Lindt Excellence: 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark
Lindt Excellence: Intense Orange
Lindt Excellence: Intense Mint
The latest treat to cross my desk was a package of chocolate bars from Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Sprüngli, who have been doing this since 1845. The line is billed as “Lindt Excellence” and comes packaged in elegant slim boxes. But enough of that — what does it taste like?
The 90% Cocoa Supreme Dark is potent stuff. The scent is misleadingly light, a little earthy. The texture is brittle, very firm in the mouth, and the taste is dark — dark of the moon dark — with hints of blackberries, an elusive tartness (blueberries?), and somewhat dry. The flavor develops more richness over time, and the aftertaste is slightly herbal. This one needs to be eaten alone, or perhaps with espresso — otherwise, the bitterness will overpower everything else.
Intense Orange claims only 47% cocoa, and quite frankly, any more would be a waste. This is an example of truth in advertising: the flavor is overwhelmingly of orange, somewhat sweet, and blended so thoroughly with the chocolate that there’s no telling where one ends and the other begins. There’s no room in this one for grace notes. The texture is somewhat soft, give or take the bits of crunch from almond pieces in the bar. The scent is unobtrusive, strangely enough.
The Intense Mint is just like the Intense Orange — just substitute peppermint for orange, and skip the nuts. The scent, not unexpectedly, is of mint, and the bar is candy-cane sweet. Surprisingly, the texture is quite firm, almost hard.
All in all, an interesting group from one of the best-known Swiss firms, but a little too much of everything in my book.
