Akesson's - 75% Single Plantation & Pepper

Chocolate and Pepper? Surely not. 

Well, Akesson's would have us believe that these two products are a match made in heaven. 

Akesson's is not a brand name that probably springs to mind when talking chocolate. 

They seem to be popular in Germany, Austria and Belgium but have little presence in the UK apart from a sprinkling in Paul A Young's emporiums. I first came across them at Chocolate Unwrapped a couple of years ago and enjoyed tasting their 75% Criollo bar. To find out more follow this link. 

According to their website pepper and cocoa grow in the same environment and Akesson's have both in their plantations. Voatsiperifery 'wild' pepper is rare and only grows in the tropical forests of Madagascar. Only the young shoots produce the fruits and are handpicked by the locals.

Chocolate and Pepper?

Open the cellophane wrapper and your nose is met with a delicate peppery waft .  A 75% dark chocolate doesn't melt quickly so there is very little 'liquid' in your mouth and for a few moments intense 'pepper' is the only flavour that just seems to fill your mouth. Eventually a fruity burst takes over from the harshness of the pepper which is a welcome relief.   The texture of the chocolate is also grainy and  fairly crunchy due to the pepper.  

I've discovered that the best way to enjoy this bar is to take only small chunks. This means you can release the pepper and fruit at the same time which improves the overall taste. It is beginning to grow on me. The picture shown below is actually a 'Criollo' bar as the 'Trinitario' bar had some bloom.

I'm slightly mystified as to why anybody would want to mix pepper and chocolate. It is a totally different experience to that of chocolate and chili but then people probably say the same about this combo.  If you ignore the pepper, which is hard to do, there is a delicious bar of chocolate lurking within. The intense fruity flavour was delicious the rest can best described as an unfortunate union. The pepper flavour is very intense and lingers on and on even after the chocolate has long gone.

The bar is beautifully made and I can't fault the quality of the ingredients but I personally dislike the combination. Overall 9/10 for ingredients and 5/10 for flavour and enjoyment factor. To find a list of retailers follow the link.