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Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???One of the most common criticisms that I receive, and that hold my hands up to, is that I don't feature enough smaller UK chocolate companies on this site. In an effort to try cater for the demand, I have recently been on the look out for some suitable products to feature. After some searching I was led in the direction of a company called Rococo, which I saw highly acclaimed on the sites of Chocablog and Chocolate Reviews. The backstory behind Rococo is that it was founded in 1983 by a lady by the name of Chantal Coady, and currently has three shops in London, England. On the Rococo website their great deal of information regarding the organic nature of their chocolate, and how they were inspired by the Grenada Chocolate Company to produce 'ethical chocolate' ... you can read all of this HERE.
Rococo sell the majority of their products through their three flagship stores and their online shop, though they also have some limited distribution in Waitrose. Personally, I haven't had the pleasure of going to one of their stores as yet, so I took the Waitrose option for tracking some of their chocolate down. Priced at pretty expensive £3.50, I bought this 70.0g Organic Dark Cardamom, and I was instantly impressed by the packaging which really stood out to me on the shelf. To command such a premium price you are going to have to 'look the part', and thought the very stylish looking decorative wrapper was very unique. The packet itself was more of vinyl plastic sleeve - it's hard to describe but you're going to have to trust me it look brilliant.
Contained inside this wonderful looking packaging the chocolate was also similarly inviting and I was impressed to see a Rococo emblem inscribed on the middle portion of the bar. Breaking the pieces apart each break was met with a fantastic 'snap', which alongside the forthcoming cocoa scents only further went to raise anticipation. At this point the only thing at more of a premium than the price were expectations :D I'm glad to report the taste didn't let it down. Placing the first block on my mouth the flavours weren't shy in establishing themselves and a red fruit noted cocoa taste was quickly registered. As the chocolate gathered heat the melt progressed at a nice rate and with a pleasant smoothness, with the cocoa flavours becoming increasingly stronger as it did so. At first I thought the taste was a little on the sweet side for a 65% cocoa solids recipe, though the latter stages of the experience brought about a ginger like note to the taste which delivered an extra flavour dimension. This ginger hint was no doubt brought to the party by the cardamom influence and it was a very welcome addition as it gave the chocolate a very distinct, slightly spiced aftertaste. This was a chocolate that I found relatively rich, and best eaten in small tasting portions.
Overall I have been very impressed with my first experience of the Rococo range, and it will no doubt be one I will be dipping back into again very soon. In the context of my all time favourite dark chocolates such as Hotel Chocolat's 85% and The Grenada Company bar I reviewed last month, I wouldn't say this Organic Dark Cardamom quite has the same depth in taste, but it was still a very enjoyable flavoursome chocolate. What I believe this chocolate did very well, and better than a lot of other dark chocolates out there, is that it was a full, well rounded package. The presentation of this product was really first class, and I doubt I have done it justice with the photographs I have posted of the wrapper and the chocolate. As I have said above the taste wasn't up there with the 'best in class', however it was still a delicious chocolate that offered a beautifully classy set of complex and forthcoming cocoa flavours. I guess the only thing that might be questionable about this Rococo product today is the price - £3.50 for 70.0g of chocolate is about as price premium as they come. I would say that if you have an interest in trying all different types and brands of dark chocolate, Rococo is a company that you should be taking a looking at. There will be more to come soon from Rococo on ChocolateMission!
8.8 out of 10
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29 comments:
8.8???? Lol The scores this week have been incredible. Did you honestly not plan it like this or did this just happen?
I know we haven't had anything to get over 9 but we have had every single other one get over 8.
This chocolate was instantly recognisable but the wrapper but I couldn't tell you for the life of me who would have made it. I will have to keep another eye out for it now, it does sound very nice.
I've seen this brand of chocolates before yay for me lol.
After what you said about Waitrose I did go and take a look at my local store to see what they had and I remember this is one of the ones that they did have. My local store is only really small aswell. Thanks for the review.
Rxxx
Another ginger flavoured dark chocolate? I know it doesn't say explicitly that it has ginger in it but if it tastes of it I'm not interested. It's a bit of a shame because I agree with you about how everything looks - lol very fancy.
Wow £3.50 for just a seventy gram bar? Lol our mate Richard is going to kick off about this big time :)
I personally think that is a little too much myself. If your paying anywhere near that you might as well go the whole hog and just buy Hotel Chocolat.
I've not had this cardamaon one before but I did years ago try a small bit of their dark chocolate. I don't remember it being so remarkable that I thought to myself I needed to buy it again but I think I might appreciate it more nowadays anyway. If I see this in the shops I buy some under your recommendation ;) Thanks Jim.
What actually are all those pictures on their wrapper? Does it make any sense at all or is it totally unlinked to the brand or the chocolate?
If it's just art it looks nice lol.
I don't think I have ever read anything about a chocolate coming in a "vinyl plastic sleeve", you have me intrigued as to what that is now lol.
The chocolate sounds not so bad either lol. I will have to give it a try one day.
David is right all the scores this week have been:
8.8, 8.5, 8.3, 8.6 and 8.8
I think someone has been spoiling themselves lol. Share some with us Jim.
If they did some milk chocolates I might give them a try but I'm afraid anything this strong doesn't suit me at all.
I have given dark chocolate a try but I still find it disgustingly bitter tasting.
Hi Jim I just found your site its amazing. Are you a writer by trade or is this blog just a hobby of yours?
I've not tried anything like the amount of chocolates you have but some of my favourite brands are Lindt, Hershey and Godiva. You don't seem to have any reviews of Godiva chocolates yet, you should try some of them out if you can.
Great review Jim. I'm like Lucy I have seen this brand about before but I think that was just from pictures on the internet and the other chocolate sites on the internet.
Now I know they are nice I will give some of their chocs a go. Thanks so much for the brilliant review again today.
More dark chocolate I love it. You have reviewed a good mixture of products this week Jim thank you for each one of them.
I like what David is saying about the scores being big for them all. Lol it is funny sometimes when you write about rubbish stuff but I do generally like your reviews more when you have something you like to write about.
I wouldn't have guessed that this would have been made in the UK! That is a surprise to me, I would say it looks more foriegn and fancy than what us Brits would make lol.
Omg Jim this review has reminded me of the most perfect chocolate gift that I gave to my daddy a few years ago. I just went on their website and it looks like they still sell them
http://rococochocolates.com/products/gift-boxes/chocolate-stem-ginger-110g.html
Honest to god their chocolate gingers are beyond amazing. You have to review them.
That price is horrendous for a chocolate bar. You could buy 6 dairy milks for that much. No one in their right mind would pay that much for just a chocolate bar.
I hope this is the first of many rococo chocolate reviews to come from you Jim. It's great hearing about all the new cadburys and milka bars all the time but it is nice to hear about the smaller guys in the chocolate world sometimes too :) Keep up the great work I read everyday.
I don't think I would ever pay this sort of dollar for a chocolate bar but it's interesting to hear about these different brands.
I don't think I appreciate chocolate enough to get the most out of this. I mean I bought a bar of 87p dark chocolate from asda the other day and it did me just as nicely as anything I have tasted before. Each to their own I guess.
Don't you find it a little weird that they make the wrapper so insanely weird but then they sort of forget to decorate the chocolate inside? Lol I know it has some sort of pattern on it but if you compare it to how the outer thingy looks it looks like it should come in something very different because it's so plain.
Ooooh this has given me an idea. I was planning to make some chocolate ginger cookies this weekend. I think rather than buy the usual green and blacks cooking chocolate I might experiment with a fancier chocolate. I think a trip to the shops is in order. Thanks Jim ;)
Jim you obviously took no notice whatsoever about what I said to you yesterday lol :) Please please please stop giving all these chocolates such high ratings. By the time I have got around to trying them all I will be bankrupt.
Wow another good score lol it looks and sounds very nice though. I have heard of the company before but again without having a waitrose near me I've never bought any (i decided to look on the waitrose website for my nearest store out of interest - turns out its in Newcastle! its not the furthest place but its abit far for a bar of chocolate lol).
They do seem pretty expensive but, I think a few perople are missing the point on comparing the price to more mainstream brands etc. I'd probably pay that for an unusual gift or if I really fancied trying the flavour, as a treat :)
Thanks for the review Jim. This is the second chocolate like this I have seen on here in past two days that I can claim to have seen around but have never contemplated trying ever. Now I know it is top quality produce I might consider it next time.
@Nigel, I hope you are saying that with tongue in cheek. You are correct I would have made said something about that extrocinate price. I was complaining about Galler being nearing £3 yesterday for a seventy gram bar but this £3.50 is really taking the mick.
I wouldn't mind paying this much for a brand I have heard of before but I wouldn't ever contemplate paying that much for one I hadn't ever seen.
It sounds very nice and all, and I do like to try out new brands and strengths of chocolate etc but...the price is just too much. If it were a filled bar it might justify it.
I like the packaging though, very intriguing. And the cardamom flavour sounds nice.
Now that I think about it there's a store near me that sells expensive chocolates like this, they have the Godiva range and some imported Reese's products. I'm sure they were selling the Reese's white chocolate cups for over a pound for just 2 cups!
Yet another delicious sounding chocolate for you then Jim. You must be really pleased with the ones you have been trying recently, you've certainly been giving them really good scores.
EVERYBODY
Hi All,
To be totally honest I wasn't aware that everything was going to score so highly this week. I didn't conciously make sure everything was to score over to 8 anyway. Like some of you say I spoilt myself this week obviously :D
Answering some of your questions / comments ...
David - Nope matey, these reviews came up in the order I wrote them. I was obviously in a good mood that week :D
Rachel - Waitrose does stock a very good range of chocolates. Just remember to look at the prices though you could easily spend a great amount very easily.
Justin - Like you say it wasn't supposed to be ginger flavoured but the cardamom ended up tasting very similar. It's something to watch out for in the future to see if this is common.
Nigel / Richard / Alan / Phil - regarding the price I do see what you guys mean. Alan makes a very good point though, it isn't exactly comparable with the likes of any Cadbury bar etc as it isn't something you would buy everyday now is it! This is more the sort of chocolate you would buy for a special occasion or a gift. It justified it's price for me.
Colin - I hope it lives up to expectations now :D
Steven - To be honest I can't remember now, it was a long time ago I wrote this review. Next time I get a Rococo product I will take a look.
Nikki - Hi welcome to the site, be sure to stick around. This site is just a hobby of mine. Don't worry I'm well on top of the Godiva shortage now!! I will sort it out soon I promise.
Kim - Haha if your daddy enjoyed them I'm sure I would do to. I think my old man would like them aswell. I will see if I can find them next time Im looking at Rococo.
Tricky - Thanks for the nice words chap. It's good to hear I have regular readers.
Darren - Indeed Darren we all have different tastes. It's all about finding out what we all like as individuals.
Sally - It's probably my photo not doing it justice, but yeh it would have been nice to see some of the cool artistic bits from the wrapper printed on the bar. That would of been cool to see.
Estelle - Ginger biscuits? Oh yes please :D Send me some haha!
Duncan - Haha don't say things like that. I do read your comments everyday chap but I just can't do anything when the chocolate is this good.
Alan - Blimey that would be a heck of a trek for some chocolate, I think you probably have enough other options for the minute. I like your point about the price chap, your bang on in that regard.
Phil - You wouldn't believe the amount of people that have been asking me to review some Godiva chocolate recently. Have you tried any of their range yet? It would be nice to know where to start if you have any tips.
Thanks for all the comments today everyone. As you can tell my first Rococo bar was a glowing success, if you have any more of their products you recommend I will happily try them out. There is a special review edition of 7Days... tomorrow. Be sure to check it out and have a great weekend.
JIM
Mhh, this sounds interesting though, as you pointed out, really on the pricy side... But I can imagine it working well as I actually do like putting some cardamon into my hot chocolate from time to time!
Amazed you have taken so long to get round to this company, they have existed for at least 20 years before your favorite hotel Chocolate!. Products are much better than hc albeit a tad expensive though.
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