A few years ago, right before we went on a family trip to France, my mom vigorously googled Europe must-buys. She then started nagging none-stop about getting Cotê d’or Belgium chocolate. She started searching for them as soon as we landed. Even though I love chocolate, I still thought that she was being ridiculous. I mean, it’s just chocolate…
But when we got to the local supermarket, I was the ridiculous one. There were so many flavors, I wanted to try everything! I remember having caramelized hazelnuts with almond dark chocolate, salted almonds, salted caramel, everything was so rich and silky. I brought back half a suitcase. Other people bring back Chanel and Hérmes, I brought back a suitcase full of chocolates and perfume. I’m surprised I didn’t get stopped.
After we came back to Taiwan, both my mom and I remained hung up on it. It wasn’t available here so we’d always buy them from personal resellers of products exclusively sold in Europe. But of course, they were always very overpriced. Recently, I found that they are now available in Taiwan! First, my mom came home all excited, saying that she bought a bunch of Cotê d’or chocolate ice cream bars from Jason’s Market’s official LINE group. She even bragged to me after she picked them up. Some time last week, I went to 7-11 for milk and saw that they have Cotê d’or chocolate bars! They are directly imported from Belgium and come in 2 flavors: dark chocolate and hazelnut dark chocolate.
Both are made from dark chocolate so they aren’t too sugary. I'm not saying that there isn't quite some sugar in them, I'm just saying that it is considerably less than other candies and could be a good option on cheat day. Each has around 20–30 grams of carbohydrates, meaning that as long as you have regular meals without refined carbs, you can have one a day and still remain in ketosis without affecting your fat-burn.
Cotê d'or Hazelnut Dark Chocolate
Price: NTD$39; 2 for NTD$59 at 7-11 before 10.19.21
Nutrition label:
Per serving: 45g
Calories 249kcal, Protein 2.3g, Fat 17.3g, Carbohydrates 20g (including 18.4g of sugar)
This was the one that I was more looking forward to. I really love nuts, they are such delicious and healthy sacks! Hazelnuts have a very strong aroma and I especially crave them when fall is near. Sadly, they aren't included in most original mixed nuts. Actually, I've literally never seen them be sold anywhere. Where do people get them? Please let me know.
This chocolate does not just have crushed hazelnut crumbs. It has whole hazelnuts in it. There is one entire hazelnut in every bite you take. Personally, I would recommend that you take big, proper bites so that you can get the perfect hazelnut to chocolate proportion. I was nibbling on one while I was working, and it felt like I was eating hazelnuts and chocolate separately. Also, definitely don't gobble this down or it would just seem like ordinary chocolate because you don't have time to taste the difference. Chew it slowly, the chocolate and hazelnuts will gradually release their aroma in your mouth.
Cotê d'or Dark Chocolate
Price: NTD$39; 2 for NTD$59 at 7-11 before 10.19.21
Nutrition label:
Per serving: 47g
Calories 260kcal, Protein 2.3g, Fat 15g, Carbohydrates 29g (including 24.2g of sugar)
To my surprise, I find that this was the the flavor I liked more out of the two! Normally, I like chocolate with nuts much better than plain chocolate.
I can only describe this as chocolatey. If you love chocolate, you have to have this. For those who usually avoid dark chocolate, I think it is worth a try as well. It has both a strong aroma and a rich taste, as soon as you split off a piece, you can smell the chocolate. There is a barely recognizable hint of bitterness and it's not harsh at all. It's also very silky.
Personally, I prefer to leave it out of the fridge for a few minutes before eating it. The chocolate that has returned to room-temperature melts in your mouth like a thick chocolate river, the scent literally fills your whole nasal cavity. Cause you know, your mouth and nose are connected. And your ears too but that's not the point. Not only does it satisfy my tastebuds, but it also pleases my sense of smell. If you refrigerate it and chew it slowly, you could also taste a very strong and rich chocolate flavor but it doesn't smell as good as tif it were at room-temperature. If you like a hard and crunchy texture, I'd recommend that latter. I, myself, am a creature of scent. Seriously, I smell my food before I eat them not because I think someone is going to poison me or to check if it's still fresh. I just have to. I also regularly smell the people around me, so... obviously I prefer the former.
Brand Information
Brand name: Cotê d'or Chocolate
Product name: Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut Dark Chocolate
Price: NTD$39; 2 for NTD$59 at 7-11 before 10.19.21
Sales channels: Available at all 7-11 convenience stores
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Cherie Aria🧜🏻♀️ 艾雪莉
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