Vosges Cherry Rooibos Bar

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

Composition: 45% Deep Chocolate, African Rooibos Tea, Dried Michigan Cherries.
Region of Production: USA.
Price: About $7-$8 for 3 oz./85g.

The presentation of the Cherry Rooibos Bar is quite a bit better than what I’m used to from Vosges. Often, I’ve gotten chocolates semi-melted, with chocolate bloom all across the bar. Here, that’s luckily not a problem. There isn’t, however, much polish to the bar. I do like that the cherries in the middle are very finely integrated, so they don’t jut out in the middle or across the top. There were, however, a couple protrusions on the bottom.

The bar has very little aroma, as I’d expect of a milk chocolate. The aroma that does come through, though, is that of an extremely straightforward milk chocolate. There’s nothing quite as refreshing as the smell of tea, but that aroma is completely lost here.

The snap is nice, though not perfect. All the squares break off with almost no hesitation or resistance at all—remarkable, since the chunks of dried cherries should have hardened it up a bit. The chocolate does feel a tad soft or weak, but it’s nice that when you bite in, you can go straight through, without being caught up with a sticky piece of cherry.

That has to do with just how finely the cherries are cut. They’re not minced by any means, but the chunks are so small and so chewy, rather than overly dried and hardened, that you almost don’t feel them whatsoever. In fact, only when I allowed the chocolate to melt in my mouth did I actually feel the chunks of cherries.

The melt, too, is nice. Again, with all the dried cherries, I’d have expected the Cherry Rooibos Bar to be a bit clumpy, but the chocolate melts smoothly and evenly. Moreover, since it’s a 45% milk chocolate, it takes some time to melt, so you do get to savor it. At the same time, it can get a bit thick, almost having the consistency of caramel.

As for taste, I have to say, it’s not the most interesting or complex, and some will even find it underwhelming, particularly in the beginning. This is, however, an extremely edible chocolate. With the 45% cocoa content, the balance is almost there, but as I continued eating I noticed just how overly sweet it could get. I do, however, like the slight, subtle hint of tea that permeates throughout. It’s very slight, so you have to reach for it, but it’s definitely there.

The cherries, though, are even more disappointing. Since they come in small chunks, you’re not going to get much flavor, and unfortunately the cherries aren’t distributed all that well throughout. Moreover, even when you do get a bite, the chocolate tends to overpower until midway through when a contrasting, sour chewiness hits you—one that is, like the sweetness, potentially overpowering.

Scores

Presentation: 2.5/5.0
Taste: 2.2/5.0
Flavor: 1.0/5.0
Melt: 3.8/5.0
Length: 0.5/5.0 (though not important here)
Value: 1.5/5.0
Overall Score: 2.0/5.0