The Co-operative Peruvian Dark Chocolate with Dried Sweetened Cranberries

After absolutely loving and savouring each bite of Co-op's Milk Chocolate Sea Salted Toffee chocolate bar, I was pleased to see that I had another one of Co-op's fairtrade 'truly irresistible' bars - but this time it was a dark chocolate with a fruity twist

This chocolate contains 52% cocoa solids with cocoa from the Acopagro co-operative which is based in the province of San Martin in the Amazonian highlands

A distinct aroma, I hate to say it but it was hinting towards a urine-like smell... it was a real funny smell to describe. There was a rich sweetness from the dried cranberries and darkness from the cocoa too but something, maybe an alcoholic or celery smell rather than urine, caused for quite a peculiar aroma. Oh and it didn't smell bad!

As the chocolate begun to melt, I could gradually begin to feel the dried cranberries ... which had a shrivelled, chewy texture

The chocolate itself wasn't really dark tasting but it was rich, and the cranberries had a tart sweet taste. I am interested to know what the chocolate alone tastes like. Apparently the characteristics of this Peruvian cocoa is a powerful berry flavour with a strong kick and a slightly bitter finish

You would have thought a cherry and dark chocolate would have been the more likely and safer combination, so really this is quite an interesting pairing, well I certainly haven't seen it before. I didn't enjoy this chocolate as much as the other Co-op premium own-brand milk chocolate but you know what? It wasn't bad

The other Peruvian chocolate the Co-op has to offer is a Dark Chocolate (52%) with Roasted Hazelnuts and an Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate. But they also have a nice selection of Ghanaian and Dominican Republic chocolate