Ghirardelli 60% Dark Chocolate with Caramel

Caramel in my opinion, is one of the culinary world's greatest invention- like vinaigrette or mayonnaise. Who would have thought adding heat to sugar and pouring in cream when it hits that right state can result in such a wonderfully golden gooey liquid.
But let's face it- not all candy manufacturers make good caramel, and those that do are far and few.
What I like in a caramel is a non throat-sickeningly-sweet aftertaste and a consistency that won't tire your jaws from chewing on a cube as hard as rubber. I'd like to get that note of bitterness which may have resulted in the sugar being a little bit more heated than it ought to have been, or maybe the chef added a pinch of salt to his recipe which helps cut through the sweetness. Either way, one can never really have too much of this good thing. And that's why this chocolate is so perfect in size, texture and flavor.

The chocolate enclosing this molten delight is fairly mild but what a balance it gives to that rich, buttery center. Its shell is fairly crisp and shiny. The caramel itself was- 'light', it wasn't chewy as hard-tack (as you can see from the picture above) and note how it oozes out like hot melting fudge. The way it coats your mouth is heavenly, none of that having to pick in between your teeth and the roof of your mouth for stuck-on caramel. This was a marriage smooth like silk and gone too soon, a perfectly made pair by Ghirardelli.

Trader Joe's French Truffles

Wiki describes a European Truffle as being made with syrup and a base of cocoa powder, milk solids, fats and other such ingredients to create an oil-in-water-type of emulsion...not quite the easiest way to explain it but commercially, it is better known as a chocolate ganache rolled in cocoa powder.

Now when I have a craving (and we're talking about the craving which involves serious amounts of fat here), I can't help but salivate over these smooth, melt-in-your-mouth, ebony nuggets. If ever chocolate butter existed, these would be a spot-on representation of how rich and decadent it would feel in the mouth. Slightly grainy from the ample dusting of very good cocoa powder, I cannot help but surrender to its velvety core of mildly bitter-sweet ganache when it en-robes my tongue in chocolate perfection. Ah... joy.

For the price of under $3.00 per box of 250gms, which I would guess is about 20 or so truffles, who could not afford to gift themselves with these? I mean, really... Its Christmas in a box, a festive red box enclosing a golden foil treasure trove. And as the box says: the right way to enjoy them is to leave them in room temperature for about an hour or so, unless you probably live in the desert or a sub-tropical climate then I would not recommend doing so. But, the again, I also would not think Trader Joe's existed in the middle of the Sahara... [reaching for another truffle].

Trader Joe's Swiss Dark Chocolate 72% Cacao

$1.69 a bar. Very affordable but as the name implies, only available at Trader Joe's- although I can be mistaken as I have not taken the time to research if this is available anywhere else other than the retail chain.

Wrapped in thin silver foil is a plate of thin, shiny and almost black, cocoa plant-embossed dark chocolate. Sheen is almost reflective on the shiny smooth surface. Scent is mild, faint hint of roasted cocoa. Snaps to a clean break, unfortunately not on the perforations of the bar itself (as shown) but no splintering nonetheless. Mouth-feel is subtle and slow to melt. Delicate notes of an earthy, soft-bitterness. Mildly sweet and excellent for newbie black chocolate tasters. Clean finish and pleasant after-taste. Re-wrap with foil and slide back into its thin green rectangular envelope for future enjoyment.

This label comes in a variety of flavors from Trader Joe's. I recall spotting some black chocolate varieties mixed with hazelnuts and some milk chocolate variations as well.

Ghirardelli Intense Dark Midnight Reverie 86% Cacao

Why begin with a high cocoa percentage as a first black chocolate review?
Well, besides being utterly enjoyable, this small piece of square delight is a constant presence on my bedside table, so let's start here.

I don't really give much importance to the cocoa percentage as I believe it doesn't mean the lower the percent of cocoa the less appealing it would be. I do however think that anything less than 60% cocoa is not what I would personally prefer. Maybe it's the sweetness and the texture that doesn't appeal much to me. And in the recent years I have lost a bit of interest and craving for milk chocolates, save for a hand-few which I indulge in, but very sparsely over a years time.

Okay, so this easy to find black chocolate is hands-down, one of my favorites. Very affordable and easily found in major retail chains. They are often sold in bars or in 4.12 oz gift packs (which I often purchase) for about $3-4.00 and are individually wrapped so the chocolate remains fresh. How convenient is that?

Opening the small black square foil would reveal a shiny dark tile with the clean embossed Ghirardelli logo. The color is deep and rich, like the perfect color of an expensive brown leather couch and surface sheen is quite noticeable. The chocolate smell is very pronounced, you can smell the roasted cocoa aroma and hints of coffee. Break of a piece and it snaps cleanly off with very minimal or sometimes no splintering at all. Mouth-feel is smooth and fine and doesn't melt to cover the surface of the tongue but lingers there to release a deep fruity, soft-tangy like taste. Although I detect no sweetness, the taste is subliminal and pleasantly bitter like a mild shot of espresso. And the finish lingers with an "enchanting" aftertaste. The size of each square, which I can savor in 5 to 6 bites is just perfect to satisfy my cocoa-rush.

Onwards...

So this is my plan: To taste every black chocolate out there.

How hard can that be? I know it will take some spending of my very tiny income to set this off, but everyone who's ever bitten into a crackling square tile of 86% Ghirardelli would know- it is worth it! Okay, the snooty chocolate connoisseurs out there must think I'm far, far off from what they consider to be the messiah of chocolate critics, but besides my monetary restrictions, I'd also like to appreciate every kind of black chocolate out there. Anything and everything from a $1.00 bar to a $100.00 box- which is not anytime soon, unless I can convince someone to share it with me...anyone?...anyone?

Moving on. No imposed time-limit here as I live just minutes away from one of the greatest culinary and confectionery capital of this nation: San Francisco! And praise the Lord, creation here never stops~ chocolate creation that is. Scharffen Berger, Ghirardelli, Teuscher, CocoaBella, Rechhiuti, See's Candies etc...Even black chocolate on the shelves of Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other chains branded with their own labels. Let's not forget the commercial brands from Hershey's Dark Chocolate Bars to Lindt Bars- I am going to savor them all, impartial to price, selective of expiry dates and above all ready to share my experience with black chocolate lovers out there.

What's This About?

First-time blogger, long-time black chocolate lover and a newly found impulse to blog about it.

Also known as dark or plain chocolate, black chocolate has been a passion of mine since I hit my thirties. And no, I don't think hitting that age has anything to do with my relatively slow appreciation for this little piece of bitter-sweet bliss.

My first memories of tasting black chocolate goes as far back as my childhood where, after I've tasted them from a newly opened box of See's chocolates, I- to no grown-ups' surprise, would then try to avoid them. After all, what child would have a fine appreciation for this couverture at 9, 10 or even 12 years of age? So much competition stood in the way, when every kid, including me, grew up biting into bars of chocolaty, milky-sweet Mars, Snickers, Hershey's, 3 Musketeers and so on... And when I realized that chocolates can come not just in little wrapped rectangular bars but in pristine white flat boxes that open up into a collection of varied, happy brown nuggets lying in pleated dark-brown paper cups, I was piqued. Eager to taste them all and feeling peeved when my siblings would beat me to the punch, I reached for the irregularly shaped piece that I happen to have my eye on (even if I was already chewing on a nougaty one in my hand) I had my first taste of black chocolate. At that time, it wasn't even just plain black chocolate but a dark chocolate covered Almond confection. I took my first bite and...poootoooey! Imagine the face of a two-year old being given their first taste of granulated coffee. My thoughts were who would make chocolate taste this way? And why? So needless to say, as the life of this box of chocolates began to end, what was left inside were half-bitten dark morsels and tiny crumpled balls of brown paper.

I'm fair, I give everything and everyone in life a second chance. My passion is food and I have a firm belief that nothing, absolutely nothing edible can ever taste so bad that it doesn't merit a second taste. So in my teens and early adulthood, I developed an on-and-off relationship with black chocolate. One day I won't even touch the stuff, the next day I'd have a scoop of Winter White Wonderland- an ice cream flavor made with vanilla, cherries and dark chocolate bits. I won't pick the dark chocolate truffle from a box of Ethel M's, but I'd have second, third and fourth helpings of After-Eight mints and Andes. And little by little, my tastebuds grew to enjoy the bitter, almost coffee-like taste. My love affair with black chocolate was slow to develop, but it was as sure as night followed day.

I have fallen. I remember the moment about 4 years ago when I was on the bed with a black box, tracing the golden etched name of Godiva and opening what I consider to be sixteen pieces of rich, tiny globes of black happiness.