Indian cacao might not have made its mark yet globally but it would be fair and safe to say Indian Bean to bar chocolate makers have arrived! With 10+ winners at the recently concluded Asia Pacific Edition of the International Chocolate Awards (ICA) hosted in Hongkong, L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st certified Chocolate taster picks the award winning chocolates, experiences them and shares his observations to help you understand the significance of the awards.
Disclaimer: Upon request, we were privledged to be sent a few Indian Bean to Bar chocolates of each of the International Chocolate Awards (ICA) Asia Pacific 2023 winners. Please note that this is not a generic product review and most of these bars were not paid for by us. We have looked beyond the the packaging, snap/condition and temper of the chocolate. We review what matters the most to us, which is, flavour! This reviews only the work/effort of the chocolate craftsman / maker and the flavour delivery of the product. This review is about what I like about the bars and NOT a critical/product improvement review exercise with an aim to help consumers understand why a bar won an award and which bar to choose to experience. The reviews are in the order of the bars received by us upon request to the chocolate makers. Some bars were not available to us to review.
Chitra’m White Chocolate Masala Chaas (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Silver)
A down right innovative approach which is bound to make heads turn! Chitra’m has kept up to its reputation of innovation in approach towards product development and product delivery after their Moringa & Lemon White Chocolate won an ICA a few years ago. Chitram has the most awards in the white chocolate category in India. They almost own the white chocolate category in India! No surprise that this bar got the attention of the judges and won a silver. A well balanced white chocolate without sugar, with all the elements of chaas (buttermilk) as we know it and a visual treat. Yes! a chocolate without sugar! What deserves mention is that it is not overly buttery, none of the flavours over power each other, deliver on the palate fairly easily with all ingredients fighting to delicately show up during the melt leaving no off taste and a medium post melt length. We could carve a new category for this! We would not call it sugar free but sugar less savoury chocolate! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: A sugarless creation with authencity of flavours packed in an innovative bar.
Savorworks 72% Dark Gin & Tonic (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Silver)
A worthy new silver award winner from a relatively new entrant at the ICA from India! The chocolate makers roasting ability and chocolate making skills have been a differentiator and demonstrates itself clearly (or shall we say “cleanly”) in the chocolate experience. Having tasted this last year and living up to its name, this 72% dark chocolate bar is the closest it gets to experiencing Gin & Tonic in a bar. This bar wins because the subtle flavour oils (Juniper, Lime and Lemon) blended well and show up almost immediately. They pair well with the cacao notes which are highlighted due to a near perfect roast. A hint of astringency plays well and while the mouthfeel is a bit buttery (give it to the lecithin), it melts rather slowly. Clearly the best roast I have experienced in Indian craft chocolate yet! Overall, well roasted cacao turned into a chocolate bar experience leaving a desirable medium long post melt length. Great new entrant and a warm welcome to the Indian Bean to bar chocolate industry! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The roast profile of the cacao, the texture and the flavour balance.
Paul And Mike 57% Vegan Dark Milk Masala Chai (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Gold)
This gold winner deserves the recognition because of the quality of ingredients used, the balance of the spices with the sweetness and chocolate and the post melt delivery of flavours. The highlight is the use of rice milk to add a subtle creaminess to the chocolate. The lack of good quality milk powder in India gets compensated by the use of Rice milk as it helps the lactose intolerant and also does a favour to people who have an intolerance towards the taste of milk from dairy source. We believe that this could have been a good bar even if a bit darker in cacao % but we are sure that, as is, this would be a mass appeal chocolate bar. The texture is smooth and the finish is worth mentioning! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: A really good mix of spices in the most perfect balance of creaminess and sweetness followed by a lingering aftertaste of spices to start with and ends with sweetness! I would give it a gold simply because is achieved this without the addition of flavour oils!
Paul And Mike 64% Dark Rum & Rummy Raisins Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Bronze)
This is one of the 1st bars we have tasted with an inclusion from the ICA AP 2023 edition winners. First up, the aroma of the Jamaican rum captivated us. On going beyond and not surprisingly, Paul and Mike leans on the legacy and expertise of their flavours division and delivers a winner with this bar! Using the Jamaican rum flavour, a very interesting balance of tropical fruits (pineapple, a bit of citrus) is paired with raisins and a really good balance of sweetness and chocolate delivers a satisfactory experience for us. This bar saves me a pairing and I could enjoy this bar anytime of the day (or night)! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The aroma, the quality of the flavour oil and the balance of sweetness.
Paul And Mike 64% Dark Beer Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Bronze)
Let us give it to this bar! Hands Down! In my opinion this could have easily been a silver winner had there been lesser competition in the category at the ICA. With a smooth texture, this chocolate is a mind blowing application and execution of a flavour concept which panoramically captures the flavours of hops, beer, pineapple with a perfect balance of sweetness and chocolate. With a medium melt, this bar finishes with a flavourful freeze dried mango piece left to be savoured. The good quality of the flavour oils stands out once agin for Paul & Mike! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: A genuine effort at conceptualising and executing a concept with a progressive collaboration!
Paul And Mike 87% Dark Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Bronze)
A truly fine flavoured plain chocolate bar with really enjoyable smooth texture, controlled acidity and lingering with citrus and red fresh fruits. The muscovado sugar lends a light caramel note to the already enjoyable experience. This bar could so easily win a gold within an Indian competition. This bar should be dedicated to the cacao bean and the roasting capability of the chocolate maker. A slightly fatty bar, the refining/texture is smooth and the astringency has been eliminated to keep the experience really enjoyable, with a clean finish and must say a memorable experience and a good length. This must be considered as an example of what Indian bean to bar chocolate makers are capable of and a benchmark of sorts. What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The roast which retains and brings out the best character of the bean and the texture.
Paul And Mike 64% Gin & Ginger Dark Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Silver)
The best and a silver award worthy creation of the popular beverage combination! This would be my 1st initial reaction. With perfect pieces of good quality candied ginger aided by juniper oil (smaller ginger pieces embedded in the chocolate compared to the picture), this is certainly a bar I could go back to at any point of the day (or night). The start is a mesmerising (can we say satisfying too?) aroma of Juniper and the balance of sweetness and the ingredients with a perfect dosage of the oil helps the ginger (and the spice flavour it brings along) to play a role of the hero in the overall experience as it unfolds. The quality of the flavour oils are noteworthy and the bar is blessed with a long length! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The high quality flavour oils used, the delicate balance of the ingredients and the spicy experience on the throat that I am left with! This is a bar I would certainly gift!
Kocoatrait 64% Masala Chai Dark Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Silver)
This is not the only chai chocolate winning at the ICA 2023 (Asia Pacific). While India has kept to its reputation of innovative uses of spices in various foods and beverages, this bar is further proof that the traditional masala chai (which was a beverage believed to be traditionally used to keep alert) remains the rightful property of Indian bean to bar chocolate makers! What makes this chocolate memorable to me is the delicate balance and delivery of flavours of the spices used (Ginger, Cardamom & Black Pepper), in a not very complex (collectively) but very well balanced 64% dark chocolate with low to medium acidity, controlled astringency and medium bitterness matching the experience of our beloved Indian masala chai! The spices present themselves one after the other in the melting experience and I would refer to this as an “engineered” chocolate. It has a persisting length of melt and provides a lingering aftertaste. What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The flavour starts with cardamom followed by ginger and ending with a slight burn due to black pepper on the throat. This chocolate bar keeps me intrigued, entertained and engaged through out the experience.
La Folie 65% Kelagur Coffee Bar (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Bronze)
What can you do to make an already good chocolate better?? Add great coffee beans to it! I was not too impressed with the aroma initially but as the chocolate started to melt, it became evident that it was a marriage of good cacao and good coffee. Dark fruit notes (raisins, berry) complimented the coffee used and it makes this a very interesting bar. It has accentuated caramel notes from the muscovado sugar and from the coffee beans. A good selection of cacao % without too much overall bitterness and coffee flavour means that it is a coffee lovers bar to look out for! What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: Good balance with the coffee and accentuated flavour notes (fruity & caramel).
La Folie 70% Silk Route Dark Chocolate (ICA Asia Pacific 2023: Silver)
The aroma of cardamom and a beautiful looking bar. This is my 1st impression about this creation from La Folie. I took a bite of the chocolate sans the pistachio and rose petals to get a feel of the base creation. The sweetness of the cardamom and sweet spiciness of the nutmeg both ensure that the bar does not come across as a 70% dark bar. It appeared much lower in %. The melt as desirable (slow) and the advantage of using the real spices as flavours was playing out clearly and was at the core of the experience. The magic started when i chewed on the pistachios and the rose petals along with the chocolate (inspite of me always resisting the bite while evaluating chocolates. It was followed by a good length. Pro Tip: Defects are easier to notice when you melt the chocolate). This is certainly a silver award winner for the handling (can i say balance, one more time?) of the various ingredients. What worked in this chocolate bar for L Nitin Chordia, India’s 1st Certified Chocolate taster: The way the ingredients hid 70% darkness away behind the melody of flavours in the chocolate experience.