Menakao Milk Chocolate With Madagascan Vanilla

Menakao are one of my favourite chocolate makers. Not only is there Madagascan origin chocolate delicious, but they make it at source in Madagascar. I’ve been enjoying their range of dark chocolates for a while, but this is the first time I’ve tried a milk chocolate.

Madagascan chocolates are often intensely fruity, so in my mind they work better with dark chocolate. That fruitiness can sometimes clash with the creaminess of a milk chocolate. This bar also contains a healthy dose of Madagascan vanilla and a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour even more.

The chocolate has a pleasantly fruity aroma, but the first flavour notes that come through are creamy and chocolatey. As the chocolate melts though, the fruitiness builds to a wonderfully intense level. The hint of salt certainly lifts the flavour even higher, but also seems to bring it all together. The creamy, fudginess and intense fruitiness never clash.

Interestingly, coming back for a second try at a different time of day, I picked up more of the chocolatey and creamy notes and the fruity notes were a little less intense. It’s quite surprising just how different a chocolate can taste at different times of day, and this bar illustrates that very well.

I may have fallen in love with this chocolate a little bit. It’s complex, yet accessible and very easy to eat. I picked up this bar in Paul a Young’s shop in Soho, but you can also find it online – it’s well worth seeking out.

You might also like...