Ritter Sport Mini Bunte Vielfalt

Once you've tasted this popular German brand of chocolate, it is impossible to not keep going back to it. My first two 'encounters' with Ritter Sport were memorable with Marzipan scoring 3 and Whole Hazelnuts scoring 3.5 and I couldn't wait to taste the many other flavours the brand makes. This assorted pack called Bunte Vielfalt, which is 'colourful variety' in German was the perfect option.

The pack offers seven of their 25+ varieties and includes Fine Milk Chocolate, Butter Biscuit, Hazelnuts, Yogurt, Cornflakes, Praline and Marzipan and may I say they're all fantastic. What I like about is the brand is the complete lack of fuss and focus on quality. Their simple packaging design in bright colours and robust flavours underlines this.

Of the seven, I found the Yogurt flavoured chocolate the best with the slightly sour filling complementing the sweet milk chocolate oh-so-brilliantly. The next in line was the Butter Biscuit. Might I use Amul's line to describe this one? The biscuit was 'utterly butterly delicious'. Cornflakes came a close third with its perfect crunchiness. The Praline, Hazelnut, Marzipan, and Fine Milk chocolates fared similarly with no real surprises. However, the chocolate quality was ace for them all.

The 150g pack with nine pieces costs just INR 325, and is imported by Dugar Overseas. It is easily available at all fancy supermarkets and is a great buy.

RATING: 3.5/5

Sweet Passions assorted chocolates

This beautiful box of assorted chocolates was a birthday gift from an uncle-in-law. Although he is an old bachelor boy, he knows best what makes women happy. And that chocolates will please yours truly is a no-brainer. This beautiful card-paper box with gold stars and a gold ribbon is so festive-looking, I'm sure it'll cheer up even the grumpiest.

The chocolates are from a Chembur-based bakery called Sweet Passions. It is a very popular place and rightfully so, given the quality of their products, and (surprise surprise!) customer care. I'm a big fan of their cakes, which are absolutely moist and lovely and their blueberry cheesecake is to die for. But before this assortment, I hadn't tried their chocolates. I obviously had high hopes. 

The 250 g box had an assortment of roasted almond (dark) chocolate, dry fruit (dark) chocolate, hazelnut supreme (dark) chocolate, orange surprise (dark) chocolate, crunchy caramel (dark) chocolate and milky bliss (milk) chocolate and a very helpful label to help identify what is what. Although the colour blind among us (and most men) would have difficulty distinguishing between the beiges, browns and coppers. [Sorry, couldn't resist that one!]

Each of the chocolate pieces weighs around 10 g and have pretty ridges created by the chocolate moulds. They look quite homemade with the elementary foil packing for individual pieces, but the quality is professional. The chocolates are remarkably smooth and rich in ingredients. However, the dark chocolates are a little too sweet for my taste.

The Roasted Almond was my absolute favourite because the nuts were roasted to perfection. The Crunchy Caramel came next with a gooey caramel filling with rice crisps for the crunch. The Dry Fruit Delight came a close third. The other three I'd pass because the Orange Surprise and Hazelnut Supreme are artificial flavour based and milk chocolate (Milky Bliss) has always been my unfavourite stepchild.

Since this was a gift, I cannot be sure about the price, but I will totally recommend it for gifting or indulgent purposes!

RATING: 3.5/5

Chocolate exhibition by BlackForest Chocolates @ OOTB

Chocolatier Shilpi Chawla with friend

As India's only chocolate blogger, I often wistfully read about the many chocolate exhibitions and events that take place abroad. India is woefully lacking in all matters chocolate and there are few, if any, events centering around this divine food. So when my friend, Nikhil, told me that there was going to be a 'chocolate exhibition' at Out of the Blue, Powai, I was more than excited. The exhibition was set up by BlackForest Chocolates, a Mumbai-based brand by chocolatier, Shilpi Chawla.

Amidst the Sunday brunch crowd and some lovely live music, Shilpi and her friend Christina sat at their one-stall exhibition in the main hall of Out of the Blue, Powai. Though I had expected an exhibition on a larger scale, the varieties I saw and tasted more than made up for it.

Shilpi Chawla, who is the chocolatier and owner of BlackForest Chocolates had many a variety laid out for display, sampling and sale. An inviting thali-ful of chocolates encouraged visitors to try them out and buy some if they fancied them. 

I, of course, tried every single variety and was impressed by their quality. What I liked most was her sugar-free chocolate blended with fresh apples and cinnamon. The fruit and spice lent their natural sweetness to the product, which had no other sugar substitutes. Though I'm unsure of the shelf life of such a product that uses fresh fruit, I loved the concept. These were so much better than the sugar-free varieties that one gets in the market.

The stall had other enticingly packaged chocolates like Mawa Paan chocolate, White Chocolate Chikki, Blue Berry Chocolate and an innovative one called Chocolate Roti. I bought a few of each to try at leisure and review later. BlackForest Chocolates makes many other varieties of chocolate, which you can check out on their website.

The stall also showcased some beautiful packaging that Chawla sells her chocolates in. You could pick up gold or silver boxes wrapped in ribbons, or paper bags with cheerful multi-coloured stripes or even delicate organza potlis for a traditional touch.

The exhibition was initially slated only for the brunch slot between 11 am and 4 pm, but was later extended to the evening slot between 7 pm and 10 pm. The exhibition received a good response, with the enthusiasm picking up towards the evening.

Chocosophy had fun visiting the exhibition and hopes there will be many more such in India.

Sapphire assorted milk chocolates

My chocolate stars don't seem to be shining very bright as I run from one average chocolate into another. And now it seems to have gone from bad to worse. I don't remember the last time I crossed the 3.5/5 rating and knowing that this box of assorted chocolates from Sapphire is a Malaysian product, I didn't hope for too much. Although Sapphire's boxed chocolates seem to be present in all online stores, there is almost no information about the brand itself - no website, no Wiki... you get the picture. All I understood from the box was that Sapphire chocolates are made by Network Foods International and imported and distributed by Dugar Overseas Pvt Ltd. Curiously enough, Sapphire is not listed among the brands owned by Network Foods.

Anyhow, I opened the beautiful tin half expecting to see shiny chocolate balls rolling around, like chocolates in tins used to be back in time. But I found a brown bubble-wrap sheet on what I like to call level one. Upon removing those, level two had two foil packs sitting atop level three - a stiff plastic mould. Although it seems wasteful, extra packaging care is required for gifting products since they are subject to a lot of transport. 

I opened one of the 100 g packs and out came this assortment of milk chocolate-coated raisins, hazelnuts and almonds. No, the chocolates don't look this ugly at room temperature; the fat bloom on the chocolates are because I had just taken them out of the refrigerator when I took these pictures. But while the chocolates look quite okay at room temperature, they're terrible to taste. 

First things first, these things don't even qualify to be called chocolates because they have NO cocoa solids or even cocoa butter in them! Made from sugar, refined palm kernel fat, milk solids, cocoa powder, emulsifiers and artificial flavours + dry fruits and nuts, these 'chocolates' feel no better than flour in the mouth. They are weird and chewy and won't melt in your mouth. Their saving grace are the raisins and nuts, without which the chocolates would be rather unpalatable.

No wonder a 200 g box of 'imported' chocolates costs only INR 300. Yes, the packaging is good and yes, it will make for a gift because 'khali haath nahi jaa sakte' (cannot be visiting someone empty handed). But if you are a chocolate lover or know that the gift-ee is one, don't make the mistake of giving them one of Sapphire's box of chocolates.

RATING: 2/5

Warner Hudson Assorted Liqueur Chocolates

Who doesn't like liqueur chocolates? They can raise their hands and never talk to me again, because, oh mama, I can kill for these!

Piggybacking on the festive cheer, I had some of these beauties last night at my MIL's place. Since they're an assortment, I couldn't be sure which ones I had, but if my alcohol buds are right, I probably had one of Teacher's Highland Cream and one of The Finest by Irish Dream. A Cointreau liqueur-filled chocolate would have been impossible to miss with its sharp orange flavour. However, the two other whiskey liqueurs were beautiful without being overpowering.

The German-made chocolates are utterly melt-in-your mouth stuff and of the darker variety. The 150 g pack comes with 15 pieces and are available via online stores or in countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. So you know what to ask your relatives abroad to get for you the next time they are visiting!

RATING: 4/5