Gourmet Milk Chocolate Test Ratings
Testing for Perfection: Milk Chocolate
We tasted milk chocolate straight, then in a dessert sauce, and showcased the winners in our February 2007 issue (Testing for Perfection: "Milk Chocolate Lab"). Here is the full list of chocolates included in the testing, in order of our preference, with tasting notes:
1. Bernard Castelain: Creamy, good balance; smooth and delicious. Said one dark-chocolate lover: "I've had three pieces, and that's huge!"
2. Lindt Excellence: Luscious in the mouth; vanilla and caramel finish.
3. Green & Black Organic: Good mouthfeel; slightly bitter (those who don't like dark chocolate might not like this one).
4. Valrhona Nature & Chocolat: Smooth; fruity and floral notes.
5. E. Guittard Orinoco: More than a slight hint of coconut.
6. Jacques Callebaut: Lots of cocoa, a little less milk.
7. Galler: Intense milky taste, still in a nice balance. Creamy and clean.
8. Côte d'Or: Hints of peanut, anise detected. Smooth.
9. Villars Swiss: Intensely sweet and salty.
10. Nirvana Single Origin Java: Very light, gentle chocolate.
11. Chocolatour Java: Sweet and inoffensive.
12. Michel Cluizel "Mangaro": On the bitter side for milk, but nice three-dimensional flavors.
13. Chocolove: Buttery up front; complete cocoa flavor.
14. Pralus Mélissa: Very sweet, chocolatey; not so much character.
15. Scharffen Berger: Complex; lots of cocoa, a little tannic.
16. Nirvana Single Origin Papua: Slight malt flavor.
17. Santander: Notes of cherry. A tad spicy.
18. Cadbury: A bland sweetness; slightly waxy.
19. Dagoba: Very faint cedar flavor and some mustiness.
20. Venchi: At first it tastes of nothing; finishes with a wash of condensed milk.
21. Dolfin: Nice melting but tastes off.
22. Hershey's: Even a blind test couldn't fool us: Every tester guessed its identity correctly from its classic supersweet, metallic flavors.
23. Michel Cluizel "Maralumi": Dry, unpleasant, tinny.
24. Nestlé: Like solid condensed milk.
25. Ghirardelli: The worst by far: waxy as a bar of soap, with little redeeming flavor.
1. Bernard Castelain: Creamy, good balance; smooth and delicious. Said one dark-chocolate lover: "I've had three pieces, and that's huge!"
2. Lindt Excellence: Luscious in the mouth; vanilla and caramel finish.
3. Green & Black Organic: Good mouthfeel; slightly bitter (those who don't like dark chocolate might not like this one).
4. Valrhona Nature & Chocolat: Smooth; fruity and floral notes.
5. E. Guittard Orinoco: More than a slight hint of coconut.
6. Jacques Callebaut: Lots of cocoa, a little less milk.
7. Galler: Intense milky taste, still in a nice balance. Creamy and clean.
8. Côte d'Or: Hints of peanut, anise detected. Smooth.
9. Villars Swiss: Intensely sweet and salty.
10. Nirvana Single Origin Java: Very light, gentle chocolate.
11. Chocolatour Java: Sweet and inoffensive.
12. Michel Cluizel "Mangaro": On the bitter side for milk, but nice three-dimensional flavors.
13. Chocolove: Buttery up front; complete cocoa flavor.
14. Pralus Mélissa: Very sweet, chocolatey; not so much character.
15. Scharffen Berger: Complex; lots of cocoa, a little tannic.
16. Nirvana Single Origin Papua: Slight malt flavor.
17. Santander: Notes of cherry. A tad spicy.
18. Cadbury: A bland sweetness; slightly waxy.
19. Dagoba: Very faint cedar flavor and some mustiness.
20. Venchi: At first it tastes of nothing; finishes with a wash of condensed milk.
21. Dolfin: Nice melting but tastes off.
22. Hershey's: Even a blind test couldn't fool us: Every tester guessed its identity correctly from its classic supersweet, metallic flavors.
23. Michel Cluizel "Maralumi": Dry, unpleasant, tinny.
24. Nestlé: Like solid condensed milk.
25. Ghirardelli: The worst by far: waxy as a bar of soap, with little redeeming flavor.
— Gourmet, February 2007
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