Kara's Assorted Truffles

Today, Sisters & Brothers, we return to Kara Chocolates for our Sacrament.  You can find a previous review of their truffles around Easter last year since some of them had an Easter theme.  Chocolatiers and companies know that we get many products here and we like to mix things up.  It may be months and months between reviews of their products even if they need to be consumed fairly quickly.  We want to keep things interesting and space out the same creator's products.  This might mean that we write reviews months before you see them which is one of the most wonderful things about computers and backing things up in your Chocolate Priestess's opinion.

The second offering that Kara Chocolates sent us was a box of assorted truffles in four flavors: Chocolate, Orange, Blackberry, and Gingerbread.  That last one is unique to me so I'm looking forward to discovering which one it is.  Discovery is what this will be since they are not described on the website or on the box.  They do have a slightly different color and type of sprinkles or flakes on their tops so I'll use those along with my nose to try and guess before taking a bite.  But if you are regular reader, you know that often just looks and scent can be misleading.  The box has 2.8 servings which makes it a bit difficult to figure out the nutrition but here's my attempt.  The box has 8 truffles so approximately 2.8 of them make up a serving.  That's impossible to divide so let's multiple the information for the nutrition then divide by two since you could eat one of each type call that a serving.  If we do that, then half the box has 294 calories, 7g saturated fat, 7mg cholesterol, 42mg sodium, 2.8g fiber, 30.8g sugars, 2.8g protein and some calcium and iron.  All of these are milk chocolate truffles by the way so there is dairy here along with soybean oil for those of you with allergies.  It also has some artificial colors and preservatives.

Enough of calculating, let's try them starting from the top and working our way down one side.  Remember, I don't eat an entire truffle when I try these for you, Sisters and Brothers, we have assistants who eat the rest as well as friends who love visiting to try something new each week. If I ate every thing I was sent, I'd be around 400 pounds and probably having serious health problems.  Chocolate can be a healthy part of your day but only in moderation and the darker the better.

The first truffle has mostly chocolate flecks on it but also some glazing so my initial guess is that this will be the chocolate truffle.  It has a very sweet scent so I'm a bit concerned it may not be just chocolate before I take a bite.  Nope, this is the Chocolate Truffle with a semi-solid center under a milk chocolate coat that looks very hand-dipped with its uneven texture.  The center grows in cocoa intensity and ends up tasting darker than I expect with a milk chocolate truffle which greatly surprises and pleases me.

The second truffle has orange or red crystals over it with a glaze as well.  I smell a hint of spice so I'm wondering if this is the orange or the gingerbread truffle.  This is the Orange Truffle but it has a tangy, spicy kick to it as well as an intense orange flavor when I take the first bite.  That orange flavor lingers and it remains me of the darker blood oranges I've had.  The result is a surprisingly complex blend of flavors from creamy, to spicy, to sweet and ending with a tangyness.

The third truffle has a sparkly crystal and glaze over it along with a kick of spice to its scent so it must be the Gingerbread Truffle.  Biting into it, I am immediately drawn to several flavors -- ginger and cinnamon definitely but at least one other I can't quite place.  But this tastes just like if I made a gingerbread cookie and dipped it in milk chocolate and dark chocolate without the crunch of the cookie.  The spice lingers but does not overpower the dark chocolate center.

The final truffle must be the blackberry given the purple crystals and glazing over the milk chocolate cover.  Indeed it has a strong blackberry scent but hopefully it won't have those tiny seeds that I really dislike about the fruit.  The center here is much softer than the other truffles but still relatively solid.  The blackberry is there, no seeds, but it blends so well with the darker center that I can just make it out as a sweet afterglow.  For something who isn't overly fond of blackberry this is actually a great thing.  I'm pretty sure the softness comes from the fruit juice used in this.

Kara Chocolates has a success with these four flavors.  I have to give the greatest praise to the Gingerbread Truffle for it's uniqueness and ability to blend spices that could easily over power any other flavor with the milk and dark chocolates in these truffles. All four flavors are good and this makes them all worthy Sacraments.