Fine and Raw Chocolate - Habanero Salt 70% bar - July 27, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Habanero Salt 70% Cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) in total bar / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 82.5 calories (per label) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar (plus shipping)
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Habanero Salt 70% Cacao (bar) was from Fine and Raw Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

Aroma is an important aspect of chocolate tasting. The smell of a chocolate can be very similar to its taste, or it can be different in a surprising way (e.g. the first time you take a bite of a 100% cacao bar with no sugar or sweeteners or a dark chocolate with multiple layers of flavor that seem to blossom in your mouth).

Some flavor inclusions in bars may have a very weak aroma, but pack a flavor wallop, like hot chili peppers.

So, it was with some anticipation that I bit into today's Habanero Salt 70% bar containing organic habanero* powder. The bar smelled like relatively mild chocolate with a trace of coconut sugar and a very faint salt or savory vegetable note.

The habanero flavor was tied to small salt crystals. And unless you bit into a piece with more crunchy salt flecks, the burn on your lips and the tears in your eyes will be very manageable. The heat index (at least in the pieces I sampled) was relatively low, due to judicious use of this powerful pepper (thank you!).

There was also not a big heat flare at the finish of the tasting curve. So fear not. Unless you want to steer completely free of chilis altogether, you'll probably be OK, and you'll still be able to taste the chocolate.

And speaking of the chocolate, this 70% cacao gluten free bar with habanero salt was made using "50% roast and 50% raw," ethically sourced cacao, from bean-to-bar, with no refined sugar.

Ingredients: Organic cacao bean(s), organic coconut sugar, organic cacao butter, organic habanero powder, sea salt.

*Habanero peppers are from the Americas, in the West. Early Spanish explorers found them and spread them across the globe. They are widely cultivated in Mexico. They can also be found growing in Belize and other Latin American countries and remains of these peppers have been found from centuries ago, as far south as Peru, and as far north as the southwestern U.S. 

As every cowboy and cowgirl knows, a little of this small, fiery cherry red pepper goes a long way in a chile, stew or sauce. (Image of ripe, red habanero pepper above is from www.habaneromadness.com)

On that note, we're taking this chocolate on a hike around some California sagebrush and Coastal Live Oak trees, and we'll say hello to the cows for you.

**Cows Eat Chocolate?
Oh, and by the way, did you know that some specialty ranchers feed their cows chocolate? Yes, chocolate is a small part of a special diet that helps build unique flavor. A herd of Cadbury's chocolate-fed Wagyu beef cattle at Mayura Station in Australia are on the menu of some pretty fancy Michelin-starred restaurants. (Note: Please don't feed cows chocolate without their owners permission. Not all animals can eat cacao.)

Fine and Raw Chocolate - Alderwood Smoked Salt 70% Cacao (bar) - July 26, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Alderwood Smoked Salt 70% Cacao (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 137 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $25.00 for 5 bar set
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Cowgirl Theme Week.

Today's Alderwood Smoked Salt 70% Cacao (bar) was from Fine and Raw Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

This bar had an aroma with chocolate, green, fruit, and very light savory and butterscotch notes. The melt was even, with a slightly stoneground, astringent mouthfeel—likely from both the cacao and coconut sugar that the company uses to sweeten bars.

Flavor notes included chocolate, light fruit and very faint smoked salt and coconut, with a mild chocolate finish.

Most of the cowgirls and horseback riders we know ride in the hills in the outskirts of urban areas around San Francisco Bay (a bay with a rich history of salt-making).

Fortunately there are still enough open spaces to be a cowgirl. (If you look closely at the landscape photo (at right) you may not be able to spot the horseback rider in the distance, riding through golden grasses, and oak, bay and eucalyptus trees.

Why alder trees?

Most of the smoked salt chocolate bars we've tried have contained Alderwood Smoked Salt. What's so special about alder tree wood smoke?

Red alder trees in the Pacific NW were used medicinally by native peoples. The bark contains aspirin-like substances. However, the real reason why these trees are used to smoke salt has to do with the flavor of the smoke from this wood. It's subtle and even a bit sweet, according to some. (Contrast this with the stronger Hickory smoke used for bacon, or Cedar smoke, which can impart a strong woodsy flavor with a hint of pine or camphor, which may overpower many chocolates.)

Another factor in choosing a milder smoke may be that a smoky flavor in fine chocolate has been considered a defect, in part because cacao farmers in more tropical climates may have smoke dried their cacao beans under thatched or covered structures due to higher than desirable levels of  moisture/rain (which can signal other challenges with a batch of cacao).

Personally we're OK with trying unique and well-balanced umami flavors and have enjoyed bars with smoked nibs and smoked salt and other similar inclusions. Bring it!

Fine and Raw Chocolate - Sea Salt 70% bar - July 25, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Fine and Raw Chocolate
Sea Salt 70% bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in total bar
Calories: 165 calories (per label) in 1 bar
Cost: $25.00 for a 5-bar set
Purchased from: Fine and Raw Chocolate, Brooklyn, NY (online order)

Welcome to Day #11 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Cowgirls Week.

Today's Sea Salt bar was from Fine and Raw Chocolates (Brooklyn, NY). The company operates a factory and cafe in Bushwick, Brooklyn (NY) and was founded by Daniel Sklaar.

Fine and Raw bars are sweetened with coconut sugar and made using "50% raw and 50% roasted chocolate." (Raw chocolate can be milder than roasted cacao. It sometimes lacks flavor that can be coaxed out (or lost) with roasting and processing with higher temperatures.)

The dark chocolate flavor in today's bar was well balanced with the far-flung constellation of sea salt sparkles on the back of the bar. Ingredients: "organic cacao bean(s), organic coconut sugar, organic cacao butter, organic sea salt"

Cowgirl Art and Chocolate
The company's collection of Brooklyn Bonnie bars,* including today's bar, were all adorned with illustrations of girls from the wild west, who were described on the label as"...ladies who are bold, independent, brave, sassy, eloquent and tasty." It's always interesting to hear the stories behind and inspiration for different chocolates.

The cowgirl on today's Sea Salt 70% bar wore a black cowgirl hat and cowgirl boots, and an outfit, not really suitable for roping and riding. The line drawings in the packaging were reminiscent of illustrations from the 1900s, from artists like Gil Elvgren** and other painters and illustrators.

On a slightly more wholesome note, there is also a long tradition of vaquero (cowboy) and vaquera (cowgirl) painting going back many years in Mexico (a country with a long chocolate history). And some of these artworks romanticizes the hard work done at ranches. or revolution-related narratives. Artists representing this genre include Jesus Helguera 1910 - 1971). These warm-toned works would be lovely on chocolate bar packaging should copyright owners agree. But, we digress.

*The five bars in this set included Alderwood Smoked Salt, Espresso, Ginger, Hazelnut Butter and Sea Salt.

**Gillette (Gil) Elvgren (1914 - 1980) was an American painters perhaps best known for his pin-up girls, including several cowgirl illustrations that graced magazines and advertisements.

Domori - D-Fusion LatteSal Milk Chocolate with Salt (bar) - July 24, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Domori srl

D-Fusion Latte Sal Milk Chocolate with Salt 45% (bar)

Good - Good +

Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) / .88 oz. (25 g.) in total package

Calories: 75 calories in 1/2 bar 

Cost: $3.96 (sale) for 1 bar + any shipping

Purchased from:  Chocosphere.com, online order

Welcome to Day #10 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week.

Today's D-Fusion Latte Sal Milk Chocolate with Salt (bar) was from Domori srl* (None, TO, Italy), and was made with Arriba Nacional cacao.

This 45% cacao milk chocolate had a sweet, caramel (almost "candy") aroma, with some light fruit and chocolate notes. The thin bar had a creamy smooth, almost gummy texture. The sweetness masked the chocolate and salt nuances a bit, but it will have a definite appeal for some.

Maker's notes: "(the bar was made with)...sweet and aromatic Guerande** sea salt to bring forth a fresh hint of banana and citrus fruits..." ***

And speaking of the chocolate maker, the following quote was printed on the Domori website:

"I am only a humble servant to Chocolate, and my true mission is to help change the history of fine cacao." -- Gianluca Franzoni

*Domori has been part of the illy Group since 2006. The company was involved in looking at fine cacao and supply chains before the craft/artisan chocolate movement really took hold. And they were one of the first and only makers to offer a 100% Criollo bar, made using a delicious, fine heritage variety of cacao.

**The Guerande salt used in this bar was harvested from the Guerande salt marshes of France.

*** Ingredients: "Cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole powdered milk (20%), cocoa mass, Guerande salt (0.4%)"

Jelina Chocolatier - Organic Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar - July 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Jelina Chocolatier
Organic Sea Salt (fleur de sel) Dark Chocolate bar
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.76 oz. (50 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 280 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $6.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: The Willows Market, Menlo Park, CA

Welcome to Day #9 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week.

Today's Organic Sea Salt Dark Chocolate bar was from Jelina Chocolatier (a Division of GMV Chocolates, Quebec, Canada).

This thick, 72% cacao, fair trade dark bar had a creamy texture and aroma and flavor notes of chocolate, nut butter and fruit jelly with a faint bold, balanced earthy note.

The sweet and salt ratio was close to the "addictive zone" that many snack foods seem to occupy by design. Maybe we should take another bite...to make sure we can verify this point. (Yes, still seems to be true.)

Health Lab - Cacao Sea Salt Collagen Ball - July 22, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Health Lab
Cacao Sea Salt Collagen Ball
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) for 1 package
Calories: 196 calories in 1 ball
Cost: $0.69 for 1 ball
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Sea Salt Theme Week.

Today's Cacao Sea Salt Collagen* Ball ("Beauty Snack for hair, skin and nails") was from Health Lab (Melbourne, Australia).

This chocolate had the even aroma and flavor of a fudge brownie, only chewier.
It had a thick, substantial texture and was satisfying, with a sweet cocoa aftertaste.

The added sea salt was quite subtle but was present throughout the tasting experience at about the same level.

*The company uses marine collagen for its collagen balls.

Goodio Craft Chocolate - Sea Salt 77% Cacao bar - July 21, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Goodio Craft Chocolate
Sea Salt 77% Cacao bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .85 oz. (24 g.) / 1.7 oz. (48 g.) in total bar
Calories: 112.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.50 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and (Sea) Salt Theme Week.

Today's four-ingredient* Sea Salt 70% Cacao bar was made from stoneground cacao (from the Congo in Africa) and sea salt (hand harvested from Icelandic fjords) by Goodio Craft Chocolate (Helsinki, Finland).

See image (right) to see this bar, and the three men behind Goodio in the background. (Picture/background shown in photo is from Goodio Craft Chocolate website.) Chief Creative Officer, Jukka Peltola, pictured at far right, founded the company in 2015.

This chocolate had a bold, earthy, slightly acidic chocolate and savory (sea salt) aroma, which in some bars might signal a very strong flavor. However, because this chocolate was made with raw cacao, it did not get roasted, or processed over a certain temperature. It did not have the heavy, acidic or slight smoky "charcoal" flavor that the aroma caused us to brace for.  (Think espresso vs. a mild coffee.)

Instead the chocolate had relatively robust cocoa flavor with a lower acidic and sharpness level than expected. It had light floral,** cocoa, fruit and coconut sugar notes, and a faint sparkle of sea salt.

The chocolate was smooth yet slightly granular in texture because it was stoneground, likely for a relatively shorter period. Larger particle size and less grinding time means more intact flavors. However, the "creamiest" mouthfeel often comes from long grinding/conching time, which, you guessed it, leads to loss in certain flavors. It's a chocolate making trade-off.

The coconut sugar—and less sugar in general with a darker, 77% cacao bar—allows one enjoy flavorful cacao, but with a gentler tasting experience in other aspects. That is, coconut palm sugar has been shown to be lower on the glycemic index than refined cane sugar. So you may experience less of a sugar buzz. (Fine by us.)

Today's bar was raw, vegan and organic.

*Ingredients: Organic Cacao beans (Congo), organic coconut sugar, organic cacao butter and sea salt
** More delicate floral notes are often the first to go when cacao is roasted or heated, so you're more likely to taste these in raw chocolate and in origins where floral flavor is commonly found, but then lost in cacao processing.