Chocolate Reviews Organised By Country Of Origin

Mast Brothers Moho River

A quick disclosure: I don’t know when the BBE is for this bar, but I’ve had it my collection for a while (batch number 12211011). What I do know, however, is that Belize is one of my favourite cocoa growing countries – perhaps more so that I find the country intriguing and there are some...

Lakritsfabriken Frosted Chocolate Glazed Liquorice Sticks

There are just some varieties of flora that you were almost obsessed with as a child that as an adult you completely forget about. For me that’s liquorice. As a kid I used to love those really cheap, and now, seemingly very nasty liquorice sticks. With Woolworth’s closing down and the fact that...

Demarquette Chocolate Bar Collection

A wonderful collection of dark chocolate bars with the one 40% Ben Tre milk chocolate bar. I'd love Marc to expand this collection though as I'm sure his fans would love him to offer a wider variety in these new 22g mini bars.

Pralus 100% Dark Chocolate Bar Review

Without hyperbole, this has to be one of the best 100% dark chocolate bars currently available in the UK. The flavours are very specific and complementary. It has a great texture and aroma.

Hasslachers Hot Drinking Chocolate

Here we have a lovely bitter dark drinking chocolate that can be bought at the 100% cocoa solids level and then sweetened to taste.

Michel Cluizel 1er Cru de Plantation Venezuela Conception

Those liked Michel Cluizel's 85% bar are very likely to find this one too sweet, but on the positive side, there are some very unusual flavours present.

Hotel Chocolat 66% Sambirano Valley

This bar of Purist chocolate from Hotel Chocolat comes from the fantastic Sambriano Valley region of Madagascar and offers some very fruity, sharp but beautiful flavours. It may not be as rounded as a number of other bars from own-estate makers, but it's still very good.

Danta Chocolate

Although I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled to about thirty-six countries in my life, chocolate seems to be medium which allows me to live vicariously given the ties I have to this country. Many of the chocolate lovers I know appreciate natural history of the various countries in which cacao...

Rózsavölgyi Csokolade Porcelana 71%

Although I loved the simplicity and clarity of this bar of chocolate by Rózsavölgyi Csokolade I still feel that sometimes Porcelana chocolate can still be a touch too mild. I do prefer chocolate to have a touch more character. But as something to relax with then you can't really fault it.

El Ron de Nicaragua es Legendario

Now if you love unique flavours and textures you'll love these rum and cashew bon bons.They might not be to everybody's taste, but they are too mine.

Duffy’s Nicaragua Nicaliso 71%

With this Nicaliso bar we return to the quality of chocolate that Duffy got his name for. This is a superb dark chocolate bar that has nutty and creamy tones. There's no intensity at all and should appeal to those that don't normally like dark chocolate.

Grenada Chocolate Company 100%

This 100% dark chocolate bar from Grenada Chocolate company most definitely won't be for everyone. It needs to be enjoyed in small pieces very slowly. The mouth feel is sensational if you can restrain yourself.

Artisan du Chocolat Jamaica Bean To Bar

This bean to bar experiment from Gerard and his team at Artisan du Chocolat was a fantastic success and I hope it goes to show how much hard work goes into making chocolate for people. This bar was past it's best so it wouldn't be fair to judge too harshly, I thoroughly enjoyed it though.

Marou Tiền Giang 80%

The downside of restricting yourself to safe chocolate is that you'll end up missing wonderful chocolate such as this bean to bar chocolate maker in Vietnam which has produced a lovely bar of soft-mannered chocolate.

Enric Rovira Rajoles

There's not a huge amount of flavour with this bar, but what there is lightly floral and welcoming. I can't actually comment on where the cocoa comes from as no information is available.

Pierre Marcolini Fazenda São Pedro

If you wanted bland, boring chocolate from a top chocolate maker then this is for you. If you wanted a full-flavour, fine bean bar then you'll most definitely have to look elsewhere. This is the least interesting bar from Pierre Marcolini I've ever tried.

Patric Rio Caribe Superior

Despite being several months past its best, this Venezuelan bar of 70% chocolate does a great job. The flavours are varied but fairly mellow. The melt is exceptional given its age and the distance travelled. It'd certainly be one I'd recommend to my American friends.

Valrhona Ampamakia 2010 64%

If you like rich, creamy, low level fruity then this is the bitter-sweet bar of chocolate as it comes from a fine pedigree and great source of beans. Despite having a fairly low cocoa solids level it still manages to convey some interesting flavours.

El Ceibo 75% Dark Chocolate

I think Chloe Doutre-Roussel and the team in Bolivia have done a truly outstanding job with this bar of 75% Bolivian dark chocolate as it's perhaps my favourite of the year.

Soma Chocolate Dancing In Your Head

This blended bar from Soma Chocolate wasn't as fantastic as Judith had suggested to me, or perhaps it was another of their bars? Although I still found it enjoyable and much better than much of the chocolate I've reviewed in teh last week.

Daniel Jones Tonka Bean

As a chocolate bar from a little-known chocolatier it's actually very good and compares favourably to the one produced by Thorntons. It may be more than twice the price of that bar too, but I feel it's worth it.

Charles Chocolatier 70% Tablette

This is quite possibly one of the most dull and uninteresting bars of dark chocolate I have ever had. There's no aroma and almost no flavour. There's a reason why mass-market chocolate companies use West African cocoa - because it's cheap.

Thornton’s Lightly Salted Pistachio

Many people may criticise Thorntons for their chocolate, but my view is that the blocks are vastly better than the novelty chocolate stuff they sell and even the most pretentious chocolate aficionado would actually like this bar.

Patric Madagascar 75%

Despite being six months past its best, this bar from Patric Chocolate is still very good. There are transforming flavours and a crisp snap that would be appreciated by all fine chocolate lovers.

Bouga Cacao Physalis 77%

Despite being several months bast it's best, this 77% dark chocolate made with cocoa from Ecuador and produced in Southern France as was very nice and had some very nice, sweet and bitter flavours.

Idilio Origins Selection Cata Ocumare

This Idiolio Origins Selection Cata Ocumare with Cocoa Nibs should have offered so much more, alas it came across as far too mild. I loved the texture and the aroma, it was just lacking in terms of flavour.

Pralus Fortissima 80%

The aroma indicated that it was likely to be a robust bar of dark chocolate. Unfortunately it came across as being very understated and not at all interesting. I wanted those strong aromas to be evident as their Chuao bar but there was only a very slight appearance of acidity on the tip of my tongue.

Schell Blanche Saffron Curry

The company behind this saffron and curry spice white chocolate bar look great. They're small, third generation and look to be offering something unique. I just wish I purchased one of their other bars of chocolate than this white one.

IQ Bean To Bar Superfood Chocolate

For raw chocolate this bar is actually very good. I could consume it the same quantities as real chocolate. The superfood angle is best left for people qualified in the subject, but I can certainly expect it to be healthier than milk or white chocolate.

Menakao 100% Cocoa

Obviously 100% dark chocolate isn't one that beginners should start off with. But if you're comfortable with very bitter chocolate then this has to be one of the best you could try. If you allow yourself to melt it slowly on the tongue you can find lovely flavour and textures.

Thorntons Lemon & Sea Salt

This certainly isn't the best milk chocolate they've produced, but I still enjoyed the sharp flavours. The lemon and sea salt did work well together and make the inherent chocolate flavour stand out more. I'd love to try a 50% version of this bar to see what the salt could do with the darker tones.

Duffy’s 65% Star Of The Dominican Republic

I definitely think that something went very wrong with this bar. Perhaps the ingredients were used in the wrong quantities, perhaps the sunflower lecithin wasn't quite right. All I know was that there was a very strange soapy quality to the chocolate that really shouldn't have been there.

Potomac Chocolate Upala 70% Dark Chocolate

This bar of lighter chocolate from Potomac Chocolate certainly isn't heavy on flavour, but it is mild, clean and very enjoyable. It's certainly not as heavy on the pallet as the 82% version. I do suggest that if you get the chance to try some then you should give this bar a go and compare it to the darker one.

Fruition Dark Milk Chocolate with Fleur de Sel

Although I typically do like dark milk chocolate, this wasn't rustic enough. There weren't enough rough edges and variation for me to class it as a remarkable bar of chocolate. It was, however, expertly made and undoubtedly it would be popular with people who like less bitter chocolate.

Chapon Madagascar 75%

This Madagascar 75% dark chocolate bar from Chapon is my least favourite of the four bars that I've reviewed. It's far too acidic. It has a very strong red fruit flavour that gets a bit much after a while. There is a hazelnut flavour beneath it all, but it's not obvious enough.

Co Coa Raw Chocolate With Goji Berries

For me to like raw chocolate it mustn't taste like raw chocolate. Although there was the very slightest ammonia edge to it, I still very much enjoyed it. The goji berries were a touch extreme, but it'd be nice to try it with other inclusions.

Duffy’s Nicaragua Chuno

This Duffy's Nicaragua Chuno bar is possibly the finest I've tried this year. It's mild, relaxing and incredibly enjoyable. The main flavour that should come through for you is chestnut, but you might also get the very slightest hint of red fruit and hay at the very end. It's a fantastic bar of chocolate.

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