Cocoa Runners’ 10th birthday

Akesson's - Brazil 100% with Nibs

This gorgeously intense dark chocolate, with added cocoa nibs for a bit of crunch and extra cocoa butter to reduce the bitterness, comes alive with notes of roasted nuts, coffee, and raisins. We think it’s the perfect place to start for those new to the 100% scene.

Akesson's - Brazil, Dark Milk 55%

The magnificent combination of fruity and woody flavours typical of Åkesson’s Brazilian chocolate is lifted beautifully by the sweetness of the milk. A truly decadent bar, this is one where you’ll have to keep coming back for more.

Akesson's - Madagascar, Dark 75% with Black Pepper

Refreshing hints of green fruits in the pepper combine perfectly with the red-berry tartness of the cacao in this intensely spicy dark bar. One for those who like a bit of heat in their chocolate!

Akesson's - Fazenda Sempre, Brazil, Dark 75%

A smooth and fruity dark chocolate bar made from Brazilian beans, this creation from renowned maker Åkesson’s has a beautiful earthy flavour with bright fruity notes and a subtle tobacco finish.

Askinosie - San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador, 52% Coconut Milk

This vegan 52% “milk” chocolate is made from organic coconut milk and beans from San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador. Added vanilla and a touch of maldon sea salt rounds off the finish.

Askinosie - San Jose Del Tambo, Ecuador, Dark 70%

Made from cocoa from the San Jose Del Tambo region of Ecuador, this chocolate has a wonderfully complex flavour with notes of bergamot orange, honey & jasmine. Askinosie also used the beans in this bar to make a creamy vegan milk chocolate.

Bonnat - Java, Dark Milk 65%

Made with a rare ‘blonde’ cocoa from the island of Java, this is a dark milk chocolate bar with a distinctive flavour. From the very first bite we detected a smokiness that remained with us from the start. This smokiness is much more pronounced than in the Surabaya bar, and here this is paired with a silky caramel sweetness.

Bonnat - Madagascar, Criollo, Dark 75%

This bar is made exclusively of Madagascan Criollo beans. Criollo beans comprise only about 5% of the world’s cocoa harvest – and of all the cocoa varieties, they are thought to have the finest flavour and aroma but are also the hardest to grow. As result, Criollo beans are highly prized and priced – making this bar from Bonnat a truly special treat.

Duffy's - Guatemala Rio Dulce, Milk 50%

This is an exquisite malty caramel milk chocolate. Alongside an incredibly soft texture, expect complex notes of baked figs with a hint of apricots and a wonderfully malty finish.

Duffy's - Oak Smoked Salt & Nibs, Milk 43%

This bar is made with a 43% Ecuadorian milk chocolate, flavoured with cocoa nibs and a touch of smoked sea salt. The nibs add a satisfying crunch to the chocolate, while the salt helps lift the flavour of this irresistible bar.

Friis Holm - Chuno, Nicaragua, Double Turned Dark 70%

This seemingly inconsequential change to the fermentation process gives the final bar a radically different flavour. Compare it to Friis Holm’s Triple Churned Chuno, and taste just how much impact fermenting has on the beans’ flavour.

The generous bar has a delicate profile, which is initially dominated by the bar’s creamy quality. It is incredibly smooth with beautiful light spicy notes and just a hint of peach. The dark chocolate is finished off with a touch of sherbet and a slight astringency giving it a really balanced flavour.

Friis Holm - Chuno, Nicaragua, Triple Turned, Dark 70%

This punchy 70% bar is turned three times during the fermentation, hence the name. This gives it a different flavour to those turned once (or twice).

Fruition - Dark 100%

This chocolate from Fruition contains no sugar or sweeteners at all, so it’s not the kind of chocolate you can take a big bite out of! As the name implies, it’s made from a blend of Peruvian and Dominican cocoa beans and nothing else.

Frution - Toasted White

Rather than a pure white bar, the chocolate has a slightly warmer colouring, that does genuinely look like the white chocolate has been toasted. The smooth bar has a gentle caramel flavour that compliments its golden colour. Notes of Dulce de Leche and Brown Butter swirl through the silken bar.

Grenada Chocolate Company - Dark 71%

A 71% dark chocolate made in Grenada with local cocoa, with an intense, earthy but fruity flavour.

As Annalisa Barbieri wrote in her Notes on Chocolate column for the Guardian:

“The cocoa used is a trinitario bean from a co-operative that part-owns the Grenada Chocolate Company and the chocolate is made in the Caribbean rainforest. It’s a really unassuming bar, but actually so complex and delicious.”

Marou - Ba Ria, Dark 76%

A rich and fruity chocolate, made with beans from the Bà Rịa province of south eastern Vietnam. A sublime and intense dark chocolate.

Marou - Dark Milk 48%

This bar combines dark Vietnamese Cacao with creamy grass-fed milk from New Zealand, offering delicious notes of honey and caramel.

Marou - Ben Tre, Coconut Milk 55%

To taste, we found the bar to have a deliciously rich and fugdy mouth feel. The coconut milk beautifully compliments the spicy flavour profile of the Ben Tre cocoa by adding a fruity layer with added notes of raisin.

Menakao - Dark 80%

This deliciously dark 80% bar is a little wild! A sensationally fruity chocolate that packs a little more punch than Menakao’s 72%, for those who like their flavours just a little more intense.

Menakao - Milk 45%

A truly original milk bar from Menakao, made with beans from Madagascar to create notes of caramel, red fruit, and citrus.

Original Beans - Cru Virunga

A deeply rich chocolate, this bar contains highs of morello cherries that melt into sweet earthiness and black tea.

Original Beans - Esmereldas Milk

A firm favourite with notes of caramel, hazelnut, and a touch of sea salt, this creamy milk bar is impossible to put down.

Pralus - Barre Infernale Orange

Discover Pralus’ Barre Infernale Orange – a 160g delight with a dark shell revealing a citrusy praline centre blending fruits and nuts, perfect for sharing.

Pralus - Ecuador, Dark 75%

A rich & earthy dark chocolate with spicy and roasted flavour notes.

Pump Street - Madagascar, Milk 58%

The notes of caramel and treacle are particularly prevalent in Pump Street’s Madagascar Milk. These are rounded off with a zesty finish!

Pump Street - Rye Crumb & Sea Salt, Milk 60%

Pump Street Rye Crumb has a a sharp crunch and distinctive toasted taste that works incredibly well with the salt in this moreish milk chocolate bar. This Rye Crumb bar proved a stern rival for our affections to Pump Street’s Sourdough & Sea Salt bar.

Pump Street - Sourdough & Sea Salt

Sourdough is an intriguing inclusion. It gives the chocolate a gentle crunch and pleasant yeasty taste that works incredibly well with the salt. This sourdough bar surpassed our expectations and is one of the most moreish bars in the Pump Street range.

Zotter - Ecuador, Milk 50%

Like most Zotter bars, the chocolate has a beautifully smooth texture. It’s also fairly traded, organic and contains just a hint of salt to help lift the flavour. You probably won’t notice it, but it’s another of Zotter’s trademarks.

Zotter - Sambirano, Madagascar, Dark 75%

This 75% dark bar is a veritable firework of flavours, with a multi-layered fruity bouquet and notes of caramel and sweet spices.

Zotter - 80/20 Dark Style Milk

This incredible bar is made from 80% cocoa and 20% milk – entirely without sugar. It’s a must-try for anyone curious to experience a high-percentage chocolate slightly softened by milky sweetness. The bar has a nutty profile with notes of nougat and cream.

Zotter - Handscooped, Salted Caramel

This is salted caramel in the traditional French style, with a candy-caramel ganache elevated by a pinch of salt and a wonderful, tender-melting almond praline layer. It’s enhanced with a bit of dark chocolate and some salt crystals, coated in a wafer-thin layer of milk chocolate, and all covered in a fine-flavour 70% dark chocolate.