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

Valrhona Dulcey 32% Blond Chocolate

I bought Valrhona's Blond chocolate in Marseille, enjoying it after my al fresco dinner at sea which consisted of a fresh baguette from the boulangerie,  a blue-veined cheese and a pork terrine. I wouldn't usually have chocolate I'm to 'review' straight after a meal, especially a meal of such flavour! I usually taste my chocolate in the quiet darkness of nighttime, if not, several hours after having anything flavourful. I enjoyed my Valrhona blond chocolate and just wished I could have had more... I had to share it with my parents you see. I came to the conclusion that it was best and only fair I try the chocolate again but with a fresh and pure palate. So I bought the bar again the following morning and had it on the 11am train to Cannes, having only had fruit a few hours prior

The flavour had a late start, but it was beautiful and very delicate. It was like a buttery toffee. Comparing to standard white chocolate, it wasn't really sweet but its relaxing, dark, soft sweetness made it just as rich. And unlike most white chocolate, "SUGAR" didn't spring to mind. It had a more buttery, caramelised and subtlety burnt flavour

The Dulcey Blond had a soft break, but snapped so intactly with my third bar (my third bar had the more interesting and defined scoring). My first bar had an immensely smooth mouthfeel but the second felt rather wet in the mouth, and with my third I felt more inclined to just chew. The unique tan colour was beautiful, it really reflects the flavour

my third bar

This chocolate, if I can call it chocolate by European standards, actually smelt better than it tasted. The aroma was like cooking and caramelising white chocolate on a stove whilst sitting on a cloud, watching the sun melt into the horizon and the red sky fade into darkness. (note to self: David Lebovitz' caramelized white chocolate recipe - I must try it!). Whereas the taste was, like I said, more delicate and seemed almost timid 

The short finish was buttery vanilla fudge, butterscotch and a salted feel and taste on the tongue. Valrhona note that their Dulcey tastes toasty and of shortbread. I very much agree. It certainly was toasty and I had a taste of shortbread biscuits dipping into a white chocolate fondue