This dark milk bar is made using cocoa mass from the Dominican Republic. The bar is manufactured in Italy on behalf of Marks and Spencer.
I’ve tried a lot of chocolate from the Dominican Republic over the years – it’s quite a popular origin lower down the price scale – and my experience so far has been of a chocolate that expresses dark cocoa and earthy tones, but with a propensity for red berry or smokey notes when it’s at its best. This bar however, is a dark milk version of Dominican Republic cacao, something I’ve rarely come across. I would expect the milk to turn the earthiness of Dominican cocoa to deep dark caramels, but I’m unsure how any red fruit notes or smokiness would play out. In Marks and Spencer’s Los Palmaritos bar there was distinctive notes of berry yoghurt and a creaminess with notes of honey, I would expect the creaminess to be exemplified here, with the honey turning to caramel, but still I’m unsure about any berry yoghurt aspects. As always, there’s only one way to find out. Opening the packaging I’m presented with a milky caramel coloured chocolate with a matte gloss finish. Breaking off a piece reveals aromas of milk, toasted almonds and caramel, with a fresh feel about them. Placing a piece in my mouth the chocolate has the textures of toffee caramel, before developing a more buttery feel with butterscotch in the finish. To taste this bar is big long swathes of rich caramel and toffee flavours that develop a buttery and creaminess. The flavours are deep and full with plenty of balance to keep them coming through in big round waves. I was expecting this bar might present some unusual tones in terms of fruit and acidity, but this is just a rich representation of archetypal milk chocolate flavours, which make for very easy eating. This is definitely a bar for people who like rich, long, deep chocolate flavours with lashings of caramel and cream, it’s a simple but clear message. Best enjoyed with toasted almonds, topped on caramel shortcake, with warm milk or as Marks and Spencer’s suggest with a dessert wine such as Vin Santo and Cantuccini almond biscuits.
Ingredients: Cocoa butter, dried whole milk, cane sugar, cocoa mass, milk fat, vanilla extract
Appearance 8.5/10
Colour: Milky caramel brown
Texture: Smooth
Mould: 5 x 2 M&S blocks
Snap: Crisp, soft
Temp/Shine: Matte gloss
Aroma 8.5/10
Intensity(0-10): 7
Notes: Milk, toasted almonds, caramel
Quality: Soft, roasted, fresh
Melt/Mouthfeel 9/10
Length: Long
Evenness: Even
Texture: Toffee caramel, butter toffee, butterscotch
Quality: Refined, consistent, full, firm
Acidity 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 3
Notes: Fresh milk
Quality: Lactic, hard, balancing
Sweetness 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 9
Notes: Toffee caramel, butter toffee, butterscotch
Quality: Rich, full, deep
Flavour 9/10
Intensity(0-10): 9
Type: Sweet, salt
Notes: Malted caramel, toffee, butterscotch, salted fudge, jersey cream
Quality: Deep, full, rich
Length 9.5/10
Flavours come in big full rounds with a good length from start to finish rounding on peaks of rich lactic acidity
Finish 9/10
Notes: Toffee, butterscotch, salted fudge, jersey cream
Quality: Rich sugar notes make their way from start to finish with salted fudge and jersey cream finding their way into the finish, leaving lingering rich sweet and creamy notes to linger
Balance 9/10
Bar has a natural balance from coatings of caramel cream, providing a firm structure and plenty of stability and anchoring
Overall 9/10
Bar has plenty of depth, but only a little dimension, complexities are easily balanced and structure is consistent, expression feels honest, but true of inclusion with processing encouraging development and balance
Marks and Spencer’s Tasting Notes: In this chocolate the caramelised, buttery and roasted flavours are balanced by strong cocoa notes. The smooth, chocolatey flavours are stunning with a dessert wine such as Vin Santo and Cantuccini almond biscuits
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