New Poco Dolce Tiles Are In!

If you aren't familiar with Poco Dolce, then you need to try these toffees. They are so amazingly delicious you won't be able to stop! Come check out the new Double Shot Espresso Toffee Squares and Sea Salt Toffee Squares and find out for yourself!
For the Double Shot, they brew their own coffee and cook it directly into the toffee, then dip each individual toffee square in rich dark chocolate. And who doesn't love a little sea salt in their toffee? All in all, their are about 15 squares of chocolate dipped toffee heaven in these little packages just waiting to be eaten!

Terminology!

Cacao? Cocoa? Cocoa mass? Cocoa liquor? Cocoa butter?
At least a couple of these are explored on Chocolate in Context. Full disclosure: Bittersweet contributed :-) Be sure to let us know if these kind of terminological surveys are helpful!

New Series of Events to Start Soon!

I am currently trying to put together our next round of Thursday Night Events, but I already have a couple on the books, so get your calendars out!

June 11th: 7-9:00 PM - An Evening of Poetry Readings by Local Artists
The headliner for this night is our own, recently published, Chelsea Martin. She will be reading from her book Everything Was Fine Until Whatever. Chelsea and a couple of her friends, Mike Young and Brandon Scott, will be on hand to read some of their favorite poems to delight the crowd. It will be a great night of emotion and culture by some of our own. Also, we will have 10% OFF on Chelsea's favorite Bittersweet Cafe drink, Chocolate Milk.

If you would like more information about Chelsea Martin's book you can find it here.


June 25th: 7-9:00 PM - Chocolate Tasting with Seneca Klassen
Once again world renown Chocolatier Seneca Klassen will be here to lead a romp into the world of chocolate. Bring your loved ones and any chocolate related questions you may have, Seneca will have the answers. The size of the tasting is limited, so please call to reserve your space now, we can only allow 20 people to participate. - Event is now full! Thank you!

So get ready Bittersweet fans and keep your Thursday Night's open. We are going to be having fun this summer at Bittersweet Cafe!

New Soup Options!

As you may know we get our soups delivered fresh daily from 5th Street Bakery in Berkeley, the same as our pastries. Well now we have some new options on our weekly schedule. How does Broccoli Cheddar with Roasted Garlic sound? or Ginger Coconut Chicken? Sounds great to me and they are. I have tried them and confess that I like them even more than the previous round of soups.

The daily soup schedule is listed at the bottom of this page and is updated when we have any changes.

Stop in today and try one of our fabulous soups and maybe a ham and cheese croissant or loaf of bread to go with it.

Absolutely Divine Chocolate Tasting in Danville on Saturday!

This Saturday, May 9th, at the Danville Store is the Absolutely Divine Chocolate Tasting from 12:00-4:00PM.

Mark Magers will be here from Divine Chocolate, bringing tastes and answering questions about the company.

Divine Chocolate is the world's first farmer-owned Fair Trade chocolate company, founded in the UK in 1997. Divine is a leading Fair Trade brand in the UK and a pioneer in the world of socially responsible enterprise. Divine founded the US company in 2007.

The 45,000 members of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union in Ghana co-own Divine, guaranteeing the farmers meaningful input into decisions about how Divine is produced and sold. In addition, Kuapa Kokoo receives a share in the profits from their ownership shares and in 2007 celebrated the first distribution of dividends from Divine UK. Divine's ongoing success means that, in addition to the benefits brought by Fair Trade, the farmers also have a secure source of income from their brand ownership that continues to grow year on year.

This is a great opportunity to talk to a chocolate producer on a large scale to find out how it is done and taste the Divine results.

Grab the family and swing on by to taste the Divine!

Bittersweet Cafe, Danville
730 Camino Ramon
Danville, CA 94526
925-837-9900

We have Milkshakes!

Just in time for the warm weather, Bittersweet Cafe, Rockridge now has milkshakes on the menu. There are five flavors to choose from; Chocolate, Mocha, Coffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Aztec (which is based on our Spicy hot chocolate). We make everything by hand in the store (except the ice cream), so please allow a little extra time in making the drink.
And we use Loard's Vanilla Ice Cream, so you know it is quality.

Another new menu item is the Affogato. This is an amazing dessert that consists of two scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream, one scoop of our handmade Whipped Cream, and a Shot of Espresso poured over the top. What a treat and oh, so good!

They have been a hit in our other two stores and now they are in the Rockridge store.

Swing on by and try one today. They will put a smile on your face.

Coconut Chill is Back for Summer!

One of my favorites and oft requested summer drinks is back, the Chocolate Coconut Chill is here! It is the same as you always remember, light cool and refreshing coconut juice with a 61% dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Good for the soul and healthy to boot.

Refresh your mind and body with the Chocolate Coconut Chill today.

Chocolate Tasting in Danville Tonight!

Are you looking for something cool to do tonight? Just a short drive out to our Danville store and you can join in the fun!

The event you all have been waiting for and requesting will be this Thursday, May 7th, from 7-9 PM, Seneca Klassen will be holding on of his world famous Chocolate Tasting seminars.

There is limited seating, so please be sure to register and lock in your space now. It is only $5 and you won't be disappointed. There will be a variety of chocolates to taste and discuss, so bring those questions, because we will have the answers to all your chocolate queries. No question is too big or too small.

We will discuss origins and regions, storage and viability, all things chocolate.

Just call or come in to reserve your seat at the chocolate tasting table. See you there!

Bittersweet Cafe, Danville
730 Camino Ramon
Danville, CA 94526
925-837-9900

Mom's Day!

It's that time of year again and it is coming fast. This weekend is Mother's Day.

It really crept up on me quick this year.

My mother is the greatest and I want to make sure that I give her what she deserves, the very best. So, I will be picking up a few items right here at Bittersweet. It's easy for me to find the perfect gift at Bittersweet, I am here almost daily, but if you are looking and can't narrow down your choices, please stop by and ask one of our friendly Bittersweet team members for some suggestions. Here at Bittersweet we want you to find her the perfect gift also. We have a delightful assortment of chocolates and collections that any mother would be ecstatic to receive. Or, if you are a Mother and know that quality chocolate is what you desire this holiday weekend, give your family a subtle hint and send them to Bittersweet to get the gift you work hard every day to receive.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day!

My Choice for A Great Bar This Month!

People are always coming in and asking, "What is your favorite Bar?" That, for me is a really hard question. I have a few that are my favorites and it depends on my mood as to which one I would like to have at any given moment.

My choice this month is the Theo 84% Ghana Dark Bar. It is really about the darkest of the bars that I enjoy the most. I find this bar to be creamy and bold, without being bitter. The Theo Ghana Bar does take a little longer to melt on the tongue, but it has some nice floral notes that round out the complexity of flavors, with a hint of sweetness. It isn't astringent or too dry, just classic in it's flavors.

If you are not timid about going to dark, but want to try something new, I suggest the Theo Ghana 84% Dark Bar. I think it is a high percentage dark bar that is approachable and enjoyable.