Darkroom Chocolate

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Darkroom Chocolate

The purest dark chocolate imaginable
Made from just cacao & sugar
Online, and from independent coffee shops and retailers The Pure Dark Chocolate.
(1)

Made with just cacao, or cacao and sugar. Only available online and in delicatessens, wholefoods stores and craft coffee shops. Visit our Factory café, Saturdays, 9-1pm, NR28 0DA.

02/05/2026

From tomorrow, we're going all-in on chocolate.

It's taken a few years to transition from baking into chocolate but we're finally at a level where the time, space and money we dedicate to baking can be channelled into chasing our dark chocolate dreams.

But today, we're leaving baking on a high, after a frankly ludicrous amount of cookies pre-ordered for today.

Thank you, every last one of you, you lovely lot 🙏

Super-pumped for it, hope you are too - should be an absolute blast.

Hope you swing by and say hi, love Mike, Nat and Pumps ❤

9 - 1pm today in an extended session.

NoWa.

* Polite request - please bear with if the queue is anything like last week, thank you. We've got some extra help today and have prepped like crazy, but lots of our drinks are complicated to make (yes our fault, we know) so expect a little wait. The vibe should be lovely, so just soak it up one last time ###

28/04/2026

Some people are still asking like they missed earlier posts, so the short version of what's happening is - we need more space to keep up with chocolate demand, so we're converting the Cafe space here at the factory into a packing room.

Great news if you're an online chocolate customer or a cool shop who stocks our bars - it'll mean we can finally drop all the new stuff we've been planning, and actually have the space to pack it all.

Admittedly, less great news if you're a cafe customer, and you come to us for the vibe and the cookies as much as the chocolate, but it sounds like most of you get it, so that eases the guilt a little. (And to answer a lot of local customers who've asked - you'll be able to buy our bars and hot chocolate flakes locally from )

You can reserve cookies by messaging us before Thursday 8am - the full menu is below. We'll also have over a hundred cookies for the counter, but reserving is the best way to get what you want.

Anyway, we're going out with smiles and vibes this Saturday so it would be special to see you one last time. Hope you can make it, love Mike, Nat and Pumps xx

Reserve by Thursday 8am
9-1pm
May 2nd Bank Holiday Saturday
NoWa.

Cookies Counter

>> Ones with no chocolate - choose from:
Cinnamon Raisin 2.9
Apple Ginger 2.9
Lemon Blueberry 3.1
--

>> Ones with choc chips - choose from:
Pecan O.G. 3.4
Chocolate Bakewell 3.6
Pistachio Chocolate 3.6
Strawberry Cheesecake 3.6
--

>> Ones with double chocolate - choose from:
Mint Choc Chip 3.6
Hazelnut Butter 3.8
Peanut Butter 3.8
Choc Orange 3.8
Mocha Walnut 3.8
--
+40p to sit in

27/04/2026

EARLIER CUT OFF TIME FOR RESERVATIONS, ONE DAY EARLIER

Last week in the café was, let’s say, a touch busy.

A huge thank you for everyone who queued so patiently and who kept the amazing vibe alive. We just kept the whole thing together with a predictably record number of cookies and drinks. Don't think we heard anyone grumble (maybe you thought about it and then saw how stressed we were).

Anyway, for this last café session we’re still taking pre orders, but please message us on insta/ facebook by Thursday 8am PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

THURSDAY 8am.

That’s THURSDAY ok?

Not FRIDAY.

Friday is too late to make the last minute spike of orders in time.

So it's THURSDAY.

At 8am.

Last minute begging will get you nowhere...

No need to pay upfront for reservations.
You ALL turned up last week – kind of proud of that.
So we trust you’ll show for this one too.

We’ll have some cookies on the counter as well, but you commitment-phobes will have to choose from whatever flavours we have left.

Don’t be dare whinging that we haven’t got your fave left if you haven’t reserved
-----

FAQ
Opening hours? 9-1pm

Yes, there’s only one queue but it moves as fast as humanly possible so pls bear with

Yes you can park directly outside and it’s cheap (obvs it should be free, but let’s not go there)

We’re only 5 mins walk from North Walsham bus station (direct bus from Magdalene St Norwich) or North Walsham train station (direct train from Norwich)

Dogs allowed? Positively encouraged

Takeaway drinks? Yes - just stroke the dogs during the inevitable little wait

Iced drinks? Yes, you seriously need to try an Iced Chocolate or Iced Mocha for this last one if you haven’t already. Trust us.

Hope you can make it for the last one - should be a buzz
Love Mike, Nat and Pumps xx
-----
Menu

>> Ones with no chocolate - choose from:
Cinnamon Raisin 2.9
Apple Ginger 2.9
Lemon Blueberry 3.1
--

>> Ones with choc chips - choose from:
Pecan O.G. 3.4
Chocolate Bakewell 3.6
Pistachio Chocolate 3.6
Strawberry Cheesecake 3.6
--

>> Ones with double chocolate - choose from:
Mint Choc Chip 3.6
Hazelnut Butter 3.8
Peanut Butter 3.8
Choc Orange 3.8
Mocha Walnut 3.8
--
+40p to sit in

15/04/2026

Just like coffee or wine, the cacao plant has different varietals depending on where it's grown and how it's cultivated. Some people consider Criollo the pinnacle of these varietals so we decided to buy a couple of bags and, rather than accept the widely held view, to decide for ourselves.

The new bags have been with us for a while but a new bar made with pure Criollo is finally in the last stages of development. This 'Almendra Blanca' cacao from Mexico (there's so much interesting cacao coming out of Mexico at the moment) translates as 'White Almonds' and are uniquely pale when raw, and turn into a caramelly red (the top beans in this photo) after roasting. Based on our research of this varietal, we were expecting these to be mild and creamy, but we've found they have a ton of personality that needs some iteration to get the most out of. A hectic few months has kept us getting this over the line but these will now be launching as a Short Run special in just a week or two - more on that to follow.

In the meantime, we'll be running the Factory Cafe again this Saturday and, in case you missed the recent post, this will be the one of the last three sessions before the Cafe closes on 2nd May to make room for a desperately needed new chocolate packing room.

It was awesome to see so many people pop in last Saturday and give us tons of support for the decision whilst clearly being disappointed - it means a lot that you get where we're coming from (maybe the bags under our eyes helped). Anyway, hoping to out on a high for the last three sessions, which are

This Saturday 18th April 9-12 as usual
Saturday 25th April 9-12 as usual
Bank Holiday 2nd May: 9-1pm extended hours finale bash

Hope you swing by to NoWa and say hi - if you're lucky, you may have a sample taster of this Almendra Blanca foisted on you for your thoughts and input. xx

09/04/2026

March was insanely busy here at Darkroom (our biggest month ever) - so a big thank you if you helped make that happen.

However, Easter Sunday was our first day off in over a month . . . it’s fair to say we’ve looked and felt fresher.

In the last six months, juggling the three parts of our business (supplying chocolate to shops, online, and the Factory Cafe) has become harder and harder. Looking ahead, we can realistically only run two out of these three to a standard we’d be proud of.

Behind the scenes, two of them fit together nicely (supplying shops and online), whereas the cafe has almost developed into a business of its own, needing a lot of energy and attention to keep it at a level we’re proud of. And whilst it’s a ton of fun and very rewarding (last Saturday was absolutely buzzing), it’s time for a little reality check.

So to salvage a little work-life balance, and to allow us to develop chocolate even further, we’ve decided to concentrate on supplying shops and online with chocolate, and make this our final four weeks of running the cafe.

Never say never (at some point we may re-open in a different format, and definitely with more help) but for now at least, we’re running three more sessions in April and then going out with a bang in a special extended session on Saturday 2nd May (Bank Holiday weekend).

We know this might disappoint the Norwich crew who make the special journey out of the city, and the loyal locals who’ve welcomed us to North Norfolk. Closing something which is both busy and growing may look odd, but as many of you will already know, we’re not doing this for the money.

We’re on a journey to make the best dark chocolate on earth, and it would be really nice (and novel) to have some time and energy to enjoy the ride.

So if you’ve never made it out to us, or want one last cookie/ mocha hit, or just want to swing by to say hi, hope to see you sometime in April or on Saturday 2nd May.

We’ll be serving 9-12 this Saturday as normal, it would be lovely to see you. Love Mike, Nat and Pumps x

26/03/2026

We've harvested last night's hailstones in time to launch Iced Chocolates and Iced Mochas alongside our new cookies this Saturday here at the Factory Cafe.

Interestingly, we ran an iced drinks head-to-head with Uganda, Tanzania and Vietnam competing for their spot on the menu. For us, with its red berry notes, the Tanzania edged it over the Uganda (ok, we couldn't decide between these two) so that earned its spot as the Iced Chocolate this Saturday.

But for Iced Mochas, we're pairing with the incredible Butterscotch from .roaster and the Vietnam just pairs beautifully so that gets the nod.

So, the full drinks menu runs like this:

Hot Chocolate 70% - Vietnam - sweet toffee apple notes
Hot Chocolate 80% - Mexico - tiramisu vibes
Hot Mochas as both 70% and 80% with the Killbean Butterscotch

Iced Chocolate 70% - Tanzania with raspberry freshness and a big chocolate hit
Iced Mocha 70% - Vietnam for that chocolate cheesecake hit

Iced Lattes and Sparkling Americanos also return - we're going to run a head to head on those tomorrow with different coffees to see which bean suits each of those. Not like us to complicate things . . .

Our regular Lattes and Americanos are currently using the ever-versatile medium roast Costa Rican from . Long Blacks and Flat Whites go in with something a little more challenging - an Indonesian natural anaerobic, again from the boys in Sheffield.

Lots of reasons to visit this Saturday (or the week after for Easter Saturday) - looking forward to seeing you

Mike, Nat and Pumps x

9-12, Mundesley Road Car Park, NoWa, look for the bat mural.

25/03/2026

We're pretending it's not hailing outside while writing this and launching our new Spring Menu, this Saturday at the Cafe.

Four new cookie flavours to feast on, all with a lighter, summery feel - Strawberry Chocolate Cheesecake, Mint Choc Chip, Lemon Blueberry and Apple Ginger.

We'll be serving 9-12 as usual this Saturday, alongside the full range of bars, drinking chocolate and specialty coffee.

9-12, this Saturday, Mundesley Road Car Park, NoWa.
Look for the bat mural and you're in the right place.

Hope you swing by for something delicious x

12/03/2026

To the untrained eye, these may look like a pair of rather battered and chocolate-splattered hair dryers.

Whereas in fact, until recently, they were Darkroom's Chocolate Grinder Pre-Heater System (patent pending).

A highly technical set up, involving two Vidal-Sassoon hairdryers and some balancing finesse above our chocolate grinders, with the purpose of melting the chocolate that has set up after the previous batch - to allow the grinding wheels to turn again for the next batch.

We have managed with this solution perfectly fine for years until recently, when both hairdryers, being asked to do something they were never designed to do, both went pop in the same week. But before nipping over to Argos to find out what tat Vidal has shamefully stuck his name on recently, we stopped to think - what if there was be a better, arguably more suitable, solution?

So we are very proud to announce the launch of the new and improved - Chocolate Grinder Pre-Heater System 2.0. It uses an actual industrial heat gun, (designed to run for many hours without melting or gently exploding) with an adjustable temperature and fan speed settings to get that inner nerd rather excited. (And before you ask - yes, it works great on perms too).

This is combined with another Darkroom special - a grinder lid modified with an entry tube to allow the heat into the grinder, and welded fold-down sides to prevent the heat escaping. The result is perfect melting, in rapid time, with no risk of chocolate burning inside the bowl either.

To celebrate this momentous occasion, it's Free Hairspray With Every Cookie in the Factory Cafe this Saturday.

And while we clearly need to get out more, if you are actually getting out this Mother's Day weekend, come see us in the cafe 9-12 on Saturday for something delicious, and regale us with tales of the outside world.

Address

Opening Hours

09:00 - 12:00

Telephone

+441603625803

Website

http://darkroomchocolate.com/

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