Green & Blacks Velvet Edition 70% Dark Chocolate

Another day, another review of Green & Blacks Velvet Edition. Why do I do this to myself? I should have learnt my lesson from trying the Velvet Edition Orange & Almond and Mint Dark Chocolate varieties, but as a dark chocolate lover I'm often tempted by special offers in supermarkets. When Green & Blacks 85% bar is on offer I'l buy it, but on this occasion the Velvet Edition range was on offer at £1.50 a bar in Tesco, so I thought I would see how the 70% tastes...naked so to speak, free from other flavours or nuts.

One thing I do like about these bars is that they contain no soy lecithin, which is always a plus. They're also dairy free and suitable for vegans (except for the Salted Caramel variety). I like the designs of the bars, too - they have nice clean squares that are easier to break than the likes of Lindt or regular Green & Blacks bars. This variety contains vanilla bean powder in the ingredients, so I was curious if this would enhance the taste at all.

To my surprise this bar was a tad nicer than some of the others I've tried in the range. It's definitely "smooth" in the sense that there's no distinct punchy cocoa flavours, instead this is replaced by a "softer" flavour of vanilla. It's pleasant, and a nice sweet bar, but I really don't see the point of it. If you're buying a 70% cocoa dark chocolate, surely you want it to taste rich, dark and punchy?

Overall, again I have to conclude that this is another pointless product from Green and Blacks and I honestly can't see this range sticking around. They've been given a good marketing push that's for sure, but fans of G&B's regular bars won't be buying them and fans of sweeter chocolates certainly won't either. I just don't think there's a gap in the market for them.

If you've tried these bars, do let me know your thoughts in the comments!

6 out of 10. 

Doisy & Dam Coconut & Lucuma Dark Chocolate

I always love a new chocolate bar variety, so when I spotted this mini bar of Doisy and Dam Dark Chocolate in a local Sainsbury's Express recently, straight into my basket it went. Costing £1 for 25g it certainly ain't cheap, but that's because it contains organic cocoa and has won a Great Taste Award. I had high expectations, especially since I've reviewed Doisy & Dam before - do check out my Doisy & Dam Maple, Toasted Rice & Pink Salt Review.

This bar contains coconut flakes and vanilla as well as lucuma, which is a type of fruit with caramel undertones. There's 4 segments per mini bar.

Considering the price I was expecting something special from this, and luckily it didn't disappoint. The coconut chips add some nice toasty crunchiness, whilst the lucuma and vanilla both give it a smooth, sweet caramel-like flavour. This is balanced by the rich dark chocolate, which is good quality and has a finer taste than the likes of other dark chocolates such as Green & Blacks or Lindt.

Overall, I have to say I really enjoyed this bar! It may be small but it's super tasty. Suitable for vegans, dairy free and gluten free too. For more info and ingredients check out the Doisy and Dam website: https://doisyanddam.com/products/coconut-lucuma

8.5 out of 10. 

Madécasse Toasted Coconut Dark Chocolate Review

Some time back I was sent some Masecasse chocolates to review, and must admit I've never really heard of the brand before. It seems they're new to the UK, and their chocolates are "proudly made in Africa" with fair trade cocoa. I tried the Milk Chocolate variety recently and enjoyed it, but how does this one compare?

This contains 70% dark chocolate with bits of toasted coconut, and is suitable for vegans. The coconut is sprinkled in small pools on the underside of the bar and incorporated into the chocolate.

The chocolate had a lovely flavour profile - rich, woody, almost fruity, the sort of thing you expect from fine cocoa. I was surprised at how flavoursome it was for a 70% chocolate - usually you get flavours like this from 80% or higher. The toasted coconut added a subtle, but welcoming toasty sweetness to the bar, but it didn't detract from the rich cocoa flavours at all. And thankfully it didn't leave annoying bits of coconut in my mouth afterwards. This is a bar to savour in small portions with a cup of coffee, or even better...hot chocolate!

Overall, this is a lovely bar of chocolate from Madecasse and exceptional quality, but maybe one for those who prefer the richer chocolates out there than the sweeter ones! Highly recommended.

8.5 out of 10.