Artisana - Venezuelan Cacao Criollo 85% bar - Oct. 3, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Artisana Organics
Venezuelan Chocolate Cacao Criollo
Dark 85 percent bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.35 oz. (37.5 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories in 3/4 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenidos a (Welcome to) Day #3 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's bar is the first in a series of three Venezuelan Chocolate Cacao Criollo bars from Artisana Organics (distributed by Premier Organics, Oakland, CA). This first bar is the darkest of the three, and by that I mean it contained the highest percentage of cacao, weighing in at 85 percent.

Artisana, founded by Santiago Cuenca-Romero and Saul Amarista, has cacao-growing roots in Venezuela extending back to the 1700s. The company follows fair trade practices and use organic farming methods (and Rainforest Alliance Certified Cacao), and sends sun-dried beans in Venezuela to chocolatiers in Switzerland. The company offers a line of chocolate bars, nut and seed butters, and other products.

This 85 percent Venezuela dark bar, attractively packaged in a gold foil wrapper, had a sweet hot cocoa aroma with a hint of vanilla, a smooth melt and even taste and texture, and had a slightly bitter finish that faded to a clean aftertaste. I enjoyed the lower sugar level in this bar.

Valrhona - El Pedregal Venezuela bar - Oct. 2, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Valrhona
El Pedregal Venezuela Noir 64% bar
Good +++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.46 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 201 calories (per label) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cacao at the Heathman, Portland, OR

Welcome to Day #9 of French Chocolate Week, and Day #2 of Venezuela Theme Week.

Single origin chocolate can refer to cacao that was grown in a specific region. Or the term single origin can be even more specific, referring to on a single estate, farm or plantation. Today's Chocolat de Domaine (Single Estate Chocolate) bar from Valrhona (Tain l'Hermitage, France) was the latter.

The El Pedregal Venezuela Noir 64% bar resulted from Valrhona's decade-long effort to restore and grow Porcelana, a relatively rare Criollo cacao, at El Pedregal estate in Venezuela.

Porcelana* Criollo flavor notes are known for being subtle and wonderful, well balanced, less acidic and bitter. This same flavor profile makes it more easily overshadowed by sugar and/or inclusions than, say, chocolate made from bolder strains of Forestero cacao.

The bar had a very pleasing, subtle aroma, and an even melt and smooth consistency.

Sadly, at "only" 64% cacao, there was too much sugar for me to detect the advertised flavor notes of honey and ripe fruit (think peach rather than red or black berries). I liked the idea of adding (less processed) brown sugar which imparts its own warm, mellow flavor, and would not want to second guess the chocolate makers on this choice. However, I couldn't help but wonder what a 70% cacao bar might have tasted like. (Ingredients: cocoa beans, brown sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin and vanilla)

The El Pedregal bar had a clean and subtle finish with no off notes.

*Porcelana comes from the cacao seed's (or bean's) appearance. When the raw bean is cut open the inside has a white or ivory color, lighter than other cacao beans.

Bonnat - Puerto Cabello 75% Noir bar - Oct. 1, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Chocolat Bonnat
Puerto Cabello 75% Cacao Chocolat Noir bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.16 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Bienvenue a (Welcome to) Day #8 of French Chocolate Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Chocolat Bonnat (Bonnat Chocolatier) of Voiron, France has been making chocolate since 1884. Their historic crest is printed on the packaging.

Today's Bonnat Puerto Cabello 75 percent Cacao Chocolat Noir (dark chocolate) bar was made with cacao beans from the north coast of Venezuela.

The best bean-to-bar chocolate made from Venezuela cacao is complex, intriguing and full of rich flavor(s). The aroma of this bar was elegantly dark, slightly sweet, fruity, almost floral. And, like most Bonnat bars, the melt was creamy, almost buttery, and the texture very smooth.

The tasting arc was rich and exciting as each flavor layer unfolded: dried fruits, rich dark chocolate brownie, earth, even a slight nuttiness. There was one earthy flavor note I didn't care for quite as much, but otherwise this chocolate was fabulous and designed "To Be Enjoyed."

This French dark bar contained just three ingredients: Cocoa Beans, Cocoa Butter and Sugar, and was gluten free.

Truffle Basket - Traditional Chocolate Truffles - Sept. 30, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Truffle Basket
Traditional Cocoa-Dusted Chocolate Truffles
Good +++
Weight: .91 oz. (26 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (per label) in 4 pieces
Cost: $4.95 for 1 package of 9 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Bienvenue a Day #7 of French Chocolate Week.

Today's Traditional Cocoa-Dusted Chocolate Truffles from Truffle Basket were similar to yesterday's Xtra Dark French Chocolates (truffles) from the same company, except yesterday's were made with an "all-butter" (clarified butter) recipe. These truffles were made with vegetable oils (coconut and/or palm kernel).

Both versions were good and, other than butter vs. oil choice, very similar. Today's Traditional truffles had a subtle dark chocolate and bread aroma, and an ultra creamy chocolate ganache, that could be paired (it was suggested) with a "delicate bubbly (Champagne), gutsy red (wine) or light roast (coffee)."

"Made in France since 1931," these cocoa-dusted truffles were imported to the U.S. by Bon Courage Enterprises, Inc. (Four Oaks, NC).

Truffle Basket - Xtra Dark French Chocolates - Sept. 29, 2016

Chocolate of the Day: 

Truffle Basket
Xtra Dark French Chocolates
Good +++
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 1.76 oz. (50 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: $4.95 for 1 package of 7 pieces
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Bienvenue a Day #6 of French Chocolate Week.

Today's Xtra Dark French Chocolates were from Truffle Basket. These truffles were a "Product of France" and imported into the U.S. by Bon Courage Enterprises, Inc. (Four Oaks, NC).

These small, dark truffles had a dark chocolate aroma with notes of citrus and coffee.

The lush, "all-butter recipe" contained plenty of cacao and clarified butter that created a creamy truffle with a very satisfying melt. (The kind of bite that left teeth marks as if I'd bitten into a stick of lovely butter.)

These truffles were GMO free with no tropical oils or trans fats.

The attractive packaging was designed to look a bit like a wicker basket ("used to hold the other kind of truffle (the prized fungi that grows in the ground)").

Comptoir du Cacao - Tablette Tour Eiffel 72% bar - Sept. 28, 2016

Chocolate of the Day:

Comptoir du Cacao Paris
(France Cacao)
Tablette Paris Cacao - Tour Eiffel - Dark Chocolate 72 percent bar
Good+++
Weight: .94 oz. (26.6 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 156.6 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Draeger's Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of French Chocolate Week.

This Tablette Paris Cacao Tour Eiffel Dark Chocolate 72 percent bar was made in France by Comptoir du Cacao (France Cacao) (L'Anche, Bazoches, France) and imported to the U.S.

The packaging bears a quintessentially French scene. A young woman with long brown hair is riding a bicycle in boots and dress (with her small dog in a basket in front), wearing red lipstick, and a red scarf around her neck. She glances at us while she rides through the park on a sunny day, with the Eiffel Tower rising up in the background. Ahh, to be walking through the park in Paris on a spring day.

And, what about the dark chocolate inside this lovely package?

The well-tempered tablette was made of 10 easy-to-separate squares, and had a pleasant bittersweet chocolate aroma. The melt was smooth and mouthfeel slightly creamy. The texture and flavor were very uniform. And the bar had a clean finish with no off notes.

Comptoir du Cacao (literal translation is Cacao Counter, but I don't think this does the name justice) is a family-run business that has a Chocolate Factory in Bazoches, and two shops in Paris.

XOX Truffles - Lavender, Hazelnut, Cognac Truffles - Sept. 27, 2016

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

XOX Truffles

1.) Lavender - Very Good
2.) Black and White - Good ++
3.) Hazelnut - Good ++ - Very Good
4.) Cognac - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) (estimate) for 4 truffles
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) for 4 truffles
Cost: $1.00 each (quantity pricing for 20 truffles)
Purchased from: XOX Truffles, San Francisco, CA

Bienvenue a (Welcome to) Day #4 of French Chocolate Theme Week.

Today I sampled the last truffle flavors from my recent XOX Truffles (San Francisco, CA) purchase.

The team at XOX offers truffles in the true French style, and they are creamy, authentic and delicious.

The Lavande (Lavender in French) truffle was suffused with beautiful lavender flower flavor. If you like lavender and dark chocolate, you'll love this one.

The Black and White truffle was a dark chocolate truffle covered in white chocolate.

The Hazelnut truffle had authentic hazelnut flavor (a great blend with chocolate) and was rolled in hazelnut bits.

The Cognac truffle was boozy and marvelous. I had tasted this one a few years ago, and decided to re-taste it with the others today, as I remembered it fondly. And while I may occasionally forget other details about life, I felt gratified to find that I wasn't wrong about this truffle.