroasted almond pieces added an occasional bit of crunch and texture to the bar, and were a nice mellow complement to the dried currants and dark chocolate.

The love poem printed on the inside of the Chocolove wrapper:
an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet,
a quote from Lady Capulet.
From this poem, I'll include a few lines, no less;
even though the story's end lacked happiness.

...So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.

~ William Shakespeare

Chocolove - Holiday bar - January 1, 2013

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolove
Holiday bar - Limited Edition
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 3.2 oz. (90 g.) total bar
Calories: 160 calories for 1/3 bar
Cost: $2.00 (clearance price)
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA

Happy first chocolate day of 2013. Today's Holiday Fruits and Nuts in Dark Chocolate bar from Chocolove (Boulder, CO) was a limited edition flavor; and I was lucky to find one late in the holiday season.

The (55% Cocoa) bar was made up of 18 small, dark, glossy domes of Belgian chocolate fused together. The chocolate base was smooth and firm, and easy to break apart -- a nice plus if you plan to share with others. The bar contained a nicely balanced blend of winter holiday flavors, like pecan bits, currants, dried cherries, walnuts, hazelnuts, and hints of candied orange peel and ginger.

I'll try this bar with a cup of cinnamon tea (or Douglas Fir tea) later by a warm, crackling fire -- for the full holiday experience. No need for a book to read by the firelight, as this bar came with a love poem (below) -- inscribed inside the wrapper -- as is the custom for all Chocolove bars I've tried.

Night

My voice, to which love lends a tenderness and yearning,
Disturbs night's dreamy calm ... Pale at my bedside burning,
A taper wastes away ... From out my heart there surge
Swift verses, streams of love, that hum and sing and merge.
And, full of you, rush on, with passion overflowing.
I seem to see your eyes that, in the darkness glowing,
Meet mine ... I see your smile ... You speak to me alone:
My friend, my dearest friend .. I'm your's ... your own.

translated from - Alexander Pushkin


Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Currants Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Poetry Theme Week.

Recchiuti - Orchard bar - December 31, 2012

Chocolate of the Day: 

Recchiuti Confections
Orchard bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.)
Calories: 140 calories (estimate) for 1 oz. serving
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Main Street Wine Bar and Bottle Shop, Sausalito, CA

I'm recording this chocolate bar by the numbers...

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Almond Theme Week; Day #4 of Chocolate and Currant Theme Week; and Day #31 of December 2012. Happy New Year's Eve to all, and best wishes for a happy and  healthy new year!

Allow me to count the ways that I enjoyed the Orchard bar from Recchiuti Confections (San Francisco).

1.) The mulberries - poking out on all sides of the bar. I love fresh mulberries, so it was fun to see them play a prominent role in this bar
2.) The almonds - the toasted almond pieces took a back seat to the fruit, but were a great choice for this fruit and nut orchard-themed bar.
3.) The currants - a salute to the flavorful few
4.) The design of this dark bar - very nice mold and graphics with the "R" for Recchiuti, that also let the mulberries show through the edges