Chruffles – Part 2!
February 2, 2009
In one of my previous posts about Chruffles, I happened to mention that I would like to try a few more of the flavours.. And guess what arrived this morning?! You guessed it! Those wonderful Cholive people sent me a few more chocs to try!
So here goes… All of the Chruffles are encased in the same 55% premium dark chocolate. Not too dark, not too light!
First up today is Orange. Wow, that is good! There is a real strong orange taste – and it is perfect with the dark chocolate. Great balance and combination. This one is jumping up into my top 3 I think!
Next is.. Butter Pecan. Mmmm.. not as intense a flavour as the orange, much more delicate. You get the creamy, buttery taste first, and then the pecan flavour creeps up on you, fading away to leave you with the dark chocolate flavour, and a slightly sweeter aftertaste.
What’s next? Hmmm, how about Black Forest? Ha – that’s exactly a Black Forest taste! A good, strong black cherry hit – not too sweet, slightly alcoholic flavours. Like taking a big fat spoon of a Black Forest gateaux! Yum!
My next victim is Irish Cream. Surprisingly strong, yet soft flavour. I was expecting more of an “alcoholic” taste (like the Lir Baileys truffles, or the Butlers irish Cremes), but this is actually much nicer than I expected. Its a really smooth, velvety taste. Very good with the dark chocolate.
I am saving the Toasted Coconut till last. I am curious about the combination of coconut and dark chocolate as I am used to it with milk chocolate (ie Bounty bars!!). I could taste the toasted coconut flakes decorating the outside first, and that gave me a hint of what was to come. Then the dark chocolate hit me, and a few seconds later, I got more of a coconut taste from the ganache. It’s not strong when you first eat it, but the flavour grows more intense in the aftertaste.
So I think my newly revised top 3 are…
Orange, Cappuccino and Irish Cream.
Another totally delicious experience! Go and buy some Chruffles now!!!
Time to taste a Chruffle.. or two..or three…
January 27, 2009
From the makers of the Cholive comes the Chruffles!
Created in 16 tempting flavoured ganaches, and enrobed in 55% dark chocolate, the Chruffles have been launched in time for Valentines Day. The flavours are Coffee, Hazelnut, Amaretto, Butter Pecan, Caramel, Raspberry, Irish Cream, Champagne, Black Forest, Chocolate, Cappuccino, Mint, Orange, Rum, Toasted Coconut and Tiramisu. My mouth is watering just reading those flavours! Time for some tasting, don’t you think?
If you happened to read my previous post on the Cholive, you will know that in the box that arrived this morning containing a sample tin of Cholives, there was another little box containing 4 Chruffles. These chocolates are encased in the same 55% dark chocolate as the Cholive, which I really like – not to dark, not too light.
The Chruffles are even pretty to look at! Nicely decorated with either different coloured stripes, depending on the flavour, or coloured flakes. The only thing that puzzles me slightly so far, is why, if they are all ganaches, are they called Chruffles? Although I have to say, it does sound better than Chranaches..
Would you like to try them with me? Ok, so which one will I sample first (what a difficult job this is…)?
Ok, first up is Cappuccino. A lot of companies seem to struggle with any coffee flavoured chocolates – A few I have tried recently hardly had any coffee hit to them at all. This Chruffle is delicious – a good coffee hit in perfect balance with the dark chocolate. The coffee flavour lingers in the mouth for a while, and finally you end up with the bitter/sweet taste from the 55% chocolate. Not bad at all!
Next is Mint. I happen to love the combination of mint and dark chocolate, so this one should go down well. Mmm.. again, a really good balance between the flavour of the ganache and the dark chocolate – neither overpowers the other. I could possibly do with a little bit more of a mint hit in this one as it kind of disappears too quickly, but it’s still good!
Caramel is next up – generally I am not a huge caramel fan, as I find it too sweet – but on the other hand, caramel is often paired with milk chocolate, so the dark might balance the sweetness for me. Let’s see.. Not bad, but it wouldn’t be my favourite so far. I don’t think the sweetness of the caramel and the bitterish taste of the dark chocolate blend as well together as the other two flavours. But certainly not bad. I think I was a bit prejudiced against this one before I started!
Last up is the Raspberry. Now I think this will be good – Thornton’s do a range of chocolates called Eden, and one of them is a raspberry mousse with dark chocolate, and I really liked that one, so I have high hopes for the last of my Chruffles. Yes, lovely combination! The raspberry blends very well with the chocolate, and leaves a delicious lingering taste in the mouth. Pretty good way to finish really!
So, my verdict? Do try the Chruffles, and let me know which one is your favourite! I think that of the four I tried, my favourite was the Cappuccino! Quite surprised at that! Some of the other flavours sound really good too – I quite fancy the Butter Pecan, or the Black Forest, or maybe the Toasted Coconut!
Order some Chruffles and let me know what you think! Enjoy…
My Cholives arrived!
January 27, 2009
I love getting post, do you? I especially love getting post when it’s a box with chocolate in it 
And that’s exactly what greeted me in the shop this morning. A box all the way from Milwaukee, USA!
Last week, I wrote a post about a new chic chocolate product called the Cholive. And I was promised a sample in the post that I could try and write a review on. So here goes (sigh, what a difficult job this is…).
I received the tin pictured here. So the first thing that catches my attention is the packaging. Now I know that people don’t always agree with me, but I really do favour simple, classy, modern designs when it comes to chocolate packaging. And this tin fits the bill – it’s the kind of thing that would definitely draw my attention if I saw it displayed in a shop. It’s simple, and I like (and I know that our customers like) the fact that you can see what’s inside. In our shop, the boxes where you can see the chocolates inside far outsell the boxes where you can’t see inside.
Before openng it, I looked at all the ingredients and nutritional information that is clearly displayed on the bottom of the tin (Fortunately, I am very blessed in that I can always do with actually gaining a few lbs, so looking at nutritional facts never puts me off!). There are 35 calories per serving, for those of you that are interested. The chocolate is described at 55% premium dark chocolate, and the filling is a Vermont whole cream ganache.
I also received a little booklet which includes tasteful product photos, descriptions, and some ideas on what to drink with the Cholive! There is also a recipe for a “Chocolate Malt Martini” which, unfortunately, I can’t really try out here at work. I may just have to make do with an Irish Coffee (without the Irish).
Now for the good bit! On opening the tin, I was looking down at 13 dark olive shaped chocolates, all neatly standing to attention, and saying “Eat me!” The smell of chocolate that hit me was strong, sweet and delicious.
I carefully picked my victim, and speared it with one of the little Cholive skewers that also came in my box. There is even detailed information on how do do this correctly (see here!). This is clearly very serious business!
My chosen Cholive was easily speared, and…. I bit into a shell of chocolate that was just thick enough (not so thin it crumbles all over the place, and not so thick that you have to bite really hard, and don’t get to taste the filling), just dark enough (not so dark that the flavour overpowers the other tastes, and not so milky that it is just sweet).
The ganache inside is smooth, creamy, and a perfect match for the dark chocolate shell. I had meant to take a bite, write a bit, and then eat the rest, but the second bite quickly followed the first, and that was the end of my first Cholive experience. Definitely over too quickly, and I am exercising great self-control before diving into the tin again.
Yes, this is my kind of chocolate, and one I would heartily recommend to all of you. I can’t vouch, as yet, for the combination of the Cholive and a Martini, but let me know if you have tried it! I am off to eat another Cholive….
Oh, and do you know what is the best bit?!??! There was another little box in my brown box from Milwaukee containing the newly launched Chruffles…. so that will be the subject of my next post!!!! I can’t wait!!
Introducing… The Cholive!
January 19, 2009
Is it an olive?? Is is a chocolate?? NO! It’s a Cholive!
Introducing the newest and funkiest party piece to hit the market! Originally meant as a “chic drink accessory,” it’s taking off as a stand-alone chocolate treat. So what exactly is it?! According to the Cholive website…
“Imagine biting into a surprisingly crisp shell of premium 55% dark chocolate filled with a silky Vermont whole cream ganache. Perfection. Originally created to be the perfect accompaniment to the chocolate martini, the Cholive has become so much more. Savor the chocolate decadence with your after-dinner coffee. Explore the flavors intertwined with your favorite wines. Finish your meal with the créme de la créme of dessert. When it comes to enjoying the Cholive, there are no limitations.”
The Cholive was created by a small but enterprising company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin whose president is 28 year old Joshua Gentine. It has been featured in a number of magazines and online articles where you can read some more information and reviews.
But the best part is… a package of Cholives is on it’s way to Chocolate Heaven here in Ireland where I am ready and waiting to have a taste for myself and write a review here on our blog. So watch this space!!