{"id":36904,"date":"2022-12-31T19:46:56","date_gmt":"2023-01-01T03:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/?p=36904"},"modified":"2024-11-30T15:42:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-30T23:42:24","slug":"good-news-galore-the-holiday-chocolate-salon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/good-news-galore-the-holiday-chocolate-salon\/","title":{"rendered":"Good news galore @ the Holiday Chocolate Salon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Three of us CBTB chocolateers attended the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fallchocolatesalon.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon<\/a>, sponsored by TasteTV in November. It was a bustling event with 13 SFBA chocolate vendors interspersed among the booths. We weren&#8217;t able to visit them all, but the ones we did had lots of good stuff to sell &amp; tell.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"list\">SFBA chocolate vendors at the show<\/h2>\n<p>Since I have a lot to share (as always), you can use this list to skip to your SFBA favs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#sprinkles\">Brigadeiro Sprinkles<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#chaga\">The Chaga Company<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#charlotte\">Charlotte Truffles<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#cocotutti\">CocoTutti<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#flying\">flying noir<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#good\">The Good Chocolate<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#kindred\">Kindred Caramels<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#kokak\">Kokak Chocolates<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#michael\">Michael\u2019s Chocolate<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#rain\">Rainy Day Chocolate<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#socola\">Socola Chocolatier<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#sonoma\">Sonoma Chocolatiers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#xocolate\">The Xocolate Bar<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#cioccolato\">Z. Cioccolato<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"rain\">Rainy Day Chocolate<\/h2>\n<p>The first SFBA vendor we visited was one I had worried about during COVID.\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/rainy-day-chocolate-2020\/\">Rainy Day Chocolate<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0had been exceptionally quiet with a dormant website and few events scheduled since the pandemic shutdown. So I was very happy to see them at the Salon with their bars, toffee, and bark.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36989\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36989\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36989\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chris-and-his-helpers.jpg\" alt=\"Chris and his helpers\" width=\"420\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chris-and-his-helpers.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chris-and-his-helpers-320x376.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chris-and-his-helpers-400x470.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chris and his helpers at the Rainy Day booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We first met Rainy Day Chocolate at <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/chocolate-sprinkles\/\">one of the Chocolate Salons<\/a>, and the last time was at the <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/rainy-day-at-the-farmers-market\/\">Farmers Market in Petaluma<\/a>, but that was all before COVID. They had seemed to be doing fine \u2014 developing new products regularly and improving their chocolate making skills \u2014 so I was surprised when they went stealth mode. A lot of times that is a harbinger of bad news.<\/p>\n<p>Instead Jennifer &amp; Chris Sund were both there along with their family and announced that they had just signed the papers for their first brick and mortar space in Forestville!<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will be the first bean to bar maker in Sonoma County with their own storefront,\u201d Chris said. Plus he told me they will have seating with monthly\/quarterly chocolate themed dinners. They plan to offer classes and tours eventually.<\/p>\n<p>Turns out there was nothing to worry about. Rainy Day just took a break during COVID, Chris explained, and started ramping up again for the holidays while their new space in Forestville moves forward.<\/p>\n<p>At the Salon they had their award winning toffees, a special holiday bark, and some dark Belgian chocolate bars. I focused on the toffee.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36990\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36990\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36990\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rainy-Day-Dark-English-Toffee.jpg\" alt=\"Rainy Day Dark English Toffee\" width=\"320\" height=\"337\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36990\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainy Day Dark English Toffee pieces size comparison<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I love their toffee:\u00a0Big slabs of English toffee liberally sprinkled with toppings. Opening a bag of their toffee releases a strong chocolatey, nutty, buttery\u00a0toffee smell. And the toffees taste great: whether you choose the dark chocolate toffee covered in almonds or the milk chocolate toffee covered in toasted coconut and macadamia nuts. They are both good crunchy toffees made with quality ingredients for a balanced taste experience.<\/p>\n<p>The dark chocolate in the English Toffee with Toasted Almonds and Himalayan Pink Sea Salt is delicious and the almonds add a great crunchy nuttiness. Himalayan pink sea salt is used as a flavor enhancer \u2014 the toffee isn\u2019t salty tasting.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36993\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36993\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rainy-Day-Milk-Chocolate-English-Toffee.jpg\" alt=\"Rainy Day Milk Chocolate English Toffee\" width=\"320\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rainy-Day-Milk-Chocolate-English-Toffee.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Rainy-Day-Milk-Chocolate-English-Toffee-299x400.jpg 299w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rainy Day Milk Chocolate English Toffee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Their English Toffee with Milk Chocolate, Macadamia Nuts, and Toasted Coconut is equally good. Great\u00a0milk chocolate taste with a good toasted coconut flavor. The macadamia nuts make for a\u00a0nutty flavor after the initial stronger coconut.<\/p>\n<p>Rainy Day Chocolate won Gold for Best Milk Chocolates, Silver for Best Organic or Fair Trade Products, and Bronze for Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product.<\/p>\n<p>Rainy Day Chocolate is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainydaychocolate.com\/#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">available online<\/a>, at special events, and soon in their own place up in Sonoma County.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"socola\">Socola Chocolatier<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36994\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36994\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36994\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-bar-display.jpg\" alt=\"Socola bar display\" width=\"420\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-bar-display.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-bar-display-320x390.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-bar-display-400x488.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36994\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Socola\u2019s new bar packaging display @ the Salon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Around the corner from Rainy Day,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/socola-chocolatier-barista\/\">Socola Chocolatier<\/a><\/strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1259\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/cupicon2.png\" alt=\"3-5 cup chocolatier\" width=\"14\" height=\"16\" \/>\u00a0had beautiful new packaging for their bars and truffles on display. They also had a new tea collection and were handing out samples from their Little Saigon box of Vietnamese inspired flavors, but co-founder and head chocolatier Wendy Lieu was nowhere to be found.<\/p>\n<p>Turns out Wendy was in SoCal for Thanksgiving with family, but she had been busy before the Salon getting ready. The booth was packed with truffle collections, the big beautiful bars, and other confections like almond drag\u00e9es.<\/p>\n<p>Cacaopod and I skipped the samples because we had gotten a Little Saigon box at the <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/chocolate-in-the-time-of-covid\/#socola\">last Salon<\/a>. Chocfull however was game to try them, and like us loved the flavors, especially the Lychee, while finding the\u00a0Vietnamese Coffee <em>strong.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36992\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36992\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36992\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-Tea-Collection.png\" alt=\"Socola Tea Collection\" width=\"320\" height=\"370\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36992\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Socola\u2019s new Tea Collection in their new boxes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new tea collection was a 4-piece box of Socola\u2019s tea truffles. This makes an excellent gift for my fellow tea lovers with the floral jasmine, the citrusy Earl Grey, the spicy chai, and the slightly bitter matcha. A nice variety of tasty flavors in pretty, well made truffles presented in one of Socola\u2019s new elegant boxes. It also comes in a 12-pack of 3 truffles of each flavor.<\/p>\n<p>I got some of the big bars too. There weren\u2019t any new flavors, but the new boxes are awesome. They are very attractive, an understated design printed in taste enticing colors and gold metallic print, with a big cutout window for bar viewing. Plus they solve the only problem I\u2019ve ever had with Socola bars: The prior clear bags had no support for the big bars so they often broke before I could gift them. These sturdy boxes eliminate that flaw while still giving a good visual of what the bars look like.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36995\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36995\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36995\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-Toasted-Nut-Bar.jpg\" alt=\"Socola Tea Collection\" width=\"320\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-Toasted-Nut-Bar.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Socola-Toasted-Nut-Bar-272x400.jpg 272w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36995\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Socola\u2019s Toasted Nuts Dark Chocolate Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019ve raved about Socola\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/everybody-go-nuts\/#matcha\">Crispity Matcha White Chocolate Bar<\/a>\u00a0enough and I covered the Toasted Coconut &amp; Black Sesame Milk Chocolate Bar in the <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/chocolate-in-the-time-of-covid\/#socola\">spring Salon article<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 honestly I\u2019ve covered <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/local-chocolate\/#socola\">a lot of these bars<\/a> before \u2014 so I\u2019ll just point out one more thing if I haven\u2019t convinced you yet to try Socola\u2019s bars.<\/p>\n<p>The bars hit you on multiple levels: visuals, taste, aroma (the Toasted Nuts Dark Chocolate Bar smells like Christmas to me, like the bowl of salted nuts my grandfather always had next to his chair while we opened presents), and surprises like the pop rocks in the Strawberry Cream Soda. They are more than chocolate bars, they are experiences.<\/p>\n<p>I am hardly Socola\u2019s lone cheerleader. They did exceptionally well in the competition winning Gold for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations, Best Milk Chocolates, and Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product; Silver for Best Traditional Chocolates, Best Dark Chocolates, Best Caramels or Truffles, and Best in Salon; Bronze for Top Artisan Chocolatier and New Product Award; and Honorable Mentions for Best Chocolate Bar and Best Dark Chocolates.<\/p>\n<p>Socola chocolates are available at their factory store, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.socolachocolates.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a>, and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"flying\">flying noir<\/h2>\n<p>Next to Socola was another veteran Salon vendor,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/flying-noir\/\">flying noir<\/a>\u00a0of Berkeley. Decked out in their signature berets, head chocolatier Karen Urbanek and her assistant were handing out samples from their 3 current collections: vegan, tea, and the grand collection, which was 16 pieces from Karen\u2019s ongoing poetry &amp; prose series. It included my fav piece, the little bears dusted with ghost pepper sea salt, so I had to get the whole pack.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36991\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36991\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36991\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-booth.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-booth-287x400.jpg 287w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-booth-400x557.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36991\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since we hit their booth early, Karen was still finishing wrapping the boxes, so I got to pick the hand painted wrapper for mine. They were all so pretty, it was hard for me to pick.<\/p>\n<p>flying noir boxes make good gifts for the art &amp; chocolate aficionados in your life. From the creative ingredient combinations in hand decorated bonbons to the black butterfly closure box wrapped with hand painted art paper and secured with a flying noir branded black rubber band, they are like edible mini art exhibits.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36996\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36996\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-box.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir box\" width=\"320\" height=\"325\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The box included some new \u2014or at least new to me \u2014 pieces, along with a lot of pieces I remember from the <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/chocolate-in-the-time-of-covid\/#flying\">spring poetry &amp; prose collection<\/a>, like the chililico which combines chilies, licorice and orange zest, and the hawaj 55, which is a solid piece flavored with espresso and Yemeni coffee spices.<\/p>\n<p>I like the variety in flying noir collections. They usually contain booze, nuts, teas, fruits, spices, and a range of couvertures and single origin chocolate. Most pieces have a layered flavor profile \u2014 they start one way and end up somewhere else, or the flavors combine for a unique and hard to describe (for me anyway) experience.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36998\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36998\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36998\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-quaire.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir quaire\" width=\"200\" height=\"186\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir quaire<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And there are often exotic\/rare ingredients. Like the quaire which was made with Germain Robin Apple Brandy which the description notes is no longer made. What a loss because it made the piece smell like apples and brandy while giving it a buzzy mouthfeel and a little apple cinnamon flavor. The chocolate used was a 49% dark milk which had a nice light chocolate flavor that played under the brandy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37001\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37001\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37001\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-rangpur.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir rangpur\" width=\"200\" height=\"215\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37001\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir rangpur<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the rangpur, Karen made p\u00e2te de fruit from rangpur limes, which I hadn\u2019t heard of before. She combined the p\u00e2te de fruit with a vegan ganache in a coconut milk chocolate shell and finished it off with a single salted Kampot peppercorn inside. It was mostly citrusy chocolate tasting until a small hit of salt toward the end and a warm pepper aftertaste\/feel lingered. Cool experience.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37000\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37000\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37000\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-pecananon.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir pecananon\" width=\"200\" height=\"190\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir pecananon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The pecananon had more usual ingredients: chocolate, pecans, and bourbon, but Karen included a couple of twists to make it special. First the bourbon was a smoked salted bourbon praslin, so the piece smelled a little smoky. Then she pulverized the pecans so the piece had the crumbly texture of a pecan sandy cookie. The piece had a subtle gianduja flavor with a 55% bittersweet chocolate; the bourbon was an aftertaste that left me with a little numbing of the tongue. Another interesting experience.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_36999\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-36999\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-36999\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/flying-noir-little-red-bears.jpg\" alt=\"flying noir little red bears\" width=\"320\" height=\"211\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-36999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">flying noir little red bears<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of course my favorite experience is those 2 little red bears. flying noir should offer those as a thing unto themselves. If you know someone who likes spicy chocolate, they are a fun version with the ghost chili salt giving a little burst of salty heat before the delicious dark chocolate melts and extinguishes the heat.<\/p>\n<p>flying noir won Silver for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations, Best Organic or Fair Trade Products, and New Product Award; Bronze for Best Milk Chocolates, Best Dark Chocolates, Best Caramels or Truffles, and Best in Salon; and an Honorable Mention for Top Artisan Chocolatier.<\/p>\n<p>You can buy<strong> flying noir chocolates<\/strong> online and at special events. You can also schedule a pickup at their kitchen.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.flyingnoir.net\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check their website<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"xocolate\">The Xocolate Bar<\/h2>\n<p>This was the first time I\u2019d seen Berkeley\u2019s\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/xocolate-bar\/\">The Xocolate Bar<\/a> <\/strong>scheduled to be\u00a0at a Salon, so they were one of the vendors on my must-see list. And the first thing I noticed was the beautiful new packaging for their bars.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37003\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37003\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37003\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-bar-display.jpg\" alt=\"The Xocolate Bar bar display\" width=\"520\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-bar-display.jpg 520w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-bar-display-320x307.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-bar-display-400x384.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 85vw, 520px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37003\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Xocolate Bar bar display<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like Socola, The Xocolate Bar used to sell their bars in simple clear plastic sleeves. And now it seems they both decided to take better care of their bars with sturdy cardboard boxes \u2014 plus delight us with attractive packaging. Bonus here: Owner\/Chocolatier Malena Lopez-Maggi told us she designed the packaging herself.<\/p>\n<p>They had 13 different types of bars at the show, and each had its own full-color all-over illustration. These would make wonderful gifts. In fact while they also had their truffles and molded chocolates at the Salon, Malena told us that with the new packaging the bars are now their most popular item.<\/p>\n<p>Malena told us that most flavors available year round. Some are seasonal, like the peppermint bark which is only available during the holidays. Malena said that was because it\u2019s so hard to make \u2014 but so worth it, she added.<\/p>\n<p>Sold. We got one of the peppermint bars along with a selection of their other bars to check out. We also got the idea to do a peppermint bar competition with a couple of other vendors\u2019 bars \u2014 <a href=\"#peppermint\">more on that later in this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37004\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37004\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37004\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cardamom-Crunch-bar.jpg\" alt=\"The Xocolate Bar bar display\" width=\"200\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cardamom-Crunch-bar.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cardamom-Crunch-bar-164x400.jpg 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Xocolate Bar bar display<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One of The Xocolate Bar\u2019s bars that I\u2019ve gotten before and liked, the Cardamom Crunch, is a good example of their liberal inclusion style. The thick bar was covered in crunchy nibs.<\/p>\n<p>I liked the nibs, and the cardamom was a good supporting flavor. I thought the chocolate had a good flavor although pretty bitter for a 70%.\u00a0And with all those nibs this is not a\u00a0melt in your mouth bar; you gotta chew. That\u2019s not a criticism just an observation. There are times when you want a crunchy chocolate. I would like to try this bar with a mellower chocolate though.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37005\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37005\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37005\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cinnamon-Spice-bar.jpg\" alt=\"Cinnamon Spice bar\" width=\"200\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cinnamon-Spice-bar.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cinnamon-Spice-bar-164x400.jpg 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cinnamon Spice bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I don\u2019t know if The Xocolate Bar uses different couvertures for different dark chocolate bars but I thought the chocolate used in the Cinnamon Spice bar was better, not as bitter. It was another chewing chocolate due to the inclusion of candied orange peel and ginger. It was really interesting too that depending on what inclusions were in the piece or not in the piece I was eating, the experience ranged from a very chewy orange chocolate to chocolate covered candied ginger pieces to cinnamon flavored chocolate. This was probably my favorite bar.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37006\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37006\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37006\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Candied-Orange-bar.jpg\" alt=\"Candied Orange bar\" width=\"200\" height=\"495\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Candied-Orange-bar.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Candied-Orange-bar-162x400.jpg 162w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Candied Orange bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Candied Orange and Candied Ginger bars were surprisingly different to me than the Cinnamon Spice bar even though they shared ingredients. These bars were thicker and the inclusions were moister. They were messier, shattering when I would break a piece off. I liked the chewy not-too-spicy ginger bar better than the sticky orange bar.<\/p>\n<p>Again I thought the orange bar needed a different chocolate. Also it might be better with the drier orange peel used in the Cinnamon Spice bar, and maybe both bars would work better as thinner bars.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37007\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37007\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37007\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Arroz-Con-Leche-bar.jpg\" alt=\"Arroz Con Leche bar\" width=\"200\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Arroz-Con-Leche-bar.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Arroz-Con-Leche-bar-164x400.jpg 164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37007\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arroz con Leche bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I liked the milk chocolate Arroz con Leche but I had hoped it would be more of a riff on Nestle Crunch bars \u2014 like a cinnamon Crunch bar. It had lots of tiny crispy rice bits in the milk chocolate, but it was a spicy bar first: cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg with cinnamon the most pronounced. And the chocolate was bolder tasting than a 40%.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s on me though. I wanted whole puffed rice in a milky chocolate with a little spice. This is more like a crispy chocolate version of rice pudding.<\/p>\n<p>The Xocolate Bar received Silver for Best Organic or Fair Trade Products, Bronze for Best Chocolate Bar and New Product Award, and Honorable Mentions for Top Artisan Chocolatier and Best Traditional Chocolates.<\/p>\n<p>The Xocolate Bar recently reopened their store for indoor shopping and special events like craft nights and hot chocolate nights. They are also currently running a GoFundMe campaign to renovate and re-equip the place, which after being heavily used for 15 years needs a revamp. If you can\u2019t get to their store, you can buy The Xocolate Bar\u2019s chocolates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thexocolatebar.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a> and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"michael\">Michael\u2019s Chocolates<\/h2>\n<p>By the time we got to the\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/michaels-chocolates\/\">Michael\u2019s Chocolates<\/a><\/strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1259\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/cupicon2.png\" alt=\"3-5 cup chocolatier\" width=\"14\" height=\"16\" \/>\u00a0booth \u2014 with holiday decorations by Mom \u2014 there were only a few boxes left of their special <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/dandelion-chocolate-factory-salon\/\">Dandelion Chocolate<\/a><\/strong> collaboration, but there was plenty of other chocolatey goodness like their award winning Lemon Burst bonbons and the best chocolate almond bars I\u2019ve ever had, so I didn\u2019t feel guilty in the least scooping up one of the limited edition Spirits &amp; Craft Collections.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37011\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37011\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37011\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Michael-and-crew-at-their-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Michael and crew at their booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Michael-and-crew-at-their-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Michael-and-crew-at-their-booth-320x371.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Michael-and-crew-at-their-booth-400x464.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37011\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael and crew at their booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Head chocolatier Michael Benner has been making chocolates for Dandelion\u2019s Advent calendar for several years now \u2014 including this year which required 13,000 individually wrapped chocolates from Michael\u2019s Chocolates alone. (Other SFBA chocolatiers who participated in this year\u2019s calendar include <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/deux-cranes-chocolates-and-confections\/\">Deux Cranes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/farm-chocolate-craft-confections\/\">Farm Chocolate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/feve-artisan-chocolatier\/\">Fev \u00a0Artisan Chocolatier<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/kollar-chocolates\/\">Kollar Chocolates<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/neo-cocoa\/\">NeoCocoa<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/socola-chocolatier-barista\/\">Socola Chocolatier<\/a>, <\/strong>and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/topogato\/\">Topogato<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37018\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37018\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37018\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Spirits-Craft-Collection-box.jpg\" alt=\"Spirits &amp; Craft Collection box\" width=\"320\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Spirits-Craft-Collection-box.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Spirits-Craft-Collection-box-305x400.jpg 305w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37018\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spirits &amp; Craft Collection box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Spirits &amp; Craft Collection is Michael\u2019s 2<sup>nd<\/sup> Dandelion collaboration, using Dandelion\u2019s 70% Camino Verde couverture and 4 locally made spirits (from distillers in Alameda and Healdsburg). For this collaboration, Michael had to make only (!) 2500 units to be sold in Dandelion\u2019s SF locations, a popup in LA, and their shops in Japan and Las Vegas.<\/p>\n<p>Without a break, he said he had been preparing for the Salon and spent the last 3 days making 3000-4000 bonbons. His only complaint was that since he had to stoop over to pipe them, his back was killing him. As someone whose nickname at the gym is Complancy I was amazed at his fortitude.<\/p>\n<p>The Spirits &amp; Craft Collection collaboration extended to the understated, attractive packaging: Michael\u2019s signature black quilted box was wrapped with a label done by Dandelion that looked similar to Dandelion bar labels The menu inside was also designed by Dandelion in the same style.<\/p>\n<p>As a former sommelier and now master chocolatier, Michael is the perfect partner for this collaboration. I think he chose great spirits that paired well with the chocolate and other inclusions. The 4 pieces were distinctly different so the comparison to tasting a flight of spirits was apt.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37012\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37012\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37012\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Lost-Republic-Bourbon-Caramel-Pecan-Bonbon.jpg\" alt=\"Lost Republic Bourbon Caramel Pecan Bonbon\" width=\"200\" height=\"187\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37012\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lost Republic Bourbon Caramel Pecan Bonbon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I\u2019ve had different iterations of the Bourbon Caramel Pecan Bonbon before. (Michael also makes a bar version.) This time inside the\u00a0metallic brown dome there was a pecan praline layer topped with semi-liquid caramel infused with Lost Republic bourbon whisky. The caramel had a\u00a0light bourbon smell, and the piece was smooth not too sweet or boozy with a nice bourbon flavor that lingered. The ground pecans gave it a small soft crunch. A touch of salt at the end was a nice surprise.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37015\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37015\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37015\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Old-Potrero-Rye-Whiskey-Truffle.jpg\" alt=\"Old Potrero Rye Whiskey Truffle\" width=\"200\" height=\"190\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37015\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Old Potrero Rye Whiskey Truffle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Old Potrero Rye Whiskey Truffle is a classic Michael\u2019s piece. The\u00a0enrobed ganache is a smooth, full bodied rye whisky truffle. It was much more assertive than the first piece and had a delicious balance of rye whiskey and dark chocolate. I don\u2019t know if Michael always uses this chocolate for this piece but I thought they were a good match. This is one piece in the collection you can usually get year round.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37014\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37014\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37014\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/St.-George-Framboise-Bonbon.jpg\" alt=\"St. George Framboise Bonbon\" width=\"200\" height=\"195\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37014\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">St. George Framboise Bonbon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The ganache inside the purple domed Framboise Bonbon smelled like raspberry. Made with raspberry liqueur from St. George Spirits it had an immediate burst of raspberry flavor. The smooth ganache melted quickly and spread the sweet not tart flavor. It wasn\u2019t a boozy piece, no alcohol tingle, it was just flavorful. Like the liqueur was providing a concentrated raspberry experience in chocolate.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37016\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37016\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37016\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Wright-Brown-Hazelnut-Espresso-Praline-with-Barrel-Aged-Rum.jpg\" alt=\"Wright &amp; Brown Hazelnut Espresso Praline with Barrel-Aged Rum\" width=\"200\" height=\"203\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37016\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wright &amp; Brown Hazelnut Espresso Praline with Barrel-Aged Rum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The last piece, Hazelnut Espresso Praline with Barrel-Aged Rum from Wright &amp; Brown, was an elegant enrobed square decorated with a single line drawn across the top.\u00a0Inside the bottom layer of ganache held the rum infusion. It smelled great and had a light vanilla rum flavor. On top of the ganache was a mostly smooth nutty praline, but the espresso and rum were the dominant flavors. Like the other pieces, it was distinctly flavored with spirits but\u00a0not boozy, no buzz just\u00a0good flavored chocolate.<\/p>\n<p>Michael\u2019s Chocolates did great in the competition, winning Gold for Best Traditional Chocolates, Best Milk Chocolates, Best Dark Chocolates, Best Caramels or Truffles, and Best in Salon; Silver for Top Artisan Chocolatier, Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations, and Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product; Bronze for New Product Award; and an Honorable Mention for Best Chocolate Bar.<\/p>\n<p>You can buy Michael\u2019s Chocolates at their factory store in Oakland,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/michaelschocolates.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online<\/a>, at some local shops, and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"cocotutti\">CocoTutti<\/h2>\n<p>It was nice to see Elyce Zahn, head chocolatier and owner of\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/cocotutti\/\">CocoTutti<\/a><\/strong> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1259\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/cupicon2.png\" alt=\"3-5 cup chocolatier\" width=\"14\" height=\"16\" \/>\u00a0manning the booth again with her husband John. At the spring Salon John was solo so Elyce could attend another event. (Without a storefront, they do a lot of events.)<\/p>\n<p>While they always do a brisk business at the Salons, Elyce had the good news that now you can find their CocoQuintet bars and other treats at more retail locations. She told us their wholesale side is blowing up; it went from 4 accounts to 40 in the past year. She attributed the expansion to John, but when asked, he told me, \u201cIt sells itself. I just show up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>True to form, the booth was well stocked with all manner of bars, tablets, toffee, and bonbons. Plus CoCoBooBoos: the chocolates that they sell at a discount because they were maybe lacking in visuals but still tasty. And Elyce had several new\/newish samples to try.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37025\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37025\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37025\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Elyce-at-the-CocoTutti-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Elyce at the CocoTutti booth\" width=\"640\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Elyce-at-the-CocoTutti-booth.jpg 640w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Elyce-at-the-CocoTutti-booth-320x233.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Elyce-at-the-CocoTutti-booth-400x291.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37025\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Elyce at the CocoTutti booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The tablets are the newest line of chocolate at CocoTutti, usually large flat bars with lots of fruit arranged on top. Elyce give us a sample of the Strawberry, Mango, and Pineapple white chocolate tablet. It had an intense strawberry aroma but a more intense pineapple flavor that blended with the strawberry and creamy white chocolate as it melted. CocoTutti uses a Valrhona white chocolate that is so good Cacaopod teased Elyce that he\u2019s mad at her for making him like white chocolate.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37030\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37030\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37030\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Mango-and-Pineapple-tablet.jpg\" alt=\"Strawberry, Mango, and Pineapple tablet\" width=\"240\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Mango-and-Pineapple-tablet.jpg 240w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Mango-and-Pineapple-tablet-194x400.jpg 194w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 85vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37030\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Strawberry, Mango, and Pineapple tablet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I liked the intensity of the freeze dried pineapple and strawberry slices, but for some reason the mango was not as strong. We got a bar and found it depended on what fruit was in each bite; while the mango was milder than the other fruits, it held its own on bites that were mostly mango. An excellent bar.<\/p>\n<p>The second contender in our 2022 Peppermint Bar Challenge appeared when Elyce\u00a0offered us a sample of her new Pepper(mint)! bar. While it starts with similar ingredients to The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Peppermint Bark, it adds peppercorns \u2014 real pepper \u2014 to a flavor whose name has always perplexed me. Peppermint doesn\u2019t taste peppery. Icemint would make more sense.<\/p>\n<p>So will this combo be an interesting juxtaposition? Righting a wrong? <a href=\"#peppermint\">Find out in the competition below<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37031\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37031\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37031\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/HOT-Chipotle-Ganache-CocoQuintet.jpg\" alt=\"HOT Chipotle Ganache CocoQuintet\" width=\"150\" height=\"582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/HOT-Chipotle-Ganache-CocoQuintet.jpg 150w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/HOT-Chipotle-Ganache-CocoQuintet-103x400.jpg 103w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 85vw, 150px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37031\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cHOT\u201d Chipotle Ganache CocoQuintet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We also got the \u201cHOT\u201d Chipotle Ganache CocoQuintet which smelled chocolatey as soon as we opened the wrapper, always a good start. The dark chocolate was immediately hot and built becoming a smoky hot.\u00a0The heat lingered but was never uncomfortable. It felt\u00a0nice on my throat.\u00a0Elyce recommended pairing it with a merlot or cabernet, but I thought it would make\u00a0a nice hot chocolate drink itself.<\/p>\n<p>Other samples of new treats Elyce had at the booth included a dark chocolate lemon, vodka, and olive oil bonbon, an orange chocolate tablet, and a rocky road confection. The lemon\/vodka\/olive oil was one of CocoTutti\u2019s mini filled chocolates with a white\/dark shell and an almost\u00a0liquid pur\u00e9ed texture filling. It tasted and felt like lemon meringue with a little bite combined with dark chocolate. A\u00a0light lemon flavor lingered afterwards.\u00a0A unique combo.<\/p>\n<p>The 74% custom chocolate mix with candied orange peel was a deeply chocolatey couverture combined with a good bitter orange. The orange was candied, but definitely bitter. If you like traditional bitter marmalades, this is a good interpretation in chocolate.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37032\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37032\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37032\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoBooBoos.jpg\" alt=\"CocoBooBoos\" width=\"320\" height=\"483\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoBooBoos.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoBooBoos-265x400.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37032\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sample CocoBooBoos pack (this one was\u00a0Almond Butter Crunch bar pieces)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Rocky Road with Caramel Potholes was a charmer with its marshmallow\/dark chocolate combo, a splash of chewy caramel and a stray walnut or two. I liked that the marshmallows were soft but still tasted like marshmallows. As with so many CocoTutti treats, it had a good balance of quality ingredients. \u201cThat\u2019s how you do a Rocky Road,\u201d Cacaopod remarked.<\/p>\n<p>CocoTutti won Gold for Top Artisan Chocolatier and Best in Salon; Silver for Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product; Bronze for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations, Best Traditional Chocolates, and New Product Award; and Honorable Mentions for Best Chocolate Bar, Best Dark Chocolates, and Best Caramels or Truffles.<\/p>\n<p>You can buy CocoTutti\u00a0chocolates <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cocotutti.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online<\/a>, locally in some stores (check the website), and at events around the area and beyond. You can pick up chocolate orders at their kitchen, and\u00a0Elyce offers classes at the kitchen too. She\u2019s had a variety of people take classes already. Seeing my non-cooking skepticism, she said most recently some Google techies came and were loving it. She promises it\u2019ll be fun.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"kokak\">Kokak Chocolates<\/h2>\n<p>This was the first Salon\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/kokak-chocolates\/\">Kokak Chocolates<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has been at since they opened their own place in the Castro District, SF, so I was interested to see how they were doing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37036\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37036\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37036\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carol-Garcia-at-Kokaks-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Carol Garcia at Kokak\u2019s booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carol-Garcia-at-Kokaks-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carol-Garcia-at-Kokaks-booth-313x400.jpg 313w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carol-Garcia-at-Kokaks-booth-400x511.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37036\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carol Garcia at Kokak\u2019s booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Kokak\u2019s founder and head chocolatier Carol Garcia and assistant had a packed table in front of them, both product wise and people wise. We had to wait a bit before we could maneuver to the front, but we saw she had her award winning <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/outsidechocolate\/no-drama-competition\/#kokak\">Pistachio Rose Love bar<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/best-bars-of-2022\/#kokak\">Nuts About Cherries bar<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/ourchocolatiers\/ooey-gooey-rich-chewy\/#kokak\">Tropical Caramels Collection<\/a>. Plus hand painted chocolate pumpkin lollies, a hot chocolate mix, the Sweet Sixteen truffle collection, and more at the far end of the table that I never got to.<\/p>\n<p>So it looks like things are going great for Kokak. Carol said they were but it\u2019s not easy. Their profit margin is slim because premium ingredients are important and prices keep going up. I did notice that prices at the Salon were generally up a little, but I appreciate the emphasis on quality that these local vendors have. I hope others do too.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37038\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37038\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37038\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Manabi-Liquid-Gold.jpg\" alt=\"Manabi Liquid Gold\" width=\"320\" height=\"472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Manabi-Liquid-Gold.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Manabi-Liquid-Gold-271x400.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37038\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Manabi Liquid Gold hot chocolate mix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cacaopod and I were most curious about Kokak\u2019s new product: Manabi Liquid Gold sipping chocolate. Carol told us it\u2019s a single origin hot chocolate that uses rare Nacional cacao from Ecuador. She told us it was the first domesticated cacao grown in the world(!). It disappeared for a while, she said, but then 6 cacao trees were discovered in Ecuador and propagated, so it\u2019s available again.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a 64% cacao chocolate that you can mix with either water or milk (they also have a hot chocolate mix with powdered milk in it). It\u2019s not a powder, but little chunks of chocolate. There were 2 recipes on the pack, classic hot chocolate and European sipping style, basically a 1:2 ratio of chocolate to liquid or a 1:1 ratio (but I could be wrong because the directions were printed in gold type that was sooo tiny). We tried both recipes with milk.<\/p>\n<p>The classic version was a mild flavored hot chocolate but I thought it was too weak unless you were going to add other flavors to it. Like\u00a0peppermint or hazelnut might do the trick.<\/p>\n<p>The thicker European style was the way to go. It had more chocolate flavor and a better mouthfeel. The texture was very smooth \u2014 all those little chunks of chocolate melted easy in heated milk. And it coated my mouth with a nutty chocolatey taste that lingered. Excellent sipping chocolate. I will have to get another bag to try it with water because one bag basically makes only 4 espresso cups worth of sipping chocolate and we have experimented ourselves to the end of this one.<\/p>\n<p>The other new-to-us Kokak offering we tried was the Sweet Sixteen collection, which as the name implies is a collection of 16 chocolates. They make more than 16 flavors, but the box we got seemed like a good representation of their flavors with some from each of their flavor categories: Classics, Vegan, Fruit &amp; More, Coffee\/Tea &amp; More, Pies &amp; More, Nuts, and Liqueur.<\/p>\n<p>The set included both dark and milk shells, and dark or milk ganaches or caramel inside.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37057\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37057\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37057\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peanut-Marshmallow.jpg\" alt=\"Peanut Marshmallow\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peanut-Marshmallow.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peanut-Marshmallow-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37057\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peanut Marshmallow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I had to try the Peanut Marshmallow first because 1) peanut flavor and 2) the puffy clouds on sky blue decal was super cute. Inside the thin dark chocolate\u00a0shell was a thin layer of marshmallow foam over a milk chocolate ganache. It had a tiny crunch with an immediate peanut flavor then marshmallow added to it. Adding the good dark chocolate couverture, it made for a very tasty combo.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37058\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37058\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37058\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Earl-Grey.jpg\" alt=\"Earl Grey\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Earl-Grey.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Earl-Grey-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37058\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Earl Grey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Earl Grey was so pretty with its\u00a0Japanese print wave closeup decal, so I had to try that next. It had a thick milk chocolate\u00a0shell and a milk chocolate ganache that smelled\u00a0like Earl Grey. It tasted mostly milk chocolate then citrusy Earl Grey. It was a good Earl Grey flavor, not perfumy but distinctly Earl Grey, and the flavor lingered afterwards. I liked the balance between the chocolate and the tea, and it made me wonder if the thick shell was a conscious decision to balance the Earl Grey.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37059\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37059\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37059\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Pistachio.jpg\" alt=\"Strawberry Pistachio\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Pistachio.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Strawberry-Pistachio-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37059\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Strawberry Pistachio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next we sampled the vegan Strawberry Pistachio because I love pistachio but have found it often doesn\u2019t survive in chocolate so I\u2019m always on the lookout for a successful inclusion of this distinct but mild nut.\u00a0This was a dark chocolate shell with a layer of strawberry jam over a nut base inside that gave it a little crunch. The taste started with Kokak\u2019s delicious\u00a0dark chocolate then strawberry then pistachio, yea! I could\u00a0actually taste pistachio and I liked that it was the last flavor to develop and the\u00a0pistachio and chocolate flavors lingered.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37062\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37062\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37062\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Vanilla-Bean-Sea-Salt-Caramel.jpg\" alt=\"Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Caramel\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Vanilla-Bean-Sea-Salt-Caramel.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Vanilla-Bean-Sea-Salt-Caramel-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Caramel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From the Classics selection, which included single origin dark and milk chocolates, I liked Kokak\u2019s take on salted caramel, the Vanilla Bean Sea Salt Caramel. It was a liquid caramel inside a thick dark chocolate shell. It had a more vanilla forward taste than a lot of vanilla caramels I\u2019ve tried and was not salty.<\/p>\n<p>I enjoyed this collection which also included flavors like Pumpkin Spice, Chai, Gianduja, and more exotic flavors like Mango Lemongrass and Kalamansi Almond Pie. \u00a0One of the important things about Kokak Chocolates is that they make most everything that goes into their chocolates themselves \u2014 like the vanilla used starts from vanilla pods they scrap themselves \u2014 and they use real ingredients \u2014 like their Banana Caramel\u00a0uses real bananas mashed into the caramel, not banana extract.<\/p>\n<p>Kokak Chocolate received Gold for New Product Award, Silver for Best Milk Chocolates and Best Organic or Fair Trade Products, and Honorable Mentions for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations and Best Traditional Chocolates.<\/p>\n<p>You can buy Kokak Chocolates at their\u00a0Castro district store\/caf\u00e9,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kokakchocolates.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online<\/a>, and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"kindred\">Kindred Caramels<\/h2>\n<p>After talking rising costs with Carol from Kokak, at the next booth I noticed they hadn\u2019t raised their prices. When I mentioned it to Jeri Vasquez, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/south-bay-chocolate\/kindred-cooks\/\">Kindred Caramels<\/a>\u2019 <\/strong>owner and chief confectioner, she said they were able to keep costs the same as before because most of the cost in making caramels is the labor so the rising prices of ingredients hasn\u2019t affected them as much. So in a time of rising costs being a more labor intensive business is the way to go, I guess.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37043\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37043\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37043\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Jeri-at-Kindred-Caramels-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Jeri at Kindred Caramels\u2019 booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Jeri-at-Kindred-Caramels-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Jeri-at-Kindred-Caramels-booth-320x370.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Jeri-at-Kindred-Caramels-booth-400x462.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37043\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jeri at Kindred Caramels\u2019 booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jeri had the full line of Kindred\u2019s current caramel flavors at the Salon, but no new ones. She said she makes one new flavor a year usually and was already working on a new one for next year.<\/p>\n<p>We sampled a few of her smooth buttery caramels, including the Espresso (nice coffee flavor and no bitterness), Coconut (so coconutty, really good for coconut lovers), and the Marshmallow and Chocolate (soft little marshmallows and semisweet chocolate chunks peeking out of a caramel wrapper \u2014 all it needs is some nuts and it\u2019s a rocky road caramel).<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know how she comes up with new flavors every year, but Jeri did encourage us to make caramel mashups \u2014 2 or more flavored caramels eaten together. It works well because her caramels are smooth and aren\u2019t coated so you can smush them together to the extent you want. For example, when she adds chocolate to her caramels, she puts the chocolate inside the caramel instead of coating the caramel with chocolate.<\/p>\n<p>Kindred Caramels received Bronze for Best Milk Chocolates and Best Caramels or Truffles.<\/p>\n<p>Kindred Caramels are available in stores around SFBA (check their website for locations), <a href=\"https:\/\/kindredcaramels.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a>, and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sprinkles\">Brigadeiro Sprinkles<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/brigadeiro-sprinkles\/\">Brigadeiro Sprinkles<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was party headquarters for me this year. I got one box of their creative not-too-sweet brigadeiros for a thank-you gift and their brigadeiro filled panettone for a birthday cake. And they had other party\/gift appropriate items too, all incorporating brigadeiro paste. As owner\/chef Zeila Schappelle has told us before, she is making her treats for the American palate, but \u201ceverything with a Brazilian twist.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37046\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37046\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37046\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Zeila-and-her-assistant-at-the-Brigadeiro-Sprinkles-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Zeila and her assistant at the Brigadeiro Sprinkles booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Zeila-and-her-assistant-at-the-Brigadeiro-Sprinkles-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Zeila-and-her-assistant-at-the-Brigadeiro-Sprinkles-booth-320x229.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Zeila-and-her-assistant-at-the-Brigadeiro-Sprinkles-booth-400x287.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37046\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zeila and her assistant at the Brigadeiro Sprinkles booth show off their brigadeiro spread gift box<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At the Salon, Zeila showed us her new treats like chocolate chip cookies filled with brigaderio paste, brigaderio spreads, Panettone with brigaderio paste inside, and snack cakes in a cup. She came up with the cookies because \u00a0\u201cAmericans love chocolate chip cookies so I put a Brazilian flair on it.\u201d And the snack cake in a cup was her solution to \u201cwhen you want to eat something sweet but not a whole cake.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37064\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37064\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37064\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Chocolate-Cake-with-Tres-Leches-Brigadeiro-Filling.jpg\" alt=\"Chocolate Cake with Tres Leches Brigadeiro Filling\" width=\"320\" height=\"340\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37064\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chocolate Cake with Tres Leches Brigadeiro Filling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>I don\u2019t usually think baked goods at the Salon, but we did try the snack cake. It\u2019s pretty ingenious: a chocolate cake layered with tres leches brigadeiro paste and raspberry jam, topped with crispy rice pearls and packed in a reclosable container. It was a moist chocolatey cake and the brigadeiro paste was like a cream cheese frosting. The raspberry was a delicious sweet\/tart addition and the crunchy pearls added another texture layer. Having it in the clear tub was nice because you could see the layers plus it kept the cake fresh. It is a generous serving \u2014 it took Cacaopod and I several days to finish, so we appreciated that we could reseal it and pop it in the fridge.\u00a0Excellent idea, well executed.<\/p>\n<p>We also got the Chocolate Chip Panettone with Brigadeiro Filling. This was a full sized panettone, the dessert bread with dried fruits which Zeila gave her twist with chocolate chips and chocolate frosting and a lot of smooth chocolatey brigadeiro paste inside. Opening the package it smelled great and it made a perfect birthday cake for our friend who liked having a less sweet option instead of typical birthday cake. Plus the creamy brigaderio filling in traditional panetoni bread made it decadent enough for a celebration and kept the\u00a0bread from becoming dried out so nobody had to resort to making toast out of it before it was all eaten.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37065\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37065\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37065\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Persimmon.jpg\" alt=\"Persimmon\" width=\"200\" height=\"218\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37065\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Persimmon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Of course we could not leave without a box of brigadeiros. This time the flavors included some unique ones like Persimmon which had a crunchy sugar shell and a subtle persimmon flavor in white chocolate;\u00a0Sweet Potato which had\u00a0a marshmallow inside semisweet chocolate, a chewy texture, and good sweet potato flavor that lingered; and\u00a0Pumpkin Coconut, which Zeila had told us before is a classic Brazilian combo.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37066\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37066\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37066\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Pumpkin-Coconut.jpg\" alt=\"Pumpkin Coconut\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Pumpkin-Coconut.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Pumpkin-Coconut-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37066\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pumpkin Coconut<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Pumpkin Coconut was a white chocolate brigadeiro covered in orange sprinkles with a whole clove as the pumpkin\u2019s stem. So cute. It was made with pumpkin pur\u00e9e and coconut and smelled like\u00a0pumpkin and spicy cloves. It had a\u00a0chewy coconut texture plus a little crunch from the sugar crystals. It tasted mostly of\u00a0clove at first, then pumpkin and coconut. It reminded me a little of pumpkin curry. It\u2019s a good mix.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37067\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37067\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37067\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gingerbread.jpg\" alt=\"Gingerbread\" width=\"200\" height=\"266\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37067\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gingerbread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another excellent white chocolate brigadeiro in this selection was the Gingerbread with its little piece of candied ginger on top. It was rolled in gingerbread crumbs? Cinnamon sugar? Dunno but the ingredients listed\u00a0molasses, lemon, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.<\/p>\n<p>All I know is that it had a classic molasses and gingerbread spices taste with lots of clove. It was so gooood.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37068\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37068\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37068\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Brigadeiros-fall-2022-selection.jpg\" alt=\"Brigadeiros fall 2022 selection\" width=\"320\" height=\"306\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37068\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brigadeiro Sprinkles fall 2022 selection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The rest of the brigadeiros in the box were also good, with new flavors like Green Apple, Baily\u2019s, Champagne,\u00a0Noir Orange, Bark (peppermint), and\u00a0Hazelnut Praline in chocolates from white to 70% dark and even a ruby chocolate one (Passion Fruit). With a variety of exterior treatments from the traditional chocolate sprinkles to crispy pearls, cocoa powder, and nuts, it was a colorful appealing assortment.<\/p>\n<p>Brigadeiro Sprinkles received Bronze for Best Dark Chocolates, Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product, and New Product Award.<\/p>\n<p>You can buy\u00a0Brigadeiro Sprinkles confections\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brigadeirosprinkles.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a> and at special events.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"charlotte\">Charlotte Truffles<\/h2>\n<p>A final peppermint bar contestant appeared at\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/charlotte-truffles\/\">Charlotte Truffles\u2019<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0booth. But first I got distracted by their eye catching Advent calendar which had 25 bonbons hidden behind illustrations of Christmas ornaments. Perfect gift for patient chocolate lovers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37042\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37042\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37042\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-and-assistant-at-Charlotte-Truffles-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Charlotte and assistant at Charlotte Truffles booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-and-assistant-at-Charlotte-Truffles-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-and-assistant-at-Charlotte-Truffles-booth-320x258.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-and-assistant-at-Charlotte-Truffles-booth-400x322.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37042\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charlotte and assistant at Charlotte Truffles booth with the Advent calendar and holiday bonbon collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Charlotte really got into the Christmas spirit this time with the calendar, a holiday themed bonbon collection, molded chocolate Christmas ornaments filled with treats, molded Santas, and two peppermint treats: the bar and a hot chocolate stick. She also had bars and bonbons for custom 8\u201316 piece boxes they were assembling for Salon attendees. When I commented on her bountiful booth, she jokingly said,\u00a0\u201cTis the season of no sleeping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the hot chocolate peppermint stick, Charlotte also had a \u201cKiss Me, I\u2019m Irish\u201d stick made with Bailey\u2019s Irish Cream. She recommended using that one in coffee for an Irish coffee twist.<\/p>\n<p>I could not pass up the holiday themed bonbon collection, it was so cute! 4 holiday themed flavors in shiny colored half domes of dark chocolate that were stamped with Christmas cookie images. The box wrapper was a more grown up, elegant snowy pines at nighttime image, so it made the opening a fun reveal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37052\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37052\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37052\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cranberry-Orange.png\" alt=\"Cranberry Orange\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cranberry-Orange.png 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Cranberry-Orange-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37052\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cranberry Orange<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The blue dome decorated with a white pine tree was Charlotte\u2019s Cranberry Orange Truffle which had a cranberry p\u00e2te de fruit dollop in the orange flavored white chocolate ganache inside a thin dark chocolate shell. The immediate flavors were orange and dark chocolate.\u00a0Cranberry started as a subtler note that became more pronounced as the chocolate melted away. The ganache was smooth and the p\u00e2te de fruit was not a firm jelly but more liquid so it didn\u2019t require chewing for the flavor to release.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37053\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37053\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37053\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peppermint.png\" alt=\"Peppermint\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peppermint.png 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Peppermint-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37053\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Peppermint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The gold snowflake decorated dark red dome was\u00a0Peppermint and it did smell very\u00a0peppermint-y. It had a dark chocolate shell and a dark chocolate peppermint cream filling.\u00a0The peppermint tasted very refreshing and was a nice balance with the dark slightly bitter chocolate. Cacaopod called it a grown up peppermint treat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37054\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37054\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37054\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gingerbread.png\" alt=\"Gingerbread\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gingerbread.png 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Gingerbread-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37054\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gingerbread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The gingerbread man on the white painted dome was of course gingerbread flavored. Another dark chocolate shell and ganache, the ganache was loaded with\u00a0spices and laid on top of a thin layer of gingerbread cookie. It started out\u00a0spicy! with ginger and clove dominant then mellowed out to a more holiday spice mix taste. I was surprised the\u00a0layer of cookie bits wasn\u2019t crunchy, and it was missing a molasses flavor, so this was more of a spice cookie flavor than gingerbread\u00a0to me.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37055\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37055\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37055\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Eggnog.png\" alt=\"Eggnog\" width=\"200\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Eggnog.png 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Eggnog-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37055\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Eggnog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The last piece, the white snowman on a caramel colored dome, was\u00a0Eggnog. Inside the dark chocolate shell there were visible specks of nutmeg in the white chocolate ganache. It smelled\u00a0like nutmeg and rum, and tasted first of\u00a0rum then nutmeg then creamy chocolate. I loved\u00a0the nutmeg and rum combo in this piece. The nutmeg was the strongest flavor but it had a nice cream under taste like a good eggnog. Excellent piece.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Truffles received Bronze for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations, Best Dark Chocolates, and Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product; and Honorable Mentions for Top Artisan Chocolatier, Best Caramels or Truffles, and Best in Salon.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte Truffles\u00a0chocolates are now available <a href=\"https:\/\/charlottetruffles.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a> (yea!), at the Menlo Park Farmers Market, and a few select other locations.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37044\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37044\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37044\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sonoma-Chocolatiers-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Sonoma Chocolatiers booth\" width=\"320\" height=\"545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sonoma-Chocolatiers-booth.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sonoma-Chocolatiers-booth-235x400.jpg 235w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 85vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37044\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Gambill &amp; assistant at Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 booth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"sonoma\">Sonoma Chocolatiers<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/sonoma-chocolatiers-2020\/\">Sonoma Chocolatiers<\/a><\/strong> had a variety of their unique, all dark truffles and caramels at the Salon, plus some molded chocolates. When we stopped by they were busy handing out samples, answering tons of questions, and selling both ready made packs and custom assortments.<\/p>\n<p>They did very well in the competition, receiving Silver for Best Caramels or Truffles and New Product Award; Bronze for Best Chocolate Bar, Best Milk Chocolates, and Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product; and Honorable Mentions for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations and Best Traditional Chocolates.<\/p>\n<p>Sonoma Chocolatiers\u2019 chocolates are available at their store, <a href=\"https:\/\/sonomachocolatiers.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online<\/a>, at special events, and at <a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/olivers-market-stony-point\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oliver\u2019s Market<\/a>, a Sonoma County supermarket chain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37045\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37045\" style=\"width: 420px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37045\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Z.-Cioccolato-booth.jpg\" alt=\"Z. Cioccolato booth\" width=\"420\" height=\"491\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Z.-Cioccolato-booth.jpg 420w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Z.-Cioccolato-booth-320x374.jpg 320w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Z.-Cioccolato-booth-400x468.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 85vw, 420px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37045\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Staff @ Z. Cioccolato\u2019s booth handing out samples<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"cioccolato\">Z. Cioccolato<\/h2>\n<p>The staff at the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/z-cioccolato\/\">Z. Cioccolato<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0booth was busy handing out samples and offering deals on their fudge tubs in a variety of flavors. Z. Cioccolato received Silver for Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack Product, Bronze for Best Milk Chocolates, and Honorable Mentions for Top Artisan Chocolatier, Best Traditional Chocolates, and Best in Salon.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to their North Beach store, you can order Z. Cioccolato fudge <a href=\"https:\/\/zcioccolato.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"good\">The Good Chocolate<\/h2>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/the-good-chocolate\/\">The Good Chocolate<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0had their full lineup at the Salon of bars, minibars, squares, and boxes. They received Bronze for Best Dark Chocolates.<\/p>\n<p>You can find The Good Chocolate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegoodchocolate.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online<\/a>, at special events, and at some local grocery stores, such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/hudson-greens-and-goods\/\">Hudson Greens &amp; Goods<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"chaga\">The Chaga Company<\/h2>\n<p>Not strictly a chocolate vendor, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/local-chocolate\/the-chaga-company\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Chaga Company<\/a>,<\/strong> SF, makes drinks, powders, tinctures, and salts infused or imbued with chaga mushrooms which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They have a couple of chocolate products, a hot chocolate mix and chocolate pieces infused with chaga. I missed them this time, but they have an online store and do special events.<\/p>\n<p>They received Silver for New Product Award, and Bronze for Most Delicious Ingredient Combinations and Best Comfort Chocolate or Snack product.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><a href=\"#list\">\u2191 back to list<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"peppermint\">Peppermint challenge<\/h2>\n<p>Peppermint was a popular flavor at the Fall Salon, which makes sense since it\u2019s a flavor that all but screams Christmas. There were more peppermint options than I could take in, but we did get 3 different peppermint bars that Cacaopod and I shared with a couple of other chocolate lovers to compare. All 3 bars had a mix of dark and white chocolate and incorporated peppermint candy but they were all different taste experiences.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37022\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37022\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37022\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-Peppermint-Bark.jpg\" alt=\"The Xocolate Bar Peppermint Bark\" width=\"200\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-Peppermint-Bark.jpg 200w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/The-Xocolate-Bar-Peppermint-Bark-160x400.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 85vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37022\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Xocolate Bar Peppermint Bark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Xocolate Bar Peppermint Bark<\/h3>\n<p>The Xocolate Bar Peppermint Bark was a long bar with white chocolate layered over dark chocolate and flavored with peppermint oil and lots of crushed candy canes. In fact it was\u00a0crammed with peppermint pieces making for an appealing visual of abundance.<\/p>\n<p>This was a more\u00a0white chocolate than dark chocolate bar, very peppermint-y tasting, not as chocolatey as the other 2. And all that peppermint made it a chewing chocolate not a melting chocolate, but it had a good crunch and wasn\u2019t bitter.<\/p>\n<p>This was the favorite bar of the white chocolate lover in the group, and we all liked its crunchiness.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37021\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37021\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37021\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-Truffles-Peppermint-Bar.jpg\" alt=\"Charlotte Truffles Peppermint Bar\" width=\"260\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-Truffles-Peppermint-Bar.jpg 260w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Charlotte-Truffles-Peppermint-Bar-208x400.jpg 208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 85vw, 260px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37021\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charlotte Truffles Peppermint Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Charlotte Truffles Peppermint Bar<\/h3>\n<p>Charlotte Truffles\u2019 Peppermint Bar \u00a0was a big bar and its mold of interlocking pyramids looks like snow capped mountains with its mix of dark and white\u00a0chocolate. Bits of peppermint stick had been mixed into the white chocolate and scattered over the dark chocolate backside.<\/p>\n<p>This bar had the simplest ingredients list of the group: dark chocolate, white chocolate, and peppermint stick.\u00a0The peppermint bits were a good size to give the bar a bit of a crunch and as a fairly thin bar, the chocolates melted quickly giving the cooling peppermint dominance. It was truly a refreshing bar.<\/p>\n<p>We did have to start off chewing a little, but then we could let it melt chewing the occasional bits revealed in the melting chocolate. The dark chocolate was stronger than The Xocolate Bar\u2019s bar, and it tasted a little nutty. We thought it was a good classic peppermint chocolate bar.<\/p>\n<h3>CocoTutti Pepper(mint)!<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_37020\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-37020\" style=\"width: 240px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-37020\" src=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoTutti-Peppermint-bar.jpg\" alt=\"CocoTutti Pepper(mint)! bar\" width=\"240\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoTutti-Peppermint-bar.jpg 240w, https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CocoTutti-Peppermint-bar-192x400.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 85vw, 240px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-37020\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CocoTutti Pepper(mint)! bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The CocoTutti Pepper(mint)! tablet was a\u00a074% dark chocolate swirled with 33% Valrhona Opalyse white and sprinkled with peppermint candy. But it had a hidden ingredient:\u00a0pink peppercorns.<\/p>\n<p>It smelled peppermint-y from the scattered peppermint candy bits and they gave a tiny crunch to the thick bar.<\/p>\n<p>Peppermint was the first flavor then chocolate as it melted. It\u00a0fills your mouth with chocolate flavor, and then you taste the peppercorn notes \u2014 but not too much. It was a\u00a0good balance with the peppercorns giving it a savory slant to the refreshing peppermint.<\/p>\n<p>This bar was harder than the others so it did take some chewing before it melted.\u00a0Chocolate was the flavor that lingered. We labeled it\u00a0adult peppermint because it was not too minty \u2014 the dark chocolate and peppercorns toned it down. This was Cacaopod and my favorite of the three.<\/p>\n<p>Our small group approved of all 3 bars. The Xocolate Bar\u2019s Peppermint Bark was the strongest peppermint tasting one and mildest chocolate one. Easy choice for kids, white chocolate lovers, and peppermint fanatics. Charlotte Truffles\u2019 Peppermint Bar was a beautiful balanced bar that would make nice holiday gifts. And CocoTutti\u2019s Pepper(mint)! tablet was an unusual grown up \u2014 and slightly spicy \u2014 take on the holiday candy.<\/p>\n<p>After our little competition, only one question lingers: If peppermint is so refreshing, why isn\u2019t it a summer flavor?<\/p>\n<h2>Want to know more?<\/h2>\n<p>You can see the whole list of award winners from this year\u2019s Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon \u2014 plus the attendees\u2019 list of award winners \u2014 on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fallchocolatesalon.com\/fall-holiday-chocolate-salon-awards-announced-for-2022\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chocolate Salon site<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lots of refreshing &#038; uplifting news in our little corner of the chocolate world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":37028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42,168,15,222,14,41],"tags":[1272,1023,275,495,826,1064,935,892,281,1065,1063,1313,1053],"class_list":["post-36904","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-bay-chocolate","category-events","category-local-chocolate","category-peninsula-chocolate","category-ourchocolatiers","category-san-francisco-chocolate","tag-brigadeiro-sprinkles","tag-charlotte-truffles","tag-cocotutti","tag-flying-noir","tag-kindred-caramels","tag-kokak-chocolates","tag-michaels-chocolates","tag-rainy-day-chocolate","tag-socola-chocolatier","tag-sonoma-chocolatiers","tag-the-good-chocolate","tag-the-xocolate-bar","tag-z-cioccolato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36904"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44961,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36904\/revisions\/44961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chocolatebythebay.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}