LA Burdick Health Bar

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

Mar 07, 11

LA Burdick Health Bar: Apricot, Pink Peppercorn, Pumpkin Seed.

Composition: 69-72% Dark Chocolate w/ Apricot, Pink Peppercorn, Pumpkin Seed.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: 100g for about $7.
Bonus: Rich in Antioxidants.

The presentation here is what I’d expect from Burdick’s: clean, elegant, and simple. I’ll just refer you to one of the other Burdick’s reviews, since all the bars are nearly identical. This one is somewhat uglier, though more interesting, as the bottom has large pink chunks of peppercorn jutting out all across the bar. There is also some slight smearing, though I like the gloss on the bar.

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And the flavor is one of the most interesting I’ve ever had in a chocolate bar, as the incredibly smooth dark chocolate manages to integrate and tame some of the biggest-tasting ingredients you could imagine. The bar starts with the incredibly smoky, roasted coffee earthiness of the dark chocolate, which leaves a refreshing aroma on the palate. At various points, though, that intense smoke is met by the equally monolithic flavor of the spicy peppercorn. It comes in large peppercorn balls, scattered throughout the chocolate—something I’ve never seen any chocolate manage to do. In turn, the peppercorn is very concentrated, and when you bite into a ball your mouth bursts with pepper spice, to the point that the pepper can dominate the whole bar, in an oddly interesting but abrasive manner. The ingredients generally detract from the chocolate’s length.

As for the other ingredients, the apricot comes in large gummy-like chunks, providing a very neutral backdrop for the more intense chocolate, but also adding a slight hint of delicious tangy-sweetness. That apricot seems more important for texture rather than flavor, but I enjoyed it regardless. In contrast, I couldn’t taste much of the pumpkin, which came in very small, thin, crispy units. When I finally did get a bite of one, I wasn’t too impressed, since it didn’t seem to have much flavor. Still, I again enjoyed the boost to the texture, as the seeds give the bar a constant crackle to each bite.

I have only one big complaint: the distribution of the ingredients. Burdick’s keeps to its tradition of providing the ingredients in large chunks, which normally works great. Here, though, since there are three separate ingredients, it’s almost impossible to get all of them in one bite, nor are they evenly distributed. Some bites, then, have an intensely peppery kick that leaves you completely overwhelmed, while others have none at all. The balance is typically off as a result.

The overabundance of chunky ingredients can also detract from the length. When the specific piece you’re eating doesn’t have too many chunks, though, the bar is just as smooth as Burdick’s normal dark chocolate. It doesn’t leave much of a residue across the mouth, though. Still, I thought the texture in general was wonderful, managing to give you constantly crispy crackle from the seeds, a gummy chewiness from the apricot, and the incredible smoothness of the milk chocolate all in one.

One final word: This bar is not for everyone, though the quality is definitely high.

Scores

Presentation: 3.2/5.0
Taste: 3.6/5.0
Flavor: 3.5/5.0
Melt/Texture: 4.0/5.0
Length: 3.5/5.0
Value: 3.5/5.0. Burdick’s makes better bars, though this is one of their more unique.
Verdict: 3.6/5.0