Green & Blacks 85%

I was a little skeptical about this Green & Black’s 85% bar … I am not a fan of their 70% but Himself is so this was worth a gamble. And girl did it pay off. This is by far and away the nicest of their range.

Price: €2.20 for 100g bar
Look: very dark, glossy, not a blemish in sight.
Smell: woody, burnt, bitter, cocoa powder.
Snap: My one complaint (as with all their bars) is there is no way to break off a square cleanly. I mean why mold squares on the bar if they serve no purpose other than to frustrate. I’ve taken to breaking off a double row … bits everywhere.
Taste: It is powerful, woody and earthy, packs a great chocolate punch. As it melts it feels like it is building up to a more intense flavour but instead the taste mellows out (pity). Short length and minimal astringent aftertaste.
Texture: smooth, buttery.
Will I buy this again?Yes indeedy
Source: Tesco

I was a little skeptical about this bar … I am not a fan of their 70% but Himself is so this was worth a gamble. And girl did it pay off. This is by far and away the nicest of the  Green & Black’s range. It is powerful, earthy, packs a great chocolate punch but has this underlying creamy elegance. Wow. Not too astringent either. I had expected a drying aftertaste but the creaminess smoothed it off beautifully.

My one complaint (as with all the bars) is there is no way to break off a square cleanly. I mean wht mold squares on the bar if they serve no purpose than to fustrate. I’ve taken to breaking off a double row  … bits everywhere.

Java Republic Roastery

A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was good: milky with a decent chocolate taste (not creamy and sweet) and beats Starbucks into second place. It contains 40% cocoa, Green & Black’s Drinking Chocolate contains 60%.

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a sponge and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ‘f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer food storage box which I can use to transport double the amount of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was pretty good though and beats Starbucks into second place. A long way to go for cocoa though so I’ll stay loyal to the ‘Bucks in Blackrock.

 

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a spongs and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ’f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer storage box which I can use to transport double the amout of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/product_info.php?cPath=0_76&products_id=1247

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/index.php

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/15937-2?pageNumber=A trip to IKEA saw us diverting to Java Republic cafe for a look at their setup. Wow it is amazing out there, the factory is impeccable, with bright yellow machines doing the biz. We didn’t get to see too much but enough to envy the creators. Himself was not too impressed with the coffee but I think it’s because he makes stronger coffee at home. My hot chocolate was pretty good though and beats Starbucks into second place. A long way to go for cocoa though so I’ll stay loyal to the ‘Bucks in Blackrock.

HoneyB was thrilled with her Mammut stool from IKEA … but the leg keeps falling off. At 18 months she was a spongs and absorbing everything we said. Now she is an intelligent sponge so can say things at the right times … e.g. leg falls off and she says ‘f*cksake’. Sorry HoneyB – I’m a bad mommie ;-)

My star buy at IKEA was a Raritet two layer storage box which I can use to transport double the amout of truffles … only at IKEA can you get these sorta gadgets.

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/product_info.php?cPath=0_76&products_id=1247

http://www.javarepublic.com/iopen24/index.php

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/15937-2?pageNumber=0

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Taste Of Dublin 2009

We had a dry and sunny day at Taste of Dublin which was surprising given the rain that fell this morning. HoneyB was a little under the weather so what was billed as a half day of strolling and grazing became 2 hours of walking and eating. How bad, eh?

Arriving at the entrance reminded us of arriving at a concert. We were ‘greeted’ by a big guy who warned us to ‘Have our tickets ready’. Good god, I wondered was my bag going to be searched next and my water bottle confiscated! Bad start but it was up hill from there on when Donnybrook Fair greeted us with truffles.

The Green & Black’s stand was beautiful with oodles of squares to sample, but the one bar Himself wanted, Dark Cherry, was not for sale only sample :-( It will be available in July but IMHO Wilde Irish Chocolate Cherry gives it a run for its money.

Lindt stall was matching the SuperValu promotion: any 3 bars for €5. There was no new and exciting flavors to see, just lots to taste and the Lindt cook book to flick thru.

I think HoneyB would have wow’ed at ChocAllure’s chocolate fountain. It was such a feast for the eyes; but I’m not a huge fan of the milky stuff so I passed by.

Most of the restaurants seemed busy enough and there were lots of well known faces inc Gino, Darina and the guy from Hell’s Kitchen. All smiling and soaking in the foodie atmosphere. I have to say that the menu for L’Ecrivain sounded a whole lot better than the real thing. I got a tiny burger hidden in a huge bun … himself got a ‘cuisine de france’ crispy roll with a sausage ;-(

But the highlight of the day was a tasting session at Beer Naturally Academy where we tasted 4 beers paired with food. It was very interesting and showed me Carlsberg in a new light! After that we tasted a mini Guinness (we got to keep the glass!) and a Guinness & chocolate tart. Nice one.

Artisan du Chocolate had a nice but small selection from which we chose 2 bars and then went back for a third just to be really greedy! They reckon they are going to open an outlet in Dublin but are searching for the right premises (they said that last year so now I’m skeptical).

We covered a lot of ground and food in two hours and ticked off our must dos: Beer Naturally Academy and Artisan du Chocolat. Then off to collect HoneyB who was soooo impressed that Mommie and Daddie were there early for her.

That Rugby Match

This post is a whole week late … probably because the great Irish rugby win last Saturday over-shadowed an important chocolate tasting :-0  Himself, armed with 4 bars of chocolate, headed to Limerick to watch the match and offer the one known as Picard a taste of the black stuff. ‘Picard’ has a fondness for Guinness but not chocolate.

Up for tasting for the non-chocolate-lover:
- Lindt Excellence 85%
- Valrhona Albinao 85%
- Green & Blacks 70%
- Amedei Toscano 70%

I reckoned he would like one of the dark selection (Valrhona Albinao 85% I bet) … and I was right. Thanks, consider yourself a member of the chocolate tasting committee :-)

Milk Chocolate Tasting

Here’s a few notes on our first milk chocolate tasting. A few interesting points about milk Vs dark chocolate:

It was more difficult to characterise than dark chocolate especially the smell. Maybe it was the high sugar content throwing us ‘off the scent’?

It was so much easier to eat lots of this chocolate :-0 Milk chocolate is lighter without that ‘hit’ so I find myself reaching for another square (and I was not alone).

It was not as glossy and shiny as dark chocolate is. Typical finish was matt bordering on satin sheen finish.

The ’snap’ test was different from dark chocolate, with milk chocolate the snap is softer, not a crisp break.

We tasted in order of cocoa content …

Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate

Notes from Lindt: Cocoa 31%. Apart from the usual ingredients, this bar has malt barley extract.

Source: Tesco €

Look: This bar is larger than usual at 125g. It is light brown in color, just a shade darker than Wilde, easy to break off rectangular squares.

Smell: smells synthetic, sweet though just like milk chocolate should.

Touch: snap is blunt, soft.

Taste: strong milky taste but does not overpower the chocolate. Hints of sweet (acacia) honey, slight nuttiness too reminds me of a praline or gianduja. The aftertaste is long with burnt candy floss notes.

Texture: very smooth, melts beautifully.

Buy again? Myself: yes Himself: no

Amedei

Notes from Amedei: 32% Cocoa. “… a pleasant aroma of fresh milk and cream, vanilla and honey.”

Source: 100g bar €6.39 in Donnybrook Fair … but have since found cheaper in Glasthule.

Look: This is a chunky offering from Amedei, no delicate neapolitans here. The bar is thick with large squares. Darker in color with clean finish.

Smell: This bar smells invitingly of rich creamy honey chocolate.

Touch: Again the snap was not as crisp, soft and a little crumbly.

Taste: This tastes very different to Lindt, a rich chocolate with strong caramel (not that sweet runny caramel). The flavor reminded me of Scottish Highland toffee I loved as a kid. This chocolate lasts too with a pretty aftertaste.

Texture: oh this takes creamy to another level, it is silky.

Buy again? Myself: oh yes Himself: oh yes (just a pity is is so expensive … roll on birthdays!)

Green & Black Milk

Notes from Green & Black: 34% Cocoa. “made with more cocoa and more milk for a darker intense taste “

100g Source: Tesco €2.83

Look: This is by far the darkest in color. The format of the bar (same as all the other Green & Black bars) is not ideal though. It has tiny squares that never break off evenly and neatly.

Smell: The smell is more like a dark chocolate (bitter) aroma compared to the other bars.

Touch: This has the crispest snap.

Taste: Again very different to previous bars. Stronger in taste, malt, with a sourness. Mild aniseed notes appear briefly. It tasted like flavored chocolate not milk chocolate. It is more like a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate given the taste, snap and color.

Texture: Texture is crumbly before coming together.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: yes

Wilde Irish Chocolate

Notes: 38% Cocoa. This is Irish handmade chocolate bar from Co. Clare.

Source: Chocolat, Ennis €4.50

Look: The packaging on this bar lets the chocolate do the selling rather than the salespeople. It shines through the clear cellophane wrapper. It is by far the lightest in color too. It is in small easy to break off squares.

Smell: mild sweet milky aroma … not surprising since its milk chocolate.

Touch: soft definite snap.

Taste: This is not a rich heavy milk chocolate. It is light, mousse-like and very edible, a delicate offering with a sweet milky taste that does not reflect its 38% cocoa content. I had expected this to be stronger cocoa taste, but as they say “you can’t judge a chocolate by its percentage cocoa”.

Texture: The texture in this chocolate is a little magical. It is so light and airy, it disappears very quickly when you chew it.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: no.

The result in order of preference:

Myself: Amedei, Lindt, Wilde, Green & Black

Himself: Amedei, Green & Black, Wilde, Lindt

Tesco Finest 70% Dominican Republic

I spy with my little eye something beginning with C. Yes, Tesco have added a very tasty dark chocolate to their shelves. They describe their Organic Dominican Republic 70% as created ‘using single origin Dominican Republic trinatario beans with a fruity spicy taste which develops into a rustic earthy flavour with smokey back notes’. So into the shopping basket it went.

Its wrapping, format of the bar, size of the squares and simple logo immediately reminded me of  G&B 70% (also trinatario) so I decided to take the comparison one step further.

70% Tesco Finest Dominican Republic

Looks slightly lighter in color than G&B with a light sheen.

Smells inviting.

Tastes initially malty like milk chocolate, then melts to caramely, then the darkness kicks in. The dark smokey taste lasts long afterwards. Texture is creamy just like G&B.

 

70% Green & Black’s Organic Dark

Looks slightly darker with chunkier squares.

Smells like cocoa, bitter and again inviting.

Tastes intensely chocolatey, a strong offering with a bitter kick with an underlying liquorice tones.  Texture is creamy as before.

Himself loves G&B over nearly every other dark chocolate; it’s his benchmark so I wonder what he will make of the Tesco offering …

Feliz Navidad

The run-up to Christmas has been busy and I will mostly remember it for Dora, Boots and Santa singing ‘Feliz Navidad’ while Honeyb looks on in wonderous joy. And chocolate santa lollipops (the one below from Chez Emily). And that awful Milk and Spiced Fruit bar from Green & Black’s. Actually let me explain that: I do not like the ‘taste’ of Christmas i.e. mince pies, plum pudding or Christmas cake but Himself does. He enjoyed the bar although he never quite got to break off a square cleanly.

Here’s wishing all a Happy Christmas full of joy and some chocolate!

Shall I compare thee to …

… a mars bar.

Below is a nutritional comparison between a mars bar and a cuppa hot chocolate. To me, a mars bar is the traditional fill-me-up calorie laden bar and I wanted to see if a hot chocolate was hiding some serious calories behind a pretty cup.

The results are clear: for my everyday cuppa I’ll be sticking to cocoa powder and low fat milk for my hot chocolate.

Brand	Name	Calories kcal	Total Fat g	Comments
Mars	Mars Bar	261	10.4
Green & Black’s	Cocoa powder	115.5	4.3	200ml low fat milk and 1 tsp cocoa powder
Green & Black’s	Cocoa powder	145.5	8.1	200ml milk and 1 tsp cocoa powder
Starbucks	Tall Classic – cream	249	9.2
Alice Medrich Bittersweet*	Hot chocolate recipe	263	18.4	Low fat milk
Alice Medrich Bittersweet*	Hot chocolate recipe	277	20.06	Whole milk
Starbucks	Tall Classic + cream	319	16.2
Twinnings**	Luxury Hot Chocolate			No info available on the tin or their website. Tut tut.
Starbucks	Tall Signature – cream	363	19.1
Starbucks	Tall Signature + cream	433	26.1	The signature drink is the most calorie laden beverage on their menu :-0
Butlers	Hot Chocolate			No info available and no response to email query. From tasting I would imagine it is higher than Starbucks Signature.
Insomnia	Hot Chocolate			No info available and no response to email query. From tasting I would imagine it is higher than Starbucks Signature.

* The recipe serves 6-8 but I only get 4 servings so figures are based on ‘my’ cups.

** I’m guessing since it’s a mixture of chocolate shavings and cocoa powder.

PS: Thanks to Starbucks for actually publishing a booklet on nutritional information.

The first of many tastings

OK so I’ve tasted lots of chocolate, but this was the first time I really concentrated on what I was tasting. Kinda like wine tasting, but definitely without any spitting! Himself organised 4 samples of chocolates from different countries, but in or around the same cocoa %.

It was a lovely evening of controlled tasting rather than scoffing down bars. We each tasted the same piece and commented on the melt, taste, length and texture. But I have to admit that I found it difficult to describe the tastes and to guess the chocolate maker. But practice makes perfect!

Sample A Green and Blacks 70% :fruity, maybe lemons, creamy, smooth, long lasting

Sample B Tesco Finest 85% Santo Domingo: roasted coffee, bitter, waxy, very strong cocoa

Sample C L’Artisan du Chocolat Dominican Republic 70%: fruity, dried fruit, sweet, creamy, very smooth melt

Sample D L’Artisan du Chocolat Madagascar 80%: smoked spices, smells like rubber, smooth