Jelina Chocolatier - Earl Grey 72% Dark and Matcha (white) bars - Dec. 24, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

Jelina Chocolatier*
Earl Grey 72% Dark Chocolate bar
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3.52 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 oz. (28.3 g.) of bar
Cost: $8.99 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bookstar, San Diego, CA

Welcome to Day #3 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's Earl Grey 72% Dark Chocolate bar was from Jelina Chocolatier.* The company was founded in 1985 and has focused on bars made with fine Belgian chocolate, without added oils, emulsifiers, flavors or artificial ingredients.

Some Jelina bars (like today's Earl Grey dark bar) are made with organic chocolate.

This Earl Grey tea bar had nicely balanced, rich fruit, floral, herb-bergamot, and chocolate aroma and flavor notes.

And, while we were waiting for Santa Claus to arrive, we decided that one tea deserved another. So, the Earl Grey tea infused bar was paired with a Matcha Green Tea White Chocolate bar, also from Jelina Chocolatier.

The matcha bar was a well-executed implementation of a green tea bar. The notes of fresh grass and authentic Japanese matcha tea flavor were refreshing and pleasing. And the 29% white chocolate base was not overly sweet (thank you!).

*Note: In Canada, Jelina Chocolatier is known as Galerie au Chocolat.

Homemade Peppermint Bark + wine, port - Dec. 23, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Homemade Peppermint Bark
Good - Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) in 3 small pieces
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 3 small pieces
Cost: Approx. $10.00 for 1 large batch
Purchased from: Ingredients were from Safeway, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #2 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

I made this homemade peppermint bark from four ingredients: organic 70% bittersweet dark chocolate pieces; white chocolate bars (broken into pieces and melted) from Ghirardelli Chocolate (San Leandro, CA); broken up peppermint candy cane pieces; and peppermint extract.

A plateful of these bark pieces were shared at a holiday get-together with neighbors. (Thank you Margaret and all!). Some love this traditional holiday candy-sweet confection; and others consider it too sweet. But, its refreshing mint flavor was reminiscent of holidays past and matched the refreshing, cold night air on the walk over and back from the get-together this evening.

Pairing these with selected sips of spirits (red wine and port), surprisingly, seemed to work.*

*I am cautious with pairing chocolate and mint items with anything else. It must be lingering memories of brushing my teeth with mint toothpaste and then taking a sip of orange juice...and experiencing these two substances fighting each other on my palette. Not a great taste memory.

Chamisa Chocolate - Santa Fe Biscochito dark bar, Matcha white chocolate bar - Dec. 22, 2019

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Chamisa Chocolate
Santa Fe Biscochito dark bar
Good +
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: N/A - sample bar
Purchased from: N/A - from Chamisa Chocolate

Welcome to Day #1 of Holiday Tea and Spirits Theme Week.

Today's bars were from Chamisa Chocolate (Santa Fe, NM). Thank you to Amanda for sharing your wonderful "experimental" holiday cookie and tea chocolate bars.

A traditional biscochito is a butter cookie with spices (e.g. star anise) that you might find in the Southwestern U.S. These cookies are, I'm told, the state cookie of the State of New Mexico. Today's dark bar contained a gluten-free blend of almond flour and spices that was a great tribute to this Santa Fe favorite.

I also appreciated being able to sample an "experimental" Green Tea Matcha white chocolate bar with crisped rice.

This complex bar had both warming and cooling elements, with green tea, and a faint hint of mint/(menthol?) notes. The rice added a light crunch that complemented the smooth white chocolate base—that was not too sweet (thank you!).

Again, thank you to Amanda for sharing these chocolates. They brightened up our winter holiday season.

*Chamisa Chocolate offers a variety of vegan and gluten free chocolate bars, including many with flavor inclusions and a few single origin bars.

Misfits Bakehouse - Cardamom Brownie + Honduras Coffee - Dec. 21, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Misfits Bakehouse
Cardamom Brownie with sea salt
(enjoyed with Mayorga Honduras Coffee)
Good ++
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $4.00 (estimate) for 1 brownie
Purchased from: Misfits Bakehouse, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Honduras Theme Week.

Today's bit of Honduras came from coffee grown in Mayorga, Honduras.

The chocolate portion of today was provided by a delicious gluten-free Cardamom Brownie from Misfits Bakehouse (Palo Alto, CA)—a small, neighborhood bakery specializing in gluten-free baked goods and savory items as well.

Seahorse Chocolate - 70% Honduras Wampusirpi Direct Trade (bar) - Dec. 20, 2019

Chocolate of the Day:

Seahorse Chocolate
70% Honduras Wampusirpi Direct Trade (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's attractively-packaged 70% Honduras Wampusirpi Direct Trade (bar) was created by R.C. and Amanda Gartrell (of Seahorse Chocolate) who are roasting single origin beans and making chocolate in Bend, OR.

This was very uniform, sweet, smooth dark chocolate. The maker tasting notes read: "brown sugar, toffee." These notes contributed to the feeling of a friendly, sweet confection.

There is lots of snow in the Bend, OR, area this December. Something sweet and chocolatey like this might serve as a good warm-up or parka pocket treasure.

Dandelion Chocolate - 70% Wampu, Honduras bar - Dec. 19 , 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dandelion Chocolate
70% Wampu, Honduras 2017 Harvest (bar)
Good +++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar 
Purchased from: Dandelion Chocolate Manufactory + Cafe, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's 70% Wampu, Honduras 2017 Harvest (bar) was crafted by Dandelion Chocolate (San Francisco, CA).

The "Wampu" refers to Wampusirpi, a relatively remote area, where the beans used to make this chocolate travelled by river in dugout canoes for two days. Most of the Honduras bars featured this week have been made from cacao grown in Wampusirpi area, located in northeastern Honduras.

This two-ingredient,* 70% dark chocolate bar had very slight, well-balanced fruit, floral and green tea notes intertwined with the chocolate aroma. The bar broke with a well-tempered, hard snap. And, it had a smooth, even melt and texture and delicious, relatively sweet, true dark chocolate (rich brownie with a few baked in nuts) flavor with a very faint sweet miso sesame note in the finish.

Sadly, this bar was sold out when I checked this week.

*Ingredients: Cocoa beans and organic cane sugar
Dandelion tasting notes read: classic dark chocolate, macadamia nut, honeycomb

Castronovo Chocolate - Lost City Honduras 60% Dark Milk Chocolate with Fleur de Sel (bar) - Dec. 18, 2019

Chocolate of the Day: 

Castronovo Chocolate
Lost City Honduras 60% Dark Milk Chocolate with Fleur de Sel (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $11.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate and Honduras Theme Week.

Today's Lost City Honduras 72% Wild Trinitario Dark Chocolate bar was from Castronovo Chocolate (Stuart, FL).

This bar had a smooth and creamy texture, and an inviting dark milk chocolate aroma and flavor with caramel-forward notes.

A sprinkling of sea salt added a balanced amount of savory to the sweet without being too overwhelming.