Hotel Chocolat Peel Me An Orange 74% Dark Chocolate
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I can take or leave orange flavoured milk chocolate. It just reminds me of the Terry’s chocolate oranges which people often give as after-thoughts at Christmas. So when I opened up the box of goodies that Hotel Chocolat sent me, I had those flashbacks of orangey chocolate that was just too sweet to bare. Thankfully this is one of those dark chocolate gifts that was a million miles (in the right direction) from those insipid creations.
The good thing about dark chocolate is that it’s often suited for those that are looking for dairy free, milk free, suitable for vegetarian and suitable for vegans chocolate – and this ticks all those boxes. But it’s often very difficult to match an orange flavour with dark chocolate as it can often turn out to be overly acidic, just as the Melt Chocolates Dark Chocolate with Orange bar was. However, even at a third of the way the way through this 160g box of them I still want more.
Even at 74% dark chocolate they’re wonderfully balanced. Neither too sharp from the orange flavour and neither too astringent from the dark chocolate, they seem to offer a balance flavour that is sexy and delightful. Also, the orange notes are light and definitely play second fiddle to the premium chocolate so I wouldn’t be concerned if you’re not an orange flavour. It’s there, but it’s almost not.
One thing you should note is that these dark chocolate orange pieces obviously don’t have actual orange slices inside. As such, I believe that these chocolates would be a great introduction to dark chocolate for someone that firmly finds themselves in the milk chocolate camp.
I’m trying to work out if these orange dark chocolate slices would be perfect for either a hot summer’s day as today feels like, or a winter’s day. I just can’t make my mind up. I think perhaps these are more suited to being a dusk chocolate as they still do have a bitterness, which I prefer to have when it’s a bit cooler.
