Something REALLY important - Russian Chocolate!

It is time to speak of the most important thing on this forum… Chocolate, most importantly... Russian chocolate!

Now, I must confess, over the years I have consumed some very delicious chocolate including Ethel M’s out in Las Vegas, Nevada, (who used to only ship during the winter months so the chocolate would not melt and spoil) and
Wilbur Chocolate in Lititz, Pennsylvania; however, during the past few weeks, our family has become very fond of Russian chocolate!

We found a small little store called Russian Gourmet that sells it here and I really must say that were are all VERY impressed with the Russian Chocolate. No insults meant of any kind; however, in my wildest dreams I never would have thought chocolate and Russia.

My mother almost died and went to heaven yesterday while eating her chocolate with amaretto (not certain the name or brand, she took it home with her before I could note it) which was about $5.00, plus taxes of 6%.

While I normally do NOT like dark chocolate AT ALL, I am growing fond of the Babaevskiy with almond, which cost me $2.99 and the Коллекция for $3.79
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...eClassic-1.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...halmonds-1.jpg

The girls liked the Alenka and the Чайка about $2.29.
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...teAlenka-1.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...ssian/Choc.jpg

The hardest part is not knowing what is dark chocolate and what is milk. I have yet to find and caramels, my favorite thing! Yesterday, we did try to ask the clerk for help and he was of NO use what so ever and I ended up with Chocolate de lux which was $2.29. Once again it is a dark chocolate, yet it has a unique taste to it that I cannot quite put my finger on (or taste buds I should say) but it is actually very good for dark chocolate!

http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...tedeluxe-1.jpg

If anyone has any suggestions for me for our next trip there, please offer them!!! It is fun trying all these different types and of course as the saying goes.

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"Life's a box of chocolates, Forrest. You never know what you're gonna get." Forest Gump's Mamma

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In Russia all these things are 2 times cheaper :)
But salaries are 4 times lower then in USA. :(

«Алёнка» is well known in Russia. You can see interesting parodies here: http://www.webpark.ru/comment/25219

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Originally Posted by SAn

You can see interesting parodies here: http://www.webpark.ru/comment/25219

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Ugh.. These "parodies" almost made me lose my appetite. :mrgreen:

rockzmom, if you like "Babaevskiy" you may ask for other kinds of chocolate of the same brand. They make dozens of them, mostly dark, but milk as well, with various fillings and plain.

For example, dark chocolate with little pieces of fruits (cherries, strawberries or raspberries) looks like fun. This one is with raspberries:
http://www.uniconf.ru/image/site_pics/4137.jpg

There are also different kinds of "Вдохновение" ("Inspiration"). You tried classical dark "Inspiration", but there are kinds with different creams and nuts. One of them is with soft caramel. :wink:
http://www.uniconf.ru/image/site_pics/3873.jpg

You may check other kinds at this site (it's in Russian): http://www.uniconf.ru/ru/catalog/?gid=1322

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The hardest part is not knowing what is dark chocolate and what is milk

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Milk chocolate is usually marked as "молочный" (milk), and dark as "черный" (black), "темный" (dark), or "горький" (bitter - for extra-dark chocolate with cacao content of 75% and more). Well, the content of cacao ("какао") is a fairly good indicator. As far as I remember dark chocolate should have at least 40% of cocoa to be considered "dark" (maybe I'm wrong..). Anyway, you may check the ingridients on the back just in case.

I knew a Russian girl who was quite convinced that Russian chocolate was the best. Of course, I'd never seen the words Russia and chocolate in the same sentence before. :shock:

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Originally Posted by sperk

I knew a Russian girl who was quite convinced that Russian chocolate was the best.

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Have we met before? :D

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Originally Posted by sperk

I knew a Russian girl who was quite convinced that Russian chocolate was the best.

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With the exception of Belgian chocolate by which I mean chocolate sold in Belgium, I concur.

Now, wait a minute... I am not a girl :shock:

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Originally Posted by Pcloadletter

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sperk

I knew a Russian girl who was quite convinced that Russian chocolate was the best.

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With the exception of Belgian chocolate by which I mean chocolate sold in Belgium, I concur.

Now, wait a minute... I am not a girl :shock:

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That's alright, I don't know you. :wink:

I have to agree. All the Russian chocolate I have had has been good, with the single exception of one bar that was kind of like a Chocolite, but the wax content was higher and the bubbles much bigger. It was almost like those nasty wax lips you could get as a kid, but chocolate flavored.

Well I don't think there is any good chocolate in Russia including all the brands already shown in the pictures above, except the first picture. I haven't tried that one, but I don't see how it would be better than the others. Some of the wrapped chocolates sold in packets in grocery stores are not too bad. Take my advise and stick to Cadbury's and Nestle's.

EDIT: It turns out that I have tried the first one......nothing special!

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Originally Posted by rockzmom

If anyone has any suggestions for me for our next trip there, please offer them!!!

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As time goes I get my favor changed. Today's my favorite is "Россия – щедрая душа, Золотая марка, Горький шоколад 70%". This long line is to describe the only chocolate plate. "Россия = Russia" is the brand name, "щедрая душа = generous soul" is the company moto, "Золотая марка = Golden brand" is the product series and "Горький шоколад 70% какао= Bitter chocolate 70% cocoa" is the chocolate plate name which contains 70% of cocoa. Under the Novosibirsk's Sun the price is about $2 to $3 for the plate of 100g that is twice that price for typical chocolate plates (the price for Babaevskiy's "Вдохновение = Inspiration" is about $1).
http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/8910/gork70.jpg
I like it packed in small plates by 7g. Upon a break in working time, when I take my eyes off a PC screen, I relax with latte coffee and this fine chocolate.

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Originally Posted by rockzmom

While I normally do NOT like dark chocolate AT ALL

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So, did not I. For a long time I preferred milk chocolate. At this point I recall the commentary by Jean-Jacques Annaud to his movie "Two brothers (Deux frères) 2004". This movie shows a life story of two tigers. As far as the real tigers were the actors the filming process was governed not only by the director but by the chance as well. There is a scene with continuous camera work as long as several minutes. In this scene the character of Guy Pearce holds a tiger kid, who have smelled the odor of a sweet candy in Guy's pocket, tried to open his pocket with teeth, and enjoyed the sweet candy after the Guy take it out. Commentary of Annaud gives us the point that all living beings (human, tigers or other mammals) while they are kids like sweet, but when they grow up their tastes are changed due to physiology.

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Originally Posted by doninphxaz

I have to agree. All the Russian chocolate I have had has been good, with the single exception of one bar that was kind of like a Chocolite, but the wax content was higher and the bubbles much bigger. It was almost like those nasty wax lips you could get as a kid, but chocolate flavored.

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:)

Was it "кондитерская плитка"? My parents always distinguish between "шоколад" and "кондитерская плитка"
(http://www.shokoladki.ru/press-center/media/?id=92, in Russian).

"Кондитерская плитка" is a candy bar. It may have a taste of chocolate and contain different fats in it, not only cocoa butter ("шоколад" must contain cocoa butter only). Moreover, "плитка" may contain no cocoa powder or cocoa butter at all.

"Плитка", if it has the taste of chocolate, seems to be called "compound chocolate" in English. But I'm not sure.

Yes, "плитка" (~ brick) is like like a cheap substitute for the "real' chocolate. It differs in taste, and different technologies are used for it's production. There's a differentiation in Russian (in matter of taste, price and attitude) between "шоколад", "плитка" and "батончик". I'm not sure it always translates well into English.

Thank you all for the suggestions and letting me know the Russian words for Milk, Dark and Bitter.

Too funny, the girls are intheir final weeks of school here and are having final exams and projects and so forth. Very hectic. They are NOT supposed have their cell phones on during school; but, you know that all kids do. Yesterday, daughter, text me right after her math exam... I want chocolate!

We have yet to find a Russian one she likes. That is one of the reasons we keep trying new ones!

Pcloadletter,
There brand of chocolate Chocolove that our family REALLY enjoys and it sells for about $2 at upscale grocery stores. They get their chocolate from France and Belgium to make the chocolate. Here is a link to watch a video about how they make the chocolate (it starts off with about a 15 second promo first, then the actual piece about the chocolate): http://www.chocolove.com/all_press.htm

Here is a photo of the one we like the best. If you look closely on the back photo, it states, made in Belgium, packaged in USA! So, it is interesting about what is said in the video vs. the packaging:
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...r_milk_575.jpg
http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/q...k_back_575.jpg