Hotel Chocolat - Serious Dark Fix Collection - Sept. 23, 2023

Chocolate of the Day

Hotel Chocolat
Serious Dark Fix "H-Box" Collection (assortment box)
Good + - Good ++ (varied with piece)
Weight: 3.53 oz. (100 g.) / 5.46 oz. (155 g.) in total box of 14 pieces
Calories: 583 calories in 100 g. serving (tastes of all flavors)
Cost: 18.50 Euros / ($18.50 (estimate) USD) for 1 box
Purchased from: The Loop (shop), Dublin Airport (Collinstown, Ireland)

Welcome to Day #7 of Chocolate and Ireland Theme Week.

Today's Serious Dark Fix "H-Box" collection was from Hotel Chocolat (London). In 2017, the company opened its first shop in Dublin, Ireland.

This assortment included: Gin, Dark Rum, Praline 80%, Dizzy Praline 70%, Chilli, Honduras Pistachio Praline, Colombia Almond Praline, 70% Dark Macaron, Simple Dark, Hazelnut and Ginger, 70% Dark Baton, and Gianduja Bombe.

Below are some brief notes on this dark chocolate collection:

• Gin - boozy, bright citrus and authentic juniper, botanical and light floral notes
• Dark Rum - dark chocolate with authentically boozy, dark rum notes
• Dizzy Praline 70% - dark chocolate filled with a thick, creamy, lightly nutty center
• Chilli - very smooth with a slow burn that kicks in gradually
• Honduras Pistachio Praline - flavorful single origin dark exterior, filled with a nutty, slightly caramelized filling.
• Colombia Almond Praline - Smooth, flavorful dark chocolate with a soft, nutty (finely chopped almond) center
• Hazelnut and Ginger - authentic hazelnut and ginger (crunchy whole nuts, spicy sweet ginger pieces, dark chocolate)
• Dark Chocolate Baton - Sweet, smooth, dark, chocolate-y
• Gianduja Bombe - (round) dark chocolate + gianduja (hazelnut) paste - fully incorporated/blended in a rich, delicious thick center

My three favorites were: Gin, Hazelnut and Ginger, and Gianduja Bombe. The English and Irish know how to do chocolates infused with Gin and other spirits.

And yes, I could tell the difference(s) when single origin chocolates were used. These chocolates were a bit more flavorful. The Honduras chocolate was a bit more "dark"/intense with balanced earth notes. The Colombian cacao-based chocolate was smoother--with a bit more flavor range than the standard dark couverture/blends.

Ingredients: Cocoa solids (cocoa mass, cocoa butter), sugar, HAZELNUT paste, sweetened hazelnut paste (HAZELNUTS, sugar, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin)), butter oil (from MILK), full cream MILK powder, roasted HAZELNUTS, stabilisers (sorbitol, gycerol), ALMOND NUTS paste, glucose syrup, ginger pieces (dextrose, ginger, glucose syrup, sugar), pistachio nuts paste (PISTACHIO NUTS, rapeseed oil), rum, whipping cream (cream from MILK), stabiliser (carageenan)), skimmed MILK powder, vegetable fats (coconut, shea, sunflower), nibbed HAZELNUTS, gin, emulsifiers (SOYA lecithin, sunflower lecithin), cream (from MILK), dextrose, cocoa powder, flavourings, concentrated whey (from MILK), neutral alcohol, lactose (from MILK), natural colours (beetroot, annatto, carotene), MILK protein, Habanero chili powder. Dark chocolate contains minimum 70% cocoa solids. 

Allergen-related information: "For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in BOLD. All chocolates in this box may contain tree nuts, peanuts, milk, soya, gluten, wheat, egg, sesame. Suitable for vegetarians. Contains alcohol. No artificial flavours. Caution: Although every care has been taken to remove nut shells, some may still remain."

Hotel Chocolat - Black Cat Martini - Oct. 26, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
"Black Cat Martini"
Good+ - Good++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15 U.S.)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week.

The "Black Cat Martini" chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (UK) was infused with blackcurrant and "liquorice" and had a fairly strong vodka kick. The flavors were authentic and layered, revealing themselves one at a time, which made this filled Halloween cocktail chocolate more intriguing and fun.

Today's Black Cat Martini was the last (of four) different seasonal cocktail chocolates from a Hotel Chocolat "Choose Your Poison" 16-piece assortment box.

Hotel Chocolat - Corpse Reviver - Oct. 25, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
"Corpse Reviver"
Good++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Enter Day #3 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week, if you dare.

Today's Halloween cocktail-inspired "Corpse Reviver" chocolates from Hotel Chocolat (UK) were part of a "Choose Your Poison" 16-piece assortment box.

These ivory-colored chocolates contained hints of "gin, triple sec, vermouth and blood orange." Inside each Corpse Reviver was a flavorful gin and citrus-infused, white chocolate ganache center.

These creamy fillings were covered in white chocolate and topped with daubs of orange and brown seasonal color—with just enough dark brown to count as a "real"* chocolate.

If you like boozy chocolates, you'd love this whole assortment box, with 4 different chocolate cocktails. I'm going to be sorry after tomorrow when they're gone.

*Cocoa beans are approximately half fat (cocoa butter) and half dark cocoa mass (aka solids or liquor). I normally do not count 100% white chocolates as a chocolate of the day, unless there is some cocoa liquor/solids present—the part that makes chocolate brown. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Hotel Chocolat - Green Fairy - Oct. 24, 2015

Chocolate of the Day: 

Hotel Chocolat
Green Fairy
Very Good
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approx. $15.00 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK, online order

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktails Theme Week.

For many years absinthe, an often green concoction of herbs and alcohol, was illegal, primarily due to concerns about one ingredient. Wormwood (or the thejune in wormwood) could cause hallucinations* and other ill effects. Absinthe was also known as the green fairy.

Today's Green Fairy chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (UK) was part of a Halloween cocktail assortment I'm enjoying this week. This dome-shaped filled chocolate, topped with a swirl of yellow and green, contained "a shot of absinthe softened in milk," referring to a creamy milk chocolate, absinthe infused center.

Anise, a key ingredients in absinthe, gave the chocolate a faint hint of licorice. I've never met a green fairy, but I bet she'd like these chocolates.

*The surreal illustration at the right (under four Green Fairy chocolates) is titled "In and Out – Number 5," by digital artist, Earl Einhorn. This artist's work seemed the perfect companion for these chocolates with absinthe. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

Hotel Chocolat - Zombie - Oct. 23, 2015

Chocolate of the Day:

Hotel Chocolat
Zombie
Good ++
Weight: 1.015 oz. (28.7 g.) / 4.06 oz. (115 g.) in total box of 16 pieces
Calories: 152 calories (estimate) in 4 pieces
Cost: 10 British Pounds (approximately $15 US)
Purchased from: Hotel Chocolat, UK (online order)

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Halloween Cocktail Theme Week.

I admit it, we're devolving into less and less serious territory by the week here in October. But, it's Halloween.

I ordered a box of "Choose Your Poison" Halloween cocktails with a shot of liquor, from Hotel Chocolat (UK). This spooky assortment of chocolate cocktails included the Black Cat Martini, Corpse Reviver, Green Fairy and the Zombie.

What do I love about this company? Their creative and original chocolates, classy packaging—and the thought that I might one day visit their hotel and plantation on the island of St. Lucia.

Today I had all 4 Zombie* chocolates. And they did indeed taste like tiny boozy zombies—if zombies had creamy centers and were covered in chocolate. Fortunately, I wasn't planning to drive anywhere this morning.

*Hotel Chocolat describes their Zombie chocolates as having "a glug of white rum with orange and passion fruit. 

The content and images on this post belong to ChocolateBanquet.com.

ChocolateBet: April 2, 2011

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 eggs
Hotel Chocolat
1.) Vanilla and Orange Liqueur egg - Very Good +
2.) Rum and Caramel egg - Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) (estimate for 2 eggs)
Calories: 224 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - sample box

Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, London

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate Egg Appreciation Theme Week. Chocolate eggs are a great way to celebrate Easter, Spring, or any other occasion.

Today's two chocolates: the filled dark chocolate Vanilla and Orange Liqueur egg and milk chocolate Rum and Caramel egg were a delicious end to Hotel Chocolat's creative, and elegantly packaged, "Your Eggsellency" collection.

All that's leftover: the thick, rich dark and milk chocolate egg half shells that surrounded the collection of five different truffle eggs. And those shells will be put to good use. For more examples of chocolate eggs from Hotel Chocolat, click here.

Happy Spring to all.

ChocolateBet: April 1, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs
Hotel Chocolat
Marc de Champagne and Strawberry (eggs)
Very Good + - Yum
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) (estimate for 2 eggs)
Calories: 224 calories (estimate)
Cost:  N/A - sample box
Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, London

We don't spend all our time here at Chocolate Banquet balancing chocolates on champagne bottles; but every once in awhile it's great to feel so giddy in-love with chocolates, or the rich life that chocolates make us feel a part of, that we just have to celebrate. So it was today, April Fool's Day. We made chocolate fools of ourselves, making champagne cocktails (and virgin versions), and enjoying Hotel Chocolat's very fine Marc de Champagne and Strawberry filled egg piece. It was, as the label stated: "An extremely distinguished egg."

Note: This egg was part of Hotel Chocolat's 2011 collection of eggs -- one of five, inside thick (milk and dark) chocolate half shells. I recommend soaking pieces of the larger chocolate egg half-shell in a little champagne as well. It's like dunking doughnuts in coffee, only better. 

ChocolateBet: March 31, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
2 eggs
Hotel Chocolat
Amaretto
Very Good - Very Good+
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.4 g.) (estimate for 2 eggs)
Calories: 224 calories (estimate) in 2 eggs
Cost: N/A - sample box
Purchased from: N/A - sample; from Hotel Chocolat, London

Today's breakfast menu: two eggs, a banana and a glass of water. Oh, did I mention these were Spring/Easter eggs freshly harvested from a chocolate nest? Milk chocolate shells filled with an Amaretto-flavored truffle cream filling, to be precise.

Hotel Chocolat's Amaretto egg was very satisfying. While the liqueur taste was very pleasing with the chocolate, I'm not sure I could have guessed it was Amaretto. But, to amp up the almond flavor would have meant tampering with simplicity. And, a few high quality ingredients, kept simple, is a formula that seems to work best for most fine edibles.

ChocolateBet: March 30, 2011

Chocolate of the Day:
1 egg
Hotel Chocolat
Apricot Brandy
Very Good + - Yum
Weight: .75 oz. (21.2 g.) (estimate for 1 egg)
Calories: 112 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - sample

Purchased from: N/A - sample - from Hotel Chocolat

Mention Spring and Easter, and the conversation quickly turns to chocolate chicks, bunnies and eggs here at Chocolate Banquet. The next few days we'll be celebrating the "Your Eggsellency" collection from  Hotel Chocolat (London). On today's menu for brunch: Apricot Brandy, a white chocolate egg with a few yolk-colored decorative dribbles, with an apricot brandy flavored chocolate truffle cream center. Heavenly.

This Apricot Brandy egg was packaged (with four other different eggs) inside a large chocolate half-egg-shell. Two sets of these five eggs were included in one box: one set nestled in a 70% dark chocolate shell, and one set in a 40% milk chocolate shell.

ChocolateBet: December 5, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Hotel Chocolat
Caramel Chocolate (Christmas tree in coconut snow)
Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14 g.) (estimate)
Calories: 75 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - evaluation sample
Purchased from: N/A - evaluation sample from Hotel Chocolat

It was a dark and stormy night. But, up ahead, a majestic evergreen tree stood in the snow. The tree was made of chocolate, and the snow that swirled all around it was made of coconut. Well, if you live in California and you're looking for a white Christmas, sometimes you have to use your imagination.

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Coconut Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: November 19, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Hotel Chocolat LTD
Gingerbread Truffle
Very Good - Very Good +
Weight: .41 oz. (11.6 g.)/ 12.36 oz. (350 g.) total box of 30 pieces
Calories: 61.5 calories (estimate)
Cost: N/A - evaluation sample
Purchased from: N/A - From Hotel Chocolat LTD, London, England

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Gingerbread Theme Week.  Each chocolatier or chocolate maker this week has successfully put their own unique spin on their gingerbread-inspired chocolates. Chocolate and Gingerbread entries this week (will) include: gingerbread truffles, bars, toffees, hot cocoa, and cookies.

The Hotel Chocolat  Gingerbread Truffle, from the company's Sleekster Classic Christmas collection, had a sweet gingerbread center that reminded me of being a young child in the kitchen, getting a lick of gingerbread batter. Wonderful.

ChocolateBet: November 6, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
3 small slices
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
Yule Log - Dark and Fruity
Very Good
Weight:  2 oz. (56.6 g.)/ 5.3 oz. (150 g.) total yule log/package
Calories: 300 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, based in London, England

Today was Day #1 of Chocolate and Cherry Theme Week.*

The cherries, in this case, were bits of morello cherries embedded (along with pieces of orange and cranberry) in a gianduja praline chocolate Yule Log. Phew, that was a mouthful -- but a tasty one.  Judicious carving of this chocolate yule log should yield enough slices for a medium-sized family.

*Note: This is the third Chocolate and Cherries Theme Week we've run on Chocolate Banquet, and the second one this year -- proof that there are a lot of interesting cherry-related possibilities out there in chocolate-land.

ChocolateBet: November 5, 2010

My Kind of Dilemma

Chocolate(s) of the Day
3 pieces
Hotel Chocolat, Ltd.
The Sleekster - Classic Christmas Collection
1.) Cinnamon Praline - Very Good (left, front)
2.) Red Berry Mousse - Very Good (right, front)
3.) Cranberry and Apple - Very Good (center, back)

Weight: 1.23 oz. (34.8 g.) (estimate)/ 12.36 oz. (350 g.) total box of 30 pieces
Calories: 184 calories (estimate) for 3 pieces
Cost: $N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, based in London, England

I decided to add an eighth day to Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week today -- so that I could eat three more chocolates from this Hotel Chocolat Christmas collection.

It was difficult to choose which ones; however, if this is the toughest choice I have to make all week, I can handle that.

The milk chocolate Cinnamon Praline (bun-shaped, decorated with red) had a hazelnut praline filling, flavored with cinnamon. I loved that I could actually taste the cinnamon. The Red Berry Mousse had a light, airy -- and, as advertised -- mousse-like center flavored with raspberries and strawberries. And, last but not least, was the dark chocolate Cranberry and Apple. This piece was described as having a "frisky cranberry compote, whose tart flavours are balanced by a creamy apple ganache." I can't argue with that. I thought there was just the right amount of tartness and natural-tasting cranberry and apple in this one; and I liked that it wasn't overly sweet.

ChocolateBet: November 4, 2010

Rum Ingot, Florentine Dream

Chocolate(s) of the Day:
2 pieces + 1 micro-bite
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
1.) Rum Ingot - Very Good +
2.) Florentine Dream - Very Good - Very Good +
3.) The Festive Wreath - Caramel, Cookies, Milk Chocolate - Very Good
Calories: 130 calories (for all three)
Cost: $NA - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, London, England

I enjoyed setting up a new computer this week. Monitor -- check; keyboard -- check; mouse: check; chocolate power source (in the form of a Rum Ingot and a Florentine Dream) -- double check.

Chocolate is a good power source. The Rum Ingot was flavored with rum from Saint Lucia, blended into a dark ganache. The Florentine Dream had a praline filling, and was topped with honey and almond florentine -- creating a texture blend with just the right amount of smoothness and crunch.

Also sampled today: "The Festive Wreath." All three chocolates came from London-based Hotel Chocolat  -- I may not be able to travel to England this month, but having these samples to evaluate for the Christmas Holidays is surely the next best thing.

Today was Day #7 of Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: November 3, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
"Dark Chocolate with Chilli" Penguin
Very Good
Weight: .41 oz. (11.6 g.) (estimate) /12.36 oz. (350 g.) total package of 30 pieces
Calories: 59 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - from Hotel Chocolat, London, England

It's getting chillier out there. And, when the skies start turning gray, there's nothing like a good dark chocolate penguin with chili powder to warm you up. What? You've never heard of such a thing? Then I refer you to Hotel Chocolat's Classic Christmas Collection. This dark chocolate penguin, from the company's 30-piece Sleekster Christmas assortment box, is one of many pieces geared toward the winter holiday season. And, if the penguin doesn't manage to warm you up, you might try the Rum Ingot or the Florentine Dream (to be reviewed later this week).

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week.

ChocolateBet: November 2, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

4 pieces
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
Tiddly Reindeers
Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.)/ 3 oz. (85 g.) total package of 8 reindeers
Calories: 225 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - Hotel Chocolate is based in London, England

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week.

A tiny sled box with 8 tiny (Tiddly) 70% dark chocolate reindeer from Hotel Chocolat (London, England) landed on my plate today. Unfortunately for them, only 4 survived the encounter.

Not to get too gruesome, but bites of the first reindeer produced quite a hard snap. I suspect in cold winter mornings (when chocolate is firmest) this snap may produce a mild ringing of sleigh bells in your head, but by the time I'd eaten the last one of the four unfortunates in the afternoon, the warmer weather had softened the snap a bit.

Examples of 1.) Well-fed, friendly 70% dark reindeer and 2.) Reindeer dreading what comes next as a hand reaches out, at right.

ChocolateBet: November 1, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
Purist - 50% Island Growers - Saint Lucia (bar)
Very Good +
Weight: 1.3 oz. (36.8 g.) / 2.5 oz. (70 g.) total bar
Calories: 190 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - samples sent to evaluate
Purchased from: N/A - Hotel Chocolate, Ltd., London, England

Today is the first day of November, and Day #4 of Chocolate and Christmas-Is-Coming Theme Week.

Nestled among the Christmas holiday items I received from Hotel Chocolat was a Purist (rare and vintage) bar. This 50 percent 'dash of milk' offering (from Saint Lucia) was very good. Its unique wavy shape, with rounded corners results in a unique look and feel. Open the bar's packaging and you will find the story (with photos) that accompanies the bar.

And, if you are very fortunate, you'll be able to visit Hotel Chocolat's  new plantation style resort on Saint Lucia, West Indies, opening this coming month. It looks pretty fabulous.

ChocolateBet: October 31, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
Day #3 - Orange Liqueur Caramel truffles
Very Good
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces / 10.6 oz. (300 g.) total package of 48 pieces
Calories: 66 calories for 2 pieces
Cost: N/A - samples provided for evaluation
Purchased from: N/A - Hotel Chocolat Ltd., London, England, U.K.

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week, and I enjoyed two Orange Liqueur Caramel truffles from Hotel Chocolat's (Truffles to Share) Advent Calendar.

Happy Halloween all!

ChocolateBet: October 30, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
Hotel Chocolat Ltd.
"Ultimate Advent Calendar - 48 Truffles for Two" - Rum Liquid Caramel(s)
Very Good
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) (estimate) for 2 pieces / 10.6 oz. (300 g.) total package of 48 pieces
Calories: 66 calories (estimate)
Cost: $ N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - Hotel Chocolat Ltd., London, England, UK

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week. I opened the Day #2 flap of  Hotel Chocolat's Ultimate Advent Calendar -- and lifted out two small, well-crafted Rum Liquid Caramel truffles. Caution: if your plan is to share the other truffle with someone else in your life, make sure they are standing in the vicinity when you reach in for your chocolates. It's all too easy to eat that second truffle yourself.

ChocolateBet: October 29, 2010

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces/truffles
Hotel Chocolat
"Ultimate Advent Calendar: Truffles for Two"
Very Good
Weight: .44 oz. (12.5 g.) (estim.) for 2 pieces / 10.6 oz. (300 g.) total package of 48 truffles
Calories: 66 calories (estimate)
Cost: $N/A - evaluation samples
Purchased from: N/A - Hotel Chocolate, London, UK

Welcome to Chocolate and Christmas-is-Coming Theme Week. Yes, I know it's early; but advanced planning for the holidays means you could be eating some great chocolates a month or two from now.
 
Today I opened a box of Christmas holiday chocolates from UK-based Hotel Chocolat (London), and unwrapped the company's "Ultimate Advent Calendar - Truffles for Two" offering. This attractively packaged box, designed for grown-up consumers, looks like a winner. Each day/window opened on the calendar yields not one, but two chocolate truffles. So, if you're a kind-hearted person who shares chocolate with loved ones, this is perfect. And for the rest of you -- and you know who you are -- there are two pieces just for you.

Today's two truffles, hidden behind Day #1 flap, were hazelnut-flavored House Milk Pralines I believe. Whether you start with #1 and count up to 24, or count down (from 24 to 1), you'll be able to enjoy flavors such as: Liquid Caramel, Gingerbread, Orange Liqueur, Rum Liquid Caramel, and Mousse au Chocolat. 

Thank you to Hotel Chocolat for the chance to evaluate these holiday chocolates. For those in the U.S., more information can be found at http://www.hotelchocolat.com