April 29th: Galler Orangettes

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

Last month for the first (and second!) time Galler featured on ChocolateMission, with their Piemontais bar gaining a high 8.5 out of 10 rating on the score matrix. After reading that review many readers requested that I review some more of the offerings in Galler's range, and more than a handful of you suggested I try out these Galler Orangettes. Constituting of 'orange peel slowly candied and enrobed in 70% dark chocolate' these sounded none to dissimilar to the Hotel Chocolat Orange Tangs which I described last August as 'disappointing' - See HERE. The question I was pondering today was whether Galler could conquer, where Hotel Chocolat had previously failed.

These Orangettes were kindly sent to me as sample from my contacts at Galler, and they came in a 150.0g tube that I shared with a few other keen taste testers. The tube packaging was interesting in design, though I have to say it was a little on the excessive side as the contents only made up about half the inner space which made it feel somewhat empty. Inside the Orangette pieces were kept within a plastic packet, which when opened revealed a glorious orangey chocolate set of smells. The Orangette sticks were quite thin but were nicely sized and consumable in two bites.

One thing that I am yet to be able fault Galler for is the quality of their chocolate, and once again it was of a superb standard here. Despite the dark chocolate coating not being the thickest, each and every mouthful had a really tasty cocoa emphasis, and the unsweetened chocolates flavours were fresh and delivered with a divine smoothness with the glorious soft melt. Sitting below the delightful dark chocolate, I was hoping the orange centres would take centre stage but their impact on the taste was more relaxed than I was expecting. The candied orange peel wasn't as impactful in terms of it's citrus flavours than I was expecting, and was more along the lines of being sweet rather than zingy or tangy. Although I would have wanted the orange to have a little more cut through, the quality of the dark chocolate was enough to keep us all reaching back in to the tube many a time - they didn't last long in our household.

Overall these were by no means perfect in any sense, but the high quality chocolate made sure they were still highly enjoyable. In comparison to the Jaffa Cake like taste that the Hotel Chocolat Orange Tangs offered, the orange centres here were superior, yet just not quite there, and could have been better if they were a little more juicy. Going back to my point about the packaging; although I liked the way they were presented in the tube, I think it could have easily of been half the size it was and I would suggest that Galler look in to reducing the size if only to put consumers minds at ease that they haven't been short changed. On reflection this is a pretty trivial point, as I'm sure that as soon as anyone tastes the quality of the chocolate on offer, they will feel comfortable with any expense they pay. Despite there being room for improvement, I would really suggest these as a very suitable high end offering if you are a fan of dark chocolate and orange.

7.9 out of 10