Scharffen Berger Extra Rich Milk Chocolate Bar

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

Type: 41% Milk Chocolate.
Price: $4-$4.50 for 3 oz. (85g).

Scharffen Berger produces a 41% Extra Rich Milk Chocolate Bar with no frills that nevertheless nails all the fundamentals.

First off, the presentation is the traditional Scharffen Berger presentation. For more info, read up on the Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Chocolate Bar. Basically, the wrapping has a very traditional appeal to it, as it’s just very simple paper, so it has that grandma’s touch to it. On the inside, the chocolate is divided into symmetrical shapes, giving it a very calculated feel. And the logo of a ram or goat is displayed nicely right in the middle, giving the bar some personality, in contrast to most other chocolates, which merely display a signature of some kind (these chocolates strike me as rather pompous—as though the name of the chocolatier itself is a decoration!).

As for the flavor, there are a couple things to note. First, as with the Scharffen Berger Bittersweet Bar, a nice fresh aroma of light cocoa jumps out upon opening the bar, though it is far milder. Also, for a milk chocolate, this bar has a nice length to it, so it doesn’t end immediately on impact, but rather lasts for a bit in the mouth (maybe a couple minutes).

Moreover, my experience with this bar is much more positive than with Scharffen Berger’s darker varieties, largely because the texture and melt are so much better done. The Bittersweet Bar was just too hard. I had to munch on it to get it to break and to melt in my mouth. Now, with the added sugar and milk, this bar just falls apart, breaking simply into the symmetrical shapes in which it’s crafted. Moreover, it’s so milky and smooth that it just melts in the mouth, with a roundness that allows it to really hit all the corners of the mouth with ease. Even with the soy lecithin, it doesn’t feel as though the melt is artificial, though it is perhaps a bit too rich for a dark milk chocolate to achieve without any added emulsifiers.

Finally, the bar shines where it matters most: taste. While no large flavors pop out, the 41% Extra Rich Milk Chocolate Bar feels balanced. Roasted almonds, a bit of hazelnut, and a lot of caramel are prominent on the palate, but in general, it’s the creamy, rich, sweetness that comes out. That sweetness, though, is never overpowering, and it’s downright delicious. To be fair, the bar a bit monotonous, and it is EXTREMELY rich, to the point that it can be cloying to some.

Overall, though, the Scharffen Berger Extra Rich Milk Chocolate lives up to its name. It’s overly rich, but still very well done.

Melt: 3.5/5.0
Taste: 3.2/5.0
Length: 3.0/5.0
Value: 3.0/5.0
Overall: 3.2/5.0