How do you start your morning? Me, I begin with a cup of black coffee and a piece of chocolate. Every day. Without fail. With coffee in hand, and lovely pairing of chocolate consumed, only THEN do I get on with making an actual breakfast.
Some days I really crave a piece of simple, smooth, milky chocolate. Other days I want it dark as can be with a perfect snap. And some mornings, some mornings I want truffles. It for days like those that I turn to, well, a box of chocolates.
Boxes of chocolates show up at my office every holiday season, pushed aside by those who don't want the temptation around, and I gleefully use the opportunity to try chocolates I wouldn't normally purchase myself. Which, lead me to discover Gudrun Chocolate.
"A Collection of Fine Belgian Chocolates."
Gudrun, on at first glance, sounded, and looked, like fantastic chocolates. Belgian. "Fine Belgian" in fact if you believe the packaging. Speaking of the packaging, it looks fancy. But fancy these are not. For context, I later found out they are sold at Costco and Walmart.
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| A Collection of Fine Belgian Chocolates. |
The chocolates came beautifully packaged, in a festive red and gold box, with matching bag, and a big bow. They look considerably fancier than they are.
The box contains assorted pieces in milk, dark, and white chocolate.
"White chocolate with a mocha cream filling."
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| Manon. |
The zig zag on top made it clear that this likely mass produced. No one drizzles by hand that well, right?
I was a little surprised by the inside. I think I expected something more ... "mocha colored", rather than the very pale color. I was expecting, and wanting, more chocolate overall. That said, it did say "mocha cream" I guess.
The white chocolate shell was uninteresting. The filling was actually gritty, a bit odd, but that seems to be where the espresso played in. Slight coffee flavor. I didn't taste the chocolate from the base.
Overall, boring.
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| Manon: Inside. |
The white chocolate shell was uninteresting. The filling was actually gritty, a bit odd, but that seems to be where the espresso played in. Slight coffee flavor. I didn't taste the chocolate from the base.
Overall, boring.
**+.
"A smooth ganache with Christmas spices finished with sugar crystals."
Next, the Mejeste, a seasonal offering, for the Christmas holidays. It sounded interesting, and I bit in with excitement. I had no idea really what to expect from "Christmas spices", but the answer was seemingly orange based. Not my favorite. And the ganache was a milk chocolate, not dark. It was smooth.
The shell was a smooth snappy darker milk chocolate, and I liked the crunch from the red colored sugar crystals on top, but overall, not the chocolate for me due to the orange nature.
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| Majeste. |
Next, the Mejeste, a seasonal offering, for the Christmas holidays. It sounded interesting, and I bit in with excitement. I had no idea really what to expect from "Christmas spices", but the answer was seemingly orange based. Not my favorite. And the ganache was a milk chocolate, not dark. It was smooth.
The shell was a smooth snappy darker milk chocolate, and I liked the crunch from the red colored sugar crystals on top, but overall, not the chocolate for me due to the orange nature.
**+.
"A ganache originating from Dominican Republic enrobed in milk chocolate."
The Carre was another fairly mediocre chocolate.
The chocolate was sweet yet strangely bitter, not bitter like quality dark chocolate, just, bitter with a odd aftertaste. The filling was a nice texture, like a fluffy but dense chocolate mousse, but the flavor was just odd.
The shell was mediocre milk chocolate, smooth, but uninteresting.
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| Carre. |
The Carre was another fairly mediocre chocolate.
The chocolate was sweet yet strangely bitter, not bitter like quality dark chocolate, just, bitter with a odd aftertaste. The filling was a nice texture, like a fluffy but dense chocolate mousse, but the flavor was just odd.
The shell was mediocre milk chocolate, smooth, but uninteresting.
***.
"Intense dark chocolate filled with caramel."
This chocolate was very poorly named. "Happy". It did not make me happy. It made me quite sad.
The dark chocolate was fine, smooth, but certainly not intense, more of a sweet dark chocolate akin to Hershey's Special Dark. The caramel though. That is what brought on my sadness. I expected sweet, runny caramel to come oozing out. Instead, it was quite thick. Ok, fine. But it was also really strangely bitter. It tasted like licorice in a strange way.
This was not good.
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| Happy. |
This chocolate was very poorly named. "Happy". It did not make me happy. It made me quite sad.
The dark chocolate was fine, smooth, but certainly not intense, more of a sweet dark chocolate akin to Hershey's Special Dark. The caramel though. That is what brought on my sadness. I expected sweet, runny caramel to come oozing out. Instead, it was quite thick. Ok, fine. But it was also really strangely bitter. It tasted like licorice in a strange way.
This was not good.
*+.
"Milk chocolate with coconut ganache decorated with toasted coconut flakes."
The Cocorico however, was worse.
Gritty coconut made for an unpleasant mouthfeel, and it tasted ... stale?
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| Cocorico. |
The Cocorico however, was worse.
Gritty coconut made for an unpleasant mouthfeel, and it tasted ... stale?
*.
"Crunchy praline enrobed with milk chocolate."
Sigh. I need to stop trying these chocolates. They look, and sound so much better than they actually are.
The praline filling was ok, crunchy, sweet, nice texture. But the chocolate was just not very good, like many of the others.
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| Harmony. |
Sigh. I need to stop trying these chocolates. They look, and sound so much better than they actually are.
The praline filling was ok, crunchy, sweet, nice texture. But the chocolate was just not very good, like many of the others.
**.
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