The no-sugar-added hazelnut and coffee milk chocolate had a pleasant bitterness from the coffee, which counteracts the sweetness of the milk chocolate, yet I would have liked more discernable pieces of hazelnut in the mix overall. I did notice an odd cooling sensation on the tongue whilst eating this one, and after a spot of research, discovered that this is not uncommon in foods sweetened with malitol.

The most unique flavors in the range are the wine chocolates; Cocoa Farm offers Shiraz, Pinot Noir, and Merlot chocolate bars. They are described as being a blend of milk and dark chocolate and, upon perusal of the ingredient list, indeed have a 38% cocoa content. Looking at the ingredients also led to the discovery that these bars do not, as I had expected, have flavored liquid fillings, but are comprised of wine-soaked currants and chocolate made with grape skin and seed extracts. The currants make up 15% of the bar but, fortunately, will not result in any hangovers (the packaging states that each bar contains not more than 0.25% alcohol). 

I tried the Shiraz bar and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it; the cherry and pepper notes of the Shiraz offset the sweet milk chocolate very pleasantly. Moreover, each 3.5oz block contains the same amount of antioxidants as are in a standard glass of red wine. Now, if only Cocoa Farm would produce these bars in pure dark chocolate, we would have a real health food on our hands…

Of the 50g bars, I prefer the plain milk chocolate, while my mother tends towards the roasted almond and rice crackle varieties (I assume the roasted almond bar will not be around for much longer, seeing as the products are now nut free). I am currently on the lookout for the new Carob Deluxe variety, as carob is something I am entirely unfamiliar with. I also have the Not Nuts bar and the chocolate spread ready at hand, the former of which uses soybeans for crunch and the latter of which I’m hoping will make a nice substitue for peanut butter in my oatmeal.

However, I must admit that while each of these chocolates items have been in my room for a week now, I have been so excited by another of the new Sweet William chocolates, the White Delight, that I ate two in a row without trying the Not Nuts or the spread. I know, I know, that contravenes the unspoken moral code of the chocolate reviewer who should be constantly on the hunt for the new and untasted, but what can I say? Dairy-free white chocolate? For your sake, readers, I had to double-check that it was really a viable treat.

I am well aware that the jury is still out as to whether white chocolate is, technically, “chocolate,” and it seems that Sweet William has skirted this issue by calling its product White Delight and describing it as a white chocolate product. Personally, I am so impressed by the ingredient list that I feel quite happy calling it white chocolate; the first ingredient is cane sugar, the second is cocoa butter (at 29%), and these are followed by rice flour, soy flour, inulin, emulsifiers, and natural flavors. That’s all. No partially-hydrogenated oils, no PGPR, in fact, no vegetable oils of any kind, which is more than can be said for many of the “chocolate” candy bars on the market today.

Taste-wise, the White Delight is very sweet, but this is to be expected of white chocolate. It’s very smooth, seems to have a coconut-like aroma, and is just perfect for when I want something rich and decadent at night without having to worry about the effects of caffeine. The Sweet William line does lack dark chocolate varieties but, as most good quality dark chocolate is dairy-free and vegan friendly, I do not see this as a strike against the company. Instead, Sweet William offers milk and white chocolates suitable for a wide range of dietary needs and, most importantly, ensures that despite all the “free froms” on the packaging, the chocolate inside remains very tasty.

Photo courtesy of www.sweetwilliam.com.au

So, did I ease myself into the experience that is Brown Paper Chocolates by choosing a flavor combination that I could feel fairly assured of loving immediately? Did I choose one of the milk chocolates with fruit and nuts, or a dark chocolate because, at least that way, I know I would like the base chocolate? Of course not. I went as far out of my comfort zone as the selection I was faced with allowed, and picked up the White Chocolate with Lavender, Pimm’s No.1, Toasted Pepper, Fresh Chervil, and Lavender Fleur de Sel. Yes, a mouthful in more ways than one.

Unless it seems appropriate to simply pick up the single block of chocolate and (messily) nibble away at it, the best way of approaching these treats seems to be using a knife to shave off slices. At this point the almost unclassifiable texture of the chocolate becomes apparent; halfway between chocolate and fudge, it does not dissolve in the mouth as fudge does but at the same time there is a definite softness in the melt that comes from the cream and butter in the ingredients. The aroma is a mix of herby fruitiness with a slight undertone of gin, and I was pleased to discover that in taste, too, no one flavor consistently overpowers any other. Of course, there are times when the lavender fleur de sel jumps out to make itself known, but even this simply serves to highlight the sweetness and accompanying flavors of the chocolate itself.

It’s a gorgeous chocolate to look at; the lavender can be seen in speckles of purple and, upon cutting, tiny green leaves of chervil pop out. The Pimm’s No. 1 adds depth to the flavor without taking over with the gin, and the only flavor component that I find little trace of is the toasted pepper. Overall, the manner in which the herbs, salt, and Pimm’s cut through the sweetness of the white chocolate to create a fantastic taste experience ensures this treat gets the thumbs up from me, and I envy every one of you who lives in an area with access to these interesting chocolates.  

The fact that the bar uses tea leaves rather than a distilled essence gives it a distinct textural element; while the chocolate itself is smooth it is at all times mixed with tiny grains of tea leaves that, while not exactly leading to a need to chew, are certainly noticeable. As someone who always tends towards dark chocoalte, I was surprised to find myself thinking that milk chocolate may, in fact, be the perfect conduit for tea-as-confectionary, as its sweetness balances the tannic flavors of the tea in a manner that the intensity of dark chocoalte may not be well suited to do. Certainly, most of the other tea-infused and flavored chocolate bars I’ve seen have used milk chocolate, but I do remember coming across a dark chocoalte version some months back that I now feel an urge to track down. Be assured that if I am successful in my search, I’ll duly report back on my findings.

This Dolfin 60% Dark White Pepper and Cardamom bar had a crisp snap to it, indicating high quality cocoa butter and good tempering. Upon smelling the bar, I could discern hints of cardamom, but I’m not sure if I could have detected the white pepper had I not known it was there. I was expecting a bigger spice hit than I initially experienced, but the white pepper did gradually create a (very) slight burn in the back of the throat. As cardamom is a strong spice, I was also prepared for this flavor to dominate the chocolate, but instead it was nicely blended in with the pepper to create a general sense of spice that suited the percentage of the chocolate really well.

The chocolate is not chalky or bitter, and with the combination of spices, it is simultaneously sweet, spicy, cool and warming. The beans are from Guatemala, and the chocolate itself is made in Belgium, so I would rather not think about the food miles of this little treat. There was no crunchiness from the spice, although after noting this, I realized that the reason I often associate spicy chocolates with bits of crunch is that many such bars also have cacao nibs in them. In contrast, this is a very smooth bar, quite subtle to my taste, and therefore could be a good introduction for someone interested in moving into the realm of spiced chocolates.

The bar I selected was the Banana + Macadamia Nuts Organic Chocolate Bar, made from single origin Arriba cacao beans and containing “naturally caramelized organic tropical bananas and roasted organic macadamia nuts.” I must admit to a degree of perversity in selecting this bar - I’ve always been leery of banana-flavored items because I cannot stand the artificial version, and macadamias are my least favorite nuts (although it is unpatriotic of me to say so). However, as the flavor combination was so unique, and as I felt that a company priding itself on being “real” would not use artificial banana flavoring, into my hands the bar leapt (I should also add that, weight-for-weight, this bar was more expensive than Vosges bars, but I have no desire to exercise willpower when it comes to chocolate).

Upon tasting the bar, my first thought was agreement with the package’s statement that verē makes “chocolate/not candy.” This is a 75% bar and is not overly sweet; it is not bitter, but is definitely a treat for dark chocolate lovers. The banana flavor is, moreover, surprisingly subtle, and there are no noticeable chunks of banana in the bar. My guess is that the bananas are blended into the chocolate with the macadamias (however, I did come across occasional nubbins of nuts). As a result, the flavors mix together to form a unique taste with no one flavor dominating, although at times the banana flavor did stand out from the crowd, so to speak. The fact that the banana and macadamias neither hogged the spotlight nor detracted from the complexity of the chocolate itself made this bar a big hit in my book. The only other distinctive feature I’d like to make note of is the bar’s texture; it was quite grainy, and I am not sure whether this is a characteristic of the chocolate itself or results from the blended-in banana and macadamias. However, this did not take away from my enjoyment in the slightest.

The cafe I bought this from had only one other flavor - Cayenne + Cacao nibs - which has merely made me all the more determined to make it to the storefront so that I can pick up the Raspberry + Lemon and Espresso + Anise. Fingers crossed! 

Made simply with white chocolate and dried kalamata olives, I tasted first one square, then another, and then another. To be honest, I couldn’t make up my mind. One bite, and the flavors seemed to work together. Another, and the olives imparted a metallic taste that made me think of blood (I’m sorry, I fully understand that’s not something one wishes to hear on Sugar Savvy, but unfortunately this is what my tastebuds told me). I’ve heard mixed opinions about this Vosges bar, and I think I’m leaning toward the not-quite-my-style camp. Of course, I did finish the whole bar, but I think that was because it cost so much that I felt obliged to do so. And as we all know, the quicker one chocolate bar is finished, the quicker the next can be gleefully devoured. 

In the land of the rising sun, you can munch on Sakura Blossom KitKats in Spring, dip into a plethora of apple candy during apple season and, my personal favorite, indulge in chestnut confectionary during Fall/Winter. Luckily, I have a brother currently teaching English in Japan, with the result being surprise packages filled to the brim with sugary (and admittedly also savory) delights. Unfortunately, the seasonality of the candy means that he can’t always send more of what I particularly like…

And so, I present to you Chestnut Dessert Pocky. As you can see, this isn’t your ordinary pocky. No tiny sticks with thin coatings here, but rather three hefty (well, relatively) cookie sticks with a layer of white confectionary (I hesitate to say white chocolate as I can’t read Japanese and therefore do not know what the ingredients are) finished with a substantial drizzle of chestnut confectionary on top.

Now, these certainly don’t have the strongest knock-your-socks-off chestnut flavor. For that, go to the ground floor of the Kyoto Station department store and get the Mont Blanc d’Or or Mont Blanc d’Argent from one of the patisserie shops there. Possibly the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. These pocky, however, are fun, sweet, and taste enough like chestnut to make me happy. Plus, the double coating is quite thick, so you can nibble away quite happily for a little while if you’re more into prolonging than gobbling. But that, of course, is personal preference.