Hedgerow Gin Maker’s Kit

The holy grail for chocolate purists. Most chocolate ‘makers’ are buying in commodity chocolate which they make palatable by adding sugar and flavourings. Without these additions, the chocolate would be far too bitter for most to consume. A 100% bar from a good chocolate maker, however, is a labour of passion and patience. The natural flavours and sweetness have to be carefully coaxed out of the bean and preserved at every stage of processing, through fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, conching, ageing and tempering, a process that spans months! There is nothing else in the chocolate to hide behind. At first, the intensity of flavour - a slow build to intense roasted brazil nuts, with accents of grapefruit and plantain - can be a shock but savoured rather than scoffed, it may change your appreciation of chocolate as a food.