Category: Alpha by Inclusion Ingredient

R is for Rose Petals

About a decade ago, I attended a tasting at Valerie Confections, where I sampled her petits fours and chocolate covered toffee. While on a recent trip to Downtown LA’s Grand Central Market, I spotted something new in the display case at her coffee shop and bakery, so how could I resist continuing with the flower theme to feature this “Nature is Slow” dark chocolate bar with rose petals from Edible Gardens LA?

The gold foil-wrapped bar peeks out seductively from the simple white cardboard sleeve printed with sleek black lettering. My only complaint is that, due to a snug/tight fit, the bar would not slip out easily, though this probably helped keep the inclusions intact on the bar itself.

Unwrapping the slender bar from the now dimpled foil, there was the unmistakable aroma of bittersweet chocolate mixed with a rose scent. Immediately visible was the “back” of the very dark brown bar, punctuated with purplish-pink dried rose petals that were in stark contrast to the thickly encrusted candied rose petals. It’s too bad that egg whites were used to help adhere the pure cane sugar to the rose petals, otherwise this could have been a vegan bar.

There was a semi-crisp snap to the bar, sending sugar crystals and chocolate dust everywhere.

Melting a morsel on my tongue, the base (made with Valhrona’s 61% bittersweet chocolate) was very smooth and floral in taste. While salt typically enhances flavors, the fleur de sel was distracting to me here.

Another surprise was the textural difference between the two types of fragrant and flavorful petals: the dried ones were papery and chewy, while the candied ones were brittle and crunchy.

For comparison purposes, I’d love to try her Rose Petal Petits Fours since alternating layers of rose petal passion fruit ganache with vanilla bean cake sounds intriguing! Imagine a “bouquet” of a dozen edible roses!

With 3 locations in the Los Angeles area to choose from, you’re sure to find something to satisfy your sweet tooth. Please visit their website for details: http://www.valerieconfections.com/

Q is for Queen of the Meadow

If you were following along last year, you’ll remember that “Q” was a problematic letter for me. This time, I had more inclusion options potentially available: quandong (from Australia), quinoa, quince and even quinine. However, once I heard about this seasonal Limited Edition Queen of the Meadow bar from Vintage Plantations, I knew I had to find it. Lucky for me, it was available at Chocolate Covered San Francisco!

The aromatic herb “Queen of the Meadow” is also known by other names like “Meadow Sweet” or “Mead Wort” (the latter is descriptive since the spice is commonly used to flavor Scandinavian fermented honey beverages aka mead). I’m not sure if the “Queen” title comes from the fact that it tends to dominate low-lying damp meadows or that supposedly Queen Elizabeth I preferred this herb above all others when it came to scenting her chambers (it’s known as a “strewing” herb, meaning that it would be strewn on the floor to give rooms a pleasant floral aroma).

The packaging art by Brooklyn-based painter Charlotta Janssen looks very much like a botanical illustration showing how the creamy white flowers grow in nature as well as details of the buds, petals and branched cymes (clusters). It’s fun to compare those drawing to the tiny dried flowers that were sprinkled on the back of the bar.

Removing the “chocolate dust” coated bar from the sealed foil inner pouch, I could immediately smell a botanical aroma that reminded me of an herbal tea. While it’s a shame that the bar wasn’t intact, it made it so much easier to show the “back” and “front” details simultaneously.

There was a brittle snap to the thick bar and the chocolate itself seemed a little dry and chalky at the break point.

On the slow and even melt, the gritty texture & mouthfeel was what you would expect from stone ground cacao. Whether melting or “chomping,” there was a subtle nutty flavor since Queen of the Meadow is known to impart a taste like almonds. Overall, the chocolate was not too sweet and at times the flavor reminded me of passion fruit or marshmallows. These flowers are only available in Sweden for two months each year, so I’m very glad that Vintage Plantations has utilized them so uniquely. I hope their Swedish collaboration line continues to expand…can’t wait to see and taste what they will make next!

To learn more about Vintage Plantations, be sure to check out: https://www.vintageplantations.com/

P is for Parmigiano-Reggiano

Have you been seeing lots of pairing events popping up lately like beer and chocolate, tea and chocolate, whiskey and chocolate or even cheese and chocolate? But what about cheese IN chocolate? Well, David Briggs from Xocolatl de David in Portland, Oregon has done just that by combining 72% Ecuadorian chocolate with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese :0

What seems like a lifetime ago, but was really only back in February, I tried another one of his savory bars and I now wish I had some left over to be able to pair with this unique flavor combination.

Using a knife to slice apart the informational sticker that keeps the outer cardboard packaging closed and removing the bar from the thin aluminum foil, you can immediately see that both sides of the bar are dimpled with a generous amount of the cheese inclusion.

The top is flatter, shinier and has some evidence of scuffing and ghosting:

While the bottom has uneven lumps and is not as reddish brown in color:

The thin bar breaks apart easily with a dull snap, releasing a musty, aged cheese aroma. A cross section of the tasting morsel looks almost like a lunar landscape: nooks and crannies created by air bubbles and the rest of the non-chocolate space occupied by tiny chunks of shaved cheese.

The flavor is very savory, almost meaty, and seems to overwhelm the overall chocolate taste. As if Parmigiano-Reggiano isn’t already salty enough on its own, this bar also has fleur de sel as an ingredient. While it’s generally recommended to “melt” chocolate in your mouth, this particular bar is abrasive during the melt due to the amount of hard cheese that was added. The chocolate melts away easily and quickly, but then you are left with a mouthful of clumped, partially dissolved cheese particles. However, “chomping” the chocolate will intensify the overall flavor and a couple of nibbles go a long way! I’m thinking of pairing this with some toasted bread just to see if that will tone down the taste.

Have you tried chocolate with cheese blended into it? Do you think that chocolate and cheese should be left separate? Let me know your thoughts!

In case you’re curious, next on my “wish list” from Xocolatl de David are the hazelnut + black truffle, the Black River caviar, the Mole Negro or the “Swiss Picnic” collaboration with Olympia Provisions. You know me, when it comes to chocolate, I’m ready for a taste adventure 😉  

To see their entire line up of savory bars as well as sweet ones that have less unusual ingredients, check out their website: http://www.xocolatldedavid.com/#main

O is for Orchid

Until yesterday when I started researching things a little further, I thought orchid was a fairly exotic flavor. I’ve since discovered that vanilla is a type of orchid, so now my “bubble” has been burst a little :'(

Regardless, today I’m featuring this Orchid and Orange Blossom 72% dark chocolate limited edition fusion bar from UK’s Artisan du Chocolat since flowers embody Spring! This flavor combination was especially created for the Chelsea Flower Show Gala in 2010 & has been popular ever since.

Even the bar code has a floral theme!

Unwrapping the 15 rectangle bar from the clear plastic pouch, I could immediately smell the aroma that I associate with orange blossom water. The bar had an overall matte finish that was marred slightly by some chocolate dust and air bubbles.

After taking several close-up photos, I noticed that some of the recessed rectangular panels had a plain, textured finish while others appeared to have a series of ever smaller concentric rectangles, almost like a maze configuration, though the pattern was not consistent from rectangle to rectangle. Hopefully the below photos have captured the phenomenon…

Each time I’ve tried to segment a row of three rectangles into equally sized tasting morsels, the middle rectangle breaks off more easily and not at the dividing “score line” between the rectangles, such that it is impossible to get equally sized pieces (this has happened three times so far, leading me to think that this isn’t an isolated aberration).

From the packaging, the base chocolate (a blend of bitter Venezuelan Criollo and slightly acidic Mexican Trinitario cocoa beans) is flavored with distillates of exotic flowers from the town of Grasse in the Alpine region of France. Artisan du Chocolat is not entirely bean-to-bar since it sounds like they receive ground cacao that is then conched and refined in-house at their atelier in Kent. Though neither the packaging nor the website says so, I’m assuming that steam distillation was used to create the natural orchid and orange blossom extracts. Based on what I’ve read of the process, as plant tissue breaks down in water that is heated to the boiling point, steam pulls out the released essential oils + water vapor, which are then condensed and cooled into an extract.

Melting a piece in my mouth, I tasted bitter, green (unripe) flavors and a peppery, tongue prickling sensation. The mouthfeel was smooth during the slow and even melt, but then I was left with a mouth puckering finish. Surprisingly, these flavors are less intense when the bar is chomped. Since I happened to have orange blossom water in my kitchen pantry from the last time I made baklava, I tasted some on its own for comparison purposes. This liquid was more perfumy and floral, but without any of the other sensations, causing me to wonder if the orchid extract or the chocolate itself contributed to the astringent aftertaste. Sounds like I’ll have to taste orchid on its own sometime for “scientific research” 😉

Visit the Artisan du Chocolat website to discover their extensive product line for yourself: http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/

N is for Nori

There almost wasn’t an “N” post this week! :0 I knew exactly what I wanted, but was having trouble sourcing it. After successfully maintaining my own personal deadline schedule of posting one article per week for 39 weeks, would I now have to resort to recycling a review from a year ago?! Had I just followed my instincts and visited my hometown health food store earlier, I might have saved myself a week’s worth of angst, but then I would have missed my various phone conversations with Cole Meeker, founder and one of the owners of the The Great and Wonderful Sea of Change Trading Company. (Is it just me, or does the company name make you think of “The Wizard of Oz”?)

Until today, I didn’t do any research on the Northern California company, so I was excited to find this 5 minute video featuring Cole and his wife Anastasia explaining their passion for making food products with sea vegetation. I certainly didn’t know that there were 400+ kinds of edible seaweed in the ocean and that only about 3 of them were commonly eaten.

Introducing today’s bar…Wild Nori Crunch made with 70% unroasted, stone ground Ecuadorian cacao

Holding the outer packaging at an angle, you can better see and appreciate the spot UV anglerfish, with a sun or all-seeing eye coming out of its head as a lure. Opening the back flap, you’ll see a thank you message to those that were instrumental in getting this project funded in 2015 through an Indiegogo campaign.

Removing the slender rectangular bar from the heat sealed gold foil wrapper, you’ll see that the mold is comprised of 9 slightly textured, matte finish “batons” that are minimally marred by some air bubbles + chocolate dust at the top and bottom corners of the bar.

Taking a closer look at the bar, you can easily see dark flecks of the wild-harvested seaweed near the surface, though flipping the bar over shows just how the well dispersed they really are.

Breaking off one of the rectangles produced a brittle, crumbly snap that released an earthy and mineral-rich aroma.

Taking a bite, I’m reminded of the Middle Eastern sesame paste or nut-butter based snack halva in terms of the gritty crunch that is associated with stone ground cacao.

This is definitely a bar to be “chomped” rather than melted, unless you like having tiny mineralized flakes of seaweed stuck to your tongue and teeth afterwards! 😉

As an experiment, I used a knife to segment another piece from the bar just to hear the rasping “scritch” of the metal blade making contact with the chocolate and dried seaweed mixture. It certainly created a bit of a mess, but it was fascinating to see the delicate and translucent nori chunks apart from the chocolate itself.

I know what you’re thinking…seaweed and chocolate?! If you’ll recall, I wasn’t a big fan of the flavor back in April 2016. However, after a year of eating poke bowls garnished with furikake and enjoying a miso bar last week, I think my palate was better prepared for the flavor profile.

Lightly sweet from the coconut sugar and maple syrup, satisfyingly crunchy and lightly savory/vegetal in flavor, I encourage you to set aside your preconceptions and taste this for yourself. After reading about seaweed today, I’m really intrigued to try their Wild Dulse bar next…now to find it! 😉

In the words of fellow Instagrammer honeycreeperchocolate: “Wow, nori…you are certainly on an adventure!” – Yep, and loving every moment of it!

To learn more about Cole and Sea of Change, check out the “About Us” page on their website. If you’re not lucky enough to find their products in your local health food store, you can order online through their sea vegetable store: https://www.seaofchangetrading.com/sea-vegetable-store/

These are my personal thoughts and experiences. I did not receive pay or any compensation for reviewing this product.

M is for Miso

In case you haven’t heard…Mast Brothers recently shuttered their Arts District DTLA location less than a year after opening. Don’t judge me too harshly, but I’m glad that I was able to get several of their “Los Angeles Collection” bars before they disappeared.

If you’ve been following along on my Eating the Chocolate Alphabet adventure, you’ll know that I’ve been tasting some unique flavor combinations that one would never have expected to find with chocolate! Influenced by the tastes found in the Little Tokyo area of Los Angeles, is this Miso & Sesame bar.

The minimalist blue and cream packaging, artwork designed by Block Shop Textiles, calls to mind the noren (fabric curtains or dividers) you might find hanging outside or within a Japanese shop or restaurant.

Gently peeling back the rectangular informational sticker keeping the folds closed, reveals a reddish brown bar studded with black sesame seeds, with just the edges of the inner gold foil peeking out, almost like a hiyoku lining layer of a kimono.

Inhaling deeply, there is a smoky and earthy aroma. Turning the bar over, the 28-rectangle bar has a glossy, almost mirror-like shine. Segmenting tasting morsels produces a dull snap and I’m surprised by the creamy mouthfeel while melting a piece in my mouth (the additional cocoa butter must have helped). Closing my eyes, I can almost imagine gentle wisps of steam rising from a bowl of miso soup set before me; stirring the opaque dashi stock with chopsticks to uncover the seaweed, green onions and tofu that have settled to the bottom. This bar is savory and lightly salty, such that I would never have guessed that the base chocolate was made with Peruvian cacao beans (known to have natural citrus notes). The black sesame seeds provide an added texture and crunch element, though I’m wondering how it might have tasted with white sesame seeds instead.

Did you know that miso is a thick paste made traditionally from fermented soybeans as well as rice and barley? Though not specified on the packaging or website, I’m guessing that Mast utilized dehydrated white miso as it’s milder in flavor (due to being fermented for less time) and considered sweeter and lower in salt than yellow, red or black miso.

In the past, I haven’t been a fan of Mast Brothers’ chocolate bars; but this bar seems to capture the essence of flavor associated with Japanese cuisine. Have you tried miso with chocolate before? Let me know!

For more information on their variety of chocolate bars, check out: https://mastbrothers.com/

L is for Lavender

Looking back, there are so many different “L” inclusions in chocolate: lemongrass, licorice, lilac, lilikoi and lucuma – for example. So, in retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have chosen lavender since that flavor and aroma is generally overpowering and overwhelming. I’m not sure exactly why I settled on lavender, though it was easy to find two bars for “compare and contrast” purposes. Bear with me on this post…

First off is Cowgirl Chocolates Mild Dark Chocolate Lavender (55%) made in Idaho. Love the silhouette of the cowgirl mounted on her horse.

Cowgirl Chocolates color coordinates their wrappers with the flavor of the chocolate bar. They use a yellow for their Lemonade White Chocolate, a rust color for their spicy dark orange espresso and, of course, a light purple for the lavender bar I’m about to taste.

Try as I might, I wasn’t able to slip this small bar out easily since the silver foil was attached to the inside of the paper sleeve.

Once I managed to unwrap the bar, I was fascinated by the unique way the foil had been folded, though I’m reminded of my failed origami attempts!

Each of the 6 small rectangles is imprinted with the word “Dream” in cursive, as well as a star and sliver of crescent moon, unfortunately the matte finish surface exhibited some signs of “transit wear.”

There is a sharp snap when segmenting pieces and looking at the cross section, I knew that I would have a silky smooth mouthfeel while melting a morsel on my tongue.

As a rule, I don’t like to post negative comments about chocolates, but this bar has a very strong floral perfume that reminded me of bath soap. I experienced an almost “cooling sensation” while tasting this bar, which I suspect comes from the lavender oil that was used.

While this chocolate sadly wasn’t appealing to me, there are several other mild and spicy chocolate bars available, as well as chipotle or habanero caramels. Visit their website for more details: https://www.cowgirlchocolates.com/

Next up is Dolfin Lavande fine (60% dark chocolate with lavender) made in Belgium. Love that the label has descriptions in 4 languages.

Like Cowgirl, they chose a light purple paper wrapper; though in this case, there is an illustration of a small bouquet of lavender flowers on the front.

There are two unique features of their outer packaging. The first thing you’ll notice is that the informational paper wrapper (portrait/vertical on the first panel and landscape/horizontal on all the remaining panels) is completely encased in plastic. The second is that the packaging opens like a tri-fold wallet or tobacco pouch.

Inside, the chocolate bar is wrapped tightly in a crimp sealed plastic wrapper adorned with small illustrations that, I assume, depict their other flavors (see if you can spot cinnamon, tea, star anise, mint, ginger and so much more!)

Cutting open the packaging with scissors, I could already smell a more subtle, delicate and natural aroma. Amidst the swirls on the back of the bar, I could see the bumpy outlines of the small lavender flowers (1% of the overall ingredients) that generously dotted the matte finish surface.

The bar is comprised of 6 long rectangles, each etched with symmetrical lines that radiated away from a small square at the center of the rectangle. Despite the tightly fitting inner packaging, there was still some scuffing and chocolate dust marring the surface.

There is a sharp, yet slightly crumbly snap to the bar. Clearly, the mouthfeel would not be smooth due to the lavender flower inclusion.

As you rub a tasting morsel against your tongue, you feel little pieces of the tubular bud (calyx) come away from the chocolate, like separating chaff from seeds, which then adds a crunch to each bite.

Here is a close up of two ridged lavender buds; I’m surprised that they still retain such a deep purple hue and that they look a little like fennel seeds.

There is definitely an herbal and floral taste to the chocolate, though it seems to be less pronounced when chomped rather than melted. Initially, the flavor was quite intense and overwhelmed the chocolate itself; though after several tastings I started to enjoy it and pictured myself walking through a lush field in Provence, France 😉

To discover Dolfin’s extensive product line, check out their website: http://www.dolfin.be/en/

Did you know that lavender is part of the mint family of flowering plants?! It’s said that inhaling the scent of lavender has calming and soothing effects. So, whenever I feel stressed in the future, all I need to do is sniff this chocolate…though, of course, I’ll be tempted to nibble at it too! 🙂

K is for Kale

If you’ve been following along for a while, you’ll know that I enjoy trying unique or unusual inclusion ingredients that you wouldn’t normally associate or pair with chocolate…remember the foie gras from a couple of weeks ago? Well, this is the COMPLETE opposite end of the spectrum since it’s a vegan and “healthy” chocolate bar!

When I was putting together the list of chocolates to feature for each letter of the alphabet, I *knew* I had to include Compartés’ Kale bar for “K” week! I first tried this bar a couple of years ago when it was sold under the name “Vegan Zen.” The ingredients remain the same as before: 75% dark chocolate, kale, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, olive oil, sea salt, sunflower seeds (though those were hiding on this bar?) and spirulina; but I wonder if they had to change the branding/packaging to read “Vegan Kale” because too many people bought a bar without realizing that the main inclusion ingredient was a leafy cruciferous vegetable?! :0

Don’t forget to read the pseudo haiku on the back of the box. While it doesn’t follow the 3 line poem format with 17 syllables (broken down as 5/7/5), it’s still a fun segway to what awaits upon opening the packaging.

Inside the colorful cardboard box, the bar is wrapped in a gold metallic heat sealed/crimped pouch with the distinctive clean lines of the company logo that make me think of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 1900s. Did you know that while the Los Angeles-based chocolatier started out as Comparte’s in 1950, it morphed into Compartés when the brand was re-invigorated under current owner Jonathan Grahm, who took over running the company at the age of 21 (he started at the tender age of 15!)

Chevrons and triangles that are evocative of the Art Deco style feature prominently on the front side of the bar.

Though there is a bit of scuffing to the surface of the bar, you can already tell that segmenting tasting morsels will be both easy and fun, since the rows can be either horizontal or at a diagonal. Oh, the possibilities!! 😉

In my mind, the “star of the show” is the inclusion side which is photogenically blanketed with crunchy dehydrated kale chips, pumpkin seeds and white sesame seeds. I’m not really familiar with spirulina, but I imagine that the deep green color is enhanced by the protein-rich algae.

Based on photos that I’ve seen on the company website, I assume that lacinato kale was used. This leafy vegetable is also called dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale or black kale, among a variety of other names. You would think that the flavor of this bar would be bitter, earthy or medicinal, but you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s actually nutty and sweet despite the fact that there is no additional sugar aside from what is included in the base cocoa mass made from South American sourced beans.

It’s difficult to isolate the dark chocolate by itself, so when chomping pieces of this bar (I don’t think it’s possible to “melt” morsels like you’re *supposed* to), the flavor reminds me a bit of coconut or marzipan. Overall, there is just a slight vegetal hint. Truly, if you were to try this bar without knowing the ingredients, you would not be able to guess kale!

Jonathan Grahm, a self-taught chocolatier, was named of one Forbes “30 under 30” in 2011 when he was just 27. He has no formal culinary or business training, but since buying the company from his parents at age 24 the brand has grown internationally with several popular shops in Japan. You can read more about that here. The Brentwood, CA shop has attracted Hollywood celebrities, both back in the 1950s as well as today. From the outside, the shop looks almost like a high-end jewelry store rather than a purveyor of sweet treats; which ties in to Jonathan’s vision of fusing chocolate with art, style, design and fashion.

You’ve probably been wanting to up your “5 a day” and leafy greens consumption, right?! Well, here is your chance to feel virtuous and daring at the same time!! This is one of my favorites & I encourage you to try this unique chocolate bar for yourself! I think you’ll be happy you did & please keep me posted on your thoughts!

In addition to walls of colorfully packaged chocolate bars, their bonbons and chocolate dipped fruit are not to be missed. Check out their website for more details: https://compartes.com/

J is for Juniper Berries

Growing up, there was a tree in my parents’ backyard that produced a small, edible, grape-shaped, fuchsia colored berry. Those were the days before the internet, so we consulted encyclopedias and asked neighbors for ideas on what this tree and berry were called. Up until a few years ago, I was convinced that these berries were juniper…but, just today, I discovered that these are actually “Lilly Pilly Berries”!

Why am I telling you this story? Well, when I thought of a juniper chocolate bar, I naively imagined that there would be plump, still somewhat chewy berries featured prominently on the inclusion side. My bubble was burst, but that’s OK…read on to hear more about my experience with chocolate paired with juniper berries!

One of the current masters of the photogenic “chocolate topography” inclusion bar is Violet Sky Chocolate from South Bend, Indiana. I featured them during “round 1” of the Eating the Chocolate Alphabet project and you can read more about them here. When you read about the first bar featured in that post from 2016, you’ll better understand why my mental picture included lots of berries poking out from the chocolate! 😉

Anyway, today’s bar is called “Forest Spirits” – a barrel aged dark chocolate with raspberry, juniper berry and maple sugar.

The outer packaging features a colorful, thick paper with a grosgrain ribbon like texture and a color-coordinating construction paper band letting you know a bit about the bar. The folds are kept closed with an informational sticker that peels away easily.

Inside this, the 28-rectangle bar was wrapped in bright fuchsia colored foil. Honestly, I was not prepared for how the bar looked, since in my mind’s eye there should be juniper berries visible at first glance! Don’t get me wrong, I love the generous amounts of freeze dried raspberries and chunks of maple sugar, but I’ll admit to pouting for a while 😉

I was afraid of turning the bar over to see the “top” side of the bar, but thankfully the inclusions stayed mostly adhered, though some of the raspberry and sugar “dust” had come loose and stuck to the foil to make the other side a little “speckled” – like remnants of confetti after a party.

There was a medium-crisp snap to the bar and a combination of raspberry “dust” and little flecks of chocolate seemed to fly everywhere.

The first bite was tart and acidic. Once my tongue had become acclimated to the flavor, subsequent bites were more mellow and fruity. The aroma triggered a memory, but I still can’t conjure it exactly 🙁 Placing a morsel with the inclusion side away from my tongue, the chocolate was creamy, smooth and there were hints of juniper, though I really thought it would taste more like gin! Some of the chunks of maple sugar were a little tough to crunch on and there was a grainy, earthy sweetness. My only complaint is that tiny raspberry seeds tended to get stuck in my teeth afterwards.

Neither the packaging nor the company website provided information about the percentage of cacao or the country of origin of the beans that were used, but I assumed that something darker than 70-75% had been used based on the taste and prior experience with Violet Sky bars. I wondered how the juniper berries had been incorporated since I knew they can be potent in flavor. Was some sort of infusion used? If so, how?…since most online recipes suggest adding the berries to cream, but I knew that wasn’t the case with this bar. To satisfy my curiosity, I sent an email to Hans, the chocolate maker, to get more information and when I woke up this morning his answer was waiting for me in my inbox!

“Forest Spirits can be on different chocolates, always barrel aged though. That one was a blend of gin barrel aged Brazil 77%, rye whiskey barrel aged Haiti 77%, and a bit of rye Brazil 88%. It’s about 80% after blending.

I use journeyman Distillery barrels from near where I am, they are located in Three Oaks Michigan. Also I age whole raw beans, usually for 2 or 3 months. Usually I use the barrels two times because after that the flavor becomes milder and more woody. 

The juniper berries are simmered in maple syrup to extract some flavor into the maple, which is then cooked down and crystalized. Then the berries that came out of the maple are crushed and sprinkled on the bar also. So basically it’s candied juniper powder. Perhaps bigger pieces of the juniper berries would lead to a more evolving flavor, but I was a bit worried about an overly tough texture. The juniper berries I have are pretty chewy/crunchy on their own, not freeze dried, but just dried like a spice. What do you think?”

After reading his message, I remembered that years ago I had used whole, dried juniper berries to flavor a meaty stew, so I searched through my spice pantry and, lo and behold, I still had a baggie of them.

They smell a little like licorice and look a bit like large peppercorns with a chewy, papery skin concealing the tough, hard seeds inside. They taste woody and astringent, but not unpleasantly so.

Did you know that junipers are the only spice derived from a conifer and aren’t really berries at all…they are the female seed cone from a juniper tree? All species of junipers grow berries, but some are too bitter to eat.

Armed with new knowledge and with my tongue “primed” from having chomped on a few dried juniper berries, I decided to have a second taste. Biting into a rectangle, my tongue was tingly and there seemed to be a “cooling” sensation as I melted the piece on my tongue. The maple sugar tasted “earthier,” but overall there were fruity bursts of flavor as I chomped on another morsel. It was hard to isolate the chocolate from the rest of the inclusions (especially the tangy raspberries), so I would munch, munch, munch trying to put my finger on the different tastes that I was experiencing and put words to those flavors. It’s no wonder that only half a bar remains! :0 There is a lingering, long lasting, fruity, tart aftertaste.

Knowing the “behind the scenes” process for this bar, I’m not sure that I would change anything. However, if there was a way to “bump up” the botanical flavor of the juniper without it being overwhelming, I’m certain THAT would be delicious! :p

For more details, please check out Violet Sky’s Facebook page as it contains more information than their website.

I is for Irish Whiskey

When I was initially going through inclusion ingredients in my head during the planning stages for “round 2” of this Eating the Chocolate Alphabet project, I don’t think I fully realized that the letter “I” would be relatively difficult to fill. Maybe it’s me, but the only English-language foods that I could think of involved the word “ice.” Now it’s your turn, go ahead & take a moment, I’ll wait! While I was waiting, I did a search for Spanish foods and discovered Idiazábal (a Basque smoked cheese); if someone finds a chocolate paired with that ingredient, I’ll try it! Google also revealed that there are imbe fruit, ink nuts or iyokan (which is a Japanese citrus similar to a mandarin orange), but I’ve never seen any chocolates with those flavorings, have you?

Since I was undeterred, it was now time to find an “I” word modifier: like Icelandic, Irish, Italian or Israeli. I’ve had several chocolates with Icelandic Sea Salt, but that didn’t seem “special” enough for this blog. Someone suggested Irish Coffee, but I’m not a fan of the coffee flavor profile. So, when Jack from Chocolate Covered San Francisco mentioned that he had an Irish Whiskey bar, I knew I had finally found something I could feature and enjoy!

Ococoa is not unfamiliar to me since in mid-January I tried Diana Malouf’s flavorful and unique ingredient/flavor combinations that are part of her 9 piece Butter Cup Collection. If only I had paid more attention to her other product lines during that visit, this Irish Whiskey Caramel bar could have avoided a 700+ mile journey to reach me!! Oh, the irony!

This Irish Whiskey Caramel bar is made up of 6 thick filled rectangles, decorated on the “back” with a wood-grain patterned transfer sheet. The tops of some of the rectangles were starting to implode a little bit, partly because of the transit and partly because, by the time I was sampling this bar, the “enjoy by” date had elapsed by about a month :’(

There was a strong alcohol aroma and the rectangles cracked while I was segmenting this bar by hand. The milk and white chocolate caramel center from the first rectangle I tried seemed a little grainy and/or crystallized rather than runny, chewy or gooey.

However, when I bit into that piece (and all subsequent pieces), the middle was creamy and smooth, almost like a dulce de leche texture, but wow…it is BOOZY! Probably not what I should have been eating first thing in the morning! It would make for a perfect after-dinner treat though!

Overall, I liked the amount of burnt sugar caramel encased in the thin dark chocolate shell and the slight back-of-the-throat burn from the alcohol. Next time I want to try the Honey Liqueur Caramel bar, the Cardamom Orange truffle bar or the Peat Smoked truffles!

To learn more about Ococoa, please visit: https://ococoa.com/

And if you find any other unique “I” inclusion ingredients, PLEASE send me a message to let me know!!