Laatst bijgewerkt op: 19/04/2026
Every quarter, one of our experts reviews a delicious coffee, tea or chocolate. This time, chocolate connoisseur Caroline Lubbers is tasting a winter bar from Soklet Chocolate.
When you think of artisanal chocolate, India might not be the first country that springs to mind. Soklet chocolate is changing that in a big way. As the first chocolate maker in India to manage the entire bean-to-bar process, Soklet oversees every step, from growing the cocoa trees to tempering the final bar. The chocolate is entirely single-origin, with all cocoa beans sourced from the company’s own plantations in the lush foothills of the Anamalai Hills in southern India. This meticulous approach ensures transparency, sustainability and a flavour profile that reflects the region’s terroir, much like wine or speciality coffee.
Soklet was founded by Karthikeyan Palaniswamy and Harish Manoj Kumar and began as a passion project aimed at highlighting the untapped potential of Indian cocoa. Soklet chocolate has since grown to become a pioneer within the Indian bean-to-bar chocolate movement, offering distinctive flavours that bring together local heritage and craftsmanship. Even the name Soklet, derived from the Tamil word for chocolate, underscores the strong connection to the region and its culture.
Soklet’s cocoa is grown according to permaculture principles, alongside crops such as coconut, nutmeg, pepper and banana. This biodiversity contributes to healthy soils and greater depth of flavour in the cocoa. After harvesting, the cocoa beans undergo a carefully controlled fermentation process, followed by slow drying in the sun and manual sorting. Only the best beans are selected. The result is dark chocolate that is rich, complex and ethically produced.
One of Soklet’s most striking bars is the dark chocolate with black garlic, which is undoubtedly a must-try. On paper, the combination seems unusual, but in practice it is surprisingly harmonious. Black garlic is known for its sweet, smoky and umami-like character and provides an exciting contrast to Soklet’s 70% dark chocolate. The flavour unfolds into a layered experience where deep cocoa blends with subtle notes of garlic, smokiness and hints of raisins and spices. The bar is vegan, dairy-free and produced entirely from tree to bar, and it is no surprise that it is one of Soklet’s best-selling chocolates.
The aroma has a subtle hint of garlic, which comes through slightly more distinctly in the flavour. It is always in balance with the chocolate, never overpowering, yet distinctly present. The effect is almost surreal, completely unexpected and, at the same time, addictively delicious.
In addition to black garlic, Soklet chocolate offers a wide range of flavours that reflect India’s culinary diversity, such as Filter Kaapi coffee, candied ginger, Bhut Jolokia chilli, mint with cocoa nibs, and various spicy combinations. Soklet also produces chocolate spreads, biscuits, brownie mixes and drinking chocolate, all with the same focus on provenance and quality.
Soklet chocolate demonstrates just how versatile and complex cocoa can be when its origin, cultivation and processing are taken seriously. The chocolate tells a story about the soil in which the trees grow, about the choices made during fermentation and drying, and about the courage to venture off the beaten track. The black garlic bar, in particular, makes it clear that craftsmanship and experimentation are not mutually exclusive. The result is chocolate that invites you to taste it carefully and lingers on the palate, not through grand claims, but through what actually happens in your mouth.
Availability
Importer: clearchox.com
In the Netherlands, Soklet is available from de Chocolademeisjes and Cacao and Spice, amongst others.
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