The Good: Great dark chocolate flavor, Not as waxy as other mass-produced chocolates, Nice aftertaste.
The Bad: Still somewhat expensive, Vanilla flavor is almost entirely absent.
The Basics: Godiva’s Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars are troubling in that they have almost no vanilla flavor and a great, rich, dark chocolate coating!
I am almost done with enjoying and reviewing the last of the candy my loving wife picked up for me for the recent holidays. Despite my health kick, I still enjoy candy and my wife is pretty awesome about getting me some good ones. However, even as she tries to expose me to new and different candies, sometimes the usual mainstays fall down. I am tempted to say that is the case with the Godiva Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars, but they are solidly better-than-average dark chocolate. Thus, my only real problem – an irony for me as I absolutely love dark chocolate – is that they have very little vanilla flavor and I was left with the sense that I could have had a solid dark chocolate bar from Godiva and gotten about as much out of it as I did out of this Truffle Bar.
That said, the only other real issue is the expense. These candy bars were available for approximately $1.50/each when my wife and I found them at Target. Fortunately, I married a savvy shopper and she picked them up for fifty cents each when they were clearance, but generally this is a pricier candy bar with little distinctive to set it apart from its less expensive counterparts of similar flavors.
Basics
Godiva, of course, is the famous fancy chocolatier that is most known for their gold-wrapped boxes of chocolates that leave men pretty much bankrupt in the pursuit of spoiling their wives, girlfriends, mistresses, etc. They make high-end chocolates, but the truffle bars like this one seems to be their attempt to fit into the more thrifty shopping scheme of Target shoppers. While some of the other truffle bars and Gems impressed me, the Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars actually underwhelmed me by not – of all things having much of a vanilla flavor.
The Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars come in a 1.4 oz. chocolate bar that is foil-wrapped. Each bar represents a single serving and Godiva has the truffle bars presented as 1” wide by 4” long segmented chocolate bars. Each segment snaps apart from the bar and features a Godiva “G” stamped into it. This makes the Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars very easy to portion out to have less than a full serving, which is nice for those who might be watching their waistline!
Ease Of Preparation
Eating Godiva Gems Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars is not a real challenge. After removing the wrapper, simply pull out the bar or break a segment off and stick it in your mouth. There is no particularly complicated equation to eating these chocolates. This is an entirely ready-to-eat food!
Taste
Unwrapping the truffle bar, I was bowled over by the strength of the dark chocolate. The dark chocolate block was solid and robust in its scent, instantly setting the consumer up for a powerfully chocolate taste experience.
The scent is a great indicator of how this chocolate bar actually tastes. The dark chocolate coating of the truffle bar is dry and rich and it surrounds the buttery yellow paste inside. That paste is flavored like vanilla frosting and it is completely drown out by the dark chocolate. In fact, one almost has to wonder why Godiva bothered with the vanilla flavored paste inside because the dark chocolate so overwhelms it.
In fact, I was beginning to write my review as more of a panning of this bar, when suddenly, I found my mouth was dry and I was smelling vanilla. I realized that after five minutes after my last segment of the bar, the dark chocolate taste had finally dissipated and the vanilla flavor was coming up from the back of my throat! Better late than never, I suppose! The mildly French vanilla or vanilla bean flavor taste/smells good, but it is almost entirely absent from the primary consuming experience.
Nutrition
Godiva chocolates are intended as a dessert product, so anyone attempting to live off them is proceeding under a ridiculous premise! These 1.4 oz. Truffle Bars represent a single serving and those looking for real nutrition will have to look elsewhere. Made primarily of bittersweet chocolate, sugar and cocoa butter, there are a lot of unpronounceable items in the ingredients. This is not an all-natural food product and these Truffle Bars were produced on equipment that forces them to add a disclaimer about tree nuts.
In addition to ingredients I cannot readily pronounce, Godiva's Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars have 230 calories, 130 of which are from fat. A full serving represents 45% of one's RDA of saturated fat and 2% of the RDA of cholesterol. Surprisingly, they are fairly low in sodium with only 55 mg per serving and there are 2 grams of protein to be had by eating a full serving. These are not a significant source of vitamins or minerals, though they do have 2% of one’s daily calcium and 10% of the RDA of Iron.
Storage/Cleanup
As a chocolate, Godiva Gems’ Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars are fine as long as they are stored below 65 degrees Farenheit. My wife picked these up for me in May of 2011 and they have an expiration date of February 2012, so they do have a decent shelf life. If they melt, they will stain, so consult your fabric guide if that happens. Otherwise, cleanup is simply throwing the foil wrapper away when you are done with the chocolate bar.
Overall
Godiva Vanilla Sundae in Dark Chocolate Truffle Bars are good, but because they are so mild on the vanilla flavor inside the wonderful dark chocolate shell, they become very difficult to recommend to those who are looking for a candy bar that is truly different. Instead, this chocolate bar seems very average on every front, save the expense where they are pricier than usual.
For other reviews of Godiva chocolates, please check out:
Godiva Gems Dark Vanilla Sundae Truffles
Godiva Gems Dark Mint Chocolate Chip Truffles
Godiva Gems White & Orange Truffles
5/10
For other food and drink reviews, please visit my index page on the subject! That is available by clicking here!
© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
No comments:
Post a Comment