So here we have another offering from Toronto’s finest chocolate maker, and another gift from the suitcase of Judith Lewis. A 75g foil pack of Dominican Republic cacao nibs covered in 82% dark chocolate.
Presumably the chocolate is also Dominican Republic in origin, although the packaging doesn’t actually say that. But it does include the helpful warnings “User may experience euphoria” and “Strongly addictive”.
Obviously, the warnings are just there for effect, but quality nibs do have an addictive quality to them. That’s helped of course by the fact that they’re coated in chocolate. It may be a hefty 82% cocoa solids, but the sweetness is enough of a contrast to the nibs that it makes it very easy to just rip open the pack and pour them into your mouth. Which is exactly what I did.
Doing this, while fun, was clearly a bit of a mistake as my whole body is buzzing as I attempt to write this review.
I’m not sure I’d call the experience ‘euphoria’, as it’s more like a sustained caffeine high (the theobromine in chocolate is very similar to caffeine. 75g may not seem like a lot, but I can now say from experience that eating even half of that in one go isn’t a great idea. They are a very tasty little snack, if you can limit yourself to a few nibs at a time.
Unfortunately, that’s not something I seem to be able to do.
Luckily for me, these are still difficult for us non-Canadians to get hold of. But if you do live in Canada, you can place order by email, and if you’re in the Toronto area you could even visit Soma’s new shop which has just opened on King Street.
It’s been a while since I tasted anything from NewTree, but this bar caught my eye when I was in Belgium earlier this year. While their UK range has seemingly remained unchanged, NewTree have started selling this 65% cocoa solids, reduced sugar bar in Europe. This bar initially appealed to me because of the thyme, but closer examination revealed that it also had both puffed rice AND linseed in the chocolate, which further piqued my interest. Discovering that it contains “30% less sugar than an equivalent chocolate” was the icing on the cake.
So what do we get? You’re probably not going to be too surprised to hear that the thyme is the predominant first flavour. It’s robust, earthy and has that vibrant ‘green’ note which sits on top of the chocolate before blending in as it begins to melt on the palate. As you can see from the photo, NewTree weren’t shy when it came to the grains. With 6% linseed and 5% rice, there’s a lot of crunchy texture in there as well. The chocolate has a good, smooth mouthfeel and quite a strong flavour (which it needs if it’s going to have any chance up against the thyme).
It’s quite an unusual combination of flavours, and it’s fairly obvious that enjoyment of this chocolate would depend entirely on how much one liked the taste of thyme, because it’s there at the beginning, and it’s certainly there at the finish. Once I’d crunched my way through the grains I was left with a curious chocolate/herb hybrid aftertaste which, while not unpleasant in any way, was certainly ‘different’.
Of course, being a NewTree product, this bar also offers health benefits, in this case half of your daily requirement of Omega 3 – and that’s never a bad thing. Taste wise I’d have to say you’re probably going to love it or hate it, and that’s entirely down to how much you like thyme. It worked for me, but I couldn’t see myself eating a huge amount of this in one sitting.
Franck Kestener is a French chocolatier with shops in Sarreguemines and Paris. This innocent looking block was brought back for me by the lovely Jennifer on a recent trip to France.
But the simple, solid looking block of 66% Venezuelan dark chocolate holds a secret.
Hidden inside there is a thin layer of crunchy shortbread, topped with a generous helping of soft and gooey fleur de sel caramel.
Basically, it’s a really posh Twix.
It’s almost impossible to break apart along the lines of the chunks, partly because of the layer of shortbread inside, and partly because as soon as you do break it, the caramel starts to flow out. It turns out, the only sensible way to eat this is in one go. On your own. Without sharing.
Much as I love sharing chocolate with friends, this really is one of those bars that’s too good to let others near. If you are lucky enough to come into possession of one, then I recommend keeping it to yourself.
The flavours and textures work perfectly together. The rich dark chocolate complements the sweetness and touch of salt in the caramel, and the gooeyness works great with the crunch of the shortbread.
But it’s far, far too easy to eat, and this 75g bar disappeared in a matter of seconds. And now I just want more.
Time for the last items from the package from San Francisco’s Poco Dolce, and there isn’t a bit of their delicious, delicious toffee anywhere to be seen. Instead, their Bittersweet Bars blend together their chocolate with some interesting ingredients. Like everything else they make, there is a deliberate attempt to ensure the bars aren’t too sweet and that means more of their beloved grey sea salt being thrown in for good measure.
That works especially well in the Olive Oil Bar which has a deceptive amount of creaminess considering this is a relatively dark chocolate. The percentage isn’t listed, but I’d put it at about 60% and the olive oil flavour is quite restrained compared to some I’ve tasted, plus the frequent punches of salt stops the bar from being too one-dimensional. All in all, a lovely, well-balanced bar of chocolate.
The Hazelnut Bar, on the other hand, is not very subtle at all. This time the chocolate has a generous amount of Hazelnut Butter from Oregon mixed in, and that makes for a rather splendid nutty flavour which is more reminiscent of a good praline instead of a solid bar of chocolate. Really yummy stuff.
The downside? The bars are a little on the petite side – just 50g and in deceptively large packaging – but they are incredibly rich and I found it hard to eat one in a single sitting. I’m not saying I couldn’t with a bit of persistence, but this time around I found myself having the occasional nibble instead although that might have been because I wanted it to last. Or at least last longer than their Toffee Squares did.
