Pretty-Up Your Chocolate Stash

From Miette

Come & get 'em! More Mast Brothers Bars, in all their glory. After several months using Madagascar cocoa as the base for all their bars, the Mast boys have moved on to beans from the Dominican Republic. That's right, they use beans seasonally! So tough.

We cracked open a Single Origin 81% bar, you know, for research, and it's delightful. Unlike the tangy, fruity, almost sour quality of the Madagascar chocolate, this bar reminds us most intensely of a freshly-pulled shot of espresso. Just imagine that: the incomparable combination of brightness, roastiness, subtle sweetness, and dark richness, topped off with that magical creaminess that all proper espresso should have. Where does that creaminess come from?! The ether? All we know is that it's fabulous.

Mast Brothers Chocolate Bars:
Salt&Pepper, Black Truffle & Sea Salt, Stumptown Coffee, & 81% Single Origin
Availability: Ferry Building, Octavia
Price: $12

Let's Go Dutch

From Miette

You might think that crushin' on Diane, Anastasia, those Mast boys, and the cutie from Penelope would be all we could handle- but no. We have infinite capacity for crushes, especially this time of year. I'd like to introduce our two newest: Mara & Anna of Dutch Door Press.

From Miette

They hand-press their folk-modern cards & prints on an antique printing press, in a gorgeous Victorian house up in the Haight. And yes, they have a real Dutch Door. I've always, always wanted one, especially so my best friend can stop by for a good gossip, Lucy & Ethel-style. Mara & Anna- how often does that happen? Once a day? Oh, good. That's what I was hoping.

Dutch Door Cards (& of course, Valentines!)
Price: Full-Size $5, Note Cards $3, Enclosure $1.75
Availability: Ferry Building, Octavia, Chestnut

Oh, Mast Brothers...

From Miette

...you've outdone yourselves. Again. Four new Limited Edition bars, in the world's prettiest papers.

Black Truffle & Sea Salt (shown above)~ incredibly sophisticated, earthy, funky, and a total knock-out. Get a loaf of Acme bread, a bottle of wine, a Black Truffle bar, and you've got dinner. -SOLD OUT

Maple & Pecan~ what I imagine Vermont tastes like- the maple syrup adds a complex, liquor-y sweetness that blends perfectly with the roasted pecans. We took a shopgirl-vote, and this is the first bar we opened to sample. Good choice. -SOLD OUT

Stumptown Coffee~ there's nothing hotter than a collaboration between Mast Brothers & Stumptown- except eating this bar at the Ace Hotel. That's the dream. Ethiopian coffee has the personality to stand up to the tangy Madagascar coffee, and the sweetness is subtle, just-right. You figure, if anyone can nail the tricky chocolate-coffee combination, it's those two forces of awesome. PDX + NYC love, right here in SFO. Now if someone could just send me a Stumptown/Mast Brothers mocha, I'll be all set. -SOLD OUT

Cranberry~ um, we haven't tried this one yet. The paper is gorgeous (purple & green), and we love cranberries, but there's only so much chocolate you can taste in one day- even for pros like us! Soon! -Still a few at Octavia!

Seasonal Mast Brothers Bars
Availability: Mostly sold-out, but we have another order pending! Price: $12
Notes: We also have Salt&Pepper, Almonds&SeaSalt, & Plain 70% Madagascar!

Just a hint...

From Miette

...we don't want to start a stampede.

From Miette

Fleur de Sel, Almonds & Sea Salt, Salt & Pepper, 70% Madagascar
Location: Octavia only, for now
Price: $12

Don't get too excited...

...it's just a wrapper. However! We have reason to believe that Mast Brothers bars will soon be making their way to us from Brooklyn. Oh, we've missed them so!
The bars, of course.
We are professionals.