Hagensborg Wild Boar Madagascar Dark 64%

Until now, the only thing I’ve seen on my side of Canada from Vancouver’s Hagensborg Chocolates has been their Truffle Pig Bars which are shaped like 3 pigs and come in a multitude of flavours. I should probably write about them sometime. That’s why I was surprised to see they had expanded into making single origin bars although I’m always happy when a Canadian company starts making some good chocolate. They make three varieties: a 39% Ecuador Milk Chocolate, a 70% Santa Domingo and the one I picked out – a 64% Madagascar.

The outer box is very jolly. I’m overlooking their terrible Wild B(o)ar joke on the outside because I didn’t notice it for a few days – if you drop the o from boar, it spells bar. Hagensborg are a little pig fixated. It is definitely a little more light-hearted than most single origin bars though.

The bar itself is adorable. Really. I was just expecting a normal bar but as soon as I took it out of the box still wrapped, it felt a little unusual in the shape department. Unwrapped, the strange shape explained itself – the bar looks likes someone took three sneaky bites out of it. In addition, the bar’s surface is decorated with the company’s signature pig and some appropriate chocolate eating sounds. I must admit, it made me smile because almost every bar that I cross paths with is plain and businesslike and while I wouldn’t want every bar to go for my funny bone, I really liked this one.

As for the chocolate. Well, the first mouthful was a bit on the disappointing side because it was sweeter than I was anticipating. That appeared to be more about my adjusting my expectations because subsequent bites were better. Like most Madagascar bars, the predominant notes are fruity and there’s plenty of them to go around but it stops short from being a really bold bar of chocolate which is what I want from my bars, even if they are cute.

It isn’t really meek as such, but it needs a bit more punch which could come from a boost in percentage or a pinch of salt. It does succeed as being a well-balanced bar of easy-to-eat chocolate and is a nice gentle introduction to the world of single origin bars.

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