Harris & james Reviews 30

Antwoord van Harris & james

3 dagen geleden

Hi, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback - I'm genuinely sorry the selection wasn't to your taste.

I'd like to address a few points, as I think there may be some misunderstanding about who we are. We're not a drop-shipper - every chocolate in that box was made by our small team in Beccles, Suffolk. Our Classic Selection contains 12 different chocolates including Dubai, salted caramel, English trifle and others, all developed and hand-finished by us.

On the fair trade question - this is something we care deeply about, which is exactly why we haven't pursued certification. We've spoken directly with farmers in Uganda who've told us how the certification system actually works for smallholders: they're charged separate fees for organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance status, often taking out loans to pay them - the Farmers we spoke to became into significant debt due to the certifications costs, and the uplift on sales doesn't always cover those costs (there should really be a documentation on this at is a major issue). Certification schemes also don't account for flavour quality, which is what drives our buying decisions. We pay above market rate for beans selected on quality, which in practice supports the farmers growing the best cocoa.

I appreciate that none of this changes your experience of the chocolates themselves, and taste is personal. If you're ever in Suffolk, you'd be very welcome to visit us in Beccles - we run chocolate-making and truffle courses, and it would be lovely to show you how everything is made.

Kind Regards
Alex

Antwoord van Harris & james

26 feb 2026

I’m genuinely sorry that you didn’t enjoy the chocolate and that you did not receive a response to your email in a timely manner. That is completely on us.

We have just come through an exceptionally busy period (Valentine’s, Mother’s Day preparation, and an expansion of our factory café and experience space), and with our customer service colleague on extended leave, I have been covering several roles. That explains the delay but does not excuse it, and I apologise.

Thank you for providing the batch details. I tasted bars from that same batch. This origin does naturally have bright citrus and slightly acidic fruit notes from fermentation, and there is no added acid in the recipe. That said, flavour is subjective, and what reads as lively fruit to some can understandably come across as sharp or vinegary to others.

Most importantly, you didn’t enjoy it and that matters. I have contacted you directly to offer either a full refund or a replacement from a different batch with a more rounded profile.

We care deeply about both our chocolate and our customers, and I’m sorry this experience didn’t reflect that.

Alex
Harris & James

Antwoord van Harris & james

28 aug 2025

Thanks for the feedback and sorry this missed the mark for you. Our House Blend is speciality grade coffee, light to medium roast (Great Taste 2-Star) and we grind a little coarser for cafetières than supermarket roast which is usually dark or very dark; it can look “gravelly” but should give a clean, sweet cup. If it tastes thin, try 65 g/L, water just off the boil, steep 6–7 min, press slowly, and decant immediately or go one notch finer next time. If you prefer a darker, punchier cup? Our Italian Blend (dark roast) may suit you better.

We also grind to order: add a note at checkout and we’ll grind anywhere from Turkish (very fine) to extra-coarse for cold brew, or select whole beans if you grind at home.

Ps. Quick tip: because cafetière grounds are coarse and non water soluble, it’s best not to rinse them down the sink - grounds can build up (especially with fats) and block pipes. Please pop them in the food-waste bin or compost instead.

Antwoord van Harris & james

Geüpdatet op 28 aug 2025

Hi Helen, thanks for giving our Caramelised White a try, and I’m really sorry it didn’t hit the mark for you.

Our caramelised white recipe was intentionally simple - just three ingredients, using finest single-origin cocoa butter, tasted milk powder to create a gentle toasted-toffee note rather than a very sweet, intense caramel flavour. It sounds like that subtle profile wasn’t to your taste, and we appreciate the honest feedback.

We retired/sold out of this bar on our online store in December 2024 (last made summer 2024) as part of a range refresh. Because caramelised white is delicate, bars that are close to or past their best-before can taste flatter than intended. If yours was short-dated or past best before that could explain the muted flavour you experienced.

Either way, we’d like to put this right. If you can share your order details and the best-before/batch code via email thankyou@harrisandjames.com , our team will sort a refund or replacement product and recommend something that better matches your taste next time.

Thanks again for the feedback; it genuinely helps us improve.

Antwoord van Harris & james

6 aug 2025

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. I’m sorry our chocolate didn’t hit the mark for you. None of our recipes use a “chocolate paste,” so I’m wondering whether you received one of our filled bars or perhaps a filled gift assortment. Either way, the texture you described definitely shouldn’t be there.

Could you message us directly at info@harrisandjames.com with the product name and, if possible, the batch code/date on the wrapper and order number if you purchased from us or Amazon? We’ll look into the issue straight away and arrange a refund or a fresh replacement whichever you prefer.

Your experience matters to us, and so does keeping our chocolate ethical and delicious. Thank you for helping us put things right.

Kind regards

Alex

Antwoord van Harris & james

30 jul 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts on one of our dark chocolate bars. We genuinely appreciate your feedback. Our chocolate is crafted with a focus on preserving the authentic, natural flavours of high-quality speciality cacao beans, which may differ from more commercial chocolates that often include vanilla, higher sugar content, and heavier roasting methods. This approach emphasises the subtle, fruity, and spiced notes that you noticed, while offering a distinctly different taste profile from mass-market chocolates.

We understand our pricing may appear high compared to supermarket options, but within the craft chocolate community, we strive to deliver exceptional quality at very competitive value. Each bar is made in small batches, prioritising quality ingredients and traditional craftsmanship.

We're sorry the experience wasn't quite what you expected, and we'd love the opportunity to recommend a bar from our range that may better align with your chocolate preferences. Please feel free to contact us directly, and thank you again for your valuable feedback.

Antwoord van Harris & james

28 aug 2025

Hi Karl, Thank you for your kind words about our in store coffee. For at home - if you order on our website you can add a message when ordering to request it to be ground finer than our standard we will be happy to do this. Using a cafeteria our grind level works best when brewing for 6 to 7 minutes and using about 18 to 20g per 300mm of water.

Antwoord van Harris & james

9 mei 2025

Thank you for your feedback, and we're very sorry for the inconvenience caused.

We completely understand your frustration at finding the shop closed when you expected it to be open. As a seasonal business, our opening times do vary throughout the year, and we acknowledge that they were not accurately reflected on Google and our website at the time of your visit. These have now been updated / request pending with google to help prevent this from happening again.

We’d also like to mention that we have recently opened a second shop in Aldeburgh, so even when one location is closed, the other may be open. We’re always aiming to improve our service, and your comments have highlighted a key area for us to tighten up.

While this review appears to relate to our shop rather than our website service, we do take all feedback seriously and will use it to better communicate and serve our customers.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.

— The Harris & James Team

Antwoord van Harris & james

9 mei 2025

Thank you for your feedback — and we're genuinely sorry for your recent experience in our Aldeburgh shop.

We always strive to provide a warm welcome to every customer, and we’re disappointed to hear that wasn’t the case on your visit. Our Retail Director has investigated the incident and spoken with the team involved. We agree that this situation does not reflect the service standards we aim for, nor the approach taken by the vast majority of our team, who do regularly go the extra mile.

We are taking this seriously and are addressing it internally to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Our staff should always act with good judgement and customer focus — even close to the end of the working day.

We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and hope you might give us another chance to show you the experience we’re truly known for.

The Harris & James Team