20 March 2012

Lindt Excellence Wasabi (Waitrose) [By @Cinabar]



For a company that once told me that they had stopped making Lindt Coffee Intense because it wasn’t popular enough, this bar seems like a bit of an odd choice. For those that don’t know Wasabi is a Japanese sauce very similar to horseradish in taste but green in colour. It is usually eaten with sushi, but is also commonly used to coat other snacks such as Wasabi Nuts.
I actually love Wasabi on sushi – I always like to put more than I can handle on, and then wait for that endorphin rush as the heat hits my nose! As much as I love Wasabi, I have never once wondered what it might be like paired with chocolate. I guess the people that brought us chilli chocolate were looking for their latest fix, and this curious bar was put together. It is unusual for Lindt to have such a strange concoction, although lovely their chocolate is usually quite safe.
I unwrapped the bar and found that the chocolate looked and smelt like a regular Lindt dark chocolate bar. There was no visual clue to the filling, no green specs or Wasabi centre in each piece. The smell of the cocoa masked any of the spice too. This probably means that this chocolate is ideal for practical jokes – but that’s another story! ;-)
I broke a small piece of the chocolate off and gave it a test. The initial flavour was that of the smooth rich dark cocoa. Just as the rich chocolaty flavours were enveloping my tongue this vague horseradish flavour tingle started to show itself and very quickly it developed into a major burn. It felt as if my nose was on fire and it delivered an impressive whack of spice, and then as soon as it had appeared it slowly melted away. Weird. There was some heat burning on my tongue too, and it made me wonder if chilli was included in the ingredients, but I couldn’t see it listed. The chocolate is an experience, and you don’t get chance to decide if the flavour works as you are concentrating on the Wasabi kick being delivered to the back of your nose.
As I mentioned I like a Wasabi kick, despite the fact that my eyes were nearly watering when I tried a whole cube, I still felt that rush which meant I enjoyed it. To be fair though based totally on flavour it doesn’t work, but I still liked it. I know that sounds confused, but it is a strange bar, and it certainly bewildered my taste buds. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have clearly written several paragraphs on the subject I’d have said I was a bit lost for words on this and seriously couldn’t make my mind up on it.
By Cinabar

3 comments:

Melanie said...

That would be the perfect gift for my boyfriend, he loves hot stuff.
Sadly we don't have Lindt Wasabi in Germany, I think. Actually it seems as if you guys have a lot more different flavours than we do. I found a milk chocolate filled with cherry and a Crème Brulée bar.. have you ever tried it?

Lot-O-Choc said...

This sounds intriguing..Im not as big a fan of the wasabi heat as I am to chilli though, I dont really like the way it hits my nose and seems to set it on fire!

cinabar said...

Melanie - Not seen those - would imagine that you get a better selection in germany than here!

Lot-o-choc - I much prefer wasabi to chilli. I prefer the heat in my nose rather than on my tongue!