The London Chocolate Company - Espresso Martini Truffles Gift Box, 110g | Handmade in London | Beautiful Packaging

WOW ! Buy some !!!

These are very delicate little chocolate truffles that warrant being savoured slow and individually. The outer sugared shell is very fine, and cracks daintily if you’ve kept them in the fridge- which is better than the squidge you get if they’re at room temperature. Inside there’s a light gooey centre where the coffee flavour really shines through. They’re a treat, and a pleasure to eat, and the fineness of them encourages you to eat them slowly.Despite the fact the product description says “beautiful packaging”, it’s in the surrounding package that things fall down just a little. The box itself is smart enough, but the insert sheet has proofreading errors and is cheaply printed. There’s a bit more to ‘looking posh’ than just using fewer colours and a swirly font, and unfortunately this box doesn’t achieve it. So if the packaging is going to be important to you (if you’re giving it as a gift etc.), the appearance of it might not live up to the price tag.Also, I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong, but I think there’s a very faint slight-of-hand trick going on with the fair trade set-up here. The packaging makes a point of saying that 10% of all profits will go to cocoa farmers, which sounds great- but as you explore the box, you see that there’s no actual guarantee that this is fair trade chocolate. Cynically, I suspect that using non-fair-trade chocolate and then giving away 10% of your profits as a publicity stunt might have worked out a bit cheaper or easier than actually using proper fair trade chocolate. But I would love to be corrected if I have mis-read anything there.So they’re very tasty delicate little treats, but they fall just marginally short of the five-star experience.

These are everything a good truffle should be - a deep, flavoursome experience.Slightly crispy, firm coating of cinnamon sugar, which is extremely subtle so do not be put off if you do not like that particular spice, gives way to a softish, thick centre of pure flavour. The vodka and coffee elements of the truffle blend well giving these a very 'grown up' chocolate experience - vodka is 3.6% and arabica coffee is 2.2% of the ingredients.I must confess to being a bit of a greedy chocolate nibbler - once I start, I cannot stop. however one of these truffles is enough to satisfy anyone for a whole evening. They are quite simply a delicious treat.The packaging is first rate, quite classy in a very modern way; the best before date is reasonable (mine arrived last week and are to be eaten by the end of January); they travel well in the post, so excellent for gifts; there are no 'unusual' ingredients; suitable for vegetarians and 10% of all the company's profits are donated to the Fairtrade Foundation to support cocoa farmers. What is not to like.At a price of £12.00 for a box of eight truffles may seem expensive, but these are not an 'everyday' product and are, I think, worth every penny. I know where I am going to do my Christmas shopping this year!

Small box but high quality chocolates

For first impressions, these looked great! They came in a super high quality box that had the London Chocolate Company branding hot foil pressed into the box, making it look like a very premium and prestigious gift. However, upon opening this chocolate box, my impressions were almost the opposite. The chocolates looked all different shapes and sizes, and each of the 8 chocolates were placed on a mini cup cake case that made the chocolates look very cheap.It felt like a rollercoaster of expectations, especially when biting into one of the 8 expresso martini truffles. The sugar coating provided a nice crunch whilst the interior layers had a more luxurious smooth consistency which was very delicious. The alcohol wasn’t very prominent, and was masked by the rich chocolate taste which I didn’t mind at all. To my surprise they weren’t sweet at all (despite the sugar coating) and were nice and rich.I do love that this company donates 10% of profits to cocoa farmers. These are also suitable for vegetarians and would make for a great gift. Yes they are quite expensive at £12 the box (£1.50 per a truffle) but I’m sure the recipient of this box will absolutely adore it! Plus you’re supporting a great cause by purchasing :)Thank you for reading my review :)

These were divine! They didn’t last the day I received them. The presentation is beautiful however the chocolates didn’t look totally perfect but that’s fine with me, it’s all about the taste! And the taste was beautiful, the sugar coating makes for a delicious crunch with the soft chocolate inside along with hints of alcohol and coffee. It’s all three of my favourite things so how could that be bad at all. They were fabulous!

In the box you get eight surprisingly small balls of crispy chocolate filled with a dark fat/sugar/cocoa mix which they call ganache I think. The outer of the ball is covered in a fine sugar.They are incredibly well presented, the box is really thick and well made - it looks like a luxury item (because it is - at £1.50 a chocolate or around £100 a kg, if it's not luxury then what is?)Great as a gift.But - I want to add a but. This isn't really the selection I'd go for personally for two reasons. First, they don't really stand out to me either tastewise or variety. Other selections are either so amazing you want 8 of the same item, or they are a selection of 2 x 4. These don't really have enough of a flavour to stand alone in a box, is my feeling.That said, taste is subjective. If you have had these before or are a massive fan of slightly crunchy, and if I'm honest, I tend to prefer other kinds of chocolate myself, well, it's up to you.Do have a look around the different selections the same manufacturer does, because for sure the packaging is on a whole new level compared to what you can get on the high street, so if you're looking for a non standard chocolate based gift, it's a good start.