finally, some decent chocolate. i don't mean to get down on all of the crappy chocolate companies out there, but come on. there really is nothing i don't like about these little morsels; the packaging is fresh (as in innovative, not overly forward), they're pretty inexpensive for the amount of candy you get, and they're delicious to boot. oddly enough i obtained these at the asian market, although they are clearly produced in europe. inside the octagonal package the pieces are stacked and sheathed in a foil tube. each candy is a little larger than a quarter and about an 1/8" thick, half milk chocolate and half bittersweet chocolate. the chocolate itself is smooth and creamy, and the two types blend together effortlessly to create a milky-but-not-too-sweet concoction. i also tried each half separately - because i had to - and they both stand alone equally well. while generally i prefer a bittersweet or dark chocolate over the milk variety, this is quality chocolate without the milky aftertaste, chalky texture or sour flavor we've all come to expect in milk chocolate. Droste does offer these pastilles in a variety of flavors, though i've only tried these and the orange ones (also delicious). this is some quality chocolate folks, check out their site to see how they produce their chocolate. mm...mm...informative!
here in the states we have grown accustomed to the sweet licorice flavor that abounds in such candies as licorice pastilles and twists, but over in europe (especially scandinavia/germany) they enjoy a much more intense salty licorice. i found these at sunrise asian market, where they have a surprisingly large amount of european candy (mostly from holland). i love sweet licorice, and i have to admit that i did not know what i was in for when i purchased these; they are very strong, salty and a tad sour. kind of like sour milk, not sour lemons. it's definitely something that i would have to get used to, but i do enjoy them. they are chewy, but more like Jujubes than taffy. this is not for the faint-of-heart licorice fan.
right now i have to admit something that is slightly embarrassing, which is that i did not realize these were hard candies until i opened one. i guess i thought they would be a hard taffy, maybe like a Bit-O-Honey or Now & Later. but they are a hard candy, kind of coffee and chocolate flavored, a little more coffee than chocolate. they're actually not bad, as far as hard candies go. then again, i'm not much for hard candy as i am under the age of 65. alright i'm just kidding (yes, old people love hard candy). the flavor is pretty nice although it may be a bit much for a candy that's going to be sitting in your mouth for awhile. that is assuming you don't go crunching into it (that's bad for your teeth, don't do it).
rating: 4
finally, some decent chocolate. i don't mean to get down on all of the crappy chocolate companies out there, but come on. there really is nothing i don't like about these little morsels; the packaging is fresh (as in innovative, not overly forward), they're pretty inexpensive for the amount of candy you get, and they're delicious to boot. oddly enough i obtained these at the asian market, although they are clearly produced in europe. inside the octagonal package the pieces are stacked and sheathed in a foil tube. each candy is a little larger than a quarter and about an 1/8" thick, half milk chocolate and half bittersweet chocolate. the chocolate itself is smooth and creamy, and the two types blend together effortlessly to create a milky-but-not-too-sweet concoction. i also tried each half separately - because i had to - and they both stand alone equally well. while generally i prefer a bittersweet or dark chocolate over the milk variety, this is quality chocolate without the milky aftertaste, chalky texture or sour flavor we've all come to expect in milk chocolate. Droste does offer these pastilles in a variety of flavors, though i've only tried these and the orange ones (also delicious). this is some quality chocolate folks, check out their site to see how they produce their chocolate. mm...mm...informative!
