Seeds Of Change did a brand re-design earlier in the year, and changed some of their bars and the packaging.
I never tried any of the "old" versions, so I really have nothing to be nostalgic for or about. I picked up a little stash of the "new" bars back when I was in NYC. I just didn't get to them until tonight, because I really wanted a Rice Crispies style bar...then I remembered I had the Milk Chocolate with Puffed Grains bar in my stash!
First thing I feel the need to point out is that I liked was the packaging. I really like the envelope style with the individually wrapped bars. I almost never eat an entire bar in one sitting and I like the fact that I can nibble now and still keep the chocolate fresh for later.
Inside each pack is a generous block of chocolate that's divided into four smaller squares.
The chocolate is a deep 43% milk chocolate. Seeds Of Change uses certified organic and sustainable cacao beans. Happy planet PR aside, the chocolate is pretty tasty. It certainly has a milky side to it but there are also some coffee notes. It really reminded me of the initial sweeter flavors after eating cocoa nibs (before the strong, bitter flavors take over). The melt was smooth and creamy.
The puffed grains line only the bottom of the chocolate and are not mixed in. This was disappointing because I like my Crispies throughout the bar. I had the idea in my mind that the puffed grains would actually be a granola-like mix of different kinds of grain that had been puffed. Instead, based on both the package info and the taste, I think that in reality the puffs are made of different grain flours (oat, wheat, brown rice, rye, barley and millet flours are all listed) that were combined into a single "grain" that was puffed. I could be wrong, but the size of the puffs and the taste is just too uniform for there to be much chance of anything else.
The taste of the grain puffs is...well, just sort of a generic graininess. It's kinda malty, but nothing stands out. It's not bad, even if it is not special. The texture is what does it in. The grains are spongy. Not crispy, not crunchy, but spongy. I was willing to say maybe it was because I have had the bar for over a month, but it has been in a temperature controlled area (and in transit back home, the bar was with me the whole time), and the bar doesn't expire until 01/2010.
I liked the chocolate itself quite a bit; the puffs...meh. Not bad, but not something I would go out of my way to get. I wonder if the puffs on the old version were better? Cybele reviewed the bar back when it was called the Isle of Skye, and I wonder if she has tried it since...and if so, what she thinks of the New vs. Old versions.
In either event, I have some more Seeds Of Change in my stash and I am looking forward to trying them soon.
PURCHASED FROM:
Blueberry Farms Bodega (Convenience store) NYC
2 comments:
this was my favorite chocolate in the old version. the grains were throughout the chocolate back then, and had a bit more tooth. now they seem barely there. they don't seem spongy to me, but certainly not crunchy and crispy like say charles chocolate with crisped rice which is about as crispy as you can get. the grains, they just seem to disappear. in summary. the old bars were better. but these are still very good. i also liked the name isle of skye. something wistful about it. thanks for your thoughtful and thorough review.
Gretchen:
Thank you for your kind words and your welcome.
Isle of Skye just had a nicer, Mario Brothersque ring to it. Why did they change it?
From all I have read I think the old version sounds much better then the currant one.
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