I’m sitting here so innocently. You’d think there was nothing out of order. But do you see that gleam of fear in my eye? Follow my gaze, and there, just inches away, you will see the orange bull that’s staring me down. It stands against a purple background, beside the words 44% Cacao Beef Jerky Milk Chocolate Bar and above, that’s right, the Wild Ophelia logo.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have so much fear of a cow appearing in my chocolate–bacon has, after all, been a trend for a while. But I’ve never had a bacon chocolate, and beef jerky chocolate sounds even more frightening, maybe because I occasionally eat turkey bacon but never eat beef jerky. Hence, it took me days after opening this chocolate and smelling its strong scent to taste more than a small nibble.
And while I cowardly put off a proper tasting, the bull continued to stare me down. When I finally found my courage, I observed that the first two-thirds or so of a bite were alright: the 44% milk chocolate is a balanced percentage, not sweet but still having all the flavorful caramelness. Then the salt and spices kicked me and I fell over, temporarily injured. The ingredients for the beef jerky list both soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, and the bar also contains smoked paprika. I think that there isn’t so much of a beefy flavor as there is from the rest of these tastes, but it can all be quite powerful.
As often happens, my second piece (still not very big) didn’t taste so strong, and I didn’t get the beef jerky aftertaste I got the first time (which was a bit disturbing). While part of this was certainly me getting used to the flavor, the amount of flavor does seem to vary throughout the bar. What is either amusing or disconcerting, depending on your view, is the presence of tiny beef jerky pieces, almost like sea salt crystals. This is most definitely preferable to large pieces, or even medium ones.
But what surprises me is that the card box has no information on where this beef jerky came from. After the background Wild Ophelia provided on the BBQ chips in the last bar, I had hoped to hear about how the beef was free-range or free of hormones or at least something. There is nothing, however, the website does give assurance of these two traits. Further, the beef comes from Piedmontese and Angus cattle from Idaho that are grass-fed with a 100% vegetarian diet. That’s assuring, though I wish that info were on the bar itself.
If you were as disturbed by the idea of a beef jerky chocolate, let this one go by. But if you’re adventurous and/or a beef-jerky-eater, give it a try. It’s put together in a balanced way that doesn’t mask the chocolate, and the quality of the ingredients is estimable.
I have to admit that I had no idead Interflora did chocolate hampers until one of these arrived at my door. Never having actually received (or sent) anything from Interflora, I hadn’t associated them with anything more than flower delivery. It turns out they do several different kinds of hampers, cakes, champagne and more.
I’m not entirely sure why anyone would choose to send anything other than chocolate, but there you go.
The hamper is a decent size. £36.99 gets you an attractive re-usable gift basket stuffed with:
- Taste Half Chocolate Coated Oat Flips 150g
- Four Anjels Double Chocolate Biscuits 100g
- Divine Fairtrade Cocoa Powder 125g
- Sally Williams Nougat 50g
- Simpkins Orange & Lime Travel Sweets 175g
- Hamlet Assorted Belgium Chocolates 125g
- Hamlet Dark Chocolate Flaked Truffles 125g
- Divine Fairtrade Hazlenut Milk Chocolate Bar 100g
- Divine Fairtrade White Chocolate Bar 100g
- Cocoabean Handmade Chocolate Caramels In Ribboned Gift Bag 100g
- Black Jacks Chocolate Covered Peanuts & Raisins 100g
With the exception of the Divine chocolate, not the most recognisable of chocolate brands, but everything has a good quality feel, nestled in its bed of straw.
I’m not going to review all the contents of the hamper individually, although I do intend to review a couple of the more unusual items separately.
I decided to start by trying the thing I knew I would like the least – the ‘Hamlet truffles’. These long shelf life truffles are made with vegetable fats rather than fresh ingredients, and as such aren’t something I would ever buy myself. The box shouts the fact that they contain 52% cocoa solids, but doesn’t shout quite so much about the coconut & palm oil. They were a bit dry and not memorable at all, but they weren’t offensive, and I’m sure the average chocoholic (who doesn’t spend half their life reviewing chocolate) would happily eat them.
The ‘Oat Flips’ were nice enough, and I managed to consume the whole box without noticing. The nougat takes the form of a single 50g bar coated in dark chocolate. The chocolate isn’t much to write home about, but I love nougat and quickly scoffed this bar.
I’m yet to try the rest of the hamper, as there’s rather a lot to get through.
Overall, this isn’t what you’d call ‘fine chocolate’ by any means, but I do think it represents good value for what it is. For under £40 you can send someone a chocolatey surprise that has a varied selection and will last a long time. With next day delivery, it’s great as a last minute gift, and although those with a love of artisan chocolate might not appreciate it, I think the average chocoholic will probably love it.
Considering the popularity of energy drinks, it was just a matter of time before people started caffeinated chocolate. So when I heard there was a company in Toronto making such a thing, I had to get in touch to see how it all worked out. Enter Awake Caffeinated Chocolate.
The whole point of Awake is the caffeine and it really doesn’t scrimp in that capacity. There’s 101mg of caffeine in each bar which is slightly more than a small can of Red Bull or a cup of coffee, so that’s enough to give a decent jolt especially since it is squeezed into a 44g bar. So it lives up to its name.
The bar is rather cute, with the owl from the wrapper showing up again on the chocolate plus it also has a not-quite-rectangular shape too which stops it from being just another bar of chocolate. Mine were a little worse for wear because of warm temperatures which melted the bars a little, but they still looked nice and glossy.
And as for the chocolate – it is much better than it needs to be. It isn’t the smoothest milk chocolate around, but it is nice and creamy with the right amount of sweetness. Nobody is ever going to mistake it for a bar of Valrhona, but it isn’t close to being unpleasant. There is, however, a slight bitter aftertaste which probably comes from the caffeine, and a few little crunchy crystals in the chocolate which I suspect comes from the same source. Not a deal breaker, but still not the best – maybe some kind of flavour like orange or mint could take care of that.
Does it work? It appears to. I ate a bar and I felt less sleepy than I did before so for those who don’t drink coffee (like myself) or avoid energy drinks, this is a good alternative. It costs about double what a standard bar of chocolate does, so there is a premium to pay for the caffeine but it is probably worth it for those needing some extra productive hours.
Without doubt, the question I was asked most during Chocolate Week was “What’s your favourite chocolate?”
It is of course, a question that’s impossible to answer. When you’re trying new chocolates every day, you’re always making amazing new discoveries, and it’s very difficult to compare current favourites with things you’ve had in the past.
Then there’s the added problem of what people mean when they say ‘chocolate’. Do they mean chocolate bar? Milk or dark? Truffle? Chocolatier? Chocolate maker?
I can’t answer these questions on the spot, but I thought it would be useful to write down a list of some of my current favourite chocolates. Note that these are changing all the time, and they’re limited to what I’ve been exposed to. Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll probably come up with a completely different list. Partly because my tastes will be different tomorrow and partly because I will almost certainly have made another wonderful discovery.
But right here, right now, this is what I like.
Favourite Dark Chocolate Bar
Gru Grococo
This joint venture between The Grenada Chocolate Company and Rococo is probably the most ethically produced chocolate bar we’ve ever tried. It also happens to be one of the most delicious, and despite the hefty price, it’s something everyone should try.
Favourite Milk Chocolate Bar
Duffy’s Corazon Del Ecuador With Cocoa Nibs & Oak Smoked Salt
This would be my guilty pleasure, but there’s really nothing to feel guilty about. I simply adore this milk chocolate, and I’m sure you will as well. I’m very glad that Simon reviewed it back in September, as it means I can buy it as a self indulgent treat without having to worry about writing a review. One of the best milk chocolates I’ve ever tasted.
Favourite Filled Chocolate
This one is much more difficult. I’ve been particularly impressed with Damian Allsop’s water ganaches lately, but a perennial favourite would have to be Paul A Young’s sea-salt caramel. It’s quite boring by modern standards, but I find it’s the kind of chocolate I enjoy whatever my mood. There are much more exotic flavours out there (I’m currently also loving Paul’s Aqua Riva Tequila Truffle), but this simple dome of goodness is enough for me.
Favourite Chocolatier
This changes almost daily, but right here, right now, it’s Damian Allsop. He doesn’t do as many experimental flavours as some other chocolatiers, and on the face of it, his creations are quite simple. But his attention to detail and ability to natural chocolate pull flavours out of the chocolate with the simple addition of water is amazing. I particularly like his Pacari Raw water ganache.
Favourite Chocolate Maker
Duffy Sheardown. I remember when we interviewed him for World Chocolate Guide at Chocolate Unwrapped last year, Duffy said making chocolate was ‘surprisingly easy’. Well Duffy has had a tough year and has lost a great deal of chocolate due to circumstances beyond his control. But he has fought back and is currently making some of his best chocolate ever. I don’t believe for a minute that making chocolate from the bean is easy, but it’s the hard work and determination to make it work that make Duffy’s chocolate some of the best in the world.
Favourite Patissier
Hands down, William Curley. There is of course plenty of great patisserie around London and around the world, but I can only go on what I am exposed to and I particularly like the way William works with chocolate. He is of course a chocolatier as well, but it’s the understanding of chocolate that brings to his patisserie that I enjoy the most.
The main reason I like him though is simply that he’s such a nice guy. He’s passionate yet very approachable and easy to talk to. He also wrote my favourite chocolate book of all time, Couture Chocolate.
And There’s More…
Of course, that list only scratches the surface of my favourites. There are many, many other names I need to mention. The amazing people like Amano, Askinosie and Soma making chocolate from the bean in North America. Family business like Chococo, who have the constant struggle of keeping things going during a recession, yet retain their vision of using quality, local ingredients. And let’s not forget, Paul A Young, who makes my favourite chocolate creation of all time, the Easter Simnel Brownie.
Then there’s Hotel Chocolat. A British company that’s now getting rather big internationally, yet still hanging on tightly to its ethics as they expand.
There’s a whole host of smaller chocolatiers who I adore too. The likes of Shelly Preston’s Boutique Aromatique who make beautiful chocolates, and my friend Steph Saffer whose Kokopelli’s Chocolate is just getting going. And I really don’t want to forget the host of newcomers experimenting with making chocolate from the bean like Baravelli’s in North Wales and The Chocolate Tree in Edinburgh.
So there’s my current list of favourites. I know there are many, many names I’ve left off. Please feel free to correct me or add your own opinions in the comments!
