Thorntons Dark Chocolate with Ginger 61%

A glass of wine has just been offered. Whilst this is very tempting you can't drink white wine and taste chocolate at the same time. In fact there are not that many wines that go with chocolate. Perhaps somebody can tell me which wines are good for drinking with chocolate? However, I have to show my commitment to the job of blogging and tasting chocolate. The show must go on or something like that. Wine will just have to wait a few minutes longer.


Continuing with the Thorntons theme my next chocolate is a block of dark with ginger. The chocolate is from Togo officially the Togolese Republic a small country bordered by Ghana in West Africa. Apparently Togo is highly dependent on agriculture. Apologies about the continuity my previous bar from Thorntons was also a mango coloured package!

The Chocolate: According to Thorntons this chocolate has spicy natural hints of gingerbread. Well I'll have to take their word for it as I'm sure the ginger will mask the flavour of gingerbread. Doh! Chinese ginger has been used to add some fiery heat. Rest assured there is no real heat coming from the ginger just a pleasant aromatic flavour that permeates throughout the munching process. The chunks of crystallised ginger are soft and are well balanced with the dark chocolate. The ginger and earthy flavours of the chocolate don't fade quickly and you're left with a pleasant after taste making this bar very quaff-able a bit like my glass of wine which is waiting for me. 


This is a good bar of chocolate and I'd like to taste the Togo cocoa on its own to really appreciate it as the ginger does mask it. 

For me this bar of chocolate scores a high 7/10 for flavour and texture. At £1.89 from their retail shop at Liverpool Street station you can't go far wrong and it's excellent value for money and I will certainly be going back for more.


To buy this chocolate click here Thorntons.


More Thornton bars can be found here....


http://chocchick.blogspot.com/2011/02/milk-chocolate-with-mango.html


http://chocchick.blogspot.com/2010/09/thorntons-milk-chocolate-with-hazelnut.html

Milk Chocolate with Mango

I think this is another first for me and I'm not feeling the chocolate love with this one. Mango in a fruit salad? Yes. Mango in a cheesecake? Yes. Mango in chocolate? Well the jury is out on this one. This particular bar is from Thorntons chocolate block range.


I haven't touched a morsel of this bar yet but I'm already mighty impressed with Thorntons. This particular bar is a limited edition. Why? Well the good people of Thorntons are donating 91p to Save the Children to help rebuild children's lives in Haiti with every bar purchased. The money is going towards life-changing education work in Haiti - reaching thousands of children with safer schools, classroom equipment and quality teaching.

The Chocolate: It's worth pointing out that no artificial colours or flavours are contained within this particular chocolate bar. A lot of thought has gone into this bar and obtaining the cocoa from Haiti itself must have been a real logistical nightmare. Until today I didn't realise that Haiti was a cocoa producer and there is an interesting article on the following link, 'Better farming could boost Haiti'. The cocoa being tasted today is a milk chocolate with 37% cocoa solids. The mango is not evident when you open up the package just a delicious smell of rich cocoa with a hint of tobacco. The chunks of dried mango are big and a little bit chewy. Do you remember chewing little pieces of paper when you were kid to make pellets for your pea shooter? Well it feels a bit like that as you bite down on the chocolate. The flavour of mango is there in the background and it's one of those flavours that you either love or hate. I really enjoy fresh mango but in chocolate it's not brilliant. The sweet, creamy milk chocolate masks the taste of mango which is good or bad depending on your point of view. At the end there is that hint of tobacco.

Overall I enjoyed this bar and I think it deserves 6/10 for flavour and 10/10 for Corporate Social Responsibility. I hope we find out from Thorntons how much they raise for this good cause. This particular bar was purchased for £1.89 and for 80g this is a fair price to pay. The bar is slightly cheaper on line but you have to pay for P&P. It might be worth following this link as Thorntons are running a competition at the moment, celebrating 100 years of Thorntons. Apparently 100 keys have been hidden in their chocolate blocks. Click here!

Eggs and Soldiers Classic - Hotel Chocolat

Having not visited the Hotel Chocolat store in Moorgate for a few weeks I thought I'd be in for a surprise but on entering the store I have to say I was a bit disappointed. 


Hotel Chocolat stores are very well laid out with plenty of room to walk about and browse the chocolate adorned shelves but they lack a bit of charisma. The employees, all dressed in black, are willing enough and within two minutes of entering the store a member of staff is offering up a platter of chocolate buttons to taste. But before you can ask them anything about the chocolate they quickly scurry away back to the safety of the till with their colleagues. This is a shame as other Chocolatiers are always willing to provide information about their chocolate. They need to make more of their customer service and I felt there was no wow factor. They have plenty of choice but it's just plonked on the shelf and I'm sorry mate but you're on your own, spend the cash and move on out! This is not the fault of the team as they were very pleasant and courteous. They just didn't engage. Maybe I just frightened them, yeah right. Oh well enough of my retail ruminations lets look at what I did buy.

There ain't no body here but..

Even though I was a little under whelmed by the offerings I did find something I wanted. Well I'm not sure it's what I wanted but it instantly reminded me of my early youth. Eggs and Soldiers! As a young boy I was fed a daily ration of boiled eggs, soldiers and baked beans. Not necessarily at the same meal but these evening suppers seemed to appear on alternate days throughout the week. My mum was one of the few working mums in the early 70's and was always up to her neck in course work. God only knows how my internal organs stood up to this daily battering of eggs and baked beans. Anyway enough discussion about digestive systems lets move back to the chocolate....

The Packaging: Hotel Chocolat, love em or hate em, they have a great marketing department and they must spend zillions on packaging and customer research which just goes to show how easily manipulated I am by a bit of coloured cardboard. 

The Chocolate: The box contains 5 mellow praline milk chocolate half eggs, topped with a white chocolate fried egg. Accompanied by a troop of creamy white chocolate dipping soldiers. First to be gobbled up is the egg which is made of milk chocolate (40% cocoa solids) it is fairly sweet. The addition of hazelnut (praline) helps to overcome the sweetness. The egg yolk made of white chocolate coloured with curcumin and paprika imparts no flavour but adds to the overall image. The soldiers made of white chocolate (28% cocoa solids) with a bit of curcumin and paprika colouring at the tip of each again adds to the fun. The white chocolate is not overpoweringly sweet and there is no nasty after taste that you sometimes get with white chocolate.

To take this to the next level I recommend that you eat this with a little bit of crushed Maldon Salt and freshly milled black pepper. You don't need much just a little sprinkling of each. Place a yolk in your mouth and shut your eyes. The effect is amazing! For a few seconds you actually feel as though you are eating a boiled egg. Take my word for it this is delicious....


Overall I give this little chocolate assortment 9/10 for fun value and for £7.00 it will make a fun present for somebody. To buy on-line dip your little soldier here!

This post was written by Richard.

70% Dark Chocolate with Ginger and Orange

I must admit that before I started writing this blog I did not know a lot about Divine. However, the more Divine chocolate I review the greater understanding I have of their company. Which can only be a good thing.

Divine: What and who is Kuapa Kokoo? To explain this I've just quoted what is on their website, as follows: 


Supported by Twin and SNV, a Dutch NGO, they set up their own company to buy their cocoa and sell it on to the Government Cocoa Buying Board. The cocoa farmers' organisation was founded and named "Kuapa Kokoo" which in the local language, Twi, means "Good Cocoa Farmers Company". Their motto is "Pa Pa Paa" which means "the best of the best of the best".

The organisation is for farmers and set up by them with the mission to effect:

    * increased power and representation within the market for the farmers
    * social, economic and political empowerment
    * enhanced women's participation in all its affairs
    * environmentally sustainable production processes

Kuapa Kokoo consists of:
Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union
This is made up of village societies that elect society committees and representatives at regional level, who in turn elect representatives to the national Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union.

Kuapa Kokoo Limited
The trading arm of Kuapa Kokoo.

Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Trust
Responsible for distributing money for community projects, generated from the fair trade premium between the farmers.

Kuapa Kokoo Credit Union

Provides credit and banking services for the farmers.

The Chocolate: This is a 70% dark chocolate with added orange granules and ginger flavouring. In total 89% of the ingredients are certified to International Fairtrade standards. All Divine chocolate is made in Germany using Ghanaian cocoa. Ginger is the main aroma that comes through as you open up the packaging. The chocolate is well tempered, bright in colour and has a good snap. The cocoa provides a good back drop for the ginger and orange flavours. The granules of orange are a bit off putting as you feel as though you've eaten a fruit gum which is not a good marriage.

This is a reasonable bar of chocolate but I think they could have done better by adding real pieces of ginger. Considering they go to so much trouble sourcing fairtrade products why don't they try a little bit harder with the other ingredients. Overall I give this bar 5/10 for flavour which comes across as being a bit artificial and 10/10 for ethical policy.


To read more about Divine click here.

NERO & BIANCO White Chocolate Bar

White chocolate, you either love it or hate it. As many of you will know white chocolate is made from cocoa butter rather than cocoa that you find in milk and dark varieties. Cocoa butter is the fatty part of chocolate, extracted from the cocoa bean, it melts quickly at body temperature. For this reason it is used in some medicines.

As with the dark and milk chocolate the packaging has remained relatively the same with the only one difference being the coloured band running around the top of the bar. Unfortunately, this bar didn't make it through the post and I had to take a picture of a 35g bar. The chocolate is made using a variety of organic and fairtrade products including, cane sugar, cocoa butter, milk powder, vanilla extract and ground vanilla. This little bar has a striking resemblance to the GO*DO bar I reviewed a few weeks ago but I suppose that is not unusual as it is made from a basic mould. One thing missing from the ingredient list is the cocoa butter content and I'd like know what this is. As a rule of thumb the higher the cocoa butter content the better the white chocolate.

The Chocolate: On opening the packaging the aroma is strong, sweet and milky with vanilla in the background. There are lots of black pieces running through the bar. This is nothing to worry about it's just the ground vanilla running through the bar. With 50% of this bar being made up of sugar it's not surprising that this is a sweet tasting piece of chocolate. The mouth feel is slightly grainy and there is a big fight going on between the milk powder, vanilla and sugar. This makes for a slightly astringent feeling at the back of the throat. 


Overall it is far too sweet for my tastes and therefore I can only give this bar 6/10 for flavour and 10/10 for ethical policy. Currently, the bar is available through fairtrade wholesalers, PEROS.

NERO & BIANCO 70%

I have to say that the milk chocolate bar from Nero and Bianco that I tried a couple of days was very good and it was demolished in record time! How will this dark chocolate shape up. Well Louise from Nero and Bianco assured me that all their bars were made using Trinitario cocoa beans. So hopefully this dark chocolate will follow in its milkier cousins footsteps.


Their cocoa beans are sourced from a variety of co-operatives and for this bar they have included Conacado Co-operative (Dominican Republic); Association de Productores Cacao Vrae (Peru) and Foraleza Del Valle (Ecuador). All have been certified Fairtrade.

The aroma from this bar is one of intense tobacco which is so intoxicating you just want to keep inhaling deeply. The chocolate is well tempered but unfortunately, it was roughed up in the post so it is not looking its best! The tobacco does come through in the taste but it is very subtle. The chocolate melts quickly on the tongue with a hint of bitterness. 

70%

This is a good bar of chocolate and the quality Trinitario beans shine through in every way. Happy to award this bar of chocolate 8/10 for flavour and full marks for ethical pedigree. 

If you're in the catering trade Peros are exclusive stockists of Nero and Bianco chocolate.

Divine- 85% Dark Chocolate

Technology is so cool don't you think. I can sit at my computer, review a chocolate bar and watch the rugby at the same time! What a way to spend an afternoon. Only problem is trying to concentrate on two things at once can be difficult even for us girls!

The Chocolate: Divine has never really tugged at my chocolate cravings and I have to admit that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to cocoa products. I've never really been attracted to chocolate made with Forastero beans which is very narrow minded of me. How can I review chocolate and not taste Divine, I hear you say. Oh, Brian O'Driscoll nearly scored! Concentrate please......back to the chocolate, c'mon.


I've taken the following information from the back of the bar, "Divine chocolate is made only with the finest quality Fairtrade cocoa beans from Kuapa Kokoo, a co-operative of smallholder farmers in Ghana. The cocoa is grown in the shade of the tropical rainforest, and slowly fermented and dried in the sun by the farmers, who take great pride in the chocolate company they co-own". The story of Divine starts in 1879 and more information can be found at Divine. There is a great graphic on their website which provides some very interesting details about how the company started.

Divine 85%

This is a particularly bright looking bar which has a fantastic rich and fruity (blackcurrant) aroma as you open up the packaging. There is a very loud snap as I break off the first chunk. A slight bitterness the chunk slowly melts on my tongue. The whole mouth feel is dry and almost chalky and as you'd expect there is not a lot of sweetness. A hint of tobacco is there in the background. 


Overall this is a very well made piece of chocolate even though for me it is a bit too bitter for my tastes. Rather than everyday eating I would use it for cooking up some delicious desserts. It almost goes without saying that this company has the highest ethical qualities and commitment to Fairtrade. 


Their chocolate has gone up several notches in my opinion and Forastero beans are not as bad as you might think. I'm happy to give this bar 8/10 for presentation and flavour.


A full list of products can be found on their website just click here

Devnaa - Milk Chocolate Bar with Crispy Rice, Orange and Spices

Chocolate production has finally ended for the day just ribbons and packing to do! Wind is blowing like crazy in Chelmsford and have already chased the contents of my cardboard container all over town! 


But before I start on the wrapping I thought I'd feature my final bar of chocolate from Devnaa. A company based in London providing artisan chocolate with traditional Indian sweet recipes. With every bar sold they donate 5p to HEAL, a UK registered charity committed to providing shelter, support, education and healthcare for children in India. Full marks to Devnna for their ethical stance. I love their Indian influences in their packaging design.

I'm really looking forward to tasting this bar as the ingredients are not what you'd normally expect including crispy rice, orange and subtle spices.


The Chocolate: This particular bar has a fairly low cocoa content of 33% and I wonder whether it will be strong enough to cope with the orange and spices. Unfortunately, this bar didn't make it through the post in one piece so I've broken it up so you can see the rice puffs.

Milk Chocolate with crispy rice, orange and spices

The orange oil is not too strong and works well with the rice and spices. I can detect cinnamon and nutmeg. I haven't eaten a bar like this before but I rather like it. At the end their is a soapy flavour which lingers which is the only slight criticism. 


Overall I give this bar 6/10 for the balance of the bar and 9/10 for their ethics. It will not appeal to all but I think Devnna know and understand their customer base very well. Their bars are currently selling at £5.99 for two 70g bars.


To buy this bar click here...

NERO & BIANCO

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Just returned from a lovely lunch at The Anchor in Hullbridge, Essex. Good food, friendly service and at reasonable prices. Battered Cod followed by Sticky Toffee Pudding which was delicious but my slimline figure is spreading somewhat. So I certainly should not be eating chocolate after all that but I promise it will be salad, salad and more salad from now on....maybe. 


I finally have my hands on three bars of chocolate from Nero & Bianco a relative unknown as far as I'm concerned. The chocolate is made in Italy but the company has a base in High Wycombe. Recently introduced by Peros a company I was highlighting a few days ago in a previous blog. 


The packaging is funky and has a 60's psychedelic feel about it. According to the information provided on the packaging this their cocoa is selected from a number of grower co-operatives from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador and sugar from Paraguay. Interestingly 67.67% of the ingredients used to make the chocolate are certified to International Fairtrade standards. This product is also organic including cocoa butter, milk powder and cane-sugar.

Funky Fairtrade and Organic!

Their website talks about where their cocoa is sourced from and mentions Criollos, Trinitario and Forastero in the same sentence which may lead you to think that these bars are made from all three. Can you be more specific please!


The Chocolate: A milk chocolate with a 39% cocoa content should have some character about it. The presentation is very good, it's bright, light and the chocolate has a good snap. However, the cocoa content although fairly high does not come through in the flavour. I was expecting something stronger and longer lasting. Instead you get this creamy, malty and caramel flavour coming through which is ok but not what I was expecting. It's very similar to Swiss chocolate in my opinion. There is a lot of sugar in this bar but it doesn't come through as being overly sweet.

I would describe this bar as being middle of the road in terms of flavour and it will suit the English palette. However, in terms of ethical credentials it ticks all the right boxes and I can understand why Peros have gone with this bar. I have no idea of the selling price for this bar as it will probably turn up in office restaurants around the country instead of in the supermarkets.


Nero&Bianco are running a Valentine's Competition at the moment, click here for more details.



Louise, from Nero&Bianco kindly contacted me to confirm that they use 100% Trinitario beans in their chocolate depending on the situation at harvest time.


Thanks for the quick response from Nero&Bianco!