Oh my. If there was anything I needed to cheer me up from my spluttering sick-bed (I'm currently ill with a chest infection), it was the delivery of a box of four solid raw chocolate Easter eggs sent to me yesterday courtesy of RAWR. I can honestly say, I've never tasted anything quite like these eggs before - it is highly likely to be the best chocolate experience I've ever had.
This is the first time I've ever tried raw chocolate, and for the uninitiated, that means chocolate that is made from completely uncooked ingredients (preventing loss of nutrients, which unprocessed choc contains - there is info on RAWR's website). I have to say - WOW!
Firstly, they come delightfully packaged in a little blue recycled egg-box tied up in yellow ribbon, a treat for the eyes. Then the four eggs inside - each one a good solid 70g - are individually wrapped to signify their different flavours - 'Purity' (organic dark choc with crunchy cacao nibs), 'Zest' (organic orange choc), 'After Dinner' (organic mint choc) and '80% Intensity' (organic 80% cocoa choc).
The chocolate just kind of crumbles in your mouth - with the flavour slowly melting into your taste buds. I nibbled on a bit of every single egg at first, then decided to spend a while eating a half of 'Purity'. The chocolate was really like no other, and the flavours were intense without being overpowering. And you could actually properly taste the chocolate! It felt a million miles away from the taste of a commercial chocolate bar (in fact, eating the RAWR eggs felt positively healthy!).
Having tried all the eggs, my favourite was Zest (which I ate a full half of after my peanut butter on toast this morning). I've always been a fan of orange chocolate - though the idea of turning to a commercial brand ever again now has departed. Commerical chocolate is heated and packed with sugar, milk fat, and crap (let's be blunt), whereas this chocolate is organic, hand-made and naturally sweetened without refined sugar. It's gluten-free, and oh yes, dairy-free too. I've tried vegan chocolate before and have been disappointed, but the RAWR eggs were nothing like. Guilt-free, while delicious.
A box of four eggs costs £8.95. That's not a lot of money - and there IS a lot of chocolate in a box at 280g in total. I had to put the eggs away to keep mindful of not overeating! Plus, orders over £5 from the RAWR website have free delivery - so they really are a yummy bargain.
10% discount on RAWR orders for Chocolate and Beyond readers!
I just need to say that, after I tasted this chocolate, I specifically went to RAWR and asked if they would provide a discount for readers of my site. That's because I really was so impressed with it, I want everyone to have a taste themselves!
So, RAWR have kindly offered a very reasonable 10% discount off website orders. Just use the code BEYOND10 which you can add in My Cart on www.rawrchoc.com after making your order.
My suggestion is order a box for everyone you normally buy Easter eggs for, plus a box for yourself too - because if you order for others and not for you, you'll be annoyed when you find out how utterly delectable they are!
Thanks Andrea, that's really useful. I have been looking for just this. Tasty vegan easter eggs as a gift. They really are vegan? The usual dairy free stuff all tastes rubbish, according to my son's little friend.
Posted by: Lynley Oram | March 18, 2011 at 11:14 AM
oh I've just looked on the website. It is all made with cacao not cocoa. Brilliant! I can't believe the price for this, it is really cheap. My other half can't eat normal chocolate as it is a migraine trigger. But we've been told that cocao doesn't have the same effect on most migraine sufferers. Don't know how true that is though.
Posted by: Lynley Oram | March 18, 2011 at 11:17 AM
Hi Lynley,
Yes, I should write that bit in the review actually - the cacao bit! The 'Intensity' egg is made from cocoa though - but it is still very delicious (if you like very dark choc and don't have a reaction to it, that is!).
But I have tried vegan choc before and have thought it just tastes really bad. And this is really the nicest choc I've had!
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea Wren | March 18, 2011 at 11:24 AM
Hi guys, Kendra from Rawr here!
Just wanted to clarify that "cacao" and "cocoa" are usually used interchangeably and mean the same thing. Sometimes, people call the unprocessed bean "cacao" and the powder form "cocoa". All our chocolates (including Intensity) use cacao from Peru - the bean is crushed to produce cacao paste, butter, and powder which are then used in our chocolate.
Hope that helps!
Kendra
Posted by: Kendra - Rawr Chocolate | March 18, 2011 at 12:13 PM
It is anybody's opionion who makes the best chocolate, but many would argue that Europe is the place where it comes from. I think that the best is from Lindt.
Posted by: chocolate lover | January 29, 2013 at 04:35 PM