Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Cocoa Deli Chocolate Heaven

Cocoa DeliOne of the items that I’ve gotten several notes with recommendations to review is the new line called Cocoa Deli out of the United Kingdom. One of the things that I think some folks will find exciting about these little upscale treats is that they’re made in a “no nuts” facility. It’s pretty unusual to find anything other than a plain chocolate bar that can claim that.

The unique selling proposition with the Cocoa Deli Chocolate Heaven collection is that they look like little ice cream pops.

It took me a few months to track down a place that sells them, it turned out to be Walgreen’s. But I really lucked out because this variety package with all four varieties in little tins turned out to be half off. So the original price was $6.99 for 5.1 ounces and I got it for $3.50.

Cocoa DeliI’ve heard that the variety in the little tubs that they sell year round can vary, but in this case each flavor came in its own color-coded tin with a clear lid. They’re really cute and useful tins that have no actual branding on them, so I could probably re-gift them with other little sweets in them if I felt like it.

While the package says that each tin is “filled with indulgent mini popsicle shaped chocolates” there were three inside each package.

Each chocolate is individually wrapped and clearly marked with the flavor. Each package boasts that the chocolate comes from Belgium and in smaller print on the back of the box it says that the whole thing was packaged in China. So, let’s see ... the cocoa beans are grown in the tropics, shipped to Belgium where it’s made into chocolate, which is then shipped to England where it’s made into the little candies, which are then shipped to China to be put into tins and boxes and then shipped to the United States. No wonder they want $7 for twelve little chocolates (about $22 a pound at regular price).

The little nuggets look like tiny popsicles, though in this version there’s no wooden stick (they do other confections on sticks that are a bit larger ... this one is all edible).

Cocoa Deli - Vanilla CaramelThe first flavor, Vanilla Caramel was a lovely little piece. The milk chocolate (30%) is very sweet but seems to be offset very well by the caramel filling. It’s a saucy caramel that feels more like it’s about the texture, which is smooth with only the slightest hint of grain. There’s not much of a burnt sugar flavor but a nice saltiness that keeps the whole thing from being cloyingly sticky.

Citrus Chocolate smelled very orangy right out of the package. The milk chocolate is quite smooth, though also very sweet and a little sticky feeling. It’s a pretty dense milk chocolate, boasting 30% cacao content. But in this case it’s all about the orange flavor. The orange center is a soft, truffle-like thing, though not quite as buttery. The orange notes are all zest and quite strong. It reminded me of what a Terry’s Chocolate Orange should taste like (instead of being grainy and too sweet).

Cocoa Deli - Raspberry TruffleRasberry Truffle is the only dark chocolate piece in the set. Wow, the center of this was a pretty intense fuschia, but the ingredients only list dried rasperries as an ingredient, so that’s all natural. The raspberry scent is nice, floral and little grassy. The creaminess of the center is interrupted by the actual bits of raspberry. For the most part it’s little tangy bits surrounding seeds. The flavor is nice, but I’m not terribly keen on seeds like this in my chocolate. The dark chocolate is sweet, not terribly complex but stands up well to the berry.

When I got to the Peppermint Crunch Truffle, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a milk chocolate truffle center or a white cream. It ended up being the milky former, which was a nice surprise. The crunch part, as you might imagine, is crushed candy pieces (not polenta or nonpariels). I was glad these were not only individually wrapped but also in their own tins, as this one smelled strongly of mint before even opening the wrapper. It’s nice to avoid that cross-contamination of strong flavors. It was pleasant, super creamy smooth with a light and cool touch of peppermint. The crispy crunch of the bitty mint bits brought some nice texture to it.

I’m curious to try some of their other items in their line but there’s nothing in particular that sets these apart from other comparably priced chocolates (See’s, for one) except for the no nuts part. For someone looking for some help with portion control, each piece has 60 calories (so one of these single-flavor tins has only 180 ... less than most candy bars). As a Valentine’s treat purchased at the drug store, it’s certainly far better than most of the other choices (I’d much rather have these than the Dove Jewels, but at regular price these cost twice as much).  The packaging is cute and I’m glad I have a few tins to put other candies in later on for snacking. I’m just glad I didn’t pay full price for them.

Related Candies

  1. Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels
  2. Russell Stover Heart
  3. Elmer’s Chocolate
  4. Ferrero Rocher
  5. The Rocas
Name: Chocolate Heaven
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Cocoa Deli
Place Purchased: Walgreen's (Echo Park)
Price: $3.50 (on sale)
Size: 5.1 ounces
Calories per ounce: 141
Categories: Chocolate, Caramel, Mint, United Kingdom

POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:09 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Thanks for reviewing this. I just bought this by accident a week ago.
    My favorite was the Vanilla Caramel.

    I love your blog, keep up the good work!!

    Comment by Maytal on 1/16/08 at 8:39 pm #
  2. I’ve seen this brand at Walgreens, but I’ve been on the fence about trying it.

    Comment by Alicia on 1/17/08 at 3:51 am #
  3. The two you photographed look so wonderful I going to have to hunt these down for sure!

    Comment by Carrie on 1/23/08 at 7:07 am #
  4. My teacher gave me two bars from this company and I immediately fell in love!  I’m having the Mixed Berry Crunch White Chocolate Lolly Truffle, and I adore the the contrast between sweet, white chocolate and sour truffle berry.  I look forward to going back to the states and hitting Walgreens.

    Comment by Olivia on 3/25/08 at 7:52 pm #
  5. Do you know where I can find these?? Walgreens does not seem to be carrying them anymore. I called Corporate and that was the answer I got.

    Please help!!!

    Comment by Denise on 5/28/09 at 8:10 am #
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