For this chocolate it was a pasalubong (coming home token/gift) from Dir. Roberto Almonte, NCIP Region 4 Director. Together with his family they went to Singapore for a much deserve vacation. Particularly for Director Almonte, a break from all the arduous tasks of dealing with different issues like mining, dams, etc, in ancestral domains of indigenous people in his region.
I was asked what I like for pasalubong, so I told him dark chocolate from Singapore. He told me to email what particular brand and which shop to buy it from but I never did bother, hoping he forgets all about it. But lo and behold, when he came to our office, there was the dark chocolate for me. Maraming salamat po, director for being the sponsor of this chocolate.
For this Frey Classifque Dark Chocolate 72 %, it has a brittle snap (well it just came from the ref). Smell-wise, since it is dark it has a strong cocoa scent. I can’t pinpoint exactly the taste of the chocolate. And at first bite it has strong taste of the cocoa. But when it melts it produces other flavor a nutty taste, in particular. Unlike most milk chocolate and also having just 45% cocoa butter, it does not have a silky finish. There’s a feel of cocoa particles or sediments lingering in the root of the tongue the path that is more sensitive to bitter taste.
So when I looked at the label, in the ingredients it says the chocolate may contain tree nuts, milk soya and gluten. I know some people are allergic to gluten. (Gluten (from Latin gluten, "glue") is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheatand related grain species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to riseand to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture.). So some chocophiles are so careful when buying that they have to read the labels thoroughly. Sadly most of the commercial brands would contain gluten.
Frey chocolate is one of those famous Swiss chocolate the like of the brands such as Nestle, Lindt, Toblerone among others. These are chocolates I am familiar since tatay used to be a seaman. So everytime he comes home, he brings with him these duty-free bags of these omnipresent Swiss chocolates.
My score for this chocolate - 5/10
(snap, smell, texture,taste, & finish)
Read more here - http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/chocolate/frey-chocolate.asp
hmmm! i love dark chocos!
ReplyDeletei like it as well with the health benefits of dark chocolates, although I think lots of Pinoys would prefer the sweet and milky ones...
ReplyDeletei also switch from milk chocolates to dark chocolates (65% usually) for health reasons...
ReplyDeleteI also have this tendency to crave for the dark ones, but I still have strong liking for the sweet/milk ones, the truffles especially...anyway basta chocolate hehehe...
DeleteI love dark chocolates but most are best for baking instead of eating by itself, some are too bitter for my taste.
ReplyDeleteyes indeed some can't take its bitter taste but others have higher tolerance and unique taste range for cocoa's bitterness. The most important ,enjoy your kind of chocolate...
DeleteI learned something about chocolate and gluten. Actually I am more fond of eating than reading the label first. Now I may be careful eating chocolates by reading the label first.
ReplyDeletehehehe, it is instructive blog as well, I tend to make my blog entries as informative as much as possible. We must really be aware of our allergic reaction to gluten so we can enjoy eating chocolates much better...
DeleteI still prefer the sweetness of a regular chocolate. But that dark chocolate posted above looks good.!
ReplyDeletei still like sweet chocolate but these days I am venturing into the dark side of it hehehe.... and study shows it is more healthy...
DeleteMmm, I havent tasted this chocolate but i will definitely try this. I love dark chocolates and I hope it wont disappoint me since you gave it a score of 5/10.
ReplyDeletei think my score is even lower hehehe... too discriminating palate for chocolate... perhaps you can score it higher... try and check it out...
DeleteSarap!!
ReplyDeleteyan ang dark chocolate....
Deletedark chocolate! sarap lang!!
ReplyDeletekakaibang lasa... mapait na matamis hehehee....
DeleteSo darn tempting ... I need to stay away from your blog.
ReplyDeletehoping to lure you again and again hehehe...watch out!
Deletei like dark chocolates :)
ReplyDeletepero "There’s a feel of cocoa particles or sediments" << kinda like powdered drinks lol
I think that's the nature of the dark ones... it makes you feel its natural raw-like content in the chocolates... a unique experience itself compared to the silky finish of the milk chocolates or those with higher choco butter content...
DeleteI like dark chocolates and the fact that it is good for cholesterol makes me like it even more!
ReplyDeletetotally agree - it is a wonderfood especially the raw cacao is even healthier than the processed block of dark chocolates...
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