Hotel Chocolat - Dark Rum

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Dark Rum - Rum ganache sealed in a dark chocolate shell decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate
Main ingredients are cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, rum (12%), cream, glycose syrup, buter oil, sorbitol, full cream powder.
Cocoa content: minimum 70% cocoa in the dark chocolate.

Manufacturer

Hotel Chocolate Ltd, Mint House, ROYSTON, Hertfordshire, SG8 5HL, United Kingdom

Packaging

The 6 pralines (65g) are wrapped and sealed in transparent plastic wrap.

Look

The chocolate shell is dark middle-brown with clearly recognisable shade of red. The filling has almost the same colour but is a bit lighter.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a light snap sound.

Smell

The pralines have an intensive smell of rum that is immediate as soon as the package has been opened. The shell smells of cocoa, rum and sugar. There is also a note of a cold-ish aroma of vanilla and metal. The ganache has aromas of rum, alcohol and butter.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate has a very smooth surface and melts into a very fine liquid. The ganache is very creamy and even. It disperses quickly in the mouth.

Taste

The dark chocolate has an initial taste of slightly bitter dark cocoa which quickly combines with rum and sugar flavours. The filling has an initial hint of sugar before a slightly darker cocoa flavour, rum and alcohol unfolds.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste of the chocolate shell on its own is cocoa and a hint of sugar. The filling develops a strong alcohol flavour. Once that has evaporated, a rum note lingers on the centre of the tongue.

Summary

This is a dark chocolate rum praline with an intense alcohol and rum flavour. The chocolate is not as 'dark' as other products from Hotel Chocolat and the pralines contains some milk and cream.

Verdict

The dark milk chocolate pralines are very smooth with an intense alcohol and rum flavour. The alcohol flavour is very intense and at some points cover the rum and chocolate flavour. 3 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 16047, best before 09/2016, tasted 15&26&29/06/2016

Hotel Chocolat - Gianduja bombe

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Gianduja bombe - Hazelnut praline sealed in a dark chocolate shell, dusted with cocoa powder
Main ingredients are cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), hazelnuts (25%), sugar, cocoa powder, soya lecithin, vanilla flavour.
Cocoa content: minimum 70% cocoa in the dark chocolate

Manufacturer

Hotel Chocolate Ltd, Mint House, ROYSTON, Hertfordshire, SG8 5HL, United Kingdom

Packaging

The 6 "bombes" (60g) are wrapped and sealed in transparent plastic wrap.

Look

The chocolate is powedered with cocoa with dark brown colour with black-ish spots.

Sound

The chocolate is very smooth and breaks almost without any perceivable sound.

Smell

The chocolate shells have an intense roasted hazelnut flavour with cocoa aromas.

Mouthfeel

The cocoa coating feels hard and solid initially but quickly melts away into a fine liquid. The chocolate is very smooth and melts faster than the almost creamy hazelnut filling.

Taste

The first flavour is of the cocoa powder with a rich, dark cocoa aroma. The dark chocolate shell tastes of dark cocoa notes, roasted hazelnut and very subtle hints of a bitter earthiness. The hazelnut filling comes with an intense roasted hazelnut and dark cocoa flavour.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly of roasted hazelnut and cocoa that lingers surprisingly long on top of the tongue.

Summary

This is rich dark hazelnut praline. It comes with rich roast, hazelnut and cocoa flavours and a hint of earthiness.

Verdict

This is a well-made, smooth and rich roasted hazelnut praline. It balances the rich hazelnut and cocoa flavours. The shell is nice in flavour but is not very snappy. 3 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 16042, best before 09/2016, tasted 09&12/06/2016

Artisan du Chocolat - Goat milk chocolate

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Goat milk chocolate
Ingredients are cane sugar, full cream goat milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa beans, soya lecithin.
Cocoa content: minimum 40% cocoa, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Artisan du Chocolat, 89 Lower Sloane Street, London, SW1 8DA, United Kingdom

Packaging

The 45g chocolate is wrapped and sealed in transparant wrap and a printed card board envelope.

Look

The chocolate is middle brown with a light orange and grey shade as opposed to  red hint.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a clear snap sound.

Smell

The bar smells of milk and a hint cocoa. There is no strong goat-like smell as in goat's cheese but a sweet-ish, grass-like hint.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate feels initially smoother than expected and melts slowly into a thick liquid. It remains slightly chewy without dissolving into a liquid.

Taste

The first flavour is surprising note of goat's cheese. This quickly pairs up with sweetness, milky flavours and light hint of cocoa.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly milk with a mild sweetness and some notes of goat's cheese.

Summary

The chocolate's smell does not prepare for the surprising goat's cheese flavour. The smooth milk chocolate balances a mild sweetness and cocoa with the goat milk flavour.

Verdict

This is a well-made, smooth milk chocolate. It frames the goat's milk surprisingly well with cocoa and sugar. But the chocolate melts very slowly and remains a thick-ish liquid. 4 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 21934, best before 11/2016, tasted 09&12/06/2016

Hotel Chocolat - Lemongrass caramel

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Lemongrass Caramel - Runny caramel with lemongrass encased in a milk chocolate shell, decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate.
Main ingredients are runny caramel, cocoa solids, sugar, full cream milk powder, butter oil, soya lecithin, skimmed milk powder, carotene, flavour (lemongrass), concentrate of spirulina.
Cocoa content: minimum 40% cocoa solids in the milk chocolate

Manufacturer

Hotel Chocolate Ltd, Mint House, ROYSTON, Hertfordshire, SG8 5HL, United Kingdom

Packaging

55g The chocolate is wrapped and sealed in shiny plastic wrap.

Look

The chocolate is light brown with yellow-green cap

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a snap sound

Smell

The packaging immediately smells a bit of citric lemongrass and cocoa. The chocolate smells of sugar, milk and cocoa.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate is very smooth. It melts into a thick creamy liquid before melting properly. The filling is liquid 'runny' caramel syrup which is very soft and disperses quickly in the mouth.

Taste

The chocolate is tastes of milk, sugar and hints of cocoa. On its inside, is taken on the acidic, lemony flavour the lemongrass caramel. The filling itself starts with a lemon flavour. But the sugar comes through quickly and covers lemongrass flavours.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly of sugar at the rear of the mouth, some cocoa and milk notes.

Summary

This is a sweet milk chocolate filled with runny caramel. It has only some hints of lemongrass.

Verdict

The milk chocolate is very smooth. The caramel does not strongly emphasise the typical caramel flavours but tastes of sugary sweet. The desired hint of lemongrass is just a small and short-lived lemony note before it is quickly covered with sweetness. 3 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 16027, best before 08/2016, tasted 29/04&01&21/05/2016

Parcel and cold

There are some parcels to really look forward to. I have opened it and peeked inside. However, I caught a cold and here we are. No unwrapping, no tasting.

Sarotti - Milk chocolate (Edelvollmilch)

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Milk chocolate (Edelvollmilchschokolade)
Ingredients are sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, soya lecithin and flavouring.
Cocoa content: minimum 45% cocoa

Manufacturer

SAROTTI GmbH, Motzener Str. 32, 12277 Marienfelde, Berlin, Germany

Packaging

Individual bars of 25g chocolate are wrapped in aluminium paper. Four bars are combined into a card board enveloped of 100g.

Look

The chocolate is middle brown with some warmer red tones.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a very clear snap sound.

Smell

It smells of sugar, milk, cocoa and some hints from artificial aroma.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate is smooth and melts into thick-ish, creamy liquid before dissolving completely.

Taste

The chocolate tastes of milky caramel with hints of cocoa. Fine notes of its bitterness are balanced with the cream and sugar and emphasise a mild cocoa impression.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly of cream and caramelised sugar but there are also some cocoa notes.

Summary

This is a creamy milk chocolate with caramelised sugar and cocoa flavours. The sweetness and bitterness of the cocoa are well balanced.

Verdict

The Sarotti milk chocolate is well made, comes with a milky and creamy mouthfeel and has some cocoa notes. The product is sweet (as you would expect with a milk chocolate). But this sweetness is balanced such that whole thing has a creamy, chocolatey feel and taste. 4 Stars.
This product is from the supermarket shelf and has an outstanding value for money.

Dates

Lot number: 152822, best before 09/10/2016, tasted 29/04&01/05/2016

Hotel Chocolat - Banoffee Pie

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Banoffee Pie chocolate
Main ingredients are Cocoa solids, sugar, full cream milk powder, shortbread biscuits, banana chips, caramelised sugar.
Cocoa content: minimum 40% cocoa solids in the milk chocolate and 33% in the caramel chocolate.

Manufacturer

Hotel Chocolate Ltd, Mint House, ROYSTON, Hertfordshire, SG8 5HL, United Kingdom

Packaging

The chocolate is wrapped and sealed in transparent plastic wrap.

Look

The chocolate is very light brown on one half and darker but still light brown on the other half. Small round-ish pieces of biscuit are visible on one side, a white chocolate swirl and banana chips on the other side.

Sound

The chocolate is actually quite difficult break due to its thickness. If it breaks, it does so with a snap sound.

Smell

The chocolate has a warm and rich caramel smell with cream notes.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate has a very smooth mouth feel and melts very quickly. The biscuit feels nice and crumbly as shortbread.

Taste

Initially, there is a surprisingly intense banana flavour which quickly mixes with a creamy, caramelly milk chocolate flavour. The biscuit crumbles are coated in something like white chocolate and maintain their buttery flavour and crisp.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly the sweetness of the caramel and some milk flavour.

Summary

This is a creamy caramel and banana chocolate with crumbly biscuit pieces.

Verdict

The chocolate lives up to its promise of reflecting a rich, creamy banoffee pie. The caramel and the banana can taste somewhat artificial. It could be a perfect rich yet fruity praline with some fresh banana. The banana chips are quite hard and interfere with resemblance of (almost) overly ripe banana slices ditched in caramel and cream. 4 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 15 328, best before 06/2016, tasted 21&23/04/2016