Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Ritter Darks

Ritter Sport is going over to the dark side.

I picked up three new bars (or newish) while at the All Candy Expo and I have to say that they’re exceptionally good.

First, I found out that Ritter is the #2 imported chocolate brand in the United States. Who knew?

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Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts - this bar is studded generously with hazelnuts. Not quite as many as the wrapper implies, but I’ll tell you there are plenty in there. The dark chocolate is a semisweet with good floral notes and a slightly smoky bite to it. A little dry, it highlights the nuts really well. Not at all sticky or cloying like the milk chocolate can be, this bar is incredibly munchable. Of the three that I brought back, this one was gone first.

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Amargo Extrafino - Fine Extra Dark Chocolate - 71% Cocoa - this was a gorgeous bar (and featured in that page in the National Post, if I might gush). The scent is intoxicatingly rich. Smoke, tobacco, tea and dark berries all waft from its dark scored squares. It’s pretty quick to melt for such a dense bar and it’s very smooth. The berry and cherry notes are quite evident as well as a sharp immediate bitter/acidic bite that mellows quickly to its more roasted and alcoholic notes of cognac. For an inexpensive high cacao bar, this one is very good. Complex but still edible. It goes great with something with a salty/crunchy bite like dry roasted & salted almonds or pretzels.

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Feinherb a la Mousse au Chocolat - the same dark chocolate that’s found in the hazelnut bar is in this one, except this has a softer filling inside the squares. Not a fluffy mousse, more like a firm, creamier center like a Frango. It’s nice, but after the intense, complex darkness of the 71%, this one tasted very sweet (and I tried it on a completely different day than the 71% day).

After the other not-so-tasty things I was eating earlier this week, the Ritter Sport dark bars were quite a treat. I can recommend all of the, but if you’re a dark fan and can find these inexpensively (less than $3), it’s quite a deal for chocolate of this quality (no wonder they’re #2).

Name: Feinherb, Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts & Fine Extra Dark Chocolate
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Ritter Sport
Place Purchased: All Candy Expo samples
Price: ~$2.50 each
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: unknown
Categories: Chocolate, Nuts, Germany, Ritter

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:30 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I just saw the Ritter Dark Chocolate Bar with Hazelnuts at Ralphs yesterday and almost bought it.  Now I know I have to try it.  (You must try the Villars Hazelnut bar.  I know it’s milk chocolate, but I’m curious as to your opinion.  I love it).  I haven’t seen any of the other cool flavors of Ritter anywhere locally, just the regular ones.  I’ve never tried any Ritter, so I guess I’ll have to give in.  Thanks to you, yesterday, though, I did buy York Peppermint choclate dipped cookies.  You’re right.  Way better than the Girl Scout Thin Mints, which are anemic by comparison.  I also bought the jelly belly cinnamon bears (AMAZING) and pastel mints (pretty good) along with a big pack of the Hershey’s Nuggets (Toffee and Almond).  I’m not as big a hershey fan as you, but I love these partic. nuggets.  (Maybe it’s time for a review?)  Hey, you’re like totally ruining my diet, dude!

    I’m now candy obsessed and spent @ half an hour at Longs and Ralphs looking at candy.  Argh.  And now I feel I have to go check out Mel and Rose, ‘cause I’ve never been there.  Agghhhhh.  What have you done to me???

    Comment by Karen on 6/28/06 at 7:12 am #
  2. Love that Ritter Dark with Hazelnuts!  Actually, I’ve found that I enjoy all of the Ritter Sports, the cornflake being the most interesting.  Good chocolate, relatively cheap, and becoming easier to find since I’ve seen them recently at 7-11.

    Comment by Julilla on 6/28/06 at 7:27 am #
  3. i know you hate it, but i loooove the ritter jogurt (or however they spell it) flavor. yum. smile

    Comment by Pam on 6/28/06 at 7:39 am #
  4. Ritter used to be rife around where I live, then they just dissapeared, all but the Milk chocolate w/ Hazelnuts from the shevles of my local shop.

    I intend to buy as many as possible, but Marzipan is my favourite up to now. Although, if I remember rightly, there’s a Rum variant, Rum being one of my favourite liqours/flavours especially of course, with raisins.

    Comment by GTO on 6/28/06 at 8:17 am #
  5. Love the dark with hazelnuts.  That’s good stuff. We also have the cornflakes one to try but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

    Comment by g on 6/28/06 at 8:54 am #
  6. No Ritter Sport can ever be as lovely as the Chocolate Creme, but the Feinherb a la Mousse au Chocolat sounds good…

    Comment by Tara on 6/28/06 at 9:53 am #
  7. After reading your review about the Rum, Raisin and Hazelnut, I was giddy to find it locally.  All I can say is: YUM-MY!!!

    That is addictive stuff!

    Comment by April on 6/28/06 at 12:04 pm #
  8. ooh, I just saw the dark chocolate with hazelnut yesterday!  I should have bought one!  Will have to get one now. smile

    Comment by Kat on 6/28/06 at 1:39 pm #
  9. We have a hard time finding Ritter in Baltimore, odd that it is so imported! Where is it hiding??

    Comment by rachel on 6/28/06 at 1:47 pm #
  10. Any background on why they call them “sport”? I never paid attention to them because I expected them to be like Cliff Bars, but now I’ll have to try them.

    There are a lot of interesting chocolate bars turning up in our local grocery stores lately. Gelson’s started carrying a brand called Chuao, and their Spicy Maya bar (cinnamon and red pepper) was reallly tasty. I also saw bars at Ralph’s with Malibu Coconut Rum and Kahlua labels. They could be really good or terrible, and I haven’t worked up the nerve to find out which.

    Comment by Sarah on 6/28/06 at 5:11 pm #
  11. Cybele's avatar

    Karen - how was the price on the hazelnut bar at Ralphs? I’m sure it’d be cheaper there than at Mel & Rose ... of course M&R may have the Villars!

    Julilla - they should make a dark chocolate corn flake one!

    GTO - make a request (it can never hurt)!

    Tara - I haven’t tried the creme (they have so many varieties!).

    April - I found out they have two versions, one with real alcohol in it (I prefer) and one that’s just “rum flavored”. Apparently some states don’t let them sell the one with rum in it because it’s too much alcohol.

    Kat - wow, it sounds like it’s everywhere!

    Rachel - it doesn’t look like you have any Cost Plus World Market that close to you. That’s the only place I always know I can find them.

    Sarah - their website says that they made it square so that it wouldn’t get broken when you put it in the pocket of your “Sport” coat.

    Comment by Cybele on 6/28/06 at 6:05 pm #
  12. I’ll try to remember to check the price next time I’m at Ralphs.  Which should be soon since I probably spend half my time grocery shopping.

    Comment by Karen on 6/28/06 at 7:03 pm #
  13. Just checked the wrapper of my Rum bar - this one is the real deal!  Yeah Florida!

    Comment by April on 6/29/06 at 9:15 am #
  14. I just tried the Ritter Dark with Whole Hazelnuts.  First time I’ve had a Ritter.  MY, it was good!! I’ve already eaten half the bar.  I guess self control is not one of my strengths.  At least not around chocolate.

    FYI found it for $1.49 at Trader Joes.  I don’t know how it’s running elsewhere.

    Comment by Karen on 7/02/06 at 1:04 pm #
  15. i just one of these at trader joe’s and picked it up because of the good review from -candy blog-.  i read the “nutrition facts” on the back of the package while waiting to check out:  that thing was 3 servings at 200 calories each!!!  i know if i brought it home i’d have eaten the whole thing all at once.  i always thought the “sport” in the title referred to putting one of these in your backback for an all-day hike in the alps. 

    i put the chocolate back on the shelf….not going hiking in the alps anytime soon.  *** !!!***

    Comment by claudine on 7/03/06 at 4:21 pm #
  16. About the rum Rittersport~~We were stationed in Germany in the early 90’s and they sold one that had LIQUID rum centers—like the chocolate covered cherry centers without the cherry. We had to keep it away from the kids—they liked to eat the whole thing and get drunk. I’ve only seen the same thing at a small import shop here and they sell it only to adults. Worth it though, any of them are addictive.

    Comment by KatB on 7/12/06 at 9:47 am #
  17. My fave has always been praline. My grandma was German and always insisted on buying this from the German deli in Phoenix. Unfortunately, I moved to Ohio, and no-one had them out here

    So, guess what? I managed to get kroger’s to put Ritter Sport on their special order website! Now i can get these guys whenever I want by ordering them online! smile

    Comment by Angela on 6/21/07 at 10:24 am #
  18. i used to pick up these Ritter Sport bars at my local grocery store chain.  I lived in a very internationally-oriented part of town so they usually had a good stock of imported items.  I’ve also seen them at Whole Foods and at World Market? (its sort of like a Pier One).  For the money, i’d say their dark chocolate bar is probably the best dark chocolate i’ve ever had.  It comes in a brownish/reddish type of wrapper. yum

    Comment by Jerome on 4/11/08 at 8:40 pm #
  19. Try it

    Comment by rick loiacono on 7/19/08 at 1:38 am #
  20. I so love ur blog its not funny.I m getting my Amargo ExtraFino later this week. (*giggling like a lil girl) Ohhh mann…cant wait 2 do some with a nice cup of tea (*sighhh heavven) I did loads of R&Rs;in my time…cheaper in Singapore. They cost a bomb here in Malaysia :(

    Comment by thomas on 9/13/08 at 6:10 pm #
  21. The Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Hazelnuts is one of my favorite chocolate bars. may be my favorite. I completely agree with the rating!

    Comment by Shelley on 9/19/08 at 8:13 am #
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