A childhood campfire favourite, seen through more grown-up eyes. S’mores are as much about memory as flavour, so a bar built around them sets up strong expectations. Surprisingly, this isn’t a straight recreation: the familiar elements have been pulled apart and given more definition.
Graham cracker leads convincingly, toasted and biscuity, followed by a toffee-like depth and darker notes from the chocolate. The marshmallow, though, is muted; I expected its vanilla sweetness to play a bigger role, and its absence shifts the bar away from childhood confectionery.
The memory of a s’more is melted chocolate, sticky marshmallow and smoke; this bar is drier and more structured, capturing the idea of the campfire treat more than its literal flavour.
At the time of writing – the ingredients list gave me more pause than the flavour. Sunflower oil is a first for me in a craft bar, and it left me wondering whether the crackers are made in-house. Vanilla and brown sugar both appear as a “flavour” rather than as natural vanilla beans or light muscovado cane sugar, which is unusual at this craft level. These are ingredients you expect to find in a mass-produced bar. Caveat: I do not know enough about what was made in-house in this bar to fully judge.
The sweetness has a clean cut-off, but a roasted, slightly bitter note hangs on well beyond it. I didn’t dislike it, though it gives a nostalgic bar a more serious ending.
It isn’t quite the s’more I remember, but perhaps a direct imitation would have been less interesting. Would I buy it again? No. Would I recommend it? Yes, if it’s a memory you want to hunt down in chocolate bar form. I reviewed their standard bar but they do also do a S’MORES SPECIAL SUMMER EDITION and I did like the artwork on this version: the label itself is an extra special touch, featuring hand-drawn art by Anna Seear, Co-Founder and President of Ritual Chocolate.
Overall Rating: 6 out of 10