I was so excited to receive this sample of Lula’s Chocolates’ Aloha Rocky Road. The wrapper says it contains “homemade, artisan marshmallows”, “Hawaiian, house-roasted macadamia nuts”, and “premium milk chocolate”. Doesn’t that just sound delectable? I like the Hawaiian twist on your traditional rocky road with the addition of macadamia nuts in place of almonds or walnuts.
The chocolate comes in one giant, chocolate-covered slab. The packaging is simple, yet functional (unlike the Sweet Sweet Confections S’mores Bars) – the cellophane was sturdy and the package opened easily. Surprisingly enough, the bar arrived fairly intact – only a few marshmallow pieces on the edges were slightly smushed, and even then barely noticeably so. I also liked how the Lula’s logo looked summery and Hawaiian.
I appreciate the quality of the ingredients that went into this treat. The marshmallows are good – they’re fluffy and not overly sweet but definitely not bland either. The chocolate is good quality as well. It has a nice texture, a great snap, and a smooth mouthfeel, and though it was milk, I didn’t find it too sweet at all. The macadamia nuts were delicious as well, but really, it’s hard to go wrong with chocolate-covered macadamia nuts.
Tastewise, I think this bar got everything right. It was delicious, and the lucky friends I shared it with agreed. However, I didn’t like how it came in one giant slab. It was hard to eat and share, as it didn’t break into pieces easily. Should I pick up the entire bar and bite off a chunk? Should I try to break it apart with my hands? I went with the latter, which was difficult and messy. Also, the marshmallow and macadamia nut pieces are haphazardly distributed throughout the bar, and it’s hard to get a taste of both in the same bite. It was more like I was eating chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate covered macadamia nuts that just happened to be fused together.
I think the concept could be improved by changing the presentation. Why not make individually wrapped, bite-sized pieces of Aloha Rocky Road – one cube of marshmallow topped by a roasted macadamia nut, all coated in chocolate? That would make them easy to share and easy to eat. Of course, it would be harder to pack, but I think it would be an improvement. An OM for the way it is now; an OMG if it wasn’t so messy.
Thanks for the review. We have some new products that I would love to get your feed back on.
🙂
Scott
Lula’s Chocolate – Aloha Rocky Road is perfect the way it is — I hope they don’t change a thing!!! I love that it came in one giant piece– it’s perfect for sharing Ohana style and something about it reminds me of walking through lava rocks in the Big Island. Break off a piece or bite right into it– either way, it makes you feel like a keiki again.