This bold, intense bar puts cacao firmly centre stage, with a deep, earthy character and rich cocoa notes balanced by darker fruit and a subtle natural sweetness. The higher percentage gives it a noticeably more concentrated, grown-up feel than Heist’s standard dark bar.
As it melts, dark berries, roasted coffee, malt and liquorice emerge, underpinned by a gentle woody earthiness. The texture is creamy and full-bodied, while a moderate acidity lends the chocolate a dried-fruit quality — well short of astringent, keeping things feeling more juicy than sharp. The finish runs long and dark, with a slightly roasted quality and a lingering cocoa richness that carries a touch of bitterness through to the end.
Overall, this is a deep, earthy, intensely chocolatey bar — blackberry, dark currant, coffee and liquorice all playing their part — and a genuine option for serious dark-chocolate lovers who want the Venezuelan cacao to really take centre stage. It could be improved by conching the chocolate for longer, which might round out that lingering bitterness a touch. But overall worth seeking out to try if you like a darker more bitter chocolate. For that reason we have given it a 7 out of 10 but you might be more inclined to give it an 8.
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10