Look! There we are in a delicious Valentine's Day Slideshow on Kaboose. So nice to see our delicious dainties in such good company!
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Look! There we are in a delicious Valentine's Day Slideshow on Kaboose. So nice to see our delicious dainties in such good company!
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Theo has been spotted on another great green inspired Valentine post, this time courtesy of Wecanlivegreen.
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Join Us Valentine's day, February 14th for "Belle Debauche" Doors open at 8pm
A feast for the senses featuring luscious oysters, mouth-watering chocolate concoctions, tantalizing aerial and acrobatic performance, live music, dancing, and secret erotic surprises that will delight your imagination and ignite your passion.
Bring your sweetie or find one here!
21 & Over
Tickets are $65 advance, $75 at the door, and include food and all performances.
Tickets are available at: http://www.brownpaperticket.com or at the Theo Store.
I'll see you there!
Smooches,
Kiki
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Fellow Theonistas know that chocolate from different regions of the world can taste very different - like our Madagascar and Venezuela - worlds apart!
Just how many types of chocolate are there? Well…… analysis of the DNA of Theobroma Cacao (aka: Chocolate Tree) suggests that there are likely thousands and thousands of members of the Cacao family.
Using lots of computing power, the Science Geeks at Theo constructed the world’s first “family tree” of Theobroma Cacao. At left is a sneak peak of what the chocolate family tree looks like so far.
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Check out Green LA Girl's sweet little post about Eco-Chocolates for your valentine. She also posted a thoughtful list of ideas on how to green up your v-day celebrations. Love is in the air...
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A Lovely writeup from Stephanie Dickison of Got The Knack. She writes: "With so much chocolate available, don’t you want the good stuff?" And I would have to agree. Check it out!
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Chocolate Health Issues – good for your heart?
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And Komo's Julien Perry tells us that The Tasting room is ready to smexx you up with tarty tidbits of deliciousness - "We offer a great little artisan cheese plate, we do Salumi cured meats and we do Theo chocolate confections. So, enough of the good food groups!"
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Check us out! We are in the eco-green swagbag this year at Sundance! And in such good company too! I hear these bags are coveted - I mean, it comes with a skateboard?! Who wouldn't want that. And lots and lots of other goodies too. In fact, I contemplated circling our wee giftie in the large version of this image just so's you wouldn't miss it.
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Theonistas everywhere are getting jiggy with delight over our recent press hit in Oprah Magazine (The February 2008 issue, page 30, woot!) We are honored, amazed, and excited about the prospect of spreadin' the love all across the land. So raise a glass for Theo Chocolate! Happy Friday! - Kiki
postscript: big ups to Daivid Blaine for his mention (and his oompa loompa - tres chic!) on The Back Kitchen
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The principal alkaloid of the Cacao bean is theobromine, a close structural relative of caffeine. Theobromine differs from caffeine by only one methyl group and is a metabolite of caffeine (that means you can find this stuff in your liver after you drink a cup of coffee). It is one of the molecules that makes chocolate taste characteristically bitter.
Cacao contains between 1.5-3% theobromine and 0.2-0.4% caffeine (note that there is a small amount of caffeine in dark chocolate). Theobromine has a ten-fold less stimulating effect to humans than caffeine does so you won't get a "espresso rush" eating chocolate, although lots of sugar will provide a bit of oomph . For dogs however chocolate is a "no-no", 100-200 mg of theobromine per kg of a dogs body weight can cause cardiac and central nervous system distress since they cannot metabolize (i.e. get rid of it) as easily as humans can.
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Best Real-world Approximation Of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory: - Best of Seattle ® - 2007 - (Seattle Weekly). Big Thanks for the Seattle Weekly Love! We are honored, and drunk... on chocolate! Theonistas por Vida!
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Very Important Sounding Press Release!!Check it out! We have two new <blink>AWESOME</blink> Phinney flavors- we launched them at the Fancy Foods Show and in our Retail store at the factory this weekend to resounding acclaim! Fig, Fennel & Almond is a chewy and aromatic vegan delight, and Hazelnut Crunch (my new obsession) is a crescendo of velvety milk chocolate, hazelnuts, crunchy brittle & sea salt. Buy two, because you'll eat the first one so fast your head will swim. And correct me if I'm wrong, but these are some of the cyootest labels evarrr~! You can't see it on the final bar it's in the glue zone, but one of the hazelnut babies is, in fact, wearing the most anerable little striped socks and legwarmers. (you must forget the lapse into my native lolspeak, I am overcome with both cuteness and deliciousness!)
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Check out Love #1 and Love #2 for fellow Theonista-at-heart Zaara of Kittenchops, who designs all our lovely packaging. Yay Zaara! Here is her blog- where you can see some interesting things she is up to!
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Antioxidants are molecules that reduce oxidative damage to cells and bio-molecules. As we age or we are exposed to stress (e.g. burnt foods, too much sunlight, exposure to pollutants, bad movies etc.) our body is attacked by “free radicals” which lead to premature aging and disease. Consumption of antioxidant-rich foods is thought to be a good thing....
The antioxidant in Chocolate you should pay attention to is called (-)- Epicatechin. As a (very) rough estimate the maximal dosage of epicatechin in a large dark chocolate bar is about 2.8 grams (or 40 mg/kg for an average human). That is quite a lot. Under-processed chocolate and characteristically astringent chocolate containing very high cacao solid percentages (90-100%) could contain even higher levels (but the jury is still out on how and when and why). Having said that..... all dark chocolate is not created equal so the actual epicatechin content can vary a lot.
The antioxidant activity of chocolate is exceedingly high on a percentage dry weight basis even when compared with berries, beans and fruits. (Perhaps it is not really that surprising since pure dark chocolate is a ground fruit seed....... But....remember that chocolate has a significant fat content so whilst it may have potential health benefits it is not a panacea)
Back to the antioxidant levels..... dark chocolate and cacao powder have approximately 20% and 75% of the antioxidant activity per gram in comparison to the Acai berry (Euterpe oleracea), currently recognized as a most antioxidant rich natural foodstuff based on measurements in oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays
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What can the DNA of Chocolate tell us?
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of all living organisms. The DNA of Theobroma cacao (the “Cacao tree”) consists of 390,000,000 letters ........that’s 8.7 times less information than the DNA of humans.
Just like wine, Cacao consists of many different varieties that differ by the genetic information encoded in their DNA. Different Cacao varieties have different flavor profiles. The "old-school" way of making chocolate relied on heavily blending to produce a consistent flavor from year to year and crop to crop so all of this natural diversity was never really appreciated....What a shame!
In fact thousands of varieties of Cacao exist but most have no common names and are commonly blended together in cheap chocolate to make it all taste the same. Yuk….
Luckily new trends on chocolate mean that it is getting easier to get hold of "single origin" chocolate and the flavor differences are HUGE!
Genetic fingerprinting (the same technique used by CSI to track down criminals by their DNA signature) can also be applied to type Cacao. The technique looks pretty cool and is proving pretty handy in the secret Chocolate Laboratory. The multicolored image to the left shows the results of a Theo Chocolate Laboratory Genetic Fingerprint of two relatives of Cacao. There are four "loci" analyzed in this experiment. From left to right the first is identical, the second is partially related, the third is unrelated and the fourth is very distinct.
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ingredients:
20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare brown rice according to package directions.
Warm the curry sauce, thinning it out with 1 cup of chicken stock and grate in 1/2 of the
chocolate serving. Stir in grated carrot. Continue to heat sauce and
adjust the stock/sauce/chocolate ratio to your taste. When the sauce ratio is perfected, pour over the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes at 350˚. Salt
and pepper to taste. Serve chicken over brown rice with parsley garnish.
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You know it as the "Preparation for Battle Scene" in the movies - the music gets all dark and serious and militant, a series of cut shots of serious people doing serious things in a serious way (polishing axes, training in kung fu, determined shoe shopping) suggesting the passage of time spent getting ready for whatever final finality waits at the end of the film - that's what Theo HQ is like this week as we prepare for the Fancy Food Show. Except, you know, with chocolate. And less kung fu. The show runs this Sunday through Tuesday, if you're going, be sure and stop by for chocolaty reinforcements, for whatever lies ahead (possibly ninjas)!
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Check out the hot mention on nwsource readerblogs, courtesy of Cakespy! We too, are excited about the Aphrodisiac collection (and eating all the "not pretty enough for the box" pieces) and our two new Phinney flavors, and some other top secret things on the horizon! Another item worth checking out it this lovely and approachable (ie: funny and irreverent) guide to Champagne & Dessert pairing. New Years may be passed, but friday is just around the corner...
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This is an awesome compendium of the hows-wheres-whys of using and finding goat dairy products, and includes a recipe for Goat's Milk Fudge. A lovely pastry chef I know makes a to-die-for Goat's Milk Caramel and I have to say the added subtle tang in a rich, true caramel could send a foodie just over the brink of bliss (well, me at least!) Here is a goaty little slideshow from Redwood Hill Farms, also courtesy of Ethicurean. In my previous life as a Whole Foodie, I had the privilege of touring the Port Madison goat dairy on Bainbridge Island and it was truly an enlightening and delicious experience. Enjoy!
postscript: redonkulous baby goat movie clip from cuteoverload. Goats are in the cosmic consciousness today apparently.
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by Theonista Meg McPhaden
I’m having 91 proof at work, and it’s legal. Venezuela 91% cacao Theo bar, that is. Surrounded by other chocoholics at Theo, I am often offered samples of chocolate confections and bars that are so full of striking flavors and theobromine that I have no choice but to frolic along the canal during my breaks, giddy and completely in love.
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Kathy Casey shares some Theo love in her article in Seattle Times Newspaper on Haute Hot Chocolate.
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Maria’s New Year’s Message « The Tilth Blog. A very delicious New Year message from Maria of Tilth Restaurant
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