Pure Peruvian – 100% Dark Chocolate Bar, Raw Cacao, Ceremonial Criollo, Unsweetened – 35g

What a 100% dark chocolate bar should taste like

Pure Peruvian is chocolate with nothing added, so what you taste is the cacao itself. The first moment is intense, and then, as it warms on your tongue, it opens into dried fruit, plum and a light floral edge, with a smooth, almost creamy melt rather than the dry, chalky texture that can put people off 100%.

“People often tell me they tried 100% once and never again, and I understand why. My own first 100% bar was made from average cacao and had none of the taste or subtlety I wanted. It took months of trying different cacaos to find the Criollo we use now.”
Ben Popple, founder of Mr Popple’s Chocolate

Why this Criollo chocolate bar tastes different

Criollo is a fine-flavour cacao variety, and ours is single-origin, from a farmers’ cooperative in Peru. We never roast it: the beans are fermented for five days and sun-dried, then stone-ground and conched for 60 to 80 hours, kept below 42°C the whole way through, where standard chocolate is roasted at 120-150°C. Each small batch is then tempered and moulded by hand.

Of all our peruvian chocolate, this is the one bar with nothing added to the cacao.

Independently tested by Oxford Brookes

Our Pure Peruvian was top for antioxidants and polyphenols in an independent Oxford Brookes test. Nothing was added to earn that result, because the cacao was simply never roasted.

Customers rate Mr Popple’s Chocolate 4.6 on Trustpilot and 5.0 on Google, and 100% recommend us on Facebook.

How to enjoy unsweetened chocolate

Take your time with it. Break off a small piece and let it melt on your tongue rather than chewing, and give it about thirty seconds: the first intensity fades, the cacao warms and the fruit comes through underneath.

It also makes a lovely base for hot cacao, ceremonial cacao drinks and raw desserts, and because there’s no sweetener in it, you decide how sweet the finished cup or recipe ends up.

Where to go next

If a 100% dark chocolate bar feels like a big step, our yacon-sweetened Atey Ate% 88% bar is a kinder place to start, made from the same raw Criollo cacao.

Our monthly letterbox chocolate subscriptions let you choose your bars and have them posted through your door early each month, with free P&P.

Contains naturally occurring sugars.

Available in 35g bars.

Allergy information: Free from the top 14 allergens ✔ No gluten-containing ingredients ✔ No dairy ✔ No soya ✔ No nuts ✔ No palm oil ✔

Made in our dedicated vegan, dairy-free and nut-free facility under stringent HACCP controls, and every ingredient in this bar comes from suppliers who don’t handle nuts. As a small-batch maker we don’t carry out end-product allergen testing, so we can’t offer a legal guarantee. If you have a severe allergy, please get in touch and we’ll talk it through.

Pure Peruvian FAQs

What does Pure Peruvian taste like?
Intense at first, then surprisingly fruity once it warms on your tongue, with notes of dried fruit, plum and a light floral edge. The melt is smooth and almost creamy, rather than the gritty, chalky texture that can put people off 100% chocolate.

How do I eat 100% chocolate if it’s so strong?
Slowly, by letting a small piece melt on your tongue instead of chewing it. Give it about thirty seconds and the first intensity fades, the cacao warms and the fruitier notes come through. It’s worth trying a second piece before you make up your mind.

Does it contain sugar?
There’s no added sugar. Pure Peruvian is unsweetened and contains nothing but raw cacao, so the only sugars are the ones that occur naturally in the bean, at 1.0g per 100g. That makes it a low sugar chocolate with no sugar crash, and it’s high in fibre too, at 22.1g per 100g.

Is it vegan, gluten-free and keto-friendly?
Yes. It’s made from raw cacao alone, with no dairy or other animal ingredients and no gluten-containing ingredients, so it’s vegan and gluten-free. Pure Peruvian is also keto-friendly and paleo-friendly, and it’s free from the top 14 allergens.

Is it free from nuts and other allergens?
It’s free from the top 14 allergens and made in our dedicated vegan, dairy-free and nut-free facility under stringent HACCP controls, with ingredients from suppliers who don’t handle nuts. We don’t carry out end-product allergen testing, so we can’t offer a legal guarantee. If you have a severe allergy, please get in touch.

Where does the cacao come from, and how is it packaged?
Our cacao is single-origin Criollo from a farmers’ cooperative in Peru, fermented for five days and sun-dried. Our packaging has been plastic-free since we started in 2007, right down to the parcel tape: certified home-compostable inner wrapping, an outer box of recyclable FSC card printed with vegetable inks, and plastic-free alternatives to bubble wrap.

Can I cook or bake with it?
Yes. As an unsweetened chocolate bar, it works well in hot cacao, raw desserts and any recipe where you want to set the sweetness yourself. For hot cacao, melt it into warm plant-based mylk and sweeten to taste.

What size is it, and how is it delivered?
Pure Peruvian comes as a 35g bar. Orders are posted in letterbox-friendly boxes, and UK delivery is free on orders over £25, so it’s worth adding a few more bars or a collection to your basket.