William Curley ~ Chilli 70%

My second encounter with William Curley. This time with the the Chilli pepper chocolate bar made with 70% dark chocolate.

I sent my good friend Angelo around London to collect the best chocolates from the city. It was imperative that William Curley, with their tremendous reputation, be apart of that collection. The bars I received come from the Belgravia location.

Let's not waste time and get right into the review.

William Curley ~ Chilli 70%

Bean Varietal: Unknown

Type: Flavored Bittersweet, 70%

Ingredients: Cocoa mass (65% cocoa solids), cane sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, chilli.

Sample Size: 50g or nearly 2oz


Appearance: Deep, rich brown color, shiny, simple molding, no monograms.

Score: 95

Snap: Excellent deep, firm, crisp snap. Clean break lines.

Score: 99

Aroma: Roasted cocoa, coffee notes right out of the package, a little citric, very soft aroma it's very hard to get anything out of it.

Score: 91

Taste: Roasted cocoa, sweet, low bitterness, almonds, complex fruit characters, slight heat from chilli, a slow, comfortable heat, soft chilli taste, and a very soft heat.

Score: 93

Texture: Soft and smooth, medium melt time.

Score: 94

This was fantastic chocolate. The heat could have been kicked up just a notch though. And that is coming from someone with a super sensitive palate to heat. The chocolate was delicious and complex. Big roasted cocoa notes, sweet, and had some complex fruity characters to it.

I am willing to bet the cocoa came from South America, though I wouldn't be surprised if it was from Ghana or the Ivory Coast.

This was completely redeeming chocolate after my first encounter with William Curley bars. I was worried after that first review. This bar however, blows that previous review out of the water. With all the accolades William Curley has received, now I understand why they deserve such high praise.

Final Score: 94.4

score
A-

Comments

[The Kitchen Masochist]

I'm pretty open to trying different kinds of flavor-infused chocolates, but I could never get into chilli-infused chocolates. I've tried many brands/chocolatiers. I've come to the conclusion that chillis should be paired with savory foods, not chocolates. But that's just my personal taste.

And another flavor I don't like with chocolate is cardamom. I think the spice is too strong for the chocolate.