Sjaak's Organic Chocolates - California Coast Whales Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 22, 2020

Chocolate of the Day; 

Sjaak's Organic Chocolate
California Coast Whales Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: 1 oz. (56 g.) / 2 oz. (56 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $4.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Dark Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's California Coast Whales Dark Chocolate bar from Sjaak's Organic Chocolates (Petaluma, CA) was decorated with an illustration inspired by whales that can be seen off the California coast.

This bar had a true, rich dark chocolate aroma and flavor with a creamy melt.

ChocStars Ltd. - Dark Chocolate (bar); Gertrude's - Feb. 21, 2020

Chocolate(s) of the Day: 

ChocStars Ltd.
(Imported by Belgium's Chocolate Source)
Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good
Weight: 1.48 oz. (42 g.) / 3.5 oz. (100 g.) in total bar
Calories: 115 calories in 5 pieces of bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: missing information

Welcome to Day #3 of Plain Dark Chocolate Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate bar was made for ChocStars Ltd. (Perth, Scotland), and imported into the U.S. by Belgium's Chocolate Source (Milton, MA).

ChocStars offers entertaining lineup of bars with packaging adorned with celebrity look-alike images. However, the impersonators are animals dressed up and styled to look like specific celebrities (complete with wigs, items of clothing, hats and other accoutrements), so that they are immediately recognizable. Today's small rodent "star" bore an uncanny resemblance to the Queen of England.

I believe I sampled a previous ChocStars bar that featured a suspiciously canine-looking Michael Jackson years ago. They're not rock stars...they're ChocStars.

As one might expect with novelty bars like this the dark chocolate inside is perfectly edible but a bit on the industrial side (smooth, very uniform, dark, sweet).

Gertrude's desserts, Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona
Bonus entry: desserts at Gertrude's, at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona: 1.) gluten free doughnut holes with chocolate, caramel and prickly pear dipping sauces, and 2.) gluten free chocolate cake with bourbon cherry sauce and cherry sorbet. Yum. Thank you Joy!

Gardini - Cioccolato 70% Organic Dark Turmeric (bar) - Feb. 20, 2020

Chocolate of the Day:

Gardini - Cioccolato D' Autore
70% Cacao Bio Fondente Curcuma
(70% Cacao Organic Dark Chocolate (with) Turmeric)
Good
Weight: 1.41 oz. (40 g.) / 2.82 oz. (80 g.) in total bar
Calories: 224.4 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ N/A - gift (Thank you Ahmed!)
Purchased from: Cafe Venetia, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Strawberries Theme Week, and Day #2 of Dark Chocolate Bar Theme Week. (Dark bars featured this week will be without added flavors, with the exception of today's bar.)

Today's 70% Cacao Bio (Organic) Fondente (Dark Chocolate) Curcuma (Turmeric) bar was from Gardini Cioccolato (Forli (FC) Italy).

This bar had a dark chocolate and a warm, slightly earthy/savory/slightly bitter spice (turmeric) aroma and flavor.

The chocolate had a thick, slightly creamy texture and a relatively even melt. Although the turmeric embedded uniformly in this bar yielded a slightly granular texture.

Turmeric's* strong taste (often used in curries) tends to overpower other flavors, including bolder flavors found in cacao. Although both the turmeric and dark chocolate flavors lingered a bit in the finish of this bar.

*Turmeric is a root-like, tuberous rhizome (that grows underground) This native of India and SE Asia looks like it might be a cross between ginger root, a knobby carrot and a Jerusalem artichoke with its light brown exterior and orange interior. (Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is related to ginger.) 

Once processed into a spice, turmeric is a bright, golden yellow. powder. (I've also sliced it into small coin-shaped pieces and included it in sauteed vegetable dishes (with sliced carrots and ginger) and also used it as a natural yellow dye.

Compartes Chocolatier - Pure 80% Dark Chocolate (bar) - Feb. 19, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Compartes Chocolatier
Pure - 80% Pure Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total bar
Calories: 173.3 calories in 1/3 bar
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: CAO Chocolate, Sausalito, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate and Strawberries Theme Week, and Day #1 of Dark Chocolate Bar Theme Week.

This ultra-dark bar had a complex and intriguing aroma with green, true chocolate, very faint vegetable latex, balanced bitter and spice notes. There might have been a very faint green/floral note in there too; or it could have been the whisper of vanilla talking.*

The chocolate had a rapid melt, and deep roasted cacao flavor with mushroom/earth accent notes, with a fleeting fruit/honey/brown sugar sweetness.

I enjoyed the complexity; it tasted better with each bite. And it was not too sweet (thank you!).

Sweet strawberries, strawberry yogurt and strawberry cottage cheese were consumed in the same breakfast snack break.

*Ingredients: Organic Vegan Dark Chocolate 80% (Organic Cocoa Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Organic Coconut Sugar, Organic Vanilla.

Raaka Chocolate - Pure Cacao, Strawberry and Coconut bar - Feb. 18, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Pure Cacao and Strawberry and Coconut bar
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.8 oz. (50.1 g.) in total bar
Calories: 244 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $ missing information
Purchased from: COA Chocolate, Sausalito, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Strawberries Theme Week.

Today's Pure Cacao, Strawberry and Coconut bar was made by Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY).

The 80 percent dark chocolate was made using un-roasted, organic cacao from Kokoa Kamili (Tanzania, Africa), and with no added sugar (thank you!). If you're open to a more intense dark chocolate  experience with a few natural flavor accents, today's vegan, gluten free and soy free, organic Raaka bar is worth trying.

In Chinese, Indian and other Asian cuisines, the five tastes that humans can sense: sweet, sour, salty/savory, bitter and spicy are thoughtfully balanced in each dish. The makers at Raaka achieved at least 3 or 4 of the 5 tastes mentioned above with the kaleidoscope of flavors present in this craft chocolate bar.

No boring, overly roasted, uniformly smooth industrial chocolate here. This chocolate had a smooth melt, and after that it was all mild spikes of different flavors. (Think Christmas "Cactus" with the pink flowers, not prickly cactus spikes.)

This ultra-dark bar might be a little strong or bitter for some. However, I found it full of complementary flavors: the natural sweet tart berry (strawberry) sweetness, a light touch of naturally sweet coconut, and dark, earthy (almost savory) and bitter flavors from the cacao. It was oddly addicting in its own way.

Ingredients: organic cacao beans, organic strawberry, organic toasted coconut, organic cacao butter

That's it - Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit Truffles - Apple + Strawberries + Dark Chocolate - Feb. 17, 2020

Chocolate of the Day: 

That's it Nutrition, LLC
Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit Truffles
Apples + strawberries + dark chocolate
Good
Weight: 1.83 oz. (52 g.) in total package
Calories: 150 calories in 1 package
Cost: $3.19 for 1 package
Purchased from: CVS/pharmacy, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Dark Chocolate Covered Fruit Truffles (bites) were from That's it Nutrition, LLC (Los Angeles, CA). The company name "that's it" refers to the pared down ingredients list in their snack offerings made with plant-based, Non-GMO ingredients* free of most common allergens.

The five small "fruit truffles" in this package were made of just three ingredients: apples, strawberries and dark chocolate. A dark chocolate shell surrounded a pure fruit blend center, that was neither too dry or too moist. This refreshingly light and natural tasting vegan snack was made without preservatives, gluten or soy.

I look forward to trying the company's new Sea Salt Organic Dark Chocolate + Fig Truffles offering in the future.

*Ingredients: apples, strawberries, dark chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, organic sugar, cocoa butter)

Straw Propeller - Chocolate Strawberry oatmeal - Feb. 16, 2020

  
Chocolate of the Day:

Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods, Inc.
Chocolate Strawberry (oatmeal)
Good
Weight: 2.6 oz. (74 g.) in 1 cup
Calories: 280 calories in 1 cup
Cost: $3.25 for 1 cup
Purchased from: The Store House, San Francisco, CA

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

Today's Chocolate Strawberry oatmeal was distributed by Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods, Inc. (Redmond, OR).

The directions on this container suggested two ways of preparing this oatmeal: "Hot" or "Cold and Overnight." I chose the former, added hot water and gave the oatmeal a quick stir.

Chocolate chips, strawberries and beet powder morphed into a hearty, thick melange of cheerful deep pink and chocolate brown. This warm breakfast was satisfying without being too sweet (thank you!).

The oatmeal contained 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, and was made using Certified Gluten Free Rolled Oats.