Lindt Lindor Dark Mint Chocolate Truffles (Ocado) By @Cinabar

My brain was expecting After Eights, and it couldn’t let go of the comparison. I love After Eights; we only have them occasionally, but I’ve eaten so many over the years that I can taste them perfectly in my mind. When Lindt Lindor released their Dark Mint Chocolate Truffles, the first whisper from my subconscious was: giant After Eight in a ball. Naturally, I had to track them down.

I managed to get a box in an online grocery order and immediately tucked in. Unfortunately, all I could do was compare them to After Eights, and yes, I did feel bad about it. The chocolate shell is a proper dark chocolate: slightly bitter with a strong cocoa flavour, and not at all sweet. The filling is minty and creamy, making it much milder. While there’s plenty of peppermint, it doesn’t deliver that intense, sweet, minty blast of fondant I was hoping for. Instead, it’s subtler and less sugary.

If this Lindt Lindor Dark Mint Chocolate Truffles had been the first mint chocolates I’d ever tried, I think I’d have been quite pleased. But years of After Eights have conditioned me to expect more sweetness and a triple hit of peppermint. Because of that, I came away a little disappointed, wishing for a bolder flavour. Oh well, perhaps I’ll add a box of After Eights to my next shop, just for old times’ sake.

Lindt - Les Grandes - Dark & Nutty [@NLi10]

Lindt make great chocolate, but apart from the little balls I think they struggle to get a hold in the 'bar with stuff' market.  In the UK it's all Cadbury and on the mainland it's all Ritter Sport (for me anyway).  I got given this one so thought I'd give it a try.

It's dark choc (but not too dark) and big nuts.

Do Cadbury even do whole nut anymore?  I used to be given that one a lot as a child as my sister hated nuts so I must trade my plain ones for hers.  Luckily I enjoyed them.  This has the typical care and attention of a Lindt bar.

And the super sexy (and recyclable) foil.

And the nuts are so big that you don't feel that you've been given the leftovers

But it's still firmly Lindt.

For me the balance is a little too sweet, so two squares at a time only for me.  That said - it's pretty nice.  The choc flavours are light, but the nuts are deep and interesting.

Not one I'd ordinarily choose (I'd much rather have the savoury nut snacks now) but a nice change and a great reminiscence about a nutty chocky childhood.

Lindt Choco Wafer (Tesco) by @cinabar

New product alert! And from one of my favourite chocolatiers too. Lindt has always been about a little extra luxury with their products, and here we have their new Choco Wafers. They come in a very nice box and would be a perfect gift or stocking filler, and they're not a bad price either at £6. Lindt can be on the pricey side.

 

Inside the box are ten individually wrapped wafer chocolates. There are three flavours: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate hazelnut, all in colour-coordinated wrappers. I opened up the hazelnut one fist because I am nuts about them. Chocolate and nuts are always my first choice. 

The wafers are a decent size, and this one looked appealing as it was sprinkled with hazelnuts on top. I have to admit that I was rather impressed by these, they are quite substantial, they have the smoothest chocolate, and the wafers are spot on in texture. They are crispy but firm. The nuts on top added a lovely bit of texture, and they were a complete luxury. I would be over the moon to receive these Lindt Choco Wafers as a gift, but in the meantime, I’m rather pleased I treated myself to a box!

Lindt Store - 300g of the round ones please (@Nli10)

 While at the oddly named Resorts World (it's just some shops & restaurants) near Birmingham Airport for my sister's birthday party I popped in the Lindt shop.  You got a discount if you made it up to 300g on the Lindor Pick & Mix - so I did!

I think this cost us £10, but compared to the lower weight values is a lot more cost-effective.  It's always more expensive than their pre-selected boxes.  That said - 6 weeks later we still have some left for late-night treats so it's been a good choice.

Origianlly I was going to take pictures of the different flavours as we ate them, here we have Macha & Pistachio versions!

but they all look the same!

Some have different coloured middles

The mango one almost looks fruity in the middle and has a white outer

As do the cookies & cream and Strawberries & cream ones

Some are a little quirkier

This is a carrot umbrella - awesome - it's solid chocolate however and almost certainly cost twice as much as the light fondant balls.  Darn.

Flo was oddly interested, but cats don't get chocolate!

So overall - they all taste like the thing they are supposed to taste like - Lindt's Lindor have always managed that.  And there are a few new favourites, but there isn't quite as much variety in the flavours - it's either deep flavours like coffee or fruity ones.  I think I'd like more ferero roche style ones with layered textures too - although those would probably raise the weight pretty fast too.

I got to try some of the chunkier ones which was nice. 

These unfairly were almost last in the bag, but their rich, nutty textures were probably the most interesting of the lot.  More like a cube from a chocolate box than a Lindor really. 

definitely something I'd buy a slab/box of in the future for older relatives that like it a little nuttier.

Overall though decent value (while not cheap).  As a nice after-dinner nightly treat these were a lovely little luxury.

Lindt Banana Split Chocolate (GB Gifts) By @Cinabar

I really like banana as a flavour but am always aware that it is one of those love it or hate it flavours. Spectre hates it, the flavouring specifically actual bananas he eats regularly, but he won’t touch banana milkshake or anything else with the flavour. I’m happy with anything banana flavoured, including actual bananas. They all work for me.

This new bar of Lindt Banana Split chocolate is an import from Germany through an online shop. I couldn’t resist giving it a try as it sounds quite different, something that I don’t think Lindt would launch here in the UK. It is a milk chocolate bar with a layer of chocolate sauce and a banana mousse inside. I gave it a try and was very impressed with the sweet flavour. The banana was very creamy and fruity, with a nice hint of vanilla giving it that luxurious feel. The filling was lovely and smooth. This was a lovely treat, plenty of banana and sweetness, but the chocolate being the predominant flavour. I don’t think Lindt make a bad bar of chocolate but I do wish we could get some of these more adventurous flavours like this Lindt Banana Split chocolate here in the UK.

Lindt Easter Eggs - A Study In Size (@NLi10)

 My partner and I both got Lindt Easter Eggs off her parents.  I didn't really note the differences at the time as I got Blue for Boy and She got Red for Girl.

I didn't however notice the size & price differences.

So - these are different price point eggs - one is bigger than the other,

And while hers has lovely little chocolate eggs - we have the actual truffles!

On the Official Lindt Easter Site everything is already reduced and almost sold out - but the Blue egg was originally £10 and I guess based on what was left the Red one was more than £5 but less than mine (It's £8 at Morrisons but I couldn't see the other one).

This is also evident in the size of the egg - the extra few grams really increases the impressiveness of the egg.

Lovely little truffles!

So nice on a warm day like Easter Sunday is!!

So - sure I think the Blue one was more expensive but not by much - and I'd happily pay the extra tax to get a few more treats and the larger egg.  I am very likely to share this one with my partner and live to tell the tale.

Happy Easter All!

Lindt Dark Chocolate Spread (Morrisons) By @Cinabar

I don’t buy that many chocolate spreads and I don’t buy them regularly. I like them but I feel guilty eating them at breakfast time. I do however make an exception if I find a new variety then I just blame this blog as my excuse. So Foodstuff Finds made me buy this Lindt Dark Chocolate Spread and its exciting because I don’t think I’ve seen a Lindt spread before and I haven’t seen a dark chocolate variety either.

 

The jar is very smart but not too big. Inside is quite a soft spread is a good rich dark brown colour. It went on the toast very easily as it feels quite light to spread. The toast was quickly covered in a yummy dark chocolate topping. The flavour was so good, it isn’t as sweet as a lot of the chocolate spreads and this actually made it feel more grown up. I like the dark chocolate and all the extra cocoa taste. I think I’m going to enjoy working my way through this jar and having a treat at breakfast for a few mornings, what haven’t I seen a dark chocolate spread before? It is genius. Tomorrow I’m having Lindt Dark Chocolate Spread on toast with some slices of bananas on top too, because that would make it healthier right? I can’t wait!

Lindt Litte Chick Egg (Waitrose) By @Cinabar

These new Lindt Little Chick Eggs were spotted in the (so far) small section of Easter goodies in Waitrose. I know the Easter section will be growing in the next month or so in the shop, as yet they don’t even have any full size eggs, just a few novelties like these. There were two shades of foil (gold and yellow) decorating them but as far as I could tell but designs covered the same mini eggs.These Lindt Little Chick Eggs were next to a box of Cadbury Creme Eggs, their close proximity meant that the size difference became very apparently, they are small narrow eggs when compared to the Creme Egg. Annoyingly they were a similar price despite the Lindt egg being significantly smaller.

When home I had one of these with a cup of coffee as an evening treat. The egg has some decoration on the chocolate, but it isn’t that clear, but the word Lindt is visible. Inside the egg is a creamy milk filling that reminded me of sweet white chocolate. There was plenty of filling inside. I took one bite and couldn’t quite get over just how sweet these Lindt Little Chick Eggs were. I have a high sugar threshold but this was near my limit. In fact if it had been twice the size I don’t think I would have been able to finish it. It is super rich, super sweet and super creamy but only worked because I had a nice cup of coffee to contrast the flavour. Nice but it was actually better being smaller.

New Lindt Lindor Mint Bar (Sainsbury’s) By @Cinabar

Mint is one of my favourite flavours for chocolate, I accept I have quite a few favourites, but I assure you mint is right up there. This is a new bar from Lindt based on their mint flavour Lindt Lindor chocolate balls. The bar itself is elongated, and has a long thin form. This makes it look quite posh and different from other bars, except for Kit Kat Senses, which went down the same route! It does look smart though.
The new Lindt Lindor Mint Bar managed to make it home without breaking too with is impressive as it does look more fragile than its chunkier counterparts and it sat in the bottom of a re-usable carrier bag. The aroma is lovely once the wrapper is off, the chocolate pieces break into nice looking large rectangles which form a good sized chunk. The chocolate is quite thick, and has the signature silky smooth feel of Lindt Lindor. The mint is quite strong, but not as strong as an After Eight. The peppermint it still lovely and zingy, but the chocolate flavours here are strong too and add a more mellow aspect to the chocolate bar as a whole. I think it balances both flavours well, and I loved the taste. For me this is an easier way to get my Lindt Lindor fix in  the form of a simple bar. I seem to leave the Lindt Lindor Balls for celebrations as the are produced in gift boxes, so aren’t so reasonable to pick up as an after work treat. This new Lindt Lindor Mint Bar would be tempting to add to my basket when I’m doing a supermarket top-up shop mid week.

Lindt Creation Macaron Milk Chocolate Bar (Waitrose) By @Cinabar

Although I couldn’t see a “new” label on this bar of Lindt Creation Macaron chocolate, I also couldn’t recall ever seeing it before, and I certainly haven’t tried the bar before. This is why it went into my basket while I was shopping, it turns out that although some new items cling to their new labels for longer than they should, other items just appear subtly on the shelves.

Anyway this bar is a milk chocolate bar, with a filling of macaroon. I like macaron biscuits but wasn’t quite sure how that was going to be represented in chocolate. Macarons are shiny round biscuits that seem to be quite on trend in recent years. Reading the packaging I realised that the filling was essentially a vanilla cream, like you might find sandwiched between two macaroon pieces, and some of the biscuit bits in the centre.
I opened up the bar and found the Lindt pieces to be quite big and neatly printed in chocolate with the brand and imagery. I gave the chocolate a bite and the sweet creamy flavours overwhelmed my tastebuds. The centre is very creamy, sweet and and overflowing with rich vanilla tones. The chocolate is sweet too, and again very creamy. Vanilla and the rich milk chocolate worked well together, but this was a rich bar, indulgent, but also a bit full on. I liked the texture from the macaroon bits, it gave the bar a light crunch and hint of crispiness. The bar was all about the vanilla though, and after two squares I found myself defeated, putting the rest of the bar away for another day. Even for my sweet tooth I found this was a bar that was best indulged in small doses with a coffee on the side for contrast.

New Lindt Lindor Orange Bar (Sainsburys) By @Cinabar

This was in the “impulse buy” section of the supermarket, on the end of an aisle very near the tills. I don’t need much encouragement to impulse buy anything, they had me at “New”. I am big fan of the Lindt Lindor chocolates, and love having them at Christmas. The orange bar looked like a fab treat, without the need to buy a box full of chocolates.
Being a long thin bar it felt a little fragile, and by the time it had made its journey home (via shopping bags in the back of the car) it had unsurprisingly broken in two. There wasn’t any card under the bar to protect it, but it was still in a very edible format so I guess it doesn’t matter. The first thing I did was broke a chunk off anyway.
I don’t know if it was my imagination but the filling in the bar felt much more runny than what you would expect in the Lindor balls. It was wasn’t oozing all over the place by any means but it felt softer and a step nearer to being liquid. I don’t think this is just because the weather is warmer, as the outside chocolate was still firm.
The taste was lovely, the milk chocolate was rich and full of flavour and the balance of the orange was spot on. Sweet and smooth and fruity, citrus and chocolate do work well together. The best part though was that the bar still had that wonderful silkiness I associate with Lindor. this made it feel luxurious and special, and a proper treat with my afternoon coffee. Definitely a bar I’ll be picking up again.

Lindt Hot Chocolate - Costa Christmas Menu - By @Cinabar

The Christmas Menu has launched at Costa with some old favourites and new treats. The Black Forest Hot chocolate is back (phew) but the White Hot Chocolate has gone this year. New on the menu is a strange sounding drink, simply Lindt hot chocolate. By strange, Imena surpsingly simple for Costa, their usual Christmas drinks sound quite adventurous. This Lindt Hot Chocolate is only available in cortardo size, i.e. quite small. It was described by the lady across the counter as a chocolate shot, intense so the small size would be enough.
I ordered it, and watch them make it using a Lindt labelled sachet that looked like a powder mixed with milk. Not actual grated chocolate, which was a bit disappointing.
The Lindt Hot Chocolate did have quite a rich flavour, but not one that I would have immediately associated with Lindt. I liked the flavour, it was strong, rich and not too sweet. I’m not sure I found it as rich as “chocolate shot”, I’d have been more than happy to drink a mug full of the stuff! The texture isn’t too thick, its is fairly light and frothy. As it comes it isn’t good for the thirsty, but it certainly hits any chocolate craving your might have. It is for the serious chocolate fan, not those that are after a mega sweet chocolate hit with syrup, cream and sprinkles. Don’t get me wrong I like those drinks too, and I look forward to testing out the rest of the Costa Christmas Menu.

New Lindt Lindor: My Melting Moment (Tesco) [By @cinabar]

Is it too early for Christmas chocolates? I think it might be... but technically this is just a winter chocolate as it is in the shape of a snowflake... we will say no more about Christmas for now. It is actually too early for winter chocolate, I know this as I caught the sun last Sunday and Spectre got stung by a wasp, but I except its coming to the end of the season.
This chocolate is an individual portion of chocolate, very prettily moulded into a snowflake, with a split down the middle for two bites, or to share. I found these on two for £1, so already decided to share and yet keep the whole chocolate to myself but not to eat two of them, because that would be greedy. ;-)
The milk chocolate shell is filled with the same filling you would expect on a Lindor chocolate. It’s quite magical stuff, it is really silky and yet rich with loads of sweet chocolate flavour. It’s quite something and the oozing centre does just melt in the mouth. The chocolate shell is spot on too, creamy and sweet, and at just about the right thickness, so that it provides lots of flavour, but gives easily when you bite in. Yum!
This new Lindt Lindor Melting Moment is perfect for a sneaky treat, without the guilt of opening a whole bar of chocolate. It’s an indulgent treat and is just the right size to go with a coffee in the afternoon as a bit of a pick me up. It may not be winter yet, but these will be going in my shopping basket a few more times before the season commences.

By Cinabar

New Lindt - Pistachio Delight (Waitrose) [By @Cinabar]

As I was browsing the chocolate isle in Waitrose, this new bar from Lindt caught my eye. As a big fan of nuts and chocolate I eagerly picked it up. I noticed that although the bar is called Pistachio Delight, underneath that it states “With Almond Pieces”, which is fine I like all nuts.
Once home I unwrapped the bar, and snapped a square off. The insides were pale green from the pistachio, but it looked natural and pleasant.
I took my first taste and disappointment set in. Despite the fabulous dark chocolate coating, the inside tasted of marzipan. Now, theoretically, I should like marzipan. I love nuts, and that includes almonds, and I have a sweet tooth. But there is something about marzipan that tastes wrong, it doesn’t seem to resemble the flavour you would expect from mixing the ingredients, and instead ends up tasting the way I expect Play-Doh to taste.
I couldn’t get passed that, so couldn’t eat any more of the bar. If you like marzipan then you will most likely love this chocolate. The texture was good, the chocolate coating firm and the bits of nuts added a nice crunch. The dark chocolate was really special, very strong and full of rich cocoa tones, but underneath it lay the strange taste that is marzipan.
Luckily I have very few flavour aversions (beetroot and lemongrass are others), but the marzipan is one I can’t explain. I do feel bad being negative towards this bar, when the problem is clearly me and not the content. I’ll just put it down to it not being my cup of tea. My mum was fine with the chocolate, and took it off my hands! :-) I honestly think if you like marzipan flavours, it would be a seriously good treat.
Do you have any strange food dislikes you can’t quite explain? Did or does Play-Doh smell of marzipan? Maybe that is where the problem started...

By Cinabar

Lindt – Hello My Name is Caramel Brownie (@LindtUK) [By @SpectreUK]

This Lindt milk chocolate bar had a caramel brownie filling. From the photo you will see the runny caramel centre with a thin layer of biscuit and brownie at the bottom of the inside of the bar. There were also nice hearts and shapes on the outside of the bar. This 39g chocolate bar had 549 calories per 100g, having 49g of sugar and 35g of fat. The ingredients included 13% caramel, 28% brownie cream and 3% dark biscuit pieces. Although there was biscuit pieces in the ingredients this was not a crunchy bar, it was gorgeous, smooth and melted in the mouth as I bit into it. There was sweet runny caramel which ran (literally) through the centre of the succulent milk chocolate bar, with the added brownie and soft biscuit layer making it almost impossible not to make strange cat purring noises whilst eating exclaiming “yum” now and then. I’d highly recommend you try this Caramel Brownie milk chocolate bar. This chocolate bar was made by people who obviously love chocolate for people who love chocolate. I would definitely have it again. It’s one of the best caramel bars I’ve tasted and definitely a contender for the slightly overloaded caramel chocolate bar market, but I certainly can’t complain as I love caramel chocolate bars. Some slightly more than others...

By Spectre

Lindt – [New] Hello My Name Is Strawberry Cheesecake (Sainsburys) [By @cinabar]

Lindt are being good to us this year. Not only have they brought out a couple of the new big bars in strawberry and blueberry, there are also four new smaller snacking bars that have come out. They are in a new range from Lindt, called “Nice To Sweet You” and they are based on desserts/sweets. The first one I went for was the one accurately called “Hello My Name Is Strawberry Cheesecake” also in the range are ones based on Caramel Brownie, Crunchy Nougat and Cookies & Cream.
The bar is a long thin bar, and once opened I liked how each piece of chocolate had a nice design on every chunk. I broke a piece off and could see that the milk chocolate coating was thick, but the filling was still generous. The centre was predominantly white in colour, but doted through I could see the strawberry specks.
The flavour is an excellent combination. The cheesecake has a slightly sour taste, but the strawberry is lovely and sweet and the whole combination is mellowed out by the creamy chocolate coating it all. Within the filling are bits of biscuits too that give the bar a satisfying bit of crunch and makes the bar feel quite filling. It also adds a nice mellow biscuit flavour to the whole thing.
This bar does combine a traditional dessert with chocolate, but it is also very summery too with the strawberries. It’s a energizing bar, and Lindt are the experts of combing fruit with chocolate. Having said that, I still can’t wait to try the other varieties in the new Nice To Sweet You range.
Many thanks to the tip off from DavidH about these bars too :-)

By Cinabar