Conscious Chocolate – The Hot Stuff
As I have ten Conscious Chocolate bars to get through (I know, poor old me) I thought it might be fair to group them for ease of reviewing and to save space on the site. This first pair are the ‘hot’ ones – Best Ever Chilli Hot and Fiery Hazelnut.
My first taste was of the Fiery Hazelnut.
“The best organic nuts with a spicy kick’ I was informed by the publicity sheet, and boy, Emma isn’t kidding! This bar has quite a pokey chilli flavour to it, and the nut pieces seem to have absorbed some of the fire, so there’s no relief to be had from chewing on the nutty remains after the chocolate is gone. This stuff is HOT. Luckily, I’ve come to quite like a little chilli kick in my chocolate from time to time, and so after the initial surprise, I came to rather enjoy this little beasty. The nuts are very tasty and crisp, and the texture of the bar works well, melting quickly to allow you to taste the hazelnut element.
Recommended if you like it spicy, but definitely not for the faint hearted.
The Chilli Hot is, as far as I can ascertain, the Best Ever Plain blend with added chilli for that spicy kick. After a taste of the Fiery Hazelnut I must confess to a degree of apprehension when it came to unwrapping this bar. A cautious sniff or two and then it was time to take the plunge.Now, I don’t know if the Fiery Hazelnut had just nuked my taste buds, or whether this batch was low on chilli oil, but it seemed very mild in comparison. I even waited a few hours and went back for another taste, but there was still nothing like the tongue-tingling heat of the Hazelnut Bar. It certainly has a hint of the ol’ chilli about it, but nothing like I expected.
Of the two, I’d say I preferred the Fiery Hazelnut, simply because it seemed to do a lot more of what it was supposed to – i.e. put a fire in your mouth and a slight sheen of sweat on your forehead. The Chilli bar would probably suit the first time chili and chocolate eater, whereas the Fiery Hazelnut is for those of you who like a bit of Peri-Peri or a good dollop of chili sauce on your kebabs.
Another thing to note is that the more of this stuff I eat, the more I like it. The Conscious range is tasty, nutritious and, well, good for you. Can’t really argue with that, can we?
Would you happen to know what percentage of the chocolates you review are available in Canada?
I’m afraid I couldn’t tell you about the stuff I review.
I know that Dom always tries to post links wherever possible, but I would think the easiest solution would be to use Google or similar to seek out supplies in your locale.