Lula's - Baja Chili Toffee - Feb. 10, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lula's Chocolates
(Lula Lund's Chocolates LLC)
Baja Chili Toffee
Good+++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. piece
Cost: $7.95 ?? (wild guess) - find receipt? for 1 package
Purchased from: Lula's, Carmel-by-the-Sea location, Carmel, CA

Welcome to Chocolate and Chili Theme Week! When well balanced, the blend of rich chocolatey, cacao (with fruity acid) with a hint of pepper (alkaline heat) can liven up and enhance flavors of both these plant-based staples...like yin and yang, or Bonnie and Clyde.


With luck, we can enjoy the seven chocolates for this week and avoid getting burned by the fiery tiny vegetable outlaw beasts, that can make grown men shudder in their boots: ghost pepper, guajillo, jalapeno, habanero, and chili pepper blends.

We start today's theme week in Carmel, the California coastal hamlet. Former mayors of Carmel include Western star (and successful director) Clint Eastwood. I can hear the outlaw music swelling.

I bought today's Baja Chili Toffee at a Lula's shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea (that was decorated for Valentines Day). Lula's is based in nearby Monterey, CA; and owner Scott Lund is their chief chocolatier and head honcho.

The packaging described today's toffee as "the wild child" of the company's toffee family.

Well, was it? Was it kid? Go ahead, and make my day...I'll admit it. My loopy courage was fueled by the fact that I have a cold. Chili can't really hurt me, because my taste buds are turned down a notch, right? I needn't have worried. This Baja Chili Toffee was very good, with only a few pockets of feisty heat. Not too spicy, and robustly flavorful.

The generous slab of buttery toffee, was coated with chocolate and roasted nuts and covered with chili powder the color of sunset. It was good, with a pleasant chili flavor and bite. One of the better toffees I've tasted.

My cold gave me chili eating super powers this week and may encourage me to fly too close to the sun. Well, it's time to say adios and to ride back to the ranch to rest up for tomorrow. But, before I do, I'll just take one more bite of this tasty toffee.

good & delish - Royal Orange bar - Feb. 9, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

good and delish
Distributed by Walgreen Co.
Royal Orange Premium German Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .706 oz. (20 g.) / 3.53 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 105 calories in 2 pieces
Cost: $4.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Walgreens (El Camino), Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to the last day (Day #5) of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's bar was offered under the Good and Delish brand name.*

The Royal Orange Premium German Dark Chocolate bar, distributed by Walgreen Co. (Deerfield, IL), had an orange, almost floral, aroma.

And the orange-infused dark (57% cocoa) chocolate aroma, combined with chewy orange and almonds bits, made this a pleasant confection.

Very rainy weather kept me hunkered down in the chocolate bunker today. (My apologies for the dimly lit photo of this bar. It's much more cheery outside on a bright, sunny day.)

I was unable to find information about the source of the German chocolate in today's German-made bar. The company does offer other chocolate items with German (and Belgian) origins.

*Walgreen Co. is a corporation with more than 8,000 stores, and over 600 just in California in late 2016. Good and Delish (aka good (ampersand) delish) is a brand sold at Walgreens stores.

Moo Free Chocolates - Cheeky Orange - Feb. 8, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Moo Free Chocolates
Merry Moos Selection Box
Cheeky Orange
Good
Weight: .813 oz. (23 g.) / 3.6 oz. (103 g.) in total package of 4 bars
Calories: 130 calories (estimate per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $5.50 for 1 package of 4 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's Cheeky Orange bar was from Moo Free Chocolates (Reading, UK).

The individually-wrapped, snack-size bar was made of orange-flavored, sweet (45% cocoa solids) chocolate with some rice crunchy bits. Only it wasn't traditional milk chocolate. It was entirely "moo free."

Part of a 4-bar Merry Moos holiday assortment, this Cheeky Orange bar (and the three other bar flavors in the package) were made with rice milk instead of cow's milk. The bars were dairy free, gluten free, vegan, and with contained "no GM" (ingredients).

In addition to the company's serious ingredient choices and omissions, they managed to capture the spirit of fun. Each of the 4 Merry Moos (bars) were named after various animals. Today's Cheeky Orange bar was represented by a Cheeky Monkey "mascot" named Cheeky Chops. 

John Kelly - Orange Truffle Fudge Bar - Feb. 7, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

John Kelly Foods, Inc.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Orange Truffle Fudge Bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 255 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Pebble Beach Market, Pebble Beach, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Orange Truffle Fudge bar from John Kelly Foods, Inc. (Los Angeles, CA)

Their Truffle Fudge bars are constructed more like truffles than bars -- in that they have a soft, relatively light but also fudgey chocolate ganache-like filling.

Today's Semi-Sweet Orange Truffle Fudge bar wrapped in gold foil was no exception. Though small in size, it was very satisfying in taste and smooth, satisfying texture—like eating a giant truffle. This bar contained subtle orange flavoring.

Theo Chocolate - Cranberry Orange 55% bar - Feb. 6, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate
Cranberry Orange bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, Los Altos, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Orange Series.

Today's item was a festive Cranberry Orange bar, from Theo Chocolate (Seattle, WA) that was bought at the tail-end of the Christmas holidays. Its seasonal sparkle brought cheer into a dark, rainy day.

This 55% dark chocolate bar had an appealing balance of tart, fruity (freeze-dried cranberries, orange oil) flavor and slightly chewy texture.

Most dark chocolates below 70% cacao solids tend to taste too sweet to me. but the tart cranberries helped balance the sweetness.

The base chocolate was made with USDA Organic, Fair for Life and Non-GMO Project Certified cacao. In fact, all of the ingredients in this bar were organic, and 98% were fair trade certified.

Theo Chocolate was an early proponent, and adopter, of ingredients that were compliant with organic and fair trade standards—particularly for items obtained from outside the U.S. where labor and environmental standards may be more variable.

While the case can be made that individual farmers in some countries find it tough to pay for annual certifications, co-ops (or situations where costs might be shared) seem to be able to supply much of the demand for certified ingredients.

Trader Joe's - Milk Chocolate Orange bar - Feb. 5, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Orange bar
Good
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 12.72 oz. (360 g.) in total box of 12 bars
Calories: 170 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $9.99 (estimate) for 1 box of 12 bars
Purchased from: Trader Joe's, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of a Series of Chocolate and Orange items.

Today's Orange bar was part of a Milk Chocolate Portfolio assortment box of 12 individually-wrapped milk chocolate bars (2 bars each of 6 different flavors), from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA).

This small, but substantial (thick) bar delivered sweet milk chocolate flavor and texture, with a hint of orange.

Hershey's Kisses; Trader Joe's Cocoa Kettle Corn - Feb. 4, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

The Hershey Company
Hershey's Kisses
Good
Weight: .725 oz. (20.5 g.) / 1.45 oz. (41 g.) total piece
Calories: 105 calories in 1/2 Kiss
Cost: $missing information for 1 kiss
Purchased from: missing information, CA

Hello and welcome to Day #9 of DEFGHIJK Theme Week. We've covered previous letters of this alphabet series this past week, and today we'll finish up with the letter "k."

Today, "K" is for Hershey's Kisses and Trader Joe's Cocoa Drizzled Kettle Corn—two sweets with a long history in the U.S.

Hershey's Kisses
The Hershey Company* (gluten free) drop-shaped chocolate Kisses were first introduced in 1907. Today's larger-sized Hershey's Kiss was solid milk chocolate and wrapped in silver foil. It was fairly sweet, as one would expect with milk chocolate; and it was similar in taste to a Hershey's milk chocolate bar.

Kettle Corn
Kettle corn is a popped corn-based treat that's salty and sweet. Dutch settlers to the U.S made mention of it as early as 1776.

Later, another new world food (cocoa) was incorporated. Today's Cocoa Drizzled Kettle Corn from Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) lacked the sugary varnish that often accompanies sweet popcorn treats. (Thank you!).

This kettle corn maintained a crunchy, salty-sweet balance. The application of the chocolate flavored confectionery coating (sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa...) was restrained and, again, well balanced. And the cocoa coating tasted like chocolate.

*The Hershey Company (formerly known as Hershey Foods Corporation and/or Hershey's) was founded in 1894 by Milton S. Hershey in Derry Township, PA.