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