Posts Tagged seasonal flavors

July Flavors and Fireworks

July Fireworks!

That’s what this month’s flavors remind us of; an explosion of colors and big tastes! Ever notice how just about any summer event seems like a good excuse for fireworks? The same goes for a box of Intrigue truffles; great for any event.

July flavor

Balsamic-Strawberry Truffle

New! Balsamic-Strawberry Truffle – Shocked at this combo? Well, it’s actually an old standard; dipping fresh strawberries into a good balsamic vinegar is a mouth-freshening treat! Once again, we have translated a something gourmet into chocolate-language. In a confounding way this vinegar made from un-fermented grapes (it’s not a wine vinegar!), brings out the sweetness of the fresh fruit perfectly. Only fresh, organic strawberries are used along with quality balsamic vinegar.

July flavor

Lavender Lemonade Truffle

New! Lavender Lemonade Truffle – Summer and lemonade (evoked by fresh lemon zest); synonymous, or what? Memories of lemonade stands, whether on long, dusty country roads, or in the thick of suburbia, occupy a place in most of our childhoods. Lavender (Washington-grown!) goes the extra mile to soothe and refresh in the summer heat. Put the two together (and mix it into a truffle, of course) and you have the poster-truffle for a summer day.

July Flavor

Coconut-Cardamom Truffle

Coconut-Cardamom Truffle – You don’t have to be a vegan to appreciate this truffle (though some of our best friends are vegans, and they tell us this is great). Using coconut milk to create non-dairy creaminess makes for a delightful taste. Used around the world in cooking, baking and medicinally, you might recognize cardamom in Scandinavian breads or in curries.

July flavor

Mojito Truffle

Mojito Truffle – (That’s moe-hee-toe, gringos!). “Mi mojito en la Bodeguita” is written on the wall of the Cuban bar (the Bodeguita) in Hemingway’s handwriting. Quite an endorsement for this tropical-heat defying highball concocted of white rum, fresh lime zest and fresh organic mint. Check it out if you ever get there, the writing is still on the wall! (Intrigue’s favorite Hemingway pick; “The Old Man and the Sea”, of course! Also set in Cuba.)

July flavor

St. Basil Truffle

Saint Basil Truffle – Fresh herbs are one of the rewards for being alive on this planet, and Basil may be our top pick. Sweet and aromatic, Basil lets you know that it is good to be alive (and eating chocolate, too! Extra goodness).

July flavor

Jamaican HOT Chocolate Truffle

Jamaican HOT Chocolate Truffle – Sometimes it’s nice to know what to expect. And with this truffle, you can always expect the unexpected. It will be hot (not too hot) and spicy (not too spicy) and their will be rum involved (dark, but not too dark). We think that our Jamaican HOT is the perfect blend of familiarity and complexity that keeps you coming back for more.

Happy Birthday, Canada! (Canada Day, July 1st). And Happy Fourth of July, you ol’ USA! Party safe, Everyone. Keep your drinking off the road, keep your limbs attached and enjoy this month’s Intrigue Truffles responsibly.

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June Flavors Mean Summer’s Here!

Summer’s here
I’m for that
Got my rubber sandals
Got my straw hat
Got my cold beer
I’m just glad that it’s here
-James Taylor, “Summer’s Here”

This month’s flavors will be a hit with the backyard cook-out crowd. At Intrigue Chocolates, we like to finish our meal of burgers and slaw with a little something sweet before a game of horse shoes or bocce ball.  June’s line-up of flavors was chosen in honor of Father’s Day (it’s not just our Moms who like chocolate).All of May’s chocolate truffle flavors are available at the Chocolate Shop! Check these out:

June’s Seasonal Flavors:
Jamaican Hot Chocolate TruffleJamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – The days are getting hotter and so is this truffle, with dark rum, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, and habañero chilis.
Hibiscus Chocolate TruffleHibiscus – We all want to look younger, especially during the warm months and this truffle made with hibiscus petals just may help you do that. Hibiscus is supposed to make your hair more lustrous and keep it attached! This is just a happy coincidence for us, because we really chose this flavor because of the pattern on Dad’s Hawaiian shirts.
Scotch Chocolate TruffleSmokin’ Scotch Truffle – The peaty, smoky Scotch whisky in this truffle tastes of chocolate, a flask, and a campfire. Oh, those summer nights…
Coriander Chocolate TruffleCoriander the Great Truffle – Said to have many medicinal powers (diuretic, antioxidant, antibacterial to name a few) coriander is indeed Great! This truffle is made of toasted coriander seed and a drop of honey. Roasted nutty and lemony aromas are anchored by a touch of sweetness.
Orange-Rosemary Chocolate TruffleOrange-Rosemary Truffle – You know beyond doubt that orange is a natural with chocolate. Fresh orange zest and fresh organic rosemary bring bright musky, earthy notes to the chocolate, reminding us of the best men’s cologne.

Saint Basil Chocolate TruffleSaint Basil Truffle – So many yummy things to eat in the summer, but keep this truffle with its fresh organic basil on your menu. Basil aids in digestion and has curative properties for the tummy.

Celebrate the sun, the great outdoors, and fathers with Intrigue Chocolates!

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Mayday! May Day!

The first of May is May Day. May Day baskets are a tradition that is fading fast from cultural memory. But when we were kids, we still used to make little paper baskets and fill them with flowers. In Minnesota it was rare for there to be much blooming yet besides dandelions, so we’d make paper flowers lovingly clipped from colored construction paper. Then we would “sneak” up to grandma’s farm-house (she lived just up the hill, one house over), hang the basket on the door knob, ring the bell and run away!

Our selection of chocolate truffle flavors this month was chosen to help us celebrate our mothers and the traditions they’ve shared with us. All of May’s chocolate truffle flavors are available at the Chocolate Shop! Check these out:

May’s Seasonal Flavors:
Jamaican Hot Chocolate TruffleJamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – Dark rum was an accidental discovery of the 17th century. Fermenting molasses that was cast off during the sugar refining process evolved into this “hot, hellish liquor”. Add that and more (honey, vanilla, nutmeg and habanero chilis) to a truffle, and you’ve got an unforgettable flavor.
Jasmine Green Chocolate TruffleJasmine Green Truffle – Flowers used to make jasmine green tea are gathered during the darkness of night when their fragrance is most powerful. Culturally significant all over the world, the jasmine flower symbolizes motherhood in Thailand.
Vrai Chai Chocolate TruffleVrai Chai Truffle – Made with black tea steeped with big, chunky pieces of the real deal: 14 herbs, spices, roots, and fruit. This is not some commercially extracted and flavored powder, or a two-dimensional tea and cardamom rip-off. True to tradition, Intrigue uses a complex blend of black tea, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, orange peel, astragalus (ancient Chinese herbal treatment) , cardamom, coriander, galangal (citrusy/piney/earthy aroma, used as an aphrodisiac in Southeast Asia), gingko (memory enhancer), gotu-kola (improves mental clarity), fo-ti (longevity tonic), nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla beans.
Orchid Chocolate TruffleOrchid Truffle – Flavored with real vanilla beans, the Orchid truffle emulates the singular specialness of mothers. The vanilla bean is the fruit of an orchid (Vanilla planifolia), found originally only in Mexico. Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, hand harvested from a rare flower that lasts only for one day.
Sweet Raspberry Chocolate TruffleSweet Raspberry Truffle – Liqueurs are said to be descendant of herbal remedies perfected in ancient monasteries. Raspberries rank high among fruits for their antioxidants, so the raspberry liqueur in these truffles may very well have healing properties!
Saint Basil Chocolate TruffleSaint Basil Truffle – Lovely, fresh and organic basil as usual. From the same herbal family as mint, basil was traditionally used for its medicinal powers to treat stress and other ailments.

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April’s Chocolate Truffle Flavors and a Bit of Poetry

Poetry and good chocolate don’t get enough of the limelight. So in honor of National Poetry Month we offer this poetic thought:

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
-T.S. Eliot, 1922

Eliot may have been taking the cynical view, we at Intrigue sort of like the idea of life and green coming through the drabness, but he does put it so frightfully well! April could certainly be cruel without chocolate for consolation, so indulge with this month’s flavors and it’ll help pull you through the mud and rain!

All of April’s chocolate truffle flavors are available at the Chocolate Shop! Check these out:

April’s Seasonal Flavors:
Jamaican Hot Chocolate TruffleJamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – A winning blend of dark rum, nutmeg, honey, vanilla, and habenero. This hot little chili’s botanical name is Capsicum chinense and its common name tags it as coming from Havana; but it’s not from China or Cuba! It is found originally in the Yucatan region, but after having this truffle you can see why it became such a popular world traveler!
Bear Trap Chocolate TruffleNEW! Bear Trap Truffle – A honey schnapps from those clever Germans, the Barenjager brand name translates as “bear hunter” but the general type of liqueur is called barenfang (“bear trap”). This vodka-based liqueur adds a wistful sweetness to the chocolate.
Cardamom Chocolate TruffleCardamom Truffle – Don’t know what cardamom is? You are not alone. From the ginger family, this aromatic seed is used in cooking, tea, and medicine in India, Asia, and the Middle East. It is also a favorite spice in cookies and breads from Scandinavia. Here it highlights the comforting aspects of chocolate.
Lemon Chocolate TruffleLemon Truffle – You shouldn’t be surprised (but you probably will be pleasantly!). Lemon and chocolate go very well together, but we already knew that the citrus/chocolate coupling was a smash, didn’t we? Wow!, but of course…
Fresh Mint Chocolate TruffleFresh Mint Truffle – This tastes like the real leaves of the plant, not the processed oil or extract (that’s because we use the real leaves!). Fresh and green tasting, Menthe was a Greek nymph who was transformed into a mint plant!
Saint Basil Chocolate TruffleSaint Basil Truffle – Lovely, fresh and organic basil as usual. From the same herbal family as mint, basil was traditionally used for its medicinal powers to treat stress and other ailments.
Intrigue truffles really are the appropriate gift to celebrate poetry. Happy National Poetry Month! Place your orders for Intrigue Chocolate’s April’s Flavors!

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Beer and Chocolate

stout flavored chocolate trufflesWith over 60 recognized styles of beer, pairing beer with chocolate can present as many intriguing possibilities as with wine. And that’s just styles of beer! Add to that the regional variations in recipe, the skills and personalities of the brewers, local climates, adjuncts, spices, herbs… It’s endless! Aren’t food and drink and flavors fun?

At Intrigue Chocolates, we’ve just begun to tap this whole new range of pairing delights. We thought we’d really get the barrel rolling with a seasonal tribute to our Irish heritage (No, really, it’s true!). Our new Stout Truffle is crafted with a great big Imperial Stout beer, full of its own roasted chocolaty flavors. You can still taste the cool lift of the alcohol and feel the dense foam as the chocolate melts on your tongue.

So, go ahead and try your favorite chocolates with beer. I recommend starting off easy, with beers that are only lightly hopped and have a slight sweetness. Let me know how it goes!

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