I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the figure 99% printed in front of “cocoa” on a bar of chocolate. Surely it had to be a misprint! No matter how much I rubbed my eyes, the figure 99 stayed. Perhaps I was dreaming? Or had I arrived in chocolate heaven?
It turned out that none of the above was the case, for it really does exist: Chocolate made of 99% cocoa! And I thought 90% was the limit, as portrayed in Bertram’s article Espresso & dark chocolate—a match made in heaven.
Who could create such an extraordinary cocoa wonder but world-renowned chocolate manufacturer Lindt of Switzerland?!
Here I am with a bar of Lindt Excellence 99% Cocoa Noir Absolu
The first thing I noticed when I picked up the bar, it was lighter than Lindt’s other bars in the same type of packaging. A quick look at the packaging revealed a net weight of 50 grams, exactly half of the lower cocoa percentage bars.
Here’s what it looks like: A very dark bar of chocolate—hence the name noir absolu—in a thin layer (3 mm), with small squares (24 mm). The bar sits in a plastic tray to give it stability, and is hermetically sealed with a gold foil. Printed on that very foil is the following “warning”:
Important tasting advice
Excellence 99% is a unique chocolate that reveals all the strength and richness of cocoa beans. To fully appreciate all its flavours, we recommend that you progressively develop your palate through our range of high cocoa content chocolate bars, starting with Excellence 70%, then 85% and finally 99%.
The best way to experience Excellence 99% Cocoa is to break off a small piece and allow it to melt slowly in your mouth.
To taste the full bouquet of cocoa aromas, try accompanying your tasting with some coffee.
Armed with the instructions (like my Dad, I always read the instruction manual first!!) and an espresso, I proceeded to the taste test.
Carefully I broke off a piece of Noir Absolu, placed it on my tongue and let it melt in my mouth. At first I couldn’t taste much. As the chocolate melted, it turned into a sticky paste that had a somewhat earthy taste. Unlike any other chocolate I’ve ever tasted, this one had no sweetness to it.
Once fully melted, the chocolate slid down my throat and all of a sudden, an incredible bouquet of flavours hit my taste buds—absolument divine!
I let the flavours linger for a while before I added a sip of espresso. Wow, the coffee tasted completely different than usual. It was as if the coffee flavour had been exponentially enhanced. A whole new experience all over again! Another sip of espresso, followed by another blast of cocoa…
…yum! I’m in heaven! Lindt, you are my chocolate gods!
One amazing thing is that you cannot comfortably eat too much chocolate that is this rich in cocoa. Two pieces of Noir Absolu were my limit—for real!
If you are a chocoholic like me, and you appreciate dark chocolate, Lindt Excellence 99% Cocoa Noir Absolu may be worth a try. If ever I was hooked on dark chocolate, there’s no doubt now!
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Dear Pumpkin,
We haven’t yet met in person, but I am a friend of your Dad’s, and am very much looking forward to introducing myself to you when you return from your ‘impromtu’ holiday.
I must confess that I’m not sure how old you are Pumpkin, and further still if human age(s) are different to Teddy ages; and so my comment may be inappropriate. Please could you ask your Dad to read this with you? Thanks.
I share your love of dark chocolate and have a suggestion for you. I have enjoyed the sensation of molten chocolate followed by espresso, but am a much bigger fan of a mouthfull of molten chocolate followed by the most delicate sip of a good malt whiskey. Scottish whiskey is by far the best and I personally favour a ‘peaty’ note, such as any Islay Malt. The peaty flavour enhances the earthy note of the chocolate and the whisky leaves the mouth feeling sharp and clean, as apose to the creamy heat of the coffee.Just a suggestion Pumkin my dear. I hope you enjoy the rest of your holiday and look forward to your safe (and this time honest) return.
Yours, Carla Macleod x-
Hello Carla, thank you very much for your very interesting suggestion! I must admit I read it all without asking Dad. Well, Dad was busy chatting with Grandma & Granddad (he’s been doing a lot of that lately) and I just couldn’t wait…
I’m three years old—three and a half in fact! In human terms that’s nearly ten. I figure if I’m old enough to drink espresso I should be allowed a sip of Scottish whiskey, don’t you think?
Anyway, tonight, when everyone’s asleep, I’ll have a look through Granddad’s bar. I think I’ve seen a bottle with “Whiskey” written on it!
Oh, here comes Dad, I’d better sign off. Thank you, Carla, looking forward to meeting you when I get back. Bye for now…
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Hi there, where did you get the 99% bar from if you are in New Zealand?
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Hi Nicholas, I was on holiday in Switzerland when I tasted this yummy out-of-this-world chocolate. Now, back in New Zealand, I rely on Grandma & Granddad to send me a chocolate parcel from time to time, hoping it contains a ration of 99% Noir Absolu.
So far I have not seen it in any New Zealand shop. However, I have contacted Lindt & Sprüngli International to find out if it’s on sale anywhere in New Zealand. I’ll post their answer here as soon as I receive it.
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Hi Nicholas, the Customer Service Manager of Lindt & Sprüngli (Australia) Pty Ltd replied as follows:
“Thank you for your enquiry regarding the availability of our Lindt 99% Cocoa chocolate in New Zealand. Unfortunately, this product is not currently available in New Zealand. It does has a limited distribution in Australia through our Lindt Café’s in Sydney & Melbourne. I will pass your comments onto our marketing department for future consideration.”
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