Chocolat-ier – The extraordinary chocolates. The extraordinary experience.

Being moody and stressful recently, getting addicted to chocolates seems inevitable, as chocolates are believed to reduce stress and elevate one’s mood. Knowing that, a close friend sent me a chocolatey gift last week in hopes of cheering me up.

Unwrapping the gift, I saw an assortment of mini chocolate bars in simple packaging with intriguing flavours – Rose, Jasmine, Violet, Chilli….?

To ensure the edibility of these chocolates, I tried to look up for their information on the internet - ROCOCO CHOCOLATES originated from London in 1983, famous for handmade chocolates… Having its own cocoa farm in Grenada, close monitoring of the quality of cocoa beans becomes possible, and oh, organically grown? Looks good to me! I’m ready for the trial!

In general, the chocolates are divided into 3 types – dark (65%), milk (37%) and white. There’s a 3D bee logo on every individual piece of chocolate, which accounts for the name of the chocolate bars – “Bee Bar”.

Despite seemingly uninteresting, I decided to start off with the original flavour - 65% organic dark chocolate bar. This chocolate blend includes cocoa beans from Rococo’s own Grococo farm in northern Grenada and a little extra cocoa butter for a silky texture. With a relatively rich chocolate flavour but moderate sweetness and a hint of bitterness, it reminds me of Godiva’s chocolate thins.

I love pink roses, rose fragrances, and rose tea. But it’s time for something new? Let’s have rose CHOCOLATES!

Rose Organic Dark Chocolate Bar’s wrapped in original watercolor design by Rococo's founder & designer, Chantal Coady, which is feminine and eye-catching. For the inside, the 65% dark chocolate contains steam distilled organic rose essential oil, but the rose scent’s rather subtle so you could only taste it after the chocolate melts in your mouth.

In contrast, the Rose Organic Milk Chocolate Bar is a must-try item for rose lovers. Pure rose otto essential oil flavours this organic 37% milk chocolate bar. As the oil is extracted gently from thousands of rose using steam distillation, the rose flavour is delicate but intensely floral and long-lasting. This goes really well with the smooth, creamy milk chocolate, just one bite of this rose chocolate and you’d simply smile from your heart.

Want to try floral chocolates but don’t feel like taking risks? Violet Organic Dark Chocolate Bar will be your choice. Personally I feel it tastes more like honey chocolate, so this might also serve as a piece of prep chocolate before you try the rosy one. On the contrary, Jasmine Organic Dark Chocolate Bar carries a rather weird scent and flavour which I don’t really like (though I love Chinese Jasmine Tea).

Sea Salt Organic Milk Chocolate Bar is definitely worthwhile to try – smooth, creamy, slightly sweet with a hint of saltiness. Salt serves to intensify the cocoa and caramel flavour notes in the chocolate, as well as leaving a salty-sweet aftertaste in the mouth. I do love milk chocolates but found most of them too sweet for me – this “savory” chocolate can surely be the way out.

For more excitement, please try the Chilli Pepper Organic Dark Chocolate Bar. Ugandan birds’ eye chilies have been used, in which the spiciness develops slowly as the chocolate melts in your mouth and lingers afterwards, isn’t this fascinating? Bet this would be a good “toy” to trick your friends and brighten up their day!

I love orange-flavoured chocolates and do crave for Jacobs’ Orange Club biscuits from time to time. However, the Orange & Geranium Organic Dark Chocolate Bar isn’t that appealing to me since the orange flavour isn’t strong enough. The same applies to Earl Grey Organic Dark Chocolate Bar as the Earl Grey flavour is far too subtle as well.

The only white chocolate here, which is the Cardamom Organic White Chocolate Bar, is a bit… extraordinary? I like its low sweetness as compared to typical white chocolates, but unfortunately, the Cardamom flavour’s too pungent for my liking. I simply have to quit after having a small piece!

My friend “instructed” me to consume only a chocolate bar per day for health reasons, but somehow I just gobbled them up within a few hours! Guess I have to find some other ways to relieve my stress and anxiety, or I’ll become a piggy in no time!

Photo courtesy of Rococo Chocolates.