Delicaseys Fleur De Sel

Part of the goody bag I recently received included a few Delicaseys chocolates from Sydney. I was hugely impressed with the Orange Bliss that I tried first.

Next on the list is Fleur De Sel – or as the package describes it: “dark chocolate with a delicate enhancement of sea salt crystals”.

I have an admission: I’ve not gone out of my way until now to try chocolate with salt / sea salt / whatever-salt-is-trendy-today. And it does seem to have become a fashionable thing, this putting salt in chocolate. So while I was checking the Delicaseys, I thought I should also check the Lindt Excellence “A touch of Sea Salt” which recently appeared on Australian supermarket shelves.

Firstly, the Lindt is pretty much the same darkish chocolate used in the Excellence range, about 47% cocoa. In tasting this, I was wondering where the salt was. I found a little saltiness now and again, but no pieces – no crystals. Nothing to get my teeth into. This is a very pleasant chocolate, and when it’s called “a touch of sea salt”, that’s exactly what it is – a touch: A nice, inoffensive chocolate.

Then it was time to try Delicaseys Fleur De Sel. As you can see, the presentation is quite different – this is clearly made from a large flat piece that has been broken up. Nothing wrong with that, in fact I quite like the contrast to a mass produced factory-made block. Checking carefully shows that salt crystals are present – you can see the little bumps here and there.

A noticeable difference from the Lindt is the texture – the Delicaseys is a harder chocolate, which takes considerably longer in the mouth to melt and begin to release its flavour. It’s worth the wait, the chocolate is deep, complex, and curiously has a slightly creamy feel – but only after melting slowly. And it releases belts and bursts of saltiness; which are even bigger, better and stronger when you find a salt crystal or two.

I don’t know that I would buy chocolate with salt regularly – I still regard it as a bit of a curiosity. But of the two, which one did I keep reaching for as I wrote this review? Delicaseys – the complex flavours, the salt hit – these grow on you, to the point where it’s hard to refuse. The Lindt is good too – it’s a softer chocolate that melts sooner; but the salt hit is far more subtle.

I have to regard these are two pretty good examples of a plain salted chocolate. Not something for every day, but an interesting change. If forced to pick between them, I”ll go for Delicaseys. I like the extra complexity of the chocolate, and that smack around the chops with the salt.

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