Artisan du Chocolat Orchid & Orange Blossom

Flowers are something I’m allergic to. They are beautiful but unless bred for lack of pollen I get hayfever and become seriously unwell. So you can imagine that while I love flowers, I do tend to avoid them. This means that the scent of flowers sets off little alarm bells in my brain warning me that I’m about to be quite unwell and to proceed only with caution.

Given I used to hang out in graveyards in downtown Toronto, in pool halls and had learned how to talk my way out of numerous close calls, you’d bet I am a risk-taker who tends to ignore that little voice of alarm ringing in the back of my head. Perhaps with age though I’ve become more cautious and perhaps not. For one thing, I no longer wear tight tops bearing the picture of a white tiger’s face but I do drink tequila so perhaps ignoring alarm bells is still in my blood.

A blast of floral fragrances and chocolate assaults your nose as you open the packer. As with all Artisan Du Chocolat bars, this bar has a lovely bar well poured and brilliantly tempered with added flavours. Not really intended to stand on its own (I assume) the floral scents assail and overwhelm, making it almost impossible to taste the chocolate underneath.

The orchid I think it less pronounced than the orange blossom which does suffuse the abr. The dark chocolate taste is completely entwined with the flavour of the flowers. I think this is an interesting bar for someone who enjoys more floral flavours and fragrances.