The Chocolate Cartel - Red Chile + Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds - Aug. 8, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Cartel
Red Chile + Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
Good - Good +
Weight: .75 oz. (21.25 g.) / 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in total package
Calories: 112.5 calories (per label) in .75 oz. (21.25 g.) serving
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Airport Shop (ABQ), Albuquerque, NM

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's Red Chile + Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds were from The Chocolate Cartel (Albuquerque, New Mexico).

The Chocolate Cartel partners with local businesses for their chocolates with flavor inclusions. For example, the chiles today could have some from "The Chile Guy." And the lavender in tomorrow's bar comes from Los Poblanos, the site of a historic inn and organic lavender farm.

This red chile laced offering incorporated a blend of Western flavors. These spicy almonds had a slightly malty, nutty aroma and a light touch of dark chocolate with a hot, red chili sizzle in the middle. The almonds helped to balance the heat.

Ingredients included: Cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, lecithin, caramelized almonds, vanilla extract, dried red chile, spices, sugar, cornstarch.

The Chocolate Cartel - 73% Dark Chocolate (small bar) - Aug. 7, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

The Chocolate Cartel
73% Dark Chocolate (small bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: .8 oz. (22.64 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $3.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Shop in Airport (ABQ), Albuquerque, NM

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's 73% Dark Chocolate small bar was from The Chocolate Cartel, handmade in Albuquerque, NM.

This bar* had a nice sheen/shine, and a dark chocolate aroma with faint roasted coffee/acidic notes. The flavor was bold and dark with earth and nut notes. (It was not as acidic as expected based on aroma, which was fine.)

The melt was even and texture was relatively smooth. And the chocolate had a lingering finish with chocolate, roasted, and nut notes, and a very slight astringency one could feel in the throat.

*Ingredients: "Cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, lecithin" (contains soy)

Art of Chocolate Cacao Santa Fe - Red Clay Sea Salt Roasted Cacao Nibs 60% Dark Milk Chocolate bar - Aug. 6, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Art of Chocolate Cacao Santa Fe
Chaco Cacao - Red Clay Sea Salt and Roasted Cacao Nibs 60% Dark Milk Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Airport shop at Albuquerque (ABQ) airport

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's Chaco Cacao - Red Clay Sea Salt and Roasted Cacao Nibs 60% Dark Milk Chocolate bar was from Art of Chocolate Cacao Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM).

This relatively sweet chocolate bar included a generous helping of crunchy, roasted cacao nibs on the back of the bar (that caused the chocolate to seem slightly darker than 60% cacao) while still maintaining a sweet side. Red clay salt added a light current of salt seasoning throughout the bar.

The title of the bar "Chaco Cacao" refers in part to Chaco/Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. The Chaco area (where Anasazi and Navajo peoples have lived) was also a gathering place. And it's an area rich in history. And, significantly for chocolate, traces of cacao from the distant past were found here as well, indicating that cacao beans (grown further south, e.g. in Mexico or Belize) may have been transported as far north into what now is the Southwestern U.S. centuries ago.

Chamisa Chocolate - Food of the Gods dark chocolate bar - Aug. 5, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Chamisa Chocolate
Food of the Gods 81% Cacao dark chocolate bar
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (60 g.) (per label) in total bar
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate + Cashmere, Santa Fe, NM location


Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's Food of the Gods 81% cacao Honduras bar was from Chamisa Chocolate, a company that markets small batch chocolate in a few select places, including the Santa Fe, NM, farmers market, and Chocolate + Cashmere retail locations in Santa Fe (and Taos).

The cacao for this high percentage bar came from a remote part of Honduras (Wampusirpi district), that takes about two days to reach by canoe. Chamisa tries to use organic ingredients whenever possible. And the cacao in this area of Honduras has not had a history of using chemicals, and is committed to organic practices, even if the cacao may not be certified organic.

According to info on Chamisa's website, "...These beans were sourced with care from the farmer and co-ops, premiums well above the market minimum were paid (nearly double in this case) and only the best beans were accepted."*

This three-ingredient bar had chocolate fudgey, creamy (almost nutty) balanced earthy ultra-dark flavor; and it was delicious. Truly deserving of the "food of the gods" botanical name (Theobroma cacao) reference.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic sugar, organic cacao butter.

*The company also makes 71% Alto Beni, Wampasurpi Honduras, Polochic and Tumaco dark chocolate bars. 

(The image printed on the label was from the pre-Columbian Codex Zouche-Nuttall.)

Eldora Chocolate - 70% Dark Chocolate Bar with Mexican Coffee Nibs - Aug. 4, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Eldora Chocolate
70% Dark Chocolate Bar with Mexican Coffee Nibs
Good ++
Weight: .9 oz. (25.55 g.) / 1.8 oz. (51.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 135 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Farm Shop (Los Poblanos), Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, NM

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's 70% Dark Chocolate Bar with Mexican Coffee Nibs was from Eldora Chocolate (Eldora Enterprises, LLC), based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The chocolate was made from cacao grown in the Dominican Republic (Zorzal, 2018 Harvest).

This bar had a strong coffee aroma and flavor; and crushed bits of coffee beans (coffee nibs) on the back of the bar created crunchy texture and imparted micro-bursts of concentrated, smooth, dark roasted coffee flavor.

The chocolate was relatively smooth, dark and flavorful. Seemed like a good pairing. But, any flavor nuances beyond that were difficult to pick out, as they were overpowered by the stronger coffee notes. This would be a great bar to try if you're a coffee lover, or if you want some fine flavored, wake up chocolate.*

Eldora offers small batch, artisan chocolates, including single origin bars with flavor inclusions.** According to the company's website, Eldora's chief chocolate maker and founder, Steve Prickett, has challenged himself to make single origin chocolate/bars from as many countries as possible, with more than 24 countries (and 31 different origins) so far.

Like many New Mexico residents, Steve enjoys being outdoors and the good health to do so. And, like many of us who spend time outdoors, he is concerned about a healthy environment. He takes all these values into consideration when sourcing beans and making chocolate as well. (Bravo.)

The company donates a portion of their proceeds to "Kiva, Heirloom Cacao Project and Rainforest Project."

*Digression: This reminded me again to check about incorporating mesquite "coffee" into an artisan chocolate bar. So far I've had chocolate with mesquite powder/flour, but not a mesquite coffee bar or confection that I can remember. There are still combinations I've yet to try, even after sampling more than 4,600 different chocolates.

**Ingredients in today's Mexican Coffee Nibs bar: cocoa nibs, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Mexican coffee nibs

Chokola Bean to Bar - Tanzania Kokoa Kamili 75% bar - Aug. 3, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chokola Bean to Bar LLC
Tanzania Kokoa Kamili 75% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.02 oz. (29 g.) / 2.04 oz. (58 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chokola Bean To Bar, Taos, NM

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Today's Tanzania Kokoa Kamili* 75% bar was made by Chokola Bean to Bar LLC (Taos, NM).

This well-made bar had a bright, acidic/tart fruit, chocolate and light spice aroma. The flavor had concentrated fruit (stone fruit, dried pear, quince), cream, very faint sweet mineral, and true chocolate notes.

The chocolate maker's tasting notes read: "light acidity, green apple jam."

This is the second of two single origin bars this week from this New Mexico this craft chocolate maker. Chokola offers a variety of chocolates in their cozy shop, located steps away from the Taos Plaza (in downtown Taos). Yesterday's bar was a Chokola Belize Maya Mountain 70% bar.

*Kokoa Kamili is an organization that works closely with cacao farmers to ethically source cacao in the Kilombero Valley in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania, in Africa. The organization is known for producing cacao with fruity notes, and they can accommodate custom fermentation requests from artisan chocolate makers in the U.S. and elsewhere they work with.

Chokola Bean to Bar LLC - Belize Maya Mountain Bar; Taos Bakes Pinon Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar) - Aug. 2, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Chokola Bean to Bar LLC
Belize Maya Mountain 70% bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.02 oz. (29 g.) / 2.04 oz. (58 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chokola, Taos, NM

Welcome to Day #9 or Chocolate and Cowgirl Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and New Mexico Theme Week.

Taos, a mountain town in northeast New Mexico, has a population of almost 6,000 residents.* There are real cowgirls in Taos, a city that has small businesses and organizations like Cowgirl Designs, a small shop that offers graphic design and branding services to the Taos community; the Taos Rodeo (with junior cowboy and cowgirl categories); and cowgirl farmers we met.

We passed several locations and ranches on the outskirts of town that could have been featured in Western films.

There are also a growing number of craft chocolate makers in New Mexico, including at least one in downtown Taos: Chokola Bean to Bar LLC.

We picked up a few Chokola items, including today's Belize Maya Mountain 70% cacao bar, adorned with an image of what resembled a Pronghorn** in their shop. They offered single origin bars, filled chocolates, drinking chocolates and a chocolate pudding bar. Customers could also purchase a chocolate flight to try items side-by-side.

This chocolate had a true chocolate and concentrated fruit aroma and a fairly bright but acidic fruit flavor (think lemon, apricot, and fresh pineapple) that was present throughout the tasting experience. The texture was smooth and fairly creamy, almost fudgey.

The makers tasting notes read: "pineapple, honey and caramel."

We also re-tasted a second New Mexico bar today: the Pinon Coffee Dark Chocolate (bar) from Taos Bakes (Questa, NM), pictured with the Chokola bar at right. We'd tried a very similar version of this energy bar back in 2018, under the company name Taos Mountain Energy Bar. Same location and company, but they decided to re-brand). Pinon coffee is made with a blend of real coffee plus a hint of toasted pine nuts from pinon (aka pinyon) pine trees--commonly seen growing in the Land of Enchantment.

*Taos, New Mexico, according to 2017 numbers had a population of 5,668. There are, at certain times of the year, many out of town visitors as well, who come to sightsee, enjoy the relatively moderate SW climate and the mountain scenery, and to ski in the winter. 

** While the image may not have been of a Pronghorn, frequently called Pronghorn Antelope, an animal native to the Western U.S. that can run up to 65 miles per hour, it reminded us of its story. This animal once lived and grazed in grasslands across the the Western U.S. and midwest. Their range and their decline paralleled that of the American Bison.