Choco Ch Swiss Dark Chocolate

All that glitters is not gold, and all chocolates that are Swiss aren't super. In fact, Choco Ch might even be giving Swiss chocolate a bad name. From what I can gather from their poorly populated website, Choco Ch or Choco Diffusion SA  seems to be a small Swiss company that manufactures and markets a smallish range of chocolate products and confectioneries. While it is unfair to write off a company/brand based on one product, I'm very tempted to believe that Choco Diffusion SA's products are sad.

When my friend gave me this bar to try and review, I was excited because SWISS CHOCOLATE! But now I know that even Switzerland is capable of producing crappy chocolates. The only thing half decent about this chocolate is its packaging.

The dark chocolate bar, as you see, is dry to look at and touch. It doesn't melt easily in the mouth, which means there isn't enough cocoa butter in the product. It also has an awful chemical taste, the kind that excessive artificial sweeteners have. However, this isn't a sugar-free product, and there's no reason why you should endure it.

So children, the lesson of the day is, if someone gives you a bar of Choco Ch Swiss Dark Chocolate, duck.

RATING: 1.5/5

Milka Noisette

Established in 1826 by Philippe Suchard, Milka is one of the oldest Swiss chocolate brands in the world. The brand name Milka was trademarked as early as 1901 and it has been derived from the German words 'Milch' (milk) and 'Cacao' (cocoa). Some suggest that the brand name was Suchard's tribute to a famous soprano of those times, called Milka Ternina.

The brand changed many hands over the years, and was finally bought over by Kraft Foods, now Mondelez International in October 2012. Today, the brand famous for its trademark purple packaging, the purple cow mascot and quality products has a global presence. Especially so now, since I could buy it off the supermarket's shelf in Mumbai.

Despite my sworn dislike for milk chocolate, I will say one thing. This is the best milk chocolate I've ever had. The Milka Noisette (hazelnut) Milk Chocolate is a very rich-tasting chocolate with a beautifully dense texture. It's smooth as silk and melts in your mouth releasing the sturdy flavour of hazelnut. It's as sweet as any other milk chocolate, but I didn't mind that for the first time. Hell, I love it and if I had to pick one milk chocolate among the many I've ever had, it would be this one.

At INR 160 for 100g, it's not very expensive either and it has Chocosophy's love!


RATING: 4.5/5

Chocolat Stella Dark Chocolate with Stevia Extract

Nearly 70 years in existence, Chocolat Stella, AKA Chocolat Bernrain is one of the better known makers of Swiss chocolate. Started by the Muller family, the business continues to be run by the third generation. The Switzerland-based company is renowned for organic, fair trade, Kosher and functional chocolate specialities and today, sells a vast range of products. Widely exported, you will find a few bars of Stella at almost every store that stocks imported chocolate.

I was curious about this brand for a while, but it was only after I spotted this variety that I felt compelled to pick it up. I've tried several sugar free chocolates, like Bernique and La Confiteria Delaviuda but none with this interesting herb as a sugar substitute. For those who don't know, here's some Wiki tidbit about Stevia:

Stevia is is a herb from the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical regions from western North America to South America. The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has attracted attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar sweeteners.

Stevia is commonly sold at chemists and supermarkets, but is not as popular as artificial sweeteners. I remember tasting stevia leaves at a herb garden in Kerala and was very curious to know how it would taste in chocolate. The Stella dark chocolate (with 53% cocoa) with stevia extract didn't seem to me any different from other sugar-free chocolates and I was most disappointed by the after taste. Perhaps I was hoping a herb would have none of those unpleasant things chemical sweeteners do. But as the Wiki entry suggests, high concentrations may leave an aftertaste. The chocolate wasn't very smooth either, so there was little in terms of saving grace. I much prefer and recommend Bernique for sugar free chocolates, if that's what you must have.

Don't bother spending INR 345 for a 100 g bar, although you might want to try their other 'sugary' varieties as I will too.

RATING: 2.5/5

Cresta Swiss Chocolate Liqueur

May the Lord give everyone in-laws like mine because they gift me daaru on my birthday and not just any daaru; they give me a bottle full of some sexy Swiss Chocolate Liqueur, babeh! This gorgeous red and gold cardboard box of Cresta Swiss Chocolate Liqueur has been one of the best birthday gifts I've ever got. :D

The box is lined with velvet on the inside and comes with a glass and a cocktail recipes booklet along with the bottle of liqueur. The beautiful bottle holds about 500 ml of the product and contains cream, skimmed milk concentrate, sugar, alcohol (the bottle doesn't mention what kind), water, chocolate (0.9%), essences and food colour.

This light brown coloured liqueur has a creamy consistency, is smooth and sweet to the taste with a sharp bite from the alcohol. It has a distinct dark chocolate flavour, but I didn't find it rich enough. It is quite sweet and will find favour only with people who like their chocolate. Very similar to the popular Bailey's Irish Creme Liqueur, it makes for a great dessert liqueur.

The brand Cresta is produced and bottled by a Zurich-based spirits manufacturing company called Lateltin. It is a family-owned business and they are manufacturers, importers, and leading suppliers for specialty, niche products and spirits.

The recipe booklet has eight odd cocktail recipes that you can make using the Cresta Swiss Chocolate Liqueur. But who has the patience for those, I say! Serve chilled or on the rocks and go Mmmm...!

RATING: 3.5/5

Lindt Swiss Premium Dark Chocolate

This chocolate blog's made life a lot easier for my family and friends, who now do not have to think twice about what to buy me for a gift. I'm predictably elated every time someone gifts me a bar of chocolate. This whopper was given to me by Pravin, one of my two brothers in law. I did a little jig in my head because DUDE! this was like 300 gm of plain dark chocolate, and a Lindt no less.

For a chocolate lover, plain dark chocolate offers the most primal kind of joy. Flavoured, nutty, fruity, liquor, and crispy chocolates have their own place, but plain dark chocolate stands its own.

There is nothing to be said about Lindt's quality that hasn't been said already. It is little wonder that Lindt is considered one of the most premium chocolate brands in the world, and it has held on to that coveted position for years on end.

 This is a Lindt Swiss Preimum chocolate in what is called a large gold bar format. Made using the company's coveted recipe, this dark chocolate is beautifully smooth and rich. This is the kind, as I always say, that will satisfy you with just one square. While Lindt makes much finer stuff, this guy is not too far behind in the soul satisfying quotient.

The best part is that, you'll find it in most duty-free stores at airports for something like INR 500-600p; yes, I don't remember seeing these at any regular stores. Lindt's Large Format Gold bars are the perfect choice of gifts and are available in flavours like Dark Chocolate, Cherry, and Almond; Gold Hazelnut; Gold Milk; Gold Raisin and Hazelnut, Dark Chocolate and Orange and Silver Surfin Bar.

RATING: 3.5/5

Frey Dark Lemon & Pepper

I remember being SUPER EXCITED when I spotted this one at The Cocoa Trees and thinking 'Wow! But lemon and pepper are ingredients of soup. DAFAQ does anyone put them into chocolate!?' Even though I was less than impressed with my first Frey, I was willing to give the brand another go just for coming up with a flavour so innovative.And I'm so glad I did.The best-selling Swiss brand has more than salvaged its reputation.

The Frey Dark Lemon & Pepper chocolate is one of the most exciting chocolate products I've recently tasted. And it comes close to my Lindt Wasabi and Chilli chocolate experinces.

The dark chocolate contains lemon granules, black pepper and 55% cocoa among other things making for an exquisite combination. The primary taste is that of lemon, an unmistakable tang, that comes from thickly interspersed granules/crystals of lemon. These crystals are crunchy and release the lemony taste in bursts as you take the first bites of the chocolate. The chocolate itself is smooth, dark and with the right amount of sweetness. The taste of pepper is not evident in the beginning, but strikes in the end. The mild and pleasant burn of pepper can be felt in the throat after the chocolate has been swallowed. This tangy-sweet-pungent sequence makes for a brilliant taste experience.

One of the companies that import and market Frey products in India is Cosmo Fine Foods from Chennai. This 100 g pack cost me INR 225 and I'm so going to repeat this manner of shameless indulgence. You should too.

RATING: 4/5

Lindt Excellence Chilli Dark

RATING: 5/5

The Lindt Excellence Chilli Dark is without doubt THE BEST CHOCOLATE IN THE WORLD! In my world at any rate, and the only likely post on Chocolate and other sins to start with a rating, and a full one at that!

I had first read about this beastly combination of chillies and chocolate in the book, Chocolat by Joanne Harris. Protagonist Vianne Rocher sexily whips up cup after cup of hot chocolate and tops it with a dash of chilli powder for zing. I saw it for the first time when a local ice cream parlour near my then home in Pune held a chocolate ice cream festival. Among the many variants, I spotted some chilli chocolate ice cream, but was too chicken to try it. But my undying love for chilli chocolate started when I bought a couple of Lindt Chilli Dark packs from Dorabjee's, just because there was a 'buy 1, get 1 free' offer. Yeah, I am an Indian.

So, my love started with a love of all things free, but is now of the forever variety. And why not? Swiss chocolate makers Lindt & Sprüngli AG produce only the finest chocolates. Of the limited number of imported brands we get here in India, Lindt is one of the best and one that offers a wide variety.

The Lindt Chilli Dark is an exceptional taste experience with the perfect blend of smooth, rich dark chocolate and premium chilli spice. With 47% cocoa, the chocolate is just enough dark; more on the sweet side actually. The sweet-dark chocolate on your tongue serves as a foil for the delicious burn of the chilli that you feel at the back of your throat. Chilli blended with chocolate is actually an ancient Aztec/Mayan culinary tradition that helped bring out the flavour of the cocoa.

Over the years, I've found that this brand is sold at variable prices at retail stores and could cost you anywhere between Rs. 175 to Rs 300 for a 100 g bar. If you are shopping online, it gets worse, with them fleecing you with prices up to Rs. 600 a bar!! So, if you want to sample this piece of heaven, find a friendly neibourhood Gujju shop that stocks imported stuff, and ask for a bar of Lindt Chilli Dark chocolate at a discount. No, you won't find it easily, so happy hunting!