I know I know; cherry liqueur choccies are the cocoa equivalent of Benny Hill – very popular in the 1970s but rarely discussed or touched since then. However I have always liked them. Loved them in fact, but have many times been disappointed by the dodgy boxes found at the bottom of bargain bins, crusted with sugar crystals and coated in the dreaded compounded chocolate. Not that the words ‘compounded’ or ‘chocolate’ should be placed together in my opinion.
Still, I always keep my eyes out for this unfashionable type when I’m out and about, and lo and behold, this rather unedifying box was given a rather prominent place amongst the Lindt, Ferrero and Cadbury Christmas lines already on sale at K-Mart. Walkers is a brand that we Aussies normally associate with short bread biscuits in tins and the back of the box informed me that these were made in Germany for the Birmingham-based company.
As tends to be the norm for cherry liqueurs, they go for quantity first and quality second, so the rather drab appearance wasn’t out of the ordinary. I know that looks aren’t everything but if cherry liqueur makers modernised their presentation a bit – funkier boxes maybe or individually wrapped truffle types or got someone sexy to admit they loved them – they might enjoy a renaissance. I don’t wish the same for The Benny Hill Show repeats though. Upon opening, they still smelled good despite their boring presentation with a nice inviting whiff of alcohol and an even more inviting smell of dark cocoa.
How did they taste? Pretty bloody good actually. No actual cherry or glace version inside, just a runny liqueur filling that was strong but not overpowering. The chocolate, at a respectable 50% cocoa solids was also rather nice, and let the booze dominate first, only to fade away and finally allow the taste of the slow melting chocolate to emerge victorious. There is real cherry brandy inside, comprising seven percent of each chocolate, so you’d need to inhale a few before the floor came up to meet you.
Not bad at all – not something you’d whip out to impress someone, but OK as your own private weakness.
Chocablog reader Zoe Page from Sunderland is on a quest to find her favourite chocolate locally. Zoe writes:
“I’ve put ‘my pen to paper’ and sent you this rhyme
As you’ve caused me consternation, trouble big time
Since my local stores have ceased supply
My frustration is plain, I cannot deny.
Minus dark, smooth, coffee chocolate that’s divine it’s so bitter
My withdrawal has caused convulsions… my body starts to jitter
It’s a painful, and indeed unending, poor state and dreadful affliction
Since you’ve lured me in and started, my latest addiction.
Whilst I try to keep in check… resentment t’wards Bournville
If a solutiom isn’t met, I’ll p’rhaps foster ill will.
So I hope you can instruct, tell me how to purchase more
Or where indeed in Sunderland, it’s on the shop floor.
I’m desperate… and so sad… my choc I really need
I’ll do anything, so please please please… answer I plead!!”
Can anyone out there help her find a local stockist of Bournville Deeply Dark with Coffee? If you can, leave a message in the comments!
Earlier today, Simon posted a review of Divine Orange Milk Chocolate. As with all our reviews it was an honest, personal opinion of the chocolate.
Simon concluded that the bar was “okay” but “unremarkable”. Not an entirely positive conclusion, but we’ve certainly had worse, and when you do impartial reviews of chocolate, the occasional poor review goes with the territory.
This evening, two overly positive comments from a “Pete” and “Laura” got me suspicious, and it didn’t take long to gather the evidence that both these comments not only came from the same person, but they originated from within the Divine Chocolate HQ.
This is nothing short of lying and deceitful behaviour from a company that supposedly prides itself on its Fair Trade business practices, and as editor of Chocablog, I won’t stand for it. We are quite happy to engage in discussions with chocolatiers, but if you have to resort to faking positive comments in order to promote your product, then we simply won’t deal with you any more.
Simon and I were both slightly taken aback by the impolite tone in our initial dealings with Divine’s PR representative but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. But this is too much.
Consequently we will not be reviewing any more Divine products on Chocablog.
A little while ago the people at Divine got in touch and offered to send over a few bars for review. Unfortunately my ‘proper’ job kept me away for a couple of weeks but finally I’ve been able to sit down and appraise the selection of chocolate they sent over.
This first bar is the only one that uses milk chocolate. It’s another Fairtrade product and uses Ghanaian beans from a co-op of farmers, so at least you know that the growers are going to benefit from your purchase. In fact, over 75% of the ingredients are Fairtrade, so this really is chocolate with a heart.
At only 27% cocoa, I thought it a little light on the important ingredients, but as the proof of the pudding is in the eating, I popped a square in my mouth and was immediately hit with the orange flavour. It’s a light citrus taste which intensifies as the chocolate melts, and it’s also the finishing flavour. It did cross my mind that the reason for such a low cocoa content may well have been that the orange flavours have a tendency to dominate, and consequently the manufacturers decided to save cocoa.
Oddly enough, I don’t think I have tried much ‘orangey‘ chocolate (although i can think of a couple) and that’s probably because I’m not a big fan. The ubiquitous Terry’s Chocolate Orange has never been a big favourite of mine, and although the chocolate in this bar did have a better depth of flavour, I couldn’t help making mental comparisons as I tasted.
I suppose the best thing I could say about this bar is that it’s okay. Nothing more, nothing less. It didn’t excite my palate particularly, nor did it make me wish I hadn’t tried it. It was just what it was – milk chocolate flavoured with orange. Pleasant enough if you’re a fan, but nothing special if orangey milk chocolate is not your thing. I’d probably recommend it as a more ethically sound version of the Chocolate Orange to my Terry’s-buying friends, but beyond that I found it unremarkable. I just hope the darker bars show a little more character and depth.
