Graycliff
Impact
Boxed chocolate is where cacáo goes on Sunday afternoons.
Graycliff serves it up daily for comfort fare.
Graycliff serves it up daily for comfort fare.
Presentation 3.4 / 5
stock packaging (box, design, plastic trays)
machine-grooved molds within
machine-grooved molds within
Aromas 3 / 5
encased
Textures/Melt 8.1 / 10
| Shells: | thick, bullet-proof walls |
| Centers: | generally the opposite |
Flavor 44.3 / 50
no mistaken IDs… easily identifiable & well-articulated with solid / strong chocolate bases whether Dark, Milk or White
Quality 25.9 / 30
Nothing daring; pretty standard combinations. Nor much in the way of pastry finesse & flair.
But, wow, some real down home-cooking with great pop sensibilities.
But, wow, some real down home-cooking with great pop sensibilities.
Selections
| Couverture: | in-house |
Chai Tea -- Milk Choc thru & thru… & as much pumpkin pie as chai; cozy & comforting
Bacon -- a fat pig of a piece with sloppy feet & monster hammy flavor; Graycliff could've spared the swine & just re-melted some PNG Morobe from the likes of Amano, Omnom, Ducasse, or Mast Bros
Hazelnut -- hard Milk Chocolate bite; timid hazelnut that misfires some butterscotch more than gianduia
Nutella -- better than the jar variety thanks to a thick Dark Choc shell that furnishes the spread with some much-needed backbone
Pineapple Goat Pepper -- no spark / heat, just sweetly-sick putty in White Chocolate enamel
Mint -- a healthy dose of the herb + the cocoa, each joined in clarity, strength & balance; executed with aplomb
Goat Cheese -- immediate, identifiable, & shockingly innovative because Graycliff elects to house it in a White Chocolate shell with coconut shreds; tastes far less abysmal than it sounds
Pistachio -- dressed in White Chocolate; terrific juxtapose even if the White acts rather industrial, the green nut meat lays it out into savory peanut-like territory
Mocha Praline -- the name only partially states it, add huge prune accents (presumaably the interaction of cocoa-on-coffee); perfectly struck balance of forces; stunning mold-architectures completes this world-class piece
Almond -- white nut meal inside Milk Choc; slight off-chalk point prior to vanilla-caramel wresting the progression; all's fair which ends there
Vanilla Bean -- only the heart-shape separates what approximates a standard Dark-Milk chocolate
Mint -- another in a series of White Choc-based ganaches; perhaps peppermint, emphasis pepper; spice hot… kitchen improv?
Brandy Cherry -- been some time since sampling this old standby classic, now passé to the nouveau scene stuck on salted caramels & chili pepper truffles; brandy the difference maker here, adding depth & interest; a welcome re-introduction by Graycliff
Peanut Butter -- salted Milk Choc; direct hit of the original intent before Reese's® dove into pleated spud cups
Key Lime -- yet another White robe & somewhat pasted with chalk, none of it however stops Graycliff from encapsulating a true infusion of this piece's namesake; easy
Salted Caramel -- slays it
Reviewed June 30, 2014
Bacon -- a fat pig of a piece with sloppy feet & monster hammy flavor; Graycliff could've spared the swine & just re-melted some PNG Morobe from the likes of Amano, Omnom, Ducasse, or Mast Bros
Hazelnut -- hard Milk Chocolate bite; timid hazelnut that misfires some butterscotch more than gianduia
Nutella -- better than the jar variety thanks to a thick Dark Choc shell that furnishes the spread with some much-needed backbone
Pineapple Goat Pepper -- no spark / heat, just sweetly-sick putty in White Chocolate enamel
Mint -- a healthy dose of the herb + the cocoa, each joined in clarity, strength & balance; executed with aplomb
Goat Cheese -- immediate, identifiable, & shockingly innovative because Graycliff elects to house it in a White Chocolate shell with coconut shreds; tastes far less abysmal than it sounds
Pistachio -- dressed in White Chocolate; terrific juxtapose even if the White acts rather industrial, the green nut meat lays it out into savory peanut-like territory
Mocha Praline -- the name only partially states it, add huge prune accents (presumaably the interaction of cocoa-on-coffee); perfectly struck balance of forces; stunning mold-architectures completes this world-class piece
Almond -- white nut meal inside Milk Choc; slight off-chalk point prior to vanilla-caramel wresting the progression; all's fair which ends there
Vanilla Bean -- only the heart-shape separates what approximates a standard Dark-Milk chocolate
Mint -- another in a series of White Choc-based ganaches; perhaps peppermint, emphasis pepper; spice hot… kitchen improv?
Brandy Cherry -- been some time since sampling this old standby classic, now passé to the nouveau scene stuck on salted caramels & chili pepper truffles; brandy the difference maker here, adding depth & interest; a welcome re-introduction by Graycliff
Peanut Butter -- salted Milk Choc; direct hit of the original intent before Reese's® dove into pleated spud cups
Key Lime -- yet another White robe & somewhat pasted with chalk, none of it however stops Graycliff from encapsulating a true infusion of this piece's namesake; easy
Salted Caramel -- slays it
Reviewed June 30, 2014