Lake Champlain 54% Raspberry Truffle Bar

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

Composition: 54% Chocolate, Raspberry Ganache.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: $3.80 for 92g.

The presentation is rather nice, though it could be improved. Again, Lake Champlain packages its bars in simple paper wrappers of different colors, with almost no decoration, but I actually don’t mind the simplicity of the packaging. I also like the eulogy/poem to chocolate that comes packaged with every Lake Champlain bar. Where this chocolate fails is in the bar. While the chocolate has a beautiful, sharp, dark brown color, I wasn’t impressed with all the light smearing, prevalent all over the front and the back. Also, the ganache tends to ooze out a bit much on the snap. Still, this is impressive for the price point.

The flavor is totally different from what I was expecting. I’ve tried a 54% dark chocolate bar by Lake Champlain, and it was underflavored, with a smooth but ultimately artificial waxiness. The 54% cocoa shell in this bar, however, is anything but underflavored or waxy. Instead, it’s filled with earthier tones, like roasted coffee and soil, though it’s not terribly complex. Moreover, it’s surprisingly on the sweet side, with a delicious dark milk chocolate flavor, so that it’s never overwhelming or too dark. Some will definitely find it slightly too sweet, though.

The filling is simply delicious, too. Expect a slight fruity sweetness to hit you throughout, like jam, yet it’s never too much and it never interferes with the taste of the chocolate. Rather, it’s more of a subtle touch to add an extra bit of sugar, as well as some lighter, fruiter tones to counter the chocolate’s heavy earthiness. Moreover, the filling is not a pure raspberry mousse but rather a chocolate ganache with a strong raspberry accent, balancing out the sweetness and wildness of the raspberry in check. One thing is for certain, though: This bar is more chocolate than truffle, and anybody expecting a strong fruitiness may be disappointed. I, however, really enjoy the aftertaste, as the fruiter flavors fade away and the chocolate reasserts itself with a subtle smokiness.

The texture, too, is great. The bar has a crispy, hard exterior that breaks with a large crackle as you bite in, leading to a mousse-like interior. That mousse is smooth, rich, and creamy, but it’s on the lighter side, so it blends really easily into the chocolate, making the chocolate smoother, if anything. The combination gets even better as the tough chocolate melts, adding a thicker caramel-like consistency. The melt is quick and easy, bringing together all the flavors. The chocolate is, unfortunately, rather short-lived.

Scores

Presentation: 3.5/5.0
Taste: 4.2/5.0
Length: 2.7/5.0
Melt: 4.0/5.0
Value: 4.5/5.0
Verdict: 4.2/5.0