Lindt Excellence – A Touch Of Sea Salt
This bar is the usual 47% dark blend that Lindt use for the range, but it also contains tiny crystals of sea salt. 3% to be precise.
Now you may not consider 3% to be a great deal of salt, but once you sample a piece of this chocolate, it isn’t very long before you start finding the crystals melting on your tongue.
If you’re a fan of salty caramel (think Green & Blacks or Cocopia to name but two) then this combination will be one you’ll love. The dark chocolate has already been described in detail by both myself and Dom in the Pear, Coffee, Cuba, Caramel and Mint reviews, and is a very pleasant slightly bittersweet blend. It isn’t really that dark; it doesn’t ‘snap’ (unless it’s been in the fridge) and it doesn’t have a hugely complex flavour, but it’s pleasant enough and delivers enough flavour to make it very popular.
In my conversations with various chocolatiers here and in Europe I have noticed that they tend to look down on Lindt. I suppose it must be because the company identity retains some of the ‘chocolatier’ feel whereas the reality has to be a series of huge factories churning out truckloads of chocolate bars for every country in Europe (and probably most of the world). However, they have achieved consistently high standards in terms of flavour and variety, and I suppose it’s for that reason they have maintained a very high share of the market.
Well, this is definitely one to look out for if Lindt is your thing. I found the pairing very moreish indeed.
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- Filed under dark chocolate, lindt, salt.
Very cool review.
Regarding your “chocolatier experience” — consumers and chocolatiers are two very different targets. Chocolatiers tend to look at the “workability” of chocolate (i.e: how is it going to work with my machines, does it melt well, will it melt or stay firm when I bake cookies, ..etc.) That’s why the chocolate industry is fairly well divided between B2B (chocolate for chocolatiers) and B2C (chocolate for consumers.) There are hardly any companies that succeed in both.
Thanks for your comment. It’s good (and a little scary) to know that Lindt are watching us eat our way through their product range (albeit slowly).
Isn’t it about time we got a few samples, I ask myself?
I think this is a really interesting discussion.
Lindt are obviously a large company, so I can understand smaller ’boutique’ chocolatiers may look down on them – but they do *consistently* produce great products.
…I’m just another chocoholic (with a steady supply to feed his addiction)
🙂
I like some of Lindt chocolate to. But,I would have never thought of seasalt In chocolate. But,I am truely wondering how salty? I mean I like chocolate but,I don’t like the taste of alot of salt. So I guess I might try it.
I’ve had my eye on a sea salt bar for a while now, but there are always so many more that I always end up getting something else instead. I’m really curious to try it, though.
The lovely Matt from Lindt (here in South Australia) mentioned the sea salt variety, but I’ve yet to see it here (and believe, I’ve been looking).
Oh and 3% salt is very salty – that’s about all there is in sea water, isn’t it, or has my year 10 biology learnings failed me?
The idea of salt and chocolate for me was a little foreign; then I tried a sea-salt truffle by Raymond Lammers (exec. pastry chef at Stein Eriksen) a couple of years back and I was blown away.
I would actually love to see some reviews of small chocolate shops and innovative chocolatiers. There’s a pastry chef out of Spain that fills his chocolate truffles with roasted garlic and sauteed onions — now that’s a review I’d love to check out.
Watch this space – I found another small chocolatier while on holiday last month. My first UK chocolatier review is imminent!
I tried sea salt chocolate in portugal last week and wish I had bought more to bring back to the uk.any idea where I can buy it?
It says 0.3% salt on my box. 3% would not taste very nice…
I thought I’d add my 0.3% worth! I bought one of these bars once and loved it. Now I’m having trouble finding it on the shelves in Canada. I actually came across this discussion in an attempt to ‘secure’ a supply!
just got sent some of the salt chocolate from a friend in Sweden, its absolutely gorgeous
One of the greatest chocolates i have ever tried!
I also came across this blog in search for the elusive Lindt sea salt !! It is the best choc I have eaten in an age and I WANT TO GET SOME MORE !!! 🙂
Am now hooked on choc blogs, sigh…..
It tastes AWESOME! However… it’ is NOT really “dark” chocolate. I am allergic to milk chocolate and I bought this Lindt Dark chocolate with a touch of sea salt without reading the label, assuming it was really dark chocolate. But at only 47% cocoa and with added butterfat (milk), the dark chocolate label is misleading. I can eat real dark chocolate with no adverse effects, but milk chocolate makes me break out. This chocolate also contains cholesterol, due to the milk fat. They should not market it as dark chocolate. It doesn’t have the health benefits of real dark chocolate which has 60% cocoa or more. It does taste delicious, though. The added salt gives it a slight caramel flavor. Amazing. Glad to have tasted it, but I will never buy it again and Lindt has lost favor with me for its misleading label.
Just tasted my first few bites of this, and had to search and see what others are saying. I really like this! For the price (it was the cheapest on the shelf at Target) this is really good.
I finally tried some of this. Very nice, I thought. Salt and chocolate are two very wonderful things, after all.
This is my favourite chocolate ever! simple as that…
This has only just been introduced to Australia and I am absolutely addicted!!!
…has taken over from dark chilli chocolate as my most favourite taste merger ever!
I’m a salt addict in the first place, so I just HAD to try this. I saw no path it could have taken to taste less than amazing so I bought a bar, I took a bite out of one square and let it sit in my mouth for a moment. The salt content is considerably low, but once you actually get into the bar it’s an explosion of contrasting and complimenting flavors. It’s quite amazing, it will drive your taste buds insane.
It’s quite good.
I just tried this too, and really loved it. I can’t honestly say that of any other chocolates I’ve had in a long time, if ever. That includes a number of ones that were considered artisanal or otherwise premium.
Sea Salt Chocolate, so you mean Lindt stole this idea from the Chef in South Park, who’s sick idea was it to actually suck on Chocolate salty balls? Freaks!
Actually Lindt tried to copy an artisan chocolate maker called Gardini di L´Artigiano from Italy, with their series of chocolate with sweet salt of Cervia. Lindt wanted to use the same salt as Gardini use, but Gardini has exclusive rights for about 10 years for that combination.
Try their chocolate with sea salt and licorice, it´s a killer combo!
You can find the italian chocolate with sea salt here: http://www.gardinicioccolato.it/tavolette-al-sale-dolce-di-cervia.html