The Chocolate Society Madagascar 75

^pic: Selfridges.com

The Chocolate Society use Valrhona chocolate, and do not supplement any of their "high quality chocolate with cheaper Belgian Callebaut chocolate". They are chocolatiers, not chocolate makers; and so I personally wouldn't have bought a chocolate bar from them. I only like paying for bean to bar chocolate. However, as I had been gifted this bar I am not complaining! (especially as it was bought for £6.99! - Selfridges do some serious markups on chocolate)

The ingredients were: cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, soya lecithin & natural vanilla extract. Valrhona make a Madagascan chocolate (Manjari) at 64% but not a 75%, so I am curious as to how this chocolate has been made. Could the Choc Society have used Valrhona's 100% Manjari? Surely not as that would have required refining of the sugar particles. This is all too ambiguous for me, but I presume this is just unadulterated Valrhona chocolate (as in the Chocolate Society melted Valrhona chocolate and set it into their classy moulds)

Anyway, the aroma was nutty, cocoa, sharp red/dark berry, metallic and spice

The taste started cocoa and bitter, with vanilla then slightly fruity with a toasty finish. Going for more I found it became more complex. A vibrant acidity, heavier red fruits, red wine, pecan nut and still that toasty finish

I thought this chocolate had too much "cocoa" (alkalised) flavour, it seemed more a chocolate I would use for a dessert/bake, as it didn't have that sense of sacrosanct, like with craft, bean to bar chocolate. I liked the appearance very much, but I think The Chocolate Society are more about their fine artisan chocolates! However, I imagine this chocolate would appeal to the mass market as it is, after all, origin