Chocolate Gourmet: Ugly Truffles
Impact
Fuglies that fool. These little balls have impact that reach as far & fast as the crack of a bat making contact for a big-fly homerun. Applause would be too conventional when stomp & shout is called for.
Presentation 4.4 / 5
brown paper flap-top box; irregularly shaped, hand-rolled truffles wrapped in wax paper; stamped in old typewriter font... “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”
Aromas 3.9 / 5
infusions permeate; fresh & flavorful
Textures/Melt 9.2 / 10
| Shells: | crisp w/ snap |
| Centers: | thick, alluringly soft & unctuous; incredible blend of overall textures – velvet ganache against crisp chocolate coating soon melts into cream centers contrasting soft/hard; others further accentuated w/ toasted nuts, powdered sugar, crumb cake, & shredded coconut |
Flavor 44.3 / 50
flips the script on the Aromas as equilibrium in the taste favors chocolate; darkly decadent & innovative combinations that work
Quality 27.8 / 30
Refined-rustic from packing to final product. Irreverent names & provocative flavors. Restraint & supreme expertise; well-executed without overly polished.
Selections
| Couverture: | Callebaut |
You Suck Lemon - no, this is not off a Chinese menu, just take that suckerz; Dark shell dusted in powdered sugar, encapsulates pale, though luscious, lemon pie filling; down-the-line delicate
Put Your Clothes On – Dark-on-Dark expands to cherry overtones but before you know it you’re under arrest
Homely Hazelnut – a freakin’ nuthouse; basically a huge, coarse gianduja; rolled in chopped toasted hazelnuts filled w/ more hazelnut ganache; milk to cream endnotes of caramel
Messed Up Mocha - Milk Choc rolled in cocoa powder; smooth, mild mocha roast caught in a heavy cream scheme; messin’ w/ indulgence
Morning After Merlot – rich & deep; another Dark-on-Dark, this 1 accented w/ red velvet cake crumbs & moderate Merlot, both factors taken together pop a cherry; hooks up well (w/out ever quite marrying) & tastes better than the morning after pill
Hairy Coconut - electrolysis? screw that; White-on-White (White Choc & toasted coconut); sugared-sweet w/ enough vanilla to form a resinous wax that just rips it
Not in Mint Condition – very mild spearmint; a green-tinted palimpsest on White Choc rolled in whiter confectioner’s sugar; a sugar ride on the high sweet side that, with enough of them, will absolutely damage you
Oozy Boozy Caramel – like date-raping a Face-Book’s worth of floozy Russian nesting dolls; round Milk Choc covers Milk Choc central cream caramel encompassing brandy nectar – all encased in toasted pecans; great flavor combo / textural mix
Gordito Picante - an ever-evolving journey never dreamed of; first, Milk Choc ganache enrobed in more MC - sweet ‘n salty; then toffee adds unexpected twist... carries forward the heat firing up & builds to a smoked tortilla; truly unusual, shockingly delicate, generally fantastic
Put Your Clothes On – Dark-on-Dark expands to cherry overtones but before you know it you’re under arrest
Homely Hazelnut – a freakin’ nuthouse; basically a huge, coarse gianduja; rolled in chopped toasted hazelnuts filled w/ more hazelnut ganache; milk to cream endnotes of caramel
Messed Up Mocha - Milk Choc rolled in cocoa powder; smooth, mild mocha roast caught in a heavy cream scheme; messin’ w/ indulgence
Morning After Merlot – rich & deep; another Dark-on-Dark, this 1 accented w/ red velvet cake crumbs & moderate Merlot, both factors taken together pop a cherry; hooks up well (w/out ever quite marrying) & tastes better than the morning after pill
Hairy Coconut - electrolysis? screw that; White-on-White (White Choc & toasted coconut); sugared-sweet w/ enough vanilla to form a resinous wax that just rips it
Not in Mint Condition – very mild spearmint; a green-tinted palimpsest on White Choc rolled in whiter confectioner’s sugar; a sugar ride on the high sweet side that, with enough of them, will absolutely damage you
Oozy Boozy Caramel – like date-raping a Face-Book’s worth of floozy Russian nesting dolls; round Milk Choc covers Milk Choc central cream caramel encompassing brandy nectar – all encased in toasted pecans; great flavor combo / textural mix
Gordito Picante - an ever-evolving journey never dreamed of; first, Milk Choc ganache enrobed in more MC - sweet ‘n salty; then toffee adds unexpected twist... carries forward the heat firing up & builds to a smoked tortilla; truly unusual, shockingly delicate, generally fantastic