Life occasionally takes the form of a rather magnificent cause-and-effect, action-reaction, back-and-forth, ping-pong-esque stream of happenings that creates not chaos, but a welcome linear progression of fabulousnesses leading to even more fabulousness.
This fabulousness can involve adventure. It can involve new friends. It can involve chocolate.
And sometimes, it can involve all three at once.
Would you like to hear the story of the chain of events that led to my delighting in and reviewing this particular chocolate?
Sure you do.
Fremantle Chocolate Milk Chilli Chocolate
Once upon a time, I started a blog with a distinct chocolate focus. (Hey, guess what? I’m talking about this blog, right here. Who knew?)
Many moons later, my mother went on a work trip to Perth, and brought me back this dark chocolate by Fremantle Chocolate, which I found surprisingly delicious.
Around the same time, a lovely lass called Kari started reading and commenting on my often-chocolate-focused blog. (Hey, guess what? I’m talking about this blog, right here. Who knew?)
Kari realised that Fremantle Chocolate was produced right near her home town.
I expressed delight at this fact.
Kari discovered that she could visit the Fremantle Chocolate Factory.
I began needling her to make this happen.
Kari decided to visit the Fremantle Chocolate factory.
I expressed delight at this fact, and asked her to blog about it.
A few weeks later a parcel of goodies from Fremantle Chocolate arrived at my doorstep, carefully chosen by the stupendous Kari to align with my chocolate tastes, which she’d scoured my blog to ascertain.
I was overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude.
Kari, thank you! I’m very glad our lives careened off each other in this manner, bringing us not only friendship but much, much deliciousness.
In the hand-written note accompanying this (and other) chocolate(s), Kari mentioned that she knows milk chocolate isn’t my favourite type of chocolate, but that she hoped I would enjoy this bar regardless. As I read the note, I wanted to open my window and project my voice across the Nullarbor to Perth, telling Kari that any chilli chocolate is always welcome in my house (and by “house”, I mean “belly”).
With my previous positive Fremantle Chocolate experience firmly in mind, I unwrapped this milk chocolate with ground chilli and was immediately seduced by the gorgeous aroma. Hints of caramel (even crème caramel), chipotle and cinnamon spices, and something faintly floral emanated from the bar. Before long, I found myself breaking off a square.
The milk chocolate is soft and silky, melting smoothly in the mouth and almost tricking you with subtle flavours of clotted cream, muscovado sugar, and maple syrup before – WHAMPOPZINGSMACK – the chilli starts tingling in the back of your throat. You know what? It even burns a little bit.
But it’s a sweet, glorious, welcome, exciting burn. The chilli is not only a flavour in this chocolate, it’s a physical sensation, so much so that it tickles, slightly, and almost makes you cough.
But you don’t cough. Instead, you keep breaking off more rectangles of chocolate, delighting in the complex interplay of heat, spice, caramel, cream, sweet chocolate, and caramelised sugar flavours.
Fremantle Chocolate’s Chilli Milk Chocolate is good enough for even an avowed dark chocolate fiend to enjoy.
{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE Fremantle Chocolate chocolate! After I read your review of the dark chocolate, I hunted some down when I was in WA a couple of months ago. I ended up getting a milk chocolate + orange and a milk chocolate + caramel bar and both were delicious! I’m heading back to WA in less than a month and a visit to the factory is definitely on the list. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the other flavours in your parcel of goodies!
*waves* It’s always so lovely to hear from you, Rachel! And I am fantastically relieved that my thoughts on Fremantle Chocolate didn’t lead you astray, as I often get nervous when people actually buy the chocolates I give the thumbs up to!
However, I do have to ignore your comment about the orange chocolate 
I want the caramel one now! 
And definitely make sure to report back on your factory tour.
I actually like the choc and chilli combination, especially in hot chocolate. Such a winter wamer, you feel me?
It’s one of my favourite combinations
My boss just mentioned that she’s never had, nor is interested in trying, chilli chocolate, and I think my mind imploded. 
This sounds delicious, I would not complain either! I haven’t seen another blog dedicated to chocolate tasting notes/reviews. You are unique, it must be tough having to eat different chocolates…:)
It’s a hard life.
There actually are quite a few chocolate review blogs out there, though I think my point of difference is that chocolate reviewing is only one part of my blog, not its whole focus. Thank you!
Oh! This was so exciting! I’m thrilled you liked it
And so happy I was able to send it to you – this was a wonderful surprise to read on a Thursday night.
Oh golly, Kari, I’m so delighted that my review made you happy, particularly considering how happy you made me with your kindness and loveliness and generosity
xo
Sacre bleu! I’ve yet to try this chocolate but I feel like I should make an effort to try it. And imagine living near a chocolate factory? Would you not be the most visited person among your friends?
Surely you could twist a WA tourism company’s arm into getting you a personalised tour at the factory, Lorraine!
Of course, you’d have to take me with you, as thanks for showing you the existence of the chocolate…
I see you turning into the Chocolate Buddah with willing disciples bringing bars of chocolate to worship at your feet
Of course I admire the cleverness of making friends living near chocolate factories and you couldn’t do better than Kari, who is a lovely blogger.
Bahaha! To be honest, I already feel a bit that way; I honestly don’t understand why I deserve all these wonderful, kind-hearted gifts of chocolate from all over the world! It’s truly amazing and humbling
Hannah, you sure know how to make one crave chocolate! I used to be a hard core milk chocolate only person, but about 10 years ago or so, I pretty much stopped eating it and switched over to dark. Maybe once or twice a year, I buy myself a bar of milk chocolate, usually with whole hazelnuts in it. But spicy milk chocolate, now that’s on a different planet altogether – a planet worth visiting!
Teehee, thank you Karen! Even as a child, I preferred dark chocolate to milk chocolate, but as you can see I’m not averse to a good quality milk when interesting flavours are involved
Which is probably why I have so many Vosges bars up my sleeve 
Now that I’ve successfully upped my spice tolerance, bars like this are much easier for me to deal with. One might say (that one being me) that I even enjoy them!
Is it generally as tough to find WA chocolate in your neck of the woods as it is for me to find chocolate from the U.S. West Coast [except Theo]?
Yes, absolutely. I’ve never seen this chocolate on the East Coast of Australia. Which makes me a little sadface but, then again, I’d prefer Canberra’s Curious Chocolatier chocolates in a pinch anyway
What an exciting bar of chocolate! I’m always disappointed with the flavored chocolates that are too subtle in their advertised flavor. Love that this one had a real personality!
Ooooh, MILK and chilli combined together – I’d dearly love to try that combination. I haven’t seen any here though, so might just have to make some myself…..
Oooh, are you going to open an Aussie chocolate factory in your newfound home? That would be BRILLIANT.
chili and chocolate reminds me of mexican chocolate. have u had their hot chocolate before? has a spicy kick to it. u would love it!
Whose hot chocolate? Do you mean Taza?
hot chocolate from the country of mexico!
Well, that’s a bit tricky for me to get all the way down here in Australia
haha ironically enough, I enjoy that tingling sensation in the back of my throat too
we are eating masochists in the best sense of the word 
A chocolate masochist…. yep, I can live with that label
Yup, I love sweet and spicy women! They are so much fun.
Is there a chocolate like that? Oh! I think I said this the wrong way round
Hahahaha! Love it!
I’ve tried a few chili chocolates and I just can’t seem to wrap my mind around sweet chocolate with the spice of chili.
How funny! I tried it for the first time when I was 14, and it was instant love. But I’ll never accept chocolate and orange
I prefer chilli in milk chocolate, even though I am most definitely a dark chocolate girl. I think it is because the sweetness works so well with the heat of the chilli. I must now figure out a way to bribe my WA friends to send this tantalising treat over my way!
I think this is the first time I’ve seen a chilli chocolate that uses milk chocolate; all the others I’ve had are dark. I think both work, but I do get what you mean!
I love chocolate and chilli combined… LOVE IT.. I knew that was why we could be good friends.. this love (and Disney) will bind us together!! Rather like meat glue, but in a less sticky situation
Bahaha! Oh, I-Hua, if there’s one surefire way to make me lose my chocolate appetite, it’s by talking about “meat glue”. Hahaha! So looking forward to your mango chilli chocolate!
Why do I always read your blog when I’m starving and there’s no chocolate to be found in my house?! Haha! If it wasn’t dark, I’d consider walking to a grocery store to pick up a bar. Your descriptions make me drool!
Teehee, thanks Kate! I can’t imagine living without chocolate in the house
Sounds great!
I’ve never had chili in a chocolate, but I can imagine it goes very well. 
Oh gosh, then you should’ve kept that Chilli Viviani for yourself rather than sending it to me, Kath!
Chocolate with chili is DELECTABLE!! I’ve only ever tried the Lindt dark choc kind, though.
It DOES tickle one’s throat, now that I think about it!
ps. Love your “chain of events” storytelling…hehe.
Teehee, my boss, work colleague, and I made our way through a block of Lindt Chilli and Lindt 85% yesterday; I love them both! And thank you Sarah
Mm, I love chocolates that are offset by a touch of spice. I can’t really eat a whole, plain chocolate bar, but one that’s got some heat and excitement, you can bet it will be gone in a flash.
Just lately, I’ve met several people who refuse to even try chocolate with chilli, as they don’t believe it could work. Thanks heavens there are still sane people like you out there, Hannah!
Seriously, that is crazy! Some of the best stuff is Mexican chocolate, with those nuanced spices that really accentuate the cocoa notes themselves. I was just scheming about a “hot” fudge sauce for my ice cream cookbook, too.
Ooooooooh! Can you make it really thick and divine and gloriously heady with chilli and cinnamon? Pleeeeease?
Oh yes, that is the goal! I’ll start working more seriously on the recipe as soon as we get a sunny day… No sense in making it when I can’t get a decent photo at the same time! If you were interested, maybe you could do a mini recipe test for me on just that one..
*hyperventilates a little bit*
Oh, Hannah, really and truly? I honestly can’t even express how deliriously happy that would make me!
I want one now! But seriously, this reminds me that the way I ended up reconciling the sticky-sweet disappointment that was Bovetti’s milk chocolate with caramel and salt was to eat it simultaneously with the espelette pepper dark chocolate. I think you would approve.
Oh, Camille, I most certainly do approve! I approve EXPONENTIALLY! And, in turn, I hope you approve of my sandwiching the rice peanut butter krispie slice I just posted with 85% Lindt
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