Galler Chocolate Noir 70 and Newtree Pleasure

Galler Chocolate Noir 70

Glossy with a nice rich fragrance and snap as suited for a Belgian Royal warrant holder, this is my first taste of Galler's pure chocolate bars. Previous experience has been with the praline-filled bars which were very rich and creamy, perhaps even a little too much so. It was nice to see the Galler shops in Brussels, though I didn't buy any of the individual pralines.

This is extremely smooth, slightly sweet, and feels creamier than other dark bars of this percentage. Not a particularly complex flavour though. Good everyday chocolate for mindless eating. Particularly appropriate as I have this in my office. I also like how the individual pieces are thicker and chunkier than the thinner squares of other 100gm bars. Somehow the chocolate feels richer this way.

Newtree Pleasure

Newtree's plain 73% dark chocolate bar is unremarkable. Not bitter or sour, fine, but not particularly memorable. Nothing wrong with it but not something I'd buy again.

Newtree Freezing

This new Newtree bar is gorgeously packaged in a glossy rainbow-colored plastic wrapper. It contains both mint and green tea, and like other Newtree bars makes all kinds of new-agey health claims. This 73% cacao bar has a mild mint flavour, but no hint of green tea extract. The chocolate itself is mild with little flavour either. All in all rather disappointing.

Newtree Eternity

Newtree Eternity

The very last of my Paris purchases this combination of dark chocolate, blackcurrant and grapes promises better health through antioxidants. I enjoy it for its elegant packaging and smooth texture. Note there are no discernable bits of currants or grapes, just a slight grapey flavour.

Newtree Tranquility

I am a chocolate addict and eat it at least once a day. Usually it's a piece of chocolate. Select chocolate biscuits are OK but not candy - this is not real chocolate!! I'm not a fan of chocolate desserts either, as I prefer the pure unadulterated taste of chocolate. Not surprisingly dark chocolate is my favourite, and what I eat almost exclusively.

Living in the middle of nowhere the usual chocolate sources are Costco World Market, health food stores for organic brands and most importantly trips to larger cities. I love visiting grocery stores when I travel (especially specialty stores), though I fell in love with Monoprix on a recent Paris trip and bought back a selection eat my way through. Hopefully this will be the first in a series of reviews, though as I generally buy 100gm bars it takes a while to get through them, a piece a day.

New Tree Tranquility
Belgian milk chocolate (34%) with Provencal lavender and lime flowers that supposedly promotes the said tranquility, and is GMO-free and "riche en 3 mineraux". I am not a believer in new-agey health claims, but found this chocolate pleasantly smooth with a strong lavender flavour. The strength of the flavour actually took me by surprise the first time, but became more and more enjoyable with each piece. Not particularly creamy, which was fine given my preference for dark chocolate. It's beautifully packaged with the chocolate wrapped in foil inside the cardboard box. I found this perfect for a last late night snack, so maybe that whole tranquility thing has something going for it.