Fortnum & Mason Mexican Mole Spice

The other day, I found myself in Fortnum & Mason wondering around the chocolate section (what else), looking for something interesting to buy. Being a poor blogger meant I could only afford a single item from Fortnum’s, so I wanted to make it a little bit different.

But the moment I left the shop with this bar, I had a nagging doubt. A feeling that despite never having reviewed any chocolate from Fortnum & Mason, we’d already seen this spicy little Mexican number.

A glance at the ingredients, and I was sure of it. This seems to be exactly the same bar as the Artisan du Chocolat Mole Poblano that Simon reviewed last year.

But given that I hadn’t tried that bar myself, and that most people won’t be aware of the link, I decided to review it anyway. The fact that I’d spent £5 on a 70g bar of chocolate may also have been a contributing factor!

I decided not to read back Simon’s review until after I’d tried the chocolate and come to my own conclusions.

So how is it? Well the chocolate has a nice look to it (not that apparent from the photo above, which was taken after I’d been carrying the bar around for a while). It’s not overly glossy, but has a nice clear snap and looks like a quality chocolate.

It has the subtle aroma of warm spices, but the chocolate is still evident. That sums up the flavour too. There’s more spice than chocolate, but it’s never overpowering. Although there’s chile in the bar, this is much more about the flavours than the heat. It’s gently warming, but nothing more.

But after the chocolate had melted, I found myself a little disappointed. If you like the Mexican flavours, then it’s fine, but that flavour seems to have been introduced at the expense of the chocolate. It’s not a particularly challenging bar, but the chocolate is lost in all that spice, and ultimately left me unsatisfied.

It’s also worth noting that you’re paying a small premium for the Fortnum & Mason name. It’s not a vast difference, but it does work out more expensive than the smaller Artisan du Chocolat bar. If you don’t mind paying for the name and want to try something a little different, then give it a try. Personally, I’d rather have my £5 back.