Hotel Chocolat Comes to the US

Hotel Chocolat brings their luxury chocolate to the US this fall with the launch of their US-based website and I was extremely fortunate to be able to try it out! The generous folks at Hotel Chocolat sent me some samples to try and now I know what people mean when they say “the first one’s always free.” This chocolate is amazing and will likely have a permanent spot in the snack cupboard.

I first tried the Fruit & Nut Canapes:

“A classic fruit and nut combination given a deliciously modern twist. With velvety smooth 40% cocoa milk chocolate, the crunch of a whole, carefully roasted hazelnut and the contrasting succulence of a jumbo raisin pressed carefully into the chocolate.”

Each time I ate one I couldn’t help but curl my toes a little and close my eyes. I love fruits and nuts in chocolate and each little chocolate square had the perfect amount – one hazelnut and one giant golden raisin – pressed into it. The chocolate was very smooth and mild, which works well with the additions.

Now get a load of this:

That, my friends, is the Rocky Road Slab:

“A generous slab that brings new meaning to the word chunky – with generous chunks of white chocolate, crispy puffed rice and hand made chocolate chip cookies blended into a 70/30 fusion of milk and dark chocolate. A journey of textures to complete satisfaction! Being larger than the pages of this site, our 1 pound slabs are large enough to elicit a short gasp of astonishment. 10×6inches!”

I did, in fact, gasp when I took it out of the box. It looks really busy and a little overwhelming but trust me, the tongue does not care. What kind of mind came up with this? Obviously a brilliant one. Feel like some cookie? A bit of white chocolate? Crispy crunch? It’s all there and a generous portion of chocolate to boot. You can’t help but just stare at it for a while, taking it all in.

Make sure you check out the rest of their products – all appropriate for gift giving or keeping all to yourself: Liquid Hot Chocolate, Signature Slabs, Mini Slabs, Gift Collections, Peepsters, the Purist Range, and Chocolate Christmas Gifts. Also check out the gourmet cooking chocolate and ingredients.