cr01's Full Review: Green & Black`S, Dark 85% Cocoa Chocolate Bars - 1...
Although I'm desperately trying to lose weight for our forthcoming trip to Madagascar, which includes 8 hour hikes in the heat, and a trip down a river in a traditional dug out canoe, one thing I can never cut out of my diet is chocolate. Unfortunately, I might soon end up sitting at the bottom of a muddy stream in the middle of the jungle, and a little part of the blame will be on chocolate.
Actually, it is a proven fact that if you have a weakness for certain types of high calorie food, the best way forward is portion control rather than cutting it out completely. That way, hopefully by indulging your weakness a little, you won't end up living a dysfunctional life veering between having too many food binges and living life in complete misery.
As such, when it comes to my chocolate hit, I've tried to get as much bang for my buck as possible, and of late have been going for those chocolates extra rich in cocoa. Green & Blacks organic dark 85% cocoa is about as rich as you can get, although at around 600 calories for a medium sized 100g bar, it can hardly be described as a diet option.
The taste
As you might expect from an 85% cocoa bar, you get a very rich and intense flavour, although it's not as bitter as some extra strong chocolate bars can be. The temptation to binge disappears as the chocolate isn't particularly sweet tasting. Even half a bar taxes my stomach and makes me wish I had given up after just 4 squares or so. It's not a chocolate you can absently minded pop into your month and not realise you have eaten it.
I know from experience that the Green & Blacks organic 85% chocolate really comes into its own as a small chocolate hit after a meal, or when used for making a home made dessert such as chocolate mousse (yes, some of us still make our own sweets from time to time!).
It's certainly not a chocolate for comfort eating, or for a child's sweet tooth. The only downside I have with this chocolate is that after eating it, my mouth tastes like it has drunk a particularly strong cup of coffee. Presumably it's the particularly strong flavour of chocolate that does it. As I rarely drink coffee and particularly dislike the after taste of the stuff, it leaves me with a sour expression. Perhaps, it will slowly help wean me from my chocolate addiction. Green & Black
I must confess I used to really like Green & Black for its ethical stance. It was founded in 1991, by a couple of Brits, and the name Green was there to signify its ethical credentials, and the Black for the strength and quality of its chocolate. All of its chocolate is organic, non GM modified, and grown on sustainable land by less exploited farmers of the third world.
While the ethics kind of remain, the original owners of the company sold out in 2005 for £20m or so, to Cadbury's, a large UK based multi-national. Cadbury's ethics were sound when it was founded in the UK in 1824, as a Quaker company determined to convince the population that the only fun wasn't with getting drunk and enjoying the pleasures of the flesh.
In the late 1800's Cadbury's became renown for its care of its staff, and a whole model village was built around its factory at Bourneville. Unfortunately, as the company expanded, the corruption of money has sullied the firm's reputation, although most ethical consumer groups still brand Cadbury's as being more ethical than those other chocolate giants Nestle and Mars. We will have to watch this space to see whether the recent take over bid of Cadbury's by Kraft is successful.
Cadbury's also seem to listen, as the recent reversal over the substitution of cocoa butter with unethically farmed palm oil in its chocolate in Australia and New Zealand testifies. Unfortunately, any mass food production seems to result in exploitation of some kind, but to its credit (or perhaps to its profit!) Cadbury's run Green & Black as a separate more ethical subsidiary.
To sum up, I like the taste of Green & Black's Dark 85% range - it doesn't seem too heavy, but its strong taste means I don't often overindulge. While I used to be more comfortable with the company as a small independent, I'm pleased it still sticks to most of its ethical guns, and I don't feel a complete soulless consumer by buying their products. ____________________ cr01 asserts his right to be associated as the author of this review -2009- Happy 10th birthday Epinions.
Congratulations Epinions - we may all be slightly battered following the past 10 years, but all credit to you for still being around, and for still offering as much promise as ever.
For many years I felt like a newbie on site, but while I too would love to be one of the cool kids with a pre 2000 joining date, I realise I've now been around for around of 85% of Epinions existence and a category lead for almost 50% of its time. It's been a long but largely fun ride. Although since those early days, my day job has gradually and corrosively eaten into my available Epinions time, I wear my hats and my early EBD write off protest stripes with pride.
On the face of it, although Epinions is a consumer website, I am largely an anti consumer - I'm not generally one for gadgets, nor am I (often) suckered by the marketing hard sell. I know my best fun can be gotten through my next new experience, rather than my next possession.
Fortunately, Epinions is a broad church, and I joined to share my travel experiences to the world, and to read top tips from others. As I have branched out into other areas of Epinions, I remain impressed with the generally high standard of reviews and the information available.
So... group hug team - well done all, and here's to the next 10!
Green & Black Organic Dark Chocolate Bar 85 Cocoa content is Green and Blacks Most Intense and Dark Chocolate. A perfect balance between flavor and ...More at LuckyVitamin.com
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