written by yummy87 on 24/03/2004
Lindt Swiss Tradition Mixed Assortment - I've developed a bit of a liking for luxury chocolate over the past few months. Although I'm still faithful to Mr. Cadbury, I do like to have a bit of chocolate indulgence once in a while.
Lindt are definitely one of my favourites at the moment. As yet, I have not found one variety that I don't like, and this week whilst browsing the shelves of Sainsbury, I spotted a box of Swiss Tradition mixed assortment chocolates, so decided to buy a box to share with the children that evening. A 200g box cost me £5.29, and these can be bought at most supermarkets for roughly the same price.
Everything about Lindt shouts "Luxury" and that's before you even get into the box. I don't know what it is about the coloured red and cream, but I always think that anything with these colours looks expensive, and the colouring was probably the main reason I bought this selection in the first place. On opening the box, the chocolates are arranged in a golden compartmentalised tray, and look exquisite. A mixture of dark, white and milk chocolates gaze temptingly out from the packaging and invited me to sample their delights.
NOCCIANDA
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Noccianda is a log shaped piece of milk chocolate, which has a rippled effect over its surface, apart from the underside. Biting through the chocolate I am delighted to taste walnuts, as my teeth sink through another truffle centre. The walnuts are sparse however, and only a few small pieces lay towards the top of the chocolate, but the taste of these combined with the truffle is absolutely mind-blowing. Within the truffle there is a faint hazelnut taste, but the walnuts, although few can be tasted long after the Noccianda has been eaten. Amazing.
CRESTOLINO
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Crestolino is a square shaped delicacy, with two layers of chocolate. The bottom half on the chocolate is formed from dark chocolate, and the top is a cushion of smooth, white chocolate, decorated with swirls of dark chocolate, piped in an intricate pattern across its surface. The piece de resistance is inside though. A divine combination of milk chocolate truffle littered with tiny pieces of almond adds a crispy, crunchy texture to the otherwise silky smooth chocolate. The truffle centre has a nougat-like taste and one can be forgiven for comparing the centre with Toblerone, although Crestolino has a far superior taste. Absolute heaven.
CORNET DIPLOMATE
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Imagine a small version of a Cornetto ice cream and this describes the Cornet Diplomate. A cone shaped piece of dark chocolate, wrapped in a golden foil wrapping, this centre looks positively divine. A rich smell of cocoa escapes as I remove the wrapping and on biting into the smooth dark chocolate, I encounter a surprise. Beneath the thick coating of slightly bitter dark chocolate, is a filling of sweet truffle, dark in colour and gloriously soft, complementing the slightly harder exterior of the chocolate. A slight alcoholic taste can be felt when eating this centre, although it is difficult to ascertain what alcohol has been used. I can also taste a very faint hint of cherry, which adds a Black Forest feel to the chocolate. Gorgeous.
AVELLINE
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Avelline is a whipped milk chocolate delight, and resembles a blancmange, due to its fluted circular shape. Although made from milk chocolate, the very tip of the Avelline is a slightly lighter shade to the rest of the chocolate, and another surprise awaits me as I bite into its creamy milky depths. Expecting a solid shape, I was surprised when the outer covering of milk chocolate broke away to reveal a centre of white chocolate truffle oozing with small pieces of hazelnut. Beneath the lighter layer of milk chocolate at the top of the Noxy is a single whole hazelnut, that nestles in the white truffle. The combination of truffle and chocolate makes a rich chocolate experience, leaving a creamy aftertaste on the tongue. Superb.
MANDOLINE
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Yet another combination of different types of chocolate, the Mandoline is an oval shaped milk chocolate shape, having an almond shaped piece of white chocolate on its surface. It is not until I bite into the Mandoline that I realise the white chocolate on its surface, actually does hide an almond beneath its creamy covering, and the interior of the chocolate is a wickedly smooth-yet-crispy concoction of a caramel-coloured truffle jam packed with small pieces of hazelnut. On first sighting, one could be forgiven for thinking the centre is made from peanut butter due to its colouring but as soon as I taste it I realise that it is a delicious rich almond truffle. The truffle and the small nutty pieces combine beautifully with the milk chocolate covering and leave a wonderful nutty covering on the tongue. Divine.
TRIANGLE
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Lindt see fit to only enclose one triangle in their Swiss Collection, so we all fought over it and tried a piece. A triangular sandwich-shaped piece of dark chocolate hides another secret. On first impression, I expected the Triangle to be a solid dark chocolate shape, but of course it was not. Sandwiched within the dark chocolate walls of the Triangle is a gorgeous concoction of crushed hazelnuts mixed into a light brown coloured truffle. The result? A nougat-like taste, topped off with a covering of smooth dark chocolate. Perfection.
VESUVIO
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Vesuvio is formed from dark chocolate and is quite a strange shape. Although similar to the Noxy, Vesuvio has a shaped tip to its centre and the fluted edges are more defined. By now I have realised that each of the Lindt Swiss Collection holds a secret within, and the Vesuvio does not disappoint. The chocolate covering is the best dark chocolate I have ever tasted. It is slightly bitter, and has a delicious smooth texture that simply cannot be compared with any other chocolate. Beneath the dark chocolate shell, is a centre is a rich, dark coloured truffle, which explodes with small pieces of crisped rice, that seem to lay on the top of the truffle, rather than being scattered throughout. The truffle is deliciously thick as well as being full of cocoa, and the crisped-rice pieces add another texture to the otherwise smooth chocolate. Fabulous.
CARAMEL
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To al intents and purposes, the Caramel centre could easily be mistaken for a Brazil nut, because of its shape. Formed from dark chocolate, there are no fancy effects on the Caramel, just a covering of dark, dark chocolate. Bite through the shell, and a runny sweet caramel centre oozes out. Again, the Caramel has a slightly alcoholic taste, and I would hazard a guess that there has been some sort of brandy added to the caramel, which is so runny it could almost be liquid. The sweetness of the caramel combines well with the slightly bitter chocolate to make the Caramel centre just a bit different from the norm. Yummy.
ELITE
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Elite is a small circular shaped chocolate resembling a button due to its layers of milk and dark chocolate and the decoration on its surface. Biting into the Elite was a pleasure in itself. The bottom layer of dark chocolate is wonderfully thick, yet within it, is a filling of hazelnut truffle that manages to be smooth, with no trace of nut pieces. Although the truffle is soft, the other covering of the chocolate is deliciously firm so that the truffle can be sucked out of it and eaten separately. Awesome.
ROCHER
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Rocher is a mis-shaped knobbly piece of milk chocolate, having pieces of nougat chips on its surface, which give it the appearance of a hedgehog. Biting into the chocolate my teeth suddenly sink into a silky softness below and I realise that inside the Rocher is a hazelnut truffle centre, which positively melts in the mouth, leaving a rich creamy aftertaste as it glides down the throat. The chocolate of course can be eaten as a whole, and sucked until only the small pieces of nougat remain, which gives a delicious almond-chocolate taste. Glorious.
VENEZIANO
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The Veneziano is a long rectangular piece of dark chocolate, which is topped with a triangular piece of milk chocolate with piped lines of dark chocolate over the surface. The bottom of the Veneziano looks as though it will be solid dark chocolate but looks are deceiving, and when I bite into the shape, the whole interior is a soft sweet hazelnut truffle. Again the truffle is smooth and although the nuts can be tasted, there are no pieces in it at all. The combination of dark and milk chocolate add an overall rich creaminess to the Veneziano which is another fine example of Lindt.
The most frightening thing about a box of Swiss Tradition is the huge amount of calories and fat contained in the chocolates. If you ate a half of the box, which is quite easy to do, you would consume a massive 545 kcals and 34g of fat. No wonder my waistline is disappearing and of course, the chocolates would not be suitable for anyone having a nut allergy, due to the nut centres in the selection.
Calories and fat inside, the Lindt Swiss Tradition selection is a chocolate assortment fit for a princess. Although £5.29 may seem a little expensive for a box of 20 chocolates, after tasting Lindt you will not hesitate in spending that little bit extra for a taste of their chocolate decadence.
www.lindt.com
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