Chocolate off the beaten track
A selection of chocolates for those who claim then don’t like chocolate.
Believe it or not some people, strange though they might seem, claim they don’t like chocolate. Yes, chocolate. The delicious creamy, sweet, smooth mood-lifter loved by generations of people. From that first foil-covered chocolate Easter egg, to the sophisticated rich and bitter adult concoctions we crave after dinner, chocolate has a place in most people's hearts.
My first encounter with one of these very odd anti-chocolate types, was my father. From as a far back as I can remember he has claimed to not like chocolate. It did of course mean my Easer egg collection was safe (well, from my father at least if not from my siblings) but I always wondered if there was a chocolate flavour he would like.
With Christmas looming large on the horizon, I decided to try and find a flavour of chocolate that might appeal to a non-choc’s taste buds. I was surprised to find that along with the now not-so-unusual ingredients such as chilli, there are a rainbow of tasty concoctions that would make perfect Christmas gifts. And if your non-choc recipient doesn’t like them, well, it’s the thought that counts and you can scoff them down yourself.
Claire Burnet, chocolatier and owner of award-winning chocolate mail order company Chococo, has her own views on why some people say they don’t like chocolate. One of the main reasons people (and men in particular), say they don’t like this gorgeous treat is because it’s too sweet, she says. “Most chocolate in this country is stuffed full of glucose syrup or huge amounts of alcohol to extend the shelf life", she adds. "You end up with something that is very sweet by definition.”
Burnet says that by adding sugar or neutral alcohol to chocolate, it can be stored for months, then boxed and kept on a shelf for almost a year. The sugar and or alcohol will “kill bugs and extend shelf life, but you ruin the mouth feel, you ruin the taste, the flavour, the palate everything. It’s all wrong.” She meets people all the time who say they are chocoholics but when she quizzes them about what they are eating, it’s usual industrially produced. “It’s a completely different animal", says Burnet. "You’re getting a sugar fix, not a chocolate fix. There’s not enough chocolate in it to get a chocolate fix.”
She goes onto explain that quite a large number of premium brands are guilty of adding these ingredients as well. “There are relatively few in the country that are making chocolate that is packed, dispatched and designed to be eaten fresh.” Chococo chocolates are a classic ganache-based chocolates made with fresh
It’s this idea that is echoed with my chocolate-hating tester. Darren Christie has proclaimed loud and clear to all his relatives and friends that he doesn’t like chocolate. I set him to work on some of the most unusual and still accessible flavours in the
1. Chococo – The Purbeck Chocolate Co.
We start with a selection box form Chococo including their Cider with Fifi (Cider brandy with chopped dried organic apples) with for Christie is too sweet for him but he liked the apple. He also tries Gold Great Taste award winner Black Strap Harry, judged as “alright but liquoricy.” Surprisingly it’s the Gorgeous Ginger, another award winner, that turns his fancy.
2. Rococo - Arabic Spices Organic Dark and Cardamom Organic White from Natoora
The beautifully packaged Rococo bars have a strong perfume which creates quite a festive air. Christie likes the spice of the Arabic bar but says there’s too much cocoa. The cardamom bar has a good texture but tastes a bit like a cough lolly to him.
3. Moser Roth Finest Dark Chocolate Chilli from Aldi
Christie doesn’t mind this one. He’s a recent convert to the chilli chocolate combination. It’s the cheapest of the selection.
4. Chilli and Ouzo Chocolate Truffles and Salt Caramel Truffles from Terre à Terre
Fasinating truffles from a great vegetarian restaurant in
5. Bara Brith from the Welsh Chocolate Farm
Bara Brith is a tea-infused cream and tastes similar to eating chocolate tea cake complete with raisins.
These are just a few of the crazy flavours out there but there are many more. Rosmary and Chimi Chimi from Perfectly Tempered, Marmite Truffles from Paul a Young or even ethical chocolate such Organic Meltdown or Dubble. The result of this experiment highlighted that chocolate is a simple pleasure that can be enjoyed by everyone when chosen correctly. In the words of the chocolatier Claire Burnet, chocolate is “a sensory delight” whose flavours and textures should be clean and clear. If you're buying for someone who is unsure of chocolate, go for a good quality gift box and you’ll have something to talk about whilst you stuff your faces.
**Written by:** Anne Giacomantonio