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Ben & Jerry's is a legendary name in the ice cream business, synonymous with great big chunks of toppings and fillings, with clear and punchy flavours.
I love it so much I once stayed in a Ben & Jerry's themed cabin on a cruise ship, partly for the kitsch décor and partly for the free daily Ben & Jerry's treat as compensation for staring at a cow's behind from the window.
While I enjoy trialling the new B&J flavours that come and go, Chocolate Fudge Brownie is unsurprisingly my go-to flavour. Chocolate ice cream with chewy chocolate brownie pieces. What's not to love?
That's the same thought of Dutch brand Tony's Chocolonely, which set about creating a mashup based around this flavour. The result is a 42% dark milk chocolate with brownie pieces. I asked Tony's on socials whether the brownie pieces were actual Ben & Jerry's brownie pieces, and was met with radio silence.
I forgot all about it. Then, for my birthday, my son bought me this bar and I could finally get my long awaited answer. Such a good lad!
Packaging
The packaging follows a similar line to other Tony's Chocolonely bars in that it features large print text, a vivid colour scheme, and a paper wrapper. There's a subtle nod to the Ben & Jerry's partnership here too, with the Ben & Jerry's logo at the top, the rolling green hills graphic, and the Chocolate Love A-fair font choice.
The rear of the packaging details the ingredients and nutritional information.
Tony's Chocolonely x Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Love A-Fair Dark Milk Brownie ingredients:
Sugar, cocoa mass, dried whole milk, cocoa butter, brownie pieces (11%) (sugar, wheat flour, sunflower oil, humectant (glycerine), fat-reduced cocoa powder, salt), emulsifier (soya lecithin). Cocoa solids: 42% minimum. Milk solids: 18% minimum.
30g is a recommended serving, so there's six servings in this 180g bar. Stick to that portion size and it's 162kcals, but anyone who's familiar with the Tony's Chocolonely bar format will tell you that measuring out 30g is nigh on impossible. Sugar levels sit at 43%.
There's a note to remind purchasers that the bar should be kept cool and dry but out of the fridge. They probably missed a trick not mentioning the freezer, given the ice-cream tie-up.
Fairtrade cocoa and sugar is used here, with the sugar used on a mass balance basis to the tune of 73%.
The packaging is 100% recyclable.
Tony's Chocolonely x Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Love A-Fair Dark Milk Brownie Review
Underneath the wrapper is some information unique to the Ben & Jerry's range of chocolate bars, explaining the synergy between the two brands.
The bar is annoyingly wrapped in heat sealed foil, so while it's easy to recycle, it's a pain to unwrap and rewrap for later. The foil had stuck to my bar in several places so tore badly as I removed it.
Disappointingly, there's a lot of fat bloom affecting this bar - but only where the brownie pieces sit. They don't seem entirely happy being here. Fat bloom affects the front and rear of this dark milk chocolate bar. This particular bar has 6 months more shelf life on it, so that fat bloom would likely intensify if left any longer.
The aroma is more akin to a dark chocolate, with dense chocolatey notes. I pick up butter and coconut oil notes from this bar.
It's a chunky bar, as you'd expect from Tony's Chocolonely, and it's a workout for your thumbs as you portion it out. Exercise and a treat all-in-one! The firm snap is your treat for achieving superhuman strength.
So, how does it taste? Well, it tastes more like a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate, and I suspect it may be a bit too intense for some people. It's got a rich, heavy, dark chocolate flavour that's backed up by a creamy texture. Surprisingly, it's not overly sweet and tastes like it is well balanced.
Then there's the brownie pieces. Simply put, they're a disappointment. I was hoping for soft and squidgy, chewy chunks of chocolate brownie. Instead, they're microscopic flecks of crunchy brownie. My bet is the fat bloom has caused the brownie pieces to dry out, affecting their texture. Plus, I was expected big chunks of brownie like I'd find in a B&J's tub, but the pieces in this bar are small and sparsely distributed. It's not the Tony's way.
I'm still no closer to finding whether these brownie pieces are the same ingredient I'd find in Ben & Jerry's ice cream. The jury is still out, as the texture isn't right here, and the pieces are tiny by comparison.
The verdict is this is a heavy chocolate bar that behaves more like a dark chocolate than dark milk chocolate. The brownie pieces are a let down, and I don't really get the Ben & Jerry's link here, other than from a marketing/cross-promo perspective.
Tony's Chocolonely x Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Love A-Fair Dark Milk Brownie Review Review
RRP: £3.50 | Tony's Chocolonely | Shop now
This bar has the potential to be much better, but it's not one I'd rush to try again. Crunchy brownie flecks and a heavy chocolate base just don't do it for me. Blend chunky chewy brownie chunks into Tony's 32% milk chocolate base and this might be a very different story.
Where to Buy Online
You can buy the Tony's Chocolonely Ben & Jerry's Dark Milk Chocolate bar via their website (£3.98) or from a larger supermarket, such as Tesco (£3) or Sainsbury's (£3.50). Ethical Superstore also stocks it (£3.95).
There's a white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake Chocolate Love A-Fair bar out there too, should you wish to seek that one out. Many larger supermarkets carry this flavour alongside the chocolate mashup bar. You can find it on the Tony's website here.
If you want to go full meta, head to the freezer aisle in your local supermarket and pick up a tub of Ben & Jerry's x Tony's Chocolonely Chocolatey Love A-fair ice cream. It features a base of chocolate ice cream with Salted Caramel Swirls, Caramel Chunks and Sea Salt Chocolatey Chunks. It's available in a dairy and non-dairy format.
Ben & Jerry's in a Tony's Chocolonely bar, or Tony's Chocolonely bars in Ben & Jerry's ice cream - which is best? Let me know in a comment below.
