I’ve never thought of myself as particularly patriotic. This is not to say that I don’t like being Australian, because I do. It’s just that I’m not comfortable with gallivanting around proclaiming that Australian-ness is superior to all other kinds of Nationality-ness simply because, well, I’m Australian and therefore “Australia Is The World”.
However, there have been a few moments recently when I’ve felt an upsurging of I-like-Australia-for-its-uniqueness pride:
- Watching The Dish shortly after returning from overseas. (The same applies to watching SeaChange.)
- Driving through the countryside and seeing all the gradations of brown and green, and all the myriad Eucalyptus and scraggly trees, that define our landscape.
- Teaching The Pilot enough Australianisms for him to be able to tell his mother that he stayed up until 2am because he “was calling my sheila, who isn’t a bogan, and if you don’t understand that, you’re a drongo”.
- Delighting in The Curious Chocolatier’s creations.
Number Four makes me not only proud to be Australian, but proud to be Canberran. Yep, The Curious Chocolatier is not only a friendly, creative, dedicated, and generous lady, she’s a Canberran lady, and I intend to make everyone (okay, maybe just you readers, for the minute) aware of and keen to support her delicious chocolate endeavours.
Where better to start than with my (current) favourite of the line-up which Heidi, The Curious Chocolatier herself, kindly gave me after I spent an hour chatting with her at the Old Bus Depot Markets?
The Curious Chocolatier Dark Chocolate with Apricot and Rosemary
Love her packaging designs. Love love.
I know I’ve given the game away by already stating that this is my favourite Curious Chocolatier flavour, but sometimes Openness and Honesty are Key. Plus, this is Heidi’s favourite too, so clearly the bar is doing something right.
Or, you know, many things right. The chocolate is well moulded and glossy with no scratches or blooming, and its aroma is predominantly chocolatey with a slight hint of dusky fruit. Interestingly, the rosemary doesn’t come through in the aroma – at least, not until you break into the bar.
Oh my heavens! It’s a Narcissus Chocolate Packaging Lady! She’s staring at her own reflection! (Wouldn’t you, if you had a glossy block of mirror-chocolate all your own?)
The chocolate is well-tempered, as it has a firm snap and a rich, but slow, melt. My first bite offered up honey notes and a faint, pine-like, herbal taste, which didn’t immediately scream rosemary. Rosemary is, in my opinion, one of the strongest herbs out there, so it’s a testament to Heidi’s skill that the rosemary doesn’t take over the tasting experience.
As a result, I can comfortably tell you that the dark chocolate itself has honey, marshmallow, and occasionally cedar notes, with no red fruit or tannic elements jarring with the apricot and rosemary. I also love that the apricots aren’t your bog-standard trail-mix chewy-dried overly-tangy variety, but are aerated, fluffy, freeze-dried pillows of flavour more akin to the taste of fresh apricots drizzled with lime juice.
Bet you ain't never seen apricots like that before in chocolate, have you? Canberra represent.
The first time I came across an apricot in the chocolate, I also hit upon a stronger rosemary flavour. Sure enough, when I looked down, I saw a green fleck of dried rosemary embedded in the chocolate.
I loved, loved, loved such moments. Alone, the chocolate might be a bit sweet for my tastes. But, somehow, the strong herbal wapow of the rosemary, the way its almost-savoury edge danced with the zing of apricot and the honey element of the chocolate… pure wonderment. It’s definitely a unique taste, and might be a bit confronting to people unaccustomed to interesting and quality chocolate, but I implore you to persevere. It’s so worth it.
I just wish I hadn’t eaten the entire block in one night*.
*No I don’t. That was worth it, too.
Apricot and rosemary…your description makes it sounds worth trying. Do you know if you can get her chocolate over here (I dealt it)? Perhaps we should do a chocolate trade. I’ll go suss out some good Schoc flavours and you suss out some good Curious Chocolatier ones…
(Oh man, SeaChange…you’re making me all swoony for Diver Dan yet again)
How i love it when you review a chocolate i’m familiar with/have eaten! i agree totally with everything you’ve said. Really great stuff.
Have you tried her coffee & fennel one?? that’s probably my favourite of the ‘standard’ range, and i can really imagine you liking it a lot
oh, and I loved the finding-rosemary-bits moments too..did i tell you about my favourite of the Artisan du Chocolat products i tried?? a rosemary marzipan.. oh my. incredible, for all the reasons you described above (plus a couple of extra ones).
Oh I do love that packaging – makes you think you’re eating something extra fun!
That packaging is great! And I love the flavor combination, too. Any chance you were planning on enlightening us not in the Cool Australians Club as to what that sentence (# 4)means? If not, I shall pretend it is something very dirty.
I love apricot. Yum. I have a habit of nibbling on chocolate after reading your blog!
Okay, I have nothing to do today, and this was my thought process this morning — jog? Too hot. Hot pot? Too expensive and hot. What is there to be done [sans metro] in this wretched town?!
But now, I realize — of course! Chocolate excursion.
That bar just sounds so so good. Satisfies my need for having lots of *stuff* in my bars, without satisfying stuff for quality. But … American. Alas.
* SACRIFICING stuff. My bad.
(Please excuse me as I monopolize your comments …)
Update: Just bought Theo’s Coconut and Curry to share with my mom. It is So. So. SO. Good. I’m a fan of milk chocolate, and this is the best I’ve had in a long time. You were 100% correct.
Tonight, we’ll be trying the Bread and Chocolate.
Hehe don’t forget “The Castle”!
Every time I see a sponge cake or a rissole I start chuckling.
Love the sound of this chocolate and the packaging is so chic!
Excuse me while I pop on over to her site and place an order. These sound too divine to stay just in Canberra!
Vaala: I firmly believe we should all have regular Diver Dan swooning moments in our lives, and so I’ll do my utmost to reference the show periodically
The Curious Chocolatier does have an online shop but I believe it’s only for within Australia. I am absolutely in for an interesting chocolate-swap! (Just did one with a friend in the US 
) Perhaps we should wait and see what you think of the other flavours I review in coming weeks?
L-Izzle: Well ex-cuh-use me, but I’d cottoned on to TCC and tried all the flavours long before you had (at least, the ones that were available before I went overseas)!
So just be patient and wait 
(P.S. That marzipan sounds amazing. Do you know of any good marzipan here in Aus?)
Simply Life: It is gorgeous!
Camille: (First, I’m guessing you mean #3?) I’m so tempted not to translate and instead ask what your dirty interpretation is
But I’m a Good Person, so: he “was calling my sheila [woman], who isn’t a bogan [your equivalent would probably be redneck, though there are differences, of course], and if you don’t understand that, you’re a drongo [idiot]”. See? Clear as day 
TheHungryScholar: All part of my plan for making the world a better place, one reader at a time
Lauren: Monopolize away! I love it. Particularly when you tell everyone that I’m 100% right. DARN TOOTIN’.
I miss your Wegmans. Lots. And I’ll be doing that Theo soon… but I’ve had to slow down on the eating because I’m so behind on the reviewing again. 
Lorraine: Who could ever forget The Castle? “Tell ‘im he’s dreamin’! … How’s the serenity?”
Kath: Do it! Apparently her sea salt truffles are her best seller
Well sorr-owr-reeee, smartass :p haha i just figured if you were trying this for the first time then maybe you hadn’t had the coffee/fennel one, and could DEFINITELY see it being up your alley
[sort of related - my parents just came home from cowra, where they went to Neila for dinner for their anniversary and stayed overnight... mum brought me back their spiced pickled fennel! so excited! i'm gonna make some kind of weird coleslaw with it i think!
]
also, let me know what you think of soyaroni, if you end up buying some!
AND i’m going on a hunt in delis for european chocolate spreads. i know there’s obviously a much more limited range here (i’ve seen your pictures
), but if you know of any that are available here and you’d recommend, let me know!!
ps. sorry to hijack your blog’s comments hahaha. i’ll shush now
L-Izzle: DEFINITELY not the first time trying these TCC chocolates! In fact, this was the very first one I ever tried, maybe two years ago? Or 18 months? Whenever they’d just come out
Still, I’m taking new tasting notes as I retry them all, with my more, erm, “practiced” tastebuds.
Also: I love pickles like it’s no one’s business. Mmm.
I don’t ever feel super American either. Maybe that’s because I lived in Europe so many times….???
It’s weird, every Independence Day, I also do something Frenched out to the max haha. I even celebrated Bastille Day this year
Nothing wrong with being proud of Australia – if we keep it in perspective – or if the chocolate has an elegant lady on the packaging and delicious apricot flavour – I love the tangy chewy dried apricots but am curious about this freeze dried apricot taste
Where can I find this in Melbourne? What a unique blend!
Ooo yes, chocolate swap…I like surprises best!
Monique: I think cosmopolitanism is the way to go, personally
Johanna: Exactly! Pride with perspective – that’s the way
It’s a really fantastic chocolate – the apricots are still tangy, but more in a fresh-way than the strong, acidic, dried fruit-way (and don’t get me wrong, I like the dried kind too! But it could be a bit overpowering in chocolate).
Penny: I believe what you need to do is place an order online, through the link above
I don’t think she’s got retail stores outside of Canberra yet. It’s definitely worth the splurge 
Vaala: We’ll have to reconvene planning this soon!
Ah, evil temptress- you’re at it again. I bought some of these bars in Canberra last time. I love the packaging too. My favourite was the caramel milk chocolate with pecan, ooh like a turtle. I read your review. Thought, hmmm, I didn’t really like the freeze dried strawberries in the strawberry and pepper bar, lets have a look at the website anyway. Ok so she’s got a new line- Love Bar- Transport yourself to Paris. It’s got the Eiffel Tower on the wrapper and everything. You know I HAVE to have one. I order it (and maybe a couple of others) only to find that they ship to within 50 km of metropolitan areas. Chocolate lovers of the country denied. Arrrrrgh. Have emailed them, beggging. Evil Temptress.
ADORABLE packaging for sure!
Louise: That’s a shame! I hope you get a positive email back! Otherwise we could always try to work out a scheme
Never you fear, I’ve tried every single flavour (bar the orange, which I simply can’t), in the past, and fully intend to cover as much as I can on this blog. But as you might recall, I still have the Amadei from Italy and a billion others to write up first!
Amber: Isn’t it just?
YES. I did get a prompt and very positive reply. They’re able to send it here because it’s winter and freezing both in Canberra and here. Actually must do the order tonight.
Louise: Knowing that your tastes tend towards the sweeter and the less crazy, I would definitely recommend you pick up the Love bar, and probably the caramel pecan, even though I’ve only had samples of those two. (Get all the others, as well
, but those two are nice and sweet without you needing to “adjust” to them!)
I NEED to get me a bar of this ASAP – google to the rescue!
Chanel: Do you live in Australia? If so, you should be able to order them via her website, linked above
Good luck!
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