Okay, so I am back from San Francisco and the Fancy Foods show. There is so much to talk about in the world of chocolate, so it is now time to get back into reviews of the dozens of bars The Art of Chocolate has been eating!
Today, I am very happy to share with you the Lait Praline (milk chocolate w/Hazelnut creme) bar from Mary Chocolatier.
If you aren’t familiar with Mary Chocolatier, here is a quick bio: Chocolate shoppe in Brussels since 1919 and official Chocolatier to the Belgian Royal Family since 1942. How is that for credentials? The place is so good and so protective of their business, that all I could do is take a picture of the outside of the shoppe and then a photo of the bar when I got back home. They allow ZERO photography inside. 
So how good is the chocolate? Honestly, I would put this milk chocolate up against anybody in the world. The ingredients are pure and simple. The milk chocolate is outstanding and the hazelnut creme is present but not overpowering. The mouthfeel is so creamy that you really have to wonder what you have been eating from other places. The only knock I can hand out on this bar is the packaging. The shop was beatiful and the other items there were ornate but this bar is a plan white, 1 color ink wrapper with the bare minimum information. It doesn’t diminish the the enjoyment but the packaging certainly doesn’t help it stand out in a crowd.
In the end, this is what Belgian milk chocolate should taste like.
Here is the grade: 91 - A euphoric chocolate experience that makes life worth living
Overall Taste: 48 out of 50 possible points
Quality of Ingredients: 16 out of 20 possible points
Mouthfeel: 15 out of 15 possible points
Aroma: 4 out of 5 possible points
Value: 4 out of 5 possible points
Presentation: 4 out of 5 possible points
And remember, life is too short to eat crappy chocolate.
Chris
The Art of Chocolate
