I picked these chocolate bars up at the Harry and David (BUY) store in the outlet center. Harry and David sells gourmet food, the type you buy mainly to give as gifts because it’s way to nice and overpriced to eat yourself. In store, they had samples of their raspberry malted milk balls. I absolutely love malted milk balls, and theirs were delicious. Unfortunately, $6.50 per small bag was too pricey for my college student budget, so I picked up these three chocolate bars ($5 for 3) instead.
Extra dark – This bar was deep, smoky, and smooth, with just the right touch of sweetness. The bar had a nice sheen and snap to it, and smelled deliciously rich. I don’t have a well-trained palate, so I couldn’t tell you anything about its notes, but I did enjoy it immensely.
Extra dark chocolate with cocoa nibs – This bar was more bitter than the plain dark even though it had a slightly lower cocoa percentage at 72%. The bitter cacao taste was lingering, but not unpleasantly so. I thought the cocoa nibs were cut to just the right size to let them mix in with the chocolate nicely, giving the bar a texture that was more crunch than grit. It, too, had a nice sheen and snap.
Milk chocolate and hazelnut – My mother picked this one out and nearly polished off the bar before I had a chance to taste it. Right out of the package, this bar was greasy looking and had no snap. As you can see, it didn’t break cleanly for my photo. The softness was probably due to the Texas heat, though I had been carrying it around in my purse with the darker bars, which handled the heat just fine. This bar had a softer and creamier mouthfeel than the others. After sticking it in the fridge, it firmed up nicely but retained the creaminess. I prefer dark chocolate to milk, but this bar was unoffensive, and the whole hazelnuts imparted a wonderful taste and texture.
Overall, I think these bars are a good bar for the price. They feel a little fancy and a little special but don’t break the bank. I just flew from Austin (home) to New Haven (school), and upon writing this, I realized that I left the rest of this chocolate at home. Sadness.
Varsha