I first came across Amanche at Taste of Christmas last year, where I was lucky enough to chat to the owners Peter and Nora about their unique marzipan chocolates. Combining premium quality almond marzipan with fine Belgian Callebaut® chocolate, Amanche create unique confectionery indulgences infused with distinct flavours. This is the first time I have come across a range of individual marzipan chocolates in the UK and in my eyes, Amanche are meeting the demand for this increasingly popular flavour. I was lucky enough to receive a medium sized Bonbon (box) containing all 12 flavours of Amanche’s latest range. The circular box is neatly presented and secured with an elegant yellow ribbon. The box is very sturdy which portrays its quality, much nicer than some flimsy plastic gift boxes I’ve come across in the past! I love the fact that every chocolate in this box looks completely different and it was nice to have such an intriguing variety of flavours. I decided to pick out three of my favourites to review in more detail.
Tokaj Truffle
This chocolate is made up of a dark chocolate shell which tasted lovely and was an especially nice contrast between the sweet gooey marzipan which filled the centre. The marzipan filling was practically runny, not like the marzipan you are used to finding in a cake or in other marzipan chocolates like Charbonnel et Walker’s. However, this didn’t mean it was any less tasty as both the almond and slightly stronger alcohol taste from the Tokaj were notably present.
The Tokaj (pronoused to-kay) is a sweet Hungarian dessert wine made with grapes containing nectar which explains the marzipan’s honey taste. The flavour reminded me of a sweet whisky as it seemed too strong to be a wine and although I’m not a whisky fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the taste. The circular truffle is coated in a thin layer of white chocolate which I expect is more for decoration than taste. Once this chocolate had gone, I instantly wanted more.
Rouge et Noir
This chocolate had a lovely dark coat which fueled my newly found fondness of dark chocolate. Inside, the strawberry and cracked black pepper marzipan had a nice light flavour, not like the overly sweet strawberry flavour you sometimes find in chocolate. I couldn’t really taste the black pepper but it did have a slight kick to it which I believe was the black pepper. Don’t let this put you off though, I don’t like spicy foods and couldn’t imagine peppered flavoured chocolate but I very much enjoyed this chocolate.
Even with two strong flavours accompanying it, I could still identify the almond in the marzipan. The chocolate was covered in sugar crystals which provided an interesting texture and decoration but it didn’t taste much apart from a subtle hint of strawberry. It certainly looked the part.
Ristretto
This chocolate consisted of a milk chocolate shell which was thicker and therefore harder on top, similar to a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup. This and the whole almond situated on top, made it fairly hard to bite in to. It was no surprised that the first flavour to come to mind was coffee as the chocolate is said to contain “barista blended” marzipan. Like the majority of my sampling, I look at the product description after I have tasted it to offset any preconceptions and heighten my concentration of the flavour.
Like the Tokaj truffle, the flavours were intense and highly satisfying and marzipan runnier than usual. I did wonder whether the chocolates would have tasted better if the marzipan was dense but I expect this would have made them too heavy to enjoy in multiples with a cup to tea or a glass of wine.
Although a little skeptical to try some of the unusual flavours, I enjoyed every Amanche marzipan chocolates in the box I received. Individual marzipan chocolates like these are hard to come by here in the UK and priced at just £13.49 for a medium box, it would make a unique and tasty gift, perfect for the upcoming Easter holiday. Look out for Amanche chocolates at food fairs and trade shows across the UK where they regularly showcase their products. The chocolates can be found at Haslemere Sweet Shop in Surrey and are also available to purchase online. I really enjoyed these unique chocolates as they leave a wonderful sweetness on the tongue.
Living life, loving cake,
H x