Seed & Bean Pumkin Seeds & Hemp Oil

Another bar from Seed & Bean, the Nottingham based maker of fair trade, organic chocolate bars. That’s right, everything in these bars is certified to both standards, and this one also happens to be Vegan. This bar is made with cocoa from the Dominican Republic and sugar from Paraguay.

Initial impressions were that it’s an unfussy bar with a good sheen and a light cocoa aroma, and yes – a hint of the hemp oil. Turn the bar over and it’s a different story. There are your pumpkin seeds.

In the mouth it’s quick to melt with a light mouth feel and good depth without ever cloying. Although the wrapper says this is ‘Extra Dark Chocolate’ it isn’t in any way heavy or thick on the tongue. There’s a general lightness about the whole thing, with subtle sweet undertones and little in the way of bitterness. The finish is long, mildly acidic, and the addition of the hemp oil gives it, well, a hempy tang. Allow the chocolate to melt a little and chew on the pumpkin seeds and you release their complimentary nuttiness.

It’s a very ‘organic’ tasting chocolate, and by that I mean that the choice of pumpkin and hemp adds an earthy dimension which I think will be one of those that divides people. Personally, I quite liked the concept and the pumpkin seeds were still crisp and full of flavour, and given the quality and pedigree of the ingredients, I’m pretty sure this bar would qualify as health food.

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