Bissinger’s Gourmet Chocolates have long been a St. Louis staple, going back to 1927, by way of Karl Bissinger from France in 1845. The footer on their site claims establishment in the USA during 1863 and starting in Europe in 1668. That’s some old chocolate. The Bissinger name carries on a candy making tradition in the French style and has since expanded beyond chocolate candy making to other confections, desserts, coffees and wines. Today we’ll find out if expansion is a good thing as we try two kinds of chocolate candy from the Bissinger Naturals line: dark chocolate covered almonds and dark chocolate covered black sesame seeds.
Bissinger Chocolate Covered Almond Crunch
Packaging
Fun Bavarian style font mixed with script and all caps actually gives the packaging a nice old meets new feeling. This particular line of chocolate is supposed to be “…healthful, satisfying and high in antioxidants. All-natural with low sodium, minimal carbohydrates and a modest calorie count…” which with light coloring and bright photos helps convey that messaging.
Appearance
The little dark chocolate covered clumps are actually hard to tell apart when the almond and sesame pieces are placed next to each other, save for the little bumps that must be almonds. I actually really like the rectangular shape of the chocolate, instead of the jagged, haphazard style that most chocolate covered almond pieces have.
Taste
A very nice dark chocolate without hardly any bitterness pairs great with a slightly crunchy and roasted almond flavor without a bad aftertaste. The extra crunch around the almonds gives it something extra and is one of the best dark chocolate almond candy confections I have ever eaten. The recipe is definitely standing the test of time!
Bissinger’s Chocolate Covered Black Sesame Crunch
Packaging
The same packaging as the Almond Crunch but with a light lavender color, what else can I say but that I like it? With the exception of the word “exotic.” I’m sorry, but if I can get it from Panda Express in bulk, it’s not exotic.
Appearance
The square shape is still just as appealing and the interior shows the sesame seeds packed in there tight and I have to admit that eating a black candy that isn’t licorice is fun. Plus the piece isn’t breaking into smaller pieces and breaks apart in nice chunks.
Taste
Now I’m not much for sesame seed candy in the first place, but paired with dark chocolate, I have to admit they are onto something here. The sesame flavor is just enough so that it’s not overpowering the chocolate and vice versa. It’s definitely not a very sweet chocolate candy but more for the savory chocolate lover and the roasted sesame seed aftertaste is quite pleasant. I don’t think I could eat a bag alone, but it’s definitely worth a try.
June 28th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Yessss! These are so yummy. I don’t know how they do it with almonds… If you bite into the middle of the almond chunk, it has a nice light crunch. In no way does it feel like you’re going to break a tooth on them, as is the case with some other chocolate covered almond clusters. It’s almost like eating chocolate covered popcorn in a way.
The black sesame seeds – seems kind of weird. But there’s an excellent saltiness to them that I just love. I don’t know what you’re talking about, because I certainly could eat a whole bag of those in one sitting. Just saying.
Sadly, it seems that butter oil is a standard ingredient of the chocolate, so it’s nearly vegan-approved!
June 29th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
The Black Sesame Crunch is my new absolute favorite thing in the entire world, ever (says me). Delicious! Crunchy! Different! What an exciting little nuggest of chocolate happiness.
July 23rd, 2010 at 6:34 am
[...] month we reviewed Bissinger’s Naturals which of course led to a tour through their website, catalog and the image that caused both [...]