Cocoa Hernando make gourmet chocolate bars inspired by their globetrotting travels. The latest flavour in the range is Syria, a rose dark chocolate. I’m a rose fiend so when I heard about this new bar I had to try it.

The tale behind this bar is a visit to Damascus where a confectionery stall holder was handing out rose petal sweets and shared tales of the mystical whirling dervishes. And so we have a rose flavoured bar with a beautiful illustration of whirling dervishes on the packaging.

The rose in the Syria chocolate bar comes from rose otto oil and is balanced in the dark chocolate so it isn’t overly perfumed or cloying. Delicious.

Cocoa Hernando are donating 10% of the profits of this bar, stating as follows:

“10% profits of this bar go to a Syrian Humanitarian Appeal in association with The Philanthropy Club. The Philanthropy Club’s Syria Humanitarian Appeal aims to reduce the health burden on Syria’s internally displaced persons (an estimated 6.5 million people). These are some of the things that will be carried out under the project: – distribution of medicines – deployment of medical specialists – donation of critical medical equipment – establishment of a centralised blood bank – rehabilitation of health facilities – establishment of psychosocial support programmes.”

You can read about the rest of the range inspired by India, Mexico and Morocco here

Cocoa Hernando Syria, 70g, £5, cocoahernando.com

Cocoa Hernando Syria 70% Dark Chocolate with Damascan Rose ingredients: cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, rose otto oil, emulsifier: soya lecithin, natural vanilla flavouring.