I am familiar with most, if not
perhaps all, Marabou premium products. I've liked most of them, with
my favourite being the Lemon & Ginger and, especially, the
(Winter) Caramel. The latter was one of my favourite chocolates of
all time (yes, there are many...), but, very regrettably, it seems to have disappeared
from the selection! Anyway, on to the
Mint version. This mint flavoured dark chocolate has been around for
some time, at least in a tablet form. I've never seen these pretty boxes
before, though, and that's a good enough reason to take a little taste.
The box looks very nice with the
colour combination of black, green and gold. With the picture of mint
leaves, it's clear what it contains. I only needed to open the box
and out wafted a very strong aroma of mint. However, it wasn't the
crisp, fresh aroma one usually associates with mint but a softer,
more... sophisticated (?) scent. Perhaps the aromas of cocoa mellowed
it? Each chocolate square comes in its own wrapping: the outer one
with a picture (see the picture on the right) and the inner one of plain
silver foil. The squares are of a satisfying size, thin but not too
small, with the simple, stylish pattern that's familiar to all who
have ever sampled Marabou Premium products.
The chocolate has a cocoa content of
70 %. I already mentioned the strong minty scent, but on second
sniffing, the aroma of cocoa is also distinguishable. The chocolate
snaps when you break it apart and melts in your mouth. It's also very
smooth and has an intense cocoa flavour, to which the mint provides a
nice counterpoint. Some mint chocolates include the mint in big, very
hard pieces of brittle (and I always fear it will damage the enamel
of my teeth), but here it's scattered in the chocolate in tiny pieces
of crisp that provide a nice amount of crunch yet aren't too hard.
The mint flavour, while strong, isn't “toothpasty”.
Mint chocolate seems to be ever
popular, most brands offer some variety of it. As a child, I used to
love mint chocolate, but perhaps got a little tired of it; it no
longer counts among the “chocolates to get excited about” for me.
But it is a classic. And there are times when I crave the soothing
yet refreshing taste of good mint chocolate. Since this is dark chocolate, you also get the benefit of telling yourself it's good for you... and, another good argument (as if I needed any when it comes to eating chocolate): according to the box, at least 30 % of the cocoa comes from
plantations with the Rainforest Alliance certificate.
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