Yasmin Sabir, Sugar Savvy - Perusing the varied chocolate selection of my local grocer, I spy a bar that will continue this chocolate orange kick of mine. While I have encountered much opposition from folk who claim that chocolate and fruit do not belong together, and while the combination may not tempt the taste buds of a chocolate purist, I extract a strange pleasure from the unlikely combination of chocolate and orange. Citrus is rarely found married with cream based desserts, but when it’s done properly it can be divine. Lemon meringue pie anyone?

Spotting this chocolate bar on the shelves not only satisfied my curiosity for new brands but my inner greenie was ecstatic by the organic and Fair Trade in the title. Cocolo is an Australian company, making chocolate in Switzerland and sourcing their cocoa from Fair Trade cooperatives worldwide. Now that is positive international trade.

The packaging contains information about Fair Trade farming, as well as listing the origins of the chocolate in the ingredients. The dark chocolate orange bar has cocoa mass from Bolivia and Costa Rica, cane juice from the Philippines and cocoa butter from Bolivia and Dominican Republic.

A heady aroma escapes once the ecologically sound packaging is torn off and the dark, rich, rectangular bricks are in view. There are no pieces in this chocolate, just the essence of orange enveloped by the decadent chocolate. The chocolate is slightly bitter, with a strong taste meaning that the flavor from a little piece lingers. The dusky, thick bar is not glossy, with a dark, smooth finish. The sharp flavor and lack of sweetness make this chocolate bar only for certain tastes…but those who like their chocolate dark and strong will find this certainly tastes fine.

Where to Purchase:  Cocolo is available at stockists in Australia and New Zealand.  I have yet to find an international online retailer.