Italy Archives

A range of Italian bars featuring organic cocoa from Uganda.

Amedei's Acero 95% and Toscano 90% and Prendimé bars.

A new range of bars from Italy.

A range of pralines & filled chocolates from Italy.

We go inside Busto Arsizio Prison just outside Milan and discover an award winning chocolate factory.

Pralines from Italy's finest bean-to-bar chocolate maker.

Italian dark chocolate with Sicilian almond pieces.

Beads of 90% dark chocolate from Italy.

Amedei's famous signature blend of nine different cocoa beans.

A beautiful dark chocolate made from Venezuelan Porcelana cocoa beans.

When ‘The Chocolate Society‘ got in touch to offer me a few items for review, he mentioned Vestri White chocolate. “How odd.” I thought, having only quite recently had my first encounter with Vestri and rather enjoyed it. As you …

Here we have a gift from my favourite Italian chocolate chocolatier (and presumably the only UK stockist) this bar from Guido Castagna has ‘class’ and ‘elegance’ written all over it. From the burnt orange and brown box to the carefully …

This is my second Vestri bar, bigger but with less of a pedigree than the single estate ‘Hacienda Alegre‘ bar I reviewed a while ago. Vestri are one of Tuscany’s top chocolate makers, and after the Hacienda Alegre bar, I …

Unfortunately there was no menu card included in this selection, so I had to just dive in and see what presented itself, but I had a fairly good idea that I was in for a few treats. As you might …

Here’s something I bought from HF Chocolates in Milton Keynes. These two little boxes of Leone Chocolate Drops are somewhat unusual in that they happen to be dairy free – something that will please at least four people I know, …

I was recently invited to an Italian themed ‘tasting’ evening by the lovely Rafaella Baruzzo (she of the amazing Sicilian Lemons in chocolate fame), and at the end of the evening I was given a few things to take home …

This little lot was sent to us by Italian company Go*Do who will be launching in the UK in September. According to the company web site, they take their ethical responsibilities seriously, with the cocoa and cane sugar coming from …

One of the last stalls I visited at the South Bank Chocolate Festival was being run by Raffaella Baruzzo and it was home to a myriad of cellophane bags containing all manner of brightly coloured sweets and numerous chocolate confectionery. …

I picked this pair of iPods… er… “iMods” up at Taste of Christmas last week. They’re made by a company called CioMod in Modica, Sicily, and sold in the UK by Sicily In London. Being a bit of an Apple …

One of the things I like best about this job is discovering products, manufacturers and ideas that are completely new to me. These chocolate bars from UK-based Australian-Italian chocolate maker Rocco DeAngelis are definitely new to me. For a start, …

Another gift from the Academy of Chocolate Awards goody bag, this is my first encounter with Domori. The subtly designed box is home to a 50g sliver of dark chocolate made with Colombian beans. Having thoroughly enjoyed my encounter with …

As I slowly plough my way through the spoils of last year’s road trip across Europe, I’m remembering the stops we made, the people we met, and finally I’m tasting some of the chocolate as well. While wandering around Venice …

Here’s something a little unusual, and certainly one up on the sweet cigarettes we used to have as kids. One hundred grams of dark and milk chocolate with a praline filling, made by Venchi (purveyors of inedible Absinthe chocolate). Certainly …

Italy makes some pretty good chocolate, but there’s no official word on exactly what kind of dark chocolate was used to build this 11 meter high, 8 tonne replica of the famous clock tower at the Houses of Parliament. Apparently, …

In amongst the exotically illustrated Stainer bars I received earlier this year were these two ‘Grand Cru’ bars – one with 75% cacao and a ‘medio’ chilli addition, and the other a 70% bar with Espelette chilli and pineapple. I …

This is another in Stainer’s ‘spice’ selection, and probably the one that had me the most intrigued when I read what the ‘Marrakech Mixture’ constituted. This is a 70% dark chocolate bar with a mixture of Green Tea, Nanah Mint, …

Another in Stainer’s ‘spicy’ collection, this one is a 70% cocoa bar which has been blended with ‘African Herbs’ – in this case Cola, Cinnamon, Tonka Bean and Vanilla. It’s the first of a handful of 70% bars in my …

This particular bar is made in Italy and is a brand owned by the Sugar Company. As you can se, the metallic box with it’s somewhat abstract artwork and textured finish puts it firmly into the ‘Posh chocs’ department. According …

From Italy, and from the makers of the (frankly inedible but definitely unusual) Absinthe chocolate comes this milk chocolate flavoured with vanilla. As you can see, being Italian it comes in a very stylish wrapper – perhaps not as ornate …

This is another one of Stainer’s chocolate bars blended with herbs and spices (part of the same family as the White Chocolate with Madras Spice), and the ‘subtitle’ says it’s a speciality of Northern Europe. As you can see, it …

Not long ago I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted at the door by a courier carrying a box from Italy. Yes, finally Simon from Stainer came good! Among the numerous beautifully packaged bars (and there are plenty) I found …

This bar has been asking to be reviewed ever since I bought it home. Why do I say that? Well, mainly because it has such a powerful smell that I have been made aware of it every time I open …

I am no stranger to coincidence. I find things, things find me. For example, I managed to locate an old friend who had moved to Milan just by looking on the internet. That, however is not the coincidence that concerns …

In case you were wondering, this one’s Italian. Perugina are owned by Nestlé Italia, but don’t let that put you off. This is proper dark chocolate – a gift from a friend who recently took a long weekend in Italy. …

After meeting some friends at a Caffe Nero over the weekend, I found myself with a couple of interesting chocolates from Italy that I managed to hold on to long enough to review. Attibassi Gianduiotti This tiny (10g) pyramid of …

This is my second ever Stainer bar, and I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that Andrea Stainer’s chocolatiers have supernatural powers. This was another purchase from the Etruscan Chocohotel’s Chocostore, and it caught my eye mainly due to the …

Well dear reader, as you know I was recently sent to the Etruscan Chocohotel for a night as part of a business trip. It will come as no surprise to learn that I spent rather a long time (and a …