Whittard of Chelsea - Vanatu 44 Milk chocolate

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Vanatu 44 Milk chocolate
Main ingredients are sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, milk powder, vanilla flavouring
Cocoa content: minimum 44% cocoa solids

Manufacturer

Manufactured in Belgium for: Whittard of Chelsea (Whittard Trading Limited), Windrush House, Windrush Industrial Park, WITNEY, Oxfordshire, OX29 7DX, United Kingdom

Packaging

The chocolate is wrapped and sealed in shiny plastic wrap. This package of 90g in then placed in a cardboard envelope.

Look

The chocolate is middle brown.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a clear "snap" sound.

Smell

The smell has aromas of cream and hints of roasted hazelnuts.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate initially feels soft and melts into a creamy liquid. A small amount of crumbles is in the chocolate. After melting the chocolate leaves the sensation of a very fine powder on the gums and tongue.

Taste

The chocolate has a milky sweet flavour with little hints of roasted nuts and caramel.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by caramel and cream flavours.

Summary

This is a creamy milk chocolate with balanced sweetness and some caramel and hazelnut flavours. It leaves the sensation of a very fine powder after eating.

Verdict

The main body of the chocolate is not well conched and there are some noticeable sugar crystals or some sort of crumbs in the chocolate. The flavour is mainly attributable to cream and (caramelised) sugar. There are hints of hazelnut. 2 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: L15258, best before September 2016, tasted 13 February 2016

Whittard of Chelsea - Uganda 80 Dark Chocolate

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Uganda 80 Dark chocolate
Main ingredients are cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla flavouring
Cocoa content: minimum 80% cocoa solids

Manufacturer

Manufactured in Belgium for: Whittard of Chelsea (Whittard Trading Limited), Windrush House, Windrush Industrial Park, WITNEY, Oxfordshire, OX29 7DX, United Kingdom

Packaging

The chocolate is wrapped and sealed in shiny plastic wrap. This package of 90g in then placed in a cardboard envelope.

Look

The colour of the chocolate is very dark brown and black.

Sound

The chocolate breaks with a clear "snap" sound.

Smell

The smell is surprisingly light with sweet, nutty aromas and an earthy note.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate quickly melts into a liquid that feels slightly floury and also has a very few larger bits.

Taste

The initial taste is bitter, earthy and perhaps charred. This is added by some bark flavours but also sweetness from the sugar.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by bitter and earthy notes as well as some lingering sweetness.

Summary

This is an earthy, bitter, very dark chocolate but also with a noticeable sugary sweetness.

Verdict

The chocolate is not well conched resulting in a partly floury mouthfeel and some small bits in the chocolate. The flavour is bitter, earthy and has hints of something charred but there is still some marked sweetness in the chocolate to counter the cocoa. 1 Star.

Dates

Lot number: L15258, best before September 2016, tasted 13 February 2016

Artisan du Chocolat - Trinidad & Tobago dark chocolate

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Trinidad and Tobago dark chocolate
Main ingredients: cocoa beans, cane sugar, cocoa butter
Cocoa content: minimum 70% cocoa content, no vanilla

Manufacturer

Artisan du Chocolat, 89 Lower Sloane Street, London, SW1 8DA, United Kingdom
in Partnership with: Fine Cocoa Company Ltd, La Réunion Cocoa Estate, Centeno, Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago

Packaging

The chocolate comes in a tin in the shape of a steel pan drum. Inside is some packaging paper and 125g dark chocolate sealed in plastic wrap.

Look

The surface is smooth and a bit shiny. The chocolate is dark brown but more red-brown than black-brown.

Sound

The little chocolate sticks snap with a clear, distinct "click" sound.

Smell

The chocolate has a warm and rich smell with aromas of wood, earth and notes of guava and flowers.

Mouthfeel

The chocolate is initially very hard and solid and melts quickly into a very fine liquid.

Taste

The initial flavour is pure cocoa with a note of bark, oak tree and wet wood. It almost instantly unfolds a full body of fruity notes of raisins, guavas and honey dew. It has a distinct, very light, unobtrusive sweetness. The dark cocoa flavour is present all the time and combines with the fruitiness into a comparably light chocolate which is still very complex and rich in flavour.

Aftertaste

The aftertaste is dominated by darker cocoa flavours of the chocolate at the rear of the mouth whereas some fruity notes linger in the front.

Summary

This pure dark chocolate is comparably light but it has a rich cocoa flavour and complex, fruity flavours that are all sourced from the special cocoa bean. It deserves your full attention when eating.

Verdict

The fine dark chocolate lives of its specially sourced cocoa. It is immaculately crafted. The pure dark cocoa and yet fruity flavours are lavishly complex. This makes the chocolate very unique and outstanding. 5 Stars.

Dates

Lot number: 23557, best before 13 April 2017, tasted 13 & 14 February 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

Whittard of Chelsea - Cantucci biscuits with figs & almonds

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Cantucci biscuits with figs & almonds
Main ingredients are wheat flour, sugar, dried figs (18%), eggs, almonds (10%)

Manufacturer

Manufactured by Amari in Carmignano s.a.s., Via Guido Rossa, 81-83, 59015, CARMIGNANO PO, Italy for: Whittard of Chelsea (Whittard Trading Limited), Windrush House, Windrush Industrial Park, WITNEY, Oxfordshire, OX29 7DX, United Kingdom

Packaging

The 200g load of biscuits is sealed in plastic. A cardboard label is attached above the seal.

Look

The biscuits are dark yellow with a light brown crust. Whole almonds and figs are visible in the fluffy dough.

Sound

The biscuits are hard as cantucci should be. They make a thud sound when broken and are especially soft around the figs.

Smell

The biscuits smell like sweetened eggs and vanilla with a very strong fruity aroma and a light hint of roast.

Mouthfeel

These biscuits are light and crisp. After chewing the first bits, the crunchiness is lost but the dough is still light.

Taste

The initial taste is a sweet biscuit dough with butter and egg flavours, and some vanilla notes. The almonds are lightly roasted supporting their flavour. The figs come with a flavour of dark molasses combined with ripened plum and a little tartly and peaty note.

Aftertaste

The biscuits have a sweet aftertaste with a light buttery and egg-ish note.

Summary

These biscuits are crisp and sweet with a nice butter and egg flavour with lightly roasted almonds and richly flavoured figs.

Verdict

These are nice cantucci style biscuits. In particular, the baked figs add an interesting and rich flavour to them. However, their moisture makes it very difficult to have a crunchy cantucci. These biscuits are less crunchy than possible and they have a little a bit more dough.

Dates

Lot number: 151115, best before 04 October 2016, tasted 06 February 2016

Dallmayr - Cantucci al Cacao e Nocciola

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Cantucci al Cacao e Nocciola - Hazelnut and cocoa biscuits
Main ingredients are wheat, sugar, hazelnuts (23%), eggs, margarine, butter
Cocoa content: 4%

Manufacturer

Manufactured in Italy (hand made according to label) for: Alois Dallmayr KG, 80331 München, Germany

Packaging

The 250g load of biscuits is sealed in plastic. A cardboard label is attached above the seal.

Look

The biscuits are dark brown with a few sprinkles of sugar on the sides. Whole hazelnuts are visible in the fluffy dough.

Sound

The biscuits are hard as cantucci should be. They make a loud "crack" sound when broken.

Smell

The biscuits have a warm hazelnut and cocoa smell.

Mouthfeel

These biscuits are very crunchy. After chewing the first bits, the dough still feels light.

Taste

The initial taste is very sweet when you feel the sugar on the outside. When crunching through the biscuits, they develop cocoa and roasted hazelnut flavours.

Aftertaste

The biscuits have a light cocoa aftertaste with a mild roasted note from the hazelnuts.

Summary

These biscuits are crunchy and sweet with a nicely balanced, mild flavour of cocoa and hazelnut.

Verdict

These are well-executed cantucci style biscuits. They come with solid crunch from start to finish and are nicely balanced between sweetness, cocoa and warming hazelnut flavours.

Dates

Lot number: 070815, best before 07 April 2016, tasted 24 January 2016

Zotter - Weihnachtsknistern (Christmas crackle)

The tasting notes reflect my personal opinion.

Name

Weihnachtsknistern - Dunkle Bergmilchschokolade gefüllt mit Äpfel, Honig und Zimt (alkoholhaltig) [sic] - Christmas crackle, dark mountain milk chocolate filled with apple(s), honey and cinnamon (contains alcohol)
Main ingredients are unrefined cane sugar, dried apple (15%), cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, apple juice (9%)
Cocoa content: 50% in the chocolate

Manufacturer

zotter Schokoladen Manufaktur GmbH, Bergl 56, A-8333 Riegersburg, Austria

Packaging

The 70g chocolate bar is wrapped in aluminium foil and a paper sleeve.

Look

The surface is maroon brown, shiny and smooth. There are no pre-shaped pieces moulded in the bar.

Sound

The chocolate bar is filled with two soft layers. After separating the chocolate coating, it is surprisingly hard and makes a clear snapping sound when broken.

Smell

It smells of sweet cinnamon and apple with some hints of nuts. Smelled on its own, the chocolate coating has taken on the smell of its filling with a slightly more earthy hint.

Mouthfeel

Eaten as a whole, the filled chocolate turns into a sticky dough. After chewing through this, apple pieces and finely chopped hazelnuts covered in dough remain. Tasting the layers separately, the chocolate coating quickly melts into a smooth liquid. The apple layer feels almost floury initially but turns into something jam-like with little pieces of apple. The dough (or caramel or cream?) layer feels like sticky dough with small lumps or crumbly peanut butter with a small amount of chopped peanuts.

Taste

I started with each layer on its own. The chocolate coating has a sweet cinnamon taste with a hint of apple probably from the apple filling. There is basically no cocoa flavour to it. The initial contact with the apple layer was like gingerbread. This was probably due to its crumbly surface and the cinnamon. This vanishes quickly and is replaced by a floury taste with hints of sour apple purée, sweetness and traces of cinnamon. The doughy layer tastes sweet with a hint of vanilla. It has also taken on some apple flavour from the other layer. The dough contains a small amount of tasteless chopped hazelnuts. This chocolate bar was probably never intended to be separated into single layers...  The whole thing starts with sweet flavours from the chocolate coating and quickly releases the apple and flour taste of its filling. The sticky mass releases some notes of cinnamon later on.

Aftertaste

There is only little aftertaste. This is mainly a doughy sweetness and some artificial apple.

Summary

This filled chocolate bar mainly tastes of flour, some apple and a tiny pinch of cinnamon. It is sticky and chewy. If you expected popping candy or other sparkling, fizzy, crackling ingredients, you will be disappointed.

Verdict

The chocolate bar was chewy and sticky. The packaging proudly stated "bean-to-bar" but this did not play out in the chocolate. Each layer on its own had little to offer. Their individual shortcomings were emphasised by combining them. The chocolate's name falsely suggested that there would be popping candy.

Dates

Best before 05 April 2016, tasted 23 January 2016