French Broad Chocolate Bars Review

French Broad Chocolates: http://frenchbroadchocolates.com/

The Man and I were very excited to try French Broad chocolate bars. Before I go into the taste, I have to say how beautifully the bars are packaged. A different colored ribbon is wrapped around the foil on each bar, so just a hint of color shows outside of the paper wrapper. A single bar would make a lovely gift. If you are going to a dinner and want to bring the host something nice, a bar of chocolate like this would be appropriate. The presentation is very elegant. 

The first thing I noticed was that I could smell the chocolate upon opening the package. I was immediately swooning over the incredible chocolate aroma. Some chocolates don't have a strong or enticing scent, but French Broad chocolates will make your mouth water before you even taste them. 

We started off sampling the 81 percent dark chocolate bar. That's a pretty dark bar! It has a nice, sharp snap when you break off a piece, like good chocolate should, and it tasted fresh. Surprisingly, this bar was not bitter at all. Even the finish is nice with a pure cocoa flavor that lingers in your mouth. The descriptions on the French Broad website are accurate, but don't be turned off by what they call the sandy texture of this one. The grittiness is subtle and not at all unpleasant. It actually adds a nice texture to the chocolate, and it quickly melts into a smooth mass in your mouth. There's no doubt about the high quality of the chocolate. It's not at all chalky like some darker bars can be. The flavor was bold without being overpowering. It was truly an outstanding bar. I was so impressed, and even the Man, who's more of a milk chocolate fan, liked it. 

The second bar we sampled was a 75 percent dark chocolate bar with sea salt flakes. We noticed that the salt wasn't too pronounced but it did enhance the chocolate. Even though it was a dark bar, it had a lightness to it and a tang that was reminiscent of good milk chocolate. I absolutely loved it. I thought this bar was outstanding in every way: taste, texture, aroma and balance. We noticed a definite trend, and it seems that all of the French Broad chocolate bars are not overly sweet but not at all bitter.  

The third bar we tried, a Malted Milk Chocolate Bar, is a 45 percent cocoa bar that will knock your socks off. Again, this wasn't overly sweet, which was a nice surprise, as so many milk chocolates are on the too sweet side. In fact, the bar has no more sugar added to it than the 70 percent dark chocolates the French Broad Company makes. The Man was in heaven. Right off the bat, you can detect notes of caramel as the nutty, milky flavor of the malted milk emerges. The taste of rich chocolate quickly follows. As far as milk chocolate goes, this is exceptional. The flavors are unique, and all true milk chocolate lovers will appreciate this bar. The texture of the bar is smooth, yet it clings nicely in your mouth after it melts, allowing the well-rounded flavor to emerge more fully. As the Man pointed out, it has a great mouth feel. 

From their website:

French Broad Chocolates

Actually, our name is quite, um, couth. It is inspired by the mighty French Broad River, a brief account of which we have included below. We were awestruck at the age and majesty of the river running through our chosen home town, and we’re proud to identify with it. It helps us establish our local identity, while having the added benefit of some great double entendre. To us, indulging in handmade chocolate truffles is a sexy and sensual experience, and the suggestive nature of the name “French Broad” speaks well to that.