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| YOU ARE HERE : Home > Categories > Food > Confectionery > Bennetto Coffee Dark Chocolate Mini Bars | |
| ProdID: 8099 - Bennetto Coffee Dark Chocolate Mini BarsManufactured byBennetto Natural Foods | Product Score: 8.7 |
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Deep and dark Ecuadorian organic chocolate, combo'd with crunchy milled Peruvian coffee beans for a rich coff-choc flavour sensation. A definite winner! Organic, Fairtrade and vegan certified. |
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I have never bought dark chocolate, I simply cannot eat the stuff, it makes me instantly light-headed and dizzy, however, in the safety of my own home I'm always happy to try just a little because some of the flavour combinations sound wonderful. I love coffee, so getting this to try and reading that it has the actual stuff in it, not just flavouring, was really nice to see. The bar is very small for its price if you compare it to others in the stores but the trade off here is that you are getting a fair trade item in return. The packet has a lovely design to it, it caught my eight year olds eye right away. My kids, as I have discovered only very recently, love dark chocolate, so I was happy to give them all a try of this. All three said that they enjoyed it but felt that they didn't need much before they were done, I found that giving them just half a piece each was more than enough to satisfy their desire for some chocolate. A family member, who adores coffee, gave this a go but found that the little gritty bits of coffee didn't pair well with dentures, leading them to have to rinse out their mouth afterwards. The kids decided that I needed to put this on their ice-cream, so we grated a little first and sprinkled it on top, with mixed reactions. My ten year old then suggested we whip up some cream and stir through some more grated chocolate which they decided was a better companion to the chocolate than the ice-cream was. We've used it a couple more times, including inside a muffin but all agreed that just a small amount went a long way, so whilst it might feel like you don't get much there is bang for its buck to be had here. |
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Bennetto was a brand I was unfamiliar with so once I found out I was selected to try their Coffee bean chocolate I decided to do some research on them. What really stands out is that they care for their product and want to produce it leaving the smallest footprint impact on the environment and sustainability as they can. The Packaging on these chocolate products is the star of the show with the artistic designs and vibrant colours that show they really put great effort into what they are creating. Each of the different products they make have a different bird design embedded into the packing making their products even more unique. I opened the wrapper delicately as my daughter wanted to keep it for her scrapbook and the chocolate bar had a strong aroma of coffee which instantly was a great sign for me this was going to taste good. I took a bite of the bar and was surprised by the texture of the coffee beans as I was not quite expecting them to be present in a ground-up form at all so at first, it felt odd but after the first square of four, I quite enjoyed the grittiness to it. The most prominent flavour of the bar is defiantly the coffee taste as it stands out bold and strong which makes this my favourite coffee chocolate to date as the other's I have had have been very weak in flavour. The 32g size is perfect as a little snack size bar and with such a strong flavour one piece can be savoured for quite a while. The price is a little bit higher than similarly sized bars but it is understandable for the effort and quality. This product is Organic, vegan-friendly and supports fairtrade which is a big plus that they cater for a broader range of people also. I will be purchasing other flavours from this brand and look forward to tasting their range. |
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When I saw the Bennetto chocolate up for review, I jumped at the chance to try it - as I had heard about it on the radio - and, being that it is produced here in New Zealand, I was very interested. Looking into the history of the company - it is a little company (their words) that is all about doing what is best for the world - fair trade sourced ingredients, made in New Zealand (most of the products) and all about making as little impact as possible on the world while creating a delicious chocolate. In fact, this little company helps with reforestation in the Amazon, amongst other things. I was fortunate enough to receive two different flavours to try - the coconut, which the children immediately claimed, and the coffee bean - which was honestly the one I most wanted anyway! The packaging is so pretty - with a picture of a beautiful (and very fancy) looking peruvian bird on it - which I learned was painted by a kiwi artist also - and each wrapper has a different bird! The wrapper also proudly displays a vegan, organic and fair trade logo. The wrapper is easy to open, and a little sticky along the join - in a good way, meaning if you have great willpower and do not eat all 4 pieces at once, you can push it back together. As mentioned, there are 4 pieces in easy to snap off bits, totalling around 30g, which is perfect as a wee treat. The chocolate is a beautiful dark chocolate - having 60% cocoa, and the milled coffee beans provide a unique and nice texture - rather than big chunks of coffee bean there are little bits all through, meaning a nice and even flavour, a bit like a mocha in food form! I decided after having 2 pieces as a treat on their own to then grate it over a coffee frappe type drink, to add extra flavour and visual appeal. It was easy to grate, and unlike high milk content chocolates - did not melt in the process. I looked really nice on the coffee - unfortunately, I drank it before I realised I had not taken picture to show you all! The only downside is the price - however, when you take into account that all organic, fair trade, and high quality foods or drinks are a bit more - it really isn't. This is designed to be a special treat rather than a "eat it all in one go" type cheaper chocolate. To me it is perfect as a little thankyou, in a gift basket, for new parents, and people you love. Definitely a good thing to have on hand for Christmas - maybe pairing this particular one with a mug and coffee sachet - for a wee treat. I have already looked at ordering more of these - there are a few more flavours that sound amazing. I honestly can say these are delicious, and I will be buying some as treats for my clients in the new year. |
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When you read coffee bean chocolate you think of sounds good I would like to try that, with have a hint of coffee to it. But wow once you bite into it you taste a strong yummy hit of coffee beans like eating a raw chocolate coated coffee bean. This is by far the best coffee bean dark chocolate I have eaten and I found the wee bar at 32g lasted me ages as I only needed a square or two at a time. Which is also good for my chocolate intake as at times I can eat a whole big bar in one sitting. I love the fact that it is also 60% cocoa. i really love the bar of chocolate and all the extra goodies are a bonus like being vegan, fair trade chocolate and organic. It has been a enjoyable chocolate bar to eat and I can't wait to get my hands on more of this delicious coffee bean chocolate. I will be telling my friends about this chocolate and sharing some when I get some next. Sadly I ate this to myself as it was so good and I could not resist. I really loved the packaging it comes in as well, I class it as being cute. The light pink packet with the wonderful images on the wrapper, it all goes together nicely just like the product inside. I have been thinking about desserts with this chocolate and it would go down a treat with whipped cream especially if grated on top of a banoffee pie. I always make banoffee pie for Christmas dessert so this idea I will be trying in a couple weeks time as Christmas is fast approaching. I know it will go down a treat and the adults will rave about it, might have to do a plain one for the kids though as we do not want them bouncing of the walls from the wee coffee bean hit. |
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For a small bar, this chocolate goes a long way. Each bar contains four snap-apart segments which was plenty for two of us to share with our after-dinner coffee. I have to admit that I could not finish my second piece anyway as it is quite rich, so I put it away to have later in the evening - having warned my friend that she was not allowed to finish it on my behalf as I fully intended to come back to it! The texture is an interesting blend of smooth chocolate and tiny coffee grounds, much like the residue in a coffee cup but much finer. The coffee flavour is strong, vying with the chocolate to provide a full mocha-style experience. I imagine it would appeal more to older people; the caffeine content is not listed on the packaging, so I would assume that the coffee beans used are not decaffeinated. However, the packet also confirms that the ingredients are organic and suitable for vegans - besides being a Fairtrade product, always a strong selling point. As a confectionery item on its own it was delicious, but we decided to do some experimenting with our second bar. Even at room temperature it is easy to grate, holding its shape well. Unlike some chocolate, it did not melt during the grating process so there was no mess at the end of it. We had some steamed pudding and custard from a hangi meal we had eaten the night before, so we warmed up two platefuls and grated one segment. We then sprinkled the puddings with the grated segment and cut a second segment in half to decorate it. We agreed that the combination was brilliant, tasting even better than when served as a simple bar. And one segment was more than enough to provide a good covering for the custard. The final two segments were reserved for decorating our after-dinner Irish coffees. The drinks were topped with whipped cream and then decorated with coarse strips of the chocolate with half a crystallised cherry on top. Yes, it was decadent, but once again the chocolate turned a special concoction into a work of art. The result looked spectacular and the taste was to die for. Since it was a very cold night, we felt very warm after finishing every scrap. I thought the bars were quite expensive considering their size. For me, they would certainly come into the Special Treat range. There again, I do not often buy chocolate, so when I do, I like it to be of good quality. As I mentioned before, the bars are quite rich, so they would probably go twice as far as a cheaper (and lighter) brand. And I just love the One Design packaging. It is cheerful and very colourful, featuring a watercolour Peruvian bird in a suit (painted by Henrietta Harris) to show the blend of a modern manufactured product using traditional ingredients from this part of the world. |
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| Printed at 03:39:20pm on Saturday 11th May 2024 |
