I love chocolate! But I cannot say that I am a connoisseur. I like all kinds of chocolate, from Kinder eggs to hand-made truffles, but I can recognise that some chocolates are far superior in quality than others. Quality is not the only aspect to consider now-a-days, ethics and source are issues to be considered also.

Since Green & Black’s set the bench mark at the beginning of the 90’s with their organic, ethically traded chocolate, other companies are recognising this as a strong market and are also sourcing organic and ethically traded cocoa beans. Amongst these many companies are Montezuma’s Chocolates, The Chocolate Alchemist and now Thorntons have also introduced organic and ethically traded ranges.

I was already aware of Green & Blacks and thought of their chocolates as a luxurious treat. However, with my new found zeal for all things organic, I decided I needed to know more about organic chocolate, as I tend to consume rather a lot of the not so organic stuff. Then, I saw The Chocolate Alchemist’s stands at my local farmer’s market and at the ‘Taste of Sussex’ market. I tried some of their 73% dark chocolate and immediately bought a large bar on the spot! Now even more convinced this was a subject worth pursuing! There’s something about the sound of snapping off a cube of deeply dark chocolate, that sets your taste buds alive before the cube has even touched your lips. I needed to taste more!

So, I did a quick snoop around town last Saturday, to see what chocolate Brighton had to offer of the organic variety…

First stop - Montezuma’s Chocolates.

Ooh lovely shop! Bars of chocolates, dried fruit & nuts dipped in chocolate, drinking chocolates, little discs of chocolate called Dollops, infused with astonishing aromas - geranium, bergamot! I had already decided to buy a bar of dark chocolate in each establishment, in order to draw fair comparisons. But now faced with such an array, I very nearly caved in! But I managed to resist and only bought a bar of their 73% Cocoa Dark Chocolate.

Second stop - Thorntons.

I have to be honest, I’m not a great fan of Thorntons chocolates in general but the assistant offered me an organic truffle to try and it was very nice indeed. Then, I broke the rules and bought a box of organic truffles. After all my will power in Montezuma’s, there were no bars of organic dark chocolate in Thorntons. But I figured, it’s still chocolate.

Third stop - Green & Black’s via Infinity Foods.

An oasis for the healthy & organically minded people of Brighton. I adore this shop. Run by a co-operative, they stock just about everything you can imagine, from dry food stuffs (grains, nuts, spices) & fresh produce (vegetable, meat, dairy), to toiletries and home products. It’s a mini healthy supermarket.

Finally, there was a bar of dark chocolate from The Chocolate Alchemist, waiting patiently at home, along with my loved ones!

There was a testing panel of 5 and after much tasting and re-tasting, it was a draw between Montezuma’s and The Chocolate Alchemist. Some preferred the rich taste of The Chocolate Alchemist, while some preferred the melting texture of the Montezuma’s.

Much fun was had by the panel and they’re waiting expectantly for what ever I get them to taste next! Any ideas? Is there a taste test you’d like to do, or have already done? Help me find something to excite their taste buds!

It’s Chocolate Week 16th-22nd Oct, so watch out for more chocolate posts in the near future!

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