Hogarth Chocolate Makers - Rose and Vanilla Tea bar - May 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hogarth Chocolate Makers
Rose and Vanilla Tea bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.235 oz. (35 g.) / 2.47 oz. (70 g.) in total bar
Calories: 194.6 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA


Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week (and is the second of two posts today).

Today's Rose and Vanilla Tea bar was from Hogarth Chocolate Makers (Nelson, New Zealand).

This 70% cacao (Madagascar) dark chocolate was infused with Dilmah Tea rose and vanilla tea, and was a New Zealand collaboration between chocolate maker Karl Hogarth and chef Simon Gault.

After opening the inner gold pouch that contained this dark bar, the smell of rosewater wafted up, with light fermented leaf/plant and vanilla notes in the background. If I was blindfolded, doing a taste test, I might not have guessed initially I was smelling a chocolate bar. However, it was early morning and the room was cold. Once it warmed up a few degrees, the dark chocolate aroma came to the forefront.

Meant to conjure images of a "high tea in a rose garden," this chocolate did just that. I also imagined fleeting images of Alice in Wonderland and a lost white rabbit, but that's another story.

The base dark chocolate was flavorful, slightly fruit-acidic, and not too sweet. The rose flavor continued to perfume the tasting experience from beginning to end. If you like floral flavors and scents, this light lingering rose note will be a lovely trait.

The Hogarth team hand mold their bars. And the mold design for this vegan, gluten free and soy free chocolate bar—with an "H" (for Hogarth) signature "block" in the center—was beautiful. We hesitated to break a piece off to taste, thus ruining the design.

Enlightened - Cold Brew Coffee Chip ice cream bars - May 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Beyond Better Foods, LLC
Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee Chip bars
Good
Weight: 3.75 fl. oz. (110 mL) (70 g.) in 1 bar / 15 fl. oz. (440 mL) in box of 4 bars
Calories: 90 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $3.79 for 1 box of 4 bars
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Flowers Theme Week.

Today's Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee Chip frozen bars were manufactured for Beyond Better Foods LLC (Bronx, NY). Small espresso chips with a hint of chocolate were embedded in a smooth coffee ice cream base.

This cool, frozen bar had a mild coffee-mocha flavor without a lot of chocolate to it. (In fact, the second entry for today was a 70% cacao chocolate bar with rose and vanilla (see post that follows this one). And this second bean-to-bar chocolate entry supplies the chocolate and vanilla flavors that are less present with this ice cream bar while providing a segue into a chocolate and flowers theme week.)

The Quest for a Lighter, Better Ice Cream
The Enlightened Cold Brew Coffee ice cream bar exemplified the perennial quest of suppliers to come up with good tasting, yet somehow healthier//better ice cream. In fact the tagline for today's bars read: "The Good-For-You Ice Cream."

Recent iterations of light ice cream often have more protein, fiber and less sugar. A step in the right direction (or back to basics) one might conclude—even if the ingredients* list is quite long.

One of today's bars contained 7 grams of protein and only 5 grams of sugar (plus erythritol and monkfruit extract). And, if one is counting calories, this bar contained only 90 calories in 1 bar.

*Ingredients: Skim milk, milk protein isolate, erythritol (natural sweetener), non-GMO soluble corn fiber, coffee, cream, cane sugar. Contained 2 percent or less of vegetable glycerin, dutched cocoa, coconut oil, carob gum, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, monk fruit extract, natural flavor, ghee, corn starch, soy lecithin

Mirzam Chocolate Makers - 62% Coffee and Cardamom bar - May 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Mirzam Chocolate Makers
62% Dark Chocolate Coffee and Cardamom bar
Good + - 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 #7 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

Today's 62% Dark Chocolate with Coffee and Cardamom bar was from Mirzam Chocolate Makers (Dubai, United Arab Emirates).

This dark chocolate bar had an authentic coffee aroma with a slight sweet spice note.

The ground Arabica coffee gave the bar a slightly earthy, but balanced, texture and flavor, and coffee finish, with an occasional faint twinkle of cardamom.

The African cacao used to make this 5-ingredient* single origin bar was grown in Ghana.

*Ingredients: Cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, coffee, cardamom

Antidote Chocolate - Coffee Crunch + Cardamom 73% cacao bar - May 22, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Antidote
Coffee Crunch + Cardamom 73% slow roasted cacao bar
Good
Weight: 1.15 oz. (32.5 g.) / 2.3 oz. (65 g.) in total bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

Today's Coffee Crunch + Cardamom bar made with 73% slow roasted cacao (from Manabi, Ecuador) was from Antidote (Brooklyn, New York).

This dark chocolate bar had dark chocolate and roasted coffee* flavor and crunchy bits with coffee buttercrunch toffee and cardamom spice notes.

*The Arabica coffee in this vegan, gluten-free and Kosher bar was grown in the Loja region of southern Ecuador.

Ethereal Confections - French Vanilla and Salted Almond - Olive Oil Ganache bar - May 21, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Ethereal Confections
French Vanilla and Salted Almond - Olive Oil Ganache bar
Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

The filling for this Dark Chocolate bar from Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL) contained olive oil and a hint of balsamic vinegar.

The coffee potion of today's entry was supplied by an affogato—a shot of coffee* poured over a small bowl of Mocha Difference and Vanilla ice creams from Three Twins Ice Cream (Petaluma, CA).

*A shot of coffee containing chaga and reishi mushroom no less. I don't think there is any way to mess up affogato. Coffee + vanilla, chocolate or coffee ice creams were made for each other.

Scandal-less Mocha Chip - May 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Lucerne Foods, Inc.
Open Nature Scandal-less Chocolate Mocha Chip Light Ice Cream
Good
Weight: 1/4 container (65.25 g.) (118.25 mL) / 1 Pint (473 mL) total container
Calories: 85 calories in 1/4 container
Cost: $3.99 for 1 container
Purchased from: Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

Today's Open Nature Scandal-less Chocolate Mocha Chip Light Ice Cream was distributed by Lucerne Foods, Inc. (Pleasanton, CA).

A lot of people have created light ice creams, hoping to deliver the rich, creamy essence of ice cream, without all the fat and sugar. And the resulting products have mostly improved over time.

Today's "Scandal-less" ice cream had relatively creamy texture and light chocolate mocha flavor with a touch of authentic coffee taste, and tasted naturally sweet (erythritol) without an artificial sweetness.

The "only 340 calories in 1 pint" claim might encourage someone to have more than one serving, which may defeat the purpose. We still prefer a smaller portion of ice cream with the shortest ingredient list possible; but, people do enjoy having options like this.

Ritual Chocolate - Novo Coffee Anyetsu 60% bar - May 19, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Ritual Chocolate
Novo Coffee Anyetsu 60% Cacao bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Miette, Oakland, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Theme Week.

Today's Novo Coffee Anyetsu 60% bar was made by Ritual Chocolate (Park City, UT).

This Novo Coffee bar had a bold roasted coffee aroma, smooth melt and relatively creamy texture.

The chocolate (a dark, multi-origin blend) had strong dark chocolate and fresh ground coffee* flavor.

For those wanting to experience more vanilla with your chocolate and coffee, Ritual also offers a great Vanilla (Madagascar) dark chocolate bar (featured previously on this site)—and a Vanilla Mocha truffle (part of their current spring 2019 assortment).

*Makers notes: "Novo Coffee's Anyetu is a sun-dried coffee from Wellega, Ethiopia. This ripe berry and floral coffee is paired with a balanced chocolate made from a blend of cacao sourced from several farms around the world."