James Hot & Spicy Ginger & Chilli Chocolates

Here we have another John Lewis special. One of those things that comes in a pretty box but invariably ends up not being worth the money. But in this case, the box was particularly pretty and I’m a fan of ginger so I decided to give these a go.

Inside, we have 25 simple, square dark chocolates packed in tightly. Each with a small piece of crystalised ginger on top. The aroma when you first open the box is almost overwhelming… if you’re not big on ginger you’re really not going to like these.

Inside each chocolate we have a soft, truffley centre with small pieces of ginger. strangely for something purchased from John Lewis, I’m still tempted by these. So I bit into one…

Wow. These are chocolates with a punch. The ginger flavour is very strong and the chilli starts to hit you just as the ginger flavour is fading. They’re delicious, but they’re not subtle. In fact, it’s hard to tell anything much at all about the actual chocolate as the other flavours are so strong.

Personally, I found the combination of ginger and chilli a little too much for my tastes, so I took them around to some (predominantly South American) friends to get a second opinion. The result was a unanimous thumbs up – everyone loved them. And after 4 or 5 more I decided I quite liked them too.

I think whether you like these is going to come down to whether or not you’re a spicy food person. Once I got used to them, I found them a tasty treat, but I don’t think I would want to eat them every day. Still… they’re a pleasant surprise. Maybe I won’t give up on John Lewis for chocolates just yet.

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