I got a lovely box of Hedonist’s Chocolate-Covered Orange Peel as a free sample to review. They describe it as “candied orange peel enrobed in bittersweet chocolate.” It felt very apropos for fall.
The candied orange peel is imported from Italy – very fancy! – and enrobed by Hedonist. There are 20 peels to a box. Each of mine were about 3 inches long, and all but the final half inch was covered in a dark, matte chocolate.
The zest had just a hint of sweetness, but it mostly tasted of pure orange essence, like the way orange oil smells. Its texture varied from piece to piece. Some were dry and a bit chewy, while others were more moist with an almost jelly/fruit pate texture. But all of the exposed ends were pretty dry.
The chocolate coating was thin on the top, thicker on the sides, and flat on the bottom. You could tell that they were dipped and set down to dry and harden.
The chocolate was nice and of obviously high quality, bittersweet with a velvety melt, deep cocoa notes, and a hint of earthiness. It paired quite well with the orange.
The peels tasted great, and they’ve got a delicateness to them that really makes them feel special. To me, they’re too fancy to buy for myself, but they’d be great to serve guests with coffee or to bring as a hostess gift. An OM.
Varsha