the sweet scrapbook

At the beginning of last month I bought quite a few Halloren products. When I visited their website to learn a little more about them, I found that they also make Bohme and Laroshell. I discovered Laroshell's alcohol-filled chocolates at the beginning of 2003 and I thought they were quite nice. It didn't take me long before I went through all Laroshell products that were available here. And then I moved on, there were other things to try. But recently I saw something that wasn't available here before - though it was listed (unfortunately, without a picture, so I didn't make the connection at first) on halloren.de among the Laroshell products. It was the Laroshell Obstbrande assortment box.

The box contains fruit brandy filled chocolates with sugar crust and hazelnuts. There are 32 chocolates in the 400g box. They are made with four types of fruit brandy fillings and there are three types of chocolate used: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and higher cocoa content milk chocolate. They don't say what type of chocolate they use for each filling... so the associations I've made come strictly from the way I've felt them... and I couldn't feel much (I'll explain that a little later). It was obvious that the Williams Pear Brandy was in regular milk chocolate and I'm pretty sure that the Black Forest Cherry Brandy was in dark chocolate. I think that the Black Forest Plum Brandy was in higher cocoa content milk chocolate, but I'm highly unsure about the Raspberry Brandy. Was this higher cocoa content milk chocolate as well?

At the beginning of last month I bought quite a few Halloren products. When I visited their website to learn a little more about them, I found that they also make Bohme and Laroshell. I discovered Laroshell's alcohol-filled chocolates at the beginning of 2003 and I thought they were quite nice. It didn't take me long before I went through all Laroshell products that were available here. And then I moved on, there were other things to try. But recently I saw something that wasn't available here before - though it was listed (unfortunately, without a picture, so I didn't make the connection at first) on halloren.de among the Laroshell products. It was the Laroshell Obstbrande assortment box.

The box contains fruit brandy filled chocolates with sugar crust and hazelnuts. There are 32 chocolates in the 400g box. They are made with four types of fruit brandy fillings and there are three types of chocolate used: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and higher cocoa content milk chocolate. They don't say what type of chocolate they use for each filling... so the associations I've made come strictly from the way I've felt them... and I couldn't feel much (I'll explain that a little later). It was obvious that the Williams Pear Brandy was in regular milk chocolate and I'm pretty sure that the Black Forest Cherry Brandy was in dark chocolate. I think that the Black Forest Plum Brandy was in higher cocoa content milk chocolate, but I'm highly unsure about the Raspberry Brandy. Was this higher cocoa content milk chocolate as well?

I had never heard of Solidarnosc (the name means "solidarity") until two weeks ago when I first spotted some of their Liqueurs & Vodka chocolate boxes in Auchan. As usual, I bought an assortment box because I wanted to give each flavour a try. The assortment boxes come in three colours (white, yellow and blue), but I couldn't notice any difference between them beside the main colour of the box. I chose a blue box.

Being the curious creature that I am, I had to look for more information about them. This is what I have found on their website:

Firma Cukiernicza Solidarnosc was founded on 4 June 1952. The beginning of the sixties saw the birth of the product which is the firm's pride, which remains in its product range to this day and continues to attract undiminished consumer interest, Naleczowska Plum in chocolate. 1994 was the date the product which has won most awards was introduced to the market. Chocolates with hazelnuts in cream "Golden Nut"

Combining tradition with modern management methods, Solidarnosc has created a brand thanks to which, today it has a very significant position on the market. The company's most important capital is the quality of its products, which is achieved thanks to modern technology and our own recipes. The products are distinguished by an unlimited range of flavours, and a colourful, esthetically pleasing and attractive graphic layout.

I had never heard of Solidarnosc (the name means "solidarity") until two weeks ago when I first spotted some of their Liqueurs & Vodka chocolate boxes in Auchan. As usual, I bought an assortment box because I wanted to give each flavour a try. The assortment boxes come in three colours (white, yellow and blue), but I couldn't notice any difference between them beside the main colour of the box. I chose a blue box.

Being the curious creature that I am, I had to look for more information about them. This is what I have found on their website:

Firma Cukiernicza Solidarnosc was founded on 4 June 1952. The beginning of the sixties saw the birth of the product which is the firm's pride, which remains in its product range to this day and continues to attract undiminished consumer interest, Naleczowska Plum in chocolate. 1994 was the date the product which has won most awards was introduced to the market. Chocolates with hazelnuts in cream "Golden Nut"

Combining tradition with modern management methods, Solidarnosc has created a brand thanks to which, today it has a very significant position on the market. The company's most important capital is the quality of its products, which is achieved thanks to modern technology and our own recipes. The products are distinguished by an unlimited range of flavours, and a colourful, esthetically pleasing and attractive graphic layout.

I love Lindt chocolate. Milk, mild to medium dark, white... I first discovered Lindt on acold Saturday morning, just before the Electromagnetism partial exam. That's why I still remember the date - 23rd of November 2003. Lindt Milk Chocolate with Spekulatius Biscuit and Praline Cream (also inside view). Yes, I had the chocolate with me in the exam room and I ate it afterwards. And it was cinnamon and milk chocolate Heaven! Obviusly, next step was to get the Lindt Gingerbread Pralines box - yes, yes, yes! I drove everyone crazy with that year's Lindt Christmas offerings. Other chocolates were to try once. Lindt was something to have over and over...

In the first half of the next year, I tried the Nouvelle Confiserie chocolates. Oh, they were lovely (I was a bit unsure about white chocolate, it had never been real chocolate to me, but I even liked those). Please, Lindt, please bring them back!

I love Lindt chocolate. Milk, mild to medium dark, white... I first discovered Lindt on acold Saturday morning, just before the Electromagnetism partial exam. That's why I still remember the date - 23rd of November 2003. Lindt Milk Chocolate with Spekulatius Biscuit and Praline Cream (also inside view). Yes, I had the chocolate with me in the exam room and I ate it afterwards. And it was cinnamon and milk chocolate Heaven! Obviusly, next step was to get the Lindt Gingerbread Pralines box - yes, yes, yes! I drove everyone crazy with that year's Lindt Christmas offerings. Other chocolates were to try once. Lindt was something to have over and over...

In the first half of the next year, I tried the Nouvelle Confiserie chocolates. Oh, they were lovely (I was a bit unsure about white chocolate, it had never been real chocolate to me, but I even liked those). Please, Lindt, please bring them back!

Heidi is a Romanian brand belonging to the Laderach Group. Its story began in 1994 with the production of chocolate cream. They would later start producing chocolate bars and boxed chocolates. They first went international in 2005 and today, Heidi chocolates can be found on quite a few foreign markets (Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Moldavia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and US).

That's what you get from their website. Now for a little personal history. I have mixed feelings about Heidi. Over the years, they've put out some chocolates that I really liked... and almost none of them lasted much.

Heidi is a Romanian brand belonging to the Laderach Group. Its story began in 1994 with the production of chocolate cream. They would later start producing chocolate bars and boxed chocolates. They first went international in 2005 and today, Heidi chocolates can be found on quite a few foreign markets (Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, Moldavia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and US).

That's what you get from their website. Now for a little personal history. I have mixed feelings about Heidi. Over the years, they've put out some chocolates that I really liked... and almost none of them lasted much.

Not long ago, I happened to come across one of the prettiest boxes of chocolates I have ever seen. They were called Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes. Vobro is a Polish confectionery producer from Brodnica.

They have three designs for the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes box and it took me a while to decide which I liked best. I eventually picked the one with the tulip. I also saw their Cherry Roses boxes, but the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes promised Cointreau chocolates so, given that I have a weak spot for orange in chocolate, it was easy for me to decide which one I wanted to try first.

Not long ago, I happened to come across one of the prettiest boxes of chocolates I have ever seen. They were called Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes. Vobro is a Polish confectionery producer from Brodnica.

They have three designs for the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes box and it took me a while to decide which I liked best. I eventually picked the one with the tulip. I also saw their Cherry Roses boxes, but the Vobro Choco Party Best Wishes promised Cointreau chocolates so, given that I have a weak spot for orange in chocolate, it was easy for me to decide which one I wanted to try first.

Davinia. Who are Davinia? I still don't know, I haven't been able to find much about them on the internet. They're from Belgium, and they also make some truffles called Royal Truffles, some Milk Mini-Chocolates and some spread called ChocoDuo.

I first saw three of their chocolate bars two weeks ago. They seemed interesting, so I tried two of them (Milk Chocolate with Praline Filling and Dark Chocolate with Praline Filling) a week later.

Davinia. Who are Davinia? I still don't know, I haven't been able to find much about them on the internet. They're from Belgium, and they also make some truffles called Royal Truffles, some Milk Mini-Chocolates and some spread called ChocoDuo.

I first saw three of their chocolate bars two weeks ago. They seemed interesting, so I tried two of them (Milk Chocolate with Praline Filling and Dark Chocolate with Praline Filling) a week later.

The Kandia name is almost 100 years old. In 1890, a chocolate factory opened in Timisoara. 27 years later, the factory was given the name Kandia (see the old Kandia logo). In 2004, the factory was bought by another Romanian chocolate producer, Excelent from Bucharest (see the old Excelent logo/ the new Kandia Excelent logo). The headquarters of the newly formed company was moved to Bucharest. Shortly after, the factory in Timisoara was closed and Ambasador (the wide and probably best known chocolate range from Kandia was discontinued. I did get to try about twenty Ambasador chocolates before that happened). Kandia-Excelent was then bought by the Julius Meinl Group. But the Kandia name stayed. During the next three years, Kandia-Excelent launched a lot of chocolate bars under the Kandia label. Kandia had a diversified basic range during that time (see another collage). And there were even more bars in the basic range - I distinctly remember there were three biscuit bars, more than one plain dark bar, there was also another filled dark bar, there were fruit cream bars... In addition to that, they also had a premium range called Kandia Moments, a range of small bars, a range of boxed chocolates plus quite a few special editions like the Kandia Ice-Cooling Special Edition (a summer edition which returned for a second summer in slightly different wrappers and which I am now sorry I never tried... because back then, I wouldn't touch white chocolate), the Kandia Yogurt or the Kandia White Chocolate Yoghurt Cream Special Edition.

The Kandia name is almost 100 years old. In 1890, a chocolate factory opened in Timisoara. 27 years later, the factory was given the name Kandia (see the old Kandia logo). In 2004, the factory was bought by another Romanian chocolate producer, Excelent from Bucharest (see the old Excelent logo/ the new Kandia Excelent logo). The headquarters of the newly formed company was moved to Bucharest. Shortly after, the factory in Timisoara was closed and Ambasador (the wide and probably best known chocolate range from Kandia was discontinued. I did get to try about twenty Ambasador chocolates before that happened). Kandia-Excelent was then bought by the Julius Meinl Group. But the Kandia name stayed. During the next three years, Kandia-Excelent launched a lot of chocolate bars under the Kandia label. Kandia had a diversified basic range during that time (see another collage). And there were even more bars in the basic range - I distinctly remember there were three biscuit bars, more than one plain dark bar, there was also another filled dark bar, there were fruit cream bars... In addition to that, they also had a premium range called Kandia Moments, a range of small bars, a range of boxed chocolates plus quite a few special editions like the Kandia Ice-Cooling Special Edition (a summer edition which returned for a second summer in slightly different wrappers and which I am now sorry I never tried... because back then, I wouldn't touch white chocolate), the Kandia Yogurt or the Kandia White Chocolate Yoghurt Cream Special Edition.

Primola is a brand of Supreme Group (yes, I'm finally starting to post pictures of Romanian sweets as well). I discovered it some seven- eight years ago. Back then, I really liked their Brandy (which they've taken out in the meanwhile and... damn! I cannot even find a picture of it on the internet) and Caramel (link, presentation photo) chocolate bars. A few years later, they introduced a Dark - Liqueur & Cherries (Romanian original: Amaruie - Lichior & Cirese) bar which I also really liked, unfortunately, didn't last long (but at least I could find a picture of it - low quality, but I guess it's better than nothing...). Last Christmas, they put out a box called Cherry in Liqueur (link, presentation photo) - I was really excited as I was hoping it would be something like the bar (even though the bar did not contain whole cherries). But I was going to be disappointed. They either changed the recipe or my taste buds have got pickier over the years.

It was not the first time I had got to that conclusion. About eight months before, I had tried the Caramel bar again. And I did not like it anymore. So, is there anything from their current range that I actually like? Well, they have decent cereal chocolates. A Cereal & Cocoa Cream bar (link, screenshot) and chocolate box (link, screenshot) and a Cereal & Whipped Cream bar (link, presentation picture) and chocolate box (link, presentation picture). And two or three years ago they've launched a premium range called Primola Supreme - I particularly like the Chocolate Mousse (link, screenshot).

Primola is a brand of Supreme Group (yes, I'm finally starting to post pictures of Romanian sweets as well). I discovered it some seven- eight years ago. Back then, I really liked their Brandy (which they've taken out in the meanwhile and... damn! I cannot even find a picture of it on the internet) and Caramel (link, presentation photo) chocolate bars. A few years later, they introduced a Dark - Liqueur & Cherries (Romanian original: Amaruie - Lichior & Cirese) bar which I also really liked, unfortunately, didn't last long (but at least I could find a picture of it - low quality, but I guess it's better than nothing...). Last Christmas, they put out a box called Cherry in Liqueur (link, presentation photo) - I was really excited as I was hoping it would be something like the bar (even though the bar did not contain whole cherries). But I was going to be disappointed. They either changed the recipe or my taste buds have got pickier over the years.

It was not the first time I had got to that conclusion. About eight months before, I had tried the Caramel bar again. And I did not like it anymore. So, is there anything from their current range that I actually like? Well, they have decent cereal chocolates. A Cereal & Cocoa Cream bar (link, screenshot) and chocolate box (link, screenshot) and a Cereal & Whipped Cream bar (link, presentation picture) and chocolate box (link, presentation picture). And two or three years ago they've launched a premium range called Primola Supreme - I particularly like the Chocolate Mousse (link, screenshot).

From the same ice-cream shop as the cakes in the previous post, two kinds of chocolate mousse.

The first one is called Mousse Duo. From top to bottom it has two white and dark chocolate rolls, decorative dark chocolate pieces, a layer of white chocolate mousse, a layer of dark chocolate mousse and a layer of cocoa cake. The second one is called Mousse Choco. It has a white and dark chocolate roll, a pink macaron piece, decorative almond slithers, a layer of dark chocolate frosting and alternating layers of cocoa mousse and cake with cherries.

From the same ice-cream shop as the cakes in the previous post, two kinds of chocolate mousse.

The first one is called Mousse Duo. From top to bottom it has two white and dark chocolate rolls, decorative dark chocolate pieces, a layer of white chocolate mousse, a layer of dark chocolate mousse and a layer of cocoa cake. The second one is called Mousse Choco. It has a white and dark chocolate roll, a pink macaron piece, decorative almond slithers, a layer of dark chocolate frosting and alternating layers of cocoa mousse and cake with cherries.