Lindt chocolate is what I consider a higher quality chocolate, definitely better-tasting, more “sophisticated,” if you will, than Hershey or M&Ms chocolate. Of course, if you put the words “Swiss made” on anything, I get a little dreamy eyed. To make things even better, Lindt chocolates are available at common stores like Wal-Mart and Target. That means when I go grocery shopping I can buy whole wheat bread for my health and premium chocolate for my happiness. Lindt is like the best of both worlds – high quality and affordable.
When I found out Lindt would be sending me a milk chocolate bar to review, I was excited but then promptly forgot about it. (Just like I forget to put the clothes in the dryer when they’re finished washing…) When the bar arrived, I was surprised and a little apprehensive to see that they’d sent me their new Raisin & Nuts Classic Recipe bar. I, uh, don’t like raisins… but I do like nuts! I can handle this.
Upon unwrapping, the rich smell of chocolate wafted toward me, mmmm. I don’t know anyone who can smell that aroma and not take a bite. The Raisin & Nuts bar itself is pretty large, as far as chocolate bars go, weighing in at 4.4 ounces. It’s thinner than a Hershey bar and is divided into 30 rectangular break-off pieces. Each piece has the word Lindt pressed into it in the pretty script of the Lindt logo – a nice touch. About 1″ by 2″, the pieces are small enough to pop a whole one into your mouth if you’re so inclined but large enough to take two or even three small bites, if you prefer to savor. The pieces break apart very easily, even when the bar is cold, which is an excellent trait in my opinion.
I must admit that I examined each side of my first piece checking for raisins. (Don’t make fun of me!) I could see a few, but they were very small (no more than half the size of boxed raisins), and there were many more visible nuts. I figured I could handle tiny raisins, so I took a bite.
The chocolate is smooth, sweet, and full of chocolaty flavor. It’s just what I’ve come to expect from Lindt. The nuts – which are gently roasted, chopped hazelnuts and almonds – provide a significant crunch that is present throughout most of the pieces, though I did find one piece that didn’t seem to have any nuts at all. I’d say that, on average, the nuts make up close to 50% of the bar, which is good. The smooth chocolate and crunchy nuts are very balanced and make for an enjoyable texture combination.
I can’t really say that the flavor of the nuts is very strong, however. The crunch is there, but I can’t detect any specific almond or hazelnut flavor. Maybe the chocolate flavor overpowers them. Whatever the case, the lack of nutty flavor didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
The raisins, I can’t taste at all most of the time, and when I do taste them, it’s only a spot of extra sweet flavor – nothing strong enough to make me run away screaming… which is what I do if someone offers me a box of raisins. Like I said before, the raisins are very small, which means I couldn’t detect their texture much either. A couple times, I did notice a moment of chewiness, but nothing major.
If you’re looking for a chocolate bar with lots of nutty and raisin flavor, I don’t think this is the place to look. But if you like chocolate with crunchy nuts, here you go. Even if you don’t normally eat raisins, don’t be afraid to try this one – I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit, and I console myself with the thought that I’m actually getting a little extra nutrition. Fruit in your chocolate bar, anyone?
“is divided into 30 rectangular break-off pieces”
I love Lindt chocolate. The break offs are the only thing that remind me not to eat the whole thing in one day!
July 27th, 2009 at 11:44 pm