Marmite and chocolate is something only Paul A Young could do and do it he has. Not just any Marmite mind you – this is a think layer of unadulterated Marmite XO – an extra mature variety of Marmite that was launched following research and development.

No joke. Marmite XO. It’s like Twiglets on steroids. And it’s in my chocolate. Not just any chocolate – this is a bar of choc with a thin layer of the Marmite stuff from Paul A Young who I want to adopt me so I can work for dad and eat chocolate every day

Paul Young, one of the UK’s best chocolatiers, is well known for his cutting edge creativity. Love it or Hate it, Paul’s Marmite truffle is one of his best selling and most written about creations inspiring Paul to create a bar using the new Marmite – Marmite XO.

I don’t know what inspired him – perhaps he is among the legions of Marmite lovers. I was on the fence liking Twiglets on occasion – just not a ton at once. Marmite is not something I counted myself as actively disliking.  I was happily on the fence.  This chocolate bar pushed me over the edge though. BLEURGH!

It was the saltyness that hit first, then the sensation of eating a liquid Bovril spread on chocolate. I thought chewing the chocolate would help mingle the saltiness with the chocolate but this just made things worse.  It was like taking lovely chocolate and ruining it by spreading a thin layer of this Marmite XO in between the two slices of chocolate.  I love chocolate, and I love Paul’s chocolate but even for me this was a step too far.

The Marmite XO is spread in a thin layer as the filling of this chocolate bar.  It is thin, unadulterated Marlite XO and it is just enough to give you a heavy hit without it being overwhelming.  Unless you don’t like Marmite which I have only just realised includes me.

YUCK!

Are you a lover or a hater? Go to the Camden Passage shop today, try the new bar free of charge and twieet about whether you love it or hate it. And if you love it they’ll be offering you this exclusive Marmite XO bar for £3.50 instead of £4.50 on the day.

Date: Saturday 22nd May 2010
Address: 33 Camden Passage, Islington, N1 8EA
Opening Times: 11am-6pm

If you drop by mine today I’ll be giving the rest of this bar a new home too! *bleck*

The dark chocolate doesn’t stand out on its own and so the flavour of the chocolate is somewhat lost in the outstanding sweet rose flavour. It doesn’t taste too floral and so possibly rose damask essential oil was used in small quantities.

I’m not sure I could take too much of this bar as after a small amount all I can taste is that Turkish Delight rose flavour but as I do enjoy that flavour, I’m not complaining.

This bar makes a delightful unique change from usual dark chocolate bars and on top of which it is fun.  Why not pick this one and a few others up from Rococo and have a bit of a chocolate tasting at your place?

It’s like getting the Choc Chick Kit made up for you by someone else.  I wasn’t a giant fan but it was delicious chocolate and I really enjoyed the choc chick kit and so I gave this a try.  Part of the reason I didn’t like the kit was I couldn’t get the agave syrup to mix right but that was my bad – not a fault with the kit.

So, how is this stuff made?  It is made with 81% cacao solids from the pure unroasted cacao bean and sweetened with the nectar of the agave cactus – a low GI fructose based fruit sugar – and that’s it.

Ewwww…  I like my beans roasted.  Anyway, to the tasting.

The first impression is of sweetness.  Then of a fruitiness of chocolate and then more sweet.  I think it is the agave syrup I’m not enjoying.  Still it is a unique, different chocolate and I think that a lot of people looking for a different chocolate experience will enjoy it.  Me, I don’t.

Truffe au praline – praline ganache enrobed in dark chocolate and cocoa powder.  The lack lustre chocolate covering the smooth, almost liquid praline ganache was not a favourite of mine.  The chocolate itself was most of the disappointment with a dark bitter flavour common in over roasted bean chocolate and not the Amedei I love.  The flavour then went slightly sweet as though the ganache or chocolate had some added sugar which has not blended.  Yuck.

Truffe au Chocolat au Lait and The Vert Matcha – milk chocolate and matcha green tea ganache, roasted pistachios, covered in milk chocolate and pistachio powder.  I like matcha green tea – I learned about it when I was visiting Japan and learned about the tea ceremony and was honoured to be able to take part in one as the tea mixer (that’s the only part I was trusted to do).  The pistachio was a mistake.  It made the outside too powdery and unpleasant.  It masked the chocolate itself which was yummy.  I would suggest scraping the exterior off and eating the chocolate like that but really – why bother when other suppliers have a more pleasant chocolate.

Truffe Intense – bitter chocolate ganache enrobed in dark chocolate and cocoa powder.  The saving grace of the lot, it was not fantastic with a slightly sour taste and an odd aftertaste, it was at least edible and I did eat the whole thing.  I think it is lovely to create something unique and different but when creating it, I believe it is necessary to create it with good chocolate and the harsh bitter flavour with strange sweet aftertaste tells me that this chocolate is not best.

These are made in Northern France and shipped to the UK daily if I understood correctly.  Trusting the assistant to select for me, he chose Mogador – a combination of milk chocolate and passion fruit, Rose – a pure rose concoction, and Imagine – green tea and black sesame together.

The rose was the one I tried first.  It didn’t smell of rose but from the first bite it was unmistakable as rose.  Not overpowering or overly floral, the delicately crisp shell of the macaron was beautifully balanced with the rose cream filling.  A different taste sensation but very pleasant.  Not too sweet it was beautifully balanced.  I finished it all up!

Next I tried the milk chocolate and passion fruit.  The passion fruit was the first strong flavour, with the milk chocolate struggling slightly to make an impression on the palette.  This one was also slightly denser, with the filling more solid and dense than the rose. I left it half way through to come back to later.  It was a bit strong for me flavour-wise.

Imagine is the final one I tried.  The strong sesame flavour was quite overwhelming and overpowered the green tea.  The flavour of the green tea does come through at times and is clearly a high quality green tea with none of the bitterness of the lesser types.  Having been to a few green tea ceremonies while in Japan and having learned as much as I could about the ceremony, I found the flavour took me straight back to the mouth feel of the tea after the sweet.  When the black sesame flavour was prominent I found it difficult to eat so left this one unfinished.

I’d recommend them and since these are all about discovering flavours give them all a try.  There is nothing like discovering something new and yummy!

Next I have truffles and macaron chocolates to try from Pierre Herme.

After being a pastry chef for 25 years at Michelin starred restaurants, including a stint in Spain for 5 years, Damian was an expert at working in chocolate.  Spain forced him to rethink how people made chocolate, and combined with his realisation that British palettes were changing he decided to run his own chocolate based business.  He realised that cream changed the flavour of chocolate and rather than seeking a dairy-free alternative to existing chocolates, he created new flavours, new experiences and a new way of enjoying chocolate.  He knows that chocolate changes flavour as ingredients are added and that is why he doesn’t use milk or cream.

I remain fairly conservative in my chocolate outlook but Damian had me as a somewhat captive audience and as such, he went through the full range of mouth experiences with me.  He believes that our tastes in the UK are changing.  His chocolates are at the forefront of that change and he’s working hard to create delicious tastes for everyone.

We started with a ‘pistachio with acidic yogurt’ morsel.  It was an immediate hit of sour then went through to sweet then you got the pistachio nut flavour at the very end.  Surprising and extremely more-ish.  I can see people having to eat many of these at a party.

Salted Crunchy Peanut was the next surprise.  Completely overwhelming the scent or flavour of the chocolate, the salted peanut flavour was the first hit through the nose, then the saltiness hits as you bite and it is finished off with that massive peanut flavour which almost nothing can beat.

The Cloud was next and talk about heavenly.  Blueberry and violet it was a crunchy yet chewy middle light as a cloud.  The flavours are subtle but pleasant and without the harsh artificial flavour sometimes encountered.

At this point, Damian reminds me that with his chocolates, the actual chocolate is not the ‘ego’.  Rather, the filling is the most important part and the chocolate adds that extra rounding dimension.  He uses Amano chocolate and assures me that his use of high quality chocolate enhances all of them – including the flavours which overwhelm.

Jasmine Tea was a delight and I may have to simply buy myself and everyone I know a box of these.  The jasmine tea is not synthetic, as it so often it.  Synthetic, or even essential oil jasmine, has a distinctive flavour that is immediately obvious.  Not so this chocolate, made from a tea which is left for 5 nights next to the blooming jasmine flowers, infusing it with the flavour of the pollen of the jasmine flower, not the essential oil.  The tea is cold infused and this is what gives it the unique flavour.  That and the fact no cream is used and so the delicate jasmine flavour can blossom on your mouth

The penultimate chocolate was a delicious fresh mint.  A chocolate made with fresh mint has an added dimension of the chlorophyll clearly flavouring the chocolate.  It is easy to destroy the flavour and bruise the mint and so to get that flavour in to a chocolate is quite a feat.  This mind chocolate was subtle but delightful.  An added dimension to mind for mint chocolate lovers.

Passion fruit and Coffee rounded off the tasting trial. Having bravely withstood the crowd, I was rewarded with a unique blend of strong coffee and sweet passion fruit.  Coffee flavour outside, strong and sweet passion fruit inside, then another hit of coffee as you chew the grinds.  Strong but pleasant.

Inspired by chocolatiers from cities of the world, the dark Dominican Republic and milk Ecuador single origin chocolates are combined with flavours such as salted caramel, orange blossom, quince and cloudberry to create this new selection by chocolate guru Keith Hurdman. He has had extensive training with some of Europe’s finest confectioners and chocolatiers in Belgium, Switzerland and France. He is now widely recognised as one of the UK’s most talented chocolate makers. Keith has won a number of other awards including the International Belgian Chocolate Award and the highly acclaimed ‘Truffe d’ Or’ in 2000 as Champion Confectioner of Switzerland.

Soho Caramel had to be first. Described as “deliciously buttery and oozing caramel enhanced by subtle after-hint of saltiness” it is dark chocolate of a decent quality covering a slightly overly sweet centre. I found it to be a less refined flavour of caramel and as such less pleasant than the higher quality caramels I have tried but as an entry level sea salt caramel it is very nice.

Vanilla Heights was next. An interesting ganache centre which, while far too sweet for my palette, would be perfect for someone who prefers Cadbury chocolates. I am sure that it would be enjoyed as a higher quality given the low price point.

Midnight Melt did not melt much but as a dark chocolate with a similar filling it was surprisingly delightful. The preservatives gave the chocolate an odd flavour with a reluctance to melt in the mouth but it was quite pleasant nonetheless.

Q Couture exuded so much fruitiness that the scent of the chocolate before biting smelt of the centre. The centres of this chocolate had such an extreme quince flavour which came off as quite synthetic and overpowering that I had to stop eating and drink even more tea. I’m sure this will be someone’s favourite – especially someone who enjoys fruity flavours. It is an explosion in the mouth.

Praline Piazza has delightful bits of feuilletine and while I am decidedly not a fan of praline I did enjoy it. The praline is still an overpowering nutty flavour and not my favourite but I found this easy to enjoy.

Manhattan Melt, the milk chocolate version of Midnight Melt, is a creamy, sweet chocolate. While again far too sweet for my taste, and reluctant to melt in the mouth, the chocolate was still palatable and I am sure will be a firm favourite for those venturing in to this box as a step up from Milk Tray.

Cloudberry Hill did not assault the senses with fruit but still comes through as an interesting fruity flavour. Have this one before you have a Q Couture I think so you can taste the flavour.

Orange Garden was to me, not a fan of chocolate orange, a really pleasant chocolate orange flavour. Still over sugared, the orange is synthetic but not overpowering. A change from orange creme, it is sure to be enjoyed.

At the end of the sampling, the one chocolate I was willing to eat more than one of as Soho Caramel. While the filling may not be as delicate, liquid and flavourful as I am used to, out of the box it was my favourite.

I looked over the delicious-smelling shop and found it to be crammed full of everything from chocolate shoes, to hot chocolate. For the spiritually minded there was a chocolate Buddha and for the simply hungry there was a vast array of chocolates.

When I enquired about the type of chocolate used, I was informed it was “Venezuelan and European”. Saying that I knew that beans did not grow in Europe and was it therefore perhaps blended in Europe, I was informed, with a sneer, that it was, indeed, European chocolate. A further attempt to get help selecting the three best representatives of the chocolate range elicited similar negative responses.

The first chocolate selected for me was an extreme ginger and sugar concoction. The dark chocolate seems to have a large amount of crystallised sugar in it, probably from the ginger. The chocolate itself seems somewhat flat, being overwhelmed by the ginger. The chunks of ginger mostly completely overwhelmed the chocolate flavour though.

The second chocolate, identified as their signature chocolate, was a leaf shape with a raspberry flavour. The sour raspberry filling was not completely balanced off by the dark chocolate which seemed again slightly flat. There was a hint of earthyness in the dark chocolate but it lacked the depth of flavour of some dark chocolates.

The third chocolate filled me with dread, I must admit. The sea salt caramel, the “favourite” so many chocolate makers , was topped with salt. This addition could only overwhelm the chocolate and filling and fill the mouth with an overwhelming brine flavour. Despite my trepidation, I tried it, salt and all. The caramel was more a light flaky fudge in flavour with a high degree of sweetness but thankfully the salt was sparse enough it did not overwhelm. The filling was light, flavourful and pleasant. Again the chocolate blend did not knock my socks off but the chocolate was pleasant enough.

Not the best but definitely very good quality chocolate

This chocolate is very different and its sugary, oily nature places it in the OK category. “Yang” is organic milk chocolate wutg herbal ashwagandha, gokshura and kapikachu. A surprising herbal flavour with a sharp tang inthe aftertaste. This chocolate is OK but not really to my taste. I’m sure that many will enjoy this though because if its very differentness. “Sensual” has a shocking chilli with nutmeg and orange flavour reminding me somewhat of Christmas. The sugary milk chocolate helps calm the clilli a bit but the bite is still extreme. A nice surprise for some I am sure but I found it overpowering.

The dark chocolate “Seductive” heart with ginger, jasmin green tea and goji berries was gentler after the chilli of the “Sensual”. There were lots of goji berries in the chocolate and the dark chocolate was nicer than the milk. I can see these going quickly at a party. “Mistress” was the last one on the plate with chilli, cocoa nibs and acai. This chilli was not as agressive as the milk chocolate heart “sensual” but still harsh. The cocoa nibs were crunchy and the chocolate itself was pretty typical of this level of dark chocolate.

In all, these were interesting chocolates. Probably enjoyable at a party as most people will be familiar with Cadbury or Green and Blacks and so this will be a new taste sensation for them. The organic chocolate makes this an especially tempting treat for many.