Donnelly Chocolates - Fig Dark Chocolate Bar - Aug. 6, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Donnelly Chocolates
Fig Dark Chocolate Bar
Good +
Weight: .8 oz. (22.5 g.) / 1.6 oz. (45 g.) in total bar
Calories: 119 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Marianne's Ice Cream, Santa Cruz, CA

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate, Fruit and Nut Theme Week -- beginning with a few chocolates studded with dried figs.

I purchased today's Fig Dark Chocolate Bar from Donnelly Chocolates (Santa Cruz, CA), in Santa Cruz, at another local favorite spot, Marianne's Ice Cream (Santa Cruz, CA) that offers some fun chocolates of their own.

The thick, dark chocolate bar base was smooth in flavor, and was topped with pieces of golden, slightly chewy fig. What could be better for those who enjoy both dark chocolate and figs? Not much.

In keeping with fresh California fruit and nut flavors, I paired this fig dark bar with freshly cracked and extracted walnut pieces (from a grower up in walnut country. (Thank you Yvonne!) The slight bitterness of the walnuts + a tiny sprinkle of salt complemented the rich and fruit-sweet flavors in this bar.

Twenty-four Blackbirds - 75% Oko Caribe bar - August 4, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Twenty-four Blackbirds Chocolate, LLC
75% Oko Caribe bar
Good ++
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 (estimate)
Purchased from: lost info.

Today was Day #14 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week. A double-header of a chocolate week is more likely to happen when there are too many good chocolates to try in a given thematic area or region.

Santa Barbara has a relatively high Chocolate IQ*. Even after the past two weeks of sampling, there are still plenty more chocolates from this beautiful coastal city to try in the future.

Twenty-four Blackbirds Chocolate (Santa Barbara, CA) produces micro-batch chocolates crafted from bean to bar in Santa Barbara, carefully wrapped in brown paper.

The company is not open to the general public, but their hand-crafted single origin chocolate dark chocolate bars can be found in a number of shops, and their bars, drinking chocolate and cacao nibs can also be purchased online.

Today's slim two-ingredient bar, "engraved" with a single graceful feather on one side, was made from cacao beans from the Dominican Republic and organic sugar. It had stronger/bolder flavor than yesterday's Ecuador bar -- with some clean citrus fruit notes up front, followed by balanced but bitter earth and roasted coffee notes.

*High Chocolate IQ - adjective; refers to a city or region with a high number of high-quality chocolate shops, and chocolate offerings, and/or an area with high number of chocolate makers and degree of chocolate-making activity, expertise and appreciation. 

Twenty-Four Blackbirds - 75% Cedeno bar - Aug. 3, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Twenty-Four Blackbirds
75% Cedeno (small bar)
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) in one small bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) for 1 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Plum Goods, Santa Barbara, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

I couldn't leave Santa Barbara without featuring bean-to-bar chocolate from Twenty-Four Blackbirds (Santa Barbara, CA).

The company's single origin chocolates were swathed in brown paper wrappers with black type and graphics; and the overall aesthetic provided a good example of effective design. Great design is simple, clear and not overly complicated. (The bar's long thin, rectangular shape was imprinted with a single feather pattern -- that tied back to the blackbird name/theme.) Unfortunately, my photos don't do justice to the packaging.

Today's 75% Cedeno bar was small in size -- only .5 oz. (14 grams), but big on flavor. This hand-made artisan dark chocolate bar was made with two ingredients: cacao beans from Ecuador and organic sugar. And, it was bold, flavorful, fruity, and well balanced chocolate.

I don't know if these were Trinitario beans or CCN-51* beans. CCN-51 cacao trees were first bred in Ecuador to create, shorter, more resilient trees and cacao pods (that contain seeds to make chocolate, also known as beans). CCN-51 beans now make up a substantial portion of the cacao that is exported from Ecuador to chocolate makers in other countries, but there have been concerns, at least initially, about flavor. (Breeding for resilience can sometimes result in the loss of more delicate flavors or aromas in plants and flowers.)

If this bar was made with CCN-51 cacao beans, bars like this might help alleviate concerns.

Regardless, great chocolate requires good beans to start with and skillful care in every step of the chocolate-making process to end up with great tasting chocolate. And both requirements seemed to have been met here.

Chocolate Maya - Dark Chocolate + Almonds - August 2, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolate Maya
Dark Chocolate + Almonds
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 2.65 oz. (74.9 g.) in 1 bag of pieces
Calories: 397 calories (estimate) in 1 bag
Cost: $5.19 for 1 bag
Purchased from: Chocolate Maya, Santa Barbara, CA

Today was Day #12 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week. (As often happens, one week of chocolates often leads to two weeks.)

This evening I enjoyed a small bag of Dark + Almonds chocolate pieces from Chocolate Maya (Santa Barbara, CA) for dessert. The dark chocolate was rich tasting without being bitter, and had a creamy melt. And the crunchy, toasted whole almonds embedded in these bark-like pieces were perfectly done. 

The Chocolate Gallery - Texas Crunch - Aug. 1, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Gallery
Texas Crunch
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) (estimate) / 3 oz. (84.9 g.) in total bag
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 1/3 bag
Cost: $2.25 (guesstimate) for 1 bag
Purchased from: The Chocolate Gallery, Goleta, CA

Welcome to the first day of August, and Day #11 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

The Chocolate Gallery is located in a shopping center in Goleta, CA -- just north of Santa Barbara. (And the company's first location was on State Street in Santa Barbara.)

The owners have been in the chocolate business for 35+ years. That's a long time to be a small business owner in any business. Hats off to them.

When picking out chocolates, I consulted with Karen Kegg (co-owner). When I asked about best sellers she pointed to today's Texas Crunch, available in either milk or dark chocolate. This bark-style confection was cut into squares and sold in small plastic bags. Karen (who grew up in Houston, TX, in a candy-making family) suggested the milk chocolate version of Texas Crunch, so I went with that.

A faint milk chocolate aroma wafted out when I opened the bag. These creamy + crunchy squares were sweet, but the bits of toffee (that supplied the crunch) helped off-set the sweetness. Toffee does that. It enables a chocolate to be quite sweet, but still enjoyable. The butterfat, butter and hint of salt in this house-made toffee roped me in.

The Chocolate Gallery - Pear and Ginger chocolate - July 31, 2015

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Chocolate Gallery

Pear chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Chocolate Gallery, Goleta, CA

Ginger chocolate
Good ++
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) in 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) in 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (estimate) for 1 piece
Purchased from: The Chocolate Gallery, Goleta, CA

Today was Day #10 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

A friend and I stumbled upon The Chocolate Gallery, in the Calle Real Shopping Center (Goleta, CA), just north of Santa Barbara on a recent trip to the area -- when making a stop at another store nearby. I discover a lot of new chocolates this way.

Today's Pear chocolate caught my eye. I spoke with Chocolate Gallery co-owner, Karen, about the challenge of infusing pear flavor into chocolate. Natural pear flavor can be subtle and easily overwhelmed by more robust or dark chocolates. Some chocolatiers use pear liqueur or concentrated essence of pear to help boost the fruit flavor.

The Chocolate Gallery chocolatiers got the balance right. There was just enough subtle pear flavor in the ganache/filling in this chocolate to create a balanced and enjoyable tasting experience.

This Pear chocolate was also a great match for the company's chocolate covered ginger pieces. Pieces of slightly chewy candied ginger (bursting with authentic ginger flavor) were covered in chocolate. If you like ginger, this is a great combination.

Chocolate Gallery - Chocolate Explosion - July 30, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Gallery
Chocolate Explosion
Good +
Weight: .4 oz. (11.32 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece
Calories: 60 calories (estimate) for 1 piece
Cost: $1.50 (guess) for 1 piece
Purchased from: Chocolate Explosion, Goleta, CA

Today was Day #9 of Chocolate and Santa Barbara Theme Week.

During a recent trip to Santa Barbara, a friend and I visited Goleta, a community adjacent to the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB), and just north of Santa Barbara proper.

When we saw the "Chocolate Gallery" sign, I had to stop and check out this local shop. We wandered into store, and after admiring shelves full of different chocsimiles*, and chocolates behind glass, we talked with one of The Chocolate Gallery owners (Karen Kegg).

Karen (and husband Tim Johnson) have been in the chocolate business in the Santa Barbara area for 35+ years -- a real accomplishment for any small business. And, that's long enough time to see many trends come and go. When I asked about certain flavor combinations, she admitted that she was not a fan of a lot of exotic flavors.

Basic chocolates (perhaps molded into different shapes), and basic flavor and texture combinations were her preference. She handed me a Chocolate Explosion to taste, that had a creamy chocolate filling and crunchy cocoa nibs, and was covered in dark chocolate. Yep, that's the essence of chocolate all right. And it was pretty tasty too.

*Chocsimiles are facsimiles of objects rendered in chocolate -- think Easter bunnies and other animals, musical instruments and other shapes.