Pana Cacao - Eighty (Dark chocolate)

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Eighty
Main ingredients are cacao (butter and powder), dark agave nectar.
Cocoa content: minimum 80% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Pana Cacao, 15 Albert St, Richmond, VIC 3121, AUSTRALIA

Packaging

The 45g chocolate bar is wrapped in aluminium paper and a cardboard box.

Look

The chocolate is dark brown with a distinctive red hue at its edges.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a thud sound.

Smell

Opening the packaging initially releases a cacao aroma but there is a strong sweet and fruity smell.

Mouthfeel

The surface of the chocolate feels very smooth and even initially. However as the chocolate melts in the mouth, it feels slightly rough and textured. The chocolate melts slowly into a very fine and smooth liquid. But surface of the remaining chocolate chunk feels rough and may give rise to the false impression of a floury liquid.

Taste

The chocolate has a dark cacao flavour with hints of a nicely balanced bitterness and astringency. There is a distinct and subtle sweetness that combines with the dark cacao into a smooth and almost velvety taste. After a little while, the bitterness develops notes of roasted nuts.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is a strong cacao flavour that spreads everywhere and notes of the distinct sweetness of the cacao. The cacao notes towards the rear of the mouth remain more present as time passes.

Summary

This chocolate has a distinct sweetness that combines nicely with the dark, bitter and nutty notes of the cacao. It melts slowly into a fine liquid although its surface can feel rough and textured.

Verdict

The chocolate has an usual and nicely warming rich combination of cacao, bitterness and sweetness. It emphasises the cacao quality of the product. When melting, the surface of the chocolate can feel slightly rough and create the false impression of a product that melts into a floury liquid. 4 Stars.

Dates

Best before 08/11/2016, tasted 05&20&26/11/2016

Picking chocolates: The ingredients list I

Selecting a good chocolate for Christmas, Easter and birthdays is ever more challenging with an abundance of small and large manufacturers. There is no legal obligation for a product to taste nicely but there is a legal obligation to list all ingredients truthfully and completely - and this can help identifying higher quality products.

Not so good ingredients

If you read one of the following you should get suspicious:

• Fat reduced cocoa
• Palm fat
• Vegetable fat

Manufacturers may remove the fat from cocoa and add palm fat later in the process. This replaces the more expensive cocoa fat with something cheap such as palm fat. Palm fat is one of the cheapest fats and has been argued to be destructive to the environment and the communities producing it. It does not contribute to the flavour (the cocoa butter does) and if anything, it is bad for your health. The term vegetable fat may refer to anything that is fat and made from plants. If a manufacturer is not willing or able to specify what they put into the product, this should ring your alarm bells.
Fat reduced cocoa is also associated with a process called Dutching (washing cocoa with potassium carbonate, also referred to as alkalising). This is more common in Europe than in the US but it is difficult to tell. It is rarely (never) declared in the ingredients list because it is a processing method rather than an ingredient. Dutching can reduce the good stuff (polyphenols that delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, help regulate high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart and cardiovascular conditions) in the cocoa solids by up to 90%. The number is subject to discussion with some people arguing that the reduction of polyphenols was negligible. Until that is decided, you should probably go for the natural cocoa. It may also have more complex flavours.

Better ingredients

Manufacturers can put some additional information in the list. By doing so, the manufacturer goes beyond its legal obligation. Because the manufacturers must not lie and they are bound to using the ingredients and methods as stated on the product. The extra commitment is often a positive indicator.

• Cane sugar
• Agave syrup
• Cocoa detail (e.g., origin, treatment)

By saying cane sugar, they actually have to use it. In contrast, saying sugar allows them to use any kind of sugar. Using cane sugar or agave syrup may show that the manufacturer has invested thought into the product, e.g. sometimes agave may add just the right edge with this cocoa but not with another one. Often, the more specific product details point towards a higher quality product.
But beware the fancy pantsy. The classic "made with" could mean that a small (tiny) proportion is high quality and lion's share is something else. The statement might be legit but still just smoke and mirrors.

Davert cocoa nibs

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Cocoa nibs (Kakao Nibs)
Main ingredients are cocoa beans.
Cocoa content: minimum 100% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Davert GmbH, Zur Davert 7, 59387 Ascheberg, GERMANY

Packaging

The 180g cocoa nibs are sealed in transparent plastic wrap and boxed in turquoise card board.

Look

The cocoa nibs are dark brown with some hints of black. The inside edges of broken nibs are lighter in colour with red and rosé hints.

Sound

The nibs break with a clear snap and some crackling noise.

Smell

There is a deep and dark-ish cocoa and chocolate aroma. The nibs also have some notes of roast and hints of earth or wet wood.

Mouthfeel

At first contact, the nibs feels a little bit cold. The nibs's surface is perceived as even but it has some texture. Once chewed, the nibs are slightly brittle and crackle in the mouth similar to roasted piece of chopped hazelnut.

Taste

The initial flavour is a mild bitterness with notes of roast and some hints of nuts. As the flavour unfolds, the bitterness remains very mild and the cocoa and nut flavours dominate. There are notes of wood and bark.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by a dark cocoa flavour, a lingering bitterness and flavours of roasted wood.

Summary

The flavour of the cocoa nibs unfolds slowly and has a mild, dark-ish bitterness. It has long lasting notes of wood, nuts and roast. Their mouthfeel is similar to roasted hazelnut.

Verdict

These cocoa nibs have a clear dark cocoa flavour. They have nuts, roast and wood aroma with little to none acidity but an intense bitterness and a little astringency. They are little, very flavour-intensive nibbles. 3 Stars.

Dates

Best before 14/03/2017, tasted 30/10, 01&06/11/1016

Wohlfahrt - Roasted cocoa nibs

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Roasted cocoa nibs.
Ingredients are just cocoa nibs.
Cocoa content: minimum 100% cocoa solids, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Wohlfarth Schokolade, Choriner Straße 37, 10435 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany

Packaging

The cocoa nibs are wrapped in a transparent plastic bag of 50g (other sizes available).

Look

The nibs are dark brown. Some parts are darker, others are lighter with shades of red. The edges are much lighter coloured and almost white and appear to be almost powder.

Sound

When breaking the nibs, they emit a clear crackling sound.

Smell

The nibs smell of a mild cocoa and hints of roast aroma. They also have chocolatey aroma to them that is similar to milk chocolate.

Mouthfeel

Initially, the nibs feel cold when they touch the lips and tongue. Their surface feels surprisingly smooth and even. Chewing them feels similar to chopped almonds.

Taste

The taste unfolds slowly. It starts with a mild bitterness and roast flavours. This combines with an intense cocoa flavour that resembles very dark chocolate. The bitterness is very light, resembling that of lavender or roses. There are also hints of bark and roasted nuts.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste lingers for quite a while. It is mainly cocoa and the mild bitterness and an impression of very smooth chocolate.

Summary

These cocoa nibs taste very intensively of cocoa with a mild bitterness and hints of roast, nuts and petals.

Verdict

These cocoa nibs offer an intense experience. Given the size and amount, they are very rich in flavour. Their bitterness is immediately detectable but not overly hitting. They are not sour and leave an intense aftertaste of dark chocolate. 4 Stars.

Dates

Tasted 30/10&01/11/2016

Wohlfahrt - Milk chocolate with lemongrass-olive oil

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Lemongrass - Milchschokolade mit Lemongrass-Olivenöl (Milk chocolate with lemongrass-olive oil)
Main ingredients are raw cane sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, lemongrass-olive oil.
Cocoa content: minimum 41% cocoa, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Wohlfarth Schokolade, Choriner Straße 37, 10435 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany

Packaging

The 45g chocolate bar is wrapped in white sandwich paper.

Look

The chocolate is middle brown with some red. The surface is a bit rough with very thin lines and slightly shiny from oil.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with clear sound but it is thuddy.

Smell

The aroma is mainly milk and something that reminds of light oriental spices like cinnamon and cardamom.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate is soft and smooth. It dissolves quickly into a very fine liquid.

Taste

The chocolate initially tastes of a very light sweetness, cinnamon, grass and some milky notes. The flavour quickly becomes richer. It unfolds into a warm, lightly spicy flavour that combines hints of cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of little bitterness from dried flowers and some spice that almost tickles at the rear of the mouth.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by a milky sweetness with hints of the complex spiciness.

Summary

This is a warming, complex milk chocolate with notes of cinnamon and cardamom.

Verdict

This milk chocolate is very well made. It is soft, smooth and dissolves nicely in the mouth. It has nicely warming spicy flavour. I have no clue whether the oil introduces the warming flavours but it is an extraordinary chocolate. 5 Stars.

Dates

Best before 12/2016, tasted 01&18/10/2016

Konditorei-Cafè Fritz Roog - Whole milk chocolate

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Whole milk chocolate (Vollmilchschokolade)
Main ingredients are cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, whole milk powder, vanilla, soy lecithin.
Cocoa content: minimum 38% cocoa

Manufacturer

Konditorei-Cafè Fritz Roog, Mittelstraße 89, 32805 Horn-Bad Meinberg, GERMANY
It's a bakery with a café and small chocolate outlet.
(The typo in "Café" is not mine but is everywhere on the packaging.)

Packaging

The chocolate is wrapped in single aluminium foil and covered with a printed paper sleeve. The packaging says 100g but it actually was slightly above that mark.

Look

The chocolate is light middle brown with a shiny surface. There are some open bubbles of air on surface.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a thud sound.

Smell

The chocolate smells of milk and sugar with hints of cocoa and caramel.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate melts slowly in the mouth. It initially melts into a sticky paste before dissolving into a fine and very smooth liquid.

Taste

The initial flavour is a light sweetness with caramelly note. The chocolate quickly releases a more intense sweetness and milky flavours. There are notes of caramel, tiny hints of cocoa and traces of some cold metallic flavour.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is mainly sweet with some milky flavours that persist towards the rear of the mouth.

Summary

This is a light and sweet milk chocolate. The hazelnut flavours are almost entirely covered by the sweet milkiness of the chocolate. The chocolate is very soft and smooth but becomes slightly sticky when it melts in the mouth.

Verdict

The chocolate is very sweet and there are almost no reminders of the cocoa flavour. The chocolate is very smooth but goes through a period of stickiness before melting properly. 2 Stars.

Dates

Best before 27/09/2016, tasted 01&27&28/09/2016

Wohlfahrt - Raw dried cocoa pulps

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Raw cocoa pulps (dried cocoa beans with flesh)
Ingredient is dried cocoa beans.
Cocoa content: minimum 100% cocoa, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Wohlfarth Schokolade, Choriner Straße 37, 10435 Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany

Packaging

The dried cocoa pulps are wrapped in transparent plastic bag. Depicted is a 100g bag.

Look

The dried fruit flesh is pale yellow. Some areas are more pink in colour others are more brown-ish. The cocoa nibs inside are dark brown, some are light brown. But the colour variety ranges from pink or blue-ish, white to brown and dark brown.

Sound

The flesh is tough and dry such that it does not really 'break'. The flesh crumbles to some degree. The cocoa nibs are very crumbly. In sum, the sound is similar to crisps.

Smell

After opening the bag, the cocoa flesh smells lemony with a distinct sharp fruity sourness. There are aromas of roasted nuts. There is also a flowery note.

Mouthfeel

The fruit flesh is very dry. It becomes a bit softer in the mouth and feels slightly sticky but it remains quite chewy. The cocoa nibs are crumbly and crisp.

Taste

The initial taste is of fruity sourness and a fruity sweetness. Chewing a little releases nut and roast flavours. This is accompanied by more or less intense cocoa flavours. The variance between the pulps is huge. It ranges from fruity, strongly flowery notes to earthy, bitter flavours. Some also taste of freshly cut wood with roast aroma. The larger ones have a more intense cocoa and chocolate flavour.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste varies heavily. In most cases, it is a nutty roast aroma with hint of earth and a mild bitterness. But the pulps can also have a flowery flavour, some can be quite bitter. The odd one can be also be a bit like soap.

Summary

The dried cocoa pulps have a huge variety in flavours and vary in shape and colour. The commonality seems to be an initial fruity sour flavour, fruity sweetness and nuts and roast flavours of the nibs. Most of the pulps are comparably small. The larger ones have more nibs compared to flesh and a more intense chocolate flavour.
The flavour appears to be perceived very differently between people, too.

Verdict

This is really an interesting product. It probably illustrates how difficult it is to select a good and consistent quality of cocoa. Some people really like its flavours while others really do not. Nevertheless, it's an unusual product that can be very satisfying as a little snack and comes with a variety of flavours. No rating at this point.

Dates

Tasted: 22&23&24/07&03&04&05%30&31/08/2016

Konditorei-Cafè Fritz Roog - Whole milk chocolate with hazelnuts

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Whole milk chocolate with hazelenuts (Vollmilchschokolade Haselnuß)
Main ingredients are cocoa mass, cocoa butter, sugar, hazelnuts, whole milk powder, vanilla, soy lecithin.
Cocoa content: minimum 38% cocoa

Manufacturer

Konditorei-Cafè Fritz Roog, Mittelstraße 89, 32805 Horn-Bad Meinberg, GERMANY
It's a bakery with a café and small chocolate outlet.
(The typo in "Café" is not mine but as presented on the packaging.)

Packaging

The chocolate is wrapped in single aluminium foil and covered with a printed paper sleeve. The packaging says 100g but it actually was around 130g of chocolate.

Look

The chocolate is light middle brown with a shiny surface.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a thud sound.

Smell

The chocolate smells of milk, sugar and some notes of roasted hazelnut with light hints of cocoa.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate melts slowly in the mouth. It melts into a sticky paste before dissolving into a fine and very smooth liquid.

Taste

The initial flavour is a light sweetness. The chocolate quickly releases fresh milk flavours with a more intense sweetness and a mild notes of cocoa flavour. The typical roasted hazelnuts flavours are covered by the sweetness and leave a very light roast and hazelnut flavour.

Aftertaste

The milky aftertaste is mainly present at the rear of the mouth and sugary sweetness more central to the mouth.

Summary

This is a light and sweet milk chocolate with whole hazelnuts. The hazelnut flavours are almost entirely covered by the sweet milkiness of the chocolate. The chocolate is very soft and smooth.

Verdict

The sweetness of the chocolate almost entirely covers the roast and hazelnut aromas. The chocolate is very smooth but goes through a period of stickiness before melting nicely. 3 Stars.

Dates

Best before 27/09/2016, tasted 11&16/08/2016

Hotel Chocolat - Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
Main ingredients are hazelnut paste (65%, hazelnuts, sugar, sorbitol, soy lecithin), cocoa solids (cocoa mass and cocoa butter), sunflower oil, sugar, soy lecithin, vanilla.
Cocoa content: The manufacturer lists 70% in the dark chocolate but it is not mentioned in the ingredients list. The amount of cocoa solids is not mentioned, thus no ratio is reported.

Manufacturer

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

Packaging

The 150g chocolate spread is in a plastic jar which is sealed with the label.

Look

The chocolate spread is middle brown with hints of read.

Sound

Not applicable.

Smell

Opening the pan releases an intense hazelnut aroma which is mixed with roast aromas.

Mouthfeel

The spread is very soft and disperses immediately in the mouth. Once it has reached a surface it sticks to this briefly as if the spread had become mire dry once it arrived in the mouth. However, this sensation quickly disappears as the spread dissolves again. The spread is smooth but occasionally has some small particles.

Taste

The initial taste is a light sweetness that quickly merges with roasted hazelnut aromas. The sweetness remains present throughout. This makes the roasted hazelnut flavours comparably light.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by a light sweetness and some hazelnut flavours.

Summary

This is a light and smooth, sweet hazelnut spread. It does not emphasise the roast and cocoa flavours but appears rather light and sweet.

Verdict

The hazelnut spread is well made towards the light and sweet flavours. It disperses velvety in the mouth and initially almost feels fluffy to the tongue. But it some very small particles in it. Not taking into account that the label argueing that there is more cocoa, less sugar and makes a statement about 'dark chocolate' which is not in the ingredients list, it is nice hazelnut spread. 4 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 16108, best before: 11/2016, tasted 31/07/&02&05/08/2016

Hotel Chocolat - Lime Truffle

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Lime - Dark truffle with a hint of lime (Lime ganache sealed in a dark chocolate shell, decorated with naturally coloured white chocolate)
Main ingredients are cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, sorbitol & glycerol, glucose syrup, butter oil, lime puree (3%).
Cocoa content: minimum 70% cocoa in the dark chocolate shell.

Manufacturer

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

Packaging

The 12 truffles (55g) are in a black plastic tray, wrapped and sealed in transparent plastic wrap.

Look

The chocolate shell is dark brown with hints of red. The filling is of slightly lighter brown and shimmers glossily.

Sound

The chocolate shells break with a clear snap sound.

Smell

Opening the packaging releases lime and cocoa aromas. After opening the shell, vanilla aromas noticeably add to the mixture.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate melts relatively slowly into a fine, smooth liquid. The filling is very smooth and disperses very quickly in the mouth.

Taste

The chocolate shell has an earthy and somewhat bitter cocoa flavour with some sugar notes. It has also taken on some lime flavour from its filling. The lime truffle has an initially very sweet flavour. The lime flavour is released slightly later and mixes with the initial sugar flavour. The flavour becomes lemony before turning towards lime.

Aftertaste

The truffles have relatively little aftertaste. This is dominated by the cocoa notes of the chocolate shell towards the rear and the side of the mouth. After a while, the cocoa flavour has disappeared and a sugary aftertaste becomes noticeable.

Summary

These lime truffles are made of an earthy dark chocolate shell and a very sweet lime filling.

Verdict

The dark chocolate and the lime flavours combine and complement each other. However, the truffle filling is very sweet. This hinders the lime and the earthy chocolate to produce a 'hint of lime' but results in an experience of dark chocolate, interrupted by sweet lime and returning to dark chocolate. 3 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 160483, best before 09/2016, tasted 17&23/07/2016

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