Addictive Wellness - Beauty, Tranquility chocolates - Jan. 24, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness

1.) Beauty
Good - Good +
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA


2.) Tranquility
Good
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 box of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA


Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week. I'm featuring two more raw chocolates from Addictive Wellness (Beverly Hills, CA) that included both alternative plant-based sweeteners as well as somewhat unique plant inclusions (herbs).

Addictive Wellness chocolatiers created both of today's dark (83% cacao) chocolates using fair trade Arriba Nacional Cacao. And both chocolates were sweetened with a combination of birch xylitol and stevia, with lucuma likely providing a small touch of additional sweetness.

One might argue that chocolate by itself includes the ability to pep one up a bit. However, using it as a carrier or medium for additional plant-based substances goes back many centuries.

Today's "Beauty" chocolates contained tremella (mushrooms), chaga (mushrooms) and horsetail (Equisetum arvense). It had a pleasing, subtle chocolate aroma, and nutty, slightly earthy flavor. The texture was firm (like you'd expect from solid chocolate) with a very slight grittiness (like you'd expect from less processed chocolate), while still remaining fairly smooth. It was described as "the perfect balance between sexy, stunning and sweet." And, in fact I think it was the tastiest of the three Addictive Wellness chocolates I tried this week.

The "Tranquility" chocolates contained ashwagandha, reishi (mushrooms) and He Shou Wu.*
It had a similar, subtle, pleasant chocolate aroma and similar solid chocolate texture (as other Addictive Wellness chocolates). It had a very faint sour-bitter plant note, but it was nothing distressing. (I look forward to the implied bliss effect that may kick in later. Just the absence of a sugar buzz may qualify.)

Addictive Wellness chocolates are not only sugar free, but also vegan, gluten free, trans fat free, nut free, soy free, dairy free and GMO free.

Note: The 2-piece serving size for these chocolates seems very benign. However, as with any active substance like chocolate and/or herbs, please research before taking something in larger doses that you're not familiar with, especially if you're already taking medications for an illness. (I myself am sensitive to caffeine and would never have more than 1 cup of coffee. But, all of us are different.)

*He Shou Wu (a plant from China) is also known by several other names, including Fo-ti root, Chinese knotweed, and Tuber fleeceflower.

Addictive Wellness - Love chocolates - Jan. 23, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Addictive Wellness Raw Chocolate
Love (chocolates)
Good - Good +
Weight: .65 oz. (19 g.) / 1.3 oz. (38 g.) in total package of 4 pieces
Calories: 120 calories (per label) in 2 pieces
Cost: $7.73 for 1 package of 4 pieces
Purchased from: Country Sun, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Addictive Wellness (Beverly Hills, CA) offers a series of raw (83% cacao) chocolates with "superfoods and superherbs" that are sugar free, vegan and gluten free.

Today's Love chocolates (4 pieces to a package) were made with Arriba Nacional Cacao, mesquite, lucuma, maca and reishi mushrooms. Other ingredients included: He Shou Wu, cistanche, mucuna and epimedium*. I can't say I understood the exact benefits these latter four plant items offered, but they didn't cause any ill effects.

Sweetened with birch xylitol, stevia (and the lucuma mentioned above), and seasoned with a bit of Himalayan salt, these round chocolates molded into paper cups had a faint, pleasing and authentic chocolatey aroma, and a very slight coffee and bitter herbs flavor note that added interest.

*Epimedium, native to Asia, is also known as horny goat weed. 

Phi Kind - Mylk Chocolate - Jan. 22, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Phi Kind
Mylk Chocolate
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.13 oz. (32 g.) in 1 package of 4 pieces
Calories: 169 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: $7.95 for 1 package of 4 pieces
Purchased from: The Seed Bank, Petaluma, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

While it's hard to beat a well-made, two-ingredient bar with cacao and cane sugar, how fortunate we are that so many people are re-engineering chocolate, e.g. exploring thoughtful dairy and sugar alternatives.

Today's "Mylk" chocolates from Phi Kind Chocolate (Santa Rosa, CA) were crafted using raw cacao and non-traditional sweeteners.

The plant-based, mostly organic ingredients list read as follows: "Cacao Nibs, Non-GMO Birch Xylitol*, Coconut, Sunchoke (Jerusalem Artichoke) Syrup, Vanilla, Sea Salt and Stevia." No milk in these mylk chocolates.

These confection-style chocolates were relatively creamy with a hint of coconut flavor and a tiny sparkle of sea salt. They had genuine chocolate flavor and were plenty sweet without conventional sugar. I detected no off taste with these sweeteners.

If I had to quibble, I'd say I might have preferred a slightly more intense cacao flavor or slightly less sweetener. But, then again, this was raw, "mylk" chocolate, not roasted, dark chocolate! And many people will enjoy the smoother chocolate flavor and appreciate the lack of common allergens and sugar.

These chocolates were dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, vegan, raw and paleo.

*Birch xylitol, a low glycemic and near-zero caloric sugar substitute, made with fermented birch (tree) bark/pulp. (Think maple syrup, which comes from maple trees or pieces of real sugar cane (before sugar has been extracted). There is sometimes enough sugars in trees/plant fiber to create a viable sweetener.) 

Raaka - Yacon Belize 79% Cacao bar - Jan. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Yacon Belize 79% Cacao bar
Good +
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.8 oz. (50.9 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Another company creating alternatives to conventional chocolate bars made with cane sugar is bean-to-bar maker Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Today's cane sugar free Yacon Belize 79% Cacao bar from Raaka was a slightly bitter, creamy, and well-tempered (broke with a hard snap) bar with very smooth and even, dark and slightly earthy flavor. The tasting notes: "beet, oat, raisin" may not attract everyone, but I liked it and would buy this bar again.

Sometimes you just don't want a sugar bomb. And the organic yacon* in this dark bar added a hint of sweetness.

Raaka makes their "virgin" bean-to-bar (kosher, vegan, Non GMO, gluten free) chocolate with un-roasted cacao beans and adds a bit of extra cocoa butter for extra smoothness.

Like many successful chocolate makers, they've also developed close relationships with suppliers in cacao-growing countries. Cacao from this bar came from Belize (likely from Maya Mountain Cacao).

Note: The latest (Jan. 2017) version of the Raaka Yacon 79% Cacao bar (available on the Raaka website) is made with cacao from a different source—from the Oko Caribe Cooperative in the Dominican Republic—so the flavor notes are slightly different: "oats, raisin, honey."

*Yacon is a tuberous root (from Peru and other countries) in South America, that is related to the very large sunflower family of plants.

Lakanto - Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar - Jan. 20, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetened
Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 87 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

Today's Lakanto Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate with Almonds bar (made in the U.S. and distributed by Saraya Canada Co., LTD) was very sweet, and it was sugar free.

For those avoiding sugar, watching glycemic index numbers, or cutting calories, this Lakanto chocolate was sweetened with a blend of monk fruit extract and erythritol (alcohol sugar)—a zero calorie sugar substitute. The company claims their 55 percent bars have 40% fewer calories than other chocolate bars.

The recommended 1/2 bar serving (43 g.) is only 120 calories. I tend to think of calories per oz. and this translates to just 87 calories per 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of chocolate—a low number. Conventional, sugar-sweetened chocolates range from 145 to 175 calories per 1 oz. (This bar also contained some vegetable fiber.)

The Lakanto sweetened chocolate had a very sweet cocoa aroma. Stoneground Arriba Nacional Cacao beans from Ecuador added authentic chocolate flavor to this vegan, dairy free and gluten free bar; but some of the deeper chocolate notes seemed to be muted by the sweetener. The chocolate had a light, lingering sweet finish. And small bits of almonds added some crunchy texture.

Ideally I'd prefer not to give up any of the natural chocolate flavor spectrum so carefully developed in a well-made bar if I didn't have to. However, the Lakanto monk fruit blend represents progress and was a relatively pleasant sweetener and worth trying if you need to be sugar free.

Thoughts on Cane Sugar, Sweeteners and Chocolate
Why do chocolate makers prefer cane sugar for fine chocolate? Cane sugar has been described as a "blank slate" in terms of flavor (or the lack thereof).

Developing a great, unique flavor profile for a bean-to-bar chocolate is a very complex, time-consuming process. And, after all that hard work, sweetener(s) used to make great chocolate need to support the best cacao flavor profile possible and allow the best/most desired features of a given cacao to shine.

Flavor considerations aren't the only reason for sweetener choices. I do get a bit of a rush from the sugar and the theobromine/caffeine in chocolate. I find this is OK in moderation. However, this rocket ride might be undesirable for others; and it's great to know many people are working hard on better tasting, more natural sugar substitutes.*

I notice differences when I eat sugar-free, lower glycemic sweetened, and traditional chocolates. After sampling thousands of different chocolates, I've observed the differences first hand. I feel calmer after eating certain chocolates than others. And sweeteners are part of the reason why.*

*Percentage and type/composition of cacao as well as quantity of chocolate eaten most certainly matter at least as much for most people as the sweetener choice—as do other factors (ranging from how much sleep I've gotten, what my mood is, what other food and drink I've just consumed, etc.) I wouldn't recommend eating an entire high percentage dark chocolate bar with cane sugar before bed-time. I eat my chocolate of the day in the morning, in part for this reason.

Lakanto Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate bar - Jan. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetened
Sugar Free 55% Cacao Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g. ) in total bar
Calories: 87 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $5.95 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Week.

Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (distributed by Saraya Canada Co. LTD, Vancouver, BC) is a blend of monk fruit extract and erythritol (sugar alcohol).

Monk fruit (Luohan Guo) is a small green melon containing a natural sweetener that seems to block bitter and sour flavors. For example, after consuming monk fruit, a lemon will taste quite sweet for several minutes.

Sweetening chocolate with monk fruit acts as both a sugar replacement and a gentle counteracting force to any bitter or sour flavors.

This Lakanto bar, made with 55% Arriba Nacional Cacao beans from Ecuador, had a sweet fruity, cocoa aroma, and a mild sweet dark chocolate flavor. The melt and texture were fairly smooth.

It reminded me of the first time I tried fresh monk fruit, and then drank coffee afterwards. Smoothest, sweetest coffee I remember tasting. Somewhere in my brain I could tell that there was some sweet veil, but it's hard to detect what's really happening unless you really pay attention.

As with any food or chocolate containing a sweetener or substance that you're not used to, try a little bit first before over-indulging.

Pascha - Organic Dark Chocolate Maca bar - Jan. 18, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Pascha Chocolate Company
Organic Dark Chocolate Maca bar
Good
Weight: 1.17 oz. (33.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190? calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $4.29 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Alternative Sweetener Theme Week.

This bar was made in Peru for Pascha Chocolate Company (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Pascha uses Organic Cane Sugar in their bars, but also uses alternative, plant-based sweeteners and inclusions.

The packaging on this bar described maca as "a nutrient dense root vegetable from the Andes. It adds a slightly (non dairy) creamy texture and is blended with a 60% dark chocolate."

Unlike yesterday's Pascha bar with lucuma (a naturally sweet plant from South America with a caramel flavor note), this bar was less about replacing cane sugar and more about adding a slightly sweet and creamy flavor and texture to the chocolate.

The aroma of this Pascha bar was a little different with a hint of a sweet vegetable smell. The taste was sweet, smooth and pleasant.

The sweeter taste to today's bar base was likely also due to 60% Cacao. Yesterday's Pascha dark chocolate bar with lucuma was made with 70% Cacao.

Both Pascha bars were organic, vegan, Non GMO Project verified, and free from major allergens: peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, wheat and gluten.