12 September 2017

Green & Black’s Velvet Edition Raspberry & Hazelnut Dark Chocolate (Sainsburys) By @Cinabar


This is the new bar from Green and Black, a brand known for being Fair-trade and usually organic. Interestingly this bar has neither of those logos on the packet, which is a first for the brand. This has caused a bit of controversy in the chocolate world, it seems a step away from their usual stance. It does have a new “Cocoa Life” logo which is about sustainable farming, but it doesn’t quite feel like the same thing. I don’t really want to get into the ins and outs of the detail of that, I think I’d just like to focus on the taste.
The bar is split into large flat pieces, with a neat bean style symbol on each one. There are hints of the ingredients showing through. I was a little bugged that all the pieces weren’t the same size, it makes it so much easier for sharing. The bar had quite a firm snap when I broke the pieces off, but it wasn’t too hard.
The flavour of the chocolate is impressively rich, the dark chocolate is full of flavour. There seems to be so many dark cocoa tones packed in that it was a lovely flavour sensation. The chocolate had a clean melt, which feels smooth but doesn’t coat the tongue thickly. This means it doesn’t feel as lush as a thick milk chocolate, but the texture works better with the stronger taste. The sharpness off raspberry does off set the dark flavour, mixing it up with a lovely fruity tang. It isn’t overpowering, but that hint of acidic berry was a match made in heaven. The hazelnut element is a mild taste but this element brings a pleasing crunch and texture to the chocolate. All in all I found this to be the poshest of fruit and nut chocolate bars, and an absolute must for dark chocolate fans. Whatever the reasoning behind the change in labels, the fact remains Green and Blacks know how to make good chocolate.

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