East India Company Dark Chocolate With Red Peppercorn

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on February 21 2011 | Leave A Comment

The East India Company is probably not be a name you associate with chocolate. In fact, it’s probably not a name you associate with anything much in the modern world. In the past, it controlled entire subcontinents, but now a reborn company has set it’s sights at the more modest fine food market.

With a shop in London’s Conduit Street and an online store selling teas, coffees and sweets, they seem to be taking expansion a little more slowly this time.

They have a small range of their own bars, and they sent us this sample to review.

As you can see, there’s a fair number of peppercorns on there. Enough to make me a little cautious when breaking off a piece. The look immediately reminded me of Hotel Chocolat’s Pink Peppercorn bar, although I have no idea who makes this one.

So how does it taste?

Well, rather peppery, frankly.

Even when carefully sampling a piece with no peppercorns, the overwhelming flavour is pepper. It’s not overly hot (despite the fact there’s also chilli powder in the chocolate), but the pepper still does a very successful job of obliterating most of the chocolate flavour. It’s not horrible, it’s just something that I think will appeal more to pepper lovers than chocolate lovers. If there are such things.

This isn’t something I would buy, and it’s really more of a novelty item than anything else. Admittedly it’s a very pretty novelty item, but at £5 for an 80g bar of chocolate, I do think you’re paying for the name and the illusion of history more than anything else. For that price, I’d like to know the origin of the chocolate I’m eating – and to be able to taste it.

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Comments On This Post

  1. Hmmm, is this new company related to the previous one I studied so much in history lessons of old?

    I’d be curious to try some of their other offerings?

  2. I love red peppercorns and I love chocolate, so I would splurge for a bar if it were in front of me. I just tried some criollo chocolate from Tabasco, Mexico the other day and it had a distinct pepper taste in it, although I doubt it was red pepper. I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Pepper and chocolate pair well together in my opinion.

  3. I have to say I was less than impressed with the biscuits that they sent me.

    Seems like they are going for the fancy product descriptions and no substance.

  4. the chocolate looks amazing
    here in israel we have only “reguler” chocolate 🙁

  5. I adore this chocolate. It’s on my Xmas stocking wish list already!

  6. i love all kinds of chocolate and wish to have just chocolate at my indian wedding

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