I was lucky enough to be sent two new flavours from Niko B Chocolates. I met Anthony at a food fair and bought some of his chocolates. I only reviewed the brownie but tried other chocolates which were great. Niko B. Organic Chocolates is the brainchild of husband and wife team Anthony Ferguson and Susan Kench. They moved to Hackney from San Francisco for some strange reason and that’s when Anthony started making chocolate. I was sent 2 chocolates to try and I did to both carefully.

Burnt – a burnt caramel & lemon truffle. The lemon in this truffle is delicious – tart without being sour, lemony without being sweet. The crunchy bits of caramel are delicious and a nice counter balance to the smooth truffle. The caramel pieces do not make the truffle extremely sweet and that means this is a delicious truffle. The chocolate is nice but not complex.

Amore – rose, cinnamon & citrus truffle – this lovely square ganache chocolate is delicious with a cute topping. The rose is up front and in your face as a flavour. It asserts itself and hangs at the front, hiding the citrus which is there lurking in the background. The cinnamon was a bit difficult for me to sense but I had a slightly dulled palette when I tried these.

I’ve always loved what they were doing at Niko B. Chocolates and these two new chocolates are delicious. I’m pleased to see that they are continuing to make excellent, organic chocolate as well as composting and using recycled and biodegradable packaging.

This 65% dark chocolate bar from Rococo tastes nice and balanced but with a bitter darker edge.  There is a hint of something almost floral under the flavour of the chocolate but it was a very delicate flavour.

The chocolate bar with its bee pattern was also fun and as it was thin, it was quick to melt in the mouth.  I think this bar is likely for someone trying it out.  It is small and a taster bar but you might end up wanting more.

There is too little cinnamon used in cooking and even less in chocolate so it was with a particular amount of delight that I opened the box of Prestat organic chocolate cinnamon wafers.

Prestat has the most amazing packaging and when you consider the box arrived without any damage, it is a testament to their thoughtful design.  The burnt orange colour offset with the gold makes this a beautiful box.

Inside is a row of chocolate wafers all lovely and ready to be tasted which I did most eagerly.

One thing I’d like to point out here is the ingredients list of this organic milk chocolate and cinnamon wafer I have in my mouth as I write this (I couldn’t stop eating them): organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic full cream milk powder, organic cocoa mass, organic cinnamon, emulsifier, soya lecithin, natural vanilla.

It is so wonderful to get such a lovely organic chocolate.  The flavour of the milk powder does overwhelm the blended taste somewhat which disappointed me a bit.  The sweetness of the sugar overbalances the blend and leaves a sweet aftertaste.  I’m not sure if it was to counterbalance the cinnamon or chocolate but it was a bit too much.

I love cinnamon and for that reason I’ve been enjoying this chocolate but I have to admit that I have some reservations.  I’ve given this a “great” rating but not “top notch” as I feel the after taste and slightly strange flavour the chocolate is a bit of a drawback.

At 46% cocoa, I would expect Chocoholly’s chocolate bar to have a strong chocolate flavour. Worryingly, however, the first listed ingredient is cane sugar.  So instead of putting the possibly sugary chocolate into my mouth, I did a bit of research on Holly whose beautiful artwork decorates the boxes within which the chocolate bar is hidden.

Holly is a contemporary artist who has a passion for chocolate and was so inspired by the film Chocolat that she went on a quest.  The end of her quest is some of the most interesting sounding chocolates I have come across.  The passion for organic is strong too and so I was hoping for something good.

And so I braved it.  The immediate sweetness coated my mouth and then and chocolate started to fight its way through. 

The chocoholly milk chocolate 46% cocoa bar (part eaten)

 Smooth and slightly fatty, there is a hint of graininess which is not unpleasant.  The chocolate comes through as a smooth, gentle flavour, typical of milk chocolates.  A stronger hint of earthiness than I’m used to comes through in the chocolate but it is hidden by the creaminess and sugary flavour.

It’s a good milk chocolate and a good change from Cadbury’s.  I especially like the resealable plastic sleeve the chocolate is in which means you can enjoy a little and seal the rest for later.  The stronger chocolate flavour means you feel satisfied for longer.

A good way to support a small chocolate maker who is making a difference in the chocolate world with organic offerings.