Zorba’s Chocolate Truffles

Posted by in Chocolate Reviews on April 30 2012 | Leave A Comment

The closest comparison for Zorba’s truffles is the set of chocolates from the Momotombo Chocolate Factory I looked at a year or so ago. The key similarity is, of course, that both are raw. Further, I have now come to the conclusion that while raw chocolate bars are often quite approachable, raw truffles are more of an acquired taste.

In my third selection from Zorba’s, we have three square brown boxes, each containing two each of two truffle flavors. The truffles are in clear bags, nesting in very finely shredded paper and gold strips. I particularly like the addition of the gold, as it gives a twist of elegance to the usual eco-chic style. The truffles are all fairly basic looking dark chocolate squares topped off with things like salt, coffee beans, and shredded coconut. No complaints in appearance.

The six flavors are Espresso, Olive Oil-Sea Salt, Rose, Vanilla, Ginger Snap, and Cayenne Coconut. Their chocolate is very dark and very rich, which works better with some of the flavors than others. The Espresso truffle I find swoon-worthy: its pairing is perfection. And while it does have some coffee grains, I can’t say I mind when the truffle already has a rougher, more crumbly kind of texture. The Olive Oil-Sea Salt was a little freaky for my tastes, though still intriguing, and Rose is a flavor everyone either likes or doesn’t.

I hit a road block when I got to the Vanilla truffle. Initially, it completely confused me: in the midst of all that dark chocolate is an exceedingly feminine, old-fashioned ice cream type of vanilla flavor. On top of that is the flavor from the salt garnish. I’m feeling much better about the truffle now, but I really want the salt out of the picture: the all-consuming strength of the vanilla, probably the most potent I’ve tasted, is enough.

I had to stop imagining the Ginger Snap as a milk chocolate (which isn’t going to happen with a raw company and really isn’t even necessary for this truffle). There is a better flavor balance here, with the ginger spiced to a level like a strong cookie would have. The Cayenne Coconut truffle is like playing hide-and-seek with the cayenne, but the coconut is amazingly fresh. There’s a warm/cool effect that’s satisfactory enough, so I suppose I ended up more comfortable with this one than I had expected to.

The fact is, these truffles may be harder to get into for the regular population, not only because of their more crumbly raw texture but also because Zorba’s goes for the slightly exotic flavor combinations. Yet neither of these is a bad thing. As I said for the other raw truffles, just assess first if raw chocolates flavored this way are your style.

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