The Grenada 60% Single Origin Dark Chocolate Bar
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The Caribbean holds a very special place in my heart. Barbados is an awesome island, both for partying and relaxing; I had my first and second holiday with my first wife in Antigua and Cuba and then went on honeymoon to the Bahamas. But I’ve never ventured down as far as Grenada on holiday. I have, however, tried some mass-produced stuff from Trinidad & Tobago including the X Bar, the Tiki Gold and the Charles hazelnut bar – and this Grenada bar wasn’t that bad, but it just didn’t hit the mark.
The Caribbean is a wonderfully colourful place. Just driving around the islands you see splashes of colour everywhere – especially the rum shacks that seem to be around every corner. And this bar faithfully recreated the feeling of bright colourfulness and the natural abundance of the islands – in a somewhat similar way to the Chapon 75% dark chocolate bar from Cuba. The packaging might not look as sophisticated as some and, in terms of the flavour, it was similarly lacking.
Under the copper-colour inner foil you’re met with a design similar to the Tipyn Bach bars in that there are big squares and a floral design. The actual structure was imperfect with small air bubbles interrupting the smooth texture. The only downside was that there was a degree of melting on the inside of the foil. Now I’ now it’s been hot, but I’ve kept all the chocolate in a cool room. I’m not sure if this happened during transport, but it’s a slight distraction.
The actual texture was very crisp. It took a great deal of pressure to break a small piece and it felt slightly rubbery on the teeth. Now this could just be me, but it was another distraction. In fact, the texture reminds me a great deal of the Bonnat Hacienda El Rosario 75% Dark Chocolate which I wasn’t keen on either.
In terms of flavour there were slight coffee and caramel notes which played bit-parts to an empty void of flavour. Only at the end of the melt to get seem to get fruity flavours which weren’t acidic but were hard to isolate and describe. The problem with this bar is that you have to munch through a couple of squares before the flavours start to build upon each other, for the unrefined sugar to play its part and for the whole experience to come together.
This bar is a rustic, unsophisticated bar. And those adjectives sum up the vast majority of the Caribbean. The region isn’t polished, refined nor sparkling. It’s varied, arid at times, lush at others. So actually this bar aptly reflects the nature of the Caribbean. Only just it’d be nice to have a bit of an air-conditioned, 5 star luxury occasionally – especially if you’re paying £4.20 for the bar.
