Lindt Excellence – Mango & Almond

Lindt Excellence is probably the product line I get most often, on the few occasions I do get Lindt. I feel like I’ve sort of outgrown my love for their truffles which they are likely far more known for, and opt for the classic, solid, thin bar of chocolate that the Excellence line offers. Plus, it’s way less messy and easier to share. I also feel like I’m killing myself ever so slightly slower, and you know what that means, more years to enjoy snacks!

Personally, I love dried mangoes but I don’t get it often because I know how bad it is for me and how addictive it is. Naturally I went with the next best thing, chocolate with bits of dried mango in it. Surely dark chocolate with mango is better for me than just pure dried mangoes, right?

The texture is similar to other chocolate bars with dried fruit and nuts – the chocolate is somewhere between brittle and creamy, and the almonds provide a soft crunch while the dried mangoes provide a bit of a chewiness. Similar to most other fruit and nut bars, this is meant to be chewed and all the textures coalesce into an experience that everyone should be familiar with if they have ever had a fruit and nut chocolate bar in their life. It may not be for everyone, but I find the combination of the three different textures usually works out. This bar being no exception to that rule, except that the mangoes are admittedly a bit on the stickier side.

The flavour is very much about the mango. Almonds are mostly there for texture and don’t do much for flavour, and the chocolate is good but not the star here. The chocolate is the darker variety, but not that bitter or sweet, which is good because it let’s the mango shine through with that distinct, rich tropical sweetness you expect from mango. I suspect it’s a combination of using some mango flavour or puree along with the naturally sweet and flavorful dried mangoes. The one complain I have is the dried mango pieces can get stuck everywhere. I found random pieces hours later. Not my preferred way of storing fruits…

If you enjoy dried fruits and nuts in chocolate, this one is worth a try. Mango is not something I usually associate with a chocolate bar, but it isn’t that bad. It is a tad stickier than what I’m used to with raisins or berries, but overall I’d say it works decently.