What’s not to love about Chococo. Brightly coloured packaging containing and their insistance on using real chocolate and quality ingredients means you’re never going to be disappointed with them, whatever you buy.
But it’s Easter, so today we’re reviewing an Easter Egg.
This is a 70% dark chocolate egg and as is often the case with Chococo, it’s made from Grenadan origin beans from the über-ethical Grenada Chocolate Company.
This egg is hand decorated with edible gold. Of course all gold is edible, but it always tastes better when it’s covered in chocolate.
Underneath the surface of this particular golden egg lies a secret. Not a golden goose, but tiny pieces of freeze dried raspberry and strawberry. There’s no other filling or goodies inside, so this is all about the chocolate and the fruit.
I do like the Grenada chocolate, but in terms of flavour, it’s not the most complex and exciting chocolate in the world. Those with a sweet tooth might find this 70% version a little hard going, as there’s not much sweetness to the chocolate itself.
The plentiful supply of fruit does help with sweetness, but even with that this is something for lovers of the dark side. As shocking as it sounds, I’d have preferred to have seen something with a slightly lower cocoa content, or even a milk chocolate version of this egg. I found myself picking at this chocolate without thinking over the course of an afternoon, but never really wanted to take a big chunk out of it.
The freeze dried fruits are great, building in flavour as they melt in your mouth, but this is really an egg for those who don’t generally go for sugary Easter treats. If you’re looking for something a bit sweeter, we have more reviews of Chococo goodies (and plenty more Easter gifts) in the pipeline.
About eighteen months ago the Mast Brothers took a boat to the Dominican Republic in search of cacao beans, and this bar is the result of that expedition. As well as this ‘standard’ sized tablet they are also producing giant ‘chef’s tablets’ of this which weigh in at a hefty 2lb and cost $42.00.
As a result, this chocolate has been finding its way into ice creams and drinks – in New York of course. I also have sad news. Thus far this bar isn’t easily available unless you happen to find yourself in New York (or, like me, have a friend who recently went there on business and had JUST enough time to pop in to their new shop to buy about 30 assorted bars).
Wrapped in classic Mast Brothers ‘wallpaper’ style, the bar itself is an unpretentious, plainly moulded slab of dark chocolate which gives off complex aromas of fruit, dark sugars and cacao. The beans come from plants which are grown alongside bananas and other crops, and the tasting notes on the package hint at notes of fresh cherries, molasses and strawberries.
One thing that became immediately apparent was the slightly coarse, grainy texture of the chocolate. This is not to say that it was in any way unpleasant, but if you were to compare it to a Swiss chocolate it would be noticeably more coarse on the palate. So what of the molasses and citrus flavours? Well oddly enough there are Strawberry notes in there, underpinned by a dark, rich slightly sweet set of flavours. I didn’t catch much in the way of cherries, but the light, high citurs notes run right through this chocolate from first taste to the long, lingering finish.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but not as highly as some of the Mast Brothers other efforts. It’s undoubtedly good chocolate with a fine pedigree and well worth tasting, but I feel that there are other bars that are worth tracking down before this one. More on that later.
It may seem like I review a lot of Paul A. Young chocolates, but the simple fact is, it’s what I buy the most of. And with his Wardour Street Shop at full production, there’s usually a couple of new flavours to try every week. How could I not pick up a few treats when I’m in the area?
This rather attractive box holds nine chocolates, so I decided to fill it with a selection of the Paul’s newer flavours (although I have two of one particular chocolate).
The chocolates are:
Alphonso Mango and Bloomsbury Prarie Fire Chilli
You might be wondering what the heck “Bloomsbury Prarie Fire Chilli” is. Well it’s simply Prarie Fire Chilli grown in Paul’s business partner James’s back garden in Bloomsbury. It’s a 67% dark chocolate and subtly fruity with a gentle heat that slowly builds. It’s very nice, but not one of Paul’s more exotic flavour combinations.
Glenfiddich 15 Year Solera & Seville Orange Marmalade
Homemade marmalade with Glenfiddich whisky in a dark chocolate ganache. I love the flavour of this one. After an initial whisky hit, you’re left with a perfectly zesty marmalade flavour that lingers to the end of the chocolate. It really is the essence of the finest marmalade in a chocolate.
Blood Orange Martini
A two-layered chocolate dome. A blood orange and white chocolate ganache and a Sipsmith gin and dark chocolate layer. This one is quite subtle, and I would have preferred stronger flavours. Both ganaches are very smooth, but I guess I just need a bit more gin in my chocolate.
Red Onion & Stem Ginger Conserve & Balsamic Ganache
Now this is Paul at his experimental best. Onions, ginger and balsamic vinegar in a 68% Ghanaian dark chocolate. Amazing. What does it taste like? Sweet pickeled onions! This is going to be a love it or hate it chocolate, but personally I love it. It’s so zingy and packed with flavour. The Ghanaian chocolate doesn’t have much flavour of its own, but that’s kind of the point of this chocolate. All the flavour is packed into the filling and the chocolate shell is just a carrier for the part of Paul’s brain that came up with with this gorgeous monstrosity.
This is the chocolate I had two of. I’m very happy with that choice – and my onion breath.
Whisky Mac
I don’t believe this is available for sale at the moment, but it’s based on a whisky and ginger wine cocktail. The ganache is very soft and the flavour is wonderful. More ginger than whisky, but never overpowering.
Campari and Bitters
A classic cocktail with a 64% Madagascan dark chocolate. A very liquid filling and a fairly subtle amount of alcohol make this quite a traditional chocolate. It’s nice, but doesn’t excite me quite as much as some of the other flavours in this selection.
Banoffee Pie
Something a little more traditional! Salted banana caramel layered with a white chocolate ganache with a crispy shell. Tastes exactly like a banoffee pie. Another winner here – and something a little less challenging than red onions.
Cigar Leaf Caramel
A variation on Paul’s hugely popular sea salted caramel. This chocolate uses a 62% Brazilian dark chocolate and a caramel that’s actually cooked with cigar leaves. This is a really interesting experience. The initial flavour is very much like the traditional salted caramel, but it’s immediately followed by an intense tingling sensation. I also got a bit of a head rush from this one, almost as though I’d inhaled a lungful of cigar smoke. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I kinda like it!
So another really exciting selection of chocolates. The great thing about Paul A Young is that there really is something for everyone, from simple traditional flavours to the challenging and just plain weird. Whether or not the flavours work for you is down to personal taste more than anything else. I love the red onion and stem ginger, but I’m sure it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. You just have to try them for yourself.
As always, Paul doesn’t have an online store, but if you contact them via their website, they will usually be happy to take an order for you. And if you live in London, you can also arrange delivery via Hubbub.
Information
- Contains dark chocolate (62, 64, 66, 67, 68% cocoa solids).
- Cacao Origin: Brazil, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Madagascar
- Filed under assortment, chilli, gin, mango, orange, paul a young, uk, whisky.
Back in September, we reviewed Clerkenwell’s Manjari Truffles – simple and delicious fresh chocolates made with Valrhona’s Madagascan Manjari chocolate. They’re some of the nicest unflavoured chocolates I’ve ever tasted.
Last week, this little box unexpectedly arrived at my door. Exactly the kind of surprise I like.
Inside are four dark chocolate truffles that look something like this:
The truffles use the same Manjari chocolate in a ganache made with passion fruit puree. The dark chocolate shells are nice and thin, and the moment you bite into them, the flavour of the ganache bursts through. It’s tangy, zingy, citrusy and wonderful. I love them, and if you love fruity, citrusy chocolates, you’ll love them too.
And that’s really all there is to say about these chocolates. They’re something you really need to try for yourself. Unfortunately, they aren’t available to buy online, but lucky Londoners can find them at Kaffeine, 66 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7QJ.
