Comments on: Hacienda Iara Organic Dark 100%

By: Robin Bailey

Robin Bailey — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:48:44 +0000

I recently got back from Boston where I toured Hotel Chocolat and bought a handful of yummy chocolates. One of the items I bought was 100 percent Dark Organic Hacienda Iara from Ecuador. I am a true dark chocolate lover and couldn’t resist buying this bar. It is incredibly dense, lively snap, great aroma and melts quickly. As said before, it isn’t bitter at all, but it’s not for the faint of heart. If eaten straight, it should be in very small doses. I like the idea of using it in a recipe, with some sugar. lol Worth the price.

By: No Sugar

No Sugar — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:58:55 +0000

I don’t eat chocolate (no sugar etc) but I do eat both these products. The HC bar is much easier to eat but much more expensive. The Willie’s range is more palatable if melted slightly. They both of course have the effect on brain chemistry which cacao does.

By: Joff

Joff — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:02:10 +0000

Good tip Tom but don’t forget the Hotel Chocolat bar is a premium “eating” product so it’s likely to be pricier. Willie’s range is more for cooking with, you can eat it “raw” out of the packet but it’s only for die hard choc lovers

By: Tombentworth

Tombentworth — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:26:56 +0000

I just wanted to give an update, I haven’t tried the Hotel Chocolat Bar or the Stick they now sell but Willie’s is a lot cheaper than both .

By: Darren

Darren — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 10:52:39 +0000

As per my post on your Venezuelan Black thread I bought a bar purely for cooking as I don’t like to eat dark chocolate. As you rightly point out it is probably not for cooking but I thought what the hell as you could only really buy Green & Blacks 75% (IIRC) at the time.

Anyway I thought I’d try a bit just for interest but being a milk chocolate fan (maybe obviously) found it was just too deep/bitter for my tastes. However, as with all good chocolate it dissolved in my mouth the second it landed on my tongue into a silky smooth paste. Overall it has very little, if no sweetness at all, is very intense but surprisingly not that bitter. Since then I keep trying it to see if my pallette has developed and have found it best in very small quantities.

It has, however, been a fantastic ingredient and I have sucessfully used it in chilli where it goes very well with pork, chorizo and chipottle chillies (no mince beef I might add). Also fantastic in mousses and the cloud forest cake.

Personally I would like to give Willie’s cacao a try for interest but when you can get this easily in the high street I’m willing to let the hype die down and save myself some money !! Thanks