Chocolove Cherry and Almond Chocolate Bar

Posted by Edmund in Chocolate, Gourmet Chocolate Bars, USA | 0 comments

55% Dark Chocolate.
About $3 for 3.2 oz. (90g), but I’ve seen it as low as $2.65.
Organic Chocolate.

My first experience with Chocolove was a tragic disappointment (refer to Chocolove 33% Milk Chocolate Bar), so I wasn’t looking forward to this bar, which I bought before knowing just how bad a Chocolove bar could be.

Boy, did this Cherries and Almonds bar take me by surprise, though. Not only was it good, it actually made me reconsider my whole stance on Chocolove.

The presentation of this bar is exactly the same as with all Chocolove bars. There’s a golden foil wrapper around the bar, and a paper logo around that wrapper. It’s simple and pretty boring. What really makes the bar stand out, though, is the shape of the bar and the love poem included on the inside. Both I think really do a great job of getting across the idea of Chocolove. The bar itself is divided into 18 pieces with a bulge on each piece, topped off by the Chocolove heart logo. And this bar gets special points for having a love poem from Romeo and Juliet inscribed on the inside. True, it’s cliché…but chocolate and Shakespeare? You just can’t beat a combo like that.

And the taste really proves that. The bar doesn’t really stand out from other dark chocolates for the quality of the chocolate itself. In fact, it feels strangely sweet, which is surprising considering the flavors included are almonds and cherries, the latter being on the sour side. So there must be a ton of sugar added to this bar, like you would find in a candy bar.

Moreover, since there are actual chunks of nut and cherries, even with the added soy lecithin this bar doesn’t melt too easily. At least it doesn’t feel quite as artificial as the 33% Milk bar I had the displeasure of tasting.

As for the length, it’s standard by dark chocolate standards, if not a little underwhelming, and for a bar that is so flavorful (b/c of the cherries and almonds), there are surprisingly few flavors in the finish.

That all said, the flavor makes the bar stand out. While it’s 55%, you don’t really feel the bitterness of the dark chocolate, as noted above. It’s a nice contrast against the backdrop of dried, sour cherries, which really do pop out, as whole chunks are integrated into the bar. Not only do you get a pleasant sourness, but you also get a nice chewy texture, as you would with any dried fruit. The nuts also help to balance the sweetness and add some crunch. So this bar really does have a variety of flavors—fruity, nutty, and chocolaty—as well as a variety of textures—chewy, crunchy, gooey.

The Chocolove Cherries and Almonds Bar isn’t mind-blowing in any way, particularly because it relies on the strength of the sour cherries and the almonds, which in large part overshadow the inferior quality of the chocolate. Still, for a candy bar (and yes, I don’t quite consider this a true “gourmet” bar), this is a decent diversion.

Presentation: 4.0/5.0, esp. for the poem
Melt: 1.5/5.0
Length: 0.0/5.0. Bad for even a milk chocolate, though not quite as relevant a criterion.
Taste: 2.2/5.0
Flavor: 3.0/5.0
Value: 3.5/5.0. While not the best chocolate, you won’t find a flavor this unique for lower than $3.
Overall Score: 2.5/5.0