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If my UK readers take a look in their supermarkets, it is likely they will see the entire Lindt Excellence milk chocolate range on some sort of offer. Lindt seem to be coupling this relaunch with some very welcome in-store discounts to entice consumers. In the FMCG business we call this a penetration drive (basically discounting products to get people to trial them!), and in my local Sainsbury's both these bars on show today were priced at a very affordable £1 each.
Before I launch give you my opinions on how these two new ones tasted, I should first pass comment on the new packaging. The actual changes are very subtle, but I think the cleaner background makes the range look more modern. Long story cut short I think the new designs are every bit as good looking as the previous, and they give the same premium brand feel of the previous with just a little bit of reinvigoration.
Lindt Excellence Caramelised Hazelnuts
Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???
'Lindt milk chocolate generously blended with caramelised roasted hazelnuts'
Seasoned readers will know that when it comes to hazelnuts I always prefer them to be implemented in a whole nut style rather chopped in to smaller bits. This particular chocolate was a perfect example of why I am of that way of thinking, as the small, granule like pieces of nut failed to cut through in the taste. Admittedly the cream based sweet cocoa flavours of the Lindt Excellence chocolate are stronger tasting than your average milk chocolate, but the smallness of the nut pieces hampered their input in to the taste, and they more just spoilt the texture by giving it an unwelcome grittiness. Despite the hazelnuts not having great cut through, there was still a terrific milk chocolate at the base of this bar which still made it a very tasty offering.
7.8 out of 10
Lindt Excellence Roasted Almonds
Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???'Creamy milk chocolate with slivers of roasted almonds'
I should probably stop myself from trying to second guess these things, but this was one out of the two variants being showcased today that I fancied the least. As I hope you can see in the photo above these almonds nut pieces implemented in this bar were few in number, but were actually bigger in size, which surprise-surprise made them have a better influence on the taste. Just as with the previous bar the chocolate was still as gorgeously creamy, but there was an extra raft of savoury butter nut hints in the latter development of the melt. Unlike the hazelnut bits in the last bar, the smoother cut almonds didn't hamper the softness of the melt, and in comparison were pleasant to crunch on once the chocolate had melted entirely. This was a great quality milk chocolate, with a very tasty nut influence - big thumbs up!
8.8 out of 10
Overall I was never expecting to write this, but when it came to these two bars my preference firmly lay with the Roasted Almonds flavour. In the past I have tended to find hazelnut chocolates to be more flavoursome than almond ones, however this just wasn't what I experienced here. Although the hazelnut bar was disappointing, I must stress the credit that the almond bar deserves, as it was certainly one of the better almond bars I have ever tasted in the last few years of writing this site. One thing that can be said about both chocolates is that the quality of the milk chocolate is absolutely superb for the price you pay. It might not be quite as rich as some of the up market offerings like Hotel Chocolat etc, but the double cream lead taste has a terrific vanilla hinted finish, quite simply it isn't a million miles away in terms of quality. For what it is worth my recommendation would be to go for the Roasted Almond flavours if you are picking between the two - it would be great to hear some of your opinions if you have tried either.
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24 comments:
It is nice to see them modernise the packaging, it was always nice but as you say the new fonts and brighte colours theyve used gives it a modern edge while keeping the Lindt traditional style. Neither of these appealed to me that much hence why I bought the crunchy caramel one lol but I think I'd have gone with the roast almond if I had bought one at the time - chocolate and roasted almonds are delicious, it's one thing I think Cadbury could do to the fruit and nut bar, much as I enjoy it as it is.
Im surprised to see you favour the almond bar. I thought hazelnuts were always more your thing.
I would have thought they would have changed the packaging a bit more if they were going for a redesign. It still looks pretty much the same.
I wonder why they did change it in the first place?
These new flavours are fine but they are a bit unexciting. When you look at what some other manufactures are doing these days, milk chocolate with added bits of hazelnut and almond does come across a bit boring. Thats my opinion anyway.
Rxxx
I bought the caramel bar last week and thought it was really nice. For £1 a bar you can't complain about what you get. I dont fancy trying the hazelnut flavour now though. I agree they are always best whole.
Hey Jim I got back from Spain last night :) looks like I have some catching up to do. Trust you to sneak in another review on the day I dont look at the site.
I haven't tried either of these yet but I also really like the Crunchy Caramel one. It is probably my favourite Lindt bar already.
I think the new packaging looks very nice. When you compare it to the old ones they look simpler with less clutter.
I don't usually bother with Lindt for milk chocolate. I find chocolate like Galaxy just as nice so I see little point in paying more for the brand name.
A bar I am curious about trying though is the dark chocolate and sea salt. That sounds like an odd pairing if ever there was one.
£1 a pop you can't go wrong. This deal is still all systems go in Sainsburys.
We need a price comparison chocolate website :) Loads of people seem to comment each day about how much stuff costs.
It seems like the barrier to why people try things or don't if you look over the course of time.
I'm not that impressed by this new Lindt packaging. I think they could have done something a little more with it.
I just read your review of the caramel bar from Lindt and I totally agree with the score of over nine.
These sound a bit more boring when you compare them. I have never been able to taste the difference between almonds and hazelnuts anyway.
£1 for 100 grams is a bargain for lindt. When you think that a Mars bar which is about 50 grams costs more than 50p, you are getting more for your money for one of these.
How much do they cost normally out of interest?
I've had the hazelnut one but didn't bother with the almond as I too thought it would be boring. Almonds tend to taste too dry in chocolate bars I find. However since it sounds like it's the better of the two, I think I'll give it a try!
I thought the hazelnut one was very tasty but agree that it didn't have much flavour. Infact it barely tasted of hazelnut to me. All varieties are currently £1 at Morrisons.
@Katie S - I know it's a matter of taste and all but I personally find Lindt milk chocolate far superior to Galaxy. It has a smoother melt, especially the extra creamy bar.
Lol I bought the hazelnut one of this yesterday looking at this I should have gone for the almond DOH. I was looking at them both for ages weighing up which I should buy. You were a day late with this one Jim booo.
Jim I have two words for you 'cornetto enigma'.
You need to do some ice cream reviews this year. I think someone asked last year but you weren't keen were you?
Is it just me or do those hazelnuts look more like chocolate drops?
The 100g bars are usually 1.95€ (that's £1.7) on Lindt's online shop. So at £1, it's 41-42% off...
@Duncan: Grrr! I've seen the pictures on the internet, they look absolutely amazing, but we don't get the Enigma here... at least not yet. And the Vanilla-Cocolate & Almond Sauce Centre sounds... beyond delicious...
I think the best Lindt bar is the mint intense. I love my dark choc and mint chocolates but normally you have to buy them in sugary fondant bars. Lindt are like the only brand to do a lovely mint dark choc.
All this talk of ice cream and Lindt has got me thinking. I bet a magnum type ice cream with Lindt chocolate would be all sorts of amazingness.
Lindt never fail, they can always ensure high quality.
Thanks for the review Jim I will be sure to give the almond bar a try now.
@Justin if you look on the net it looks like they cost about £1.49 normally. It depends what retailer you use though.
PART 1
Alan
I thought you would like the updated packaging. It isn't much different to the originals b ut like I said in the reviews Istill think they look a bit cleaner than previously.
I too would like to see what the fruit and nut would be like with Almond. I do actually have a Cadbury with roasted almond review upcoming :D
David
I do generally tend to find that I prefer hazelnut chocolates to almond ones.
Nick
They could have gone a bit more extreme with the redesign but I didn't think they need to change it much anyway.
I think they just wanted to modernise the look the packaging a bit.
Rachel
I know they aren't the most exciting flavours we have ever seen but sometimes the simpler ones turn out to be the better chocolates. Not all the crazy flavours are as good as Zotters now.
Golden
£1 for a bar of the Crunchy Caramel is an absolute bargain. Stock up whilst you can. I hope I haven't put you off the hazelnut bar completely - it would be interesting to see what you think yourself.
Lauren
Good to see you travelled back safely. Thanks for continuing to look at my site whilst you were away.
The Crunchy Caramel is one of my favourites as well :D It is the best chocolate if you want hard caramel rather that the soft liquid stuff.
Henry
I would agree they do look less cluttered. They didn't need changing in my opinion, but the changes they did make were for the better so it's ok I guess.
Katie
Really? I beg to differ. I find Lindt chocolate has more flavour to it than some of the more mass produced chocolates.
I would highly recommend the Lindt with a touch of salt chocolate. I saw it on sale in Sainsburys the other day so if you a need source for it take a look there.
Anon
Indeed - I would suggest you all take advantage of it whilst you can. There can't be long left to run in this deal.
Richard
You could just use www.mysupermarket.co.uk that is as good as any site for food price comparisons.
I agree they could have done a bit more with the packaging redesign if they were being bolder. Like I keep saying though I didn't think there was much wrong with the originals so them not changing much wasn't an issue for me.
Paul
Really? I think hazelnuts and almonds vary quite massivelly in terms of taste.
I am glad you thought similarly about the crunchy caramel. It is one of my all time favourite milk chocolate bars.
PART 2
Justin
It is brilliant value for money isn't it. I like the point you make about the Mars bar. You would be lucky to find a Mars bar priced at 50p down south mind you :D
These Lindt bars usually cost about £1.50 I believe.
Phil
In regards to the hazelnut one, Lindt are lucky their milk chocolate tastes so damn good because without that the hazelnuts wouldn't have created enough flavour.
Lindt are really going all out with these promotions aren't they. I just looked on the websites of Asda, Tesco and Waitrose though and they don't seem to be doing this £1 deal.
Everyone needs to go to Sainsburys or Mozzas to feel their boots then.
I agree about the Galaxy / Lindt thing. I also think the Lindt chocolate is a bit fresher tasting.
Colin
Haha sorry. I didn't plan it like that. Why not give the almond one a try now?
Duncan
I am still of the view that I don't want to dip in to ice creams. I have enough difficulty staying up to date with the chocolate market let alone the ice cream one. One day maybe!?
Re: Cornetto Enigma - I have tried one and yes it was damn good. You should try the new Magnum Gold if you like Caramac.
Ana
Perhaps you will get the Enigma next year? Sometimes other countries are a year behind getting the latest ice creams from certain manufactures ahem :D
It could just be my photos that aren't showing off the hazelnuts properly. Trust me they did look right in real life.
Lucy
I like that bar. Have you seen my review? I wouldn't say they are the only brand to make a nice mint dark chocolate, but yeh theirs is certainly very good indeed.
Alicia
Magnum do a variety that uses posh Ecuadorian chocolate I think. I haven't ever tried it though. I do like white chocolate magnums ... actually lets be honest I love all magnum flavours.
Anon
Indeed more often than not they do deliver high quality. Like all brands though they aren't perfect.
Nigel
I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
Good to hear I was right about the £1.50 thing.
Thanks everyone - I hope you all had great weekends. It was so damn hot wasn't it. Hotel Chocolat and all sorts coming up this week.
JIM
haha..I wanted to be the first to comment in this blog but because I was busy yesterday, I think I will be the 30th..(sigh...)..But anyway, another great post from you...
you can't deny the greatness of Lindt, I tend to buy their chocolate hampers if i'm honest. My other half has begun rationing my chocolate intake though so it's a case of stealth chocolate consumption.
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