Bridge Brands - Gaia Dark Chocolate Drops - May 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bridge Brands Chocolate
Gaia Dark Chocolate Drops
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in 1 package/box
Calories: 127 calories in 1/4 package/box
Cost: $2.99 for 1 package/box
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Organic Theme Week, and I enjoyed sampling a small handful of Gaia Dark Chocolate Drops from Bridge Brands Chocolate (San Francisco, CA).

Organic and Fair Trade certified, these penny-shaped chocolate discs had a pleasant, uniform, dark cocoa flavor and aroma, with a smooth melt and texture.

Bridge Brands - Gaia Milk Chocolate Drops - May 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Bridge Brands
Gaia Milk Chocolate Drops
Good
Weight: .875 oz. (25 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in total package/box
Calories: 133.5 calories in 1/4 package/box
Cost: $2.49 for 1 package
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

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

These Gaia Milk Chocolate Drops from Bridge Brands (San Francisco, CA) were USDA Organic (Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth*) and Fair Trade Certified.

Rather than a bar, this chocolate was formed into thin, disc-shaped milk chocolate rounds. These milk chocolate drops were nestled in a recyclable, slim brown box, printed with soy-based inks. Made with "organically grown and sustainably harvested" ingredients, Bridge Brands' Gaia line of milk (and dark) chocolates is geared toward helping farmers lead a better life.

The disc or drop shape allows chocolate flavors to be easily accessible for tasting. In this case, the milk chocolate tasted uniformly sweet; and that may delight some. However, the high percentage of sugar in milk chocolate can obscure subtle chocolate flavors.

*Organic Certifiers
Yesterday, I wrote about organic certification and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are also almost 80 third-party certifiers, or accredited certifying agents, who are authorized by the government to certify organic products. That list includes Oregon Tilth's Certified Organic (OTCO) program.

Oregon Tilth (Corvallis, OR) is a third party, non-profit organization that worked with USDA on the National Organic Program. Oregon Tilth staff focuses on sustainably raised food, from farm to table. (Their work also extends to manufacturers and retailers -- with fibers, textiles and personal care products.)

Food companies (farmers, processors, others) pay an annual certification fee (from a fee schedule that's based on income) and an inspection fee to become certified.

sweetriot - 85% Dark Chocolate bar - May 23, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

sweetriot
Pure 85% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Organic Theme Week. Many companies have incorporated organic ingredients not only into their products, but also into their core company goals.

Sara Endline founded sweetriot, a women-owned and "mission based" company (based in New York City, NY) that produces chocolate bars, chocolate covered nibs, and other sweets using organic, Non-GMO and fair trade ingredients.

The sweetriot gluten-free 85% cacao extra dark bar had a uniform, dark flavor, with a smooth, creamy melt. (The bar was made in Italy.)

Because of the high percentage of cacao (and lower percentage of sugar or other ingredients), this dark bar was not too sweet, and had a mild bitterness that high percentage bars often have without sugar or more complex fruit or other flavor notes.

Organic and Certification
What does certified organic mean? This sweetriot bar was USDA Organic certified. In the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service website offers the following information on our National Organic Program.

Specifically companies that display the USDA Organic seal need to follow "...cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering may not be used..."

The numbers of certified organic producers, and products, have been growing steadily.*

*According to 2015 data on the USDA website, there are a record number of certified organic producers in the U.S. At the end of 2014, there were 19,474 certified organic producers in the U.S. (up more than 250 percent from 2002), and 27,814 certified organic producers worldwide.

Casa de Chocolates - Organic Peruvian Espresso bar - May 22, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Casa de Chocolates
Organic Peruvian Espresso bar
Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2.89 oz. (81.7 g.) in total bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in .5 oz. (14.1 g.) of bar
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Casa de Chocolates

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Organic Theme Week. Many chocolatiers and chocolate makers are concerned about sustainable farming practices and manufacturing processes, and choosing organic cacao beans and other ingredients may be part of that philosophy. Today's bar was a good example.

This Organic Peruvian Espresso 61% cacao bar was "hecho a mano" (made by hand) by Casa de Chocolates (Berkeley, CA). The company specializes in sustainable chocolates (many are organic) with Latin American inspired themes and flavor inclusions.

Today's vegan and gluten-free bar had the nicely balanced blend of smooth, sweet dark chocolate and coffee (espresso) flavor and texture (the ground coffee bits were not too gritty). 

The Chocolate Conspiracy - Dark 74% bar - May 21, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

The Chocolate Conspiracy
Dark Bar - 74% Cacao
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

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

Yesterday I kicked off "Organic" Week by featuring a raw, organic bar made with Peruvian cacao.

Today's 74% Cacao Dark Bar from The Chocolate Conspiracy (Salt Lake City, UT) was also a raw, organic chocolate bar, but with some taste and texture differences. This dark bar had a creamy mouth feel and even, smooth chocolate flavor, with relative low acidity. It was sweetened with wildflower honey; and the honey gave the bar a pleasant, lilting sweetness.

According to the packaging, the company sources cacao from different regions -- all raw, organic, fair trade and kosher -- and notes a low microbe count in their cacao (addressing a concern that some people have about raw cacao).

As with other raw cacao vendors, processing times and steps that could raise the temperature of the cacao (fermentation, roasting, conching, etc.) are either kept to a minimum and operated at more controlled, lower/slower levels. Some beans the company sources are either lightly fermented, or non-fermented and air-dried to preserve freshly picked cacao bean flavor.

Certain flavors will be harder to develop with lower temperatures and without fermentation and roasting. However, I continue to enjoy sampling raw and/or raw + lower-glycemic chocolates. Some are very smooth and flavorful, and many raw chocolates also seem to have less of a sugar rush and chocolate flush -- which I like.

SweetE Organic
Thankfully, there are many more places to buy good, organic raw chocolates than when I started this website in 2006.

I bought this chocolate bar at SweetE Organic, north of San Francisco. Elana Turchon, owner of SweetE Organic (Mill Valley, CA), has seen the organic market evolve. She founded SweetE Organic to be inclusive, to offer organic sweets and gifts that would serve everyone in the community, including those with food allergies. She offers organic, raw, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan/dairy-free options in her shop, and now online. 

Santosha Chocolate - Single Origin Peru bar - May 20, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Santosha Chocolate
Single Origin Peru bar
OK + - Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 1 oz. (29 g.) (per packaging)
Calories: 65 calories for 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Bienenidos a Day #1 of Chocolate and Organic Theme Week.

I'm continuing last week's Chocolate and Peru Week Theme with today's Organic, Single Origin Peru bar from Santosha* Chocolate (Asheville, NC).

A Word About Organic...
Back in 2006, when I started ChocolateBanquet.com, it was harder to find organic chocolate. Now, happily, there are more organic offerings, even in large chocolate company product lines.

It should be noted that many craft chocolate bars may be made with organic cacao, but certifications are expensive, and some makers choose to do without -- meaning bars aren't labeled as organic; and no certification seals appear on packaging. It's good to ask about the maker's cacao sources if you have questions. Regardless of their answer, you'll learn more about their practices and their supply chain.

Back to today's bar...
The first bite of today's raw 85% cacao bar was relatively flavorful and smooth. It sweetened with organic, low-glycemic coconut palm sugar and was fairly sweet for an 85% dark bar. However, subsequent bites went a bit funny in terms of texture (a little grainier feel) and flavor (a bit of sourness). I'm not sure what caused this. When making chocolate (organic or not) from scratch, many things can happen during the dozen or more steps that are part of the process.

My hat is off to all chocolate-makers; it's a craft that's always as challenging as it is rewarding. Santosha founder, Don Rowe, started by selling his organic, raw bars in local farmers markets several years ago, and the business grew from there. His raw, vegan and certified organic bars are free of nuts, soy, dairy and gluten, and are made without emulsifiers.

*"Santosha" roughly translates as being content in the moment with what you have; not requiring more than you have in the moment to achieve contentment.

Lillie Belle Farms - Sunshine Daydream 45% bar - May 19, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lillie Belle Farms
Sunshine Daydream 45% Milk Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 375 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Lillie Belle Farms, Central Point, OR

Welcome to "bonus" Day #8 of Chocolate and Peru Theme Week.

I celebrate chocolates in unique combinations with edible items. This Limited Edition Sunshine Daydream 45% Bean-To-Bar Milk Chocolate bar from Lillie Belle Farms (Central Point, OR) was made with powdered cultured buttermilk instead of "regular" powdered milk. This caught my attention.

The description on the packaging read as follows: "...Using extremely fruity (organic) cacao beans from Peru in combination with some organic sugar, powdered buttermilk, and a hint of (organic) vanilla bean, we created a rich and just a bit tangy (bar)."

I'd say this was accurately described. This rich, fairly creamy bar did indeed have a very subtle tangy flavor, and very mild, not unpleasant dark/sour fruit and bitter undertones (likely from the cacao and not the buttermilk). Short of a side-by-side tasting with a bar made from the same ingredients + regular powdered milk, it's hard to know. It was an interesting and fun bar to try.