May 6th: Lindt Petits Desserts Tiramisu`

Kcal 550 Fat 36.0g Fat(sats) 21.0g Carbs 50.0g (per 100.0g)

On ChocolateMission the Lindt Petits Desserts range has remained a relatively untapped area of Lindt's extensive portfolio, but I can no longer ignore the calls from my readers to get some reviews up. Back in November 2009 I gave Lindt Petits Desserts Creme Brulee bar a terrific score of 9.0 out of 10 (See HERE), and commented that 'the bar brought to life the creme brulee flavour theme fantastically'. Today I was hoping for more of the same from this Lindt Petits Desserts Tiramisu chocolate, which came described as 'milk chocolate with a creamy filling, with dark chocolate crunchy biscuit and coffee'. Tiramisu ranks as one of my all time favourite desserts ever (a restaurant I go to when on vacation in Spain does a particularly amazing one!) so I was pretty curious as to how Lindt planned to implement it into a chocolate bar.

This bar cost me just over £2 from my local Waitrose supermarket (I know, I know me buying chocolate for myself ... that hasn't happened for a long time!) which I guess is probably on the expensive side of things for a mass produced chocolate. One thing that made me feel a little bit more at ease with the price point was the fact that this bought me 150.0g of product, and the packaging looked pretty glamorous with the attractive tiramisu picture and premium looking golden coloured fonts. Inside the chocolate was coated in the usual branded thick layer of foil, that protected the large, thick block pieces nicely. The chocolate itself looked nice on the eye with clear distinct layers of filling visible in each block. Whilst admiring for it's aesthetic prestige I also took note of the delightful hints of dairy, cocoa and coffee being emanated which only went to further heighten my anticipation.

To let the 'cat out the bag' early so to say, I can confirm to you all now that this was one fantastic tasting chocolate. To get the only minor negative out the way my only complaint with the product as a whole comes in the fact that the bar would have been better designed had it smaller mouthsized blocks, though to be honest biting each in half hardly required much effort. Starting with the outer chocolate it was just as good as you would come to expect from Lindt. It had a real fresh snap when bitten into, yet melted with a delightful smoothness whilst delivering a crisp and forthcoming creamy, cocoa taste. Sitting in the middle of the piece the creme layer was nothing short of outstanding and I have no idea how they managed to pack so many different flavour influences in there. To rattle them all off at once there notes of brandy, coffee, almonds, double cream, butter and a minor hint of yogurt to deliver the mascarpone element. To top it all off the dark chocolate biscuit at the bottom reaffirmed the cocoa flavours of the outer constituents, ensuring the chocolate flavour hit was delivered in every bite. The taste was busy, yet never overly so and the flavours never felt rushed or over with too quickly. A few blocks of this at a time made for a decent sized snack, however at the same time I felt like I could have quite easily consumed more given the enjoyment that each mouthful gave me.

Overall the only feeling of regret I have after eating this chocolate is one of why it has taken me over two and a half years to pick this bar off the shelves? I would love to say that the answer to that question is because I have been discouraged by previous attempts at tiramisu flavoured chocolates (Dove Desserts Tiramisu - See HERE, Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Tiramisu - See HERE), but I think it is more down to the fact I have been a little ignorant. To sum things succinctly (not my strong point I know!) - this chocolate is utterly superb, and is one of the finest bars I have tried this year ... make that last two and a half years. This chocolate may be more expensive than your average mass produced offering, but lovers of the dessert tiramisu will have no regrets forking out that little bit extra. Much like I found with the Lindt Petits Desserts Creme Brulee chocolate the character of the pudding was captured with amazing effect. This Lindt offering gets a double thumbs up from me - I would strongly suggest you give it a try if you just have the mildest curiosity.

9.1 out of 10