Hotel Chocolat The Serious Dark Fix Extra Thick Easter Egg

It bears repeating that I have a theory that any candy can be made better by putting it in egg shape.
I'm not really sure why it seems to work out like that but it does. So what do you get when you take already great chocolate and put it into egg form?- you get one freaking fantastic egg that's what you get!

Hotel Chocolat has some beautiful Easter products and they were kind enough to send me one of their ginormous eggs.
Since I have tried and loved Hotel's milk chocolate (I tried the Caramellow Slab) I was quite eager to taste Hotel's dark chocolate- Especially since Jim over at Jim's Chocolate Mission reviews Hotel's products on a regular basis and always makes me drool! (read some of Jim's Hotel reviews HERE)

The egg's are split into two thick shells. One shell is made of 74% dark chocolate and the other shell is 74% dark chocolate studded with Cocoa nibs. Then there are two lovely foil packs of individual candies that make up the center of egg. There are seven different candies which are:
* Chunky Nut
* Gin Truffle
* Caramel & Rum Truffle
* Blackcurrant & Champagne
* Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
* Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark Chocolate
* Orange and Lemon Sandwich


I started with the "plain" shell. First the aroma of the egg as a whole was outstanding. It smells just like I imagine Homer Simpson's version of Heaven would. Rich and just a little sweet. Almost like really strong hot chocolate.
The chocolate it's self- which was just thin enough to break off a piece with my hands was still pleasingly thick. The first thing I notices was almost a coffee like bitterness, but it is not so bitter that it gives you CBF (Cat Butt Face). There's just there tiniest bit of a milkiness to it, I think that's what keeps the bar from being too bitter. There is a sweetness to it that reminded me of the aftertaste of slightly unripe strawberries. I also liked that for such a strong chocolate the melt was nice and smooth. Not grainy or chalky in the least.


Next up was the other half of the shell the 74% dark chocolate with cocoa nibs.
I think for some reason I had the idea that the nibs would be larger and visible on the outer shell. They are actually quite small- they show up as the orangy specks in the picture.
The only difference between the two shells are the nibs. I am torn on how I feel about them. The nibs up the overall bitterness of the dark chocolate and it was a little much for me. When I isolated the nibs I really liked them on there own. Again I am going to keep using coffee as a comparison because the nibs reminded me of chocolate covered espresso beans. I think I would love them in a milk chocolate- that would be a great contrast. I also wasn't too keen on the texture, because the nibs are so small and because of the strong flavor it reminded me of chocolate with coffee grounds.


Next up was the Single Origin Trinidad 72% Dark Chocolate
This little bunny was beautifully molded and I almost felt bad for eating off his ears... almost
The first thing that came to my mind when tasting this chocolate was that it tasted nutty. I couldn't tell you what kind of nut- it was just nutty and then the nuttiness gives way to the other notes. This chocolate had strong lemony citrus notes. After tasting this it made me notice that the 74% dark of the main shell has more of a vanilla flavor then I noticed on the first go around. I didn't sense as much sweetness with the bunny. It also had a wonderfully crisp snap.



The Gin Truffle was the one thing in this egg that I was both really wanting to try and really sure I would like. I am not a fan of gin. I'm a vodka drinker and much like Coke Vs. Pepsi fans most people tend to like one or the other but not really both.
The chocolate is dark but not as dark as the outer shells or the bunny (not sure what the percentage is) the center is smooth and cool on the tongue- it also explodes into a burst of REAL gin flavor. I wasn't sure how the gin would translate but it comes through loud and clear. If James Bond ate truffles he would love this one! I don't even like gin and I LOVED this truffle. The gin adds a dryness to he chocolate. I also tasted orange- but that may have been the bite of the alcohol mixed with the strength of the chocolate. Oh, and should you ever want to really annoy a gin drinker tell them that gin is just juniper infused vodka- they tend to get all uppity when you say that.


Chunky Nut
The nut on the top was nice and crispy- I am not great with nuts and I am not sure what kind it was, I am guessing hazelnut. I realize I should probably have eaten it with the chocolate rather then plunking it off, but I did and we will all just have to deal with it.
I am not sure what nuts made up the chunky nuts but the inner ganoush was super smooth. It reminded me of a cross between hazelnut gianduja (hazelnut & chocolate paste) and natural peanut butter. The creamy center is also studded with little bits of crunchy nuts. I have said many a time that while I like chocolate, and I like nuts I tend to not like them together but this an exception. It was just plain yummy.


Single Origin Ugandan 80% Dark
"Hey there, I think your a groovy chick in a far out sorta way..." Sorry I watched The Brady Bunch Movie the other day and I could not resist. Anywho...
I was surprised that this wasn't as bitter as I thought it was going to be. In fact although it has a higher percentage of cocoa then the bunny I thought it was less bitter. This chocolate seemed almost salty to me, it was woodsy and deep. I think this would be excellent used for baking. There is just enough of a vanilla flavor to it that being used in say a cookie would mellow it out only slightly. This has been my favorite of all the solid chocolate.


Orange and Lemon Sandwich
Do I really have to remind everyone how much I love pretty much all conceivable combinations of lemon, orange and chocolate?
This was no exception. The citrus flavor in this piece sort of remind me of a bowl of Trix cereal- you know how after the first few bites all the flavors just sort of blend into just a general fruity flavor? that's what this tasted like. Don't get me wrong, it was great but neither the lemon nor the orange stands out independently. The filling is remarkably smooth and has a fantastic melt.


Caramel & Rum Truffle
When I think of rum the first thing I think of is my best friend. He grew up on the island of St. Croix and one of the main export of St. Criox is Cruzan Rum. As a good St. Croiz native as far as he's concerned it's THE only rum. I have no idea what brand of rum (or even type of rum) Hotel has used for this confection but in honor of my friend I would like to think it's Cruzan (and if it's not I feel safe to say he will survive) I've never had rum and caramel paired before so I thought it was an interesting idea. No one will ever accuse Hotel of not using real liquor in their truffles because let me tell you there is a different kick. The chocolate shell is great. The percentage is again not listed but it is strong enough that it holds it's own against the strong flavor of the rum. It has a nice thick shell. I was expecting this truffle to be chewy because of the caramel, but honestly if I didn't know that the caramel was there I never would have guessed it. There is no buttery quality. There is no sweetness and the texture gives no hints that there is anything remotely caramel like. For the filling the only thing you taste is the rum and even that is not so much a rum flavor but a chemically alcohol burn. I really hate to say this because overall I find Hotel to be outstanding but I wouldn't be telling the truth if I didn't say it almost reminded me of gasoline. I am not sure what went wrong here.


Blackcurrant & Champagne Truffle
Last but not least...
I LOOOOVE me some champagne truffles. My all time favorite can be found at a little shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side called Mondel's Chocolates but let me tell you Hotel has given them a run for their money!
The red hued outer shell has the fantastic sweet/tart flavor of blackcurrant. It's actually came off tasting in a way I can only call juicy. The chocolate is mild but still dark. Once again the truffle center was milky smooth but this center was very soft, almost to the point of being fluid. The champagne is so vivid you almost wait for the bubbles! I could have eaten an embarrassingly large amount of these!

All in all (even with the exception of the caramel & rum truffle) this was wonderful. It was nice to have such a wide selection of dark chocolates in one collection. Hotel has made this egg an 11!


PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company
Be sure to visit Hotel's website to get your own!

Fling- Hazelnut Bar

If you read my review of the Milk Chocolate Fling then you already know minus the meringue plank I didn't like it...
I still have the Hazelnut and Dark Chocolate versions to work through (and the only times these reviews start to feel like work is when I don't like something). I am trying to have an open mind. Part of me is hoping that the Hazelnut version is something like a Kinder Bueno. The other part is hoping I at least sort of like it.

Lucky for me opening the bar led to a really pleasant roasty hazelnut aroma- which at least masked the overly sweet smell the Milk Chocolate version had. Yes, the chocolate it still shimmery, and it's still on the sweet side but the hazelnut creme helps to cut that.

The hazelnut creme is definitely on the hazelnut flavored rather the REAL hazelnut. There's coffee notes to it and thanks to the meringue there's a maltiness to it. There is no way you will ever confuse the creme with some of the higher quality hazelnut chocolates out there but in small doses it's really not bad.

The meringue plank is still the best part. In the end I actually liked these enough that I would buy it again.


PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

Lindt Chocolate Carrots

I was thinking that if I could dangle a chocolate carrot it might help me stay good on my diet
And these Lindt carrots are certainly cute enough- and they have these little plastic umbrella style holders that makes dangling convenient. It wasn't until I was home that I even realized that the carrots are chocolate with Hazelnuts, reading the label it's a hazelnut paste. With that in mine it mind me think that these would be sort of like a solid Nutella.

The chocolate is exceptionally smooth and creamy. There's a strong milky taste. I didn't pick up the hazelnuts the way I expected. It's not as in your face as Nutella, rather it's blended into the chocolate. The aroma is deep and roasty but the flavor is sweet and light. I liked it because it was just nutty enough, it let the chocolate shine though. I also liked that just the one umbrella was a satisfying portion. I'm hoping the Easter Bunny brings more.

PURCHASED FROM:
Longs Drugs

Ritter Sport- Nugat

With nougat you seem to have two distinct groups-
The soft and fluffy group- like what you find in Milky Way bars or the hard kind that is riddled with nuts like you find in Italian torrone. I liked both kinds (although I have always wanted a torrone style done without nuts)

The wrapper on this bar say edelnugat in smaller print and from as best as I can tell it is actually meant to be a hazelnut flavored nugat. This actually explains why it has a vaguely hazelnut smell to it. As for the taste it sort of reminded me of chocolate that was made with milk that had been left out to long with hazelnuts soaking in it. It doesn't taste quite as bad as that sounds- but it is not much better. It does have an unbelievably creamy mouth feel and a fast melt.

The Ritter line does have better offerings to it but I can see where hazelnut fans might love this bar.

PURCHASED FROM:
Economy Candy NYC

Hotel Chocolat Caramellow

First I must express my thanks to the very kind Nicki with Hotel Chocolat.
Getting this bar to me was no easy task and her patience, humor and persistence were greatly appreciated.

I also need to give a shout out to Jim of Jim's Chocolate Mission back in August he did a review of this bar (which you can read HERE) I knew then that I had to try it for myself.

The Caramellow slab is made up of milk chocolate, caramel, caramel drops, cinder toffee and Florentine squares. Let me tell you the photo's do not do the bar justice.

Food porn aside let's talk about taste.
OMG! first, the milk chocolate is very creamy, with strong dairy notes. It's not too sweet. The melt was smooth and rich.

The baby caramel drops not only make the bar look great but they bring a deep buttery sweetness to the bar- without being sticky or taking away from the creamy texture. The toffee bits add a nice crunch and the Florentine squares brought with them the warm hazelnut tones that only add's to the overall greatness of the bar- I had been worried that they might bring a stronger Nutella type flavor that would overwhelm the rest of the bar but that was not the case.

I have on occasion compared things I really loved to being "Clive Owen naked good" I liked this bar so much that I don't think that goes far enough. No, this is more like "Stephen Colbert has finally excepted my proposal" good

(hm... wonder if I could get Stephen and the Caramellow bar in the same room?...)

I could go on but I need to stop before both Stephen and Hotel Chocolat get restraining orders. In any case this slab get's the elusive 11!

PURCHASED FROM:
Sample From Company

Kinder bueno

I have to give thanks to Jim over at Jim's Chocolate Mission for inspiring me to want to try these.
Jim has reviewed both the regular Kinder bueno and the Kinder bueno White and he made the hazelnut filling sound like something that sound definitely not be missed. So when I saw the bar at my Italian grocery today I had to pick it up.

The bueno is made up of two fingers that are about the size of a slightly wider Twix bar. Bonus point's to Kinder for having the fingers individually wrapped inside the foil. The fingers are made up of 4 squat segments of lightly chocolate coated goodness. As far as I could tell it was a milk chocolate- the label on my bar being entirely in Polish didn't exactly help me a lot. Hiding inside of the extremely sweet chocolate is crispy wafer shell that surrounds a dollop of hazelnut creme. I don't know if my bar was just really fresh but I have got to say that the wafer was perfect. It was still crispy enough to break with a satisfying crunch on first bite.
Jim was dead on with the hazelnut filling! Seriously that filling is so good that personally I think it rivals the hazelnut used in the companies Nutella.
I wish I could just get a hold of the hazelnut on it's own!!

The bar as a whole has it's merits- I am not normally a fan of wafers, but if they are always as crisp as the ones in this bar (rather then the chewy, limp, stale wafers one tends to find in candy) I could learn to love them. The chocolate coating was too sweet for my taste but, on a occasion I don't mind. The clear star here is the hazelnut creme.



PURCHASED FROM:
Claro's Italian Market

Glico Hazelnut Pocky

Pocky!!

Yes, the nerd in me can't wait to go to all the different Asian markets in the neighborhood to rummage up new and rare pocky. I found the Hazelnut pocky at the local Duane Reade (drugstore).
I liked it but not as much as the Men's Pocky.
The chocolate was a sweet milk chocolate. It was ok but nothing special. I had been hoping for chunks of hazelnut but what the Pocky means by "hazelnut" is that the chocolate is vaguely hazelnut flavored. It's more like someone ate something that had hazelnuts in it close to where the Pocky was made. Again it's not bad but it is not a very strong flavor either.

Worth the try but I will continue on my quest to find Pocky as good as the Men's Pocky!

PURCHASED FROM:
Duane Reede NYC

Dove Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Caramels

Dove has launched a line of flavored caramels


I happen to like the Dove Promises so I was excited to see these.

I decided to start with the Hazelnut caramel first.
The candy it's self is the exact size and shape as your average Promise.
When you open the bag sadly you do not get a heavy scent of hazelnuts- but if you give the unwrapped candies a sniff you will detect the slightest hint of the nutty goodness within... what's that?- YOU don't sniff your candy? You my friend are missing out. Remember that a large percentage of what you taste is based on what you smell.

So how does it taste you ask?
Pretty good!- yeah well that was helpful.
The chocolate is classic, creamy Dove milk chocolate and it has the rich melt you expect from Dove.
The caramel: It is gooey but not sticky. Actually besides being caramel in color it did not really remind me much of caramel. It was more like a truffle filling then caramel and it has none of the wonderful burnt sugar taste of a good caramel. I however will overlook all that because it tastes so darn good. The caramel-type filling has such a gentle, subtle hazelnut taste that it keeps you returning to the bag for more. It's like a sweet kiss from your first love- did I get enough cheesy metaphors in there?

In a (hazel)nut shell this is perfect for people who like Hazelnut but don't want something as strong as Nutella (like me). Hazelnut addicts may not find it strong enough in flavor but will probably still like it. Or for those of you that like the flavor of nuts in candy but don't want to eat the actual nuts themselves- like me!... Yes, I know I am a freak but that is for another blog.