Vosges Bapchi’s Caramel Toffee Bar

Posted by Edmund in Chocolate, Featured Articles, Gourmet Chocolate Bars, USA | 1 comment

Composition: Sweet Butter Toffee, Walnuts, Pecans, 45% Deep Milk Chocolate.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: $7.50 from Vosges’ site.

This bar doesn’t quite catch the eye as much as Vosges’ other bars. When I opened my bar, I noticed it had broken into two large even pieces. The break was clean, running evenly along the bar’s design, but I was still surprised to see how fragile the bar could be from the inclusion of so many chunky ingredients. Moreover, I could see the color of nuts or toffee slightly jutting out onto the surface, making for a less than uniform appearance. Still, I was impressed with how finely Vosges cut the ingredients, and as always I appreciated the colorful packaging.

If ever as a child you were a fan of Kit Kats, then this is definitely the bar for you, combining sweet but very easy-to-eat milk chocolate with a surprisingly large wafer-like crunch. Upon seeing the list of ingredients, I thought this bar would be far too tough and perhaps somewhat chewy or clingy from the toffee. However, Vosges minces the nuts and toffee so finely that they practically melt into the slightly creamy milk chocolate. While the surface of the bar is slightly tougher than normal, the chocolate melts almost immediately as you put it into your mouth, leaving you with a deliciously gritty combination of surprisingly soft toffee and nuts. The crunch is nearly perfect—similar to crispy rice with a bit more substance to it.

The flavor impresses, too. Milk chocolates tend to suffer from two main problems: They’re overly sweet and/or they feel very one-note. Here, the chocolate verges on slightly too sweet, but only in the end as the nuttiness fades. Overall, though, the balance is excellent. As you bite in, the nuts immediately hit you, counteracting the heavier sweetness of the chocolate, as well as giving a slight maple favor (from the pecans). Very soon after, the palate picks up the toffee, which first adds a caramel-like sweetness and then a slightly buttery undertone that helps to bring all the ingredients together. Finally—and best of all—just as the toffee fades and the chocolate’s sweetness begins to overpower, a slight saltiness hits the corners of the mouth, leaving you slightly puckering, in the best sort of way. Unfortunately, the deliciously buttery salty aftertaste fades from the palate within a minute, making this bar incredibly short, even for a milk chocolate.

This is easily one of the most complex flavored milk chocolates I’ve ever tried. Those who don’t enjoy sweeter chocolates may not enjoy the bar quite as much as I did, but this milk chocolate truly does have something for everybody.

Disclaimer: This bar was a sample for tasting 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: 2.7+/5.0
Taste: 4.5/5.0
Texture/Melt: 4.6+/5.0
Flavor: 4.5/5.0
Length: 2.0/5.0. But not quite as important for this type of chocolate.
Value: 4.4/5.0
Scores: 4.3/5.0, though personally, more of a 4.5/5.0.