Have you tried the Ugandan chocolate? 

Muyenga-based Equator Chocolate takes pride that their artisanal chocolates are “produced from ethically sourced cocoa beans grown in Uganda and consist only of natural ingredients produced in Uganda.”

Understandable, because few products come with exploitation and income inequality in the world than chocolate. Majority of growers of cocoa - the main ingredient of chocolate – have never seen, never mind tasted, chocolate, because they are paid so lowly to afford it. 

Equator picks its cocoa seeds from Bundibugyo, western Uganda and their varieties are the usual white chocolate that consists of 34 per cent cocoa, milk chocolate consisting of 40 per cent cocoa and the dark chocolate consisting of 70 per cent cocoa. 

The white chocolate because of its colour and texture gives off a false impression that it is full of milk. You hardly taste milk therein; it is chalky and is the least chocolaty of all the varieties. 

This is because white chocolate hardly has any cocoa and is made of mainly cocoa butter/oil (squeezed out of cocoa seeds) rather than the cocoa seed mass itself. It comes off as an ordinary sweet kitchen solution.   

The milk chocolate arguably the chocoholic’s favourite - very cravable – is sweet, chocolaty with a slightly roasty-toasty umami taste. It is the most balanced of the three varieties. Although it lacks the mouth explosions usually associated with some imported varieties, it still has the gliding aftertaste.  

As for their dark chocolate, it is probably loved more by the chefs than the direct eaters. It is dry, earthy and bitter. Like dark chocolate should be. Heavy coffee drinkers might also like it but the chefs would love it more for making cake mousses or desserts.

No worries for the Muslims; the chocolates are certified by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council. The 7g bar goes for Shs 1,000, the 45g bar costs Shs 6,000 while the 1kg bar goes for Shs 45,000. 

fkisakye@observer.ug