Montezuma’s Absolute Black
February 7, 2019
I’ve reached the top of the mountain. The end of the road. The last stop. I have eaten 100% chocolate. By that I mean chocolate with 100% cocoa solids. That's right, no sugar or any other ingredients!
According to their website, Montezuma's is a British chocolate company founded by Helen and Simon Pattinson in 2000, lawyers turned self-taught chocolate makers. "We started Montezuma's, our little chocolate business, in 2000 with only a kitchen sink sized machine, huge enthusiasm, spades of naivety and most importantly, a broad ideal to bring chocolate innovation to a boring and staid British chocolate market.”
How Does Absolute Black Taste?
This 100% chocolate is rather amazing. The snap is crisp, and the nibs are crunchy. The texture is rather smooth, not counting the disruption of the nibs. It is astringent and melts slowly.
The bar is intensely fruity (dried plums) plus extremely rich in chocolate and nutty notes throughout. The roasted notes are even, nothing burnt or over done. As expected, the finish is very bitter but so darn chocolatey that there’s no reason not to love it.
Well, I’ve eaten 100% chocolate and lived to tell about it. Plus, you should know that I didn’t just tolerate it and cross it off my list. It’s one of the best chocolate bars I have ever had!
Want to try it yourself? Here's an Amazon link.
You can join us right now. Learn all about chocolate tasting with milk chocolates, dark chocolates, even white chocolate. Refine your taste buds with expert guidance.
- BarkThins Dark Chocolate Coconut with Almonds - May 22, 2020
- Endangered Species Cacao Nibs + Dark Chocolate Review - May 15, 2020
- Mr. Dot Bar Review - May 7, 2020
Hi
There has been a lot of controversy concerning lead and cadmium levels in dark chocolate..I love Montezuma’s and wondered if you could provide lead and cadmium percentages
Many thanks
Consumerlabs.com tested a wide variety of dark chocolate, cacao, cocoa powder products and found the Montezuma dark chocolate bars to contain by far the least heavy metal contamination. I highly recommend you subscribe to Consumer Labs. So useful if you care about your health.
Does your chocolate pare well with Red Wine? What type of wine?
Is the choc dairy free
Yes–it literally consists ONLY of 100% cacao and nibs.
For over a year I have been eating Montezuma’s 100% bitter chocolate from Trader Joe’s in the US and chased with their dates in between. I enjoy bitter chased with sweet and vice versa, a nice treat on taste buds.
I used to do almost the same, but prunes instead of dates. But I can’t handle the sugar. Thankfully, this chocolate works well by itself!
I bought Montezuma’s absolutely black chocolate at Trader’s Joes.
It shows ingredients:
93% Chocolate Liquor and 7% Nibs
I am confused. Why Liquor? So, they use liquor in production?
Chocolate liquor is an industry term that means crushed cacao nibs and heated up so it pours like a liquid. No alcohol involved!
I love the product, Great Chocolate something I look forward to every day
You say “93% of the bar is a combination of cocoa solids and cocoa butter”. Surely cocoa butter is a “cocoa solid”? The wrapper of the bar I bought today (in the UK: “Made by Montezuma’s Chocolates in […] UK”) says “100% cocoa solids”. Does that mean 100% cocoa, or what? Most dark chocolates I’ve seen specify a percentage of cocoa and a percentage of cocoa butter, iirc, as well as any other ingredients (usually at least a little sugar and some milk). What exactly do they mean by “cocoa solids”? Does that include cocoa butter? If so, why don’t they give the breakdown, I wonder? What about the nibs you mention? Is there a different formulation for the US market, or just tighter legislation about how they describe the ingredients?
The cacao nib contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Press out the cocoa butter in a nib, and you would generally get 46 – 48% cocoa butter. In any given chocolate formula you can have cocoa mass (chocolate liquor – which is the crushed nib containing both cocoa solids and cocoa butter) plus added cocoa butter. When a label says 70%, it means 70% of the formula is comprised of cocoa mass and the rest of the formula would contain added cocoa butter (and of course, sugar, sometimes lecithin and vanilla). The “added cocoa butter” is not considered part of the 70%. Usually chocolate companies don’t give exact break downs because that would reveal proprietary formulas.
Well said
Did you know that Montezuma’s Absolute Dark Chocolate was tested by a 3rd party … Consumer’s Lab…and it was their TOP PICK for High flavonoids, low cadmium, levels, and minimal calories as well. Yeah… I’m definitely switching my daily routine of chocolate for health reasons to your brand!!!
Thought I would share the great news!!!
SLG
I bought some absolute black100% cocoa truffle snowmen. I am sorry but the taste is really quite awful!
100% cacao is VERY strong and bitter tasting. It has zero sugar. I’m happy you tried it,however. It was very adventerous of you!
Do you know if this chocolate is Dutch processed with alkali?
Thanks.
I don’t believe so, but I don’t have the ingredients in front of me. If it is Dutch processed with alkali, they would have to disclose that on the label. It’s FDA law.
I love your 100 % cocoa solids dark chocolate Absolute Black with cocoa nibs.
3.5 Oz bars However, I am having trouble finding them except with orange. Are the bars mentioned above still available?
Thank you for your help! I hope they can stay reasonably priced so all people can appreciate your work as well as health benefits. Sincerely Kim
I bought this bar at Trader Joes. I haven’t seen one with orange but it’s worth asking about it at the store.
i hace read articles which stated that 100% cocoa is good for Altitude Sickness.
Any truth… And how much and when should IT be taken. Will try and let you know¡ thanx kmd
What is the % of the cacao used?
This bar is split to 93% (combined cocoa solids and cocoa butter) and 7% cocoa nibs (crushed pieces of bean).
How do I get a sample to taste it out ? Do not really grasp ( 93% 0f the bar is chocolate and 7% is cocoa nibs ) How so ? Well , I’m curious that’s ALL
I found this bar at a Trader Joes store in the USA. 93% of the bar is a combination of cocoa solids and cocoa butter. In other words, unsweetened baking chocolate or “chocolate liquor”. 7% are nibs which means they add small bits of chopped cocoa beans.
A friend of mine gave me part of one of these bars. Is it safe to eat by itself?
Yes safe to eat alone as I have been doing for over a year mentioned in another reply I thought replying to Abby.