Kokopelli’s Chocolate: A Mouthwatering Review

A chocolate review of Kokopelli’s Chocolate. This artisan chocolatier specialises in handmade fresh cream confections made with only top quality natural ingredients.

Eating good quality chocolates made by an artisan producer is a privilege and one that I have been fortunate enough to enjoy on the odd occasion. I recently had the pleasure of receiving a box of Kokopelli’s handmade fresh chocolates.

Kokopelli’s Chocolate

I’ve been following the story of Kokopelli’s Chocolate since its founder Steph Saffer entered one of my We Should Cocoa challenges, the blackcurrant one, back in July last year. The business has been going from strength to strength since then. As well as selling her chocolates from her online shop, Steph also sells at various markets in London and holds workshops and hen party events – chocolate over some stripper would do it for me any day.

Kokopelli is an ancient Native American deity. Depicted as a hump backed flute player, he travels around spreading joy and fertility as he goes. This cheeky and creative character is an apt symbol for Steph’s imaganative and joyful chocolates. She explains: “some say he originated in Olmec society, the first people to discover the revered cocoa bean and produce chocolate“. 

The box arrived well packaged and in perfect condition. With its distinctive livery, turquoise, brown and gold, the box looks good and invites further investigation. Tied with a brown ribbon, I thought it looked particularly stylish. After taking a quick peek inside, I inhaled deeply and breathed in the rich aroma of chocolate. It’s not until I have done this that I feel I can sit back and admire the chocolates within, which I duly did.

Nestled in the brown and gold packaging, sat some beautiful shiny chocolates. Kokopelli uses one of the best chocolate couvertures available, Valrhona.

Then it was time for the camera. Despite my eagerness to consume, I derive a perverse pleasure in delayed gratification; so much of the enjoyment is in the anticipation. After all, these are not chocolates to scoff in order to assuage a sugar craving, they are chocolates to linger over and savour.

I was not disappointed: the flavours were interesting and punchy. None of them were too sweet and like all good quality fresh chocolates, the flavours lingered on the palate long after the chocolate has disappeared.

It’s been great to finally try Steph’s chocolates, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I wish her every success with Kokopelli’s Chocolate. If you’d like to find out more, there is a great ten minute documentary video on the Kokopelli Chocolate site.

Kokopelli’s Chocolate: The Verdict 

Peanut Butter Praline

Although the sea salt caramel beckoned, I was so intrigued by the peanut butter praline, that I just had to try this one first. No mistaking the peanut butter here, it tasted of Whole Earth peanuts without the vast quantities of sugar and salt found in so many brands. And they tasted freshly roasted too. The dark chocolate casing was just what was needed to support the robust flavour.

Raspberry & Black Pepper

There is a real mix of flavours and sensations going on here: tart fruity raspberries, with a hint of heat and spice from the pepper and then the bitterness of dark chocolate. CT found the pepper helped ground the sweetness of the fruit.

Sea Salt Caramel

Beautiful to behold, in the shape of a cocoa bean and dusted with gold, I could resist this one no longer. Sadly there was only one in the box. Oh, how I love salted caramel. Covered in dark chocolate, this one had a touch of salt that really brought out the caramel flavour without overwhelming it as some salted caramels do.

I would have preferred the caramel to be a little more liquid and a higher proportion of caramel to chocolate, but those are minor quibbles. It was totally delicious.

Ginger Triangle

A smooth chocolate truffle heavily flavoured with ginger, It had a thin coating of milk chocolate which is my idea of heaven and I think my favourite so far. CT agreed, an indulgent pleasure.

I can imagine eating several of these and kidding myself they are good for me; it’s the ginger you see. Although sweeter than some, it left a very pleasant heat in the mouth. This is definitely one for ginger lovers.

Roasted Hazelnut

The thin coating of white chocolate was just right. White chocolate is very sweet and can be overpowering in excess. The hazelnut praline was full of texture, smooth in parts but also with a slight crunch and yes, it really did taste of roasted hazelnuts.

I don’t normally associate white chocolate with nuts, but this combination worked very well.

Lime

A smooth ganache with a thin coating of dark chocolate. CT described this one as deliciously sour. I found it a bit overpowering and it had a slightly drying feel in the mouth. Not, I hasten to add, that I would refuse a second one.

Sesame & Honey

Covered in thin dark chocolate this one was reminiscent of halva, but not so sweet or gritty and with a milder taste. Both CT and I thoroughly approved. We found it rich and filling, but in a very pleasant way.

Earl Grey

A smooth truffle filling, covered in a thin coating of very prettily decorated milk chocolate. This was sweeter than some of the others, however, the fruity notes with sour overtones in the chocolate offset the sweetness nicely. This would go very nicely with a cup of Earl Grey, the warm tea volatilising all those lovely flavourful molecules.

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you ever try Kokopelli’s chocolates, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

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If you’d like to see more chocolate reviews, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them.

Choclette x

Steph sent me a box of her chocolates for review purposes. She did not expect me to write a positive review and all opinions are, as always, my own. Thanks for your support of the brands and organisations that help to keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging.