Green and Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate Cherry 60%

I've been looking forward to road testing this bar as I've made a few dark chocolate cherry bars myself and it's always good to have something to benchmark against. Green and Blacks as a brand is totally new to me and I consider myself a G&B virgin! According to their website they make and sell premium organic chocolate that has been ethically sourced. Apparently they pay a premium price for their products.


Their Story:  It all started in 1991 by Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth which was ahead of its time pioneering organic products. Craig was sent a sample of dark 70% chocolate made from organic cocoa beans. His wife, Josephine Fairley, who just happened to be an environment writer for The Times found the half eaten bar and sampled some for herself. 


In 1994 Maya Gold was added to the range when the couple were on holiday in Belize and met up with a group of Mayan smallholder farmers who had planted cocoa trees at the request of a large chocolate company which subsequently withdrew from Belize leaving the farmers with no market. Well as they say, "the rest is history!" Maya Gold brand earned them the UK's first Fairtrade mark. What a brilliant story!


The name was chosen to demonstrate their strong ethical principals and passion for taste. Green represents sustainable and organic principals that are followed whilst making their chocolate. Black represents the colour of their original Dark 70% chocolate bar.


Well the couple eventually sold out to Cadbury Plc but the name and ethical approach has continued. Craig remains President of this company.


The Packaging: The rich cherry colour and bold gold lettering just ooze quality which shouts, "attention to detail". The bar is wrapped in gold foil to carry through the quality feel.

The Chocolate: Every ingredient is organic as you would expect. The chocolate is dark, shiny and the 100g bar is equally divided up into little rectangles for easy handling. I'm really enjoying this bar as the organic sour cherries are not overpowering and work really well with the dark chocolate. For those people who've not experienced dark chocolate it is probably a good entry level as it is slightly sweet. A 60% cocoa content means that your mouth remains moist and  there is sufficient bitterness to counteract the cherries. The only downside is that the bar contains whole milk powder which is not great for Vegans or those of you who are Lactose intolerant.

Green and Blacks Organic Dark Chocolate Cherry 60%

Overall I give this bar 8/10 for a good taste, ethical principals and excellent presentation. The bar was purchased from Adnams Cellar & Kitchen store in Southwold at £2.09 which is good value for money.