The hot weather has arrived.  It is full on Summer here in New Zealand and it felt like the time was right to visit the beach.  

Raglan is a beach town on the West Coast in the North Island of New Zealand.  There Mike Renfree, makes bean to bar, ethical and organic chocolate bars.   You can buy from the website store, but there is also various stockists around New Zealand.  We bought ours from Be Organics at Mount Maunganui. The bars can be bought in 2 sizes, 50g and 90g
We chose beachy flavors to us.  A morning coffee watching the waves under the coconut palm trees.
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Coco Loco - Vegan Coconut Rough
Ingredients:
Ecuador Cacao Beans 32%
Coco butter 8%
Desiccated Coconut 20%
Coconut Milk Powder 20%
Organic raw sugar.  Sugars 3.2g per 12.5g serving size.
The fragrance is coconut.
There is the Coconut Rough texture from the desiccated coconut, but the chocolate is lovely and smooth and melts away with a mild chocolate taste.  The aftertaste is coconut with a hint of chocolate.

If you like Coconut Rough, you will like this.  It is the perfect Summer feel bar.  Nice chocolate, with prominent Coconut flavors. We liked the use of Coconut Milk Powder rather than dairy for this.
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Solomon Islands Coffee 62%
Ingredients:
Solomon Islands Cacao Beans 60%
Cacao Butter 2%
Coffee Beans 10%
Organic Raw Sugar.  Sugars 3.8g per 12.5g serving size.

The aroma is a fruit, earthy chocolate with a hint of coffee.  The taste is a strong roasted coffee with a fruity dark chocolate in the background.  There is also an earthiness underlying flavor in the chocolate and towards the end and in the aftertaste there is a little bitterness from the coffee beans.
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This is really like eating your morning cup of coffee.  It is a slap in the face wake up call. The coffee flavor then disappears quite fast and our are left with some chocolate flavors. We weren't so keen on the slight bitterness flavor in the aftertaste.  

Final thoughts:  We would definitely buy Coco Loco again.  It is definitely up there amongst our favorite coconut, vegan chocolate.  We have had quite a bit of coffee chocolate as it's one of Joni's favorite flavors. Raglan Coffee was nice, not one of our top 3 coffee chocolate, but if it was a choice of buying this bar or an actual mochaccino drink, we would choose the bar.   
​We have our eye on some more Raglan flavors now.  There is some single origins we want to try and a caramel and cacao nibs chocolate that sounds really good.

Solomon Gold is a chocolate factory located at Mount Maunganui.  It is run by Glen Yeatman who originally was a coffee bean farmer in Zimbabwe.  He designed most of the chocolate factory himself.  He works with Clive Carroll who established Solomons Gold and C Corp which is a cocoa buying, processing and export business.

C Corp works with over 60 cocoa village grower groups and has supported them so they can have an infrastructure and finance support to enable them to sustainably grow fine quality single origin cacao.  The about page on their website is a very interesting read.

When Joni was visiting the Mount,  she wanted to see the factory, but wasn't able to organise it in time.  However she was able to grab a bar from the local Be Organics shop.

We tried Solomons Gold Velvet Nib 70%
Organic Ingredients are:
70% Cacao
Coconut Sap Sugar
Cold pressed virgin coconut oil

We were also shared some with Joni's Co Worker.  Spidey the fork lift driver said, he loves dark chocolate.  Spidey the fork lift driver said, he has only ever bought supermarket branded chocolate.  We don't like supermarket dark chocolate, it is too bitter for us and 50% is about our limit.  But we have been loving the small batch, bean to bar makers craft dark chocolate we have been trying.  So what did we all think?
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The dark chocolate is so smooth and fruity in taste.   Then you get this lovely crunch and wood flavors from the nibs.  The wood flavors get stronger as you eat.  The chocolate starts producing some banana and coconut flavor notes.  Melty and crunchy and flavorsome.
Joni declares, that wood and resins are her favorite flavor notes in chocolate now.
Johanan liked the dark chocolate, but remains a chocolate purist, as he prefers nothing but chocolate, over a chocolate that has added yummy bits.... unless its runny caramel.
Spidey the Fork Lift Driver said it was the nicest chocolate he has EVER TASTED!!

Final thoughts:
We have ordered more from Solomons Gold and we want to go visit them soon.

We spotted Loving Earth in our exploration of vegan chocolate.   Loving Earth chocolate is plant based, organic and ethical.  Quoting their about page: "Loving Earth Chocolate uses Raw Cacao grown by the Ashaninka community of the Peruvian Amazon, the largest indigenous community in Peru. 
This is vital in their quest to build a sustainable life for themselves and sustainable use of the rainforest."

They are made in Australia.
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We originally bought 3 bars from an organic shop as part of a rather large vegan, organic chocolate haul, (we can't help ourselves. There was a whole array of chocolate  brands to try!)
The Loving Earth bars were:
Creamy Coconut Mylk Chocolate 
Dirty Rose
Nutty Mr Maple

They all have this distinctive texture.  Not unpleasant, but it is like a very firm butter or fat to bite into.  Not the usual chocolate texture we have  tried.  What is really interesting is that they use raw Cacao beans and Virgin Cacao butter to make their chocolate.  We had to look up what Virgin Cacao butter was, and it is, "Organic Virgin Cacao Butter made from fairly traded criollo cacao from Satipo in Peru. This cacao butter is made by pressing the Raw Cacao Nibs to preserve the full vitality of the raw cacao."

We had a bad experience with one, so another was added.... here's how it all went.

CREAMY COCONUT MYLK CHOCOLATE

47% Cacao 
23% Coconut
Sweetened with Coconut Nectar
80g bar for $10.99

This was had a very strong coconut taste, and we couldn't really taste the chocolate.  We are enjoying the coconut nectar as a sweetener in the bars we have tried with it so far.  We don't miss the refined cane sugar at all.  

​DIRTY ROSE
Rose oil and Cranberries in a mylk chocolate, sweetened with Coconut nectar.
Cacao 40%
also includes Raw Cashew, almond and hazelnut.
​$6.95 for a 45g bar.
This was our favorite.  It has the yummy dried cranberries that worked really well with the mild rose flavor.  There was a very mild chocolate taste towards the end.  The fragrance is really nice and it smells more chocolatey than it is.

NUTTY MR MAPLE
Here's where things went wrong.

$6.95 for a 45g bar
Salted Almonds and Maple Chunks in a dark Chocolate Truffle.
52% Cacao
The ingredients sound so yummy too.  Cacao, maple syrup, almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pink lake salt, carob powder, coconut oil.

This was tasted 5 months before the best before date.  As soon as we opened the plastic inner wrap (compostable by the way), we knew the bar was a goner.  It smelled bad and it looked like there was the start of some bloom on the chocolate. We had a little nibble to confirm and  it tasted strongly rancid.   We threw it away.
Now we did have this stored along with the others for at least a month before  we tasted it.  So there was no guarantee that it wasn't us that had caused it, though the other chocolate was fine.  I did look on their website, and they do say this:

"As we use wholefood ingredients without adding preservatives and stabilisers, our chocolate can be heat sensitive. While our warehouse is temperature controlled,  once the products leave the warehouse, we can no longer control the temperature and handling in transit. We want you to have the best experiences of the chocolate, therefore we would advise not to purchase in warm and hot weather. Keep in mind that standard delivery is by road and your package could end up spending a weekend or a night in a depot. We urge you to consider this as we cannot take responsibility for spoiled items if you purchase in warm weather."

This did have to come from Australia, so somewhere along the way, this went bad.   To be honest, we did get a bit put off and didn't think we'd be buying the brand again as its not the cheapest chocolate just to throw away.
Today however, Joni was shopping and spotted Loving Earth at the supermarket for the first time,  and thought to give it another go.  The local Countdown didn't have Nutty Mr Maple, but it did have a salted caramel chocolate with cashew.  It was bought back home straight away and we tasted it straight away.

SALTED CARAMEL CHOCOLATE
with cashew, coconut and virgin cacao butter
$3.50 for a 30g bar
Heart shape is very cute.  This was definitely not as bad as the Nutty Mr Maple.  Best before date is almost a year away, but it still had an old nut, rancid taste, that had overtaken everything.
It is the middle of a hot summer.  We just don't think it is travelling well getting to New Zealand, especially  this time of year.
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Wellington Chocolate Factory are certified organic, bean to bar makers.  They pride themselves in paying a premium price for good quality cacao beans.  They produce award winning craft chocolate.  

We bought 5 of their bars to try.  We bought them off their website. Free shipping over $25.
The first was recommended to us, when we were after a vegan milk chocolate.

WELLINGTON CHOCOLATE FACTORY COCONUT MILK CHOCOLATE

$10 for  75g bar.
50% Cocoa. 
Beans are from the Dominion Republic Conacado cooperative, Trinitario Cacao beans.
Sweetened with Indonesian organic coconut blossom sugar.
Sugars are 4.9g per 18.7g serving size.
Silver Award Winner at the New Zealand Chocolate Awards 2018.
Wrapper Artwork by Simon Morse
The chocolate mold is gorgeous.

The fragrance is coconut rough.  This really melts in the mouth and is creamy and smooth.
It has a fresh coconut flavor with a slightly bitter chocolate.  
The aftertaste is coconut and a slight bitterness.
We really liked how it is not a super sweet chocolate.  The coconut is the prominent flavor.  We shared this with our lactose intolerant friend Trey.  He is not a fan of coconut, but he still liked this bar.

WELLINGTON CHOCOLATE FACTORY HIBISCUS AND BLACKBERRY DARK CHOCOLATE
This is was a limited edition, and was made to pair with the Palliser Estate Wine, The Griffin.  You can currently buy it from the Palliser Estate Wine website for $12.50 for the 75g bar. 
We were able to join Gabe from the Wellington Chocolate factory and Ben from the Palliser Wine Estate, for an online of this chocolate.  It was really enjoyable and we hope to do more of these.

65% Cocoa solids, Beans from Vanuatu
Sugars 5.9g per 18.75g serving size
Wrapper artwork by Cassandra Winter

The fragrance is a dark fruity chocolate and it reminds you of summer fields with long grass ready to be cut for hay and there is some blackberry bushes along the number 8 wire fence.

There is a nice snap, and the taste is this good strength fruitiness.  The chocolate itself has fruity notes anyway and the actual blackberry just enhances the flavor more.  There is also a hint of cinnamon.
The aftertaste is a slight bitter dark chocolate with a fruitiness undernote and a hint of spice.

Joni really loved this one and would have given it a Chocolate Gazette Rosette, but Johanan had another favorite.....

WELLINGTON CHOCOLATE FACTORY ORIGINAL MILK CHOCOLATE
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Wrapper artwork by Gina Kiel
$10 for a 75g block
48% Cocoa solids.  Beans from Dominican Republic
20% organic milk s
Sugars 7g per 18.75g serving size

The fragrance is a fruity cocoa.
There is a good snap for a milk chocolate and it has a firm bite.
The taste is a mild sweetness and milkiness at first.  Then the cocoa comes through, a rich chocolate flavor that is really nice.  The aftertaste is a slight cocoa, slight bitterness.

This was Johanan's favorite.
The chocolate flavor is really nice and comes through nicely for a milk chocolate. It is not too sweet.  We are really liking these darker milks.

WELLINGTON CHOCOLATE FACTORY COFFEE MILK CHOCOLATE
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$10  for a 75g bar
Wrapper Art by Jordan Debney
48% Cocoa, beans from Dominican Republic Conacado Cooperative, organic Trinitario Beans
Coffee is Havana Pacifica
18% organic milk solids

The fragrance is a fruity cocoa with a hint of coffee.
There is a bit of a snap and a slight melt in the mouth.
There is a medium strength ground coffee taste surrounded by a tangy and full dark milk chocolate.  There is a great balance in the coffee strength and chocolate.  You can taste both clearly.  The aftertaste is a slight sweetness with a background of coffee and tangy chocolate.
We like this one too!  We are liking them all!

WELLINGTON CHOCOLATE FACTORY SALTED CARAMEL MILK CHOCOLATE
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$10 for a 85g bar
Crunchy caramel brittle and a sprinkle of salt in a milk chocolate.
Cocoa 48%. Beans from Dominican Republic Conacado Cooperative, organic Trinitario beans
20%  milk solids
Wrapper artwork by Gina Kiel

The aroma is a slightly tangy chocolate.  There is lots of visible yummy bits.  There is a great snap and a nice crunchy texture.
The first taste to come through is the salt and caramel brittle, then the chocolate flavor comes through.  A nice cocoa, slightly fruity flavor, with a taste of slight saltiness still there.  The aftertaste is that same tangy saltiness.
This was Johanan's second favorite.

FINAL THOUGHTS
We liked them all!!
This was a really enjoyable tasting journey.  Really enjoyed the online tasting and want to do more of these.  It really helped us explore more of the flavor notes in chocolate.  We are just starting on this chocolate tasting adventure, and we think the flavor notes we are noticing are quite basic.  Ben made us more aware of other notes and mind journeys a chocolate can take you.
​We have plans to visit the Wairarapa and Wellington regions on a chocolate tour.  We will definitely visit the Palliser Wine Estate and grab the Griffin.  We are also planning to grab some other family members down that way and go and do the Wellington Chocolate factory, Chocolatier for a day tour.

Here are the final rankings for the chocolate tasted so far, we would happily buy any of them again.
Johanan's
1st Original Milk Chocolate
2nd Salted Caramel
3rd Hibiscus and Blackberry
4th Coffee Milk Chocolate
5th Coconut Milk Chocolate

Joni's
1st Hibiscus and Blackberry
2nd Coconut Milk 
3rd Salted Caramel
4th Original Milk Chocolate
5th Coffee Milk Chocolate

Last month, we were saying we couldn't find another Supermarket Vegan branded chocolate apart from Sweet William.
This month  Vegan Kit Kat hit our shores and lo and behold in our little Four Square store on the corner, we found a vegan brand called Pico.
Heres what we thought of them.

Nestle Vegan Kit Kat, made in the UK.
41.5g bar of 4 wafer fingers
67% vegan chocolate
Sugars per 20.8g serving size is 7.1g

The aroma is cocoa.  It does taste like dark chocolate and Kitkat wafers.  Nice flavor and not too sweet.  The aftertaste is a slight dark chocolate bitterness with a slight sweetness.  
This tastes like a Kitkat, which is a lot to do with the wafer as much as the chocolate.
It was fine we thought, just like what a Kitkat would taste like to us.

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Pico Salted Caramel - Vegan and Organic 80g block
Made in Switzerland
Sugars in 20g serving size is 10.2g
Cocoa Solids 52%
Caramel bits 10%
Bought at Four Square for $5.99

The aroma is dark chocolate and there is a slight melt in the mouth.
It has a distinctive dark chocolate taste with salt. The cacao beans are sourced from Ecuador, the Dominion Republic and Peru.  It reminded us a little of the Green and Blacks slightly fruity, tangy chocolate.  We wondered if the beans were from the same area.
We don't really taste the caramel.
The aftertaste is chocolate with a hint of salt.

We liked it.  This is a nice vegan chocolate.

These were both dark chocolates.  With a  certain cocoa percentage , a lot of darks would also be dairy free.
We are still on the hunt for a nice vegan milk chocolate.  If you have any recommendations let us know.