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It's been such a great summer of outstanding chocolates from Hotel Chocolat, it's easy to forget that all this time in the background they have also been making new additions to their standard range. Don't you go worrying yourselves ChocolateMission fanatics, luckily for you Hotel Chocolat have sent me a few samples of their latest chocolate slabs - suffice to say I'm all over it :D The first one of these new slabs I will be showing you today is one called Le Grand Crunch Dark. This slab is available both instore and online - the latter of which you can See HERE.As time goes by Hotel Chocolat seem to be getting increasingly generous with the samples they send across to me. They must be pleased with the nice things that generally appear in my conclusions as they were so kind to send me this one in it's 500.0g form. There was plenty to go around, and many second/third/fourth opinions offered to me from my family and friends. Packaging wise this slab came in a single layered thick paper based like folder. It wasn't the most conventional material for keeping the chocolate fresh (a potential issue for the more greedy person!), however this wasn't a problem for me as aforemenioned I shared this amongst many a friend.
On the packaging this chocolate came billed as 'Dark chocolates blended with pieces of feuilletine, decorated with solid milk chocolate domes and milk chocolate drizzles'. Removing the seal at the back, it became immediatedly apparent that this was going to be one heck of a tasty chocolate. The rich cocoa scents that filled the air when the chocolate was removed were incredible. The chocolate smells were so incredibly forthcoming and indicative of the taste that confidence in it's quality were never in doubt. Breaking my first piece off and placing it on my tongue I was straight away treated to a lovely set of earthy, coffee noted dark chocolate flavours. These rich, unsweetned cocoa flavours strong, yet never ventured in to the world of bitterness due to an ever present fresh double cream taste. The cream flavours were increasing prevelent amongst the chunks I had where there were the sold milk chocolate balls. This sensational taste was complimented by an equally impressive mouthfeel, with the miniescule pancake particles surprisingly not upsetting the smooth melt of the chocolate, but more leaving a nice biscuitty aftertaste for every mouthful.
Overall this might not sound like one of Hotel Chocolat's most exciting propositions, but if you are looking for a kind flavoured dark chocolate offering from Hotel Chocolat then you needn't look any further. The sound of 70.0% dark chocolate may put some folk off trying this Le Grand Crunch Dark, but I think that to be a real shame as this is not a chocolate I felt ever bore a taste that I would deem excessively strong or threatening to an in experienced dark chocolate consumer. When I first read about the 'bolt-on' elements to this slab, I have to admit I really wasn't too impressed. The truffle balls sounded like they might be ineffectual on the taste, whilst the panacake pieces struck me as the sort of thing that could ruin the free flow melt texture. I shouldn't of feared as both were highly complimentry to the dark chocolate and total experience. The record may sound like it's broken, but I refuse to apologise as I can't deny being truthful about quality when I come across it - highly recommended.
8.9 out of 10
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70 comments:
More Hotel Chocolat goodness some things just never change do they? I know big scores are almost inevitible now if I see the words Hotel Chocolat and dark in the same title lol.
Jim please please please let us go back to commenting on your weekend posts. I was literally bursting wanting to tell you that those pop tarts are like the best ever. When I was last out in America I got so addicted to them I made sure I brought a big box of them home with me. I'm so glad you've shown me a place to buy them my love.
x
x
And here I was expecting this one to flunk out on the chart :P lol only joking I knew this one was going to get an uber high mark. It appears like its fully justified aswell, it looks like one serious hunk of dark choc.
YAWWWWWWWWWWWWN
These are just getting well boring now. IF you start reviewing fairly again send out the msg.
The only way the look like they could have made this one better is if they had put something else in there instead of those plain milk choc truffles. I'm sure they are fine an all, its just you sorta get the impression they could of done with like rum or coffee flavoured ones to give it an extra edge. I know this is a wee bit ambitious but marzipan in there would have been epic.
Replace the dark chocolate with their vanilla white chocolate and we have a good slab here :P
Lol I thought there was scope for potential upset with the crispy pancake stuff but it seems you even liked that to. It must be brilliant getting to review chocolates you like all the time. It would suck doing this site if you just got sent crap.
I like the look of this one but I would of thought they would have wanted to make more of those truffles they put in there. Its a little boring just making them plain milk chocolate ones, they have so many different chocolates they could have easily brought something a little more exciting.
Jimbo what strength is the dark stuff in this one? I seem to be able to handle anything up to 50% but then I just find it all too bitter.
No offtence but don't you find this one of the more boring HC chocolate slabs? Normally they have some sort of special feature about them, but this one is genuinely just a big thick bar of dark chocolate that isn't doing anything for me. HC normally make more special things than this.
I don't think they are even selling this one anymore. They aren't doing so online anyways by the looks of it.
It's a shame cause I think my dad (or old man as you would put it lol) would of appreciated this. He never admits it but he has big sweet tooth on him.
Mmmmm this looks well yum. I've always said they don't do enough dark chocolate slabs. If you look at the proportion of milk/white to dark ones it's oddly way favouring the milk/white. Considering they specialise in making so called 'real' chocolate it would make far more sense for them to focus on their dark.
Hey J
I'm guessing you were loving the football this weekend then hey? United winning away was impressive I admit. We had an amazing first 45 in our game but then we fell away in the 2nd half. Oh well it was better than last season for us lol (before you get the dig in I know that isn't difficult).
Man U winning and Hotel Chocolat getting yet another big one on your scoring system. Lol somethings just never change.
Cheers
N.
Good review, Good pictures, Hotel Chocolate are the Schnizne .... etc etc etc :-)
My credit card can rest easy this week phew. Dark chocolate isn't my thing at all. I would ask you to review something lighter next week but I don't want you to start tempting me again. You are just way too lucky getting sent all these for free you know.
8.9?? Seriously? 9.4 followed by 8.9? Are Hotel Chocolat ever going to get a bad score from you? It's one thing giving them good marks but you consistently give them in excess of 8.5.
They have to be your favourite company right? You can't deny that now.
Omg hun how beautiful is this one http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/src/cj/Cookie-Choc-Chip-Giant-Slab-P310189/. Official request time :)
I need you to review this one for me and give me the all important Choccie Mission thumbs in the air.
Rxxx
Lol Jim do you think a mega 500g slab of that 85% would send you in to meltdown? :-)
I still can't believe after all this time that chocolate still holds the lead. It's been nearly two years now. Odds are that you would have come across something you thought was better by now.
Jim I have to agree with what the second commentor put (Claire). Please don't stop us all commenting on your snack of the week posts. I didn't have much to give you this weekend but still I would have left a message congratulating the winners of your competition. Is it really that much effort just allowing the messages to appear?
Thanks for the review Jim. It's so easy to forget that they have basic ones like this when all their advertising just shows on what is new for the season.
Doh! They don't look like thare are selling this now. You need to be faster with the reviews Jim.
I'm still harbouring hopes that Hotel Chocolat sort themselves out and open a shop down here in my little town. This ordering online malarky is just too expensive. I get the whole arguement of paying for high quality and I have no problem forking out that bit extra for their chocolate. It's just a littl gutting when you then have to pay the postage fees on top of that. Thats when it all gets uber expensive.
I don't think you could even force me to eat this. I hate hate hate dark chocolate. It's always just sooooo bitter and yucky. My little tastebuds must just not be mature enough to take it :)
Dx
I''m just going to cut and paste my comment from last week because it's applicable again to what we see again today.
'You should become a critic of some sort Jim. You ways of describing foods is wasted on just doing chocolates and snacks.
I still stand by that. You have some big tallent, its going to waste just on this site. I'm not trying to be mean about your site by the way, it's just not the mainstream media I think you could be writing for.
Jimbo have you found the new twirl things yet?
I'd forgotton how awesome twirls are. I've already bought four pouches (they are on buy one get one free lol).
Would love to see a review of them by you if you have them. I know you love your cadburys as much as you love your hotel chocolat now ;p
Jim I was searching for a review of your signature collection and you don't appear to have reviewed it. Come on dude sort that out please. You can't have reviewed over 120 of their products and not bothered with their most basic box of chocolates.
Jim your twitter feed was brilliant yesterday. Your reactions to the footie were so cool to see. You need to start tweeting more than just your reviews and competitions man. I want to get to know more about the man behind the famous Chocolate mission we see everyday.
You ever though of doing a Hotel Chocolat Bits and Bobs Jim? That would be epic if you picked out some of the smaller random things they make. Did you know thye now have all these cooking items like dressings, oils and even pasta?
Why don't you get your pinny on and cook up something with the pasta and review that for us :) lol meatballs and chocolate pasta sounds like a winner if you ask me man.
You're so corrupt its unreal. You say these hotel chocolate chocolates are all great and then place adverts around your page. How suspect is that.
Now you've done one for all the dark chocolate people can we now see you review a white chocolate one for us more feeble folk lol. I can't think of a bigger waste of so much chocolate than giving me this beast. I can't even stand cooking chocolate or Bournville. It all just tastes bitter and the same to me. I wouldn't appreciate it like you obviously do Jim. Gd review.
Gr8 review m8. Hotel Chocolat doing as strongly as ever I see. Now theres a surprise lol.
I don't want to be a pain in the bum Jim but I did note down some Hotel Choc pieces you don't appea to have reviewed. Apologies if there is a gd reason or our mistsken but I thought these might be worth a choccie mish throwdown:
- Making Sandcastles Raspberry
- Cookie Choc Chip
- Praline Batons
- Nut Mania
There was a banana flavoured slab to but the name escapes me now
Sadly I'm not falling in to the bucket of people that would appreciate this.
I'm not experienced with HC's dark chocolate too much apart from trying a few of their mini easter egg chocolates which had it as the shell. Those ones came across as too strong for me so i haven't experimented with it at all. Buying a huge slab of it like this probs would be most sensible lol.
p.s. I'm joing the club of people that want mesging service back on weekends. How are we supposed to talk to each other if we can't post anything?
Great photo again Jim. It's nice to see what the slab looks like when it's snapped in half. I was expecting someting more exciting from those balls pieces :( they could of at least had some kind of filling.
I think we need a break from these reviews Jim. I liked the couple of weeks were you wrote about some new people that weren't Hotel Chocolat.
Please don't get me wrong, I love your posts. It's just now I feel like im becoming desensitised to hearing how good Hotel Chocolat are. It no longer seems so special when they get a high mark. I barely battered an eye lid at the 8.9 today. yet when I think about it now thats a HUGE one.
I think I'm going to drown in my own drool and tears if I keep looking at this one. Drool because it sounds so good and tears ;-( because I can't afford it. Boo hoo :(
At least you enjoyed the football J. We lost Cesc and dropped 2 points against Newcastle. It sucks to be a gooner.
Jim reading your wk end posting it sounds like you still need an assistant to help you with the site!
Are you still admant that you dont want to make use of my services :) You know the offer is always with standing if you change your mind mate.
I naievly thought you might follow up last weeks megaton 9+ with some rubbish to level it out.
Lol it looks like I was wrong hehe =]
£14 is so much money to be spending on chocolate.
I knoooooow it's hotel chocolat, but when you think what that can buy thats like a basket full of shopping almost.
Lol me and my new price concious ways. I never used to be like this I swear.
I'm officially leading the campaign to BRING BACK WEEKEND COMMENTS. Seriosuly J what is that all about?
Do you not trust people to post sensibly? I thought you moderated everything?
Le Grand Crunch = Le Grand Lose. I hate dark chocolate. It would be a total waste on me this one.
These Hotel Chocolat reviews never get old. Anyone that criticises you for constantly rating them high obviously hasn't tried any of their choc before. At first I was one of the disbelievers but my curiosity got the better of me so I gave their gianduja cubes a try. I haven't looked back since :) and I have you to thank for that Jim.
Where the truffle things like Lindor chocolates? Thats what I've determined from what you have said about them. If they are I find it a little weird cause they don't appear to sell anything of the sort in just a seperate box of chocolates. Now I think about it I think it would be a well cool idea if they did it. They have better chocolate than Lindt so you would have thought some chocolates that are like Lindors with their chocoalte would be wicked.
Sweet review Jim. Not one for me as I don't like dark chocolate, but still mega useful for the times when I will be buying for people that I know do. i would be lost without your reviews ,thanks so much.
You people saying it's boring that HC get high marks are so dumb. Whats the point Jim fabricating rubbish about them being pants? They guys only expressing his opinion on something you all need to lighten up and take it with a pinch of salt. He's aknowledged many a time before that you shouldn't take his opinion as the only thing that matters.
I just looked at some of the other giant slabs and came across this cookie crunch which you haven't reviewed ....
A gorgeous fusion of 40% milk chocolate and melt-away white praline chocolate, studded with cocoa cookies and crushed shortbread – finished with more crispy cookies and a sprinkle of milk and dark chocolate. A recipe devoted to the satisfying contrast of crispy crunch and smooth chocolate. ..... do I even need to lodge a request lol? No in their right mind can resist that. Make a review happen Jim.
Sorry to post about something off topic but have you got the chance to try the Cadbury mascots yet Jim? I think they've just melted down the left over cadbury wishes stars they had and remoulded them in to the shape of those random characters. Epically disappointing if you ask me. I had hoped for more tbh with you.
Hotel Chocolat just missed out on sale :-P You sold it to me (was going to treat myself cause it's payday) and then they don't have it in stock :( talk about letdown of the century. Sort it out Hotel Chocolat.
Only 8.9? Hmm you got to be unhappy with that if you are Hotel C! Thats a whole .5 down on last weeks. It's hardly continuous improvement is it
........ Lmao only joking. This looks another peach.
HC favouritism doesn't exisit. They just make excellent chocolate end of.
God I would be so happy to get one of these. HC's 70% chocolat is simply the best I've ever tasted. Thats coming from someone who thought Lindt's was the best for years.
Omg i thought that comment about the chocolate pasta was a joke
http://www.hotelchocolat.co.uk/cocoa-pasta-P500070/ ROFL what the hell?
What sort of recipe has ever called for chocolate pasta. I'm not even sure if you are meant to be using it for sweet or savoury purposes.
Have you ever felt guilty about eating beautiful chocolates? About destroying a work of art?
I bought my sister this last year for her birthday so its not really new.. she loved it but I honestly dont see the fuss about HC sadly lol I actually thought this was pretty horrible, I had to turn it down when she offered me it after the first bit. I enjoy dark chocolate, but this did nothing for me atall :(
Hi All,
Seemingly me taking away your ability to comment at the weekend has just encouraged you guys even more today :D on reflection it seems like I made a mistake doing that.
Regarding the weekend commenting thing - I will have a think about it this week but in all likelihood considering the feedback I got through twitter/e-mail etc I will enable it again. It upset to many of you not having your platform to communicate with me and each other.
My main reason for not having it was that it was all becoming unmanageable what with the number of comments I receive now. There used to be a time when I could reply back to all of you, but given my time constraints now with the day job this just isn't a possibility. I hope you guys can bare this in mind going forwards ... I read every single comment but just can't commit to responding to every e-mail/tweet/comment I recieve now.
As and where appropriate I will do my best to respond to the direct Qs.
Going by this way of working let me see what I make of the 53 comments already up on this one today :D All requests have been noted down!
NIGEL - Yeah of course I'm loving the football season being back. We started off with a good win.
ANON - I don't have a favourite company, just favourite products.
PATRICK - I certainly wouldn't turn down 500.0g of the 85.0% house no :D
TIM - Reading in excess of 50+ comments to manage their content isn't an easy feat you know :D It's a family friendly site etc so I have to make sure it stays that way.
MARTIN - Not found the Twirl mini bites yet. When I do I will feature them on the site in some form whether it be 'bits & Bobs' or SOTW.
STU - You want to get to know the real me :D :D Haha I'm pretty boring you know :D
CRAIG - I have seen those items before indeed. I have a pack of that pasta sat in my Kitchen ... let me have a think about what I could do.
SAZ - It's not you guys I'm worried about it. It's the spam stuff that comes in that is really nasty and offensive.
GOLDEN - Thanks for the support.
BRADLEY - No I haven't found them yet. That is a conclusion I keep hearing about them though.
ANA - That first initial break of the slab can often be heartbreaking :D ruining something that looks so good can often evoke guilty but that soon disappears when the chocolate gets in my gob :D
Thanks for the comments today people. Believe it or not I do appreciate them :D
I hope you are all having a nice day
JIM
A hotel chocolate high score is predictable but so are the people who post saying you work for them. Just ignore them Jim they are just jealous of you and your site.
Hotel Chocolat are on fire lol. I just looked up their last 4 reviews 8.9, 9.4, 8.4, 8.8. The only thing they made that you didn't think was that great this summer were the slabs with the popping candy in. Lol if you hadn't of reviewed them then you would if rated everything about 8.
No wonder they started sending you mahooosive chocolate slabs like this one if you are rating everything they send you as consistenly high as this.
To the people saying we don't want hc mondays please shut up. Call me a saddo but I look forward to seeing it each week, Jim please don't go get any funny ideas in your head please.
I'm in agreement with what Golden_Touch put. They should of made more of the truffles and made more of them than they did. Even if they just made them praline ones that would have been awesome. We all know how schweet their pralines are.
You aren't ever going to give these people bad marks are you!? What you should do is take every brand where you have reviewed over 10 chocolates and then work out an average for them. That would be a cool way to see who your real favourites are. You should then create a league so we can see how they get bettor or worse over time. Now that would be wicked.
Jim if you are needing help running your site I'm sure that loads of people would be willing to help you out. Have you ever considered letting readers submit reviews? I would happily do you some reviews if you sent me the chocolate to review. My services come free of charge.
Boy you gotta love your dark chocolate to be able to eat 500 grams of it. I think that might even be too much for greedy ol me.
Looks good but tell me it wouldn't have been 100 times better had it not had salted caramel truffles instead of plain ones.
+1 for the bring back comments campaign =] that was a bad decision Jim. You coud have at least consulted us.
Maggs
Some of you are being pathetic about the no comments on weekends thing. The guy gave a solid reason for not having it. If he can't do it because of his day job then you have got to give him a break. I'm sure he probs wants to have them but if he doesn't choose to have them then thats up to him isn't it. Starting a campaign isn't going to change anything.
I can't help but think this one would of been cooler with some of their whisky hot shot chocolates in there in place of those other ones. I've not tried it but just by seeing it I think It looks like it's currently missing something.
I can think of many a thing I would like to try from HC first but this is one that I would still be very happy to recieve. Lol I say that about a lot of your reviews :)
Never thought I'd say this but those bumps on the chocolate look really unappetising to me, I actually can't get past them :S
@Wai I see your point but I think this is a two way street here, readers' views are also important & part of any website after all :) the comments conversation is a relevant part of the post to me, if it's too much work imho I'd rather not have a Saturday post at all, than an uninteractive one.
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