Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh by Rococo

Officially it is still Christmas and there are a few more days to go! 

So, with that in mind and before we stagger into the New Year there is still an opportunity for a swift review of a 'blinging' dark chocolate Christmas bar from Rococo Chocolates, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. 

Obviously, there are religious connotations going on here but, I'm sure a bar of chocolate wasn't on the Three Wise Men's gift list when they visited the young baby Jesus. But, who knows....

Gold! Yes, no expense has been spared and they really have served up some 22 carat gold leaf bringing a little bling into our world. Ok, so its a trace but its awesome.

Frankincense is an aromatic resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia and is well known for its use by religious orders as incense. Approximately 1,000 tonnes of resin are tapped from trees each year and its becoming harder and harder to locate. The tree can be found in the most inhospitable places and can literally grow out of solid rock. Somalia is the biggest exporter of the resin. 

Myrrh is another aromatic resin taken from the thorny tree, Commiphora Myrrh. Also found in Somalia. In traditional Chinese medicine Myrrh is classified as 'bitter' and 'spicy' having the ability to assist with the body's circulatory problems.

The bar was originally created by Rococo in 1996. Presentation is excellent and the dark chocolate is shiny and snappy with a subtle orange aroma. The gold adds nothing to the flavour but provides a little luxury. A 65% cocoa content means that the dark chocolate melts quickly with a hint of bitter sweetness combining deliciously with the orange. I'm not sure I'm picking up the woodiness from the Frankincense but overall this a great bar of chocolate. Priced at £4.95/70g. To buy click here. You still have time....

Luscious Orange - Cuban 65

Philip, c'mon your turn to wave and then you Mark...
c'mon Anne even the corgis can manage this!

If this picture doesn't get you in the mood to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee then perhaps there is no hope for you. The old Sea Containers building by Blackfriars bridge is due to be raised to the ground and replaced by a brand new hotel, to be precise, a Mondrian Hotel.  I imagine this is one of the grandest construction hoarding's ever seen in London and perhaps this is going to be the start of a new trend.  More pictures of Royals and perhaps Prime Ministers will be appearing all over the capital peering down from on high. Shrouding buildings before they are reduced to rubble, much like their parliamentary careers, makes a great statement. Personally, I don't mind looking at Royalty but pictures of David and Nick might be a bit too much! Okay enough flag waving lets enjoy some chocolate.....

Baracoa 65 - Cuban

Well, we can't grow cocoa beans in the UK. However, Willie's Cacao is just one of a handful of people that actually make chocolate from scratch in the UK. In fact he even has his own plantation in Venezuela. I believe the lovely Hugo Chavez still allows him to take the beans out of the country. Over the past few months I've tasted several single squares from Willie and I hope Luscious Orange which by the way is not a description of a new phone tariff, lives up to the other offerings. The Baracoan beans (Trinitario) are found in the eastern tip of Cuba and have a delicate honey flavour. 


The tobacco aroma is good, no mention of Cuban cigar though, but a good powerful beginning.  Considering there is only 0.1% of orange oil listed in the ingredients it is fairly pungent and may be overpowering for some people. Mixed with the bitter and slightly rough chocolate producing an almost 'blood orange' taste in the mouth, with a hint of sweetness which is probably the honey. The fruity orange, leaves a slightly bitter feeling on the back of the throat. More zingy than luscious perhaps but this chocolate has plenty of character! The texture is slightly grainy but it melts easily providing plenty of chocolate saliva, so to speak.

Certainly, a very distinctive, robust, bitter orange flavour which stands out on its own and maybe a bit too much orange for some peoples liking. Overall a very enjoyable chocolate. £1.80 for a 50g single square. Good to taste some dark Cuban, no crisis here, 8/10. To buy on line follow the link.

Orange Mantra

Like most of the country Essex is snugly encased in a duvet of deep snow this morning.  Fortunately, this avalanche did not hit us until Saturday night otherwise our return journey from Suffolk may have taken several days rather than an hour!  However, that may not have been a bad thing especially as we were lucky enough to stay at Seckford Hall for a recent wedding.  You can't see Seckford Hall from the A12 as it is tucked in a hollow. I for one have passed this hotel on my way to Southwold for many years without a second thought. According to historians this Tudor building started to take shape in the 1530's but it may be even older than this. The parkland setting and building are immaculate and come with some low ceilings and flooring that wouldn't be out of place on a roller coaster!  The rooms are well equipped with all the modern conveniences that Henry V111 would not have enjoyed when he stayed over. However, more recent historic figures such as Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron (when he was just an MP) have stayed in these historic chambers.  We only had chance to stay for breakfast but it was excellent. For the healthy eaters there was an excellent cold buffet offering a gargantuan choice of dishes and if that was not your cup of tea there was a cooked breakfast for the more traditional. Overall excellent food and service from the team. I might not get to Southwold next time!  Ok, let's talk about chocolate.....

The Chocolate:  Orange Mantra, my last bar from Chocolate and Love. With Fairtrade Fortnight just on the horizon it is worth mentioning that Chocolate and Love have very green credentials.  Whilst they may not make their own bars they have spent a lot of time and effort to ensure their chocolate is ethically pleasing. They use 100% organic ingredients, there cocoa is sourced from small farms in Peru and The Dominican Republic, sugar is from Paraguay and vanilla is from Madagascar. Importantly there is no child labour. If any of these were not enough to make you want to buy their chocolate they also plant a tree every time you buy a bar! See WeForest.org for more detail.

65% Dark chocolate with orange oil 100g

Ok, I dropped it again!  Presentation in terms of packaging is stunning but I do find the presentation of the actual bar to be a bit boring but that's me being picky. Organic dark chocolate with natural orange oil won Gold-1 Star in the Great Taste Award 2011. According to their website the orange extract is the result of cold pressing the ripe fruit peels which are from Sicily and are organic.


The bar has a good snap and the orange oil aroma is not at all overpowering. The rich chocolate melts quickly freeing up a slightly bitter orange flavour which is well balanced with sweet dark chocolate.  The cocoa does well to battle against the orange and a hint of tobacco comes through at the end.  It just goes to show that sourcing the right ingredients makes all the difference between a good and a bad bar of chocolate.  I'm not a great fan of orange chocolate but this was very pleasant and enjoyable. Happy to award 8/10 for this bar. Buy online at Chocolate and Love at £3.20 per bar.