Information:
Dark Chocolate Bar
Where to Buy: The Meadow and other locations where Dolfin Chocolates are sold.
Chocolate Bar Description:
A perfect mix of contrasts: the refreshing sweetness of the bergamot blends perfectly with the strong taste of the chocolate. For afternoon tea, a chocolate with a British accent.
Learn more about Dolfin here.
Taster’s Review:
Recently, I visited the North Portland location of Little Big Burger, and as I walked toward Little Big Burger, I couldn’t help but notice this little shop called The Meadow. They sell flowers, an array of finishing salts, bitters and chocolate. Yes, I said CHOCOLATE! How could I ignore this little shop? It begged me to stop in and at least take a look around.
But, of course, if I am around chocolate, I can hardly just “look around.” I must have chocolate! They have an entire wall dedicated to high quality chocolates from around the world. I can feel myself start to drool just thinking about it!
While it was difficult to settle upon just one (or two) chocolate bars, I knew my husband was waiting for me so I needed to hurry! Finally, I settled upon this Dark Chocolate Bar with Earl Grey Tea! This is a 52% Belgian dark chocolate bar with crushed Earl Grey Tea leaves. Not an “infused” chocolate, but, a chocolate bar with real bits of tea leaves.
The first thing I notice about this bar is the packaging. Very impressive! The package is a double folded “envelope” that keeps the left over chocolate (it’s quite a large bar!) fresh until you’re ready to eat more. I really like the package, it is clear that Dolfin is committed to maintaining their product’s integrity even after the package has been opened!
Breaking off a piece of the chocolate, I notice the snap of dark chocolate. Allowing the flavors to melt on my tongue, I can taste the smooth, rich flavor of bittersweet dark chocolate meld with the tangy citrus notes of bergamot. As I eat this chocolate, I can feel the tiny bits of tea leaf in the chocolate. The leaves add a little bit of crunch without feeling gritty and because the tea has been finely ground, it won’t leave leaf particles stuck in between the teeth!
While I don’t taste a lot of black tea flavor (there is some, just not a lot), I definitely taste the bergamot, and when it comes to Earl Grey tea, I want to taste BERGAMOT. The black tea becomes more distinct as I continue to enjoy the chocolate bar, and it is more prominent when I allow the chocolate to melt on the tongue as opposed to biting into it.
This chocolate bar from Dolfin provides an amazing chocolate experience for the tea lover! And if your Valentine loves chocolate and Earl Grey … you should consider adding this to their gift. (How about a Chocolate and Earl Grey Gift Basket?) They’ll LOVE you for it!
Product Review: Matcha Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffle from Arbor Teas
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Company Description:
A healthy dose of our organic Matcha Green Tea give the white chocolate center of this milk chocolate truffle a vivid green color and rich green tea flavor.
Taster’s Review:
Editor’s Note: This review represents part 3 of 6 reviews, one review for each of the six flavors in the truffle collection available from Arbor Teas
Absolutely delightful! Divine!
Of the three that I’ve tried thus far, I think that this one is probably the best representation of the tea with which it has been infused. In fact, if you don’t care for Matcha, you just might (might!) not find this truffle as enjoyable as I do.
The Matcha flavor here is strong – but not overwhelming. I can feel the slightly chalky grit to the Matcha. That is not to say that this does not have a smooth, creamy ganache center, because it is very smooth and creamy. However, because there is actual Matcha powder blended with the sweet white chocolate, there is going to be some grittiness to it. It isn’t off-putting though… it is more like a reminder that this is Matcha that you’re tasting!
The flavors here are so perfectly matched. The milk chocolate is sweet, the white chocolate is mild, and the matcha is fresh and vibrant. I’ve tried a few Matcha chocolates in the past, I think that this might be the best one yet!
I highly recommend picking up a box of these fantastic chocolates. They’d make a terrific gift for the tea lover on your list, too! (Even if that tea lover is you!)
Product Review: Pineapple Passion Tea-Infused Chocolate Truffle from Arbor Teas
Where to Buy: Arbor Teas
Company Description:
Our sweet and fruity Pineapple Passion Green Tea is infused in the soft, creamy which chocolate ganache that fills the dark chocolate shell.
Taster’s Review:
Editor’s Note: This review represents part 2 of 6 reviews, one review for each of the six flavors in the truffle collection available from Arbor Teas.
I believe I started “part 1” of this series of Arbor Tea Chocolate Truffle reviews with the words “Oh yummy!” and at the risk of sounding redundant: Oh yummy!
These truffles are a little bit of heaven. This Pineapple Passion truffle has been infused with the flavor of Arbor Teas’ Pineapple Passion tea – a tropical-flavored green tea. I haven’t yet tried this tea (although I hope I will one of these days), but it certainly does make a delicious truffle!
The flavor is sweet – not just from the chocolate, but, also from the delicate notes of passion fruit and pineapple. I can even taste the green tea flavor, although I must admit that the chocolate flavor does overwhelm the delicate green tea just a little bit.
The key is to savor the truffle by allowing it to melt upon the tongue slightly. This gives the flavors time to reach the palate so that they can properly be experienced. Enjoying the truffles this way will not result in a lot of green tea flavor, but it will result in more green tea flavor than if you were to happily munch through the truffle without allowing the flavors to develop on the palate.
The pineapple tastes sweet and juicy, as does the passion fruit. Pleasantly tropical. The white chocolate is smooth and creamy. I like that the white chocolate is used for the ganache in this truffle, so that it doesn’t completely overwhelm the green tea taste.
The dark chocolate shell is slightly bitter, slightly sweet – and as much as I adore dark chocolate, I can’t help but wonder if I could taste more of the green tea if the shell had been made from white chocolate.
I do love the combination of white chocolate and dark chocolate, though. White chocolate is often too sweet for my liking, so I love how the slight bitter tones of the dark chocolate cut through that sweet creaminess just enough, making this truffle not too sweet – just incredibly decadent!
I am REALLY enjoying this journey through this box of truffles!