When I first saw this line of chocolate, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was it just some average chocolate, parading under the Starbucks banner, for people to supplement their breakfast coffee with? I’m not a coffee drinker, so I couldn’t try and imagine how the quality of Starbucks’ coffee would transfer to coffee. So there was only one thing to do: give it a try.
It really looks quite decent. The packaging gives off an air of everyday sophistication. And the motto: “When coffee dreams, it dreams of chocolate.” Okay, I think we know who they’re targeting here: all those people who wait half an hour in line every morning to treat themselves to some Starbucks coffee. I guess that’s why they don’t bother to mention the cacao content.
All the same, the chocolate lover in me was pleased with the design of the bar. It’s coffee-colored top is covered in cacao beans growing off of their vines. Not something you find everyday. It is a little sad to break it apart, though. The chocolate also presents itself with an intoxicating smell of vanilla, which carries on into the taste. It’s enjoyable, if a little too sticky. It’s also fairly sweet, which I didn’t mind and I doubt the Starbucksers will either, though it might be too much for some palates.
But I myself sat for a while with this bar, trying to decide what I thought. I like it, and now I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s nice for under three dolllars for 85 grams. It fits its intended purpose and might even drage some newcomers to its audience. But I’ll have to try some more before I put too much faith in that last part.
This bar is the usual 47% dark blend that Lindt use for the range, but it also contains tiny crystals of sea salt. 3% to be precise.
Now you may not consider 3% to be a great deal of salt, but once you sample a piece of this chocolate, it isn’t very long before you start finding the crystals melting on your tongue.
If you’re a fan of salty caramel (think Green & Blacks or Cocopia to name but two) then this combination will be one you’ll love. The dark chocolate has already been described in detail by both myself and Dom in the Pear, Coffee, Cuba, Caramel and Mint reviews, and is a very pleasant slightly bittersweet blend. It isn’t really that dark; it doesn’t ’snap’ (unless it’s been in the fridge) and it doesn’t have a hugely complex flavour, but it’s pleasant enough and delivers enough flavour to make it very popular.
In my conversations with various chocolatiers here and in Europe I have noticed that they tend to look down on Lindt. I suppose it must be because the company identity retains some of the ‘chocolatier’ feel whereas the reality has to be a series of huge factories churning out truckloads of chocolate bars for every country in Europe (and probably most of the world). However, they have achieved consistently high standards in terms of flavour and variety, and I suppose it’s for that reason they have maintained a very high share of the market.
Well, this is definitely one to look out for if Lindt is your thing. I found the pairing very moreish indeed.
I’m not sure if it’s just an Aussie thing or more global, but it seems like there are a lot of small-time chocolate makers who sell to other larger firms or specialty stores only for their products to be re-branded under the purchaser’s label.
Thus I present you with ‘Chocolates on Parade’ milk and dark orange chocolate blocks.
‘Chocolates on Parade’ is tucked away near Coles supermarket and I try – most of the time – not to walk in there. Otherwise I end up buying import-price peanut butter M&Ms, IRNBRU fizzy drink, Cocoa Farm chocolate coated wine drops, European marzipan and too much of their locally made Bailey’s flavoured fudge.
The shop’s owner, Frank (looking surprising svelte, considering his product lines) told me that their in-house chocolates are actually made either by two different companies. Chocolatier (who I reviewed previously) do their individual truffles and flowery chocolates, and Cottage Box make their large frogs, freckles and blocks.
I bought both blocks home to try because Cottage Box chocolates were started in my hometown of Murray Bridge, in 1985 (incidentally, the same year I left home to go to university). They’ve since moved to the more salubrious and touristy town of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills, and they’re on my ‘must visit’ list.
The plain milk chocolate neglected to include any ingredients on the label, other than the confident statement, ‘milk chocolate only’. No fancy logo is stamped on any of the large chunks but it smelled good. Annoyingly, after only a couple of chunks my fillings were aching: this was the most sugary sweet milk chocolate I’ve tasted in a long time. Bordering on the excessive as it made me extremely thirsty. The nine year old, on the other hand, loved it. This was unusual, because her all-time favourite chocolate is Lindt’s 85%. Was I missing something?
It was time to give up on the milk and to instead sink my teeth into the Orange Cream dark block. This did include the ingredients and it wasn’t surprising to see ‘sugar’ listed as number one and ‘fondant’ and ‘glucose’ (i.e. two other types of sugar) included further down. My expectations dropped a notch or two as I bit into it. Again, it was very sweet and I could taste some sugar crystals within the cream centre. The orange centre was almost fluoro in colour and rather runny, making it impossible to take a photo of a chunk sliced in two before it escaped like an underdone egg yolk. It did taste pleasantly of orange though. Unfortunately the sickly sugariness of the chocolate threatens to overtake the orange when it is normally preferable to have the orange flavour linger after the chocolate has melted.
My verdict is one of disappointment, but I’m aware that Cottage Box are more well known for their marzipan, peppermint mice (the shape folks, not the ingredient), Turkish delight and freckles. I’ll try them with hope in my heart and tolerance in my taste buds.
With a single ingredient (chocolate) and no cooking involved, this isn’t really a recipe, but it’s still a great idea for a hot or cold drink.
The idea is simple; take some chocolate and blitz it in a blender or food processor (smaller pieces melt easier). Melt it with a little milk or water (you can use a microwave or a pan), then add hot or cold milk.
I made mine with left-over chocolate from reviews. All good stuff, but I just hadn’t managed to finish it.
Of course the best part is that you can use your favourite chocolate, or even create your own blends (how about 75% Lindt dark chocolate with 25% Dairy Milk for a little sweetness?). The main thing to keep in mind is that you want to use solid chocolate, rather than anything with a soft centre, which is just going to go icky and sticky!
Top Tips
For best result, put the chocolate in the fridge for 30 minutes before blitzing.
Store your chocolate pieces in a sealed jar in the fridge so they don’t melt.
Use a good quality chocolate and don’t add sugar - at least until you’ve tasted the final product. The chances are you won’t need to add any more.
After melting 4-5 teaspoonfuls in a little milk, try adding vanilla ice cream and return the mix to the blender for a delicious thick milk shake.
Experiment! But however tempting it may be, do not use Creme Eggs. Trust me.
Back in May, I reviewed the “Deliciously Dark” variety of Dairy Milk Melts, so I thought it was time I to look at the rest of the range.
As you can see, the format is exactly the same. Eight small bars of Dairy Milk, tastefully wrapped in foil. Perfect for sharing, but even better for keeping for yourself.
Inside, the bars look exactly the same as the dark chocolate variety - only the filling has been changed to protect the innocent.
Unfortunately, the praline version isn’t quite up to the standard of its dark chocolate sibling. It’s still pretty good, but it’s just a little too sweet. There’s also a hint of an artificial flavour to it that I can’t quite put my finger on. There are certainly better alternatives out there for praline fans.
And that’s really all there is to say about this. Nice enough to nibble on with a cup of coffee, but nothing special. It’s still an interesting take on the Dairy Milk brand, but if I had to choose (and I do - it’s my job), I’d go for the Deliciously Dark variety over this any day.
