Organic chocolate through and through. Photo courtesy of Green & Black’s.
|
PETER ROT is THE NIBBLE’s chocolate specialist.
|
July 2009
Updated February 2010
|
|
Green & Black’s Organic Chocolate Bars
Page 4: More Varieties Of Green & Black's Chocolate Bars
This is Page 4 of a four-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
More Chocolate Bar Varieties
But wait—there’s more—a total of 13 bars. You can focus on a different bar every month for a year, plus an extra bonus bar for your birthday.
Ginger (60% Dark Chocolate). What a rush—clearing your sinuses may never have been so  tasty. Crystallized ginger has been chopped finely and scattered plentifully in this bar to create an awakening experience. It’s sharp and piquant; the granular ginger contrasts against the smooth and refined chocolate. Speaking of which, the chocolate is strong and stout yet sweet enough to counter the fiery ginger, making the bar as a whole very feisty.
Hazelnut & Currant (60% Dark Chocolate). Hazelnuts and raisins, a popular combination with European chocolatiers, gets a makeover via a heavy dose of plump currants in place of the raisins. They add succulent moisture and explosive blasts of currant flavor, while the hazelnuts lend a comforting nuttiness to balance the heady fruits. Unlike Green & Black’s almond bar, the hazelnuts are chopped finely—perhaps to allow the whole currants to show off.
Maya Gold (55% Dark Chocolate). This is Green & Black’s first bar to receive Fair Trade certification (in 1994). The company expands on ancient Mayan spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla were used to flavor cocoa, among others) by adding a refreshing spritz of orange to the mix. Like all other Green & Black’s bars, it’s exclamatory and not too sweet. It’s also slightly bitter; the uncanny similarity to real orange pith adds a stimulating sense of freshness and authenticity.
Milk (34% Milk Chocolate). Caramel fans, here’s your chocolate. Green & Black’s  has caramelized the sugar and milk during processing, which has created a prominent caramel flavor in the finished bar. In fact, the caramel tones are so strapping that the bar doesn’t retain much of its chocolaty traits, and borders on butterscotch territory. It’s fun, quirky and slightly reminiscent of Pierre Marcolini’s butterscotchy milk chocolate bar (another favorite of our editor), but not quite as sweet. Note that G&B’s also makes a milk chocolate Toffee Bar filled with crunchy toffee pieces.
Actually, milk chocolate is made with powdered milk—but you get the picture.
Mint (60% Dark Chocolate). This is how after-dinner mints should taste! This bar harkens back to those popular Andes mints. Green & Black’s jumbo version is refreshing but stronger, livelier (thanks to a generous infusion of peppermint oil) and much more chocolaty—so much so that it is fine chocolate that lingers in the mouth, not “chocolate mint” sweetness. (Photo below.)
Peanut (37% Dark Chocolate). Introduced in February, 2010, the Peanut bar is the first U.S.-exclusive flavor from the U.K.-based company. With a blend of premium 37% cacao dark milk chocolate, the peanut bar includes delectable carmelized peanuts and a hint of sea salt.
See our review of the White Chocolate bar in the Best White Chocolate article. The next time you want to show your support for cacao farmers and sustainable agriculture, celebrate Earth Day (April 22) or simply have a fun chocolate tasting, get one of every bar and invite your friends over for a chocolate tasting.
GREEN & BLACK’S
CHOCOLATE BARS
Almond, Cherry, Dark 70%, Dark 85%, Espresso, Ginger, Hazelnut & Currant, Maya Gold, Milk 34%, Mint, Peanut, Toffee, White
- 3.5-Ounce Bar
$3.49
Suggested Retail Price
Available at supermarket and drug chains nationwide, and online at Amazon.com. For a store locator visit GreenandBlacks.com
Go To The Article Index Above |
 |
*Prices and product availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. Shipping is additional. These items are offered by a third party and THE NIBBLE has no relationship with them. Purchase information is provided as a reader convenience.
Lifestyle Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.
|
