Lindt Cafe Melbourne - Individual Chocolates

VIP / Madagascar Truffle

Price: $2.00 each (when buying 3 for $6.00)

Comparative price: $16.00 per 100g

Rating: 2.0 / 2.5 out of 5

Buy again: No, average chocolates at less than average prices

Should I start this review by getting my thoughts, same may call biases, out there early? 

Lindt is not good chocolate, it is well marketed chocolate.  I do believe they make very fine/smooth chocolate but they do not make great, or sometimes even good, chocolate (look at the ingredients list of their milk!).  They are a supermarket brand.  They may do some things better than other supermarket brands, but I'm still going to call a spade a spade.  If you enjoy Lindt, as many people I know do then great, enjoy it.  But be aware of what it is, and what it isn't.

So biases out of the way, I thought I would open my mind and give the individual chocolates a go at the much lauded Lindt Cafe in Melbourne.  After all, with the prices they are asking maybe, just maybe, the chocolates will be good...

I should also note that the attempt at being open minded doesn't appear to start well, the service is prompt but not overly knowledgeable on chocolate other than the basics.

VIP

I love dark chocolate and love a good vanilla flavour so the VIP sounded right up my alley; its The VIP is a 'vanilla bean ganache covered in dark chocolate'.

Sight

A reasonable looking chocolate, if maybe a little generic.  Whilst the chocolates are hand made the VIP does suffer from a less than grand aesthetic, it being round with the Lindt logo in gold lettering on the top, but it certainly isn't bad.

Aroma

A slight chocolatey aroma, but nothing to overly excite my taste buds although to be fair this isn't any different to many other filled chocolates on the market.  I was looking forward to the chocolate in theory, enticed by the promise of a vanilla bean ganache, but in reality not overly enticed by sight or smell.

Taste and Texture

As I feared there wasn’t the quality I would anticipate from the chocolate, or more the point from the price. I love vanilla and expected a rich, sensual vanilla taste however what I got was pleasant, sweet flavour but nothing close to spectacular.

The taste of the chocolate itself was non-descript, neither strong in character or depth.  As a result the taste just progressed to the vanilla centre which didn’t have enough oomph to carry off the chocolate as a whole.

The texture was okay, reasonably balanced between the soft centre and the enrobing but not as luscious as I would hope. 

My friend who also had this chocolate enjoyed it but reported very similar feelings, although she did get flashes of taste throughout so probably fared better than I.  

Madagascar Truffle

I have had so many good experiences with Madagascan beans and just the name 'Madagascar truffle' conjures up exotic delights, so this was an easy choice (albeit also a simpler one as many of the flavoured fillings didn't do much for me!). Described as a 'dark chocolate cream truffle dusted in cocoa.'

Sight

Again a little generic offering a pretty standard look for a truffle which to be fair is no reflection on Lindt as there is only so much you can do with a truffle - a creamy centre, a dusting of cocoa powder.  So often the visual doesn't excite me across the board (with some notable and welcome exceptions).  

I do however object to the lack of dents, and perfect spherical shape.  Imperfections let me believe (perhaps naively) they have been crafted in the hands of an artisan rather than rolled off an assembly line, and whilst these are apparently hand made, they look just a little too standardised.

Aroma

The main aroma I picked up is what I get on most cocoa dusted truffles, and that is of cocoa powder, so no surprises.

Taste and Texture

The truffle was okay but again no real stand out taste. The cocoa on the outside was bitter as expected.  This fades and the inside was a good consistency but only offering me a generic, non-descript chocolate flavour with no real character profile (again I return to those words generic and non-descript).

Probably better than the VIP, it benefits from a little less sugar, but again would only describe it as pleasant.

Summary

Compared to their competitors, these cannot compete and it all comes back to my issue and that is the use of Lindt coverture. Lindt is a good supermarket brand of chocolate, which is fine, but when they price their product at the high end of chocolate consumption, for me the product cannot stand up.  

Consider the per 100g cost if you buy Lindt individual chocolates at the counter - they are $16 per 100g. Compare this to Haigh's and Koko Black which are around $10 per 100g and we're not even getting into the good stuff.  Godiva chocolates, not a great chocolate either but marketed at the high end of luxury chocolates, are $19 per 100g.  I struggle to see how Lindt can charge so much.  Beware the wolves in sheeps clothing...

However if you are looking for an affordable chocolate indulgence, the single origin Madagascar and Ecuador bars are okay, and for me better than the individual chocolates (not to mention significantly cheaper). Unfortunately the Peruvian version is not available in Australia (according to the staff).

Many people will be ecstatic to get a box of these delights as a present, but a note to my family and friends - save yourself the money and buy me a simple block of Valrhona instead!

I rate the VIP as 2 out of 5 and the Madagascar truffle as 2.5 out of 5.  A dissapointing, if not expected, experience. 

Lindt Café Melbourne
271 Collins Street

www.lindt.com.au

29 July 2009
Reviewer: Shari