Clean, smooth and gently glossy, this bar’s star ingredient makes itself known before you even take a bite — candied ginger, with a warm, spicy aroma promising more heat to come.
The base chocolate has a soft bite and smooth, mid-to-fast melt, while the candied ginger delivers a satisfying crunch from its sugar coating alongside a juicy, dried-fruit-like texture. There’s real fibre to chew through, yet it dissolves cleanly with no lingering stringiness — an impressively tidy finish for an inclusion this substantial.
Flavour-wise, the ginger leads with sweetness before its characteristic warmth builds into a comfortable, spicy heat at the back of the throat — present without being aggressive. The 70% base itself is mild and well-rounded, arriving late with a nutty, slightly fudgy character and no bitterness, acidity or astringency to compete with the ginger. That restraint is clearly deliberate: a louder cacao presence would fight the inclusions rather than support them. The spiced rum and lime zest used to infuse the beans aren’t distinctly identifiable on their own, but they likely contribute to the aromatic spice and help lift the ginger’s heat.
Together, the eating experience builds in stages — creamy, faintly fudgy chocolate first, then sweetness, then ginger, then warmth, with the cacao arriving last to tie it all together.
This might be MayHawk’s best release yet. It disappeared far too quickly, and the visual appeal — ginger pieces peeking through the surface — matches the flavour. Highly recommended.
MayHawk Website – Dark & Stormy
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10