Askinosie San Jose Del Tambo Dark Chocolate Nibble Bar
12 January 2010 in 70% Dark Chocolate, Askinosie, Organic, Rating 90%-94% by Lee
Now I’ve seen elsewhere on the internet that this bar for $8 when I paid £7.95 for it in Selfridges and I’ve still got a nose bleed from spending that much. The thing is, if I’m spending that much money on 85g of chocolate I expect the chocolate bar to have sexual properties. I’m sure you’d like to find out if this Askinosie San Jose Del Tambo Dark Chocolate Nibble Bar had them?
Well, you’ll have to wait to find out.
What drew me to the bar was the totally unusual and inspiring packaging. I’ve never seen any chocolate in this type of paper wrapping. What made it even more interesting was that it was topped off with a thread of string.
It was also the design that captured me. The wording and style made it seem incredibly rustic, natural and non-commercial. If you read the FAQ’s on the Askinosie website then you’ll find out about their natural, organic and emotionally nourishing credentials. But what really knocks you back is that the strings they use are biodegradable and come from the bags their cocoa beans are delivered in and then they pay the women at a local shelter to make them into strings for the chocolate packaging.
And it goes even further. Askinosie say their chocolate is “beyond Fair Trade” and go into great detail as to why. You should definitely read their thoughts on the subject matter. It raises some very important questions.
The appearance is spot on. I’m going to make an early declaration here and give them 100%.
Inside the natural wrapping is the requisite cellophane. No grumbles there as the chocolate itself tastes immensely fresh and robust. The flavours are incredibly pure. You can taste the love. There are tonnes of jam on toast whilst there’s a slight garlic note to it and a tobacco nose. It’s a wonderfully punchy bar of chocolate.
The texture is immense too. On the one side you have the letters which spell out “Askinosie Chocolate” and on the reverse cocoa nib embossed in the bar which adds so much character in both the texture and the extra kick of bitterness as savour each bite.
I can’t remember a bar of chocolate that’s hit my taste buds and emotional chords with such aplomb as this Askinosie Chocolate bar. I can safely say that its my favourite bar of the year – and I know it’ll be hard to knock off the top spot even with 350+ days left in the year.
So did it have sexual qualities? It had loving ones – and they’re a damn site more important!
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I love this bar. It's probably among my top five pure chocolate bars.
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