All the chocolates are meticulously made by hand, using only the finest, freshest and original ingredients – fresh farm cream, roasted nuts, exotic liqueurs, amongst others.

It’s not everyday a blogger has the pleasure of “reviewing” gourmet chocolate, but Richard Von Geusau of Von Geusau Chocolates in Greyton gave me that chance this week. We met at the gorgeous Melissa’s in Newlands where he delivered my package – me awaiting him in eager anticipation! Over cappuccinos, he watched me sample the first of 3 slabs he gave me. My reviews of each are below – please bear in mind I am no choccie expert, however I know a good Cape delight when I see one! But how can we truly find words to describe these bite-sized morsels of heaven? Here goes…

Meerkat Milk Chocolate

Before I begin, I feel I ought to warn you – tasting this chocolate will corrupt you forever.

In the case the Meerkat Milk Chocolate, a small piece placed on the tongue unleashes the most amazing set of flavours. There’s very little initial sweetness or bags of lush, rosey, well-rounded flavours from the Von Geusau Meerkat Milk Rooibos. It floods the mouth with a kind of ‘essence of pure milk chocolate’. To me, this is what all milk chocolate should taste like, with the cocoa flavours completely dominant + only a hint of sweetness beneath the milky, rich tones.

Richard has mixed in the essential oil Rose Geranium with the Milk Chocolate to produce 110g of rose-scented seduction. I will have a very hard time eating any milk chocolate after this, I’m afraid!

Dark Salted Caramel

This chocolate has a smooth earthiness that quickly gives way to a salty richness which lingers for quite a while, leaving behind a wonderfully caramel chocolatey taste. It’s surprisingly moreish for a dark chocolate bar with such an exotic taste. Well worth seeking out in my books!

Like with all his slabs, the packaging is very up-market. Slim box, gold/silver/purple foil, tastefully illustrated.

The overall verdict on this slab is that it’s made of very high quality ingredients. Both the chocolate + the caramel are – as one might expect – excellent. A great blend if I do say so myself!

The richness of the aromas, the subtlety of the fillings and the lushness of the covering will delight every taste bud.

Espresso Dark Chocolate

So the world of dark chocolate is still a mixed bag which isn’t for the meek, but it does pay dividends if you are willing to take the plunge. In this instance, The 50g Von Geasau 70% Dark Espresso Chocolate slab’s robust dark chocolate balances perfectly with the espresso flavour to create a well-rounded chocolate bar.

Coffee is clearly the predominant flavour here. But it’s not overwhelming, like so many coffee-flavoured choccies. In fact, after a few seconds, the chocolate flavours make themselves known, first with creamy, malty, then sweet espresso notes. The coffee is still there all the time, but the chocolate flavours grow as it melts.

Another interesting aspect of this particular bar is the texture. It’s incredibly smooth for a coffee flavoured bar. One gets so used to chocolate with a pronounced texture of ground coffee that this took me by surprise. From the texture alone, you’d think this was a pure dark chocolate.

I don’t know whether to thank Richard Von Geusau for giving me this hamper or not. I’ll never eat a piece of chocolate again without casting my mind back to the day I opened these wrappers. I’ve been corrupted forever!

The creation of Richard’s fine artisinal chocolates starts with the best of chocolate couvertures procured from a renowned Belgian supplier; the chocolate distinguishes itself by its high cocoa percentage, and absence of artificial flavours and vegetable fats.

Where To Find The Von Geusau Team?

The Oak & Vigne Cafe, Ds Botha Rd, Greyton. Greyton is about an hour and a half’s drive outside of Cape Town. Click here for their stylish website + e-mail vgv@mweb.co.za for orders. Follow their story on Facebook + Twitter. 

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