Mirzam Chocolate - 62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar - April 13, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate
62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 186 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #16 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Note: Due to the seemingly abundant supply new chocolates available in the universe, we're once again altering time and space a bit to accommodate an 18-day chocolate theme "week." Yes, we know there are only 7 days in a regular, boring week. We hope you'll forgive us.

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Orange and Cinnamon bar was crafted in Dubai by www.mirzam.com (Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)), part of Kakaw Manufacturing Co. LLC (a food and beverages importer in UAE).

Kathy Johnston, Mirzam's chief chocolate officer, helped launch the Mirzam Craft Chocolate factory (in 2016) in Dubai's Al Serkal Avenue artisan district, while she was also working on her own operation in Switzerland.

The company has sourced cacao from plantations that are "ideally" on ancient Arab trading and spice routes (which were quite widespread globally, including locations such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Madagascar, India and Papua New Guinea). And inclusions in the company's line of bars include local items such as dates/date syrup.

The Mirzam story tagline is a romantic one: "Following the celestial map of the maritime spice route to gather stories of spices and sea monsters."

*Mirzam is the name of a bright star in the constellation Canis Major.

Chocolat Moderne - Pumpkin Pie Spice bar - April 12, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chocolat Moderne
Holiday Avant-Garde Bar - Milk Chocolate Caramel with Organic Pumpkin Puree and Pie Spices
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 187 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.00 (sale) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #15 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Holiday Avant-Garde Bar - Milk Chocolate Caramel with Organic Pumpkin Puree and Pie Spices was created by Chocolat Moderne (New York, NY).

The thickness of this bar might be off-putting if it were solid chocolate. However, the milk chocolate was easy to break and bite into, while not being too fragile at the same time. (Nothing messier than caramel filling oozing out.)

This Avant-Garde holiday-inspired filled bar had a light spice and nutty chocolate aroma. The dark chocolate was smooth and even in flavor.

Hats off to the chocolatier for the caramel filling with authentic pumpkin flavor with light pie spice, and for the this bar not being too sweet (thank you).

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade - Cardamom 73% bar - April 11, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade
Kardamom (Cardamom) 73% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.23 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 176 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $14.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #14 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Cardamom 73% bar was from Rozsavolgyi Csokolade (Budapest, Hungary). The company's name in English is: Rosevalley Chocolates.

The bean-to-bar chocolate makers consider themselves artists as well. (They are.) Artists know how to create a great experience from basic elements. In this case, just four ingredients (cacao beans, sugar, cocoa butter and cardamom.)

Architecturally* beautiful, this rather sweet, smooth 73% dark bar was redolent with cardamom spice. The chocolate had a rich, creamy melt and the cardamom flavor was evenly and robustly present throughout the tasting experience.

Cardamom
Cardamom is a spice made from seeds of plants (related to ginger) that originated in the forests of India and Indonesia. Now cultivated and used in other parts of the world, this spice can evoke a spectrum of sub-flavors, ranging from a savory stew spice to chai tea to tropical fruit flavored bubble gum—in part due to associations with the many different foods and beverages containing cardamom.

*The company uses chocolate molds with Hungarian patterns and shapes that look like they might be inspired by images found carved in wood, etched in stone, forged into metalwork or woven into textiles. 

Tiny House - 68% Sarsaparilla Dark Chocolate bar - April 10, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Tiny House Chocolate Artisans
68% Sarsaparilla Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .705 oz. (20 g.) / 1.41 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 112 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #13 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's 68% Sarsaparilla Dark Chocolate bar was from Tiny House Chocolate Artisans (Santa Cruz, CA).

The makers, originally from Brazil, crafted this bar using three ingredients: organic cacao, sugar and sarsaparilla. The cacao was sourced from the Dominican Republic. And the cacao bean type was listed as: "Criollo, Nacional."

The melt was smooth and creamy. There was a light smoky/botanical/woodsy earth taste to this chocolate. However, the most obvious aroma and taste was that of root beer or sarsaparilla. The chocolate and the inclusion paired well together. And this bar was not too sweet (thank you!). The flavor was unique deceptively complex; and it became more intriguing and interesting with subsequent bites during the morning.

With its relatively dark, complex flavor and aroma profile I couldn't help but wonder what an adult beverage/beer version of this might taste like. In the meantime, it's a beautiful spring day and we're taking the rest of this bar to the park with us to enjoy later.

Theo Chocolate - Root Beer Barrel 55% Dark Chocolate bar - April 9, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.

Root Beer Barrel 55% Dark Chocolate bar

Good - Good +

Weight: .95 oz. (26.5 g.) / 1.9 oz. (53 g.) in total bar

Calories: 145 calories in 1/2 bar

Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar

Purchased from: World Market, North Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #12 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Organic Root Beer Barrel 55% Dark Chocolate bar was from Theo Chocolate, Inc. (Seattle, WA).

Fifty-five percent cacao fair trade chocolate was full of tiny bits of root beer flavored brittle (flavored with a "Root Beer Oil Blend"*).

The brittle created authentic sparkles of root beer flavor. Yes, this bar was sweet; but positive memories of drinking root beer floats as a child helped uplift this tasting experience.

Ground vanilla bean helped provide extra flavor and warmth to this blend.

Spices can come from seeds, pods, roots and other plant parts. Root beer became an almost uniquely American flavor. (Beverages made from dandelion and burdock in the U.K. were the closest we could find across the pond. We're sure there are others in the world that date back to ancient times.)

*Old-fashioned root beer recipes in North America date back at least to the 1800s. Root beer beverages were flavored primarily with sassafras, and other herbs, roots and bark (e.g. birch oil). Sassafras is a deciduous tree native to North America. The roots of this tree apparently have a sweet, spicy flavor to them. Roots and bark from this tree were used to make "tea" and beverages.

Subsequent concerns about a substance (safrole) found in sassafras led to restrictions on its use. Most root beer beverages today use the root of/extracts from the sarsaparilla vine and other flavorings (wintergreen, cloves, anise, etc.) instead.

Theo Chocolate - Grapefruit Ginger bar - April 8, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Theo Chocolate, Inc.
Grapefruit Ginger 55% Dark Chocolate bar
Good
Weight: .95 oz. (26.5 g.) / 1.9 oz. (53 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $2.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: World Market, North Scottsdale, AZ

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Spice Theme Week.

Today's Organic Grapefruit Ginger 55% Dark Chocolate bar was made by Theo Chocolate, Inc. (Seattle, WA).

It had a candied citrus and spice (ginger) aroma.

This sweet chocolate bar had a smooth melt punctuated with tiny specks of almost crunchy crystallized ginger. Grapefruit oil lent a subtle, balanced citrus touch. The ginger finish lingered slightly.

Today's bar was certified fair for life, Kosher Dairy, and did not list gluten- or soy-containing ingredients.

Sunbiotics - Probiotic Chocolate Bar - Ginger Spice - April 7, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Sunbiotics
Probiotic Chocolate Bar - Ginger Spice
Good +
Weight: .625 oz. (17.5 g.) / 1.25 oz. (35 g.) in total bar
Calories: 82 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Ginger Spice probiotic* chocolate broke with a well-tempered snap.

This bar had a warm ginger spice aroma and flavor; and the dark chocolate was sweetened with coconut sugar. It was quite tasty.

*The probiotics did not contribute any noticeable aroma or flavor.