Hotel Chocolat: Mint Crisp

I guess I already opened the door for Christmas talk on this blog by posting about Hotel Chocolat’s Cinnamon Crunch bar on Monday.

Sigh.

Well, time to embrace it. Let’s talk mint chocolate now. Mint chocolate like this Hotel Chocolat mint crisp bar, which has a 70% cacao dark chocolate base with essential oil of peppermint and mint crisps both mixed in.

The bar has a clear mint aroma (Really? You don’t say.), but what is notable is that this aroma is natural and not at all artificial, resembling fresh mint leaves more than mint extract.

The chocolate is a bit dry, but the melt is buttery in nature with a subtle mint flavor throughout and a very slight hint of coffee. The mint crisps are very small, and are not intrusive but don’t really add much to the bar. The mint addition is refreshing, and the bar is balanced, but it’s not one of my favorite Hotel Chocolat creations – really, the Lemon Cheesecake bar is much better.

Not that I wouldn’t eat another one of these bars tomorrow. Or Friday.

Does mint chocolate remind you of Christmas?