June 17th: Lindt Lindor Giandujas

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

Cast you minds back a week or so ago, and you may recall me informing you all that ChocolateMission reader Lauren had contacted me, asking if I could review the three new Lindt Lindor truffle flavours. Not only was Lauren kind enough to break the news of these new varieties to me, but she was also generous enough to send some my way in the post. Last week I kicked off these reviews by firstly casting my words of wisdom over the Stracciatella flavour, which managed to obtain the a decent 8.1 out of 10 score. Today I will be checking out the second of the new flavours, these Lindt Lindor Giandujas.

Given the quality of some of the previous gianduja products that have made it on to the site (need I say more than Hotel Chocolat Gianduja Cubes), it was going to be interesting to see what sort of quality Lindt were going to provide. Looking at the packaging and presentation I was filled with confidence that this was going to be yet another wonderful Lindt offering. The green colour may not have necessarily been my own personal choice to communicate the gianduja flavour (I was thinking more bronze!), but they still looked smart nonetheless and it was at least nice to see Lindt state the variety on the wrapper. The truffles themselves looked no different to the Lindt Lindor Dark which was no bad thing, but what was surprising was that they didn't offer anything that suggested they were nut flavoured when it came to aromas.

Although I was a little bemused by the lack of nutty scents, I didn't let this concern me that much as I have come to learn that Lindor truffles are never the most forthcoming when it comes to revealing their taste through their fragrances. Having not been put off in the slightest I bit into the first truffle and experienced the usual wonderful contrast in textures from the crisp, fresh outer chocolate shell to the smooth, velvety inner filling. The feel of the truffle filling on the tongue was as gloriously soft as ever, however some part of me was a little surprised that it did not feel a little rougher given the gianduja proposition. In regards to taste, if I was to have to bet my house on the chocolate being a certain strength, I would feel pretty confident in saying that it was Lindt's 50% recipe. It was very forthcoming in it's clean, unsweetened cocoa flavours, but it never verged on any type of bitterness due to a consistent note of brown sugar present throughout. Of course the key determinant of this product was going to be the delivery of the gianduja filling, and to be honest I was underwhelmed by what I experienced. Firstly I was a little surprised that the nut influence didn't come to the party until the latter stages of the truffle filling melt. More importantly, not only did the nut element seem late, but it also tasted a little odd. It is hard to describe but it tasted a little artificial, and the woody, buttery flavours of the hazelnuts didn't really come through, with only an awkward savoury note offered.

Overall these were not awful truffles by any means, but they certainly didn't deliver on either my expectations or what I have come to expect from Lindt quality wise. One thing that saved these truffles from being really under par was the the dark chocolate, which actually made up quite a bit for the poorness of the hazelnut gianduja filling with it's full bodied taste. Having tried previous Lindt Gianduja bars to great success (See HERE), I was a little annoyed at how poorly Lindt implemented the gianduja element here. I can excuse the lack of gianduja texture given the melty smooth Lindor proposition, however what I cannot look past is the lack of quality in the taste in regards to the hazelnuts. There is no doubt that fans of Lindt Lindor truffles will want to try these, but I would certainly wouldn't want you guys to build up your expectations. When it comes to Lindors, there are far more flavours in the range that warrant your purchase before these gianduja flavoured ones do.

6.8 out of 10