This beautiful bar was a present from dear
friends in Germany – thank you very much for the thoughtful gift,
it was very much appreciated! :) Valrhona is something of a legend, I
think – it's a name often mentioned in connection with high-grade
luxury chocolate and in recipes that call for the best of the best.
I'm not sure I've ever tasted anything from Valrhona before (I know!
Shocking!) so I was very happy to get this chance!
I think this bar must have been chosen
with the season in mind: the lovely red and gold wrapping made it a
very appropriate Christmas present. In addition, the outer wrapping
gives the bar a definite air of luxury and decadence, which is
further enhanced by the gold of the inner wrapping. Everything says
we're going to taste something special now! The bar itself is
irregularly patterned by thin lines that don't cut very deep into the
chocolate. The bar is also nice and thick – yes, there may be a
certain elegance to the thinner bars and pieces, but honestly, I love
sinking my teeth into a thick piece of chocolate! When you break
pieces apart, you hear that snap characteristic of premium
chocolates.
And was it special? Yes, it was! The
scent is dark and chocolatey. The cocoa content is 70 % but the
chocolate isn't bitter or acidic. It is definitely not as sweet as
some other dark chocolates, but I thought that was rather refreshing.
My first impression was of a little hard and dryish chocolate, but
once the piece begins to melt in your mouth, the richness of the
taste reveals itself. The cocoa nibs provide a nice crunch – their
taste wasn't as intense as I expected, but they add a roasted flavour
that, for whatever reason, reminds me a little of coffee. On the
whole, I'd characterise this as a somewhat robust, down-to-earth
chocolate that still provides you with an undeniable feeling of luxury.
It's refined but not pretentious. I like that!
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