Ecuador - Marks and Spencer

Hopefully, today we will be on safer ground and the actual wording on the outside of the packet will represent what is on the inside, see my previous post regarding the Marc De Champagne Egg.

On first inspection this looks like an interesting bar of chocolate titled, 'Equador' - single origin dark chocolate, from Marks and Spencer.

As with the Marc De Champagne Egg, this piece of chocolate also seems to be part of 'The Collection' which I now believe is a totally overused term and meaningless, as everything sold in Marks and Spencer seems to be part of The Collection. 


For some bizarre reason the packaging designers have become all excited and decided to go with two alternative spellings for the words 'Ecuador', spelt 'Equador' and 'Ecuadorian' spelt 'Equadorian'. Why?

The chocolate slab itself is bright and ebony in presentation and has an excellent snap. Marks and Spencer has described this chocolate thus, "this Equadorian dark chocolate possesses floral Jasmine notes with a slightly nutty aftertaste. The touch of astringency gives a surprising wholeness to the flavour profile. Perfectly paired with an aged tawny port". 

I have noticed more and more retailers are now pairing their chocolates either with fine wines, ports or surprisingly beers. Another retail opportunity never to be missed! In fact you can now buy some interesting bottled beers from M&S...try their Cheshire Chocolate Porter.

To be honest I can't place the Jasmine but I can certainly pick up a slight tobacco aroma with a hint of lemon. Just breathe it all in...delicious! 

The dark chocolate melts quickly with a slight sweetness and a fair amount of acidity which hangs around for a while. This is not unpleasant and compliments the rich, silky smoothness of the melting dark chocolate. 

In terms of ingredients there are not many, including: Cocoa Mass - Sugar - Cocoa Butter - Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin...which is good news if you are allergic to Soya Lecithin.

Single Origin Dark Chocolate - Ecuador

I really enjoyed this bar of chocolate and at £3.00 for 80g it proves to be good value for money. If you are looking for alternatives check out similar chocolates from Chocolatiers but expect to pay a bit more.

Thortons - Lightly Salted Macadamia on Dark

I was interested to read that Mark Cueto, Sales Shark and England wing, is a chocoholic and that he and the team are fat tested before a match. To maintain his weight he wears extra clothing when training to sweat the excess fat off. You see chocolate is good for you! 

Milk Chocolate Easter Egg Winner - I was amazed to discover that Tesco beat off the likes of Chococo and Rococo in a tasting conducted by the Good Housekeeping Institute. Tesco's Finest Belgian Milk Chocolate Easter Egg with Clotted Cream Fudge and Honeycomb scored 82 out of a possible 100 and is priced at £7.00. Apparently GHI experts tasted 68 chocolate eggs ranging in price from £1.20 to £16.00. The winning egg tasted delicious and was a great size for sharing. This is a farce! C'mon who in their right mind shares their chocolate? If you want to know more about Easter Eggs there is a dedicated review site, click here.

Ok, back to reality having experienced the highs of Ben Rasmussen's handmade chocolate from Costa Rica we're heading closer to home to taste a Thornton's block. I must remain objective and not judge a book by its cover. According to Thorntons this particular bar was awarded bronze by the Academy of Chocolate for best flavoured chocolate 2009. Michel Roux is their patron. In 2009 some entrants commented on the lack of impartiality as many of the top awards went to sponsors of the competition. I wonder if this approach has changed?

I like the little 'factoids' that Thornton's put on the back of their blocks, "sometimes the Italians add a pinch of salt to their coffee to take away the bitterness and enhance the flavour."

Macadamia nuts are predominantly exported from Australia. In comparison to almonds and cashews, macadamias are high in fat and low in protein. But without getting too technical the fat is beneficial.

The Chocolate: This is a dark chocolate from the Dominican Republic with a cocoa content of 60%. As you open the packet your receptors are met with a fruity cocoa aroma which light and pleasant. The chocolate melts quickly to reveal the caramelised salted macadamia. The nuts produce a lovely crunch quality to the chocolate. The nuts have not been over salted and this works well with the dark slightly sweet chocolate. I for one have been converted to macadamia nuts these are so much better than the waxy types that I've tried before. There is also a good spread of nuts throughout the bar.

In terms of scoring this dark chocolate was a little sweet for me but there is no doubt that this is an enjoyable bar of chocolate and I'm happy to award a score of 7/10. These blocks are great value for money and I managed to pick up 3 (70g) for £5.00.


I've been eating bits of chocolate this evening and it is tasting even better!

"Bam Bam" Dark chocolate with crunchy peppermint

It's been a battle of wills today! Should I eat the delicious handmade cupcake and should I eat the delicious crème caramel with cream? Well, I failed the battle of the bulge big time today. I caved in and ate the lot I should be out running this evening instead of writing this post. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your outlook chocolate has the better of me. At the moment, passion for chocolate is overriding passion for running. Plus, it is Shrove Tuesday which means I'll have to eat the pancakes which I'm making later.


'Bam Bam'! What a strange name for a bar of chocolate but it can't be any different to the Whoopee bar I reviewed a few days ago. The word 'Bam' is used to describe the sound of a collision or impact like something you would see in comics. Apparently dynamite comes in small sticks according to the blurb on the back of the bar. It might help if I read the information first. This range of small bar was created following feedback from customers who wanted something to snack on between snacks according to co-founder, Simon Pattinson.

The Chocolate: This chocolate has 60% cocoa solids with peppermint oil added to provide the flavour. The sugar content is low. There is a strong fruity and tobacco aroma coming from the bar as you take off the wrapper. There is no hint of the peppermint within which sparkles when you break off a chunk. This is a robust, chunky piece of chocolate and as you bite on the chocolate the peppermint oil is released. For once I do not feel as though I'm eating chocolate toothpaste! The peppermint does not overpower the chocolate which has a fairly dry chalky texture.

I think Montezuma have found the right balance with this bar of chocolate and I'd be happy to buy this again. Overall I think a score of 7/10 is well deserved for both flavour and presentation and at £1.39 for a 45g bar of chocolate it is not too pricey. I'm not sure that it lives up to its name but it is enjoyable. 
Buy now! Just visit the Montezuma website, click here.