Anthon Berg - Extra Dark Fairtrade - 81%

Price: $7.95 for 100g

Comparative Price: $7.95 per 100g

Origin: Ghana

Rating: 1 out of 5

Buy again: Read the review - a resounding no

This was another random purchase, as I am want to make when wandering around David Jones looking for something different to try.  I believe this is a Danish chocolate, and must admit I am not overly convinced at how well the Danes excel in the culinary arts of cocao.

Sight

But to be fair this brand has enticed my curiosity for some time with its packaging; a somewhat strange mix of traditional European (with the ornate, gold name and danish crown and proud display of 'since 1884') but very modern white and black background with somewhat abstract letter 'A' against the cocao graphic.  Continuing on the modern theme it nobly displays its fairtrade certified status.

It also uses the right language, cocao instead of cocoa, fairtrade, a high (if not somewhat strange) cocoa content reinforced by the words 'extra dark'.  Someone at Anthon Berg have obviously thought about their marketing and pushing all the right buttons on their packaging.

The chocolate itself is a very dark brown and very flat - dare I say bland.  The surface is so perfect and smooth (aside from the letter 'A' on each piece) that it looks too good - too mass produced, nothing of the artisan is speaking to me here.  I could be wrong, but it disappoints in its perfectness.

Sound

It fares a little better on the snap which has a good resonance and break to it.

Smell

The aroma is good, I can smell it from where it sits beside me - always a treat!  Strangely when I actually focus on the scent it is not sweet but has caramelised tones to it.

Taste & Texture

Can I be honest here...?  My immediate impression is not good, in fact it is rather 'urgh'.  This chocolate is not pleasant on the palate - it is bitter, a little astringent and offering little else.  It has a somewhat fatty taste on my palate which upon reading the ingredients doesn't surprise as aside from the standard emulsifier soy lecithin this also contains rapeseed and canola oil (and I would question whether this is GM free canola!).

It does linger, but I'm not sure that I want this to linger!  This is the sort of chocolate that is all about the cocoa content and not the flavour.  I have come across many people who say 'I won't eat anything less than 70%'.  This isn't necessarily a criteria as beans will impart such different flavours when treated well (and of course are good beans) but this just imparts a generic bitterness that indicates the raw material and/or processing wasn't great.  To be fair this wasn't an expensive chocolate so was probably starting with poorer ingredients but it doesn't get much better on further tasting.  Although some berry and floral flavours do try to make their presence known, but rather unsuccessfully.  It has a slight milky toned finish amongst all that grimace inducing bitterness.

Even the texture, aside from the fattiness, feels unnatural - it ends up gluggy and unwilling in my mouth.  And to top it off it finishes with a slight graininess and astringency.

Summary

This isn't good, for me it is a crass chocolate that talks the talk on the packaging but doesn't substantiate itself. Maybe if your predilection is for bog standard, high percentage, mass market chocolates it may work - and these qualities, or lack of, are reflected in the price somewhat.  

It is a little frustrating, but perhaps not surprising, to come across a chocolate with so little substance despite its noble claims and fairtrade connections.  (For the record, I don't think a chocolate needs to be fairtrade to bring fairness to the cocao market.  There are many companies who do great things in local markets and communities but don't subscribe to the fairtrade logo or brand.  My advice, check out your chocolate manufacturers for what they do, fairtrade is fine but there are a lot of other good practices out there, and many who not only bring equity to the growers, but actively encourage the growth of quality 'flavour beans' rather than nasty, poor quality beans).

Not too hard to work out but I won't be rating this high, maybe 1 out of 5.  And no, I won't be buying this again - I can't get the damned bitterness out of my mouth!

Purchased: David Jones Melbourne

Reviewer: Shari

17 March 2010