Dark chocolate with toasted almond, crisp toffee pieces and sea salt. At 60%, the chocolate has the backbone to stand up to roasted almonds and toffee rather than disappearing beneath them. There’s sweetness, certainly, but cocoa is never far away, and it’s what keeps it grown-up and stops the bar tipping into “confectionery”.
The almonds are properly toasted with good technique, bringing a warm, roasted flavour that sits naturally against the darker chocolate. The toffee is richer and sweeter, appearing in small pockets of caramelised sugar rather than dominating every mouthful. This might not be everyone’s preference, but it was okay within the chocolate.
The sea salt changes the balance again. Rather than simply producing the familiar salted-caramel effect, it takes the edge off the toffee’s sweetness and brings the almond and darker cocoa notes forward. Sometimes you catch salt first, sometimes toffee or almond, so the flavour shifts slightly from one piece to the next.
Texture is a different story. Being stone-ground, the chocolate has a slightly grainy quality rather than a polished melt. I’d usually count that against a bar; here it’s an asset. Against the crunch of the almonds and brittle shards of toffee, the rougher chocolate feels entirely at home, and the three textures seem to run into one another rather than competing for attention.
This isn’t a delicate chocolate, and I don’t think it needs to be. It’s crunchy, a little rustic and unapologetic about its flavours. There is plenty going on, but the dark chocolate keeps everything anchored, and I found myself reaching for another piece sooner than I’d planned, so I would happily recommend this bar if it sounds like it’s in your wheel-house.
Overall Rating: 7 out of 10