Hotel Chocolat Purist 96h Conch 65% Chocolate Bar

This is one of two chocolate bars from the new Purist range from Hotel Chocolat which features the conching time of the chocolate. This has been done in part to encourage people to savour the chocolate and also teach them about how a longer conch mellows and changes chocolate.

This chocolate has a distinctive flavour that is less fruity than the Alto El Sol but still tastes of raisins to me. I’m not sure if it is fig I can taste as well as raisins but the lovely flavour is full and robust and the chocolate doesn’t dry your mouth out like some dark chocolate can.

It isn’t a bar for chewing, it is absolutely a bar for letting the chocolate melt in your mouth. I’ve tried to get the guys at work to do this and it really changes the chocolate eating experience. It floods your mouth and keeps it coated in lovely chocolate flavour.

It is a lovely bar and delicious but when compared to the 120 hour conch bar, this one, standing proud and strong on its own, pales into insignificance.  This bar next to the 120 hour conch suddenly tastes grainy and harsh but I’ll let you read more about that chocolate bar…