Green & Black's Organic Milk Chocolate Review

We like:

The MD's willingness to tell us how the chocolate is made; the green creds; the smooth, comforting taste

We don't like:

The fact that the sugar flattens the cocoa taste; the fact that we can't verify the "better than Fairtrade" promise

SmartPlanet judgement:

Green & Black's has its fans, and it's easy to see why. This Soil Association-certified organic milk chocolate is a cut above the bog standard ones out there and it doesn't taste fatty or burnt. The MD claims the company pays well for the cocoa beans it buys, which is great, but it doesn't carry the Fairtrade Mark or have any independent auditing, which is not so great. The taste is sugary and fairly flat, too, which is why we like G&B's bars with bits in them a lot more.

One of the first things we noticed about the Green & Black's milk chocolate bar was that it doesn't melt readily in the mouth. And while we waited for that to happen, we noticed a powerful element of sweetness. The use of lots of sugar isn't admired among connoisseurs -- the theory is that too much deadens the taste of the chocolate, not to mention making addicts of as all -- and we can't say we're wild about it either, as it flattened the nuances of the cocoa's flavour. This chocolate is, however, smooth under the tongue and has a likeable, comforting malty taste. Continue reading...