Montezuma's Milk Chocolate with Coffee & Cocoa Nibs

Today it's my third and final review from the new Festival 2018 Range from Montezuma's, which have been created to celebrate their 18th birthday. Check out my reviews of their Milk Chocolate and Chai Latte plus the Dark Chocolate with Rose & Vanilla bars.

I've saved the best (in my opinion) for last with today's review...who doesn't love a good old coffee and chocolate combo? Well, granted not everyone but it certainly rates highly in my books. Today's bar consists of 35% milk chocolate with 3% coffee and 2% cocoa nibs added. Maybe not enough caffeine to give you the shakes, but still enough to make a delicious bar.

I'll not bore you with my thoughts on the block design or the packaging today (I love both, FYI) and get right onto the taste.

Of all the various coffee flavoured chocolates I've tried over the years, from milk, to white to dark chocolate, this is perhaps the best I've tasted! It hits the right balance of creamy, flavoursome milk chocolate, rich coffee flavour that is strong enough but not too overpowering or bitter, and a nice crunchy texture from the cacao nibs. I'm pleased they didn't use coffee bean pieces and opted for cacao nibs instead, since coffee beans can taste too bitter and often spoil whatever they're added to. All three elements are executed perfectly here, and kept me coming back for another square (or two!) after I had finished my last. A very moreish and addictive bar indeed!

Overall, if you're a java lover this is definitely a bar for you. It's indulgent, creamy and will give you a nice coffee boost. Although I'd still recommend pairing it with a fresh espresso to make it a super special experience!

8.5 out of 10. 

Ingredients: Milk Chocolate 95% (Sugar, Whole Milk Powder, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Paste, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin & Vanilla), Coffee 3% (Contains Caffeine) & Cocoa Nibs 2%.

For more info and to buy: https://www.montezumas.co.uk/bars-c1/festival-2018-bars-c74

Montezuma's Dark Chocolate with Rose & Vanilla Bar

Following on from my review of the Montezuma's Chai Latte Milk Chocolate, today's bar from their Festival Range is one that's suitable for vegans and is dairy free, it's Dark Chocolate with added Rose Oil and Vanilla flavouring. Having tried rose flavoured chocolates before I went into tasting this with great hesitation...would it be nice or awful?!

The Festival Range of bars from Montezuma's have been launched to celebrate their 18th birthday, because they're going to their first festival now they're 18. The colourfully packaged bars are specially designed to help them party and were inspired by Holi, the Hindu festival which signifies the arrival of spring and has become known as the happiest festival on earth.

Opening the wrapper, the bar has the classic Montezuma's style of a section of breakable blocks with a thicker piece with the Montezuma's logo on below. I do like the design - it means you can have a chunkier piece of chocolate or smaller pieces if you fancy.

The chocolate certainly had a faint smell of rose, which didn't really excite me to be honest. Don't get me wrong I don't mind rose flavour when it's in turkish delight, but with chocolate I have rarely enjoyed it.

I took a bite. I was hit by the flowery rose taste right away, followed by the more intense dark chocolate. And quite honestly I didn't enjoy it. It's just too much when paired together, and really not the sort of thing my tastebuds enjoy. The vanilla flavouring does tone down the overpowering nature of the rose somewhat, making it more palatable, but I still found it hard to eat.

Overall, I'm going to say this is one of those "love it or hate it" marmite bars; if you like rose or floral flavourings it might be right up your street. But it's really not my thing. On the plus side, the dark chocolate is good quality, as it always is from Montezuma's.

For more info and to buy: https://www.montezumas.co.uk/bars-c1/festival-2018-bars-c74

6 out of 10. 

Ingredients: Dark Chocolate 99% (Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier:Soya Lecithin & natural Flavouring: Vanilla), Vanilla & Natural Flavourings: Rose Oil.

Gluten free, may contain traces of nuts and dairy. 

Montezuma's Milk Chocolate with Chai Latte Bar

Montezumas, makers of the famous Absolute Black chocolate bar are turning 18 this year, and to celebrate their coming of age they've launched a "Festival" range...because they're going to their first festival now they're 18. Get it? These colourfully packaged bars are specially designed to help them party and were inspired by Holi, the Hindu festival which signifies the arrival of spring and has become known as the happiest festival on earth. I really do like the packaging designs, they're the sort of thing I would definitely pick up in a shop to buy!

There's three varieties in the range; today's review which is Milk Chocolate with Chai Latte, as well as Milk Chocolate with Coffee & Cocoa Nibs and Dark Chocolate with Rose & Vanilla (reviews to follow shortly).

Containing 35% Cocoa Milk Chocolate with the addition of mixed spice, this 100g bar is suitable for vegetarians and gluten free.

The spice aroma is very evident on opening the wrapper, followed by the milk chocolate. Taking a bite, the chocolate is super creamy and smooth, just what you'd expect from higher quality chocolate. The spices are subtle yet still very evident in the taste. They bring a lovely warming chai taste that blends well without overpowering the chocolate. Think of a creamy, warm chai latte and you get the idea!

Overall, this is a lovely bar from Montezuma's and if chai spices are your thing I'd highly recommend giving it a try! Check out Montezuma's website for more info, nutrition information and where to buy.

8.5 out of 10.

Montezuma's Absolute Black Easter Egg with Cocoa Nibs & Buttons

A huge thankyou to Montezuma's for sending me this Absolute Black Easter egg to review recently! Since I first heard of it I was eager to try it; I do enjoy Montezuma's Absolute Black bars - they're a godsend when trying to cut back on sugar intake and still enjoy some chocolate. So in Easter Egg form it makes the perfect treat for anyone wiahing to stick to a sugar free diet over the Easter period! Not only is it made with 100% cocoa chocolate, the shell contains cocoa nibs and there's a sachet of 100% Dark Chocolate buttons with it too.

The egg was silver foil wrapped, a nice touch compared to some of the shiny plastic wrappers found on many Easter Eggs.

Ripping open the foil, the egg looked super shiny - I didn't want to break it!

But it had to be done...for reviewing purposes! The shell is nice and thick with the cocoa nibs peeking out in places. Biting into a piece, there's the classic rich cocoa flavour of the Absolute Black Dark Chocolate punctuated with some earthier notes from the nibs, which do a great job of breaking up the texture and preventing it becoming boring, as I imagine it would without any additions at all. The buttons make for a nice accompaniment to nibble on separately, although due to the rich nature of them you won't be eating a lot at once. They're nice to have a few with a cuppa.

I do think it would have been nice if Montezuma's had included some other kind of addition, like coated nuts or something, although that would be unfair to those with allergies. This egg is certainly king when it comes to being allergen free - no sugar, dairy, nuts, gluten or soya, so it caters for everyone! It's made in a factory that processes dairy and nuts, of course, so if you are super sensitive please be aware of this.

Overall, in my opinion this is a superb egg and probably better than the Hotel Chocolat 100% Dark I reviewed last year. Although that one was nice, this one is a bit smoother in taste and easier to eat.

If you're avoiding dairy or sugar - this is the egg for you! Find it on montezumas.co.uk (they deliver within 24 hours, so hurry if you want one by the weekend!)

On the topic of Easter Eggs, if you've ever wondered why we eat Eggs at Easter here's an article from Montezuma's that explains all! https://www.montezumas.co.uk/blog/2017/04/why-do-we-eat-eggs-at-easter-2/

8.5 out of 10. 

Montezuma's Absolute Black with Almonds/Orange & Cocoa Nibs

Being on a low sugar diet it's hard to find many interesting chocolates, yes there's the lovely Montezuma's Absolute Black but sometimes you want some added crunch or flavour. Luckily Montezuma's have come to the rescue with not one, but two new Absolute Black varieties - the first 100% cacao bars on the market with added flavours. These are not available in major supermarkets just yet, but you can get them online from www.montezumas.co.uk. Luckily Montezuma's kindly sent me boith to review.

Absolute Black 100% Cocoa Solids with Almonds:

This bar is sugar free, vegan, and contains 80% chocolate and 20% almonds. Opening the wrapper the bar has the standard Montezuma's design - blocks make up half of it, with a thicker piece on one end with the Montezuma's logo. I've said it before but I do love the block design, it's nice to have the smaller pieces as well as a nice thicker piece to munch on!

The almonds are clearly visible when you snap off a block, although not evenly distributed throughout the bar unfortunately. I suspect it's difficult to make sure there's a piece in every block since they're whole rather than chopped almonds.

Taking a bite of a piece with the almonds in, it was lovely; the chocolate is rich and flavoursome, with a slightly fruity cocoa edge. It's not bitter like some 100% chocolates can be. The almonds bring a bit of chewiness as well as a creamy, nutty edge that really compliments the chocolate, and in fact tones it down a little. I loved this bar, it's the perfect mixture of more intense cocoa flavours with sweeter creamy almonds. My only gripe is that there weren't more of them distributed throughout the bar, but overall this was my favourite out of the two! 9 out of 10.

Absolute Black 100% Cocoa Solids with Orange & Cocoa Nibs: 

This bar is also sugar free and vegan, containing 93% chocolate, 7% cocoa nibs and orange oil. The nibs are fairly distributed throughout the bar so you get plenty in each bite. The chocolate had a pleasant zesty aroma when I opened the wrapper.

Taking a bite, this was a very crunchy bar indeed, the nibs give it the perfect texture. The orange oil gives it a welcoming citrus flavour, that almost reminded me of Chocolate Orange, but much better. The nibs are a little harsh in taste so it's good the orange oil counteracts their bitterness. I enjoyed this bar, and the crunchy texture is great, but I did find the nibs a bit too harsh to properly appreciate it overall. It's a shame because the orange flavour is lovely. I was torn between this and the almonds bar as to my favourite, because I love this one for the orange flavour and the almond bar for the lack of harshness. I think an almonds bar with orange oil and no cocoa nibs would be the ideal combination - but that's just me! I will still buy this if I see it in shops for a sugar free treat. 8 out of 10.

Overall...I have to congratulate Montezuma's for creating these two bars for those of us who are sugar free, they sure make life a lot more interesting! I hope this is the start of a new trend towards 100% chocolate with added flavourings, it's one that would be very welcome to many and would help people stick with lower sugar and low carb diets longterm. I'd like to see a bar with coconut or perhaps dried berries added...there's so many options to choose from. Please keep up the good work Montezuma's!

Available from: Montezumas.co.uk.

Nutrition (per 25g):
Orange & Cocoa Nibs: 13g Fat, 2g Carbohydrates, 3g Protein, 4g Fibre. 
Almonds: 14g Fat, 2g Carbohydrates, 3g Protein, 4g Fibre. 

Montezuma's Spice It Up Dark Chocolate with Dragon Ginger

Since Montezuma's bars started appearing in my local Sainsbury's I've been gradually making my way through the range, they do everything from the intense Absolute Black 100% Bar, to the fruity Black Forest Gateau Pudding Bar, both of which are great so I thought I'd try another in their range: Spice It Up with Dragon Ginger. This bar is vegan, dairy free, gluten free and non GMO. The chocolate contains 70% cocoa solids and ginger is listed as 7% in the ingredients.

I do like 70% cocoa bars, and even more so when they have some added ingredients so this bar was an absolute delight. The chocolate is rich and good quality, with a slight fruity edge. The crystallized ginger brings a warming burst of sweetness with every bite, it's gentle and fiery and definitely fits with the name "dragon" ginger. It's a tasty and moreish combination, I imagine this bar would be great in the Winter months with a cuppa!

Overall, this a tasty and great quality bar - Montezuma's have done it again! I'm struggling to find a favourite from their bars that I've tried recently, they're all so good, but I would say the Black Forest was pretty special.

Nutrition (per 25g): 10g Fat, 8g Carbohydrates, 8g Sugars, 2g Protein, 2g Fibre. 

8.5 out of 10.