Gone Chocco

I tried Loving Earth’s intriguing Coconut Chocolate Butter a while back and have also previously enjoyed their Lucuma and Maca light chocolate bar; the Activated Almond and Purple Corn dark chocolate bar; and the Goji and Camu dark chocolate.

Today we have the Raw Dark Chocolate and Crunchy Mint Raw Dark Chocolate to try.

As mentioned previously, Loving Earth’s credentials are indeed worthy –organic, gluten-free, vegan chocolate made from single-source Criollo beans from Peru and ensuring that their cooperative growers receive at least 15% above the agreed Fair Trade price for their cocoa beans.  Being Australian and USDA-certified organic give them extra greenie cred.

So what is raw chocolate exactly?  It doesn’t contain any sugar or dairy and is uncooked and unprocessed and is only sweetened with agave syrup (a natural, low GI sweetener that tastes a little bit like runny honey or treacle).  By ‘uncooked’ it means that the cacao is never heated above 40-45C from the time it is picked to when it is eaten and tests have shown that it has up to four times the level of antioxidants as conventional chocolate.

Loving  Earth’s raw dark chocolate has 72% cocoa solids and instead of a ‘snap’ has a moist, soft ‘poth’ sound instead.  This is nothing to be alarmed about because the raw organic cocoa butter, powder, agave syrup, vanilla beans and Himalayan crystal salt give it a compressed texture, not unlike a dense chocolate brownie or flourless mud cake.  The cocoa features very clearly and can be appreciated as dominant ingredient.  Overall, the taste is ‘cool’, like a tiny million little bubbles are being activated, causing a refreshing mouth-feel that feels like the tightly compressed ingredients are gradually coming loose as they relax, melt and separate in the  mouth. 

Second up for tasting  is the one in the green wrapper – Crunchy Mint Raw Dark chocolate.  This also contains 72% cocoa solids and when opened, it emitted a deliciously inviting, dark aroma.

Being ‘raw’, dairy free and sugar free means that it tastes quite different to any other dark chocolate mint I’ve had before.  The peppermint oil doesn’t overpower the unique flavours of the chocolate which doesn’t melt as much as release its compressed mixture of ingredients and leave a cool mouth feel.  Adding some cocoa nibs for crunch and a final kick is a particularly clever touch.

Each 45 gram bar will give you 17.4 grams of fat but you can at least assure yourself that it’s all been for a noble cause and they taste deliciously unique.