*Guest Review* Choc Affair! Raspberry & Rose White Chocolate (Online)

Today you've not just got my opinion to listen to, for I've called in the chocolate expert to help me with this review. You see, this rose bar was kindly sent to me by the wonderful Choc Affair, but as I mentioned in a previous review, I'm not a big fan of Rose flavours. 

"Ripe raspberries, touched with the exotic taste of Turkish nights, swirls of floral fruitiness linger on."

The bar was beautifully wrapped -as I've realised that Choc Affair's bars always are. The 100g bar was darker than your average high street milk, due to the high cocoa content. It also had a slight sheen to it, which I now recognise as the hallmark of high quality. 

Biting into the chocolate, I was greeted with a strong rose flavour. I tried to like it, really I did, but I just couldn't get my head around the taste. But I knew someone who did love rose.. would my good friend Nat over at lot-o-choc mind me sending her an open bar of chocolate....?

"Amy was kind enough to send me some of this bar, knowing that I loved rose flavoured things, well apart from Turkish Delight and rose creams, but that's another story. I'd sampled some of Choc Affair's bars at food shows etc before and remembered really enjoying what they had on offer, I was hoping I'd feel the same about this bar.
At 33.6% cocoa solids the milk chocolate is good quality, it has a gorgeously creamy, rich melt and eat and unlike white chocolate, which can be quite sickly when paired with rose, balances the flavours really well. The rose is most definitely the prominent flavour in this bar, it's safe to say if you don't enjoy rose you won't enjoy this, as although the title of "Raspberry & Rose" suggests that raspberry would be the dominant flavour, this certainly isn't the case. As the bar melts you're met with a subtle, sharp tang of raspberry but the main flavour is that of the sweet, floral rose which grows as the chocolate begins to melt. Personally I loved it and it's one of the nicest rose chocolate bars I've probably tried - thanks Amy!!'

Well there you have it! I'd like to say a huge thank you to Choc Affair for sending out this bar. If you're a rose fan and love the sound of this luxury, handmade chocolate then you can find it available to buy from their website for a very reasonable £2.75. The company have also just launched a brand spanking new line of chocolate buttons, which includes this flavour -so please do go and check them out! 

Choc Affair Peach & Raspberry White Chocolate (Online)

Peach Melba is a flavour combination that is rarely appreciated nowadays. Whilst Black Forest occasionally makes a welcome appearance, Melba seems to be the even less cool cousin that's been left in the 80s. But why? Raspberry and peach is a beautiful pairing -never more so than during these summer months. It therefore filled me with delight to discover that Choc Affair have created a chocolate bar featuring the classic flavour and -even better- it's white chocolate too! 

"What a combination, our peach & raspberry chocolate is like a dream come true. This chocolate is easy to eat, as it’s almost yoghurt or icecream like in its profile. When we do our tastings, even those who don’t usually choose a white chocolate try this and are  light and are nicely surprised with the result."

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but this bar was beautiful inside and out. The wrapper was undeniably attractive, as was the pink flecked bar within.

I have had a bar of Choc Affair's white chocolate before; last time it was the Mango bar and I mentioned that I'd have preferred a touch more fruitiness. However, this peach and raspberry bar ticked every single box. There was no escaping the smooth creamy nature of the white chocolate base, but the freeze dried raspberry pieces shone through, breaking up the sweetness in the most wonderful way. The only other time I have tasted a peach infused chocolate I found the peach to be completely redundant, however Choc Affair have not half hearted the fruit and it was noticeable against both the chocolate and raspberry flavours. Bravo Choc Affair.

The only problem with this bar is that it was completely moreish. I made myself save half the bar so that I could enjoy it in two sittings, but found myself constantly thinking about it. Let's just say it didn't last very long. There's a link to a recipe for peach and raspberry cookies on Choc Affair's website which sounds incredible, and I have the utmost respect for anyone who manages to refrain from eating this bar long enough to make cookies with it! 

Fancy a summery white chocolate bar that's like no other? Look no further than Choc Affair's Peach & Raspberry bar. At £2.50 for 100g bar (or £1.50 for a 50g bar) it's affordable, and you'll also be supporting cocoa farmers in Colombia with your purchase. What are you waiting for? Go go go! 

10/10

Thank you to Choc Affair for the chocolate bar! 

Choc Affair Orange & Geranium Milk Chocolate (Online)

The 'new' Mars Choc Brownie bar turned out to be pretty unexciting, but thankfully there are companies out there who are prepared to be bolder with their flavours. Take Choc Affair for example, the British handmade chocolatier who refuse to shy away from the more traditional pairings, such as their rhubarb milk and mango white chocolate bars. Today's review features another one of their twists on the classics; a veritably seasonal combination of orange and geranium. Whilst rose -and to some extent lavender- are occasionally used in sweet treats, I can honestly never remember ever having seen anything geranium flavoured.... 

"Our orange & geranium chocolate is a firm favourite amongst the team here at Choc affair HQ, and is just delicious. A creamy milk chocolate infused with natural flavours.  But don’t take our word for it, see for yourself!

Let your cares drift away with this perfect pairing of sweet, sun drenched oranges, and jolly notes of summer geraniums."

As soon as I unwrapped the beautifully packaged bar I could smell the refreshing tang of orange combined with the sweetly scented milk chocolate. Appearance wise it looked indifferent to the rhubarb bar; darker in colour than your usual milk due to the high cocoa content, but utterly smooth with a subtle glossiness.

First to hit my palate was the luxuriously rich milk chocolate which -as I've come to expect from Choc Affair- was melt-in-the-mouth with a creaminess that makes you feel as if you're diving into a pool of molten chocolate. Next up was the orange, which was milder in taste than the scent led me to believe it would be -in fact I would've preferred it to be slightly bolder. Then the geranium followed, delivering a floral flavour that wasn't too dissimilar to rose. Admittedly I'm not a huge rose fan, and I found that the geranium overshadowed the orange, especially as I continued to munched my way through the bar. As that last sentence suggests, I didn't find the geranium to be unpleasant, it just wasn't my favourite flavour. I imagine those who do enjoy a spot of Turkish Delight would really enjoy the combination however, so please don't let my personal preferences put you off this high quality chocolate. I'm certainly looking forward to trying Choc Affair's peach and raspberry white chocolate - now that sounds exciting and right up my street.

Thank you to Choc Affair for the samples. You can buy any of their innovative, luxury, handmade chocolate bars direct from their website here.

NEW! Choc Affair Mango White Chocolate (Online)

Could the Bank Holiday weather have got anymore Bank Holiday-ier? That's to say it remained grey and drizzly for the three days across Herefordshire, and yet in true British fashion the sun has come back out to play again today. The day that most people are back to work. Fortunately for me I was sent some summery bars from Choc Affair, and a card from them telling me to eat chocolate in the rain. Win win! 

Normally I'd save the one I liked the look of most until last, but I'm afraid that I couldn't resist the call of the Mango white chocolate. If you recall my review of their rhubarb milk chocolate then you'll remember that Choc Affair specialise in unusually flavoured bars. I can't say I've ever come across a mango chocolate bar before. As a huge fan of the tropical fruit and avid lover of white chocolate I couldn't wait to get stuck in. 

Please also note that all of Choc Affair's bars are handmade in York, and only uses sustainably grown chocolate. Choc Affair prides itself on its partnerships with cocoa farmers, and I love to think I'm doing a good deed whilst eating chocolate. Another win! 

The bar didn't smell particularly tropical, but did grace my nostrils with the milky sweet aroma of white chocolate. Biting a piece I was met with a creamy, delicious white chocolate with notes of vanilla. The mango flavour was delicate and very natural tasting, unmissable but not overwhelming. If you're expecting a full on lassi hit you won't find it with Choc Affair's bar. The flavour is instead more reminiscent of dried mango, thereby offering a subtle summery-ness to the bar. 

This Choc Affair bar is a fabulous antidote to grey, drizzly days. Personally I'd have liked to have seen a touch more mango, perhaps through the inclusion of some dried mango pieces. Either way, it's a bar I thoroughly enjoyed and is certainly worth £2.75 . The 100g mango white chocolate is available directly from Choc Affair's website, and remember, you're doing a good deed by supporting those cocoa farmers! 

9/10

Rhubarb Milk Chocolate (Choc Affair)

My father has been on the snack hunt again...

"I've found you some rhubarb chocolate, pickle. It's the peculiar kind of thing I thought you might like" he excitedly told me. I felt my stomach turn, remembering the sickeningly sweet bar from ALDI last summer "Oh, dad, please tell me it's not made by Moser Roth?" I groaned. "No no", he assured me, "it's made by a posh chocolate company called Choc Affair".

Somewhere in the back of my mind I recalled hearing good things about Choc Affair, but I spend so much time looking for and eating chocolate that I could easily be mistaken. Choc Affair, for those of you who who don't know, is a family run business from York whose tag line is "changing lives through chocolate". Their products are all handmade, palm oil free, and made using natural ingredients.

Rhubarb is an unusual pairing for chocolate, and I always assumed that given the natural tartness of the vegetable that white chocolate would be the obvious choice. It seems that Choc Affair don't always opt for the classic combinations though, and I was keen to discover whether their milk chocolate was any good and whether it would work with the rhubarb.

"Rhubarb chocolate, you say!  Well this rhubarb is a light and subtle flavour which will leave you with a feeling of serenity and a sweet surprise."

Can we please take a moment to admire the beautiful packaging too? It was a work of art, and almost too good to open.

I was somewhat surprised when I unwrapped the gold foil covered bar to discover a glossy but smooth block. I thought I'd spot strands of rhubarb, or perhaps some pink hues, but instead the chocolate simply looked like good quality milk chocolate. Just for info, the Rhubarb Chocolate contains a very respectable 33.6% minimum of cocoa solids and 20.8% minimum of milk solids.

Nibbling the edge of my first chunk revealed just how well Choc Affair have done with this bar. The milk chocolate is rich and silken, so smooth that it melts in the mouth without the slightest wax or chalkiness to it. I'd even go as far as suggesting it's one of the best quality milk chocolate bars I've had in many years.

As for the rhubarb flavour, it's bold but balanced, offering a genuine fruitiness that cuts through the sweetness. There's no hiding from its presence either, for it makes itself known in every last morsel. Despite my earlier reservations about whether a white chocolate would work better, the flavours fuse in perfect harmony and I'm glad that Choc Affair have opted for the more unusual choice here.

Choc Affair's range includes a whole host of innovative chocolate bars in milk, white and dark varieties which are reasonably priced between £1.25 (45g unflavoured chocolate bars) and £2.75 (100g flavoured bars) all available from their website. They also produce chocolate lollies, letters, numbers, hampers, and drinking chocolate as well as seasonal editions. I'm especially eyeing up their mango and peach & raspberry white chocolate bars!

10/10

Thanks for the find Daddio!