Divine - Chilli and Orange

The final truffle rolls off the line for 2013!

The final chocolate truffle is about to roll off the production line and for me Christmas can officially start! Blogging has not featured for several weeks as all things chocolate have officially taken over my world. The Christmas decorations and tree are all still in the box, well said tree is still in the garden and has probably taken root.

A few months ago we visited the famous Abergavenny Food Festival where we met the lovely girls from Divine who were dishing out tons of free Divine chocolate samples. The girls were brilliant and were enjoying themselves immensely. The bar has remained in my chocolate sample draw until today.

Divine Chocolate is made with the finest quality Fairtrade cocoa beans cultivated by the farmers of Kuapa KoKoo in Ghana, who are actually co-own Divine. Their cocoa is grown in the shade of the tropical rainforest, it always amazes me how many people do not realise where their chocolate is coming from, and slowly fermented and dried in the sun to bring out the full flavour.

A beautifully decorated bar of chocolate weighing in at 100g. Break off a chunk and pop it in your mouth and let it remain there for a few minutes. Don't chomp on it, just let the flavour flood out.

70% Divine Chilli and Orange Dark Chocolate

The guys and girls at Divine have done a great job with this one. The dark chocolate (70% cocoa) melts quickly and delivers a smooth rich flavoured chocolate with a hint of orange and heat that gently tingles your tongue, not unlike that numbing feeling you get when the dentist has just jabbed you with his needle! The balance of orange and chilli is just right and both couple together to form a perfect union with the dark chocolate. 8/10!

At £2.00 this bar of Fairtrade chocolate is great value, just follow the link.

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