Hachez 88% Premier Cru

The German chocolatier Hachez uses South American cacao beans, and, as far as I know, beans from Ecuador specifically (I have enjoyed a number of bars made from beans from Ecuador). The ingredient listing is good, cocoa beans, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, sugar, soya lecithin and Bourbon vanilla. The cacao content is at 88%.

How did it taste? The high cacao content of this bar, 88%, made me a little leery at first, I was expecting chalky chocolate, but it snapped well, was creamy and smooth, not at all chalky, and tasted very good. I got a little bit of coconut flavour from the bar, but this did not make me like the bar less. My beautiful Bride enjoyed this bar as well. I would definitely buy this bar again.

Hachez Cocoa D'Aribba Mango Chili

The German chocolatier Hachez has been around since 1890 and uses cocoa beans from Ecuador to make a number of different chocolate bars. This particular bar is at 77% cacao content. Its ingredient listing is short, cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, natural mango flavourings, natural pepper and chili flavourings, cinnamon and Bourbon vanilla.

How did it taste? I don't like the fact that there is no real fruit in here, but other than that, I enjoyed this bar very much. The chocolate was good and tasty, and the mango-chili combination is one that I have enjoyed before (but never paired with chocolate) and do enjoy in this new combination. I would definitely buy this bar again.

Hachez Cocoa D'Aribba Blackberry and Cocoa Nibs

The German chocolatier Hachez uses cocoa beans from Ecuador to make a number of different chocolate bars. This particular bar is at 77% cacao content. Its ingredient listing is short, cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, natural flavourings, natural flavourings blackberries, lemon acid and Bourbon vanilla.

How did it taste? I don't like the fact that there is no real fruit in here, nor apparently any cocoa nibs in the ingredient listing. The bar tasted sour on first tasting, though as I ate more, I became accustomed to the taste, and it tasted better. The chocolate itself is fairly good and tasty. I still would like this not to be a flavoured bar. I don't think I would buy this bar again.

Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba Erdbeer mit Pfeffer

This bar from the German chocolatier Hachez features cocoa beans from Ecuador, and has a cacao content of 77%. The flavour profile, apart from the chocolate, comes from dried strawberries and green pepper; an odd combination, to say the least. The ingredient listing looks otherwise good, cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, strawberries (1.5%), natural flavourings, green pepper and Bourbon vanilla. Going to their website, they have an interesting and informative section on Wild Cocoa (in German), on their search for excellent cacao in the Amazon.

How does it taste? The smell of strawberries came out first when I opened the package, a good smell. The chocolate snapped well and looked good and dark. The taste of the chocolate was not so good, I found it a little chalky, and the green pepper at times was more dominant than the strawberries, almost overwhelming the taste of the fruit (unless you're used to spice, in which case you may find the strawberry more dominant and the bar sweet). I don't know that I would like to eat this one again, but it was not that bad, that I would not try any of their other offerings.