Chocolate University Online Blog
This past Christmas Santa left me a stocking full of chocolate goodies, and I happen to have among the stash a lovely Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate and a delightful Villars 72% dark chocolate.
Yesterday I decided that a taste comparison was in order so I got down to business after lunch and had “dessert”.
The flavor that really hits up front in the Ghirardelli is intense fruit, red berries. The melt is fast and the texture is smooth – just the way I like it. The lingering finish is soft with chocolatey notes and the last of the fruity flavor.
The flavor that really hits up front in the Villars is nutty, an earthy walnut. The melt is slightly slower than the Ghirardelli and texture nice and smooth. The fruity notes pop out at the end and long finish of fruit and a hint of spice stay in your mouth. Yum!
I like talking about these types of comparisons because they are perceived to be so similar because of the cocoa content (72%), but in reality the flavor profiles can be quite different.
These two bars are so delicious that I can’t name a winner. They are different, yes, but they please my palate just the same.
Both of these bars are available at my local Pick ‘n Save grocery store for $2.99 each. Put them to the test, and let me know what you think.
Great dessert! Great gift!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: dark chocolate, Ghirardelli, grocery product, Villars
Jelly Belly company has taken five flavors of jelly beans and drenched them in dark chocolate!
These were just released in December. They call them Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Chocolate Dips™. You can get individual flavors in 2.8 oz. bags or a 5-Flavor Gift Box which includes Very Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Coconut, and Orange. And, if you’re really into these 16 oz. and even bulk options are available!
Each bean is dipped into decadent, rich, dark chocolate. According to their website, www.jellybelly.com, every Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips is just under 4 calories.
Jelly beans were born in America. They first appeared in the 1800s when penny candy became all the rage. Jelly beans were formed out of a variation of the jelly candy called Turkish Delight and then panned with a sugary coating.
In 1960, a candy maker by the name of Herman Goelitz Rowland expanded his family business, which was known for making candy corn, to include jelly beans, Chocolate Dutch Mints ™ and the first American made gummi bears. And in 1967, Ronald Reagan (as governor of California), brought fame and attention to the Jelly Belly jelly bean.
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: grocery product, jelly beans, Jelly Belly
It’s a new year and there are new chocolate products on their way to your neighborhood. Here are just a few brand new chocolate sensations introduced as 2011 arrived…
Nestle: Cherry Raisinets made with Dark Chocolate
Nestle’s Raisinets has a new variety, dark chocolate covered whole dried cherries. They are available in the candy aisle of supermarkets at a little over $3 for a 4 oz. re-sealable bag.
According to www.raisinets.com, the cherries are plump and tart and the dark chocolate is smooth. They are a natural source of antioxidants and provide ½ serving of real fruit in every ¼ cup.
Baskin-Robbins: Chocolate Escape ice cream
Chocolate Escape is the flavor of the month during January. Baskin-Robbins plans on introducing innovative and decadent flavors each month in 2011.
The VP of Marketing said, “When crafting the first new flavor of 2011, Baskin-Robbins strove to find a unique way to marry many different layers of the ultimate comfort flavor, chocolate, and offer dessert enthusiasts a sumptuous treat that beats the post-holiday blues.”
This new flavor combines Baskin-Robbins Chocolate & Swiss Chocolate ice cream with pieces of chocolate ganache cake and chocolate chunks.
Krispy Kreme: The Dark Chocolate Kreme™ doughnut
Krispy Kreme says: “The Dark Chocolate Kreme™ doughnut has a rich, dark chocolate Kreme™ filling, and is hand-dipped in a delicious dark chocolate icing and then drizzled with chocolate”.
Hurry, these doughnuts are only available until February 14, 2011.
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: Baskin-Robbins, chocolate covered cherries, doughnuts, grocery product, ice cream, Krispy Kreme, nestle
The Ritter-Sport chocolate company is located in Waldenbuch, Germany. The company began in 1912 by founding members Alfred and Clara Ritter.
The now famous Ritter Square was born in 1932. It was launched after the idea came to Clara to produce a square chocolate bar so that it “…fits into the pocket of every sports jacket, doesn’t break, and still weighs the same as a normal long bar of chocolate.”
In the U.S., you can buy the Ritter Sport in 100g bars or mini chocolates, which in my opinion, is the perfect size for tasting the different varieties.
I recently tasted an assortment of mini bars. My choices were difficult. Which one would I eat first; Cornflakes, Milk Chocolate, Butter Biscuit, Hazelnut, Yogurt, or Praline?
While pondering the dilemma, my son got sneaky and tried to eat one before me. Luckily there were two of certain varieties so we could each win.
I haven’t had all of them, but so far my favorite is Butter Biscuit. It reminds me of chocolate covered short bread. The butter biscuit is very flavorful and crunchy. The milk chocolate is smooth and creamy with soft caramel notes and subtle vanilla.
To learn more about Ritter Sport, check out their website at either www.ritter-sport.de or www.ritter-sport.us.
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: candy bars, chocolate bars, grocery product, Ritter Sport
A very large grocery store chain in the UK, Marks & Spencer, is now selling a line of Swiss chocolates in a compostable package. Yes, it means after eating all the chocolates, you can throw away the box, without guilt, onto the compost pile.
They say it completely disintegrates in 3 weeks because of the bio-plastic it is made from.
It will also dissolve in water. Oh yes, and the outer box is made of cardboard with natural materials that can be put into any garden heap.
Call me skeptical, but I threw away a Sun Chips biodegradable bag into my compost 6 months ago and it looks fresh as a daisy in there! So, I have my doubts, but I’m willing to keep an open mind. Anybody care to send me one?
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: grocery product
Although I prefer dark chocolate, I do enjoy a good Swiss milk chocolate from time to time. My son turned me on to Villars Chocolat au Lait Suisse when he brought a bar home from Switzerland.
 This Swiss milk chocolate has bold toffee notes coming through a light, slightly nutty, chocolate flavor with a smooth and creamy texture. Even more delightful is the milk chocolate version with added hazelnuts.
Now my local grocery store carries the Villars brand chocolate bars for $2.99. At 200 g, this is a larger size than your average chocolate bar. That’s a nice bonus.
Villars was founded by Mr. William Kaiser in 1901. He was the first to invent chocolate bars filled with liqueur.
I don’t know how widespread this chocolate is being distributed in the U.S. but it is worth watching for. Please visit their website, www.chocolat-villars.com, to see all the Villars products and learn more about the Swiss tradition of chocolate making.
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: chocolate bars, grocery product, hazelnuts, milk chocolate, Villars
 If you are fortunate enough to have traveled to Europe, you probably encountered an aerated chocolate by Nestle called the Aero Bar. Aero celebrates its 75th anniversary this month.
In 1935, a company called Rowntree’s patented the process of incorporating air into chocolate. The chocolate bar is bubbly in texture, giving the chocolate a fast melt and quick release of flavor.
It instantly became popular and they sold more than 6,000 tons in its first year beginning in northern England!
The original name of Aero was Airways named for the trendy image of Air Jet travel during the 1930s.
Today, Nestle makes the Aero bar and it is sold in many countries around the world, but it’s not currently sold in the U.S. However, there is a newcomer to the U.S. chocolate market that brings the bubbly chocolate our way. For more information revealed, tune in next week!
Happy Birthday, Aero!
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: bubbly chocolate, chocolate bars, grocery product, nestle
 Ghirardelli Chocolate Intense Dark chocolate bars are incredibly delicious. There are presently six in the series with two more being “voted in” by fans across the nation.
Currently the choices are Midnight Reverie, Twilight Delight, Toffee Interlude, Espresso Escape, Evening Dream, and Sea Salt Soiree.
I like them all, but my favorite is the Midnight Reverie. This bar is not for the faint of heart at 86% cacao.
What I enjoy most about the Midnight Reverie is the velvety texture and intense chocolatey and fruity flavors. The melt is fast, and yet the roasted cocoa notes linger for a delightful aftertaste. For me, this bar completely satisfies.
Ghirardelli goes out of its way to enhance your tasting experience through its packaging. For example, on the back of the stiff paper label, there are the Tasting Notes written by the creators. It is so well written that just reading it makes my mouth water.
And if that is not enough, they direct you to their website to view their food and beverage pairing suggestions that complements the chocolate!
All this for $2.29 at my local grocery store.
Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: chocolate bars, dark chocolate, Ghirardelli, grocery product
 I noticed something interested the other day while grocery shopping. Breyers has changed its chocolate ice cream. It says so right there on the package, “Now with 33% more real Dutch Cocoa!”
I was intrigued. My scientific self pondered what kind of formulation adjustments had to be made to compensate for the increase in pH from the cocoa (“dutch” means processed with alkali). Don’t laugh, my brain works differently.
I have mentioned in past blog posts why it is necessary to add a Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Processed cocoa powder to dairy products like ice cream and milk. Dutch cocoa is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. Acidity has a negative effect on diary – it causes it to curdle.
I know you are dying to know why this happens. When you add acid to milk, let’s say lemon juice for example, the positively charged proteins are attracted to negatively charged caseins and they begin to clump together. When the clumps become big enough to see, we call that curdling. That’s good if you want to make cheese curds, and bad if you want a smooth chocolate ice cream! So in dairy applications, Dutched cocoa has a clear benefit.
I was about to continue on my way down the aisle when my primal self forced me to buy the ice cream (I never argue with myself in matters of food, especially chocolate).
As usual, Breyers did a superb job. The cocoa enhancements really did bring out extra chocolate flavor notes while remaining rich and creamy and velvety smooth.
Enjoy some!
Categories: chocolate education, chocolate review
Tags: chocolate science, dutched cocoa, grocery product, ice cream
 The Lindt A Touch of Sea Salt chocolate bar is a new addition to the Lindt & Sprungli Excellence line of chocolates. Dark chocolate (47% cocoa solids content) is enhanced by adding Fleur de Sel, a French sea salt.
Adding salt to any food makes the flavors “pop.” This phenomenon happens to chocolate, too. Some of the complex cocoa notes, that are normally too subtle to detect, will jump right out at you after adding a pinch of salt.
This chocolate bar is nutty, with caramel and a little spice coming off at the end. At random, a tiny salt crystal would release a burst of salty, coffee, creamy flavor – tasted like I was drinking a latte!
I was disappointed in the soft, almost chewy texture brought on by the addition of butterfat in the chocolate. The softness and quick melt diminished the experience for me slightly.
Overall, I really enjoyed this bar. The salt did not overpower the intensity of the chocolate and was able to detect unique flavors coming from the crystals.
I’m a fan of sweet and salty. You’ll find me choosing chocolate-covered pretzels over chocolate-covered strawberries. I prefer chocolate nut clusters over chocolate-coated cookies.
How about you? Let me know what you think of this chocolate. Enjoy!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: chocolate bars, dark, grocery product, sweet and salty
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