Green & Black’s Chocolate

 A British Favourite That Still Feels Special

There are certain foods that do more than satisfy a craving they carry memories. For me, Green & Black’s chocolate is one of them.

Long before I photographed these beautiful bars on my table, I was writing about Green & Black’s while at college in London. As part of my research into chocolate, I became fascinated by what makes one bar taste ordinary while another feels rich, complex and memorable.

I have always been a foodie, curious about ingredients, flavour, texture and the stories behind the things we eat. At one point, I was completely hooked on the original Green & Black’s dark chocolate the thick, chunky, almost brick-like bar that felt satisfyingly substantial in your hand. Breaking off a piece was part of the experience. It was bold, grown-up chocolate, and there was nothing delicate or forgettable about it.

A Little Green & Black’s History

Green & Black’s began in London in 1991, founded by organic-food pioneer Craig Sams and journalist Josephine “Jo” Fairley. The brand was created around the idea that chocolate could be both luxurious and thoughtfully produced.

Even the name tells a story: “Green” represents the company’s organic and environmental principles, while “Black” reflects the deep, dark intensity of its chocolate.

In 1994, the company made British chocolate history with Maya Gold, a dark chocolate bar inspired by a traditional cocoa-and-spice drink from Belize. Blended with orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, Maya Gold became the first chocolate bar in the UK to receive the Fairtrade Mark. That achievement helped give Green & Black’s a distinctive place in Britain’s modern chocolate story. Green & Black’s history Fairtrade Foundation

What Makes It Different?

Green & Black’s has never felt like ordinary, sugary chocolate to me. Its character comes from the cocoa.

The flavour is deeper and more layered, especially in the dark varieties. Instead of tasting only sweetness, you notice bitterness, acidity, fruitiness, warmth and the lingering taste of cocoa. It encourages you to slow down and actually taste what you are eating.

The Organic 70% Dark bar has a particularly simple ingredient list: cocoa mass, cane sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla extract. Its high cocoa content gives it richness and depth, while the vanilla helps round out the sharper edges. Green & Black’s Organic 70% Dark

The brand also uses an intensity scale to help chocolate lovers understand what to expect from each bar. It considers the cocoa percentage, sweetness and overall strength of flavour. I love this idea because choosing chocolate should be about more than simply deciding between milk and dark—it should be about finding the experience that suits your taste. Green & Black’s intensity scale

Tasting the Collection

The four bars pictured show just how varied chocolate can be.

Organic Milk – 37% Cocoa

This is creamy and comforting, but it still has enough cocoa to give it character. It is richer than the very sweet milk chocolate many of us grew up eating. This is a lovely choice when you want something smooth, familiar and satisfying without moving fully into dark-chocolate territory.

Organic Ginger – 50% Cocoa

The ginger bar may be the most playful of the collection. The smooth dark chocolate is lifted by pieces of crystallised ginger, giving it warmth, sweetness and a gentle fiery kick. The ginger arrives after the cocoa and makes every bite feel lively and unexpected. Green & Black’s Organic Ginger

Organic Dark – 70% Cocoa

This is the classic for me the bar that brings back memories of London, college and my chocolate research. It is dark and full-bodied without being overwhelmingly bitter. There is enough sweetness to create balance, but the cocoa remains the star.

It is the type of chocolate I prefer to break into small pieces and enjoy slowly with tea or coffee.

Organic Dark – 85% Cocoa

This is the most intense of the four. It is bold, slightly bitter and almost savoury, with organic vanilla used to soften and balance the strength of the cocoa. It is not a bar to rush. A small piece is enough to deliver a long, deep chocolate experience. Green & Black’s Organic 85% Dark

Quality You Can Taste

For me, quality chocolate is not defined only by beautiful packaging or a high cocoa percentage. It is about balance, texture, aroma and what remains on the palate after the chocolate has melted.

Green & Black’s feels distinctive because its bars invite you to notice those details. The milk chocolate is creamy without losing its cocoa identity. The 70% is deep but balanced. The 85% offers serious intensity, while the ginger bar proves that an added flavour can complement the chocolate rather than hide it.

Its organic heritage and longstanding relationship with Fairtrade also give the brand a story beyond taste. Green & Black’s says nature has inspired its chocolate since 1991, and in 2024 it celebrated 30 years as a Fairtrade-certified chocolate brand. Green & Black’s story

More Than Just a Chocolate Bar

Coming across Green & Black’s again takes me back to the period when I was studying in London, researching chocolate and following my curiosity as a foodie. I remember that first thick, chunky bar and how different it seemed from everything else on the shelf.

Years later, I still appreciate the satisfying snap when a piece is broken, the substantial shape of the bar and the way the flavour slowly develops as it melts.

Green & Black’s may now be familiar to many people, but it has not lost what first made it interesting to me. It is rich, unmistakably British and rooted in an important period of organic and Fairtrade food history.

Most of all, it reminds me that food is never only about eating. Sometimes, one square of chocolate can take you back to another city, another chapter of your life and the beginning of a lifelong curiosity.

Written by Ray of Sunna