Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles

Product name: Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles
Calories: 236 per 40g serving (660 per 112g box)
Country of origin: Belgium

So we’re over half way through August, and it’s nearer to next Christmas than last, but I’ve finally got around to eating the last edible gift I was given in December 2013!

These Marcheurs De Chocolat Belgian Chocolate: Flaked truffles were part of the Walkers Chocolates brand and, like many of their other products, I’ve seen them in discount stores quite a lot. As was the case with me, this made them a good add-on present!

The ‘truffles covered in Belgian milk chocolate’ came in a royal blue box that featured a photo of the chocolates but, despite this looking promising, I was a bit apprehensive on opening it as it rattled quite a lot and I was convinced almost all of the flaked chocolate would have become detached from the truffles themselves. As it happens, I was pleasantly surprised to find things hadn’t got as messy as I feared, and there were also more truffles inside than I’d expected – 11 (although this would have been frustrating if I’d been aiming for the quoted three servings!).

I was disappointed to see that, after the main ingredient (sugar), the truffles mainly consisted of vegetable fat. However, there was a strong smell of cocoa powder, and the chocolate itself contained a minimum of 25% cocoa solids and 14% milk solids.

Whilst widely the same in appearance (generally round with flat bottoms and coated generously in chocolate flakes), the truffles were slightly different shapes and sizes, and they were lovely and soft to cut through. They seemed to consist of three layers: a truffle centre that looked a bit like a fluffy  mousse, a chocolate coating, then the flaked chocolate. However, unlike what the picture on the box suggested, these layers were all the same shade of brown.

The chocolates had a nice texture – they were really soft and squidgy and had a melt-in-the-mouth feel as the different elements melded together. Even the flakes were soft, although they did add a contrasting bumpy surface.

Unfortunately, I really wasn’t a fan of the flavour, which is unusual for me with chocolate! It just tasted weird and, although there was a chocolatey aftertaste, the overall feel was one of staleness. As is often the case with truffles, there was a slightly bitter aspect to the flavour, but I just felt that the chocolate’s taste could have been so much stronger and better. Furthermore, although there was no denying that the truffles were rich, the absence of cream in the ingredients didn’t go unnoticed.

I wasn’t expecting great things from these budget Flaked truffles but it was a shame that the area where they fell short was, for me, the most important: taste! I’ve definitely ‘spent’ my calories on better snacks...

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 4.5/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.63/10