Today's review is rather special, it's for a new range of Organic "Rich Dark" high cocoa bars from Divine, makers of Fairtrade ethically-sourced chocolate. The bars are certified Vegan, Soil Association Organic and verified by the Non GMO Project. Some pretty high credentials right there! I was offered the range to review by Divine recently and of course, couldn't say no since I'm such a convert to darker chocolates. What intrigued me by this range was the inclusion of various flavours like Ginger, Lemon, Turmeric etc...all very healthy and super food-ish, and interesting pairings for dark chocolate!
The fairtrade cocoa is sourced from Sao Tome, a forest-covered volcanic island off the west coast of Africa. It was the first African country to grow cocoa and in 1913 was the biggest producer in the world, earning it the title of "Chocolate Island". Mmmm, who wouldn't want to live on a Chocolate Island?
Starting with the Refreshing Lemon variety, firstly I must mention the cardboard sleeve - it's very fancy looking and also biodegradable, which is always good to know! The cocoa percentage is 85%, with added lemon oil as the flavouring.
Opening the sleeve, there's interesting stories about the Sao Tome cocoa farmers, as well as information on Divine's Fairtarde operations. The chocolate itself is presented in a a glossy looking wrapper, with a lovely block design.
I broke off a little and took a bite. I like the size of the pieces; they're just right to nibble on. The flavour is rich, punchy and definitely no avergae dark chocolate. The lemon oil works well with it, giving a nice citrus edge that compliments nicely. It's definitely one for the richer chcooalte lovers and you can tell it's from higher quality cocoa than say, a Green and Blacks 85% bar. Given the choice I'd much rather buy this! 8 out of 10.
The Turmeric and Ginger flavour was the one I was most intrigued by, since Turmeric is of course a superfood popping up in everything these days. The ingredients list 9% ginger "granules" as well as ginger extract and turmeric powder.
I took a bite, and again the flavour is very rich and punchy, this time broken up by the spicy sweetness of the ginger. I do love ginger combined with chocolate, especially in crunchy form so this was very welcome and kept me reaching for another piece. I couldn't taste the turmeric as much, although it was definitely there in the background. It's probably just as well because quite honestly, turmeric isn't the best flavour with sweet things, I find. Overall, this was a rather enjoyable bar and out of the two I preferred it the most - there's just something about ginger and dark chocolate that works so well together! 8.5 out of 10.
Overall, I have to say these chocolates are a very welcome change to the chocolate market here in the UK - all ethical, fairtrade, vegan and very tasty! I hope to see the more interesting flavours become widely available in supermarkets.
For more info on Divine's Rich Dark range, their Fairtrade programme and where to buy their chocolates, check out their website:
http://www.divinechocolate.com/uk/organic