Emerald City Foods - Hot Salted Sriracha 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) - July 17, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Emerald City Foods
Hot Salted Sriracha Chocolate 55% Dark Chocolate (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35.5 g.) / 2.5 oz. (71 g.) in total bar
Calories: 186 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $ Missing information

Purchased from: The Market at Edgewood, Palo Alto, CA

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

Today's Hot Salted Sriracha 55% Dark Chocolate (bar) was distributed by Emerald City Foods, Seattle, WA.

Aroma notes included: dark chocolate and faint, slightly savory/salty (seaweed soup).

The texture was relatively creamy and was accented by tiny crunchy grains of salt and seasoning.

Flavor notes included: smooth, sweet, dark chocolate; and just the right amount of salt and Sriracha style spices (not too much, not too little) -- at least for my taste.

I loved the savory, umami-like flavors in this bar, and that it wasn't too sweet or flaming hot (thank you!).

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate (Cocoa Liquor, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin), Himalayan Sea Salt, Sriracha Seasoning: Maltrin, Sugar, Salt, Garlic, Tocopherols, Paprika Oil (for color), Sriracha Powder (Sriracha Sauce, Sodium Alginate, Carrageenan, Cellulose Gum, Silicon Dioxide, Sunflower Lecithin), Capsicum Oleoresin, Yeast Extract), Vinegar, Citric Acid.

Allergens: Contains Soy, Sulfites. "This product is manufactured at a plant that processes milk, soy, tree nuts and peanuts."

jcoco - 61% Cacao Boharat Spice Peruvian dark chocolate (bar) - July 16, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

jcoco 
61% Cacao Boharat Spice Peruvian dark chocolate bar
Good ++
Weight: 1 oz. (28 g.) in 1 small bar
Calories: 155 calories (estimate) in 1 small bar
Cost: $3.49 (also was part of a larger assortment pack of bars)
Purchased from: jcoco/Seattle Chocolate, online order

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

Today's 61% Cacao Boharat Spice Peruvian dark chocolate (bar) was from jcoco* (Seattle, WA). It was part of an assortment of bars.

The Boharat spice blend originated in Syria; and its history may entwine with Arabic spice traders. (Boharat means "spices" in Arabic; so blends may vary. E.g., some may contain mint, some not.)

Aroma notes for this bar included: warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, pepper, paprika) and sweet dark chocolate.

Texture: smooth and creamy texture with barely detectable ground spice particles.

Flavor notes include: dark, sweet chocolate with a lovely, warming middle eastern spice blend that included some that can swing either sweet or savory (cumin, coriander, black peppercorn and paprika). I could say the same for cacao. I love trying "savory" chocolates. 

The 61% dark Peruvian cacao chocolate base was tasty. The sugar level was a bit higher than many dark chocolates; but it seemed like a good level for this bar. There was a very faint, fleeting, yogurt/loamy earth type note toward the end. It was not clear if this was coming from the cacao, the spices or a combination of both. But, mostly, it was the spices that lingered in a subtle, warm finish.

This complex Boharat spice blend was rich in flavor(s) and lacked a spicy burn. I appreciated that. The chocolate bar was well-balanced; and well-executed, and the smaller bar (in an assortment pack) gave me a chance to try a new spice blend. (More virtual travel and education via chocolate. Could this bar be used to make a Middle Eastern mole sauce I wondered?)

Ingredients: 61% cacao dark chocolate (cracked cacao beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin), boharat spice (cardamom, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black peppercorn, paprika). 

Allergen-related information: "This product is manufactured in a plant that processes milk, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg and wheat products."

*jcoco is part of (a brand that belongs to) Seattle Chocolate Company. 

 

Cacao & Cardamom - Spicy Mayan Hot Chocolate Stick - July 15, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Cacao & Cardamom 
Spicy Mayan Hot Chocolate Stick 
Good ++
Weight: 1.73 oz. (49 g.) in total package
Calories: 268 calories (estimate) in 1 package/serving
Cost: $5.99 for 1 stick
Purchased from: Cacao and Cardamom, online order

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

Today's Spicy Mayan Hot Chocolate Stick (bar) was from Cacao & Cardamom (Houston, TX). This single serving hot beverage (and other bars I ordered) were each elegantly packaged in a black mesh, drawstring bag with gold lettering.

Aroma and flavor notes for this smooth textured and tasting hot chocolate (cube on a wooden spoon that served on a stir stick) included: pleasing dark chocolate, and subtle warm spices (cinnamon, hot pepper/cayenne, vanilla)). A sprinkle of tiny marshmallows that floated to the top.

Ingredients: (No listing on the packaging.)

Allergen-related information: (No listing on the packaging.)

Ranger Chocolate - Adventure Series - Caribbean Chocolate Bar - July 14, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Ranger Chocolate 
Adventure Series - Caribbean Chocolate Bar
Good ++
Weight: 1.25 oz. (32 g.) in total bar
Calories: 193.7 calories (estimate) in 1? bar
Cost: $13.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order 

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

Today's Caribbean Chocolate Bar from Ranger Chocolate (Portland, OR)--part of the company's Adventure Series of bars--was a collaboration with Kann (Restaurant in Portland, OR). Together they've created a blend Haitian and Pacific Northwest flavors.

Aroma notes included: chocolate, coconut milk, faint vegetable (pepper) and very faint spice, diffuse tropical fruit (mango), and vanilla.

Flavor notes for this smooth and creamy, sweet and subtly spicy, bar included: (coconut) milk chocolate and mango, with very faint spices (warm vanilla, barely detectable ginger, hot pepper), and salted rice.* 

The jalapeno heat was subtle (very slight throat burn -- that didn't show until the finish). And I liked that the authentic island flavors were well balanced and complementary. 

This adventure bar made me want to hunt for Caribbean restaurants (few and far between) in my area. I appreciated the virtual travel today's spicy chocolate made possible.

Ingredients: "organic cacao, organic sugar, mango, coconut, sea salt, vanilla bean, ginger, habanero"

Allergen-related information: "Contains: tree nuts (coconut)"..."Manufactured in a facility that uses gluten, egg, milk, tree nuts and sesame ingredients"

*There was salt, but no rice. in this bar. As with all write-ups on Chocolate Banquet, aroma and flavor notes I cite are perceptions, and don't always correspond to the actual ingredients. (For example, you can taste berries when you're sipping a glass of red wine; but that doesn't mean the wine contains berries. The same goes for chocolate with complex flavors.)

Creo Chocolate - Spicy Dark - Dark Chocolate 73% Premium Ecuadorian Cacao (bar) - July 13, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Creo Chocolate
Spicy Dark - Dark Chocolate 73% Ecuadorian Cacao (bar)
Good ++
Weight: .88 oz. (25 g.) / 1.75 oz. (50 g.) in total bar
Calories: 120 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $10.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Creo Chocolate, online order

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

Today's Spicy Dark Chocolate 73% Ecuadorian Cacao (bar) was from Creo Chocolate (Portland, OR).

Aroma and flavor notes detected in this smooth dark chocolate included: dark chocolate, warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice); very faint chili powder (hot peppers, faint paprika and chipotle); and very faint mellow nut.

Chili(s) gave this bar a a bit of spicy heat; but the overall warmth was from a blend of gingerbread/pumpkin-pie type spices. I enjoyed the flavors in this balanced, well-executed bar; and the fact that it wasn't too sweet. (The warm spices--and the smooth variety of Ecuadorian cacao chosen--seemed to make this flavorful bar a little sweeter than 73% cacao chocolate.)

Ingredients: "cacao beans, organic cane sugar, cocoa butter, chilies, and our blend of Creo spices"

Allergen-related information: "Manufactured on shared equipment with products containing eggs, wheat, sesame seeds, soy, peanuts & tree nuts" 

Chocolate Naive - Cola Carbonated Dark Chocolate 65% (bar) - July 12, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Chocolate Naive 
Cola Carbonated Dark Chocolate 65% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 2 oz. (57 g.) in total bar
Calories: 313.5 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $12.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

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

Today's Cola Carbonated Dark Chocolate 65% (bar) was from Chocolate Naive (Vilnius, Lithuania).

Aroma notes for this Limited Edition bar included: chocolate with warm spices (cinnamon, cola); high-end, cola-flavored chocolate cake/torte.

Texture: rich and very creamy with a light smattering of tiny, crunchy flecks (probably popping candy to give the chocolate a carbonated taste and mouthfeel). A texture this creamy normally contains whole milk powder/butter. (It did not.)

This rich chocolate was infused with the essence of a cinnamon-forward, sweet and spicy satisfying cola soft drink with faint caramel, vanilla and citrus/lemon notes. It was a refreshing bar that perfectly evoked childhood memories--of sipping an iced cold cola on a hot day.

Warning: mildly addictive. I wanted to share this unique chocolate with others. However, when I looked down, I'd already eaten the whole bar. 

Ingredients: "specialty cacao*, caramelized cane sugar*, pure cacao butter*, cola nut*, lemon*, cinnamon*, spices blend*, lactose, malt extract, vanilla*. " "Cacao minimum: 65%"

Allergen-related information: "May contain traces of treenuts, peanuts."

 

Goodnow Farms - Zanzibar Black Pepper Chocolate 77% (bar) - July 11, 2024

Chocolate of the Day

Goodnow Farms Chocolate
Zanzibar Black Pepper Chocolate 77% (bar)
Good ++
Weight: 1.94 oz. (55 g.) in total bar
Calories: 330 calories in 1 bar
Cost: $17.99 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Caputo's, online order

Welcome to Day #2 of Chocolate and Spices Theme Week.

Today's Zanzibar Black Pepper Chocolate 77% (bar) was from Goodnow Farms Chocolate (Sudbury, MA). This dark chocolate bar was made using Nicaragua El Carmen cacao and Burlap & Barrel's Zanzibar Black Peppercorns.

Aroma notes for this Limited Release dark bar included: hearty, deep, dark chocolate and authentic black pepper.

Texture: Very smooth and creamy texture (the makers made (pressed) and used their own single origin cocoa butter). There were no detectable pepper pieces ("ground peppercorn grit")--only flavor(s).

Flavor notes included: relatively bold, smooth chocolate-y dark chocolate with faint, diffuse, acidic fruit (ripe earthy berry, plum, persimmon); faint tart-green lemon (oxalis); very faint nut; and authentic black pepper.

I enjoyed the complex aroma and flavor notes in this bar, and the use of 77% single origin Nicaragua cacao (and single origin cocoa butter) as well as the Zanzibar pepper.

Maker's tasting notes: "...an exotic flavor journey: sharp, lemony-pepper tang, mild heat and smooth, earthy dark chocolate."

Ingredients: Single Origin Cacao Beans, Organic Cane Sugar, Single Origin Cocoa Butter, Zanzibar Black Pepper

Allergen-related information: "Soy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan"