I am a chocolate lover. I like eating and drinking chocolate but I do not consider myself to be a chocoholic or 'chocolate-knowledgeable' but rather. as a consumer who knows exactly how to distinguish between the cheap soapy chocolate and the first-class chocolate!
I only drink hot chocolate ... Read review
Advantages: Delicious! Disadvantages: Lack of nutritional information; expensive
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I had butlers hot chocolate drink as a Christmas gift from my uncle who lives in Ireland and is married to a lovely Irish lady. It had arrived to me as a parcel with a Christmas card inscribed with one word only . . . '''ENJOY!'''
It may sound lame but to be honest I was gutted to receive such a gift, I was expecting more! However, I had a look and I was surprised to learn that it was supposed to be drunk not eaten! I never ... ...a steamy teacup and a butlers stamp on it. It is extremely tempting and it's beautifully created so I asked myself how about eating it . . . just this time and so I did and I wish that I didn't!
It was very stodgy and extremely sweet, I felt sick from the first bite so my advice to you is . . . "don't try this at home!"
I am a chocolate lover. I like eating and drinking chocolate but I do not consider myself to be a chocoholic or 'chocolate-knowledgeable' but rather. as a consumer who knows exactly how to distinguish between the cheap soapy chocolate and the first-class chocolate!
I only drink hot chocolate in winter when the weather is really chilly and in these days the temperature is dropping significantly; it's not like the UK (the temperature is around 5-10 degrees) but for us it's windy and freezing cold and my limbs are completely frozen.
Therefore, I usually go for something to warm me up and tastes superior as well, hot chocolate always to the rescue. I tried a lot of branded and non- branded hot chocolate, which mostly came in a sachet or in tins. Most of them have cocoa powder as a main ingredient. I wasn't complaining because I thought hot chocolate was meant to be made out from cocoa powder, it was nice having a hot chocolaty drink while watching TV or surfing the net so my fingers won't shake while typing!
Anyway . . .
I had butlers hot chocolate drink as a Christmas gift from my uncle who lives in Ireland and is married to a lovely Irish lady. It had arrived to me as a parcel with a Christmas card inscribed with one word only . . . ENJOY!
It may sound lame but to be honest I was gutted to receive such a gift, I was expecting more! However, I had a look and I was surprised to learn that it was supposed to be drunk not eaten! I never heard of this brand and never knew that hot chocolate can come in pieces! The only hot chocolate I knew was the cocoa powder or chocolate powder! Subsequently I took the box and had a close look; I wanted to read about what I am consuming before!
The packing
It is very attractive actually . . . a very luxurious box, it can be opened from the side to pull out a small tray holding 10 beautifully decorated eye catching pieces of chocolate, if I didn't know I would have eaten one straight away but it supposed to be melted in!
The little pitch black box decorated with the deluxe golden writing for the Butler's logo and a picture of the traditional flat cup white filled with chocolaty drink and topped up with one of those scrumptious chocolate pieces!
There is a small but elegant golden card within the interior of the box, with some serving suggestions, instructions and ideas; but for some reason they have hidden the nutritional information! I scanned the small card and the box a thousand times and I found nothing! Maybe it does have a dreadful quantity of calories and they don't want to frighten the ladies! I had a quick look on their website and again I found no results! I consider this as a downside because nutritional information is important and should be available in every product.
The chocolate chunk
Mmm, I'm dubbing it chunk because it is a heavy and chunky piece of chocolate, one piece is around 23g, and God knows how much calories are in it! This 3D chocolate has a brownish colour, which indicates that it has milk in it. Nearly oval shaped topped with a steamy teacup and a butlers stamp on it. It is extremely tempting and it's beautifully created so I asked myself how about eating it . . . just this time and so I did and I wish that I didn't!
It was very stodgy and extremely sweet, I felt sick from the first bite so my advice to you is . . . "don't try this at home!"
Follow the instruction religiously
The instructions are as easy as 1, 2, and 3. . . Don't try to be adventurous or experimental, simply follow the instructions and you will like the results.
1. Pour a full teacup around 150ml (and only a teacup not a huge mug!) into a saucepan using full fat milk but in my case I used a single cream, I wanted to indulge myself and I found the results are amazingly good! Then I added a Butler Hot Chocolate Cup.
2. Warm over a low to medium heat, stirring all the time preventing the chocolate from sticking or burning. Don't rush; allow the Hot Chocolate Cup to melt slowly and gently.
3. When the chocolate has completely melted and is mixed with the milk or the cream (it took about 10 minutes) pour into a cup and leave it for few minuses to cool down then drink.
Ok . . . it's not as easy as I said…so go for the easy option, which is the microwave!
The instructions this time are much easier and you will be done in 3 minutes flat!
• Pour 150g of full cream milk or single cream(optional) in a microwavable teacup;
• add the teacup piece of chocolate
• put on full power for 3 minutes, microwave
• stir gently after 1 minute, wait for few seconds,
• then complete the rest of the time and voila! Much easier right? lol!
My luminous chocolate drink is ready and waiting for me!
The look
It looks very chocolaty, dark brown and unlike the coca powder or chocolate sachet, there were no lumps or powdery granules sticking on the side of the cup or floating and spoiling the look and the taste of the chocolate drink; it was very pure and looks very professionally done!
Thickness and density
It was quite dense and thick, not watery, it has a body and very rich and creamy, I loved the smooth and silky look and I was very tempted to try it, not caring about burning my tongue!
What could I smell?
In a solid state . . . the smell was like a normal chocolate, sweet and aromatic. In a liquid state . . . the smell was even more strong and a lot more aromatic, there was nothing better than the smell of melted chocolate took me back to my childhood; when I used to melt the chocolate bar in front of the fireplace . . . the chocolate dropped on the carpet and I got a smack from my mum! Anyway, the smell was very inviting and unlike the cocoa drink it was a real chocolate.
The cup was drunk in less than 5 minutes!
As I said before I used a single cream instead of full fat milk so the hot chocolate was a bit different. As I drunk the hot chocolate I felt like drinking melted chocolate, the chocolaty drink was heavenly tasty, creamy and delightfully flavoursome. At the beginning I thought a small cup (150g) of the chocolate stuff won't be enough for my taste buds but after drinking it I thought it was just the right amount per person and the reason was it's thick and very creamy so it was very satisfying and filling as well, I felt warm and completely fulfilled straight after I finished.
In every single sip I tasted the real chocolate and at the end I was very pleased with the texture and the sweetness was exactly on the mark.
Aftertaste
I didn't experience any bad aftertaste, the only thing I noticed was my tongue was coated with thin coat of chocolate and it was slightly brownish, also my teeth were stained so avoid if you are going out or meeting someone; or brush your teeth before you go out!
Add some excitement and a bit of delight to your cuppa! • After preparing top it with fresh wiped cream but take into consideration that you are adding extra calories as well!
• Also you can sprinkle some grated chocolate or to go for a less fat option you can dust some cocoa powder or maybe a touch of cinnamon.
• Use some marshmallows (the small white pieces not the coloured huge ones), let them melt slowly.
• For a complete 'nutter' option, add a dash of coffee, the combination of chocolate and coffee works very well together.
Do and don't (sounds like an instruction for hair dye!)
• Don't add sugar, it's already sweetened unless you have a very sweet tooth!
• Don't use semi skimmed or skimmed milk or any milk alternatives, the results won't be as successful as the original recipe. The chocolate will not mix well with the milk and you will end up with a scrambled eggs look instead!
• Don't exceed the recommended amount of milk or chocolate; always use one piece per 150g, no more, no less!
• Leave it to cool down before drinking it; melted chocolate can burn your tongue.
Some warnings
Because it's chocolate and it has sugar, there are some restrictions. . .
• It has a lot of sugar, invert sugar syrup, therefore; it is not suitable for diabetic or people on diet.
• It contains milk and milk derivatives; so it is not suitable for lactose intolerance sufferers
• It May contain traces of nuts and gluten, so beware.
Weight and size
It comes in a pack of 10; net weight is 230g, 23g each. Good sized piece of chocolate.
Price and availability
As for price; it is quite expensive, about £6.25 per pack, 62.5p per piece, nearly a price of a chocolate bar! As far as I know, it is available in Ireland, but you can order from their website. Do bear in mind that they have high delivery charges if you decide to order online.
This product is now available in Spanish market, I have recently discovered a Spanish website which specialises in the British cuisine and products which can deliver to all Spanish areas and have their store in Madrid, so expect more reviews to come!
Conclusion
After drinking and trying the whole box with my family I can confirm that, this product used high quality real chocolate mass, rich and creamy and a very satisfying experience. The only few downsides were as follows:
* the amount of sugar; I wish it were without the sugar so all people could try their luxurious hot chocolate drink.
* the price is too high for only a pack of 10
* it needs to be available more widely in supermarkets and shops; and finally
* the lack of nutritional facts can really make you think again about this product.
Would I bother to look for it again in the future?
They are very indulgent and enjoyable experience but money wise it was very expensive. I may treat myself again with this tasty hot chocolate drink, but for every day drink, I would stick to my normal coca powder or the chocolate sachet!
Advantages: Attractive packaging, attractive price point, simple to make. Disadvantages: Not chocolatey enough!!
...I have mixed feelings about Butlers chocolates in general - I have tasted many of their products, and I love some of them, and am not so keen on others. So, it was with interest that I tried this new product. It has only just become available here in Ireland, I am not sure you can buy it in the UK as yet.
First things first - the box itself is very attractive. It is a rich chocolatey brown colour with the Butlers logo in gold, and a photo of a pair ... ...probably find that on the Butlers website)...
Skip this bit if you want to go straight on to the taste test!
"Milk chocolate 29% (sugar, whole milk powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier: soya lecithin, flavouring: natural vanilla), cocoa mass (25%), invert sugar syrup, sugar syrup (sugar, water, preservative: sorbic acid), sweetened condensed milk (milk, sugar). (Milk chocolate contains: 32% cocoa solids minimum, 20% milk solids minimum. ...
NickleIckle 06.11.2008
· Read full review
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