The ChocolateSmith Petite Melange
This is a twelve-piece box from Santa Fe based chocolatier The ChocolateSmith. All of these are made with dark chocolate, with the Sierra Blanca having a white chocolate top.
Rosemary Marcona Almond Round
I was eager to try this after reading about other rosemary/chocolate combinations. The rosemary taste is slightly salty as it seasons the flavor, but I wonder if it’s too strong since you can’t taste the chocolate very much. Small almond pieces (and a whole one on top) also lend their flavor.
Sunset Orange Pate
The same as the wax-covered ganache, just covered in dark chocolate.
Cherry Cluster
There’s a generous helping of dried cherries in here, sweet and tart and fresh-feeling, but I personally don’t like that the dark chocolate also gets a strong place. Because I personally don’t like its thick, plain taste.
Sierra Blanca
A square with dark chocolate sides, white chocolate with lime on the top half, and chili in the bottom half. A very nice cool/warm effect from the opposing sides, if you’re okay with some throat burning.
Nuts & Berries Pate
This ganache has a deep blueberry kind of taste, with a nuttiness hanging on the edges. Now, nuts and berries aren’t really my favorite, but it won me over. Guess that’s why there are two of these included.
Dulce Rose
There are also two of these because they’re absolutely delicious. A soft ivory filling with a gentle, sweet rose taste. The sliver of almond on top also adds a pleasant touch to the flavor.
Dipped English Toffee
Pretty self-explanatory. Fairly chewy toffee with a bit of dark chocolate.
Mucho Ancho Pate
Beware of this one. The chocolatey filling is very warm with ancho chilies and will stay in your mouth for a good while. But it isn’t overwhelming or badly balanced at all, just something to be prepared for.
Dipped Caramel with Sea Salt
The caramel is soft, moist, and slightly rough but almost liquid-like. It has an innocent sort of tart sweetness set with a sea salt bite in the background. Here, I think actually that the chocolate goes well with the other flavors.
Don Juan Pecan
The cool, soft filling is just like the caramel, but I guess it’s designed more after pecan pie filling. It’s quite nice tasting with the pecan leading, a little carmel following, and some saltiness lingering behind their cover.
I could easily do without the Cherry Cluster and Dipped English Toffee (even though I like toffee), but the Dulce Rose, Don Juan Pecan, Nuts & Berries Pate, and Sunset Orange Pate made up for that by far. Because the rest are also good, though not quite as endearing to me, and bring in some less common journeys in the taste world. Especially if you’re fond of chili/chocolate combinations.
Information
- Buy it online from:
- Filed under assortment, chocolatesmith, dark chocolate, us.
Deanna I’m hoping that it’s sea salt the caramel is dipped in and that no real seals were hurt during its making!
They all look and sound incredibly interesting to me.
Oops! Typo fixed. 🙂
Aw, bugger – ‘seal salt’ might have started a craze amongst chocolatiers wanting to create a new flavour. On second thoughts, perhaps you did the right thing!