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Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ??? A really quite scary thing happened when I sat down to write this review. Midway through my second helping of this product I opened my inbox to find an e-mail from Chocolate Mission reader Justyna suggesting I review this bar .... what are the chances of that!? Anyway, Dean-German-Grocery were kind enough to send me across this dark chocolate variant from the Niederegger Marzipan range - those keen eyed chocolate-spotters amongst you may well have spotted the milk chocolate variant in Tesco recently!
Comprising of plain chocolate and marzipan (52%), this bar weighed in at 100.0g - this provided me with two plentiful servings. I liked the distinctive look of the red wrapping, its classy exterior look was replicated inside with the bar contained within a beautifully branded gold foil layer. The chocolate itself also looked fantastic. The chocolate had a slightly dusty looking surface, though a nice intricate logo was printed on each piece - the marzipan filling also appeared very generously portioned and very appetising. The product didn't have the most forthcoming of aromas, there were slight indicative hints of almond and dark chocolate, though they were not the most pronounced of scents.
I am not going to beat around the bush here - this was simply the greatest tasting marzipan I have ever had. To be honest the chocolate wasn't the greatest - although the 50% min solids indicated a strong chocolate in reality it was actually quite reserved. It had a nice smooth melt, but just really lacked defining flavours. It by no means ruined my overall enjoyment of the product whatsoever, though it would have been nice for the cocoa to have been more pronounced and forthcoming. The marzipan on the other hand was in a league of its own. I am no massive fan of the stuff, but this was exquisite. It avoided the crumbly, grainy texture of most, and actually had a nice moist smooth feel. The flavours were far less sugar based than other alternatives (Thorntons etc), and had an absolutely divine tasting buttery, almond taste. This bar was incredibly moreish, though 50.0g proved to be a highly satisfactory amount.
Overall despite the shortcomings of the plain chocolate, the marzipan filling made for an incredibly luxurious and enjoyable product. First things first - it looked the part!! Everything from wrapper to bar looked fantastic. The taste didn't let it down either; the plain chocolate wasn't up to much but the marzipan filling was absolutely outstanding. For marzipan fans I simply can't recommend this bar enough - it is the best I have ever tasted in this field. Even if your not a big fan of Marzipan I would really urge to give this a go ... it could well change your mind.
8.5 out of 10
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9 comments:
Yay another one of my favourites. I agree, niederreger do the best marzipan around (available in the UK at least!). I don't recommend the milk chocolate bar though, especially after having this one. The chocolate really doesn't add anything at all.
Lottie After trying this bar I am verging on calling myself a marzipan lover!! This bar was fantastic! Just to be thorough I am going to review the milk chocolate - if only for the marzipan :D :D
Thanks - more people need to try this bar!!
Jim
Niederegger marzipan is my childhood favorite... and I believe, the best marzipan around. It's from Lubeck, and from what I've read they use an original recipe for it which includes very little (if any) sugar, hence the lovely texture and smell. I like the loaf version, which I know is out there in Tesco, as it enales you to eat mouthfuls of marzipan, which is so much fun... The small chocolate versions of it are great too, and they come in a multitude of flavors! Glad to see it on ChocoMission!
Justyna I still can't get over the coincidence of me opening your e-mail suggesting this bar whilst I was actually eating it! The odds for that occurance are unreal!
I really enjoyed this bar, and would recommend it to anyone! This is marzipan like no other! Next on the list to try is the 'loaf' from Tesco!!
Cheers
Jim
I have been on a mission to find the best marzipan in the world. I, too, find Niederegger Luebeck's Dark Chocolate Marzipan to be the best. The milk chocolate version is a bit too sweet for my taste. I agree that the dark chocolate itself is not the best, but because the marzipan is far superior to others I am willing to overlook that. Other marzipan brands from the Luebecker region are not as good as this brand. However, this brand can be pretty spendy in the states. A nice alternative is our own See's candies version of the dark chocolate marzipan. I recommend that marzipan if you are looking for a quick good marzipan fix and are unable to get your hands on a good piece of Niederegger's!!
Anon Leave your name next time!!
Cheers for the tip off on the See's candy! I hear so many good thing about that brand but am yet to dig in!!
How funny you should comment on this bar today! I reviewed the loaf version today as well!
Cheers
Jim
I tried this in the small 'stick' format where it comes in chunks. I have to say I wasnt impressed - I think because of the format there was too much [bland] dark chocolate and not much marzipan taste. I noticed they also do some sort of cappuccino crunch flavour and hazelnut crunch. However I'm not these flavours were anything to do with marzipan - I think they were totally unrelated.
Anon
I have seen the cappuccino and some other fruit flavours I am hoping to try soon! I think you should give this a try in this format! It is very nice indeed!
Jim
I usually love marzipan so I was excited to finally track this down in small loaf size in Tesco. Just to compare I also got (my 2nd) bar of Ritter Marzipan, and some Tesco 'marzipan fruits'.
I was really surprised, loving the Niederegger chocolate but actually disliking their marzipan! The almond balance was just a little too flowery & strong for my taste, overwhelming the salty/buttery flavors. I did like the Ritter, but not as much as I remembered...the only ones I wanted more of were Tesco's lol! I'd still like to try a fruity Niederegger one though.
Speaking of marzipan, these are all put to shame by the German 'stollen' (Christmas cake with marzipan & raisins), I randomly discovered yesterday in a local bakery. As it's the only eggless Christmas cake I've ever found, I don't know how it compares to the usual type, but it's absolutely delicious.
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