Based in Singapore, Hello Chocolate is the biggest online shop for bean-to-bar chocolates in Asia as well as one of the largest worldwide.

Bean-to-bar is a term for where the chocolate maker controls every step of the chocolate making process, from the sourcing of the cacao beans to the chocolate bar, and is usually associated with artisanal craft chocolate companies.

Compared to the chocolates mass-produced by large companies such as Nestle, Hershey’s or Cadbury’s which often contain a ton of unpronounceable ingredients, the craft, bean-to-bar chocolate by small, artisan chocolate makers is much more pure and also contains few, simple ingredients, all of which are easy to read and pronounce.

Due to the more labour-intensive process, bean-to-bar chocolate is often more expensive than mass-produced chocolate, but the final product is superior ingredients, but also cleaner, fairer and more sustainable preparation practices.

While some bean-to-bar chocolate makers focus on single-origin chocolate bars, that is, sourcing for high-quality cocoa beans from a single cocoa-growing region and add just enough sugar to bring out the unique flavours and textures of the cocoa beans, the increase in bean-to-bar chocolate makers around the world means that more have started adding extra ingredients such as sea salt and caramel into their bars, in a bid to attract a wider variety of customers rather than focusing solely on a niche audience of dark chocolate connoisseurs. 

The most pure forms of bean-to-bar chocolate contain only two ingredients – cacao and sugar.

Nonetheless, whether you are looking for the best bean-to-bar chocolate from around the world, or ethical and sustainable chocolate gifts, you will find it at Hello Chocolate.

This Christmas, a friend bought me a gift hamper from Hello Chocolate, containing a mixture of white, milk and dark artisanal chocolate bars sourced from various parts of Europe.

I was impressed with the packaging when the gift had arrived at my doorstep. The gift hamper arrived wrapped in a red linen Furoshiki-style cloth fabric which was really beautiful, intricate and elegant.

Out of Hello Chocolate’s vast range available, read on, to find out more about the chocolates that I had received in the hamper, together with my verdict of what I thought about them.

Pralus House Barre Infernale Pistachio

This chocolate bar is described at being the stand-out product from Pralus House, a chocolatier founded by Auguste Pralus in France.

Today, to maintain the high quality and standard of their chocolates, they have their own plantation in Madagascar, where they source and produce their own cocoa beans.

This bar is described as 160 grams of pure pleasure. As the name suggests, the “infernal bar” consists of a layer of 75% dark chocolate surrounding a rich, dark pistachio paste centre.

And the unassuming-looking bar is a complete flavour bomb. 

When I bit into a piece and let it slowly melt on my tongue, the rich, fruity notes coming from the Madagascar cocoa beans immediately hit me, together with the sweet, rich and nutty flavour of the pistachio paste – both at the same time.

Do not eat this chocolate bar straight out of the fridge. I strongly recommend you to leave it at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, for the best results.

The diced pistachios mixed in the paste brought out some texture in the otherwise very smooth and fine chocolate bar.

Overall I felt that the bitter and smooth notes of the chocolate balanced out very well with the sweetness and nuttiness of the pistachio paste.

I later discovered that when the chocolate slowly melts and disappears down the throat, the bittersweet, fruity notes of the chocolate vanishes, with the pistachio flavour lingering on in the mouth for a tad longer.

It may be a rather strange combination at first glance, but as I discovered, it turns out to be one that works together very well.

I must say that this is definitely a delightful and exquisite flavour sensation like none other.

If there were a chocolate bar that completely blew me away with its intricate textures and taste profiles, I definitely have to say that this one has to be it.

But as it is very rich, it would be a chocolate bar that you definitely can’t finish all in one go.

Ocelot 70% Dark Black Cherry

Ocelot is a small chocolate business based in Edinburgh, Scotland, that prides themselves in using ethical produce and ethical business practices.

 To them, chocolate is akin to fine wine or cheese and an experience to savour, rather than munching mindlessly on whilst watching Netflix.

I received Ocelot’s 70% Dark Black Cherry chocolate which consists of sweet black cherries enveloped in smooth, rich, dark chocolate, as described on the packaging.

The chocolate is definitely bittersweet, rich and intense. It was very smooth and silky, definitely high-grade chocolate meant to be savoured slowly and appreciated.

Letting a piece of this chocolate melt slowly in my mouth, there is a slight hint of tartiness with some mild fruity notes, but I had been expecting a stronger cherry flavour. 

Though I think the cocoa beans used in the making of this bar may have originally had a hint of cherry notes too, the description of this chocolate bar was still a tad misleading.

Omnom Spiced White + Caramel

Hailing from Reykjavík, Iceland, Omnom produces small-batch, “bean-to-bar” chocolate, using the finest cacao beans sourced worldwide.

I received their Spiced white + Caramel chocolate bar which is described as white chocolate with orange peel, cinnamon and malt, topped with crunchy salted caramel.

When I took a bite of this white chocolate bar, the flavour profile strongly reminded me of the malt drink Horlicks – a common beverage at coffee shops across Singapore, with the salted caramel bits adding some crunch to the chocolate. 

Texture wise, the quality of the chocolate is definitely smooth, though the crunchy salted caramel shards had added some roughness to the bar.

Overall it was an interestingly pleasant and surprising taste profile, and surprisingly, also wasn’t as sweet as I would usually expect white chocolate to be.

Zotter Honey Nuts Chocolate

Austrian artisanal chocolatier Zotter prides themselves on variety, quality, innovation, creativity and sustainability in their production of 100% ORGANIC + FAIR TRADE + BEAN-TO-BAR chocolates.

From Zotter, Hello Chocolate sent me their Honey Nuts chocolate, which came in Christmas packaging.

This is a mountain milk chocolate with honey marzipan and almond praline with honey nut brittle.

When I took my first bite of this chocolate, the taste strongly reminded me of a Christmas gingerbread in the centre, coated in a thick layer of chocolate, together with a slight hint of crunchiness coming from the honey nut brittle. 

The fillings used made this chocolate bar feel somewhat rougher in texture than the other bars from Hello Chocolate that I had tried.

Nonetheless, it definitely tasted like high quality milk chocolate, though I thought it was a tad sweeter, probably because of the fillings that had been used.

Zotter Christmas Chocolate Gift Star with Cinnamon Center

Also from Zotter, I received the Christmas Chocolate Gift Star.

This is a chocolate star made with high-percentage fine flavour chocolate and filled with a festive cinnamon mousse and decorated with two sweet raspberry chocolate hearts.

And the chocolate was packaged in a festive-style gift box too.

When I opened the box, I admit I was totally blown away by the appearance of the star. It certainly looks beautiful, creative and very intricately designed.

When I came round to tasting it, the chocolatey flavours did not disappoint. 

This is rich, intense and very smooth dark chocolate that melts beautifully in the mouth.

However, despite this chocolate supposedly being stuffed with cinnamon mousse, I found the flavour from the filling to be lacking, and the chocolatey taste took precedence. 

When I checked the star, there appears to be only a thin layer of cinnamon mousse inside, and mostly located only at the centre of the chocolate star, thereby resulting in me being barely able to taste much of it. In fact, I could only taste a slight hint of cinnamon in a couple of mouthfuls.

The pink sections where the raspberry hearts and raspberry coverture were mildly sweeter than the rest of the chocolate star, because of the sweetness from the raspberry. As well, these bits had a significant raspberry flavour, blending in well with the otherwise intense dark chocolate. It provided a nice change of flavours.

Also, the segments containing the roasted hemp seeds did also add a hint of crunch to the chocolate, but not by much, because they only occupied two out of the 5 points of the star. Nonetheless, it was an interesting variety in texture.

Overall I thought that this was a beautiful-looking festive chocolate that makes a great gift for chocolate lovers. It is definitely a high-quality chocolate, after all.

Find out more about Hello Chocolate

Chocolate lovers may check out Hello Chocolate’s vast range and selection at https://hellochocolate.com. 

This is not a sponsored post. The chocolates were a personal gift from a friend.