Kinder Bueno – Dark Chocolate
Some companies are known for doing one thing really, really well. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how you end up with quality products like those made by Ferrero. Their most obvious claim to fame is the classic Ferrero Rocher, and other hazelnut chocolate products like Nutella and Kinder Bueno. Something about their recipe for hazelnut and chocolate is magical, and they hit it out of the park with any product involving the marriage of the two. I think it’s safe to say that no other chocolate has yet to crack their magical recipe, or come close to creating an equal.
The Ferrero company has been riding that high for what feels like many decades. Apparently their recipe is one of the most well guarded ones. Even the coke recipe is known my more surviving individuals than the hazelnut spread can claim. It’s not surprising to see why though. Coke has it’s competitors, and while they might not be perfect, they get pretty close. I can’t say I’ve personally experienced anything nearly close to the signature hazelnut that Ferrero uses. It’s a thing of magic, honestly. Pretty much anything they make that has even some semblance of the winning formula is a top notch product. Kinder Bueno is a perfect example of that. Something so simple, and yet so tasty.
I haven’t had this particular variety of Kinder Bueno, but I have had the original milk chocolate one as a child. I remember enjoying it, but never springing for it as the snack of choice because while it was very tasty, it was a little too light and I preferred something that could leave me feeling full for the price. Even as a child these chocolates were on the pricier side. It’s not until you get older that you recognize that there’s more to life than the calorie to dollar ratio.
Each pack comes with two individually packed bars. To take it a step further, each bar is sectioned off so you can easily snap them into 4 easy pieces. Each of those pieces is essentially a chocolate wafer of it’s own with a creamy hazelnut filling. If you really wanted to, one of these packs could give you 8 pieces to share, though if memory serves, you won’t want to share these, and will want to save them all for yourself. Sort of like what Gollum would do. If the ring was an edible piece of chocolate wafer. And he would actually be willing to eat it.
The dark chocolate is a fairly rich one at that, and is my favourite kind. It’s not quite bitter enough to leave a chalky after taste in the mouth, but just enough to not be a sugary mess and just slightly bitter. The wafer doesn’t have much going on in flavour, and is mostly there for texture. The filling is very rich in hazelnut flavour, so much so that my brain keeps thinking I should be getting an actual hazelnut at some point. Alas, much to my dismay there is no hazelnut to be found. Possibly my only gripe with this bar. Although texturally I can imagine how strange it would be to get a big crunchy hazelnut in the middle of that smooth, silky filling.
The chocolate outer layer is a nice light coating that is just the right balance, not too thick and not too thin. It’s like eating the chocolate coating off an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate, and gives way to the nice light wafer inside. The wafer itself is very light, and almost melts away on the tongue to give way to the hazelnut filling. The filling is really something. It’s why people buy these chocolate bars. The filling is velvety smooth and it honestly amazes me how rich and light it is at the same time. Is that even possible? It almost seems unreal. You’d think some competitor would have tried to reverse engineer this recipe at some point in the past decade or so. Guess no one can really make the same claim to fame that Ferrero has been able to do. Kudos to them.
I’m fairly certain that the Ferrero company has some weird patent on a specific breed or genus of hazelnuts that they use to create their formulas. I can’t rationalize it any other way, that they have been able to keep such a stranglehold on the hazelnut chocolate market. Like the whole blood industry around avocados, I think there’s some shady stuff going on with hazelnuts. But regardless what the truth (or lack thereof) is, these things are tasty and would be a huge hit with anyone who likes chocolate, or hazelnuts. Hell, I challenge you to find someone who isn’t allergic to hazelnuts or chocolate, and does not enjoy these. Go ahead, I dare you.
