Review: Hägeland Uganda

Lindy's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

Richard's Rating: 6.0 (previously **)

chocolate maker Hägeland bar Uganda region Uganda plantation (blend) cacao trees Forastero year (unknown) size 100g ~ 3.5oz cocoa solids 80% added fat cocoa butter sweetener sugar emulsifier (none) flavoring vanilla other ingredients (none) list price N/A

color dark brown texture smooth aroma strong earthy (mushroom), smoky, spice (not quite clove), hint of nuts snap medium-hard taste earthy, coffee, hints of smoke, ash, and fruit melt smooth length minimal-short finish slightly bitter

This Hägeland Uganda bar comes to us thanks to Phillip (who hosted our recent blind chocolate tasting). He found this bar at a Walmart store.

Hägeland is a Belgian chocolate maker that distributes their chocolate exclusively through Walmart in the United States. The bars are not presently available online, nor in all Walmart stores, and the prices vary by store. I phoned several local Washington State Walmarts until I found them currently available at the Federal Way Walmart Supercenter for $2.28 (usually $2.99).

Hägeland's Uganda bars are made from Forastero cacao beans from Uganda. The color of this bar was a dark brown and unleashed a strong earthy aroma that we decided was mushroom. Other aromas we noticed included a smoky roast, a spice we couldn't quite identify that seemed similar to clove, and a hint of nuts.

I found the taste similarly earthy, but Lindy found the flavor to be more of a roast that she experienced as coffee. We also both tasted hints of ash, smoke and fruit. The melt was average and the length was on the minimal side of short. The final aftertaste was a slight bitterness.

Overall, a good ** bar that we both found more interesting than what we consider the standard of **, the Lindt Excellence bars, and sometimes less expensive, too.