As college students, most of us have experienced the tiny sensations that hit at 1 a.m. pretty well. If you’re like me, these 1 a.m. cravings are often more than not chocolate cravings. Contrary to popular opinion, chocolate is not so bad. Dark chocolate is pretty helpful in retention; it helps so much with uplifting a soul on a dark day, and it’s generally great to have a bit of a sweet snack every so often. But with thousands of options out there, old and new, here are some of my reviews to help you munch on your delicious treats with ease.
Mason’s
Mason’s as a brand is excellent for their quality of ingredients and authenticity of taste. They usually (exclusively) make vegan chocolate using cocoa beans sourced from the country and ensure sustainability as the essence of their chocolate-making process. This is reflected in their packaging which is made of cardboard that can be recycled.
To talk about taste, at least for dark chocolate, it seems a bit dry overall. The absence of milk doesn’t contribute to the smoothness and its substitute doesn’t quite cut it. It won’t melt in your mouth as soon as you pop it in (which is the case with many mainstream chocolates). The flavour of the chocolate is bold and intense with the right amount of sugar which enhances the chocolate flavour instead of overpowering it. It is definitely for people who love the actual taste of chocolate and not the sweet syrupy sensation in the mouth. It is a type of chocolate that leaves full instead of craving for more. Because of this, it is an amazing way to satisfy those sugar cravings at night or when in need of some pick-me-up.
Their café latte bars are an exception though. It is much creamier with appropriate amounts of sugar which balances out the bitterness of the coffee but refrains from taking over it. With a very well-defined taste of coffee, this bar can be your substitute for a café latte.
Talking about price, this chocolate company stands on the pricier end of the chocolate spectrum, hovering at about 300 Indian rupees (INR) for 100g. This price point makes the purchase more difficult than your usual chocolates. There certainly are better chocolates out there around the same or lesser price range, however, Mason’s is worth a try once, if you are one for tasting chocolates.
Colocal
Colocal is a brand based in Delhi and they make their in-house chocolates in Chattarpur. These chocolates are, once again, extremely dense and packed with flavor, though not vegan. These chocolates are very filling and have slight tangy, fruity undertones to them.
They source their cocoa beans straight from farmers and pay a fair price for it, making chocolates of high quality while also being fair to the cocoa farmers from Idukki, Kerala, to continue their trade. They also use minimum ingredients like cocoa beans, butter, and sugar. This also gives their chocolates a very sharp taste. Their packaging is biodegradable and promotes sustainability. In terms of health, I’d say the quality of the chocolate definitely hints towards a more conscious choice as compared to other bars.
They make infusion bars (with berries and/or nuts) too which bring a slight change to your usual velvet smoothness. These bars have a ganache-like texture sandwiched between crisp chocolate layers. This adds another layer to the taste and lifts your chocolate experience immensely.
These chocolates also lie on the pricier end of the spectrum at 300 INR for 100g. It’s a treat for the self (or others) but one that’s well worth an occasional splurge if you have a restful day planned.
Lindt
This Swiss-based brand is known worldwide for its truffles and chocolate bars. They are usually in a box and are very common for gifting. They’re tiny little chocolates that are perfect for snacking. They come in different flavors, such as dark chocolate, milk chocolate (with or without hazelnuts), praline nougat crunch, Lindor milk chocolate, and white chocolate crunch. All of these chocolates are amazing to taste. They are not, however, artisan (chocolate made by hand and/or in small batches, tasting absolutely lip-smacking) or vegan chocolates.
The milk and white chocolates and the praline are amazingly smooth and even in taste. The creaminess of the milk and sugar almost instantly makes the chocolate melt in your mouth. The hazelnut chocolate, though, has a bit too much sugar and not much flavor. Overall, they are of absolute top quality and a delight to eat during a wind-down session.
The same, unfortunately, can’t be said about the 34% Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Bark, which is best described as a bar for ‘mindless snacking’, the times when you just need a sweet chocolate bar to bite into while unwinding with some Netflix. The chocolate is too sweet to get to the cocoa and the whole hazelnuts don’t do much good as they don’t really blend the hazelnut flavor in the chocolate. This also makes the price unjustifiable
Seeing it from a price perspective, one box of 54 Neopolitans would cost about 1600 INR, which puts it on the pricier end. This also explains why it is usually a gift or a celebratory pack. From a health perspective, it is significantly down the health ranking considering the amount of sugar it has and the quality of ingredients which aren’t as good.
Toblerone Milk Honey Nougat Almond Crunch
The famous chocolate pyramid, for its pyramid shape and chocolate engraving, has a creamy milk texture to it with a slight crunch of almonds which blend in with the chocolate perfectly. The honey gives the flavor a push and has it melt wonderfully in the mouth. The pyramids are also of a substantial size and that makes for a good portion of chocolate.
Talking about price, it is 320 INR for 200g on Amazon, which makes it moderately expensive. It’s not the tone for regular snacking but is great as a weekend or movie snack. Talking about nutrition, it definitely doesn’t hit the mark well, considering the sugar and the not-so-great cocoa in there but it could be right to consider having a couple of servings every once in a while.
KitKat Chocolate Truffle
KitKat, known for its wafer-coated chocolates, came out with its truffle chocolate bar. It’s dense and very filling. The variations are in the form of brownie too and it has quite a rich flavor. It’s much sweeter than Mason’s or any authentic dark chocolate so it’s definitely for someone who enjoys their dense and rich chocolate sweet. Again, not a very healthy treat but certainly delicious
From a price point, it’s much more affordable than the rest of the chocolates in this listicle. A bar is around 65 INR which is a pretty good price for chocolate of this quality.
The wrapping of the chocolate is recyclable which adds to their sustainability and makes you more environmentally conscious.
These are the chocolates that I have tasted and found worth mentioning. I hope it gave you an insight into which chocolates are good and worth your money, restraining you from committing some serious gluttony.