cocoapod’s “I ♥ DAD” personalised chocolate bar, a chucky chocolate bar decorated with a transfer and I love Dad spelt out with chocolate letters and a foil wrapped chocolate heart.

This is the predesigned “long word” version of the bar, meaning that the letters are already chosen for you, making it perfect as a Father’s Day gift, but you can still choose the flavour of chocolate, the background design and the colour of the foil on the heart.

I really like the look of this bar, fun and playful chocolate. The letters used remind me of fridge magnet letters and the fact you can choose from five types of chocolate and over twelve foil designs means you can personalise it properly.

The chocolate heart is the same flavour as the lettering, in this case white chocolate, sweet but buttery and light. The milk chocolate bar is quite thick, about half a centimetre; the cocoa taste is quite mild but very smooth and beautifully creamy with the classic taste of Belgian chocolate that is very moreish!

There are two other sizes of personalised chocolate bars available from the cocoapod build-a-bar range; the “mini word” and “giant word”. All three of the different sizes can be customised, you can have letters and foil wrapped chocolate hearts or just letters, making them perfect for all occasions and events.

All of the chocolate bars, not matter the size, are packaged in a clear box keeping them safe and making them very easy to wrap.

Chocolate to have fun with!

£5.00, 85g.

Conscious Chocolate, raw chocolate bar The Nutty One. 50% cocoa with a selection of chopped nuts, naturally sweetened.

I love the look and packaging of this bar, presented in a pillow box with the chocolate bar wrapped in a piece of tissue paper. It’s more likely to be grease proof paper, bit that doesn’t sound quite as good.

The bar is almost the shame shape as the box, rounded and tapering to a tip on both sides and squared off at the ends. It has a rather rustic and homely appearance, jagged edges and little bits falling off that really add to its charm.

The smell is amazing, an aroma of good quality cocoa power mixed with the natural sweetener, agave nectar. It actually smells sticky!

The chocolate is soft and as it melts the slightly sweeten bitterness of the cocoa is released, leaving behind the nutty pieces to crunch and chew on. The bar is packed with nuts, coarsely chopped brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and cashews. The flavour hints more towards cocoa nibs than dark chocolate, but you do get the cocoa hit.

Made with 50% cocoa from Ecuador and naturally sweetened a high-quality chocolate bar and something different for the dark chocolate and nut lover.

£2.88, 40g.

Labelled: Dairy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Soya Free.

The Orange Mantra, a 65% cocoa organic dark chocolate bar with natural orange oil.

This dark chocolate and orange bar from Chocolate & Love has two wrappers; the outer is paper, a very dark black design with white writing and the name of the bar “Orange Mantra” highlighted in brown.

The inner wrapper is a white cellophane, heat sealed, with a very handy rip line that takes the end off the wrapper off exposing one end of the bar.

The chocolate itself is a rich dark brown, with a good sheen and crisp snap, and is sectioned into breaking squares with a grid design on each square.

The warming smell of the oranges and dark chocolate is rather fantastic, not too strong but just aromatic enough. The orange essence isn’t immediately released as you eat it, you first get a hint of bitterness followed by the cocoa notes and as the chocolate starts to melt the sweet orange is released, combining with the dark chocolate and filling your mouth with the rich flavours.

I love the combination of fruit and chocolate, especially when oils are used, as it changes the taste completely blending with the chocolate and running though out the bar, rather than having chunks of fruit or layer of flavour.

Because of the orange and dark chocolate combination it reminds me of Green & Black’s Maya Gold, but without the spices. Chocolate & Love‘s bar is more fruity with a crisper flavour, and is lighter due to the slightly lower cocoa content, I am a big fan of both bars but would have to say I prefer “Orange Mantra”.

Made from 100% organic ingredients including; orange oil pressed in Italy, whole cane sugar and ground vanilla.

£2.90 for 100g of dark chocolate with natural orange.

Labelled: Organic, Gluten Free, Preservative Free, Vegetarian, Dairy Free and Vegan.

The Amedei Porcelana chocolate bar, a bitter dark chocolate bar, made from the rarest cocoa bean in the world and one of the most expensive chocolates available.

Porcelana comes from small plantations in Venezuela, South America and is a variety of Criollo (T. cacao var. Criollo); the name, Porcelana, comes from the colour of the cocoa bean which is translucent Porcelain white. Criollo is one of the rarest type cocoa because it is difficult to grow, susceptible to disease and has a lower crop yield thank other varieties.

The bitter dark chocolate bar is 70% cocoa, single origin and single variety, allowing all the complex favours of the Porcelana bean to flourish.

Amedei only produce a limited number of the Amedei Porcelana bar, 20,000 per season and each bar is individually numbered.

Due to the amount of awards and accreditations chocolate made from the Criollo cocoa bean receives, is is considered to be the finest chocolate available and is highly prized. Amedei’s Porcelana bar has been awarded numerous awards including “Best Dark Chocolate Bar” and Academy of Chocolate Gold.

£7.50, 50g.

An impressively large slab of rich dark chocolate with dark chocolate shapes pressed into the thick bar to add extra texture,

Made from Hotel Chocolat’s 74% cocoa content chocolate this slab is perfect for the dark chocolate lover. Presented in an elegantly designed bag with a handle, the Dark on Dark Slab makes and ideal gift.

£13.50, 500g of wonderful rich dark chocolate.

Labelled: Vegetarian, Vegan, Nut Free, Gluten Free, Milk Free, Alcohol Free and Egg Free.

An award winning, single origin, dark chocolate bar from French chocolatier Michel Cluizel, with a minimum 65% cocoa solids.

From the single plantation chocolate bar range, “1ers Crus de Plantation”, the Mangaro Noir is from the Mangaro plantation in Madagascar.

The Madagascan beans have complex multilayered flavours and aromas, with an exotic edge. The dark chocolate bar is highly perfumed with range of exotic fruits, in the very familiar dark chocolate scent; the taste has a slight suggestion of ginger and spices and a hint of honey, on top of citrus.

Michel Cluizel’s Mangaro Noir bar was awarded a one star gold at the 2008 Great Taste Awards in the dark chocolate bars category, by the Guild of Fine Food.

£3.95, 100g of complex dark chocolate..