I drank my chocolate hazelnut tea one afternoon when I was “in the mood for something.”  I didn’t actually know what I was in the mood for, but since I didn’t have my usual chocolate pick me up handy, I thought this tea might do the trick.

It did.  I brewed the tea until the cup had a dark, rich brown color.  The aroma of this tea was wonderful! Both the chocolate and hazelnut aroma were strong and enticing.  I hoped the flavor was going to be as good as the smell. 

I was not disappointed.  The taste was true to the aroma. 

At first, the hazelnut was the only flavor note I could taste and I was momentarily disappointed that the chocolate wasn’t going to come through.  But it did present itself at the end, and the finish was chocolatey.   

I did not add any sugar or milk to my first cup because I wanted to taste the tea without distraction.  My next cup was a different experience completely since adding a little sugar and milk really made the chocolate and hazelnut flavors pop!

I wonder what it tastes like as iced tea?

On the Stash Tea website, there is a Knowledge Center.  This was my favorite part of their website.  I learned about the history of tea, terminology used in tea tasting, and tea’s benefits in health and nutrition.

Did you know that all tea; white, green, oolong and black, originates from one small flowering evergreen bush in China? And that Green tea contains large amounts of antioxidants, vitamin B and folic acid?  There’s more, but you can find out for yourself at www.stashtea.com.  Don’t forget to check out the recipes for Tea Smoothies!

I’m looking forward to more cups o’ tea.

Available from Amazon.com: Stash Premium Decaf Chocolate Hazelnut Tea, Tea Bags, 18-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)

This giant chocolate bar-shaped sign looks good enough to eat, don’t you think?

Read the whole article at the link below:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110214p2a00m0na010000c.html

The practice of using food as a beauty treatment is certainly not new.  And for my daughter, the interest in making her own natural products from scratch comes partly from being sensitive to harsh, laboratory made chemicals.  Plus, it appeals to her creative side!

The idea behind a chocolate facial mask (made from cocoa powder) is to capture the antioxidant benefits it possesses.   Antioxidants can prevent and repair damage caused by pollutants and aging.  The scientific evidence as to whether or not antioxidants can be absorbed through the skin in meaningful doses is still in debate, but it is not going to harm you if you want to try a simple and natural approach to beauty.

I have seen many variations of homemade chocolate facial masks over the years.  I have yet to try one because I’m not sure I would like to smear brownie all over my face.  I’ll just put this out there in case you are the adventuresome type and want to give it a go.

Let me know what you think!

Chocolate Facial Mask

1. 1/3 cup cocoa powder
2. 3 tablespoons cream cheese
3. 1/4 cup honey
4. 3 teaspoons oatmeal

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Spread it all over your face.  Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes then wash it off using warm water.

Resist the urge to eat it!

Friday is typically a “chocolate in the news” day so I spent a little time scouring the internet for chocolate stories that would be worth repeating.

In the past, Bryn has made several posts about large chocolate sculptures.  Well, today’s feature only looks like chocolate, you can’t really eat it.  I’m sure you wouldn’t want to.  But it is still chocolate art!

Mercedes-Benz is releasing this new chocolate themed Smart Car in time for Valentine’s Day.  Here’s a video of it’s debut in Japan.

The video cannot be shown at the moment. Please try again later.

In Japan the tradition is for women to give the men chocolates on Valentines Day.  If Bryn were to give me one of these, I would know it to be completely self-serving.  But what a great vehicle to drive to a chocolate tasting.

With the chocolate-themed wrap designed by Tadaaki Wakamatsu, this car is on sale for just under US$29,000.

Not so, for the fashion models kicking off the 13th annual New York Chocolate Show.  The models walk down the run way wearing outfits made of chocolate.

The New York Chocolate Show is one of the nation’s largest events dedicated to chocolate.

More than 65 fine chocolate companies are featured and will present an assortment of fine chocolates.

The  international Salon du Chocolat presents chocolate shows in the U.S., Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Madrid, Cairo, and Moscow.

Here’s a link to see one the models wearing her chocolate instead of eating it.  Too bad!
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2010/11/11/nyc-hosts-chocolate/

So I ran across this interesting tidbit a couple days ago.  Is it actually news or just silliness?  You decide…

A French chocolatier made a strange creation out of chocolate – a real seaworthy chocolate boat.  I think this redefines the definition of a “functional food.”

He did this to win a bet.  I guess necessity is not always the mother of invention.  You have got to check out the video of this chocolate vessel and its maiden voyage. 

Don’t try this at home, kids.  This was performed by a professional.  A professional “what” I do not know, but a professional none-the-less. :)

Go ahead, click the FaceBook “like” button up above.  It’s a fun story.

Sahagun Handmade Chocolates has  introduced this 100% COFFEE bar that looks like a traditional chocolate bar.

They call it KA-POW!

This looks like chocolate but it’s not.

I suspect this is the World Premier of the very first coffee bar.  You get the bar in several different coffee single origin varieties: Guatemalan, Costa Rican, Brazilian, and Zambian.

Only $5 per bar to experience, uh, KA-POW!  I wonder how much caffeine is in this thing? 

I’m guessing students who pull an all-nighter for their semester exams will cherish one of these in their care packages from home.

This product claims all kinds of health benefits without the added sugar and fat of eating chocolate. 

The pill contains 90% cocoa.  It is called “one a day” – Uno Al Dia.

Personally, I’d rather eat chocolate once a day and enjoy both the flavor benefits as well as any health benefits!

Of course my curiosity drove me to visit their website, www.pancracio.com, where I discovered one of Pancracio’s specialties is the Turron. 

Turrones are mostly unfamiliar to most people living in the U.S.  They are typically nougat confections made of honey, sugar, egg whites, toasted almonds or other nuts, and shaped into a rectangular tablet.  Pancracio has a varied selection of Turrones, enrobed in milk, dark and white chocolates.

Another interesting product is their Cocoa Pasta.  It is a Fusilli pasta containing cocoa.  The pasta is not sweet and I bet it is delicious served with a spicy chicken mole.

From my perspective, put the emphasis on eat!

But here’s a twist:  what about chocolate art you don’t (or can’t) eat?

Need an example… An art exhibition featuring miniature chocolate replicas of China’s ancient terracotta warriors opened this week in Taipei.

The show is called ‘World Chocolate Wonderland’ and the main attraction is a display of 400 chocolate warriors measuring 35 centimeters tall.  

Click here for the full article from Google news.

You might also enjoy an article from January when the exhibit first opened in China.  You can follow the link on the primal chocolate blog page to see a video with more information.

While I am sure this exhibition is incredible, it isn’t edible!

I like looking at chocolate art, but I love eating chocolate even more!

Chocolate-opoly is a decadently delicious property trading game for chocolate lovers.  Come again?

I haven’t had the pleasure of playing this game, so it could be fun, but I just gotta laugh thinking about it.  Keep reading.

According to the manufacturer, Late for the Sky, in Chocolate-Opoly you buy your favorite chocolate properties (ah, what would those be?), collect chunks of chocolate (not cool if not real) and requires you to suppress your chocolate cravings or get sent to Chocoholics Anonymous (as if there’s something wrong with being a chocoholic!).

Wait – there’s more…

You have to pay roasting fees!  This just gets better and better.

Here’s the tag line, “Dark, milk, bittersweet, semi-sweet, in a shake, filled with caramel, covered in nuts, or as a warm, frothy brew–there’s nothing the cocoa bean can’t do!” 

Ok then.  Who sniffed glue and then wrote that?  (of course I agree with the concept, it’s the rhyme that makes me chuckle)

All this for the list price of $29.99.  I’m thinking about all the decadently delicious chocolate I can get for that!   For real!

But, hey, I’m not really the board-game type.  If you are, maybe this would be a fun way to expand your time in the world of chocolate. 

If you’ve played it, you’re welcome to leave your own comment here in the blog.  Tell others what they can expect.

(The Chocolate-opoly text link and image link above will redirect you to Amazon where you can get the game for $10 off the list price, last time I checked.)