chrisurban.com » swiss dark chocolate

Frey Bouquet d’Oranges

Chris Urban — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 01:25:08 +0000

We’ve had Frey before – generally we’ve tried to find chocolates with pepper – but here we find some orange. We don’t like it so much. The orange powder tastes a bit crystallized, but we wonder if it’s intentional. We’re also wondered if this might be happen to be a bit stale.
The chocolate part – Swiss chocolate – is fine, it’s okay.

Lindt Chili Dark

Chris Urban — Fri, 15 May 2009 23:32:09 +0000

This chocolate is a tantalizing conundrum.
If we look at this from the chocolate point of view, then this dark Swiss chocolate is what one would hope to have for a mass-market gourmet chocolate: it’s silky smooth, with a tantalizing mouthfeel. It’s dark – not sure exactly how dark since no cocoa percentages are on the package – and creamy. It has a nice transition as it melts in your mouth to creamy goodness (omg – this starting to sound like something perverted) – and does not overwhelm with too much complexity. This is a straight-shooting, solid dark chocolate, from a chocolate addict’s perspective, that you want to curl up with in the company of nice cabernet.
Alright, now that we have the cocoa-based perspective diagrammed, let us proceed to dissect the chili angle. More concisely, this chocolate is more acute than obtuse with the heat. I don’t mean like 45° acute, I mean like 15°. It’s there, it comes, it goes, it’s gone. Lest we are misled by the illustration of a nice-sized chili pepper on the cover of the product, examination of the ingredients list reveals: “chili extract.” I freely admit to being a snob here, but when I see that, and then see vanillin – an artificial flavoring – I simply have no choice but to breath a deep sigh and shrug: ok, well, it’s Lindt chocolate. It’s not perfect, but it’s pretty damn good.
In short, I’d recommend this for anyone with an itch for a chocolate with some mild heat, who may be concerned with a boutique, micro-batch (compared to Lindt, anyway) chocolate packed chock full of chili and exotic spices.

Frey Chocolate Citron & Poivre (lemon & pepper)

Chris Urban — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:33:12 +0000

Wow – once in a while you try a chocolate that really makes you stop and think about what you’re trying. This is one of them – what a delicious combination of dark swiss chocolate (55%), lemon powder and black pepper. Made by Frey Chocolate, a Swiss chocolatier recently (2006?) introduced their chocolate into the US via Target stores. Thank you, Target! Known in Europe for their unicorn themed commercials not much unlike American perfume spots (the unicorn comes from their logo) and available there in Migros stores…

This chocolate reminds me a little of Cuban cigars: you hear that a Cuban cigar is different, that they’re better, etc. but until you actually try on in context does one really appreciate the subtle differences in quality and taste. This bar is really good – but I have to wonder if this is chocolate made for the American market only?