Are you starting to come out of hibernation, stepping back into a world you’d largely retreated from for the past three months? Maybe with hair a different colour than it was back in March? Maybe with a six pack if you’ve been doing Chloe Ting, such as I haven’t. Maybe you can now run for 5km, such as I can (one run = half a bar of chocolate). What might be needed (aside from things like health guarantees and economic viability) is a blend of comfort and a little kickass.
This is where lively milks come in. Whereas creamy milks are all about lying back in half-eyed enjoyment, lively milks provide the familiarity of milk chocolate but with a more sprightly cocoa bean that provides a metaphorical, up-and-at-’em shoulder-shake.
Duffy’s Honduras Mayan Milk, (£6.95, duffyschocolate.co.uk) is 61% criollo cocoa beans (super rare). The beans are highly aromatic and super fruity smelling and tasting. This is excellent if you like your dark milks to deliver a little electric shock of taste.
Land’s 54% Guatemalan Milk (£5.50/60g, landchocolate.com) has raisin notes (there are no actual raisins in it) which add an edge of acidity. Good for when you can’t make up your mind: is it fruity bright, is it creamy? You decide.
Bullion’s Fine Milk (£5.95/63g, bullionchocolate.com) is the mildest of the three, a rich 50% cocoa from Ecuador. Milk powder is the second ingredient here so it’s, well, milkier. A chameleon chocolate: it seemed to change at each eating, going from a soothing, slightly old-fashioned butterscotch to something a bit more invigorating.
