The Good: Decent quantity, Generally natural ingredients, Good flavor
The Bad: Very dry aftertaste, Leaves orange peels in one’s teeth!
The Basics: Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares are an impressive blend of chocolate and orange peel that delivers its promised punch!
There are a number of intriguing ingredients that synergize with dark chocolate well. Lindt is actually one of the more impressive mass-produced gourmet chocolate producers when it comes to experimental flavors. One of the core dark chocolate flavors that Lindt has had great success with, which is not exactly a mainstream blend, is the Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate. The Intense Orange is a mix of dark chocolate and orange peels that have been candied and the mix works!
Basics
Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares are one and 1/8” squares of chocolate that are about one-quarter of an inch thick. Each of the squares comes individually wrapped in a white and dark brown wrapper. It is worth noting that while I usually rail against the environmental impact of such things, it is hard to imagine Lindt Excellence chocolate squares not wrapped. This keeps each one clean, unmelted and intact.
Each chocolate square is a seamless square that is solid, with lines etched into the top and the Lindt name also punched into the top. The Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares come in a standard 4.9 oz. bag, the individually-wrapped chocolate squares are packaged together in a thick foil paper bag. The thick foil paper bag does little to protect the squares, though I’ve never had any breakage. The bag is not resealable, though this matters very little considering that the chocolate squares do not go bad given that they are individually wrapped.
Ease Of Preparation
These are candy, so preparing them is as simple as opening the bag and then opening one of the foil wrappers around the actual chocolate square one wishes to eat. There is no grand secret to eating Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares. This is a flavor that is good at room temperature or frozen; it has a delicious solid flavor to it that carries the taste in all temperatures.
Taste
The Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares smell strongly of candied oranges. The dark chocolate does not have a powerful aroma to smother the sweet, citrus flavor that is a perfect embodiment of orange. From the aroma that precedes consumption, one can expect the Intense Orange to live up to its name!
In the mouth, the Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares are dry and sweet. The chocolate is enhanced by the texture of the orange peels embedded into it and as the flavor of the orange peel blends with the dark chocolate, it quickly overwhelms the flavor of the chocolate. The Intense Orange truly does dominate the dark chocolate medium the orange peel is in. In fact, this is a surprisingly unsweet candy, outside the momentary flavor of the chocolate before the orange peel takes over.
The Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares leave a rather dry flavor on the tongue. This is a Lindt chocolate that is not exceedingly bitter from the chocolate, but the orange peel really seems to leech the moisture out of one’s mouth. Even so, it is not unpleasant in the way it dries out the mouth.
Nutrition
These are candy, so they are not exceptionally healthy, but the Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares are not nearly as bad as they could be. The primary ingredients are sugar, chocolate and almonds. There is nothing unpronounable in these candies and everything in these could be readily identified by me.
A serving of the Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares is considered four squares. From four squares, one takes in 230 calories, including 15 grams of fat. There are 25mg sodium and 3 g protein, but no vitamins (save 2% of the RDA of Vitamin A) in these chocolate squares. There is 6% of one's daily iron and 2% the RDA of Calcium in four squares, so that is a plus.
These are not Vegan-compliant (they have real milk), nor are they recommended for anyone with a nut allergy as they have almonds and are produced on the same equipment that peanuts and tree nuts pass over.
Storage/Clean-up
The bags of these Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares remain fresh for quite some time. One assumes that if they are kept in a cool, dry environment they will not melt or go bad. Given that they are individually wrapped in a very sealed package, it is hard to imagine just what it would take for these to go bad outside melting and refreezing.
As for cleanup, I applaud those who actually throw the wrappers away in socially appropriate places, as opposed to litter. Outside that, there is no real cleanup needed, unless one is eating them in a hot environment. In that case, it is likely one would need to wash their hands. If these chocolate squares melt into most fabrics, they will stain. Getting them to melt is surprisingly hard, though.
Overall
Lindt Excellence Intense Orange Dark Chocolate squares might not be delightful, but they are intense and delicious. They deliver upon their promise and are enjoyable to anyone who likes a strong blend of potent dark chocolate and fruit.
For other Lindt chocolates, please check out my reviews of:
Citrus Lindor Truffle
Coconut Lindor Truffle
70% Cocoa Almond Brittle chocolate bar
7.5/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my Food And Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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