Lindt - Blackberry with Acai Dark Chocolate bar - Aug. 22, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Lindt and Sprungli
Blackberry with Acai Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good+
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 210 calories in 4 pieces of bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: CVS/Pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Blackberry with Acai Dark Chocolate bar from Lindt and Sprungli* was relatively sweet and full of berry flavor.

It contained 47% minimum cacao solids, but could have passed for a higher percentage bar. The bar was sugary, but remained surprisingly well-balanced and uniform. I'd take this over a candy bar any day.

This dark bar had a blackberry candy aroma and pleasant, rich, dark berry flavor. The bar was smooth, dark and had a soft texture, with a slightly buttery melt.

The berry finish lingered for a full minute after the last bite.

*Lindt and Sprungli AG is headquartered in Kilchberg, Switzerland. Today's dark bar was "manufactured in the USA by Lindt and Sprungli (USA) Inc." (Stratham, NH).

Sargento - Sweet Balance Breaks - Dark Chocolate Cranberries - Aug. 21, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sargento Foods Inc.
Sweet Balance Breaks
Monterey Jack Cheese with Dried Cranberries and Dark Chocolate Covered Peanuts
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) in 1 snack/container
Calories: 190 calories (estimate) in 1 container
Cost: $2.99 (estimate) for 1 package of three containers
Purchased from: Safeway, San Jose, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Chocolate, cheese and berries are great summer snack foods to enjoy together.

Today's Monterey Jack Natural Cheese with Dried Cranberries and Dark Chocolate Covered Peanuts snack item was part of a line of "Sweet Balance Breaks" snacks (sold in 3-container packs) from Sargento Foods Inc. (Plymouth, WI)—a large producer and marketer of cheeses and now protein snacks.

The cranberries had just the right amount of tart sweet berry flavor and paired nicely with the dark chocolate covered peanuts. And the cheese helped balance out the sweetness and provided some savory protein/umami flavor.

Dagoba - Superberry 74% Cacao dark bar - Aug. 20, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Dagoba Organic Chocolate
Superberry 74% Cacao dark chocolate bar
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) total bar
Calories: 135 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Hello and welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week, and Day #4 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Superberry dark* chocolate bar from Dagoba Organic Chocolate (Ashland, OR; part of The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA) contained blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and acai**.

Today's 74% Cacao Dagoba bar was a blend of bold dark chocolate and bright, slightly tart-sweet berry flavors. The chocolate had a slight bittersweet (almost coffee) finish.

Where are the flowers you ask? While this Superberry bar was all about berries, I used part of a Dagoba Lavender Blueberry bar (featured yesterday) and lavender flowers to amp up a chocolate lavender cake. Mmm. Lavender.

For those who love lavender, this chocolate lavender (gluten free) cake, topped with a dose of aromatic lavender flower buds, couldn't be better.

For those who are reminded of aromatic soaps and oils when they smell lavender, you may have mixed feelings about this edible flower (and cake). Even if you're on the fence, I hope you'll try lavender chocolate edibles some day.

*Note: This 74% cacao dark bar also contained milk.
**Acai berries originated in the rainforests of South America.

Dagoba - Lavender Blueberry, Roseberry 59% bars - Aug. 19, 2017

Chocolate of the Day:

Dagoba Organic Chocolate

Lavender Blueberry 59% dark bar
Good - Good+
Weight: .707 oz. (20 g.) / 2.83 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 95 calories in 1/4 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Roseberry 59% dark bar
Good
Weight: .66 oz. (18.6 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 90 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $1.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Flowers Week and Day #3 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Lavender Blueberry and Roseberry dark bars were from Dagoba Organic Chocolate* (Ashland, OR). Both bars contained floral and berry flavors (and also contained some milk).

The Lavender Blueberry 59% cacao dark chocolate bar contained lavender essence and wild blueberries. Lavender lovers will appreciate the lovely, natural lavender aroma of this bar.

The Roseberry 59% cacao dark chocolate bar contained "raspberries and rosehips" resulting in a pleasing bright red fruit/raspberry flavor (with tiny raspberry pieces with real seeds) and a gentle hint of tart floral flavor from the rose hips**.

*Dagoba Organic Chocolate was founded in 2001 by Frederick Schilling, and became part of The Hershey Company (Hershey, PA) in 2006. 

In 2012, the company dropped fair trade certification but their cacao beans began bearing the logo of the Rainforest Alliance Certified program. The company buys their cacao beans from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms that have adopted sustainable farming practices.

** Rose hips are the roundish, slightly swollen seed pods of the rose plant located directly below the rose flower. These tiny apple-shaped pods are easiest to see after the rose petals have dropped off; they may be a slightly reddish color. (Roses are related to apples and some call rose hips rose apples.)

Antidote - Ginger + Panela 77% dark bar - Aug. 18, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote Chocolate
Ginger + Panela 77% dark bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 390 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $8.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: missing information


Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week, and Day #2 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Ginger and Panela 77% dark bar from Antidote Chocolate (Brooklyn?, NY) was flavorful, bittersweet, yet smooth with no sharp notes and not overly sweet (thank you). Hints of lightly candied ginger popped up now and then.

Panela (similar to brown sugar) sweetened the bar and gave it some extra flavor.

This Antidote Chocolate bar was created with the company founder's unique blend of 50% raw and 50% roasted cacao. (The Arriba cacao beans used were from Ecuador (Camino Verde).)

After tasting a piece of the bar, I broke the remainder into pieces to include in a (cooked) dessert.

The rest became part of a chocolate pot de creme flavored with ginger and small amounts of additional floral spices: vanilla (flowering orchid), cardamom (spice with fragrant, floral notes), saffron (crocus stamens) and kewra (another flower) water.

This dessert was then topped with blueberries and mango pieces

Le Belge Chocolatier - Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hibiscus bar - Aug. 17, 2017

Chocolate of the Day: 

Le Belge Chocolatier
Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hibiscus bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 146.6 calories (per label) in 1/3 bar
Cost: $6.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Cavallo Point Mercantile shop, Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Berries Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Raspberry Hibiscus bar was from Le Belge Chocolatier (Napa, CA).

This bar contained hibiscus flower crystals and freeze-dried raspberry granules (with real fruit and seeds). These two inclusions complemented each other nicely and added refreshing, bright red fruit notes to a smooth dark chocolate base and micro-bursts of crunchy texture.

Timothy Adams - Rose, Violet and dark chocolate nut pieces - Aug. 16, 2017

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Timothy Adams Chocolates
6-piece assortment box included the following bonbons:

• Rose - Good +
• Violet - Good +
• Pistachio Praline - Good 

Weight: 2.5 oz. (70.7 g.) (estimate) in 5 pieces

Calories: 375 calories (estimate) for 5 chocolates

Cost: $16.50 (estimate) for 6 chocolates (box was extra)

Purchased from: Timothy Adams (shop), Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

I don't count white chocolate as a "Chocolate of the Day" on this site. Chocolate items need to contain cocoa solids, in part because many "white chocolates" don't contain much cacao (solids or butter).

Because of this rule, I felt compelled to buy an attractively designed 6-piece box of chocolates from Timothy Adams Chocolates (Palo Alto, CA) to ensure some cocoa solids were consumed for the day.

This local shop had Rose ivory* and Violet ivory bonbons that were sweet, decadent and delicious; but both lacked cocoa solids.

So I bought three other dark chocolate covered confections to keep these two ivory floral pieces company, and "counted one of them, a Pistachio Praline chocolate as my daily chocolate.

The Pistachio Praline (dark chocolate covered with a sweet and light, almost a butterscotch ivory center) and topped with pistachio nuts and icing seemed to good match for the two ivory florals.

The two other dark chocolate covered bonbons (a Coconut Cream Caramel and a Nocino (green walnut liqueur) bonbon) were both sweet but quite nice. You may see them featured in the future.

*Some white chocolates may contain little cocoa butter (and/or may substitute other vegetable fats); whereas "ivory" (closer to the color of real cocoa butter) chocolate generally contains more cocoa butter and is considered to be of higher quality.