La Praline Gothenburg - Truffles Seasalt

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Truffes Fantaisie Havssalt (Truffles Seasalt)
Main ingredients are non-hydrogenated vegetable fat (coconut, palm), sugar, fat reduced cocoa powder, whey powder, seasalt (0.6%), soya lecithin, vanillin (artificial vanilla flavouring), cocoa powder for dusting.
Cocoa content: minimum 44% cocoa solids

Manufacturer

La Praline Gothenburg AB, Backa Strandgata 12, 422 46 Göteborg, Sweden

Packaging

The 200g package of pralines is sealed in aluminium wrap and boxed in cardboard.

Look

The colour is dark brown with some darker almost black spots. After cutting the truffle, the sides are dark brown with a black hue. Little salt crystals can be visible.

Smell

Intensive cocoa and fat aromas hit you when opening the packaging and linger in the air.

Mouthfeel

The truffle feels solid and cannot be squashed with the tongue easily. It has a creamy and soft surface and melts into a fine liquid. The salt crystals are noticeable int the soft and creamy truffle.

Taste

The initial taste of the cocoa powder until a more mild cocoa flavour combined with the richness of the fat evolves. Once the first salt crystals have started dissolving, they add a little salty edge to the truffle. However, the seasalt dissolves slower than truffle. Thus, after the truffle has molten, only salt crystals are left. You know that it is but it still feels really salty each single time. Occassionally, there is also a salty spicy punch.

Aftertaste

If you manage to get of the remaining salt quickly, the aftertaste is mainly fatty cocoa. However, most of the time I did not and thus, the aftertaste was simply salt.

Summary

This is a rich chocolate truffle with a salty edge. Its richness is comes from the fat and combines to a rich and mild cocoa feeling. However, the undissolved sea salt is a problem.

Verdict

The truffles have a convincing richness and density. They have mild cocoa flavour that is smoothened by the fat. Initially, the flavour is enhanced by mild note of slowly dissolving sea salt. However, the slowly dissolving salt crystals stay longer than the truffle. Thus, you end up with pure salt in your mouth. If you chew the product, the salt crystals are crushed and melt much faster. But this can bring the salt to the foreground. In particular, you get very salty spots nearby the teeth and this spoils the product, too. Melting and chewing included an almost painful salt punch. 1 Star.

Dates

Lot number: JP12HAV1216, best before 31/12/2017, tasted 15/08&03&16/09/2017

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

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

Hotel Chocolat - Dark egglets

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Dark Egglets
Main ingredients are cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), hazelnuts, sugar, cocoa powder, soy lecithin, natural vanilla flavour.
Cocoa content: minimum 70% cocoa solids

Manufacturer

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

Packaging

The chocolate is sealed in transparent plastic wrap and a black ribbon is attached to the top. Packaging size is 110g.

Look

The praline is dusted with light brown cocoa powder. The chocolate underneath is very dark brown almost black-ish. The filling is dark brown but lighter coloured than the chocolate.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a clear snap sound.

Smell

The initial smell is hazelnut. Opening the egg releases an intense hazelnut and gianduja aroma mixed with cocoa.

Mouthfeel

The cocoa powder feels almost solid and melts on the tongue. The chocolate itself is smooth and melts into a fine and smooth liquid. The filling is relatively compact and melts slowly.

Taste

The initial taste is of dark cocoa which gives way to dark chocolate with intense roasted hazelnut aromas and hints of an earthy bitterness. The filling is slightly sweeter and has a very strong roasted nut flavour mixed with the dark-ish chocolate taste.

Aftertaste

The long lasting aftertaste is dominated by the nut flavour of the filling and some earthy notes from the cocoa at the rear of the mouth.

Summary

This is a very dark and smooth chocolate and hazelnut praline which emphasises the dark cocoa and roasted hazelnut flavours.

Verdict

These dark chocolate eggs are really intense, rich and satisfying. The ingredients are very well combined and immaculately crafted. 5 Stars.

Dates

Best before July 2016, tasted 03&06&07/04/2016

Ferrero - Rocher Easter egg

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Ferrero Rocher Easter egg (big rocher: milk chocolate hollow body with hazelnut pieces and, small rocher: crispy nut-praline speciality in tender milk chocolate and fine hazelnut cream)
Main ingredients of the large rocher are milk chocolate (80% made of sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder butter fat, vanillin) and hazelnuts (20%). Cocoa content: minimum 33,5% cocoa.
Main ingredients of the smaller rochers are milk chocolate (30% made of sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder butter fat, vanillin) and hazelnuts (28,5%), sugar, palm oil, wheat flower, sweetened whey powder).

Manufacturer

Ferrero 60624, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; FERRERO Österreich, Sterzinger Str. 1, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria

Packaging

The package is designed as a super sized Ferrero Rocher. Inside the golden foil, there is a gold-ish plastic shell with a large hollow chocolate ball inside. Inside the chocolate ball, there are two smaller Ferrero Rochers which are sealed in a plastic wrap. Content weight is 125g.

Look

The outer larger rocher shell is middle brown with shiny surface. Pieces of hazelnut are peaking out. The smaller rochers look very similar with a somewhat lighter brown waffle inside and dark brown cream filling.

Sound

The chocolate of the outer, larger shell breaks with a "thud" sound.

Smell

On its own, the outer shell smells of milk, hazelnut roast aroma and sugary sweetness. The smaller rochers smell of sugar, hazelnuts and a hint of cocoa after opening them.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate of the outer shell is smooth and melts quickly into a fine liquid. This frees a bunch of roasted hazelnut pieces. The waffle shell inside the smaller rochers is airy and crispy. It maintains some of its crisp throughout the process. The creamy filling is very smooth, dense but also sticky.

Taste

The chocolate tastes of sugary sweetness, milk and a hint of cocoa. It also releases something artificial but it is difficult to say what exactly. The roasted hazelnuts add their roasted nut flavours to the chocolate once they have been released and chewed. The little waffles inside the smaller rochers taste of a mild roast aroma and some cocoa notes. The filling tastes of sugar with initial notes of roasted hazelnut and cocoa.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste of the chocolate is of roasted hazelnuts but it is dominated by its sweetness. After the initial notes, the flavour of the filling turns more and more sweet and leaves a sugary, sweet aftertaste.

Summary

I believe that this is the first large East egg style thing on the German supermarket shelf. Taste-wise this is a sweet milk chocolate with lots of roasted hazelnuts.

Verdict

The packaging is spectacular compared to the competition on the German market. The chocolate has a lot of roasted hazelnuts. But it also has an almost overly intense sugary sweetness and some unidentified artificial note to it. 2 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: LO15W-N 03:00, best before 13/07/2016, tasted 20/03/2016

Artisan du Chocolat - Sea salted caramels N25 Spiced figs

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Sea salted caramels - №25 Spiced figs
Main ingredients are dark chocolate, caramel and cocoa powder.
Cocoa content: minimum 72% cocoa solids in the dark chocolate

Manufacturer

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

Packaging

The cardboard box contains a round plastic container with a screw cap. A package contains 130g pralines.

Look

The little pralines are dusted with cocoa powder with a light-ish brown colour.

Sound

The chocolate body is not intended to be broken outside of the mouth as the filling could spill. However I did so anyway, there is a snap sound of the chocolate body when broken apart.

Smell

Opening the little plastic container releases a warming cocoa aroma with aromas of wood, roast and a hint of floral fruit.

Mouthfeel

The cocoa layer does not feel dusty or powdery but rather almost solid. It is still powder, thus breathing in in the first moments can make you cough as the cocoa powder settles on the back of your mouth. Rolling the chocolate makes the outer cocoa layer melt until the dark chocolate body is exposed. This quickly melts until it is unstable, breaks and releases its filling. The fig filling is similar to a soft jam with little fig kernels.

Taste

The cocoa powder layer tastes like very dark chocolate with flavours of wood, roast and bark. These flavours intermix with the dark chocolate body and become slightly lighter with hints of dark molasses. Finally, the fruity filling tastes like a rich, sweet fig jam with spices that nicely mix without a single one standing out noticeably. There is also a hotness as in ginger or chili which is just enough to engage the taste buds. It is merely a sensation at the rear of the tongue rather than an actual flavour and it does not interfere with the filling's fruity sweetness. When the three layers mix, a finely balanced spiced sweetness and fruitiness gradually adds to the dark chocolate flavours.

Aftertaste

Initially, the spicy sensation dominates the aftertaste. This quickly disappears and gives room to the dark chocolate with its roast and bark flavours combined with the fruity sweetness of the fig filling.

Summary

These are rich filled dark chocolate pralines. Their layers provide a complex change of flavours starting with very dark wood flavours and gradually adding sweet and fruity flavours.

Verdict

The chocolate pralines are very well designed and executed. Eating through each layer is almost like attending a show with different acts. The Chanel №5 styled packaging makes quite a promise. Nevertheless, the product lives up to the expectations without a shadow of doubt.

Dates

Lot number: 21942, best before 07 November 2016, tasted 06 February 2016