Zazubean – Lunatic – Mint & Cocoa Nibs

There’s a common trend that has existed for as long as any of us can remember – premiumizing standard products. Some products exist as standard or non-premium for a reason, but sometimes companies want to change things up and try their hand at reversing the products target demographic. I bring this up because today’s product reminded me of that very concept. Mint chocolate in all it’s varieties generally stands as a common flavour combination that is inexpensive but tasty. At least, for many. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how many people don’t enjoy it. Well, fie to those people.

I found this bar in the section for “premium” chocolates. This particular one is pretty fancy looking, with mention that it’s fair trade, organic, vegan, and gluten free. As I’ve mentioned before, these things matter very little to me, and it’s mostly whether the product tastes good first and foremost. The other stuff is secondary in consideration. If you can’t pass the first test, there’s no point discussing further.

With a base of 73% cacao, and maca. I’m not sure what maca is. I mean, all I know is it’s supposed to be a variety of ginseng, but it honestly sounds like one of those new health food fads that gets shoe horned into everything and anything companies can get away with to sell for a higher price. But I digress.

Because this is a fairly dark variety of chocolate, it means there’s less room for ingredients like sugar and milk byproduct to make this smooth easier to snack on. This is more of a brittle, bitter bar and as such I find it better to let it melt in the mouth than to try and chew it. The cocoa nibs inside give it a bit of added texture, and makes it more enjoyable to chew if you so choose to. The nibs, if you’ve never had them, are a little like eating seeds or nuts. They have a nice crunch to them, but they do leave behind a bit of a gritty sensation. That along with the dark chocolate leaves behind a bit of a gritty, chalky sensation in the mouth. I don’t mind it, since I love dark chocolate, but I can see why it might not be for everyone. I will note that while I tend to prefer leaving dark chocolate in my mouth to melt away, I found myself chewing these more often than not. The cocoa nibs really add a nice crunchy to the bar, which I have come to appreciate.

This bar has a really nice, authentic dark chocolate flavour to it. It has that distinct bitter chocolate flavour to it, which for some reason reminds me of a nice chocolate liquor. It has an almost, alcoholic aftertaste to it, though no alcohol is used in it. The mint isn’t immediately noticeable, and is more of an after taste. It’s not until the piece begins to melt away that I’m left with a nice refreshing mint sensation in the mouth.

I like how “authentic” this feels. A lot of chocolate tends to load up on the sugar or flavouring, but this one is very nice and refreshing. They have just the right amount of mint to help offset the bitterness, but not enough that it overpowers the chocolate. I’d consider this more of a “mature” flavour that caters to more adult sensibilities.

While this bar is by no means cheap, I think it’s well worth the price for anyone looking for a quality chocolate bar. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who is inexperienced with dark chocolate or doesn’t enjoy it though, as this is more of an advanced bar, for people who really like dark chocolate. If you like dark chocolate though, odds are good you’ll enjoy this bar.