International Chocolates

I really can’t remember where I got that small 56g bar of US-American chocolate. But it had a long shelf life. It was laying almost one year in my office and is still valid until February 2011. 6 more months.

The full name of the bar is “Amano Artisan Chocolate Montanya Limited Edition Handcrafted Dark Chocolate”. The cocao content amounts 70 percent and was made of premium beans from the mountains of Venezuela. On the backside of the wrapping I read following informations: “Accesible only on horseback in the mountains of Northern Venezuela are several family-owned cocoa plantations. Here I discovered a limited supply of truly exquisite cocoa beans. We are the first to make a single origin chocolate from these precious beans. Our vintage process gently accentuates their finest flavours. The result is a remarkable chocolate with flavour notes of apricot and marshmallow that you will find enchanting. Amano Artisan Chocolate is dedicated to reviving the art of making fine chocolate from the bean. We craft our chocolate in small batches only from the finest cocoa beans, pure cane sugar, and whole vanilla beans. I hope you enjoy our chocolate.”

Well, what should I say. At first the chocolate tastes quite neutral. Later, after one or two minutes melting on the tongue, I experience much more flavour. A bit vanilla is recognizable. As the bar is very small I only take very small bits and try to enjoy best I can. I must say, if you know the story of this chocolate, the flavour is quite interesting. It also has something slight of blue berries in the taste. Also for the huge content of cocoa the taste is not too bitter. A quite good chocolate product from the USA, but of course, I have experienced much better chocolates in my life. It was not the best, but rather good.

The second wrapping of Amano Artisan Chocolate.

… and finally the broken 65g bar. Amano Artisan Chocolate is manufactured in the 85.000 inhabitant town of Orem in Utah. The chocolate factory is located about 40 miles south of Salt Lake City in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains.

After a very long time (more than 7 months), I had the pleasure to taste a new chocolate again. It was a chocolate from Sweden, from the town of Malmö in the south of the country. I can’t remember where I got it from. I suppose it was a present from a Swedish friend, who knows I like to try new chocolates from all over the world.

The cocoa content of the chocolate was quite high. 70 percent. So you are might able to imagine the taste. Typical dark chocolate taste. The plate was quite thin though. I would label it as a good and solid chocolate, but nothing outstanding. Maybe I am already too much used to dark chocolate. But Ritter Sport tastes better. Sorry Sweden.

On the backside of the wrapping I can read following things: 1888 – The Swedish Quality Chocolate. At malmö Chokladfabrik we have dedicated to recreating an old tradition of quality chocolate making. Around 100 years ago chocolate was pure and prized for qualities beneficial to health. However, during the 20th century it was often transformed into candy; lower cocoa content, with more sugar, more fat and foreign additives.

The front side of the Swedish chocolate. The net weight amounted 80g.

The story continues … 1888 ORIGIN, by conrast, contains only cocoa and unrefinded cane sugar which, we believe, results in superior taste, aroma and a smooth, natural texture. Our chocolate is made in small, hand crafted batches and conched (stirred) until it is “just right” which may take several days! Skilled chocolate experts monitor this process with care, a process inspired by the tradition started in 1888 in the chocolate factory in Malmö, using original recipes from a century ago. To continue this tradition is our mission!

Maybe 1888 Origin Malmö Chokladfabrik Chocolate usually tastes better. I made the mistake to keep it in a warm room during summer. Much warmer than 16-18°. Now I read on the wrapping that the right temperature is very important for this product. So maybe it’s a bit unfair to review a chocolate which had the wrong storage. I will probably never know the real taste of 1888 Origin Malmö Chokladfabrik Chocolate. That’s life …

The sight after I have received the first wrapping.

Finally I am ready to take the first piece …

Milka Toffee Caramel Cream Hazelnut Chocolate is one of the latest chocolate creations of Milka. The product consists of a whole hazelnut, milk cream, and caramel cream. The chocolate is tender as always for a Milka chocolate bar. The filling tastes very soft and melts very quickly on the tongue. The last experience is the whole hazelnut in the centre. A quick bite and another piece of Milka Toffee Caramel Cream Hazelnut Chocolate is gone.

A very sweet taste characterizes the product.

Milka Chocolate cookies are made of wheat, oat flakes, and tender chocolate pieces. The cookies tastes quite dry. Not too bad, but other chocolate cookies of the same kind are not such bad either. I would label Milka Choco Cookie as medium cookies. Nothing really exciting. Only the lical wrapping with the Milka logo is the most impressing thing.

The package includes 12 pieces which have a weight of 168g.

The wrapping looks very appealing.

12 chocolate cookies.

I have opened a very exotic chocolate bar yesterday evening. A creation of dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 73 percent from the island of Madagascar. For such a strong cocoa content the flavour was quite acceptable. Very solid and dry. True quality.

Mora Mora is a journey from seed to bear and finally to bar. The manufacturers from Madagascar label their product themselfes as “true oringin and fine”. The special creation won the World Chocolate Award of the Chocolate Academy in 2007. The bar I got was the one which was labeled as “Fine Dark Chocolate – fruity mellow and velvety smooth.”

A black covering with a colourful painting of the island of Madagascar.

The unwrapped chocolate bar. I was very curious to take the taste bite.

It was the first chocolate from Madagascar in my whole life.

What a wonderful surprise on a cold Tuesday evening in the middle of January. White chocolate with pistachio from the Italian province of Tuscany. The cocoa content amounts 29 percent.

The chocolate manufacturer is located in the 27.000 inhabitant town of Pontedera. The establishment took place in the year 1990. Amedei Chocolate already won a lot of international prizes, which is no surprise for me after enjoying the first bite of this product.

The taste of Cioccolato Al Latte Bianco Con Pastacchi La Tavoletta Amedei Tuscany is a mixture of sweet and bitter elements. The pistachio which serves as filling take the bitter part. The white chocolate itself is creamy, but not too much. So I would label it as not such a sweet chocolate. But there is no doubt that this creation is a very fine chocolate.

Simple design of a wonderful chocolate bar.

I removed the wrapping and experienced a white chocolate bar with dark spots of the pastachio.

At the end I was not disappointed. Amedei was a very interesting chocolate experience. Great!

Another divine white chocolate experience from Estonia: Kalev White Chocolate Strawberry. This kind of sweet temptation is full of cream and wonderful taste. Small strawberry pieces in the chocolate gives this wonderful creation an extra push of excellent flavour. Those strawberry pieces are very sweet and sticky and taste extremly intensive.

The bar I have opened was finished in a very short time. I must confess that Kalev chocolates impress me a lot. Especially this one was a fabulous experience, and I already know if I will return back to Estonia I will take a lot of Kalev chocolates with me back home. Viva Estonia!

Even the design of the wrapping looks very delicious. This promise won’t be a disappointment.

Finally after more than 6 months since my holiday in the Baltics I have found some time to try and taste the Kalev White Chocolate bar with blueberry and crispy rice. The result was just tremendous. This white chocolate is a fabulous creation and I have no idea which kind of thing could be improved in that product. It’s just perfect.

The chocolate full of taste and very creamy. The crispy rice and the refreshing blueberries guarantee the right spice and the whole crowning of the delicious chocolate tasting event. I am very delighted and the bar was finished by my own in a very short time. If I get the chance to get another bar of Kalev White with blueberry I surely won’t doubt and take one.

Estonians know how to make delicious chocolate. Congratulations!!!

The Grenada Chocolate Company Chocolate is an organic dark chocolate with a cocoa content of 71 percent. The chocolate delights with a colourful wrapping and an origin from a small country in the Caribbean.

The chocolate factory is located in Hermitage St. Patrick’s and claims to be a cocoa growing and chocolate making cooperative, producing chocolate from the tree to the bar. Those organic cocoa farms are nestled in the lush Caribbean rainforest. They produce cocoa beans which are world famous for their rich and complex flavour.

The small batch process preserves the true taste of Grenada’s cocoa. The chocolate factory cares about the enviroment and uses solar energy to power the factory.

Because of the high percentage of cocoa, Grenada Chocolate Company Chocolate tastes very meager and not very creamy. The character is very strict and conservative. A dark chocolate must taste exactly like a dark chocolate, right? But there is also a little bit of smoke flavour inside the precious bar.

I am very happy that I was able to taste a chocolate from such a little country which is so far away. It was an interesting experience, but I do prefer more creamy chocolate flavours. That’s why I was not so excited about that product, but for a dark chocolate manufacturer it was quite alright I would say.

Venchi Chocolate exists since 1878 and comes from a little village in the North Western part of Italy, close to the French border. Castelletto Stura is the name of the village in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km south of Turin and about 10 km northeast of Cuneo and has about 1.200 inhabitants.

Venchi Chocolate was my first white chocolate from Italy and the taste was just brillant. Creamy, full flavoured and very tasteful. Pure white chocolate of its best. The amount of cocoa has 30,8 percent.

The 100g bar of Venchi Chocolate was a very delightful experience on a Monday evening. I have finished the whole bar in a very short time. I just could not stop to eat this wonderful piece of white chocolate.

The uncovered chocolate desire of Venchi. Maybe one of the best white chocolates I have ever tried.