Any chocolate that comes in a test tube must be good. If it’s made from cocoa nibs and has a Hotel Chocolat logo on it, then it should be awesome.
The name and presentation are clearly designed to get you thinking this is some kind of super-scientific medical product. A cure-all drug that will give you the energy you need to get through the day.
So what are they? Very simply, they’re St. Lucian Trinitario cocoa beans covered in either 70% dark or 40% milk chocolate. St. Lucian again, of course.
Of course, cocoa nibs are packed with antioxidants and caffeine, so while the packaging isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, there is something to be said for the “little grains of happiness” strapline. Take one of these tubes into the office to nibble on through the day and not only will they help keep you awake, but they may even be good for you!
But of course the question of importance is “do they taste nice?”, and of course, the answer is emphatically “Yes!”. But nibs aren’t to everyone’s taste, and if you’ve never tried them, or dark chocolate scares you, then you should probably go for the milk chocolate version, and be prepared for the funky, fruity bitterness of the unprocessed cocoa bean. It’s an acquired taste, but one that’s quite easy to acquire if you give it a chance.
For me though, the dark chocolate version was the winner. The less-sweet chocolate just goes better with the flavour of the nib. There’s a lovely soft crunch to them, with none of the tooth-breakingly hard pieces you sometimes find in other nib-based products.
Will they keep you alert and “boosted”? That’s hard to tell, especially given that much of my day revolves around eating chocolate anyway. They’re certainly not in the same league as Buzz Bites when it comes to caffeine content, but thankfully they don’t have the scary side effects of Buzz Bites either. Suffice to say I’ll be keeping a tube of these on my desk for emergencies for the rest of the week.
For a long time now, I’ve suspected that Lee has been trying to kill me. And now, in what initially seemed like a thoughtful gift of some chocolate chews, my suspicions have been confirmed.
This cute little tin contains six mint chocolate chews which, as you might guess from the name, also contain a touch of caffeine.
As you can see, they don’t look particularly scary, although they do resemble a stock cube somewhat. There’s definitely cocoa powder listed on the ingredients, but it also mentions things like “pyridoxine hydro-chloride” and “proprietary synergistic energy blend”.
It’s at this point I start to feel a little nervous.
I pop one into my mouth, and the first five seconds are rather pleasant. A noticeable chocolate flavour, a hint of mint, and a soft, almost fudge-like texture.
Then the mint becomes stronger, and within fifteen seconds, it’s a little too strong. Ten seconds later, I start to feel a little odd, but decide that in the name of science, I must persist.
By the time I’ve managed to swallow the chew, I’m shaking. I wouldn’t say “uncontrollably”, but I do start to worry that I may not be able to dial “999” on the phone in this state. I decide to sit back and let it happen, knowing that if I attempt to move, I’ll just end up breaking things.
It takes about two hours before I recover enough to write this review. I decide against trying a second chew.
You can buy these things online in the UK and the US. But you’d need to be a serious caffeine junky to enjoy them. They probably won’t kill you (disclaimer: this is not medical advice), but if they give you as much of a buzz as they did me, they’re not going to help you to get more done either.
“I know this great little place in London…” is a popular Facebook page, Twitter account and web site that aims to uncover some of the hidden gems in London. Last night, they organised their first official event, a “Chocs & Tunes” night in the tiny 3 Blind Mice bar, just off Old Street.
The tunes were provided by pianist Holly Walker and the chocs by our bestest chocolate friend Jennifer Earle of Chocolate Ecstasy Tours. We managed to sneak in unnoticed in order to take a few pictures.
3 Blind Mice is a tiny basement bar with barely any indication of the fact it exists at all. Even the web site refuses to give you the address of the place, so it takes a bit of local knowledge or a phone with Google Maps and a compass in order to find it. I arrived just after 8pm and the first thing I noticed was how warm it was, even when the place was mostly empty.
Hot confined spaces and quality chocolates don’t generally mix, but thankfully the chocolates all survived!
The format of the evening was four songs, followed by four chocolates, four more songs and another four chocolates. This seemed to provide the perfect balance of great music and chocolate-anticipation, and the fifty-odd people packed into the bar seemed to appreciate both equally.
Jennifer bought along chocolates from Paul A. Young, Rococo, Masion du Chocolat and Artisan du Chocolat. She chose a good mix of mainstream offerings (solid dark and milk squares from Maison, a delicious lemon curd & violet chocolate from Rococo and an Earl Grey Tea ganache from Artisan) as well more challenging chocolates including a goat’s cheese chocolate and Tellicherry peppercorn bar from Paul A. Young which I’ll be reviewing myself very soon.
I was pleasantly surprised how open people were to these more unusual chocolates, all of which people consumed readily. I think the combination of good music and a few drinks encouraged people to try something new, and it really seemed like everyone enjoyed the event.
This was by far the least formal chocolate tasting I’ve been to, but it was also one of the most fun. There’s something exciting about helping people to discover great chocolate, especially when it’s all made locally.
I do hope there’ll be more of this kind of event. And if you’re thinking of organising something like this yourself, do let us know!
Now that the summer is upon us in all its sunshiny glory, it’s the cooler treats that begin to look more welcoming. What I have here is chocolate ice cream by Agave Dream. Besides being something to cool off with, it is also sugar free (sweetened instead with agave nectar), gluten free, corn syrup free, preservative free, rBST free, hormone free, and all natural.
The good thing about all this freeness is that, while the info is plain to find on the box, it isn’t plastered over every surface. Instead, there’s a lightly old-fashioned look (which I always enjoy, given it’s done right), even if a less-recognizable painting would be more welcome and original.
The texture of the ice-cream is two-sided. It’s frothy and foamy on one hand, but also has little dusty grains. At first this didn’t disturb me, then the graininess began to interfere too much. I’m still not counting it as a hands-down negative; it’s just not expected and not really wanted, either.
This may be only my perspective, but I found that the lack of sugar allowed the chocolate to come out more. It still isn’t an intense chocolate taste; the focus just shifts over. Not every ice cream will give you such a long list of qualities past sugar free: if getting all of these is important to you, Agave Dream is definitely worth trying out.
If, on the other hand, you don’t feel so strongly, be more wary about choosing it for your summer afternoon treat. Eating ice cream is accompanied by certain expectations, and feeling graininess instead of simply creaminess when you swallow isn’t something everyone will look past. It’s worth it if you can, but only if.
