Lindt Chili Chocolate

[madgreek]

Love it! Thoughts?

[Pearl820]

That is some killer good stuff. I love chili with chocolate. Thats one of those combos that sounds bizarre but rocks!!!

[tatamagouche]

Wouldn't sound bizarre to the Aztecs...

Vosges does 2 with chiles—one with guajillos & pasillas and the other with anchos & chipotles. Anyone done a Vosges-Lindt taste test?

[newfoodie]

Haven't tried the Lindt, but I love the Vosges Red Fire Bar! I imagine they would be pretty similar but can't confirm.

[Eat_Nopal]

As tatamagouche pointed it out... its a combination that dates to about 1500 B.C.

[madgreek]

Well, the Aztecs certainly got this one right! I wonder what other genius contributions they have made to modern food culture...I have a feeling that their use of maize is a big one...

[Eat_Nopal]

Well Maize preceeded the Aztecs by about 7000 years... but the various groups of Mexica (Me shee kah) extraction of which the Aztecs were one tribe are credited with combining Chocolate & Vanilla, Tomatoes & Vanilla, as well as Tomatoes & Green Chiles, the Chinampa Horticulture (creating arable land on lagoon surfaces by making "rafts" with light trees that would grow roots into the lagoon floor... bringing up soil from the bottom etc)... domesticating Turkeys & Ducks; being major harvestors of Huitlacoche, Wild Mushrooms, Mosquito Larvae & other things that will become more popular over time (if the Animal Rights activist don't run interference) such as the Xoloisncuitl (Mexican hairless dog) which is said to taste of Veal without the moral delima of caging a baby cow into an enclosure without room to move around etc.,

[Suzy Q]

I agree, the Lindt chili chocolate is really good. We have a great gelato shop here in town that makes an amazing chili chocolate gelato - not too sweet with a nice bite to it.

[im_nomad]

i love these combos but haven't tried the Lindt yet. Even the cheaper ones i got at target in the US i liked, it was a chipotle variety. I fell in love with these flavours after a jalapeno truffle i had maybe a year or so ago. I recently had a white pepper and cardamom bar that was wonderful but i can't remember the brand now (there was also a garam masala and a pink peppercorn variety). In my snack cupboard I have a chili peanut brittle which is also verrryyy good (and a chocolate bar with fleur de sel from the same producer).

not of the chili variety, but i had the cocoa camino bar with matcha the other day....nice dark chocolate , but i didn't find that the matcha flavour was noticeable.

[Steve Green]

So where does this chili peanut brittle come from? Is it the Senor Murphy variety, or someone else's?

[Ruth Lafler]

I don't know what im nomad has, but I have some great "fiery beer brittle" from Anette's in Napa. http://www.anettes.com/31index.html

[Agent Orange]

I've been meaning to buy a bar, but the last time I was at the Lindt store I was buying Christmas gifts for family so I didn't think it appropriate to indulge myself. The Vosges bar with guajillos and pasillas sounds excellent, although probably twice as expensive as the Lindt. I've tried the milk chocolate Vosges with coconut and curry and I was surprised at how well I liked it.

[tatamagouche]

My favorites from Vosges are the bacon bar (naturally) & the Creole bar with chicory...oh, & the one with wasabi, & the white chocolate (I know, I know) with Kalamatas. I guess I'm kind of a Vosges whore. I haven't tried the one you mention, guess it's time...

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/catego...

[mamaciita]

I am hooked on the Vosges milk chocolate with coconut and curry--I thought I no longer liked milk chocolate until I tried it. I have a theory that anything tastes good with the liberal addition of curry. . .

[Eat_Nopal]

Cocunut... good. Curry... good. Beans... good

Coconut Curried Beans... good.

[goodhealthgourmet]

i haven't had the lindt, but san diego-based chuao chocolatier does a great "spicy maya" dark chocolate with pasilla & cayenne. it's available at WFM [at least it is here in cali], and definitely worth trying.

[madgreek]

Wow! This bar is nice! It's twice the price of the Lindt, but is definitely more complex. I wish it has just a little more spice, though.

[Cookiefiend]

I think it may be addictive...

[KIDSMOM95]

A friend from Germany brought me two bars, one was Lindt Maya (I think?) and it was straight dark chocolate and chili. The other was Lindt Chili Cherry which was a filled bar. Truth be told, I liked the plain chili one better, the cherry filling didn't add anything to the taste. I have also had Green and Black's Mayan Chocolate, but the best is still the Lindt. Problem is, I cannot find it anywhere here in Manitoba, Canada.

[Pepper1152]

Shoppers drug store here in Canada now carries the Lindt cherry chili chocolate bar but I was very disappointed. It was not hot at all in my opinon. I would love to try the Maya bar if they carry it in the future. I've never of the Vosges brand. Maybe we don't have it here in Canada. We do need a chocolate chili bar that is easily available though.

[chocabot]

Pepper1152, I'm in Toronto and we have Vosges at Whole Foods and Pusateri's. They're pricey though - like $13 or something.
I also tried the Lindt cherry chocolate and it was gross. Just oozy over sweet cherry goo inside with no sense of heat whatsoever.

[madgreek]

I've never tried the cherry chili Lindt bar, but it sounds gross. I've never liked the combination of chocolate and cherries (unless we're talking about ice cream), and I think the addition of chili to that combo wouldn't work for me at all.

[chocabot]

well rest assured there is no chili flavour. None.

[Jasz]

I didn't care for Lindt's cherry chili either, I thought the cherry part was sickenly sweet and couldn't taste any chili. But there is an organic chocolate, Cocoa Camino, that at first tastes just like chocolate then in a few seconds the chili kicks in and wow!

[Ruth Lafler]

I've tried a lot of chile-spiked chocolates, and my favorite is Richard Donnelly spicy chipotle.

[kare_raisu]

Check out Chuao from San Diego - I just tried their spicy mayan yesterday - I think I prefer it over vosges Oax and red fire

[goodhealthgourmet]

love chuao. they also have a terrific [non-spicy] "chinita nibs" blend with cacao nibs & a hint of nutmeg.

[notmartha]

I still like the Vosges Red Fire better. The Chuao bar has a more pronounced cinnamon flavor and it overwhelmed the chile for me.

Chuao also mkes a Picante choco pod that's chile with cabernet caramel. I don't think it's that spicy though.

btw, Cost Plus Imports now seems to carry a few flavors of Chuao and Vosges.

[anzu]

I like the chili/chocolate combo a lot. I did like the Lindt bar, but I think my favorite "daily" bar is the dagoba one w/ chilies. I think it's slightly darker chocolate than the Lindt, or it tastes less sweet to me. It's like $2.40ish in the Bay Area and lasts a week or two. For a splurge, the Vosges bars (they have a few with chili in it) are really good. But they are like $7 a bar, and for a daily chocolate nibbler like me, it can add up.

Oh, and I love the Chuao one w/ cocoa nibs and nutmeg!

[mamaciita]

I tried a Chocolove dark chocolate chili-cherry bar and was disappointed in the faint chili flavor. I love the Dagoba with chili. I'm curious about the Lindt, but the only one I've seen is the chili-cherry variety, and I don't know how I feel about filling with that particular combination.

[madgreek]

I've seen the Vosges chocolate, but just can't bring myself to spand the $7 for a chocolate bar. It's hard enough to justify the $4 (almost twice as much as the LIndt) for the Dagoba bar with chili. I'll probably cave in in the next few weeks, though.

[anzu]

$4?? In the Bay Area, which is already high for cost of living, I can find Dagoba bars for $2.20ish at WF. (Sometimes even on sale for $2.) Don't spend $4.

Actually, the vosges bar that I splurge on maybe once a year is a bar that has cardamom in it. I can't remember the exact name, but I'm a total cardamom sucker. Even then, I can't justify spending $7 regularly on it, but oh, it's heavenly. I wish I could find other less expensive dark chocolate bars with cardamom in it.

[Eat_Nopal]

Yeah I usually see Dagoba (which has long been forgetten by the WF crowd) for $2.59

[madgreek]

Don't spend $4? LOL! I don't have much of a choice. In my area, World Market is the only place I can find Dagoba (and Vosges, for that matter). I guess it evens out though, because my local Target seems to have better prices on chocolate than some other areas. I need to find alternate vendors!

[Pepper1152]

Does anyone know where to buy Dagoba bars in Canada?

[pinkprimp]

i've bought it at Ambrosia (up at Yonge and Steeles, Toronto) and also seen it at Whole Foods, also in Toronto.

[maryv]

Haven't tried the Lindt yet but I really like the Berkshire Bark Tropical Heat bar: macadamia nuts, coconut, and dried fruits with ancho powder and cayenne. Mmm.

[clownsnack]

Lindt Chili Chocolate: it's so delicious i'm speechless... speechless except for tearfully adding here that spec's and cntrl mkt were out of the Lindt Chili Choc last weekend and i had to suffer, martyr-like through some other chili-choc varieties. NOT the same.

[madgreek]

I just tried the Frey chocolate with chilies bar. It was terrible, btw. Anyone like it? The chocolate tastes cheap to me, and it doesn't have much detectable chile flavor, just heat.

[Bob W]

Great timing for your post. You just saved me two bucks. I saw the Frey bar at Target and was going to have a Lindt vs. Frey taste test but now I'll just try the Lindt, which everyone seems to love.

BTW, the fabulous Garrison Confections out of Providence occasionally includes a hot pepper flavor in its seasonal collections.

[madgreek]

Glad to be of assistance. The Lindt is definitely worth the extra 40 cents.

[Bob W]

It's an extra buck at my Target. $2.99/Lindt vs $1.99/Frey. And the Frey bars looked so good, too. Shows how cool packaging and a Euro name/pedigree can mislead.

[tachis]

I also tried the Frey chilies bar from Target. Found the chile too overpowering to enjoy. So it is still sitting on my countertop until I can think of something creative to do with it (maybe melt it down with more good quality choc for a sauce, or chop up and fold into brownies???).

The Frey lemon pepper bar, however, was quite nice.

[madgreek]

I was thinking along the same lines. Actually, I'm considering a variation on a xocolatl style hot chocolate drink. I'll tell you if it's worth it.

[madgreek]

I tried the spicy hot chocolate idea. Tasted crappy, just like the bar does. I should have known.

[Steve Green]

Just picked up the Lindt at Cost Plus--I thought it was OK, nothing special. I noticed they had their own brand (World Market) chipotle chocolate bar. Anyone tried that?

[Kagey]

I look forward to trying it. I've seen it in Waitrose (UK) lots of times but I've always stuck to the Chocolate Alchemist chilli dark chocolate bar. It's sublime! I'll pick up a Lindt bar this weekend.

[anzu]

Since a few people mentioned other brands of chili chocolate they tried, I just got a bar of the Hachez mango chili bar. I don't like it at all. I'm not sure if it's the quality of the chocolate or the mangoes (the chili aspect tastes perfectly fine), but UGH. I need to keep reminding myself that I don't like the fruit/chocolate combo. (Unless it's citrus. Then it doesn't bother me. I also like the fruit/chocolate combo in any other form other than a chocolate bar.) But I keep forgetting this, b/c I love mangoes. So then I think, "Oh, I love mangoes. Oh, I love chocolate. Hey, they are selling mango-flavored chocolate. Since I love both things, I must love this chocolate bar. Buy. Buy. Buy!" WRONG. It was wrong when I tried the passionfruit infused chocolate, and again when I tried some other fruit-infused chocolate, and yet, I never learn. . ..

Has anyone tried the Hachez bars? (Perhaps this is a bit off topic?)

[Eat_Nopal]

Thats funny in the past I have made a Brownish Red mole that is very heavy on both chocolate & dried mango... I have to make it again... it was phenomenal with Quail & fresh mangos 3 ways (raw, lightly grilled & carmelized)

[Ruth Lafler]

Did you mean try Hachez bars generally? Because I like the Hachez Maricaibo (milk chocolate with 55 percent cacao solids).

[anzu]

Yeah-- I was wondering if it's the quality of the chocolate or whether I didn't like the mango/chocolate combo in this bar. So it sounds like the brand itself is good; I'm just not fond of the combo, though I've now eaten about 1/4 of the bar, and it's starting to grow on me.

The Hachez Maricaibo bar you mentioned sounds very intriguing. I think you posted about high cocoa content milk chocolate bars in another post, and since then, I've been on the lookout for such a bar, but haven't been able to find any. I'll look for this next time I'm at Cost Plus.

Nopal, your mole dried mango concoction sounds really good. Can you post the recipe in home cooking?

[Bob W]

I just tried the Lindt chili bar from Target ($2.29 not $2.99 as I posted earlier). Not bad, but I think I need to chill the bar a bit; I like my chocolate with some real snap to it.

The chili finish was interesting; gives new meaning to the term "hot chocolate." Not super hot, but pleasantly so.

[Kagey]

Just tried it last night. Did a taste comparison with my usual favorite, the Chocolate Alchemist chilli chocolate bar, and I have to admit I was disappointed. The Lindt tasted overly sweet, and had a lot less kick than the CA. I liked the smooth texture of it, though. Today I'll try it again without eating the CA chocolate first, just to see how well it stands up on its own. But I could see using it in cakes, brownies, etc.

[dolores]

Last night, first time I had a 'chili' chocolate (not Lindt). It took me by surprise, and looked like an innocent truffle on the outside. Afterwards, I looked at the legend, and it was a Mole Truffle.

Now, I eat just about anything and I have to say how surprised I was at how much I disliked it.

I had to rush for a Lindt Peanut Butter Truffle to take away the taste.

Verrrrry strange.

[Sean D]

Question: Are we all mad? Is this acolade of Lindt Excellence Chili some kind of mass hysteria?

Today, I had my first taste of the stuff and had high expectations. It was truly one of the most horrible things I've ever put into my mouth.

From the moment I placed a square of it on my tongue, it seemed like a regular 70% dark with a high cocoa butter content. Then, as the chocolate melted onto my tongue and along the surfaces of my esphogus, I could feel the growing burn of the chili oil. After the chocolate melted away, there was a cloying unpleasant after-taste, accompanied by a sensation similar to mild heartburn.

I shared this chocolate with four other people who had the same reaction.

I applaud Lindt for pushing the envelope on this, but I would definitely characterize this as a failure.

[babette feasts]

No. Hated it! I like bitter chocolate, and I like spicy food, but there the bitterness combined with intense heat doesn't work for me at all.

[babette feasts]

Oops, actually the bar I have is Frey saveur du chili. Maybe the Lindt is better, the frey sure is undelicious.

[madgreek]

I've tried many variations of this type of bar since I started this thread, and really love some of the higher end bars, especially the vosges. The lindt still satisfies the craving for me, especially since it's such a value. ($1.66 on sale)

Have you ever had other chili chocolate? You might not be a fan of the style. The lindt is flavored with cayenne, so the burn does hit you in the back of the throat. Sorry to hear it wasn't for you.

I'm curious now, what is your favorite chocolate?