Omnom Chocolate - Milk Chocolate with Sea Salted Roasted Almonds (bar) - Feb. 11, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Omnom Chocolate
Milk Chocolate with Sea Salted Roasted Almonds (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 350 calories in 1 bar
Cost: 699 ISK ($4.82 USD) for 1 bar (exchange rate 145 ISK = 1 USD) 
Purchased from: Kr (store) in Vik, Iceland 

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

Today's Milk Chocolate with Sea Salted Roasted Almonds (bar) was from Omnom Chocolate (Reykjavik, Iceland).

Aroma notes for this sweet, creamy chocolate included: milk chocolate, butter cream, nuts (lightly salted almonds).

This 45% milk chocolate was a skillful meld of textural, flavor and geographic-source opposites: 1.) buttery smooth and nut-crunchy; 2.) faintly tart sweet fruit (sweet orange, berry) grounded a bit by richer chocolate; and 3.) sweet and salty. 

Iceland has fine dairy products (skyr (think yogurt), butter, and sheep and cow milk/cream)--often the case for countries located far from the Equatorial belt* where cacao grows. 

The judicious use of sea salt (just enough to be addictive) reminded me of the saltworks in Iceland. And the salt helped balance the sugar content in this 45% cocoa solids (i.e. relatively higher sugar %) chocolate. 

A generous helping of chopped (sea salted) almonds from Mediterranean climate(s) added crunchy texture and helped mellow and tie these elements all together.

This milk chocolate was a bit sweet for me, but this fact (observation) did not stop me from "tasting" a whole bar. Warning: don't eat wonderfully rich, sweet and salty bars like this if you're overly hungry. 

Ingredients: Milk chocolate (Organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, Icelandic whole milk powder, organic cocoa beans from Madagascar, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), almonds, sea salt.

Allergen-related information: "Designed and made in Iceland, in a facility that handles nuts, dairy, gluten and sesame seeds..."

*Cacao trees typically grow in warm/temperate rain forest areas (often in coastal areas or great river valleys)--in a geographic "belt" approximately 20 degrees above and/or below the Equator. 

It is possible to grow cacao a few degrees north or south of this limit (e.g. in Hawaii) if you're near the sea/water--that helps moderate temperature extremes. In these cases, the cacao will often adapt with a higher seed (cacao bean) fat (cocoa butter) content, just as we might wear a jacket in cooler weather.

Touched by Nature - Almond Dips - Dark Chocolate Raspberry - Feb. 10, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Touched by Nature
Almond Dips - Dark Chocolate Raspberry 
Good ++
Weight: 1/4 cup (30 g.) / 4 oz. (113 g.) in total package
Calories: 180 calories in 1/2 package
Cost: $3.99 for (1) total package (Thank you Megan!)
Purchased from: Ross Dress for Less (store), Mountain View, CA

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

Today's Touched by Nature Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond Dips were distributed by Thrive Brands LLC (Chicago, IL).

Aroma notes included: authentic, subtle red berry (red raspberry tea); gentle, authentic dark chocolate (chocolate wafer cookie); and mellow nut (almond).

Crunchy, whole roasted almonds were clothed in a thin coat of dark chocolate, and (then rolled in) an even thinner outer layer of raspberry powder, giving them a textured, raspberry red-pink hue.

I love authentic dark chocolate, fruit flavors and nut flavors. However, chocolate covered fruit and nut confections are often loaded with sugar, and/or suffocated by sugar-sweet, glossy chocolate exteriors. 

I felt so grateful today to enjoy the more subtle, natural roasted almond flavor and crunchy almond texture at the heart of these dark chocolate covered nuts. There were no thick, glossy finishes; and the dark chocolate used was smooth and not too sweet. (Thank you!)

For those wanting a more natural chocolate snack, without the sugar buzz, I recommend trying this (or other members of the Touched by Nature line of snacks) for a refreshing change of pace. These raspberry almonds would also make an attractive garnish on a dessert plate.

Ingredients: "Roasted almonds, dark chocolate [cocoa liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, lecithin (from soy), vanilla extract], freeze dried raspberry powder.

Allergen-related information: "Contains: almonds, soy." ("vegan, gluten free")
 

Rawmio - Sprouted Almond & Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao - Feb. 9, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Rawmio
Sprouted Almond and Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.06 oz. (30 g.) / 2.12 oz. (60 g.) in total bar
Calories: 160 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $8.00 (estimate) for 1 bar
Purchased from: Country Sun Natural Foods, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Rawmio Sprouted Almond and Sea Salt 70% Peruvian Cacao (bar-shaped "bark") was made by Windy City Organics, LLC  (Northbrook, IL).

Made with Organic 70% Peruvian cacao the maker describes this chocolate as follows: "Stone Ground Raw Chocolate and topped with crunchy sprouted almonds, a sprinkle of Celtic sea salt, and lightly sweetened cacao nibs..."

Aroma and flavor notes for this bar(k) included: smooth, balanced, unroasted cacao and chocolate; faint warm spice; nut (almond); faint, sweet herbal green/botanical; very faint coconut; and barely there sweet wood.

Crunchy almonds and cocoa nibs made a great foil for the smooth dark chocolate base. As is often the case for higher quality unroasted cacao, the chocolate was quite low in bitterness and acidity. The field of whole almonds further neutralized acidity, balanced sweetness and mellowed the flavors. 

Judiciously seasoned, this Organic chocolate was low in sweetness. (It was lightly sweetened with coconut sugar and yacon.) I preferred this over a sugar buzz; and my teeth felt grateful afterwards. It was also low in salt. (I could barely taste the sea salt.) Since I like savory chocolates, I would have been OK with a bit more; although I enjoyed being able to really taste the raw chocolate and cacao nibs.

The end result: an almond studded, vegan and fairly traded, chocolate with pleasant, mellow and authentic flavors that reminded me what roasting cacao does. Roasting can give you more robust flavors (think espresso), and it can cover up off flavors; but with roasting you can also lose gentle, authentic flavors when you roast/process high-quality cacao.

Ingredients: Organic, raw cacao nibs; organic coconut sugar; organic raw sprouted almonds; organic raw cacao butter; organic yacon sweetened cacao nibs; sea salt

Allergen-related information: Contained almonds. "Produced in a raw, vegan, and certified organic facility which processes tree nuts and seeds, but no aflatoxin peanuts, soy, gluten or dairy." 

Vosges - Grateful Dead Raw Honey Smoked Almond (bar) - Feb. 8, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Vosges
Grateful Dead Raw Honey Smoked Almond (bar)
Good +
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $7.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Vosges, part of a larger online order

Welcome to Day #8 of Chocolate and Honey Theme Week, and Day #1 of Chocolate and Almonds Theme Week.

Today's Grateful Dead Raw Honey Smoked Almond (bar) was created by master chocolatier, Katrina Markoff, and team, at Vosges IP LLC (Chicago, IL). This bar was inspired by music and memories; or in the words of Katrina, "Crafted with Grateful Dead."

Aroma notes included: chocolate, diffuse fruit (jelly), faint honey, nuts, and almond butter.

And this bar had a satisfying creamy + crunchy melt and mouthfeel.

I could make out that the crunchy bits were almonds and possibly "buttery toffee" bits mentioned on the packaging. But the flavors were fairly homogenized, and more mild than I expected.

This was a "mellow" chocolate. The cocoa used to make this chocolate was treated with alkali (a process that reduces acidity and stronger flavors). 

In the past I've really enjoyed smoked almonds with chocolate; but the savory kick I was looking forward to was fairly muted. The hickory smoked almond bits in this chocolate added a very subtle smoked and salt taste, and helped balanced the sweetness. There was also a very faint, sweet brown rice note (likely brown rice syrup) that also may have quieted other flavors a bit. 

Ingredients: "Chocolate processed with alkali, honey, raw, cocoa butter, hickory smoked almonds (almonds, vegetable oil canola, safflower, and/or sunflower oil), salt, corn maltodextrin, torula yeast, sunflower oil, sugar, onion powder, autolyzed yeast, cane molasses, natural smoke flavor (caramel color), sugar, unsalted butter (pasteurized cream, natural flavors), water, brown rice syrup, sea salt, sugar burnt syrup, organic soy lecithin"

Allergen-related information: "Contains: almonds, milk, soy. Processed on equipment that also processes milk, soy, wheat, eggs, peanuts and tree nuts."

Honeymoon Chocolates - 77% Semuliki Forest Dark Chocolate with honey - Feb. 7, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Honeymoon Chocolates
77% Semuliki Forest Single Origin Dark Chocolate with honey (bar)
Good + - Good ++
Weight: 1.1 oz. (31 g.) / 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total bar
Calories: 140 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $12.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Bar and Cocoa, online order

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

Today's 77% Semuliki Forest Single Origin Dark Chocolate (bar)--made with Ugandan cacao, Peruvian cacao butter and raw honey--was from Honeymoon Chocolates (Saint Louis, MO).

Aroma notes for this bar included: dark chocolate (slightly earthy, mild peaty/tannic acid, fermented cacao nibs), and very faint green fruit (banana).

Flavor notes included: chocolate (deep, ultra-dark chocolate, balanced but complex earth, olive fruit); and under these deep jungle notes was a light floral honey sweetness (not as pronounced in sweetness as cane sugar typically is) that managed to cast a few soft rays of honey goodness.

This bar will satisfy ultra-dark chocolate fans and those who like their chocolate less sweet. I enjoyed it. It was relatively high in dark fruit (dried plum)/tannic acidity, and had a balanced bitterness to it. 

Maker's tasting notes: "Chocolate mousse, melon, white peach, and plum"

Ingredients: Organic cacao (Uganda), raw honey, organic cacao butter (Peru)

Allergen-related information: "Free of refined sugar, soy, dairy, and gluten"

Shekoh Confections - Teddy Bear Honey Marshmallow chocolate - Feb. 6, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Shekoh Confections
Teddy Bear Honey Marshmallow chocolate
Good + - Good ++
Weight: .6 oz. (16.9 g.) (estimate) for 1 piece/bear
Calories: 88 calories (estimate) for 1 bear
Cost: $4.50 for 1 bear 
Purchased from: Shekoh Confections, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Teddy Bear Honey Marshmallow chocolate was created by Chef and chief chocolatier, Shekoh Moossavi, at Shekoh Confections (Palo Alto, CA).

This cute Teddy had appealing dark chocolate aroma and flavor notes. A thin, well crafted and flavorful chocolate shell contained a soft, light spongy honey marshmallow interior. 

It was an elegant, endearing chocolate novelty bear. Enjoyable by itself, I can also see this as a sweet addition to a birthday or dessert plate as well.

No information on ingredients or allergen-related information accompanied this "to go" item purchased in the Shekoh Confections retail shop. (Weight information and calorie amounts are only my estimates.)

  

Shekoh Confections - Lavender Honey chocolate - Feb. 5, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Shekoh Confections
Lavender Honey chocolate
Good ++ - Good +++
Weight: .78 oz. (22 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces
Calories: 122 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $8.90 for 2 pieces (part of a 5-piece box)
Purchased from: Shekoh Confections, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Lavender Honey chocolates were from Shekoh Confections (Palo Alto, CA).

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate, floral (authentic lavender buds) and very faint tart (lemon) green herb (oxalis).

A perfectly thin, softly crunchy, flavorful dark shell gave way to a creamy, velvety chocolate ganache (filling) with light caramel notes. The honey flavor was very subtle. 

If you like lavender and floral flavors, you'll enjoy this filled chocolate. 

No information on ingredients or allergen-related information for this "to go" item purchased in the Shekoh Confections retail shop.