Food
Boxed chocolates
Introduction
A box of chocolates is the perfect present at any time of the year. But do the expensive ones taste better?
We put boxed chocolates to the taste test just in time for Mother's Day. Find out which selections made the grade for looks, flavour and freshness.
About our tasting
Our panel tasted 8 boxed-chocolate assortments available from supermarkets and specialty chocolate shops. Five were made in New Zealand and three were imported from Europe.
The four experts tasted three pre-selected chocolates from each box. The chocolates were tasted "blind", so the tasters didn't know the brand. They rated each chocolate on its appearance, taste, and texture.
We picked boxes where the appearance of the individual chocolate is part of the appeal. For this reason, we didn't include boxes where the chocolates were individually wrapped.
We bought our chocolates from supermarkets and specialty chocolate shops just as a consumer would.
Our panel
Thanks to our panel, who spent a morning tasting chocolate ... we felt really sorry for them. Pictured below from left to right are:
- Anji Davies
Food, wine and confectionery buyer at Kirkcaldie and Stains department store, Wellington. - Jiri Havlik
Chocolate maker and owner of Melting Perfection Chocolatier, Wellington. - Margaret Brooker
Food-writer and author of 'It's my turn to cook'. - Pauline Nunns
Pastry chef and winner of NZ Pastry Chef of the Nation in 2005 and 2006.
What tasted good
None of the boxes were considered outstanding, but two European selections were better than the rest: Duc d'O Fine Assorted Belgium Chocolates and Lindt Swiss Tradition.
The Duc d'O assortment (pictured) consisted of white, dark and milk chocolates with traditional caramel, truffle and nut fillings. The elaborately formed Lindt assortment had white, milk and dark chocolates with mostly whole or ground nut fillings.
Our tasters liked both these assortments' true natural flavours and fresh nut centres. They also commented on the chocolates' "clean" look - care had been taken to make sure the chocolates were attractive and well-presented.
Not so good
Our panel wasn't taken with Queen Anne Chocolates Originals (right) - their surfaces were blemished, their chocolate coatings were messy, and they were uneven sizes. They also disappointed our panel by being super-sweet and unpleasantly flavoured.
Kiwis love Cadbury chocolates - this brand holds the biggest share of the boxed chocolate market. But the Cadbury Continental and Cadbury Milk Tray selections didn't excite our panel's taste buds. Our tasters described them as "sickly sweet" with "gritty and crystallised" fillings.
What makes a good chocolate?
A fine chocolate needs the right balance of good looks, flavour, and freshness. But our tasters found the nut centres of some chocolates stale, chewy, and unusually small. And many of the fruit-flavoured centres were too sweet, with an "artificial" taste. What's more, sometimes the flavour of the filling didn't match its description.
Appearance is important. Some of the chocolates were clumsily made. Excess chocolate pooling at the base and air bubbles on the surface of the chocolates were common faults.
Tasters often remarked on the mismatch between the type of chocolate (milk, dark, or marbled white-and-milk) and its filling. They suggested that a bitter-sweet dark chocolate coating might help balance some of the sticky sweet fillings.
Does price matter?
The assortments ranged in price from around $11 to $39 per box (and between 49c and $1.39 per chocolate).
Price didn't mean all that much. The most expensive chocolates we tasted - Bennetts of Mangawhai Gold Ballotin Box ($1.20/chocolate) and de Spa Chocolatier Diamond Assortment ($1.39/chocolate) - were judged "good", but not outstanding.
And they weren't as good as the less expensive Duc d'O ($1.00/chocolate) and Lindt ($1.07/chocolate) - which were the best of the bunch.
Interestingly, the Queen Anne Chocolates ($0.98/chocolate) that our tasters marked down as "below average" were a similar price to the highest-rating chocolates.
Do they taste as good as they used to?
The Queen Anne Chocolates were lacking in both finesse and flavour, but they may still appeal to those with fond memories of receiving a pound of these chocolates in days gone by.
This iconic Kiwi brand was established by Ernest Adams in the 1920s and enjoyed several decades of success, with ice cream and confectionery shops throughout New Zealand. Faced with increasing competition from supermarkets, Queen Anne Chocolates disappeared in 1976.
The brand was re-launched in the late 1990s by Sarah Adams (granddaughter of Ernest) using the original recipes. Sadly, our tasting shows they've not kept up with the competition - nor with modern tastes in chocolate.
Tasting results
Guide to the table
- Our tasting was conducted at Consumer NZ.
- Price is what we paid in March 2008.
- Products are listed alphabetically within ratings.
We recommend
Duc d'O Fine Assorted Belgium Chocolates 250g
Lindt Swiss Tradition 140g
These chocolates were the best in our tasting - but chocolate makers in your area may also produce great chocolates.
Buying and storing tips
- Instead of buying a big box of assorted chocolates from the supermarket, consider selecting a few top-quality hand-made chocolates from a local boutique chocolate maker. You'll pay more, but you'll also be offered a wider choice of flavours and you can pick a selection of favourites.
- When buying individual chocolates choose ones with a smooth glossy surface, free from air bubbles and other imperfections. Avoid anything that looks grainy, waxy, or greasy.
- Keep chocolate in a sealed container away from other strong-smelling foods. The perfect environment for chocolate is cool and dark, 15-18°C and 55-60 percent humidity. Exposure to higher temperatures may result in a whitish bloom on the surface of the chocolate. It won't affect the taste; it just spoils the appearance of the chocolate.
Moulded or enrobed?
An enrobed chocolate is created by covering the centre of a chocolate, such as a nut or dried fruit, with an outer layer of chocolate. This can be done by dipping the centre in melted chocolate or by pouring melted chocolate over it.
Moulded chocolates are made using a mould to create a chocolate shell (pictured). Once the shell is set, the filling - often a flowing fruit, liquor or caramel - is added and then sealed with a layer of melted chocolate.
Report by Libby Manley