Theobroma Cacao in London – A Review

Chocolate is my passion. I’ve learned a bit about it through going to lectures, reading up on it and attending educational seminars. So a trip to Theobroma Cacao who boldly claim that their shop is a place “where innovative and unique products are handmade to the highest standards using only the purest natural ingredients” was something I was excited about.

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