January 31st: Thorntons I♥You Truffles

Kcal 71 Fat 4.6g Fat(sats) 2.8g Carbs 6.7g (per chocolate)

Some of my more observant readers may have noticed at the back of end 2009 that I had a slight disagreement with UK manufacture Thorntons regarding some of the contents of my Christmas 2009 reviews. Having been assured that this was merely just a case of miscommunication I was more than willing to let bygones-be-bygones and was very grateful to receive a box full of samples containing some of their latest Valentines Day 2010 range. First up today we have these I♥You Truffles, which came described as 'milk, white and dark chocolates with a smooth chocolate truffle filling'.

These truffles came in a 60.0g box that contained five separate pieces that quelle surprise spelt out 'I♥YOU'. Looking at the packaging I was really surprised to see that these were presented in a pretty tacky looking transparent plastic box. I had no problems with the design work printed on it but to be honest the outer box struck me as tacky and cheap which are not two descriptive words that you would want to by synonymous with a present you would gift for Valentines Day. Inside the truffles themselves looked fair - I personally would have preferred to have seen all the chocolates heart shaped but it was a least nice to see a bit of differentiation from the outer chocolate layers and truffle filling when cross-sectioned.

Due to the packaging having several gaps for air to breathe in and out it was not surprising that the chocolates didn't emanate a particularly strong aroma when the box was opened. The pieces weren't scentless but the minor dairy sweet smells failed to ignite much anticipation which in hindsight was possibly a good thing as it would only have meant I would have been more disappointed. As you can see above all the chocolates that contained letters (i.e. 'IYOU') were formed of outer white and milk chocolate with a truffle fillings. In regards to chocolate quality I am afraid I have to say these were really nothing special and this was mainly driven by the lack of variable flavours offered up. The taste was very much led by the outer milk chocolate which failed to register anything greater than run of the mill sweet milky flavours that had a pretty minor level of cocoa input. The white chocolate that formed the top of each chocolate offered little aside from an added burst of sugar to the taste, whilst the inner truffle filling felt lighter in texture yet added nothing progressive in terms of flavours. Similarly the heart shaped piece offered nothing more flavour wise and instead just had a touch less sweetness with it's mass consumer friendly dark chocolate top.

Overall I simply can't recommend these Thorntons I♥YOU Truffles for a number reasons - all of which are not actually touched on above. One of the biggest turns off for me when it comes to these truffles is the price of £1.99 which I personally think is a contradictory as it is on one hand steep for the quantity of chocolate you get, but on the other not exactly an impressive amount of money to spend on a person who you supposedly 'Love'. Don't get me wrong I am well aware that in hard times like these not everyone is able to spend a lot of money on throw away days like Valentines Day but seriously come on ... you have to spend more than £1.99. Speaking of the actual chocolate it wasn't horrible but neither was it the quality I was expecting from Thorntons and the same could be said about the packaging which I thought was cheap looking for a brand that is supposed to be nearer the high end of the chocolate market. I have a few more items from Thorntons' Valentines 2010 range to review in the coming days ... lets hope they prove to be a little better than these were.

6.5 out of 10