MayHawk’s bean-to-bar packaging is genuinely some of the best out there, and this bar tastes every bit as considered as the artwork box it comes in — the Midnight Collection continues to show the same meticulous craftsmanship that runs through everything MayHawk makes. It’s easy to wonder, on first encounter with the brand, whether they’re really a design studio or a chocolate maker; the truth is that the best chocolate-making, like the best design, comes down to precision and restraint rather than unnecessary flourish.
The Olive Oil & Sea-Salt bar itself opens with an unexpected spiciness — with no spices listed on the ingredients, that heat appears to come purely from the cacao working alongside the olive oil, an intriguing flavour interaction in its own right. Salt follows almost immediately, bringing gentle savouriness and a touch of umami rather than an aggressive hit, while the cacao itself stays mild, leaning nutty and fudgy rather than assertive.
Texturally, this is soft and creamy from the olive oil content, with a thick, fast melt and tiny salt crystals that add noticeable seasoning without ever crunching. It’s a genuinely savoury chocolate, built from just a handful of ingredients, yet delivering far more flavour depth and complexity than the ingredient list alone would suggest.
This is exactly the kind of bar that rewards repeat reading of the packaging, trying to work out how so little produces so much. The Guardian’s own Annalisa Barbieri chocolate column singled it out too, praising both the artwork and a smoothness she described as almost unimaginable — and this is one of the main reasons I ordered it, and it is a fair assessment, and further confirmation this remains one of MayHawk’s most distinctive releases.
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10