dark chocolate Archives - Page 4 of 4

November 17, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Lindt Hot Pralines – Spicy Chocolate Done Right

Chocolate

Though the combination of chili and chocolate is thousands of years old, it’s never quite reached a wide level of acceptance. I think for most people, the idea of combining spiciness and dessert is just a little bit too bizarre. It’s too bad, because done right, chili and chocolate can be surprisingly good.

Lindt Hot Pralines consists of three different varieties: papaya and chili, pomegranate and chili, and maracuja and jalapeno (maracuja apparently being a type of passion fruit). I was going to review the three types separately, however they’re all pretty much interchangeable, with the exception of the maracuja one, which is slightly more tart and has a mild jalapeno flavour.

The three chocolates consist of chocolate mousse topped with a strongly fruity, spicy jelly, and covered in dark chocolate. The first thing you notice when you eat these is the tartness of the fruit, followed by a surprisingly strong, lingering spiciness. I’ve had chocolates like these where the heat was overpowering and mostly just distracting; that isn’t the case here. The spice does a good job of bringing out the flavours in the chocolate and the fruit, as well as adding its own distinctive appeal, without becoming overwhelming. The dark chocolate coating is quite intense with a 70 percent cocoa level, which gives these a really rich, chocolately flavour and helps to balance out the sweetness of the jelly.

Though I’m not too sure about the maracuja flavour – it’s a bit too sour, and the mild jalepeno taste is bizarre – the other two flavours are good enough to definitely recommend this, if you can find it (I bought it at a Lindt store in an outlet mall in Buffalo).

Manufactured by: Lindt
Calories (3 pieces, 37 g): 170

November 11, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Droste Holland: Pastilles – A Decent Mix of Milk and Dark Chocolate

Chocolate

About the size of a large coin, these Pastilles feature a mixture of half milk chocolate, and half dark chocolate, split down the middle. It’s a pretty simple product, so I’ll keep this review brief.

The chocolate has a nice snap to it, and both sides are of an above average quality. This isn’t simply a case of the two sides having a different colour but tasting the same – the milk half is quite creamy and sweet, while the dark half has a nicely rich cocoa flavour. There’s no indication on the packaging as to the cocoa content of the dark side, but if I had to guess I’d say sixty or seventy percent. The two halves work together quite well, resulting in a nice balance between the creaminess of the milk chocolate and the more intense flavour of the dark chocolate.

It’s not the best quality chocolate I’ve ever had, but it’s above average and makes for a pretty good snack.

Manufactured by: Droste Holland
Calories (8 pieces, 40 g): 220

November 5, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Terry’s Chocolate Orange: Mini Segments – A Fun Twist on a Classic Flavour

Chocolate

Terry’s Chocolate Orange are those fun, baseball-sized chocolates that you get to slam onto the counter in order to separate all the little segments. They are surprisingly delicious (I say surprisingly because, though the combination of chocolate and orange doesn’t exactly sound like a slam dunk, it actually works a lot better than you’d imagine).

These minis are pre-separated and individually wrapped, so you don’t need to slam them on anything (unless you want to, I guess). They all feature that classic combination of creamy chocolate and fruity orange that have made Terry’s so famous, with a bit of a twist. They are:

Puffed Rice: The puffed rice really doesn’t add much here – there’s not much of it, and the rice itself isn’t particularly crispy. It’s still good, but only because the chocolate is good; I normally like the combination of chocolate and puffed rice, but here the somewhat soggy rice is completely superfluous, and if anything, detracts from the chocolate. Definitely the weakest of the bunch.

Milk Chocolate: This is just the standard Terry’s Chocolate Orange, no frills. The milk chocolate is nice and creamy, and it strikes a good balance between the chocolate the and orange. Good stuff.

Cornflakes: This is definitely a big improvement over the rice; the flakes add a satisfying crispiness to the chocolate, and along with that, they contribute a surprisingly pronounced corny flavour.

Dark Chocolate: This is about a half-and-half split between the milk and the dark chocolate. If you’re not necessarily a fan of Terry’s signature chocolate/orange taste, this is probably the one for you – the dark chocolate doesn’t seem to be orange flavoured, giving this one a much more subtle orange flavour. It’s also, not surprisingly, much less sweet than the standard chocolate orange.

Crunchy Honey: The description of “sweet, crunchy honey flavoured bits” made me think of Toblerone, however the honey bits are larger and crunchier than the ones found in that bar, and they give this a fairly strong honey aftertaste. Another winner.

Aside from the somewhat anemic puffed rice flavour, these are all quite good an a definite must-buy if you’re a fan of Terry’s Chocolate Orange. However, with the possible exception of the dark variant, these all definitely have that specific Terry’s flavour, so if you’re not already a fan then these aren’t going to change your mind.

Manufactured by: Terry’s
Calories (for 5 pieces, 39 g): 200

November 3, 2008January 10, 2021 Michael

Hershey’s Marshmallow Pumpkin – An Overly Chewy, Tasteless Blob

Marshmallow Treats

Hershey’s Marshmallow Pumpkin is presumably meant to cash-in on Halloween, though the actual product looks nothing like a pumpkin (it’s more of a semi-round blob). It also doesn’t have any pumpkin flavour, though that much is clear just by looking at the wrapper.

I’m generally not a fan of chocolates with marshmallow in it; there are a few exceptions (such as the amazingly good but difficult to find Valomilk), but for the most part marshmallows in candy tend to have an unpleasantly chewy/spongy texture. That is certainly true here.

Hershey’s Marshmallow Pumpkin consists of a thick, chewy marshmallow coated with a generous topping of dark chocolate. The chocolate coating is fine, if a little sweet. It’s the marshmallow where this candy seriously falters. It has an unpleasantly rubbery, almost chewing gum-like texture. It also doesn’t really have the vanilla flavour that you’d expect; it’s pretty bland, with a subtler-than-average marshmallow taste that seems slightly off. Pretty much all the sweetness comes from the chocolate.

I’m not sure what it is about marshmallow that makes it so hard to pull off in candy form. I think that anyone who wants to make a marshmallow-based candy should be required to eat a few Valomilks (I’ll post a Valomilk review once I can get my hands on one – they’re pretty much impossible to find in Canada); it just gets everything right, as far as marshmallow goes. This, on the other hand, is the anti-Valomilk.

Manufactured by: Hershey
Calories (31 g pumpkin): 110