Flying Bird Botanicals - Cacao Vanilla Rose Drinking Chocolate - Sept. 22, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Flying Bird Botanicals
Cacao - Vanilla Rose Drinking Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1 TB (7 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.05 g.) in total container
Calories: 30 calories in 1 serving (of dry mix)
Cost: $9.95 for 1 container (steel cylindrical tin)
Purchased from: Land's End gift shop, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #6 of Chocolate Breakfast Theme Week. And happy first day of Fall.

Today's Cacao - Vanilla Rose Drinking Chocolate was made by Flying Bird Botanicals (Bellingham, WA). The company offers a line of teas and cacao drinking chocolate blends. 

The aroma of this drinking chocolate yielded a bouquet of floral magic. The authentic "rose-y" notes evoked memories of flowers, chocolate, friends and sharing food together. The uplifting aroma of cacao, rose and vanilla flavors was a great way to start the morning.

The cacao powder was finely ground and dissolved easily and completely with relatively minimal stirring in hot water. The authentic cacao/chocolate flavor was pleasant and not too sharp or bitter. (There was a faint trace of plant astringency (back of the throat tickle), but I am guessing that was from the rose powder.)

I mixed this powdered cacao blend with hot water and coconut milk. Almond milk might be a good/better dairy alternative choice with this vanilla rose blend. (Almonds are a distant relative of roses, so there might even be some natural affinity between the two.) Coconut partners nicely with vanilla, but can eclipse other, milder floral notes.

The flavor and sweetness levels were well balanced in this blend. And, even though organic raw cane sugar was the first of five ingredients, this drinking chocolate was not too sweet. (Add less water for a more concentrated sweetness and flavor and thicker texture.) The ground vanilla bean added faint, natural warmth.

If you love floral flavors and botanical flavor inclusions, give this high-quality cacao blend a try.

Ingredients: Organic raw cane (sugar) crystals, organic raw cacao powder, organic rose powder, organic vanilla bean, organic rose essential oil.

Allergen-related information: (None listed on container that I could see.)

Flying Bird Botanicals - Cocao Especial and OmNom Chocolate Lakkris + Sea Salt (bar) - Sept. 21, 2021

Chocolate(s) of the Day

Flying Bird Botanicals

Cacao Especial Drinking Chocolate

Good + - Good ++

Weight: 1.5 Tablespoons (12 g.) / 3.5 oz. (99.05 g.) in total container

Calories: 45 calories in 1 serving (1.5 Tablespoons)

Cost: $9.95 for 1 container

Purchased from: Land's End gift shop, San Francisco, CA

OmNom Chocolate
Lakkris + Sea Salt (bar)
Good - Good +
Weight: 1.05 oz. (30 g.) / 2.1 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.95 for 1 bar
Purchased from: ZombieRunner, Palo Alto, CA 

Welcome to Day #5 of Chocolate Breakfast Theme Week.

Fall begins this week; and I'd hoped to find a (pre-made) licorice hot chocolate--difficult to find for a gluten-free me as most licorice offerings contain wheat flour. Happily, I did find a pair of cacao-based items that added up to something similar.

Flying Bird Botanicals - Cacao Especial

The first item in today's chocolate duo was a cup of Cacao Especial Drinking Chocolate from Flying Bird Botanicals LLC (Bellingham, WA). The company offers a variety of teas and cacao drinking chocolates.

Raw cacao powder can be quite strong. The first raw drinking chocolate mixes I remember tasting were sometimes acidic, bitter and gritty. (Big brand hot chocolate powdered mixes are generally made with finely ground, alkalized cocoa--using a process that reduces acidity and sharper cacao flavor notes.) 

However, today's raw and organic (three-ingredient) powdered cacao mix had rich, smooth cacao (light brownie) flavor--perhaps due to the choice of (presumably milder) "heirloom" cacao and a hint of vanilla bean. The powder also blended nicely with warm liquids with some minimal stirring, including the coconut milk and water I used to make this drinking chocolate. (There was no grittiness; and this was accomplished without any added emulsifiers or vegetable gums. Thank you!)

I look forward to enjoying this mix on cold weather mornings to come. It would be great for drinking and dipping. I plan to dip my (gluten-free) breakfast bread or toast into this drinking chocolate. (For those who can handle gluten, try a buttery, flaky croissant.)

Also appreciated was the mindful packaging that Flying Bird uses for their teas and cacao blends (e.g. use of recycled papers and sealed, recycled steel tins made in the U.S.).

Ingredients: "Organic raw cacao powder, organic raw cane crystals, organic ground vanilla bean."

Allergen-related information: (None listed that I could find.)

OmNom Lakkris + Sea Salt (bar)

Today's second chocolate was a Lakkris (Licorice) + Sea Salt (bar) made by OmNom Chocolate (Reykjavik, Iceland). 

Licorice root is naturally sweet (due to glycyrrhizic acid), and gluten free. However, most licorice candies contain wheat flour; and wheat gluten enables licorice's characteristic chewy, stretchy texture. Licorice root flavor can also be imparted to foods and chocolate in other ways, including using alternative starches or licorice liqueurs, teas and other infusions.

Because I can't tolerate gluten, I really appreciate, high-quality, new and novel chocolates/foods that I can eat. And to find this creatively crafted licorice and salt bar, with no wheat ingredients, was a real treat.

What do I mean by creative? Similar to coffee "chocolate" bars made with very finely ground coffee beans and cocoa butter (the 40-50% of fat from the cacao bean), this licorice bar was crafted using cocoa butter, but not the "darker" part of the cocoa bean that I've often referred to in the past as cocoa solids.

The deep, golden brown color of this bar gave it a milk chocolate appearance. But the "chocolate" color came from caramelized sugar and licorice. 

The bar had a caramel licorice aroma. Bold flavor notes included something for almost every quadrant of the palette: a rich, browned sugar milk caramel sweetness was balanced by a sustained bitter herb note (authentic licorice) note, and a sparkle or two of Icelandic sea salt (that OmNom makers obtained) from a local saltworks facility.

If you love licorice/liquorice, do give this bar a try.

Ingredients: Organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Icelandic whole milk powder, liquorice powder, Icelandic sea salt from Saltverk salmiak, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin). Contains a minimum of 38% cocoa solids.

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk.) "Designed and made in Iceland, in a facility that handles nuts, dairy and gluten."

*Wheat flour is used to bind ingredients together in the making of licorice, presumably (initially) ground bits of licorice root or a licorice extract and sugars (glucose, syrups) to yield a slightly gummy, stretchy texture associated with commercial licorice sticks, disks, nuggets and other shapes/forms.

Next by Nature - Dark Chocolate Quinoa - Sept. 20, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Tropical Valley Foods
Next by Nature - Dark Chocolate Quinoa 
Good - Good + 
Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) / 3 oz. (85 g.) in total package
Calories: 210 calories in 1 serving (6 pieces)
Cost: $6.00 for 1 package 
Purchased from: Land's End gift shop, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #4 of Chocolate Breakfast Theme Week. 

Today's Next by Nature Dark Chocolate Quinoa pieces were produced by Tropical Valley Foods (Plattsburgh, NY). The company offers a line of chocolate covered fruit and nuts, some organic, some not, but generally without any additives or preservatives.

Today's chocolate offering served as a quick, pre-work morning snack. The resealable package contained two servings (six pieces per serving). 

The aroma notes of these crunchy snack nuggets included light grain, sourdough bread, and  chocolate notes. And each sweet* dark chocolate (with milk) piece was chock full of tiny, very crunchy, puffed quinoa orbs. 

Quinoa, a seed (usually referred to as a grain) is native to South America. (Countries of origin for the quinoa used for this offering included: Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.) It's become popular in the U.S. as a gluten-free grain option in recent decades in part due to its relatively high level of plant protein. (It contains some amount of all nine essential amino acids.)

*Ingredients: Dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, anhydrous milk fat, soy lecithin (emulsifier), vanilla), puffed quinoa.

Allergen-related information: "Contains milk, soy. Made in a facility that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy and dairy products."

The Yes Bar Co. - Dark Chocolate Chip Yes Bar - Sept. 19, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

The Yes Bar Co.

Dark Chocolate Chip Yes Bar

Good +

Weight: 1.4 oz. (40 g.) in 1 bar 

Calories: 220 calories in 1 bar

Cost: $2.49 for 1 bar 

Purchased from: Farm Fresh To You (add in to CSA box delivery service), online order 

Welcome to Day #3 of Chocolate and Breakfast Surprise Theme Week.

Today's Dark Chocolate Chip Yes Bar was from The Yes Bar Co. (Oakland, CA). The company makes a line of "gourmet soft-baked nut bar(s)" with high-quality ingredients.

The Yes Bar messaging reminded the reader that it's possible to say yes..."to everything you want (and no to the things you don't)." You had me at certified gluten free, and "half the sugar of an apple."

This vegan (round cookie-shaped) bar had aroma notes (in order of appearance) with light cocoa, coconut, maple, slightly savory, mild nut and seed.

The bar had a soft, chewy texture and a hearty, satisfying feel. (This snack bar contained 5 grams of plant protein, and 17 grams of fat.)

Flavor notes included dark chocolate, coconut, nut, seed, and faint savory flavor notes.

Ingredients: "Organic almonds, organic maple syrup, organic dark chocolate (cocoa mass, coconut blossom sugar, cocoa butter), organic sunflower seeds, organic pumpkin seeds, cashews, organic coconut butter, macadamia nuts, organic coconut nectar, pecans, sesame seed butter, white chia seeds, organic ground flax seeds, Celtic sea salt, organic cinnamon, organic vanilla extract."

Allergen-related information: Contains almond, cashew, pecan, macadamia, coconut (and sesame seeds). "Made in a gluten free certified facility that handles eggs, milk, peanuts, soy, and tree nuts. May contain shell or pit fragments."

Red Plate Foods - Dark Chocolate Granola - Sept. 18, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Red Plate Foods
Dark Chocolate Granola
Good +
Weight: 1/4 cup (28 g.) / 11 oz (311 g.) in total package
Calories: 110 calories in 1 serving
Cost: $4.99 for 1 package
Purchased from: Sprouts Farmers Market, Mountain View, CA 

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Breakfast Surprise Theme Week. 

Today's Dark Chocolate Granola was made by Red Plate Foods (Bend, OR). 

The company creates foods free of common allergens (gluten, dairy, peanut, tree nuts, soy, egg), and vegan offerings.

This granola had a satisfying, authentic chocolate and oaty aroma, taste and chew with a mild crunch in the texture, punctuated by bites of creamy dark chocolate chips. 

This breakfast (or anytime) cereal and snack was not overly sugared (thank you!). It was sweetened with a judicious amount of molasses, maple syrup and monk fruit. And a faint hint of vanilla added a bit of baked goods warmth often associated with chocolate cake or cookies.

Ingredients: "gluten-free oats, applesauce, Non-GMO canola oil, cane sugar (vegan), organic cocoa, chocolate chips (cane sugar (vegan), cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, vanilla), molasses, pure maple syrup, sea salt, monk fruit.

Allergen-related information: "Gluten free." "Manufactured in a facility free of gluten/wheat, dairy, egg, soy, tree nut, peanuts, fish, shellfish, sesame, celery and mustard."

TCHO - Organic Toasted Cornflake 47% cacao milk chocolate (bar) - Sept. 17, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

TCHO
Organic Toasted Cornflake 47% cacao (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 190 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Grocery Outlet Bargain Market, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate Breakfast Surprise Week, featuring chocolates from the Chocolate Banquet vault*--some with breakfast-themed flavor inclusions, and some that are wild card breakfast picks.

Today's Organic Toasted Cornflake milk chocolate (bar) was from TCHO Ventures, Inc. (Berkeley, CA).

The aroma notes in today's bar (in order of appearance) included a fleeting, slightly sharp chocolate note (when the inner foil wrapper was first opened) that quickly softened to include sugar, milk, cereal and very faint oxalis (bright green, citrus) and barely there sweet fruit notes.

This blend of creamy, almost fudgey, dark milk chocolate and crunchy corn flake pieces created a nicely-balanced textural experience.

The flavor notes included true chocolate (brownie), milk and cereal, very subtle tart-sweet (oxalis, faint sweet lemonade with berry jam) as well as fleeting floral and warm spice (vanilla), bittersweet chocolate, very light toasted corn, and a slight, highly muffled, balanced earth note.

Ingredients: Organic cacao beans, organic cane sugar, organic whole milk, organic and fair trade certified cocoa butter, organic cornflakes (organic corn meal and/or organic yellow corn flour, organic cane sugar, organic honey, sea salt), non-fat milk, soy lecithin, vanilla

Allergen-related information: (Contains milk.) "May contain traces of tree nuts. Cornflakes used in this product may contain traces of peanuts."

*The Chocolate Banquet vault consists of a small storage area with a wine refrigerator (turned up to the "warmest" setting) and insulated storage containers.

Note: I sample daily chocolates in the morning. Technically every morning I have a chocolate breakfast. But, some chocolates are more compatible with the idea of a typical American breakfast than others.

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade - Trincheras (Venezuela) 95% (bar) - Sept. 16, 2021

Chocolate of the Day

Rozsavolgyi Csokolade 

Trincheras (Venezuela) 95% (bar)

Good ++ 

Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) in total bar

Calories: 154.2 calories (per label) in 1 bar

Cost: $ missing information

Purchased from: The Village Market, SF Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Today's Trincheras (Venezuela) 95% (bar) was from Rozsavolgyi Csokolade (Budapest, Hungary).* 

Trincheras is a cacao growing region in the Carabobo State in (northwest) Venezuela that borders on the Caribbean Sea.

The rich and appealing aroma of this bar included notes of chocolate, molasses, fruit-floral (very, very faint muffled red berry, rose geranium, vanilla and other exotic florals I couldn't quite catch) and very faint freshly baked bread.

The flavor was surprisingly mild for a 95% ultra-dark bar, with a very little bitterness, and barely detectable floral and earth notes. 

Ingredients: Trincheras cocoa beans, organic cocoa butter, organic cane sugar; cacao content minimum 95%.

Allergen-related information: 

*Rozsavolgyi Csokolade produces a variety of beautifully designed and packaged bars, confections and drinking chocolates. 

Chocolate shops in the U.S. may carry their line (usually bars/tablets); and online orders may be an option, depending on your location. Happily, I found this bar in a specialty market that carries several bean-to-bar chocolate makers' bars in San Francisco.