Composition: Gingerbread Spiced Toffee, 65% Dark Chocolate.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: $7.50 from Vosges’s site.

Aesthetically, this bar generally impresses. As with all of Vosges’s bars, it is completely smooth, seamlessly integrating the ingredient. There are some signs of chocolate bloom (discoloration) across the top, but I actually enjoy the refreshingly blackish color—something not usually so intense in 65% chocolates. Finally, the bar has a very nice, though hard, snap that allows it to break easily into perfect squares.

After taking just one bite, though, I can tell that this is one of the less interesting bars in Vosges’s collection, mostly for its rather mild flavor. The problem is most noticeable in the bland chocolate. It simply tastes too much like lecithin, i.e. it tastes and feels waxy. Nor is it all that complex. I actually found no strong overtones to mention, except for perhaps some coffee. Thus, this chocolate really needs to rely on the toffee for flavor, but that toffee just doesn’t seem to synergize all that well with it. Instead of infusing the chocolate with an even flavor, the toffee comes in bursts, as you munch into cookie-like, crunchy pieces. Part of the time, then, the chocolate feels bland, and the other part it feels like underwhelming gingerbread. Thankfully, the intense, but fleeting, burst of cinnamon saltiness that hits you right as you crunch into the toffee helps to relieve some of these issues. Unsurprisingly, though, this bar is extremely short-lived, fading within a couple of minutes (at most) from the palate.

More positively, the gingerbread spiced toffee flavor is actually quite good when I get to taste it. The bar has a very nice cinnamon kick that hits you at the very end of the chocolate, cleansing the palate. I also got some good nutmeg (I think) and some light saltiness, along with what felt like chunks of very buttery cookies (from the toffee). Still, these flavors mostly emerge near the end, and there is little in between to keep me all that interested.

The texture does not fare much better. As mentioned, this bar has a particularly waxy feel. Moreover, the chunks of toffee harden it too much, so that it is tough to the bite and slow in the melt. I did enjoy the very easy, gritty crunch of the toffee, though.

This bar isn’t horrible per se, but it isn’t even close to the cream of the crop among Vosges’s fantastic selection. I’d suggest looking into Vosges’s Bapchi Caramel Toffee Bar for a true toffee-chocolate experience.

Disclaimer: This bar was a gift from Vosges Haut Chocolat. I have tried to keep the review as fair and objective as possible. Take the scores for what you will.

Scores

Presentation: 3.0/5.0. 4.0/5.0 excluding all the discoloration.
Taste: 2.2/5.0
Texture/Melt: 2.5/5.0
Flavor: 2.0/5.0
Length: 0.8/5.0
Value: 1.5/5.0
Verdict: 2.0/5.0

Composition: Hibiscus Flowers, Blood Orange Caramel, Campari, 70% Dark Chocolate
Region of Production: USA.
Price: $7.50 from Vosges’ site.

This bar looks very clean, with its sleek, intense black color. As always, the packaging too impresses, though this one even more so than usual with its wild display of blood oranges. My bar unfortunately came broken into two pieces—something not too surprising given the thinness of the chocolate, which overflows with caramel. There was also a small crack, and the caramel had started to leak through slightly. I do like the easy snap, though.

Flavor-wise, though, this bar astounds. The caramel simply tastes extraordinary. As I took a small lick of it from the sides of the chocolate, I immediately got a rich, dense caramel, with the traditional, pronounced caramel sweetness. That taste, however, soon faded into a very fruity, slightly floral mix of the bittersweet blood orange and the hibiscus. The hibiscus undertone especially helps add some nuance, leaving a refreshingly fragrant aroma on the mouth. A slightly dry bitter-herby quality kicks in too as the palate picks up the Campari alcohol.

The 70% dark chocolate adds the necessary backdrop to balance out those flavors and provide one of the strongest, seemingly clashing, yet entirely harmonious, chocolate experiences I can remember. At first, 70% seems almost too much, as the chocolate comes intensely smoky, leaving a deliciously bitter, though slightly floral aroma on the mouth. That smokiness, however, not only provides for a fantastic aftertaste that blends very well with the bitterness of the blood orange, but it also balances out the caramel, which almost feels too sweet in larger quantities. The chocolate will outlast the caramel eventually, but thankfully the chocolate is so delicious that it’s not a problem.

Moreover, unlike some of Vosges’ other bars, here the chocolate lasts and lasts. Expect the dry smokiness for at least 10 minutes. It may be too strong or bitter for some, but I’m personally a huge fan.

The texture feels great, too. The bar comes overloaded with rich, gooey caramel that goes down extremely smoothly, without ever clinging to the mouth. Added to that is a crispy thin chocolate shell that literally cracks as you bite in. That shell melts quickly, especially given the high cocoa percentage. It may feel slightly waxy at the very end, but the waxiness is not too noticeable.

Final Word: This bar is simply one of the most complex flavored dark chocolate bars I can remember having. It begins caramel-y sweet, becomes fruity and floral, picks up a more natural fruity sweetness, and ends dry, bitter, and smoky. Far too many sensations to list or describe—it’s something you have to eat for yourself.

Disclaimer: This bar was a gift from Vosges Haut Chocolat. I have tried to keep the review as fair and objective as possible. Take the scores for what you will.

Scores

Presentation: 3.0/5.0. 4.0/5.0 without the cracks.
Taste: 4.7/5.0
Texture/Melt: 4.5/5.0
Flavor: 4.9/5.0
Length: 4.5/5.0
Value: 4.5+/5.0
Scores:  4.7/5.0

Composition: Black Hawaiian Sea Salt, Burnt Sugar Caramel, 70% Dark Chocolate.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: $7.50 from Vosges’ site.

Since this bar was shipped from the Vosges store itself, it hasn’t suffered from any storage or transportation issues. It is clean, polished, and completely smooth to the touch. I also appreciate how Vosges integrated the caramel into the bar, so that it never oozes out from other pieces. At the same time, this bar is definitely one of Vosges’s most fragile. Without a solid chocolate interior, the shell breaks apart rather easily, getting caramel all over the place. Just make sure to carefully snap off each square.

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Flavor-wise, this bar hits you in phases: first the chocolate shell gives you some texture but with little immediate intensity; next, the caramel gushes out in a sweet rush; finally, the chocolate re-emerges with a marked, earthy smokiness that leaves your palate literally fuming with a coffee flavor. The caramel at first feels like it will dominate and potentially overpower the chocolate, but just as the bar becomes too sweet, the dark chocolate re-emerges and nearly eliminates all trace of the caramel. The bar manages to run the gamut from extremely sweet to rather bitter seamlessly.

Moreover, I was surprised not just by the balance among the ingredients, but also within them. Most caramel tends to taste artificial or sugary. This one, in contrast, has a slight honey-like taste that I find refreshing. Moreover, the mouth feel is great, as the caramel combines the buttery feel of butterscotch with an almost watery consistency, going down very smoothly. Dark chocolate, on the other hand, can be far too bitter, but here it emphasizes smokier notes, which help to cover up that bitterness. That chocolate lasts on the palate, too—much more so than most Vosges bars.

The one true disappointment is the sea salt. I personally love getting that salty kick at the end of a good sweet, but here the taste comes through slightly in the beginning and only infinitesimally at the very end. As it is, the bar is more or less a two-flavor  affair.

As for the melt—well, it’s probably better to just chew the bar down, since it has all that watery caramel in it. The lecithin thankfully doesn’t add too much waxiness, partially because the chocolate itself is so intense.

Disclaimer: This bar was a gift from Vosges Haut Chocolat. I have tried to keep the review as fair and objective as possible. Take the scores for what you will.

Scores

Presentation: 4.0/5.0
Taste: 4.0/5.0
Flavor: 4.2/5.0
Length: 3.0/5.0
Value: 3.5/5.0
Scores: 3.9/5.0

Amedei Cioccolato Al Latte con Nocciole, Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts Bar
$10.00 for 100g. New version is $7.50 for 50g.

Unfortunately, Amedei has just changed over the format of its bars, but I had the luck of finding the old version in the store. It’s a much better deal, coming in at 100g for about $10, whereas the new one is 50g for $7.50 (i.e. the new format is just a de facto price boost). Moreover, the 100g bars come in colorful, sturdy boxes, which are much plainer but are also much more fitting for a chocolate bar.

The bar itself, too, is beautiful. Most of the hazelnut chunks were so small and so perfectly integrated that they almost didn’t show through the top of the bar. And that’s probably the nicest part—those nuts don’t jut out whatsoever, even though this bar is literally overflowing with them, as you’ll notice by the first snap of the bar.

Not surprisingly, the hazelnut doesn’t play second fiddle here. In every bite, you get an intensely smooth and creamy, yet very crunchy texture. What surprises me is really how soft that crunch is, though. Since the hazelnut chunks are so so small, they almost don’t interfere with the smoothness of the chocolate. Even though you do have to munch down on the bar, it’s easy to taste just how easily the chocolate melts, with no hesitation at all. Even better, you can snap the chocolate apart into perfect squares every single time, even with all the chunks of nut hardening the bar—that feature alone goes to show you Amedei’s technical mastery.

As for the taste, this bar just can’t be beaten for a flavored milk chocolate bar. Not only are the ingredients in themselves excellent, but they synergize very well. What stands out most is simply the quality of the Italian hazelnuts. They’re roasted, flavorful, and elegant. Even more importantly, they’re consistent. Amedei only incorporates the freshest, best hazelnuts from the Piedmont (Langhe Hazelnuts), so that the taste is always uniform.

The chocolate itself is rich and relatively sweet, but not overly so for a 32%. It has a very caramel-like quality to it, both in terms of melt and taste. That balance is only amplified by the fusion of the hazelnut, as the smoky nuttiness helps to balance out the sweetness of the milk chocolate further, while the richness of the chocolate softens the intensity of the hazelnut. The hazelnut flavor tends to hit you first, eventually giving way to the chocolate. While the bar can get just a bit too sweet after the chocolate starts to really hit you on the palate, this is about as close as you can realistically get to true balance.

Finally, the length of the chocolate itself isn’t much to note, since the hazelnuts shorten it incredibly. Still, the aftertaste is very refreshing, as the roasted, smoky hazelnuts tend to stick to and clean the palate. They’re very aromatic as well.

Overall, the Amedei Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts Bar is easily my favorite flavored milk chocolate bar and one I’d easily recommend, even at the incredible price. You will almost never find hazelnuts this good in a chocolate bar.

Presentation: 4.9/5.0. The bar’s seamless integration of the hazelnuts is astounding.
Melt: 4.5/5.0
Length: 3.0/5.0 (but not quite as important for a flavored milk chocolate)
Taste: 4.8/5.0
Flavor: 4.8+/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0.
Verdict: 4.7/5.0. Extremely, almost sinfully, edible.

Amedei Cioccolato Al Latte Bianco Con Pistacchi, i.e. White Chocolate with Pistachio Bar
$7.50 for 50g

I’ve gone on the record as hating the new Amedei packaging, but I’ve started to have a change of heart, and this bar really drives in the point. The box invites you with a tasteful painting of a pistachio tree, with a description of the bar and of Amedei’s chocolate production on the inside. And the bar itself is simply beautiful. There are so many pistachio chunks included that the bar has taken on a beautiful, pale green color. And yet Amedei has somehow managed to integrate them so perfectly that there is not even one bump on the bar, as not even one pistachio juts out.

As for the taste, you’ll literally be blown away by just how balanced and easy to eat this bar is. The pistachios, being such a heavy influence, almost completely counteract the traditional overpowering white chocolate sweetness. In turn, this bar is never cloying. In fact, I ate the whole thing in one sitting, and never did I become overwhelmed by the sweetness. The pistachios also add a slightly tangy, slightly roasted flavor that blends very nicely, adding some complexity to the otherwise very simple white chocolate. You can tell the quality of these nuts just by their taste—Amedei has selected only the best from Italy, and the quality is consistently excellent throughout the bar.

As with any white chocolate, the bar melts nearly immediately, leaving a very light, soft, very milky residue, lighter than what I’d expect but still very flavorful and creamy. At the same time, the pistachios add a fantastically crunchy texture that nevertheless doesn’t really interrupt the delicious smoothness of the white chocolate, since the chunks are so small. This bar is thus perfect for both munching down and slowly savoring in the mouth, though I have to say there’s nothing quite like getting the full force of the nuts with a big bite.

There are very few complaints about a bar such as this, which elevates the meaning of white chocolate. It’s not going to have any length or an astounding amount of complexity, but for a simple, white chocolate rush with an incredibly flavorful ingredient, turn no further than this bar. The one complaint I can toss is simply the price. This is easily the most expensive white chocolate on the market, and while it’s the best, I don’t know if I’d pay $7.50 for 50g of something that doesn’t even have actual cocoa in it.

Still, the Amedei White Chocolate with Pistachio Bar is an incredible display of just how delicious, balanced, and elegant white chocolate can be.

Presentation: 4.8/5.0
Melt: 4.5/5.0
Length: Very little. Not really relevant for white chocolate.
Taste: 4.6/5.0
Flavor: 4.7/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0.
Verdict: 4.3/5.0. 4.6+ when discounting value.

Amedei Porcelana Bar

Like I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of Amedei’s new packaging—50g bars in odd, cardboard-like paper boxes—but it’s starting to grow on me, especially because the Porcelana Bar’s packaging boasts a rainbow of colors and some tasteful representations of cocoa pods along the whole front. Once you open the bar, you notice the same semi-austere, clean look, with the small squares inscribed with “Amedei.” There are minor imperfections—diminutive speckles of discoloring (chocolate bloom), for example—but it fares better than my Chuao did.

The first thing you notice once you open it is the aroma. Strong and slightly fruity, it just blasts towards you out of the package, though it doesn’t last incredibly long.

The bar itself is extremely flavorful. Whereas the Chuao is soft and delicate, with very subtle flavors, the Porcelana actually has some bold, pronounced undertones, even though it too retains the same delicateness. As soon as I put it into my mouth, I picked up a lot of acidity and plenty of earthier, nuttier tones: toasted almonds, coffee, and smoke. That soon gave way to just a bit of sourness, like a sour cherry or ripe berry, and started to move towards a bittersweet caramel infused with some mint. There’s also a rather pronounced sweetness running throughout, both from the sugar of the bar and from a subtle licorice undertone in the cocoa. And the flavors come together to truly leave a strong roasted/toasted impression on the palate, with an aftertaste that lasts just as long, if not longer, than the Chuao. Regardless, it’s much more intense than that bar, as the Porcelana feels much thicker, leaving a slightly gritty, sticky residue in the corners of the mouth. Needless to say, it’s deliciously round.

The melt is the one area where I can honestly say this bar takes a backseat to the Chuao, though not by much. It’s just a bit slow, as the chocolate takes a bit of time to lose its hardness. As I suggested above, it’s also on the thicker, richer side, so it’s not as elegant as you might expect at first.

Still, this is easily the most delicious dark chocolate bar I’ve tasted to date. It is, of course, not perfect, but it is mouth-puckeringly good in the areas which matter most: complexity, length, and melt. It might be hard to justify spending $12 or so for 50g—a whole 4x more expensive than most gourmet chocolates—but it just doesn’t get any better.

And if you’re wondering, YES, the Amedei Porcelana Bar does beat the Chuao in my book, but that’s only because I’m not a very delicate person myself and prefer bolder flavors. In any case, the Porcelana Bar is an unforgettable experience for any dark chocolate lover.

Presentation: 3.5/5.0. More like a 4.8 without the chocolate bloom.
Taste: 4.9/5.0
Length: 4.8/5.0
Melt: 4.4/5.0
Value: 4.0/5.0
Verdict: 4.4/5.0. 4.8/5.0 if you discount value and presentation.

Amedei “9″ Bar
75% Dark Chocolate, Blend of cocoa beans from 9 different plantations
About $10-$12 for 50g

The presentation of the Amedei 9 Bar is the same as nearly all the other Amedei bars, so I’ll refer you to the Amedei Porcelana review. Again, this chocolate has small blots of discoloring as a result of minor melting during the spring, probably during transportation.

The taste here is quite intense. I think Amedei really nails it on the box when it says the chocolate exudes the taste of toasted almonds—this is easily one of the smokiest darks I can remember eating. I’d add some other nuts in there too, though, including roasted hazelnuts and just a bit of walnut. That nut flavor lasts throughout the bar, dominating all the flavors. In that sense, this bar isn’t terribly complex, especially in comparison to Amedei’s other bars. Even so, there’s a bit of acidity, some butter, a bit of milkiness, and some nice citrusy and/or sweet fruits on the palate. I especially tasted some grape and lemon midway through the bar. Unfortunately, they’re very subtle, and the bar will feel one-dimensional at times.

As for texture, this bar has the same fantastic snap of the Amedei Chuao and Porcelana bars, along with one of the nicest, easiest melts for a bar with 75% cocoa. However, because it does have more cocoa in it than those bars, it is just a bit harder and slower on the melt, to the point that the bar can feel like it’s stagnating or pausing in the mouth. In turn, you really have to try to melt it down by constantly moving it around. On the more positive side, the bar is extremely round and quite long, leaving a smoky, slightly salty, and rather bitter aftertaste that lasts for at least 10 minutes. It’s not extremely strong, but it’s still very nice.

As a final note, I’d say the Amedei 9 Bar is probably the worst value of Amedei’s main dark bars. While it’s undeniably a great blend, it sells for nearly the same price as the Chuao and the Porcelana, give or take $2 or $3. It is, however, not quite as flavorful, nor are the beans as rare as those in the other bars, even if they come from 9 different plantations. In that sense, you’re paying about the same price for a bar made of lower quality (but still incredible) cocoa as you would for a bar with some of the rarest cocoa in the world. Still, the Amedei 9 Bar is a great treat.

Presentation: 3.0/5.0. 4.2 without the discoloring.
Taste: 4.2/5.0
Melt: 4.0/5.0
Length: 4.2/5.0
Value: 2.0/5.0. Amedei makes far better bars for the price.
Verdict: 3.4/5.0 . 4.1 if value is excluded.

Presentation-wise, this bar keeps it simple and clean. It comes in a tiny wrapper with no images or fancy colors. Underneath the wrapper lies an equally simple bar, bearing no designs whatsoever. The bar, in fact, looks like a better take on a candy bar. The top is completely smooth to the touch, even with all the chunky ingredients the behemoth is packing. The bottom is, however, extremely scaly, with protrusions covering the whole surface. Thankfully, the interior is again clean and orderly, as the chunks are firmly in place so that they don’t shift around or jut out as you bite into the bar.

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My initial reaction was one of pleasant surprise. I expected this bar to have a lot of different, clashing elements, but the combination works very well, both in texture and taste. Partially, that has to do with the fact that the bar takes fresh, delicious ingredients and leaves them completely intact. The pecans and cherries both come in large chunks, so that once you get one in your mouth, you can munch on it for a while. The texture, then, is a constant mix between the crunchy, the chewy, and the creamy, leaving you constantly interested. The chocolate shell comes on the harder side, too, adding to the crunch. However, the interior could have been smoother and creamier, as the bar felt disjointed with so many ingredients.

More importantly, since the ingredients come in such large chunks, they  are very big on flavor. It only helps that they’re dispersed generously throughout the bar, so that every single bite gives you some pecan, praline, and cherry. Moreover, since the chocolate isn’t too dark or too bitter, the ingredients can shine. At the same time, no one ingredient ever seems to dominate. The chocolate in the background softens out some of the rougher edges of the nuts and fruit. As I was eating the bar, I was able to taste the sourness of the cherries and the sweetness of the praline, but never to the point of becoming overwhelmed. Best of all, though, is the fact that these flavors tend to come in different layers. The chocolate becomes up-front on the nuttier side, as the pecans break down the easiest. Next comes the creamy chocolate, which has a surprisingly milky feeling for a dark chocolate. It also has a semi-malted quality, giving a subtle boost to the sweetness. As the chocolate fades, you’re left with the chewy cherries, which become increasingly sour as you savor them. The bar finishes with a very nice sourness that hits the sweet spot between too little and too much.

I do, however, have a couple complaints. The chocolate seems very weak. It’s a great complement to the fruit and nuts, but I didn’t sense anything special in its quality. It could have been richer or smoother, which would have helped to further bring all the ingredients together. It might not be possible to make such a bar, though, given all the chunky ingredients. Finally, the chocolate has no length whatsoever, fading from the palate almost immediately after you swallow.

Scores

Presentation: 3.5/5.0
Melt/Texture: 3.5/5.0
Length: 0.5/5.0
Taste: 4.2/5.0
Flavor: 4.3/5.0
Value: 4.2+/5.0
Overall Score:  4.1/5.0