It goes without saying that we at the belly love chocolate. We nuzzle on tiny pieces of the best quality we can get our hands on and live for the tiny high that ensues. Today is the day that I unpacked 5 beautiful bars that arrived courtesy of the lovely people at Chocolate and Love. Please feast with us….
We started with the ‘Chocolate and Love’ eponymous bars all beautifully packaged and full of promise.
‘Filthy rich’
Unlike it’s name it is subtle, clean and not ostentatious. As you bite on the waxy chocolate and let it melt and wrap itself around your mouth, a cool biterness is revealed that is not too sharp at all. This is a dark chocolate that doesn’t shout at you, but whispers. It’s really seductive.
‘Coffee affair’
This organic dark choc with 55% cocoa had a subtle flavour which started with the bitterness of a good espresso. Very gently, as it melts in your mouth the natural sweetness of the chocolate rises and sustains in a really delicious aftertaste that begs for another bite. As someone who has recently given up coffee this was a sublime treat for me, the combination of my two favourite flavors combined.
‘Crushed Diamonds’
Not unlike a honeycomb, or a fine nut crunch, this delicious chocolate is sweeter and less serious than the other two, with cacao nibs crushed throught the chocolate. It seemed milkier and lighter and crispier with a yummy caramel undertone.
The Chocolate tree: dark chocolate with raspberries
We loved the look of the vivid red dried raspberries scattered across this beautiful looking chocolate, and although I loved the chocolate itself, we were a wee bit dissapointed by the impact that the raspberries made. All I ended up with was a tiny hint of raspberry in the aftertaste and little tiny raspberry seeds stuck in my teeth. The chocolate itself was truly gorgeous though, rich dark and smooth with a long sweet aftertaste.
Conscious chocolate: Essential orange
And now for something really different, a brave and adventurous new chocolate with the healthiest ingredients ever. This bar was soft and waxy to the touch and had a really buttery feel that almost melted on touch as I pried it out of it’s packaging. Amazingly it’s made with agave sweetener instead of sugar and uses essential oils of orange and tangerine to flavour the chocolate. I loved the hint of cinnamon and the idea its wholesome ingredients. Sacha on the other hand did not enjoy this one, finding the taste less interesting than the ingredients and the consistency too soft and buttery for his liking. Perhaps not a discerning man’s chocolate if there is such a thing. But being vegan and vegetarian society approved, it will appeal on the basis of its wholesome ingredients and to those who love a smooth and very buttery mouth feel.
Readers, you’ll find these delights and many many more on the ‘Chocolate and Love’ site. We heart you richard and Birgitte and wish you every success with your divine and well chosen wares. Oh and one last thing, they offer a chocolate club membership which means all sort of delicious wares arriving to your door every month. Great idea, and we’re joining!
