"Bourn" to Eat Chocolate

I picked up a few UK imports the other day at the Bulk Barn just to give them a try. So today I am tasting the Bournville "Classic Dark Chocolate" bar by Cadbury.  Of course, I am not suggesting in any way that this is a high-end gourmet chocolate bar.  It is just your average "Chocolaty Candy Bar" as it says on the sticky label that was added to comply with the Canadian labelling regulations.

Well, what can I say about this chocolate bar?  It tastes like a giant chocolate chip.  So if you really like classic chocolate chips and want to eat more of them in one solid chunk, then buy a Bournville. 

There are only two things missing.  The first is the flavour.  And by that I don't mean that this doesn't taste good.  There is no vanilla or artificial flavour listed in the ingredients, which is unusual.  I am fine with that, actually, because it means that they have left out the artificial flavour ingredients. A commercial candy bar would usually use the unnatural stuff, so I prefer that there is no vanilla rather than artificial vanilla.  Besides, it tastes great without it.

The other thing missing is a larger print size on the label for people with normal, not-so-superhero, eyes.  Seriously, I don't know what the labelling standards are in the UK, but from my packaging experience, I know that this is smaller than our Canadian minimum.  Unfortunately the print on the Bournville packaging is so small that it is nearly unreadable, plus the packaging is shiny and red, so it is really difficult to see if you are not in the correct light or at the correct angle.

After much re-angling of the package and a lot of squinting, I have managed to learn that this chocolate bar was made in France for CadburyTrebor Bassett in Birmingham, U.K.  So there you are, true British chocolate made in France.  I've also learned that you should not always believe the stick-on labels that are added for imported chocolate, because they do not always match what is actually written on the package under the label.  So the original label says the ingredients are: sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, Milk Fat, Emulsifier (soya lecithin). Cocoa solids 39% minimum.  HOWEVER, the Canadian label says the ingredients are: sugar, cocoa mass, palm oil, cocoa butter, soya lecithin., traces of nut, cocoa solids (37%).  Huh?!  What?!  How did the cocoa solids change by 2%?  Did some get lost at sea during transport?  Also, palm oil is extracted from the fruit of palm trees and is NOT milkfat (which, if you care, is also called Butterfat, according to Wikipedia, and is the fatty portion of milk, obviously).  So my question for Cadbury is, which fat is in this chocolate bar?!?  I am assuming it is milkfat since that is what is listed on the original label.  And, this is not Cadbury's fault since they are not the one who imported this chocolate bar to Canada.

Either way, added fat is one of the reasons that this chocolate can be considered a "candy bar" rather than chocolate.  It does add a nice soft melt-in-your-mouth texture to the chocolate, which can lead to eating the whole bar in one minute or less, but it reduces the actual amount of cocoa solids that you are consuming.  Whether it has 37% or 39% cocoa solids, that is hardly "classic dark chocolate".

So my verdict on this chocolate bar?  Tastes great for a sweet treat with your afternoon tea, but don't be fooled by the name on the package...and don't believe what you read on stick-on import labels! Other lessons learned:  #1. Have a magnifying glass handy when reading UK candy bar packaging, and #2. I am still "Bourn" to eat chocolate.

Other details from the package (that are not already listed above):  Oh wait, I can't see them...

Stay tuned because tomorrow I taste another British chocolate candy bar that is "out of this world"... I'd tell you more about it, but I need another 24 hours to decipher the tiny font on the package!