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"In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand the word raisin is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with sultana being a dried large white grape, and currant being a dried small Black Corinth grape"
You learn something new each day don't you - glorious Wikipedia!! So why am I going off on a random one about sultanas and raisins? It's because today I am reviewing some liqueur flavoured sultanas from Hotel Chocolat.
Hotel Chocolat are between seasons at the moment, so my contacts there offered me the chance to fill the seasonal void with some more samples from their 'little things' standard range. These Rum Sultanas and Amaretto Sultanas both came in 150.0g cardboard tubs that must have contained approximatelly 20-30 pieces in each. This style of packaging hasn't ever been a favourite of mine when it comes to Hotel Chocolat (See Ginger Tangs review). Not only do I not think it looks as aesthetically premium as some of their other offerings (their slabs etc), but also if you plan on eating the contents across anything more than a few days the cardboard material doesn't do many wonders for retaining freshness. Minor packaging gripes aside, the raisins and sultanas looked more appealing, and both radiated strong boozie chocolatey scents when I first opened them up. Below are my brief thoughts on each.
Hotel Chocolat Amaretto Sultanas - These came described as 'sultanas soaked in Amaretto, covered in milk chocolate and almonds'. Out of the two dried fruit products on offer today these were the larger in size, with some pieces being twice as large as the rum alternatives. My experiences with Hotel Chocolat liqueur flavoured chocolates have been a little mixed over the past few months, and I'm afraid to say that these were a little unbalanced when it came to how strongly the amaretto came over in the taste. The milk chocolate, plump juicy sultanas and small bits of almond did initially create a myriad of fruit, nut and chocolate flavour influences, however these were masked by the introduction of the amaretto which didn't take long in dominating the other constituents. The overall effect of the amaretto was detrimental to the taste for my liking, but then again I'm not great fan of the liqueur itself.
Hotel Chocolat Rum Sultanas - These came billed as 'sultanas soaked in Jamaican rum covered in milk chocolate'. As I have mentioned above these were noticeably smaller in size, which I found a little puzzling given that the only major difference between the two products were that these didn't have the small bits of almond nut in their coating. Suffice to say I didn't let this perturb me and I'm glad to say I was a little more receptive of these rum flavoured ones. Similarly to the above, the exterior milk chocolate and inner fruit fast established a sugary sweet taste that was well compounded by the fresh feeling sensation that the sultanas created when bitten in to. Like the amaretto, the rum was similarly forthcoming in the taste, however the sweet fruity hints that were present amongst it's boozie flavours complimented the other constituents better than the more startling alcoholic hit of the other spirit. Out of the two I found that these were the ones I was keener on and I finished the tub long before the amarettos.
Overall neither of these would ever be classified in a list of my all time favourite Hotel Chocolat products, but I have to hand it to them for taking a pretty dull product concept of chocolate coated dried fruit and making it somewhat interesting. The added 'interest' was admittedly just a large dose of alcohol for both products, which landed with mixed success. Lets face it though, this made the propositions far more exciting than they would have been had they just been plain. Out of the two my preference lay with the rum sultanas, though when I sampled them on my parents they said they were too sweet and gobbled the rest of the amaretto in super fast time. All-in-all they may not be the most exciting things that Hotel Chocolat have to offer but I wouldn't discount them from your thoughts entirely. If boozie flavoured chocolates are your sort of thing then these are certainly going to be worth you taking a look at if you also like chocolate covered fruits.
Hotel Chocolat Amaretto Sultanas - 7.5 out of 10
Hotel Chocolat Rum Sultanas - 8.0 out of 10
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31 comments:
You're right these both sound a lot more exciting with the added booze. I don't mind chocolate coated raisins but they aren't something that I would pay excessive amounts for .... not HC prices anyway lol.
Yay you reviewed something I have bought :-)
Months and months ago I bought some of the rum raisins in their end of year sale. I thought they were gorge! They were so plump and juicy.
Rxxx
I had no idea there were actual differences in raisins, sultanas and currants. You have taught me a lesson for today Jimbo.
I don't think I would ever get any of these. Fruit is waste of space for good chocolate lol.
The rum ones look so pretty. I think they would be the ones I would buy if you put me in an either/or situation.
I think the amaretto would be more for older people. Rum is loads more popular with younger generations that amaretto ever has been.
Lol you forgot to tell us the price again. That Richard bloke will throw a strop.
I've tried looking it up for you but I can't find them on the HC site.
Jim you should have tried the kirsch cherries that Hotel Chocolat make. I've tried all of the covered fruits that Hotel Chocolat make and I would say they are by far the best (mango strips close behind).
I didn't think either of these sultanas were up to much. The chocolate was nice but I thought the booze was too strong.
Dx
Eughhh!!!!!!
Just thinking about raisins makes my skin crawl. I hate the leathery skins on them.
Hotel Chocolate are poor when it comes to their boozie chocolates. I don't think they have got the nack of finding the right levels of spirits to put in them.
The ones I tried in their summer cocktails selection were so powerful they burnt my throat. It really spoilt the chocolate for me. I wouldn't trust them to buy again.
No thanks I can't stand raisins. This is the first thing by Hotel Chocolat that I don't want to try.
It's good to see Hotel Chocolat mondays are back in business Jim. I thought you might have forgotten about them.
As much as I love Hotel Chocolat chocolate I don't think they are quite good enough to convince me to eat raisins. I really don't like them lol.
"In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand the word raisin is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with sultana being a dried large white grape, and currant being a dried small Black Corinth grape"
This I didn't know lol.
Like the amaretto, the rum was similarly forthcoming in the taste, however the sweet fruity hints that were present amongst it's boozie flavours complimented the other constituents better than the more startling alcoholic hit of the other spirit.
I much prefer rum drinks to anything with amaretto in it. They should have soaked them both in vodka ;) that would have done me nicest.
The amaretto sultanas some more my sort of thing. I can't see myself ever buying chocolate coated sultanas from Hotel Chocolat mind. It seems a bit of waste, there has got to be a limit to which you can make coated sultanas taste better than any others.
Two average scoring Hotel Chocolat products, now there is something I thought you wouldn't ever do.
I don't like those tubs they look cheap. I think these both sound crap, I would be well disappointed if someone bought me something from there and gave me them. They have to be some of the worst things they sell.
I like chocolate covered sultanas/raisins etc and I'd probably quite like the rum ones give that I've quite started to like rum and raisin chocolate. However the fact that HC make the would put me of given then penchant for superfuelled booze flavours lol
@ Lindsay - really? I didn't know Rum was an 'in' drink' with younger people! lol
I'm 28 and I've not come across any of my friends or anyone else drink it except one who loves those sorts of drinks etc but i've always seen it as an 'old mans' kinda drink! I honestly wouldve thought the ameretto more popular with younger people lol.
Rum and Amaretto :) now you are talking my kinda language boy. I generally like anything that has a bit of alcohol added in to the mix :)
The whisky hot shots I bought from Hotel Chocolate last time nearly took the layers of my mouth off. I thought they were divine.
These are the sorta thing my parents would like but not me personally. The last chocolate coated raisins I bought were the Cadburys ones and they were pretty trashy (i thought the big bags you can buy in supermarkets were better). By the sounds of it these sound a bit more promising though. I like the sound of them being big and plump. The Cadbury ones were tiny.
If they made some chocolate coated dried apples I would be interested but I don't like raisins or sultanas I'm afraid.
Even if they had loads of booze in them I still don't think that would be enough to convince me to try them ...... lol ok maybe just one lol.
Paul there is no need to be so horrible. I just think it is important for any review he writes. I doubt he would have rated these the same if they were £500 each would he.
FYI they are £7.50 each. Thats way too much in my opinion.
Thanks for the heads up on the sale Jim. I just spent way too much on chocolate I needn't have bought but oh well. There are worse things to spend money on.
I can't see myself ever buying them. As nice as they sound there are so many other things that I want to try from Hotel Chocolat they will always be low on my wish list.
If they are getting sold at a discount I might contemplate giving the rum ones a go.
Doesn't sound like my sort of thing. And £7.50 per tub is a bit steep. I think my grandad would probably like the rum sultanas.
@Lindsay - I would have thought it's more the other way round...in my experience older people prefer rum. This is just generalizing of course.
If they didn't have alcohol in them I might have given them a try but I don't like it in my chocolates.
In a totally unrelated note I bought one of those sainsburys shortbreads today jim. You are right they are brill.
50% off :O :O :O :O how cruel I don't get paid until the last day of the month. :( :(
BTW Jim, today I got some 'new' Milka bars from Wilkinsons. Cookies and cream and popping candy. It's nice to see they are bringing out new flavours already.
I love the combination of raisins (or sultanas) and chocolate. I'm disappointed to hear the the booze may overwhelm a bit, but not enough to sway me from trying them.
I'm very envious of the vast selection available from the UK hotel chocolate stores vs. the rather skimpy one in the US.
I wish Hotel Chocolat made more chocolate covered fruits. I don't like raisins or sultanas but I would happily try chocolate apples, banana coins etc. A mixed trail fruit selection dipped in chocolate would be amaze.
:D :D :D
These sound like my kind of thing. I can even picture myself sniffing them :)) Eight years ago I would have said rum chocolate = my favourite thing ever. In the meanwhile I have discovered other liqueurs like Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Amaretto... and I got to love them.
By the way, I got to try the Milkas Phil was talking about. The popping candy one was so annoying... just like you've described that Christmas special, Milka Knister. Fortunately, the Milk Cream & Cocoa Biscuits one was better. Still, not among the Milkas I would try again.
Lol Rodzilla put that picture away no one wants to see a vein picture like that on a chocolate website.
Great reviews Jim. I don't like mixing chocolate with alcohol so I would probably give these a miss. If someone was to give me a free try of them I might change my mind though ;)
PART 1
David
If you are looking for cheaper Hotel Chocolat prices you might want to check out their sale that started today :D I'm sure you can hardly miss it from all the banners I have put up.
Rachel
They are surprisingly fresh tasting aren't they. I think the alcohol might preserve them in some odd way. The tubs I had tasted and smelt amazingly fresh.
Nick
Well I do aim to make my site educational aswell as foodie informative :D Lets all bypass the fact that all of my lessons come from Wikipedia :D
Lindsay
Well I would recommend the rum ones over the others but I'm sure there would be plenty of people who prefer the others. Its down to personal taste really.
Paul
Richard is right - I should put the prices up. They sit under the 'little things' section on the HC website.
Daisy
I've seen them but not tried them (Cherries). I will put them on my review list alongside some of their nut products. I know what you means about their booze chocolate being too strong, they don't always get the balance right I don't think.
Mysterio
What things do you like :D I always seem to pick out things you hate.
Steven
See what I said to Daisy above - I would agree with your there. Hopefully my reviews can give you a steer to the ones better suited to you.
Anon
Well not everyone cane be pleased all the time I guess :D
Golden
They are for a limited time I'm afraid. I have a few things more from them to review soon but there are a lot of other things on the horizon that I need to get up before summer ends.
Katie
Vodka? Hmmm I'm not sure about that. I don't think vodka really has a nice taste personally. The few vodka filled chocolates I have reviewed haven't really been that nice.
Linda
The alcohol was the X-factor for these coated sultanas. I'm not sure that just plain chocolate coated ones would have justified the price tag if they hadn't of had the extra booze kick. Like you say there is only so much you can do to chocolate covered raisins/sultanas.
PART 2
Alex
There have been far worse scoring HC products that these. Is 7.5/8.0 really that average!? I would say that is just above myself.
Trust me there are far worse things to have come out of Hotel Chocolat.
Alan
I think Lindsay is probably thinking about the white rums like malibu, bacardi and archers!? That is what I assume anyway!
I think the darker rums like Captain Morgans of this world are more drank by older people .... I assume!
If you are looking for a decent rum and raisin chocolate then you may well be interested in some of these Galler reviews I got coming up. Some of their liqueur chocolates are some of the best I have come across ... yet another string to their bow!!
Henry
I've tried those Hot Shots before. My old man loves them! I buy *ahem* get sent* them everytime he has a birthday/Christmas present! They always seem to go down very well well (and fast for that matter!!)
Kim
Your making me feel old now - I would buy this sort of thing :D haha!
I have to agree about the Cadbury Raisins, I don't think they are great. What annoys me most about them is that they come in the huge bags still. They never did release them in smaller servings like they have done the clusters.
Tony
I'm a fan of dried fruit myself so yeah I also would like to see them experiment with a few more.
Richard
I think he was only playing with you chap. I wouldn't take it personally!
£7.50 isn't exactly cheap is it. I'm not sure I would recommend them over some of their mini slabs which happen to be cheaper .... infact I just wouldn't :D
Duncan
Sorry if my bannering is a little too much and making the site look more like an advertisement. I just thought I would draw everyone's attention to it so you guys got in their quickly.
Estelle
I can see why you would think that. Out of the hundreds of things they make they wouldn't come anywhere near a top ten of 'must try' products.
Phil
See what I said to Alan regarding the rums.
I might have to call in a few favours regarding these new Milka flavours. I don't have a Morrisons anywhere near me! Perhaps you could give me a shout on e-mail :D
Resph
I'm glad to hear my recommendation went down well. I fear sometimes that people will hold me responsible if they don't like something I have rated highly. No worries here by the looks of it.
Anon
Oh dear that's not good. It should still be on next week I hope.
Roddy
Hotel Chocolat have a bit of a nack for making very powerful alcohol chocolates. I would suggest avoiding them if you don't like them like that.
I took a look at the US Hotel Chocolat store once after GiGi told me about the lack of selection. You're right it is indeed terrible and not exactly cheap!
If you want an idea of some of the better things to choose then please give me a shout! More than happy to advise.
Lucy
I do like banana covered coins myself! I always put extra in fruit and nut cereal in the mornings.
I tell you what would be cool .... a slab of mixed trail fruit fused together with Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate! That is something I want to see happen.
Thanks for the comments today everyone. If you haven't already done so have a wander across to the Hotel Chocolat sale. There are some tasty bargains in there trust me!
JIM
I'm not one for alcohol in general, so I agree that the amaretto was a little strong in the sultanas - but at the same time that didn't stop me enjoying them immensely. The chocolate melted immediately on the tongue, and they were lovely and chewy. The taste of sultanas was still strong, and while the taste of nuts was identifiable, they added to the great texture.
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