The Chocolate Tree Madagascar Bars

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on July 23 2013 | Leave A Comment

The Chocolate Tree Madagascar Duo - Wrapped

As much as I enjoyed my visit to The Chocolate Tree’s chocolate factory a few months ago, the real test is always in the tasting. And so I made sure I left with a bunch of their bars which have been waiting patiently for my attention.

The two at the top of the pile have enough in common for them to be considered together. They are made from the same batch of Madagascar beans, except for one big difference – one has been made with unroasted beans. Everything after that is comparable: similar conching times (40 versus 45) and the end results look pretty similar too. The 70% raw bar isn’t quite as dark as the other bar which is 72%. It couldn’t quite pass as a milk chocolate, but it definitely is lighter.

The packaging is rather lovely – very thick paper, covered in colourful flowers held together with stickers that carry all the details of the bean to bar process for that particular bar. It retains that homemade, artisan feel that The Chocolate Tree are so fond of.

The Chocolate Tree Madagascar Duo - Unrapped

How does it all taste though? Well, the raw bar definitely has some of the classic Madagascar fruitiness, but without the roasting those flavours are not fully developed. And I miss that. To me, there’s something lacking even though there are some other more subtle notes lurking in the background. But it isn’t for me.

The Chocolate Tree Madagascar Duo - Detail

The other bar is much more to my tastes. All the berries and fruits come flooding through immediately and don’t let up even after all the chocolate has gone. This is a really, really good bar of chocolate with lots of depth, and is even more impressive considering that it is the result of some of The Chocolate Tree’s first bean to bar experiments. At 72%, it finds just the right balance between bitterness and sweetness, and it is a really easy bar to eat. It didn’t last long at all.

Good stuff, and I’m really excited to see what comes next from The Chocolate Tree.

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Comments On This Post

  1. I agree with you. Both bars are excellent, but I definitely preferred the one with the roasted beans. It’s pretty hard to go wrong with cocoa from Madagascar.

  2. Hola! I’ve been reading your web site for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead
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  3. Chocolate Tree are excellent, really love the selection of bars they have. Their hot chocolate is incredibly good too

  4. Love the packaging design from Chocolate Tree, its always really on point. Haven’t tried any of their raw bars though, definitely one to look out for. Their hot chocolate is really good to both in terms of packaging and taste

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