Lillie Belle Farms - Pistachio Toffee Bar - Sept. 10, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lillie Belle Farms
Pistachio Toffee Bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lillie Belle Farms, Central Point, OR

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Toffee Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Pistachio Theme Week. And what better bar to represent both of these themes than the Pistachio Toffee Bar from Lillie Belle Farms (Central Point, OR).

Organic, pistachio toffee bits were incorporated into 37% organic, single origin milk chocolate. A bit sweet and buttery for me. So smooth and melty, you could almost spread it on toast.

Nirvana - Dark bar with toffee, sesame seeds - Sept. 9, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Nirvana Belgian Chocolates
72% Dark Chocolate with Toffee and Sesame Seeds bar
Good
Weight: .583 oz. (16.8 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) total bar
Calories: 92 calories in 1/6 bar
Cost: $5.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

This Nirvana Chocolates Organic, 72% Dark Chocolate bar is a good example of how cocoa bean origin (cocoa beans/mass grown in the Dominican Republic) and European know-how (chocolate made in Belgium) are more transparently marketed.

While most high-volume chocolate has long been made this way -- i.e. cocoa beans are shipped to more developed countries (Europe/Eastern Europe, the U.S. with advanced equipment and temperature controlled facilities) for manufacturing a finished bar -- there is more recognition now for the country of origin, and what that means for flavor, as well as other attributes of consumer interest, such as organic and fair trade (both present here).

This dark chocolate bar was relatively glossy and broke with a hard snap (well tempered). The bar,  "with natural toffee flavor," had a relatively even, smooth dark flavor with the exception of a slight soapy note (like what one may find in ginger, although, to my knowledge, there was no ginger in this bar). Tiny crunchy bits (sesame seeds) added textural interest. 

Heath Toffee Bits Sundae - September 8, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

McConnell's Fine Ice Creams
Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle Ice Cream
Good +
Weight: 1/3 cup (70.5 g.) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 173 calories in 1/3 cup serving
Cost: $6.99 (sale)
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

The Hershey Company
Heath Toffee Bits
Good
Weight: 1 Tablespoon (15 g.) / 8 oz. (226 g.) total package
Calories: 80 calories in 1 Tablespoon
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

When I was growing up and I thought about toffee, one of the first items to come to mind was Heath Toffee bars from The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA). These were made with milk chocolate, sugar, dairy butter, lactose, and bits of roasted almonds. Crushed Heath and Skor (similar to Heath) bars were also popular as toppings over (or mixed in with) ice cream.

So, it was in that spirit today that I made a chocolate and toffee sundae, with Dark Chocolate Paso Brittle Ice Cream from McConnell's Fine Ice Creams (Santa Barbara, CA), sprinkled with Heath Toffee Bits (now sold by the bag for cooking and dessert toppings). Sweet, cold and crunchy, this ice cream treat hit the spot on a warm day, after a 7-mile hike up in the redwoods.

The McConnell's dark chocolate ice cream (made with Valrhona cocoa and Coeur de Guanaja*) was studded of bits of "Paso Brittle" -- roasted almond brittle with salt made by Paso Almonds (San Luis Obispo, CA). Note: This is rich ice cream, enough to coat your bowl and spoon with a thin-film of Central Coast grass-pastured milk and cream.

*A dark (80%) chocolate "concentrate" developed by Valrhona, made from non-GMO ingredients, suitable for ganaches, ice cream, mousses, drinks and sauces.

Terry's Chocolate Toffee Orange Segsations - Sept. 7, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Kraft Foods
Terry's Chocolate Orange Segsations
Toffee Crunch
Good ++
Weight: .35 oz. (9.9 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece / 11.66 oz. (330 g.) total package of 5 flavors
Calories: 51.9 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $ N/A - gift from friend
Purchased from: N/A - gift from friend (Thank you Mary)

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Toffee Theme Week; and today's package of Terry's Chocolate Orange "Segsations" (owned by Kraft Foods) came in 5 different, individually-wrapped flavors.

This evening, I tried the Toffee Crunch flavor. Each citrus segment-shaped piece was made of sweet, milk chocolate and crunchy toffee bits, infused with lovely orange flavor.

Too Much Chocolate?
Earlier today, I was a judge in a chocolate awards tasting. Over one hundred chocolates is probably too many chocolates to taste in one day, especially given the range of quality involved. Still, it was great to participate; and it was fun to compare notes with others. There are always new things to learn when it comes to chocolate.

There were no toffees to taste in this competition, so I topped off the day's tasting with this additional piece of chocolate when I got home. With all this theobromine* in my system, it will be interesting to see if I can sleep at all tonight.

*Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant that is similar to, but not the same as caffeine.

Break Brittle - Chocolate Cashew Brittle - Sept. 6, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Break Brittle
Chocolate Salted Cashew Brittle
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 4 oz. (113.4 g.) total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. piece
Cost: $8.50 in total bag/package
Purchased from: Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy - Warming Hut, San Francisco, CA

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

There is a fine line between toffees and brittles in the U.S. Both are sold as crunchy, caramel-colored shards of sweet goodness, usually with nuts. They are close enough that I'm including today's brittle in Toffee Theme Week.

The Chocolate Salted Cashew Brittle from Break Brittle (San Francisco, CA) was gluten free, vegan and butter and oil free.

So how was it? As brittles go, it was quite nice. The pieces broke with just the right amount of fresh, sugary candy crunch. There was no cream or oil to buffer the sweetness as there might have been with some toffees. The sweetness overwhelmed the dark chocolate layer on the back and the milder, roasted cashew nut bits. This was pure candy. I did really enjoy the sprinkling of kosher salt that added a layer of flavor and helped balance the sugar.

Part of the philosophy of Break Brittle is to be able to break off pieces of this confection to share with others. And, I will surely pass this on to candy lovers I know for a taste.

Chrissy's Coffee Toffee - Sept. 5, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Chrissy's Confection Perfection
Coffee Toffee
Good + - Very Good
Weight: .6 oz. (16.98 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 90 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $9.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Piazzas Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Today was a transition day from coffee (last week's theme) to confection. Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Toffee Theme Week.

I love nuts and chocolate, and this piece of Coffee Toffee from Chrissy's Confection Perfection was loaded with macadamia nuts inside, and coated with almonds on the outside.

Covered in dark, semi-sweet Guittard chocolate and "dusted with a fine grind of premium dark roast coffee," this flavorful, gluten-free toffee was pretty all around wonderful. Flavors and textures were bold and well balanced, and the thick toffee was sweet without being overly so.

As with any brittle, maximize crunchiness by eating this Coffee toffee (made with no preservatives) while it's fresh.

A Two Toffee Day

Later in the evening, I had the good fortune to attend an exhibit ("Welcome to Fogland," with beautiful atmospheric photos by S. Kane) in San Francisco. As part of the opening celebration, a friend (Victoria) had made cookies and toffee for the event. The cookies included fresh lemon curd and Mexican chocolate filled macarons (delicious) and a tray of homemade toffee (also wonderful). I'm including a picture here. It was a true Chocolate Banquet day. Thank you Victoria.

Meiji - Coffee Beat and Choco Baby candies - Sept. 4, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Meiji
Coffee Beat and Choco Baby candies
Good - Good +
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) (estimate) in 1 package of 5 boxes
Calories: 304 calories (estimate) in 1 package of 5 boxes
Cost: $ unknown
Purchased from: unknown


Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Coffee Theme Week.

I found this colorfully upbeat five-pack of candies from Meiji in my chocolate vault. Unfortunately, most of the origin information was lost to the sands of time. The Asian characters on the plastic wrapper offered me no clues.

The fun was in discovering what the five tiny boxes revealed. Each box in this miniature candy library contained a small trove of colored candies when opened.

Small cartoon characters adorned each box. The Coffee Beat chocolate candies -- that looked very much like coffee beans, with a slightly crunchy thin outer shell -- were made of sweet chocolate with a very faint hint of coffee flavor. A blue cartoon mouse with a hat on the packaging smiled as it appeared to do a caffeinated jig.

The Choco Baby chocolate pieces were chocolatey, and the shortened cylindrical shapes that reminded me of jujube candies.

Another box was filled with small, candy coated chocolate discs (think M and Ms or Smarties). The floral-colored candy coated shells were very pretty.

Yet another box was filled with tiny, pale strawberry pink cones topped with a chocolate layer on top. A pink rabbit character with dark brown chocolate ears gazed out at us from the box and offered to be our guide in this tasting experience.

All these chocolates were remarkably fresh and colorful, considering they were a few years old.