So let’s exclude the idea of  ’porcelana’ from our minds and review the bar for what it is, chocolate made with the native cacao of Peru.

As usual, Bonnat bars are still 100 grams, a good chunky size that few other high chocolate makers still use.

The colour of the chocolate is brown with vivid burgundy hints, shiny and perfectly made in Bonnat’s traditional mould.

Tobacco and unlit match-head are strong in the aroma, but with definite floral hints – faint rose, mango and something like over-ripe fruit or perhaps papaya.

The taste has full fruitiness leaning towards apricot and lychee, with underlying brown sugar and malt, passing through a creamy burst. The fruit though leans towards overripe, with too much ‘yellow’ fruits and a slight underlying mustiness, suggesting fermentation issues. To cope with this, Bonnat has set the roast fairly high, which contributes to a bitter background note, noticeable especially in the length.

The mouth in the early stages is pleasant, balanced by the fruit, but tips off a little towards the end, when Bonnat’s typical high-cocoa butter content really becomes noticeable. Though the flavour while eating went on some interesting dancing fruit and floral explorations, the after taste is much less exciting. Fading of into faint lactic milk.

In my eyes Bonnat’s other Peruvian, Piura, is far cleaner and superior, and this seems to be the general opinion from Bonnat as well. An interesting bar to eat, but – in the case of this batch at least – does not reach the heady heights others have found.

Aroma is nuts, tobacco, spice, overlain with raisin and strawberry fruit notes and a hint of rose. Clean, crisp, light cream and slightly nutty, and chocolate of course.

The flavour is definitely full and fruity, (‘ripe fruits’, just as Valrhona describe), plus hints of merlot and a distinctive tang in the after taste. Spice hints push it towards mulled wine. Close your eyes though and think of nut paste or gianduja and you’re a lot closer to the classic porcelana signature. There’s a certain, but not unpleasant oilyness and the edge of bitterness you get with good hazelnuts. In the background hovers a dark hint of Laphroig. With time in the mouth the fruit slowly rises up, finishing on nutty cream. At the end an oh so slight hint of ash.

Length is long and stable – light cranberry juice with a nut background.

This is good and interesting and a great chocolate to eat, with some fantastically complex notes and a great, balanced aroma. It has perhaps though not yet reached the heady heights we’d expect from the varietal, lacking that ultimate hint of magic, but this is the first proper year of this new vintage. Let’s hope for even better in the future. Given the recent tailing off of Palmira – the Venezuelan vintage that this bar replaces – it’s a step in the right direction.

One thing is for sure though, this is a much, much better and more accomplished chocolate than the original pentagonal presentation box from 2005, weird and fun as that was.

On the tongue, Pralus’ thick texture is the first thing you notice, followed quickly by burnt toffee, some cherry/plum and notes of Dominican Republic rum (more salt than sweet). Along the way their are true Chuao tones and pleasant subtleties, including a fizz of light passion fruit/mango in the top.

Something here though is clearly burnt, as was Pralus’ own Chuao of the same period. There is a continual and lingering taste like the bitterness of burnt toast, and fatty fried cacao at the end. A great shame as this really spoils the potential. I believe this is the same batch (or similar) as Pralus’ first Chuao, as tried at the 2009 Salon. Even they didn’t like it then. The more recent batch, in a square 50g box, is much, much better.

That said, the after-taste is not all bad, and actually gets better as the burnt-bitterness clears, with some fruit, but still sour.

For the appearance, the bar is well moulded and shiny, with a burgundy brown colour. There is a good snap, though the chocolate is a little more flexible than we might hope.

Not the best of Chuaos by a long stretch, but edible despite the burnt note – a bit like eating burnt toast covered with lots of butter and apricot jam. Pralus’ high cocoa butter recipe probably helps with this.

Like many of the new bars of Chuao coming onto the market, Chapon describe Chuao as ‘criollo’. (See the Manufacturers information section below.)

Chuao is not a criollo variety, it’s a location, a terroir, consisting of a blend of varieties. Other companies guilty of this confusion are Soma and Hotel Chocolat. (Who still described the bar as ‘criollo’ on their website at the time of writing, but I believe have now corrected their packaging.) I am sure they are not the only ones.

Chuao varieties

The Chuao valley is documented as containing 36 different varieties of cacao, from criollo through a range of trinitarios, right down to the Amazonian classic forestaro – amelonado. (San Jose’s Chuao, for example, is produced from three of what they considered to be the best Chuao varieties, cloned from the valley in the 1980s and grown in their own plantation in Rio Caribe. This is the cacao used to make Domori’s ‘Chuao Hacienda San Jose’)

It only takes a simple walk along the road from the beach at Chuao to the village to recognise the wealth of cacao varieties in the valley, as anyone who has been there will tell you. This is the beauty of Chuao as a source, and its strength. Chuao is a remarkable natural blend of varieties, environments and processing that just ‘comes out right’ – almost all the time. (I am told that higher up the valley there is a higher concentration of criollo and a different micro-climate, but I didn’t make it this far myself).

As far as I am aware, all the cacao is mixed and fermented together, there is no separation of the criollo element. This is supported by conversations with Amedei, Amano and questions asked directly in Chuao

Misleading marketing?

It is mistaken then at best and at worst misleading marketing to be telling consumers that Chuao means criollo. The association we can suppose is because Chuao is often considered the best of cacaos, and criollo the best of varieties, so one name attaches to another.

Perhaps over-excitement to heap praise on Chuao is the cause, which perhaps can be seen in this feature from the Chocolate Trading Company. They erroneously base their whole argument on why Chuao is so good on the mistaken idea that it is all criollo. Amedei, for example, have never described it in this way.

All this does not help transparency or consumer confidence in understanding cacao sources or believing what chocolate companies are telling them.

It would be better to be more honest about Chuao and celebrate it for what it is, not what some people would like it to be.

Morin are not exactly a household name in the UK, but their chocolate has recently made a splash here since they’ve been working with London chocolatier Marc DeMarquette. Morin are the chocolate maker behind Marc’s award winning Vietnam bar, which was launched last year in conjunction with UK aid charity, ActionAid. Marc worked with Franck to create the bar, and has since worked with him on a number of other origins, including a rather interesting Peru.

The collection

I had tried Morin’s chocolate, but not their filled creations. It was a pleasant surprise then when a box arrived just before Christmas last year. It seemed only fair to post a review, but somehow two thirds of 2011 has already vanished! So here then is a very late posting of my notes from the end of 2010.

Morin chocolate box

Chocolate coated nougat

I’m not normally a nougat fan, having been brought up on the hard sticky-sweet stuff traditionally served in the UK. But as is often the case with well known and seemingly mundane foods, there’s often a little more depth and subtlty when you get to the quality end.

Cutting the Morin nougat and on the first bite it seems like it’s going to be quite hard, but the nougat quickly melts on the mouth. The aroma is of good fresh nuts,

As the nougat melts it gets sweeter, but not cloyingly so. The Morin chocolate coating adds a good compliment to the mix, but plays second fiddle to the nougat. After-taste is pleasant and clean.

Palet D’or praline

Most chocolatiers have a classic ‘Palet D’or’ in their collection, a usually round chocolate coated bonbon with a dash of gold leaf on the top. In this case, Morin have gone for a praline rather than ganache filling, with a very understated gold fleck. Praline could well be the traditional filling for a palet d’or in the area, but this is a first for me.

On cutting, there is a very good nut aroma. Eating reveals a rather sweet praline centre with a slight hint of the bitter taste of nut skins. The after taste is delicate, but somewhat sweet, with finally a little oil. The chocolate again is a good compliment, without its own outstanding flavour, but carries the filing very well. Very palatable, though on the sweet side.

Petit rocher

Morin chocolates

A classic rocher has a soft gianduja nut praline centre, surrounded by chocolate enrobed nut slices, usually almonds. That’s the classic version anyway, but each chocolatier will have their own particular take. (Which is usually a million miles away from the famous confectionery version found on sale in gas station forecourts.)

The Morin version is really a normal sized bonbon with a dark gianduja filling, with nuts in the coating chocolate. Unusual, but here Morin’s own chocolate comes into play and this is a much less sweet offering than some others in the collection.

The cut aroma is very good chocolate and hazelnut. The filling is very fine and suitably soft.

There are just enough nuts in the enrobing chocolate to give a good crunch, so despite the larger centre, the effect is very good.

There’s just a slight bitterness in the after taste, but this is still one of the highlights of the collection.

Kirsch cherry

Enrobed cherry in kirsch is something that’s plagued many a traditional English box. Usually, cloyingly sweet with a tasteless chewy cherry, wrapped in sweet, cheap chocolate, most likely with added vegetable fat and a bunch of preservatives.

It has to be said though, that with real pure kirsch, a quality cherry (watch out for the odd stone) and good chocolate, the result can be something quite different. Morin’s version sits squarely in this latter category. Good cherry flavour, good kirsch – sweet of course but this is balanced within the overall flavour and Morin’s own dark chocolate. The aftertaste is quite fine, with a slight salt.

Quite, quite edible. Perhaps I might change my mind about kirsch cherry.

Walnut coffee marzipan

A traditional combination that on the face of it sounds unlikely to work that well – coffee and walnut don’t necessarily spring to mind as ideal pairing.

The smell is really strong sweet coffee, and on biting the filling is very sweet too and somewhat grainy. This could have been quite disappointing, but the walnut on top is very good. It’s only when the walnut combines in the mouth with the coffee marzipan that this chocolate really starts to work. Perhaps too sweet in the mouth, it’s actually after eating that this offering seems most satisfying.

Truffle

A gold paper foil wrapped truffle, with a cylinder shape and dusted with cocoa powder. The filling is a milky, sweet gianduja ganache with a very clean after taste. Not exactly what I’d think of as a truffle, but this works well in Morin’s traditional style.

Pistachio marzipan

For me this is where marzipan really starts to get interesting, the flavour of pistachio taking a sweet classic to another level. The Morin version is ground fairly roughly, with a delicate pistachio flavour, especially in the aftertaste. Nicely done, but again a little sweet.

Summing up

Overall, a traditional collection done very well. There’s nothing modern or flashy here, just a quiet celebration of traditional craft, executed in a classy manner. While obviously geared towards more traditional, sweet tastes, this is not stuffy tourist fare, just gentle local quality.

Xoconuzco 70% – sample bar

Along with the Morin bonbon collection, an unbranded sample bar came in the pre-Christmas package from France. This is presumably an experimental bar or chocolate in development. As this does not appear to (yet) be availably commercially, I won’t add a formal review to the review section as yet, but instead here are a few quick thoughts.

Historically Soconusco was a satellite of the Aztec area of influence, extending through the modern state of Chiapas in the south of Mexico into Guatemala. Reputedly, it contained the personal cacao groves of Motecuhzoma, the famous and last-but-one – and ill-fated – ruler of the Aztecs.

Despite its history, Soconusco is not such an obvious source for fine cacao, as most of the ancient Mayan stock has been overplanted with inferior forastero hybrids. The region is now being rediscovered though, with many chocolate makers seeking out better cacao from the region – Bonnat and Askinosie being a few examples. It looks like Morin are soon to  join this trend.

The bar has yellow fruits, plum and a touch of sulphur, with a prune and citrus ending. It’s one of the better Morin bars I’ve tried, with a more controlled roast that some other origins. It certainly shows the promise of this until now little known chocolate maker, whose reputation I suspect is about to extend outside of their historical regional French home.

Info

Chocolaterie A. Morin
26290 Donzere
Drôme Provençale
France

Tel: +33 (0)4 75 51 60 76
Fax: +33 (0)4 75 51 58 97

Email : info@chocolaterie-morin.com
Web: www.chocolaterie-morin.com

We’ve watched Grenada Chocolate grow up from being a small, innovative homespun chocolate maker and develop into an international fine chocolate brand, losing none of their colourful Carribean charm. along the way. They’ve survived through hurricanes and over time, have gradually improved the quality of their solar-powered organic chocolate.

Grenada Chocolate 71% – unwrapped

Grenada Chocolate is almost unique in the world – the chocolate factory is right on the founding cacao farm, which brings big advantages in terms of cacao quality control, and almost zero ansport and storage issues, but also brings it a bunch of challenges with temperature and humidity control.

As a further hindrance, for a while, Grenada Chocolate had to use a blend including Costa Rican cacao, while waiting for the local tress to recover from the storms. The chocolate is now though all purely made from Grenadian cacao beans, grown on the company’s own farm and associated cooperatives.

Now a new roaster has finally eliminated any hint of smokiness or burnt notes at the ‘edge’ of the flavour profile. Grenada have really cracked chocolate making in tropical conditions, coming close to the quality we’d expect from the top European houses. (Back in 2005, we were calling this same bar ‘rustic’).

Tasting notes

The chocolate has a light, rich brown/burgundy colour. There is a masculine snap, as this is rather a thick bar. Raising a piece to the nose, there is a beautiful cocoa dust smell, with hints of sulphur, cream and a hint of figs.

Grenada Chocolate 71% – low roast gives a light burgundy sheen

There’s a soft crumble on biting into the chocolate, followed by a beautiful explosion of thick, rich dates, wine, toffee, some cream, spice, ginger and honey, figs and then (black) toffee, toffee, toffee. The sugar is Caribbean organic cane (or maybe Costa Rican, I forget), so not being pure white, there will be a flavour contribution here from the sugar.

I get definite hints of sulphur, which I find typical of Grenada and which remind me of a sulphured Dalmore single malt, or Dominican Republic rum. (Have to confess to not having tried Grenadian rum, if such a thing exists!) Completely gone are any hints of fat burning or and defects from the non-Grenadian beans.

The melt is thick and fudgy, but not at all sticky. After-taste is clean cacao, lightly tannic, with a little bitterness and continuing notes of  chocolate ginger cake with a scoop of full cream.

This is less fruity than the 82% bar, a style choice according to Mott, so slightly less appealing for my own palate and for this I’ve scored taste and opinion a little lower than I might. The 82% on the other hand is of course stronger, so I can’t help wondering how a fruity 72% would do.

On the other hand, Mott gave me this bar late last year, so it’s been in the review box for awhile and has probably benefited from sitting for awhile – the fruit side has evolved a little since I first tried this batch last September.

If you want to understand the flavour of Grenada, you need to try this chocolate. Here we find the full expression of the flavour notes only hinted at in the Grenadian cacao sourced through the Goverment controlled monopoly, as tried in the likes of Amedie and the Felchlin made Larry Burdick bar.

Speed eating

Here’s another take on the Grenada flavour. At our public talks, we’ve increasingly been demonstrating ‘slow motion’ and ‘high speed’ chocolate eating  as a way to show people how to eat chocolate. The point is it makes a world of difference to the flavour if you don’t eat chocolate the right way.

Eating super-slow, only melting the chocolate on the tongue with NO chewing at all, you can really get the full flavour experience. The ‘fast’ way is chocolate in the mouth super quick, no smelling, just chew the chocolate and gone in less than ten seconds. Now the cocoa butter has no time to melt and interact with the cacao solids. Fruity flavours tend to be missed and  tannins allowed to reign free. Try it on your favourite chocolate, you may be shocked by the difference.

So Grenada 71% eaten the fast way? (Took me about 11 seconds.) Faint chocolate, not bitter, ginger biscuits, nutty, very fatty after taste, lightly tannic without flavour, tannins increase after time. No hint of figs or toffee, except a hint a minute after eating. Altogether a different chocolate. Remember, eat it slow(ish).

Grenada 71% – the old version

Grenada Chocolate 71% – old style packaging

When Mott gave me samples of the new Grenada 71%, he also wanted me to make a comparison with the old style chocolate, made before the new roaster was in place and sold in the old style horizontal packaging (which was not so supermarket friendly, it seems.)

The aroma has a sharp intense floral note, almost like jasmin. The mould is the same as the new bar, the colour though has less  of burgundy tinge.

On tasting, at the beginning the flavour begins quite similarly to the new version – spice, ginger, toffee, but then dives off into milk, sour fruit then milk again. There’s also some bitterness and a lack of balance, which previously held back the bar from a higher score. The after-taste is again lightly tannic, but has something a little metallic going on as well and is a little fatty after a few minutes.

Grenada has always been enjoyable chocolate, but was held back processing limitations, it’s been improving with every step though, and while always moreish, now also stands up as a fine chocolate in its own right.

With a plethora of rule changes this season and a new tyre provider, calling the first race is going to be a tough one. Ferrari and Red Bull are the obvious contenders, but McLaren have defied the pundits in practice and are suddenly setting fast times. Are the two favourites just playing their cards close to their chests though?

As winner last year, first pick goes to Martin. But the competition is open to all though, so make your guesses in the comments, before qualifying to be eligible for a prize. (See here for full details).

The rules were that whovever’s ‘pick’ for each race came highest would win that race. For each race I won, Duffy would give me a bar of chocolate, and vice-versa. The idea of an overall winner only really came later, probably when I was ahead! Duffy graciously added a bonus to the overall prize, a trip to Autosport International at the NEC in the UK, in January this year.

I really know very little about motor racing, so it was quite a privilege to attend an event like this in the company of an industry insider. If Duffy achieves the same degree of insight into chocolate making, we can expect great things from Red Star in the future. To top it off, I was officially part of ‘Red Star Motor Racing’ for a day! (A totally real company, honest!)

Duffy Sheardown and Martin Christy exchanging end of season winnings at Autosport International, in front of the Mclaren stand. Martin is the smug one on the right.

Duffy and I both agreed we’d like to repeat the competition for 2011, but this time open it up to all comers to join in the fun. So for this year, we’ll be offering prizes of chocolate bars, a special Red Star selection and grand prizes of visits to Autosport International with Duffy and a visit to the Red Star Chocolate factory in Cleethorpes.

Alongside this we’ll continue our own personal vendettas as Duffy looks for revenge and the restoration of lost pride, and I try to ride my luck for another season.

Why on earth are we mixing fine chocolate and Formula 1, you might ask? It’s a good question without a sensible answer, all I can say is that it’s for absolutely no good reason apart from our own pleasure. We hope you get a kick out of it too.

So here goes with the rules for this year, which are subject to changes of mind by the stewards (us), a bit like the flexibility of a front wing in 2010.

Competition

Race winner

For each race we’ll create a new post. Anyone can comment on the post and pick their call for race winner. This must be done BEFORE the Saturday qualifying session for each race. Entries after this date won’t be counted, but feel free to comment.

The prize will be a chocolate bar from Duffy, which will only be given for choosing the 1st place driver. In the event of more than one winner, names will be entered into a (Montecristi Ecuadorian) hat and three winners will be chosen.

Special rules will apply for Duffy & myself, we will alternate who gets first chance to pick the winner, as for last year. If Duffy wins, he gets a bar from me, if I win, I get one from him. If neither of us pick the race winner, we both go hunrgy,

Overall winner

Whoever makes the most correct calls for the winner of each race gets to be the overall champion for the season. The prize will be a visit to Duffy’s chocolate factory in Cleethorpes, England and a ticket to Autosport International next year at the NEC in Birmingham, accompanied by Duffy (and Martin if I’m invited!)

To qualify for this part of the competition, you must post your comments as a signed up member of Seventypercent.com. It’s free and easy to join, so why not take the plunge!

Championship

We’ll also be running a competition to guess the overall World Champion and Team Championship winners. Entries for this must be made before the 9th race, the British Grand Prix, which is 10 July. We’ll make a separate post for you to add your guesses. In the event of ties, a single winner will be drawn from a hat by a well know chocolate celebrity (when we’ve convinced one to take part in our little hour of madness).

Prize for guessing the 2011 Formula 1 World Drivers Champion: A selection of Duffy’s finest bars and a selection from Seventypercent.com. Minimum 10 bars.

Prize for guessing the 2011 Formula 1 World Team Champion: Two free tickets to a Chocolate and Love tasting of your choice in the winter, plus 5 bars to take away from the event.

Terms

Joining in with the competition is free, at your own risk and therefore hopefully not classed as gambling (except on your sanity). One clause though, we’ll only be shipping bars within the UK and you must make your own way to the Autosport International show or Duffy’s factory if you get lucky. (If you live outside the UK, we can ship your winnings in one go at the end of the season, assuming you’ve swept the board and if you pay the postage, unless we’re feeling in a good mood that day.)

Bounty bar

If you grew up or live in the UK, then you are more than likely familiar with Mars’ Bounty bar – a candy bar with a coconut cream filling, coated in milk or dark chocolate. (In the US, Hershey make the very similar Mounds bar). Now William Curley has dug into his childhood memories and come up with his own posh bounty bar, made with fresh ingredients and coated in Amedei chocolate. So here’s a side by side review, pitting top chocolatier right up against your all night corner shops finest. (In this case, my old local store in Gospel Oak).

William Curley's new bounty bar (left) and the original Bounty (right)

On a visual comparison the Curley version is a little larger and not curved at the ends (a shape that was the subject of a failed trademark attempt, according to Wikipedia). Both feature ‘chevrons’ on the top, Curley’s being somewhat more delicate, and the chocolate on his version is a few shades lighter than the commercial version, as we’d expect. (Cheaper cocoa tends to get roasted more to hide defects, hence the chocolate is usually darker).

Paradise lost

Opening the real Bounty, there’s an immediate, artificial smell of plastic or rubber. This could be down to the packaging and newsagent storage though, to give the benefit of the doubt. The aroma when cut is dominated by a leather from chocoltate, reminiscent of something from Sao Tome. There is only a faint hint of coconut.

A dark Bounty bar from Mars

The taste is also dominated by the strong leather note of the chocolate, which fades into sweetness at the end. This is probably fortunate as it hides any bitterness from the chocolate. Apart from the first few seconds, where there is a brief flirtation with coconut, the filling provides only texture (something like wet All Bran) and sweetness, rather than flavour.

Luckily the chocolate has some flavour, or we’d only be working with sugar here and a texture that I imagine is something like how eating dried garden worms must feel. The after effect on the tongue is a fizz from too much sugar.

I actually feel rather down and depressed after eating just a couple of slices of this. There was some promise at the beginning, at least some flavour spark from the chocolate. The longer it’s left on the tongue though, the more alkali is the effect. Feels like I’ve just drunk bicarbonate of soda in water.

Maybe I could have closed my eyes, thought of England and munched my way through it – stopping to consider the finer flavour notes is definitely not a good idea.

No taste of paradise here. Not even of coconut. If you asked me to take it or leave it, I think you can guess my choice. (You can read an alternate and somewhat more enthusiastic review of a shop bought Bounty bar over at Chocablog.)

Seventh heaven

William Curley bounty bar

Cutting the Curley version takes you into another world. The aroma is strong fresh, deep coconut, the chocolate a mere delicate second fiddle. It’s a full deep smell that suggests fresh coconut and butter in the mix. The colour is off-white, a rich butter cream.

On the tongue, William’s version is crunchy and buttery, solid enough, but melting away into munchy coconut with a long rich taste that comes together with the chocolate very well at the end.

The coconut dances around and dominates the chocolate, which somehow manages to linger on without being overwhelmed.

The after taste goes on, and on. Just a few bites are satisfying, with a balanced richness lingering on for many minutes.

This is like a painting of a Campbell’s soup can. An imitation that remakes an original into a whole richer and more meaningful experience on every level. It’s chocolate candy as you remember it, rather than as it actually tastes.

The William Curley version weighs in at about 40g and costs £3.00, fresh from the Belgravia store (and they seem to sell out pretty fast, so check before you go if you’re on a special mission).

Mars’ offering was just under 60g and cost me £0.60p. So William’s version is about 7.5 times the price, but then what price do you put on paradise …?

Jaffa Cake

I was never much of a fan of Jaffa Cakes – another British lunch box institution. Disappointingly jelly like blobs of vaguely orangey jam sit atop a bath like sponge, coated on the top with cheap cake chocolate. (Chocolatiers take note – never send me bonbons with jelly in them, they won’t go down well here.) A product ripe, then, for another of Curley’s cheeky reimaginings of standard high street fare.

Jaffa cake

The Curley jaffa is fully covered with (Amedei) chocolate, twice the height of the official version and topped with a fleck of gold, just so you know you’re travelling first class now. Cutting into the piece lets out the most outrageously strong and fresh orange aroma, which comes from the soft, runny marmalade topping centre inside. It’s almost worth buying just to experience that smell.

After that the cake practically just falls onto the tongue. The sponge/biscuit (ask the UK tax man for a definition) is very light, almost not present and quickly combines with the chocolate, ganache layer and orange centre in a very pleasant mêlée.

The star here though is the orange, the rest of the ingredients are merely supporting cast.

Millionaire’s Shortbread

Millionaire's Shortbread

Also hot off the Curley chocolate ‘press’, almost as I write, is his new millionaire’s shortbread, a well known shortbread, caramel combination, topped off with chocolate (and with a surprisingly short Wikipedia entry, so go Google it yourself!)

Though a promising concoction, the examples you can find in many a British store (and particularly in tube station ‘delicatessens’) are rarely much to write home about.

Usually a very fatty shortbread cake is topped by sweet artificially flavoured caramel and a fatty cooking type brown stuff on the top. This is the kind of substance that used to be called ‘cooking chocolate’  when I grew up, but you can now find on a bottom shelf somewhere at the back of a supermarket labelled ‘chocolate flavoured cake covering’ – it can’t legally be called chocolate any more, not even by the UKs low standards.

The principle is a good one though, and William Curley has always carried an accomplished, yet perhaps overlooked, range of handmade biscuits. The Curley version is fully coated in chocolate, which is the first departure from the standard mass baked fare. Plus there’s a fleck of gold on the top, which you really don’t get from your local chain baker.

Next comes the aroma on cutting – dark, rich, intense. Tones almost of a single malt coming from the caramel, plus of course rich sweetness. It’s really worth stopping to enjoy the smell of this, which you might not always think to do when eating what is essentially a cake.

In the mouth the layers blend together well and are not at all sticky or fatty, the after-taste rich and clean with strong muscovado hints. If I had one criticism, it would be that the caramel could be softer. It’s a little chewy at first, though melts well enough once you get going. As ever, proof of quality ingredients is in the length, and you’re left with great flavour in the mouth many minutes later.

So, we have to wonder exactly which High Street candy classic Mr Curley will be tackling next? A Mars bar? Snickers? Wagon Wheel? Answers on a postcard … (or comments below of course).

Info

William Curley ‘Bounty bar’ and ‘Jaffa cake’: £3.00, Millionaire’s Shortbread: £3.50

William Curley
198 Ebury Street
London
SW1W 8UN

Tel. 020 7730 5522
www.williamcurley.co.uk