Too much cocoa for my pedestrian tastes
To date I have been rather purist about my blog keeping it very much focussed on gardening but I have to admit that I have given in to the temptation of chocolate – I know it is a disgrace!
I have been sent five bars of chocolate by Chocolate & Love – yes that’s five bars of proper chocolate. This is real chocolate with high cocoa content and low sugar content – the stuff for chocolate connoisseurs. I am far from being a connoisseur and am more likely to buy a cheap milky chocolate bar with lots of sugar in it. In fact I don’t think I have ever tried chocolate with such a high cocoa content.
The first bar I tried was the one that was completely different to the others. It is called Essential Orange Conscious and the description is ‘Handmade raw chocolate with therapeutic grade essential oils of tangerine & orange’. Quite a description I thought. I’m not that keen on chocolate and orange combos such as Chocolate Oranges but thought I would approach the bar with an open mind. This bar is nothing like a Chocolate Orange. There is a distinct scent of oranges but none of the syrupy orange jelly like stuff you often get. The only hint of tangerine is in a slight citric undertone to the taste. I have to say that I didn’t really like this bar of chocolate – I found the texture a little soft and the bar left a grainy after taste. Not one I would rush to have again.
It was with trepidation that I then moved onto the other bars: 2 x Nirvanabar, 1 x Orange Mantra and 1 x Filthy Rich. I started with Nirvanabar which is described as organic dark chocolate with 55% cocoa. I was really surprised at how much I liked this chocolate. The bar gave a satisfying snap when you broke off a section, the texture was smooth and the taste was intense with a pleasant after taste that lasted for nearly an hour. It truly felt luxurious and made me think that maybe I should try good quality chocolate more often. As the experience was so good and the after taste lasted so long you only need to have a small piece at a time not munch your way through a whole bar in one hit as I am prone to do with cheaper chocolate.
I moved onto Orange Mantra “Organic dark chocolate with natural orange oil”. As with the Conscious bar the orange was not an overwhelming flavour giving more of citrus undertone and to my mind brings nothing to the chocolate. Again the quality of the chocolate was impressive. The last one I tried was the Filthy Rich bar “Organic extra dark chocolate” – this bar of chocolate is really strong and my taste buds were positively jumping after just a small piece. I think this bar is really too strong for my taste but then my tastes are quite pedestrian.
Having tried the bars I had a look at the Chocolate & Love website and was initially surprised at the cost of the bars – £2.90 for 100g bar which seemed expensive to me. However, given the quality of the chocolate and the fact that you only need a small piece at a time the cost seems more acceptable.
I would happily have the Nirvanabar bar again when I want a strong chocolate hit but for my lunch time munchies I will still be sticking to my normal cheap milky chocolate bars.
I like the sound of the Nirvanabar with its after-taste that lasts an hour. Chocolate heaven, indeed.
If you like chocolate then you need to try hotel chocolat!
Mmmmmmm, nice.
I do like dark chocolate and have replaced milk choc where I can. One very nice one is Green and Black’s Organic dark chocolate range with Cherry in it. Om nom nom.
And actually Sainsbury’s did a very nice dark choc with mint, but they seemed to have stopped doing it the last time I looked.
Well, I used to love milk chocolate, but then I could not eat milk, so I had to change. I find I like 55% cocoa better than some of the others. It isn’t as bitter, but I still must check for milk fat.~~Dee
As one who considers chocolate one of the essential food groups, I do love my chocolate. But I have to agree with you, it is possible to have too much cocoa. I just don’t like it when it gets too strong and bitter tasting.