September 11th: Lindt Excellence Mint / Orange Intense

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Having already reviewed both the Lindt Exellence '70% Cocoa Dark' and 'Extra Creamy Milk' to huge success a few months back, I was very keen at sampling these flavoured offerings from the Excellence range.

Both of these bars came in 35g handy servings - both of which provided just about the right amount in accordance to their relatively rich tastes. As with the entire Lindt range both were stunningly presented in aesthetically pleasing, sleek packaging designs. The bars themselves both looked smart, the 'Orange Intense' having a slight edge due to the added intricatness of how the added ingredients in the bar were implemented yet still managed to keep a stylish smooth surface - very impressive.

Mint Intense:

I was surprised by the lack of minty aroma that I got from the bar, itstill had a dark cocoa rooted smell, though the minty element was very subtle and had to be searched for to be distinguished.

Both the bars used 47% cocoa solids chocolate - this made sense to me as it allowed each of the additional flavours to have more of an impact on the overall taste, something that may not have been the case if a stronger formulation was used. Despite it not being as strong as the '70% Cocoa Dark', the flavour of the chocolate was very full flavoured and had a very rich taste. The mint element was present due to the inclusion of peppermint oil, I was surprised to see it only comprised of 0.1% of the bar - even more so when I tasted the bar and experienced its impact on the taste. It provided a edgy and refreshing aspect to the bar, it reminded me of the After Eight Bitesize I reviewed a while ago - only just far superior in its overall taste with a delicious tasting, smooth dark chocolate and a perfectly balanced additional minty edge. This is a bit of a different proposition to the nearly equally as good Ritter Sport Peppermint - though if you ask me this Lindt offering is marginally superior due to the extra quality of the dark chocolate.

In summary - rich, full flavoured dark chocolate with a refreshing and perfectly balanced minty freshness.

8.6 out of 10

Orange Intense:

This bar had a relatively strong pungent zesty smell when I opened the foil. The bar incorporated 'dark chocolate with added orange pieces and almond slithers'.

The chocolate provided a lovely melt on the tongue that was just the right speed at releasing the rich cocoa flavour. As found with the 'Mint Intense' the taste became smoother and sweeter as the melt progressed. The additional orange pieces gave the bar a nice fruity twang, unfortunately though the orange pieces were by far outnumbered by the bland tasting almond slithers.

The almond slithers were a quiet puzzling inclusion for me. Sure they added a crunchy element to the texture, but this was out of context due to the nature of the chocolate, which was far tastier when just left to melt in the mouth. The size of the almond slithers were annoyingly small, this not only meant they lacked flavour but also managed to wedge themselves in between my teeth.

In summary - rich, full flavoured dark chocolate, nice fruity orange but an unnecessary almond element.

7.9 out of 10