Lindt Excellence 99% Cocoa/Cacao

I was tipped off that Cavistons in Glasthule had an 88% Dolfin (thanks to thegirlwhosafraidoffoxes) so while there I also picked up this 99% Lindt. The first taste of this chocolate made me gag … that has never happened before. But not to be put off I had some more :-)

Price: €2.39 for 50g bar
Look: probably the darkest matte chocolate color I have seen. Presented, as all Lindt bars are, in a strong cardboard box. But the chocolate is concealed within a further protective sealed wrapper. This ensures the delicate 50g bar is not lost in the 100g bar box. But it gives Lindt the opportunity to explain ‘to fully appreciate all its flavours, we recommend that you progressively develop your palate through our range of high cocoa content bars”. The squares of chocolate are small and delicate which reinforces the fact that it should be nibbled rather than noshed.
Smell: like my usual Lindt 70% but with only a tiny hint of sweetness
Snap: teeny tiny crisp snap from the teeny tiny squares
Taste: It is a savoury bar with a salty taste, only a hint of demerara sugar. It is an ‘acquired’ taste just like Guinness and after the first square I acquired the taste but this would be a ‘now and then’ bar for me.
Texture: very drying, sticky and pasty
Will I buy this again? Yes
Source: Cavistons, Glasthule

Cote D’Or Framboise

How lucky are the French?? They have great chocolate and can score a goal with a touch of the hand :-(

In a Parisian corner shop one can buy a pretty OK dark chocolate at a snip. This Cote D’Or 70% Framboise was €1.19! I am not sure we could get a Cadbury’s here for that price. Now I hear that they’ve reduced VAT on dark chocolate … French government are encouraging people to eat it such are its health benefits. I would mention this to Mr. Cowen but I feel he has more pressing issues to deal with.

Anyhow, I won’t be going back for another bar unfortunately. It was waxy, bland and tasted of nothing distinct … maybe like eating a candle with raspberry crisps. Ah well, you win some, you lose some! And I won with the Lindt purchase from the same corner shop.

Taste Of Dublin 2009

We had a dry and sunny day at Taste of Dublin which was surprising given the rain that fell this morning. HoneyB was a little under the weather so what was billed as a half day of strolling and grazing became 2 hours of walking and eating. How bad, eh?

Arriving at the entrance reminded us of arriving at a concert. We were ‘greeted’ by a big guy who warned us to ‘Have our tickets ready’. Good god, I wondered was my bag going to be searched next and my water bottle confiscated! Bad start but it was up hill from there on when Donnybrook Fair greeted us with truffles.

The Green & Black’s stand was beautiful with oodles of squares to sample, but the one bar Himself wanted, Dark Cherry, was not for sale only sample :-( It will be available in July but IMHO Wilde Irish Chocolate Cherry gives it a run for its money.

Lindt stall was matching the SuperValu promotion: any 3 bars for €5. There was no new and exciting flavors to see, just lots to taste and the Lindt cook book to flick thru.

I think HoneyB would have wow’ed at ChocAllure’s chocolate fountain. It was such a feast for the eyes; but I’m not a huge fan of the milky stuff so I passed by.

Most of the restaurants seemed busy enough and there were lots of well known faces inc Gino, Darina and the guy from Hell’s Kitchen. All smiling and soaking in the foodie atmosphere. I have to say that the menu for L’Ecrivain sounded a whole lot better than the real thing. I got a tiny burger hidden in a huge bun … himself got a ‘cuisine de france’ crispy roll with a sausage ;-(

But the highlight of the day was a tasting session at Beer Naturally Academy where we tasted 4 beers paired with food. It was very interesting and showed me Carlsberg in a new light! After that we tasted a mini Guinness (we got to keep the glass!) and a Guinness & chocolate tart. Nice one.

Artisan du Chocolate had a nice but small selection from which we chose 2 bars and then went back for a third just to be really greedy! They reckon they are going to open an outlet in Dublin but are searching for the right premises (they said that last year so now I’m skeptical).

We covered a lot of ground and food in two hours and ticked off our must dos: Beer Naturally Academy and Artisan du Chocolat. Then off to collect HoneyB who was soooo impressed that Mommie and Daddie were there early for her.

Make Easter Sweet for Temple Street

We encountered a super sweet fund raiser today at Dundrum Town Centre called Make Easter Sweet for Temple Street. There were 4 giant Lindt  gold bunnies (plastic, unfortunately!) plus lots of live bunnies including baby and toddler ones on show. They were soooo cute and so soft to touch.

The idea was for people to come along, look at the real bunny rabbits and then donate €1 (or whatever they want) for a little Lindt Gold Bunny. Temple Street Childrens Hospital is such a worthy cause and this year they hope to break the €100K to buy incubators for the neo-natal and intensive care units. Last year they raised 75k!

And there’s one for all the family ….

That Rugby Match

This post is a whole week late … probably because the great Irish rugby win last Saturday over-shadowed an important chocolate tasting :-0  Himself, armed with 4 bars of chocolate, headed to Limerick to watch the match and offer the one known as Picard a taste of the black stuff. ‘Picard’ has a fondness for Guinness but not chocolate.

Up for tasting for the non-chocolate-lover:
- Lindt Excellence 85%
- Valrhona Albinao 85%
- Green & Blacks 70%
- Amedei Toscano 70%

I reckoned he would like one of the dark selection (Valrhona Albinao 85% I bet) … and I was right. Thanks, consider yourself a member of the chocolate tasting committee :-)

Egg Bargains

Until St Patrick’s Day, Dunnes Stores are giving 40% back on Easter eggs when you use your club card. This was just too good an offer to miss.

So I bought Himself and HoneyB their Easter treats … Himself’s will remain untyped but since HoneyB cannot read my blog then I can share that she will get a Lindt Gold Bunny and carrots. Cute eh?

 My only worry is: have bought them too early? All that temptation in the house is not a good thing :-0

I still intend to mold some Easter eggs myself this year.  I’ve even pencilled in a trip to Kitchen Compliments to see their ‘Making Easter Eggs’ demo. You can never have enough, can you??

Lindt Mint Excellence

A bar with the same presentation standards as all the Lindt offerings. It tastes not too bitter, not too sweet and not too minty … but it was not ‘just right’. I would have loved the quality of 70% Lindt chocolate (which, unlike this bar, has neither butterfat nor vanillin) with mint, unfortunately this is a 46% mild buttery chocolate.

The redeeming factor is the flavour comes from peppermint oil which keeps the texture smooth rather than it being interrupted by mint crisps, sugar crystals, mint leaves or any other bits.

Source: Dunnes Stores €2.29

Would I buy this again? No

Milk Chocolate Tasting

Here’s a few notes on our first milk chocolate tasting. A few interesting points about milk Vs dark chocolate:

It was more difficult to characterise than dark chocolate especially the smell. Maybe it was the high sugar content throwing us ‘off the scent’?

It was so much easier to eat lots of this chocolate :-0 Milk chocolate is lighter without that ‘hit’ so I find myself reaching for another square (and I was not alone).

It was not as glossy and shiny as dark chocolate is. Typical finish was matt bordering on satin sheen finish.

The ’snap’ test was different from dark chocolate, with milk chocolate the snap is softer, not a crisp break.

We tasted in order of cocoa content …

Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Chocolate

Notes from Lindt: Cocoa 31%. Apart from the usual ingredients, this bar has malt barley extract.

Source: Tesco €

Look: This bar is larger than usual at 125g. It is light brown in color, just a shade darker than Wilde, easy to break off rectangular squares.

Smell: smells synthetic, sweet though just like milk chocolate should.

Touch: snap is blunt, soft.

Taste: strong milky taste but does not overpower the chocolate. Hints of sweet (acacia) honey, slight nuttiness too reminds me of a praline or gianduja. The aftertaste is long with burnt candy floss notes.

Texture: very smooth, melts beautifully.

Buy again? Myself: yes Himself: no

Amedei

Notes from Amedei: 32% Cocoa. “… a pleasant aroma of fresh milk and cream, vanilla and honey.”

Source: 100g bar €6.39 in Donnybrook Fair … but have since found cheaper in Glasthule.

Look: This is a chunky offering from Amedei, no delicate neapolitans here. The bar is thick with large squares. Darker in color with clean finish.

Smell: This bar smells invitingly of rich creamy honey chocolate.

Touch: Again the snap was not as crisp, soft and a little crumbly.

Taste: This tastes very different to Lindt, a rich chocolate with strong caramel (not that sweet runny caramel). The flavor reminded me of Scottish Highland toffee I loved as a kid. This chocolate lasts too with a pretty aftertaste.

Texture: oh this takes creamy to another level, it is silky.

Buy again? Myself: oh yes Himself: oh yes (just a pity is is so expensive … roll on birthdays!)

Green & Black Milk

Notes from Green & Black: 34% Cocoa. “made with more cocoa and more milk for a darker intense taste “

100g Source: Tesco €2.83

Look: This is by far the darkest in color. The format of the bar (same as all the other Green & Black bars) is not ideal though. It has tiny squares that never break off evenly and neatly.

Smell: The smell is more like a dark chocolate (bitter) aroma compared to the other bars.

Touch: This has the crispest snap.

Taste: Again very different to previous bars. Stronger in taste, malt, with a sourness. Mild aniseed notes appear briefly. It tasted like flavored chocolate not milk chocolate. It is more like a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate given the taste, snap and color.

Texture: Texture is crumbly before coming together.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: yes

Wilde Irish Chocolate

Notes: 38% Cocoa. This is Irish handmade chocolate bar from Co. Clare.

Source: Chocolat, Ennis €4.50

Look: The packaging on this bar lets the chocolate do the selling rather than the salespeople. It shines through the clear cellophane wrapper. It is by far the lightest in color too. It is in small easy to break off squares.

Smell: mild sweet milky aroma … not surprising since its milk chocolate.

Touch: soft definite snap.

Taste: This is not a rich heavy milk chocolate. It is light, mousse-like and very edible, a delicate offering with a sweet milky taste that does not reflect its 38% cocoa content. I had expected this to be stronger cocoa taste, but as they say “you can’t judge a chocolate by its percentage cocoa”.

Texture: The texture in this chocolate is a little magical. It is so light and airy, it disappears very quickly when you chew it.

Buy again? Myself: no Himself: no.

The result in order of preference:

Myself: Amedei, Lindt, Wilde, Green & Black

Himself: Amedei, Green & Black, Wilde, Lindt

Battle of the Bitters

Here are some notes from our chocolate tasting … I think that this much strong chocolate in one tasting is over-the-top. So much so that Himself has suggested that the next tasting be milk chocolate.

Lidl 81%

Notes from J.D. Grosse: Ecuador Arriba cocoa beans harvested near Rio Esmeralda gives the chocolate hints of the fruity volcanic soil.

Smell: Smells mildly sweet and fresh like dewy grass.

Look: of the three bars, this one wins the presentation prize. This 100g bar comes in a front opening pouch style box, large chocolate squares with a dark brown glossy finish.

Snap: very hard snap probably because the squares are thicker than Lindt or Baratti e Milano.

Taste: mildly bitter strong chocolatey taste, hint of toast, light fruits like apple, no strong flavours to excite the palate. If anything this tastes chemically (?). I used the remainder of the bar to make dark chocolate and ginger cookies.

Texture: smooth but thick and pasty. This texture is the same as many other dark LIDL bars.

Would I buy it again? For cooking maybe, but for eating on its own no

Source: LIDL (€1.87)

Lindt 85%

Notes from Lindt: “…strong aroma full bodied cocoa taste which is perfectly balanced , being neither bitter nor overpowering”.

Smell: bitter acidic

Look: Lighter in color, satin finish

Snap: crisp and sharp

Taste: surprisingly sweet (this must come from the added demerara sugar) with floral notes at first. As the taste develops, it becomes darker, tanic. The smell didn’t prepare me for this pleasant taste. Chocolate is light nearly airy which comes from the addition of cocoa powder.

Texture: slightly drying but it is 85% so this is acceptable. Long deep flavoured length.

Would I buy it again? Yes

Source: Tesco (€2.02)

Baratti e Milano 88%

Notes: after some googling, I discovered that these Italian chocolatiers hail from Turin and have a renowned cafe there.

Smell: this bar smells totally different to the others, bitter with fresh primroses/floral notes but no hint of sweetness at all.

Look: reddish brown in color, satin finish with small squares

Snap: crisp snap

Taste: this is a dry bitter chocolate, subtly floral at first. As the flavor develops, I can get tobacco and roasted nuts. It is a long lasting flavor with descends into petrol notes in the aftertaste.

Texture: texture is crumbly at first but comes together after a few seconds melting. This has the most pleasant texture of all bars, creamy and smooth.

Would I buy it again? No

Source: Harvey Nichols (€4.75)