Waitrose Espresso Swirl Chocolate Review (#slabgate)

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Waitrose Espresso Swirl Chocolate

So there's been a big fight recently between Waitrose and luxury chocolatier Hotel Chocolat; the latter have claimed that Waitrose's new chocolate slab range are copying their famous Selector bars (see my #slabgate post for pics of the new range). They've even gone as far as taking legal action, but that hasn't stopped Waitrose who launched their new range this week. I thought I'd try one of the bars to see what all the fuss is about - would it live up to Hotel Chocolat's high standards?

I chose the Espresso Swirl bar as it appealed to me the most; these are currently on offer for £2 and this bar is described as "Marbled Belgian milk and dark chocolate delicately swirled with hazelnut praline and coffee, topped with chocolate mocha beans". Sounds delightful doesn't it?

Waitrose Espresso Swirl Chocolate

Opening the wrapper it was definitely reminiscent of Hotel Chocolat's slabs, the sides are curvy although less so than a HC bar.

Waitrose Espresso Swirl Chocolate

One side contains the coffee beans whilst the other is divided into blocks. It certainly looks aesthetically pleasing.

Waitrose Espresso Swirl Chocolate

I broke off a few pieces and took a bite. The chocolate is pretty creamy, but in a standard "supermarket own brand" kind of way, it's not particularly distinctive. I couldn't really taste the hazelnut praline at all as it got a bit lost in the coffee flavour. The "mocha beans" (not actual coffee beans) are a nice touch but don't add much more to the bar. Overall it's a pleasant enough chocolate bar, but far from amazing and certainly not something I would buy regularly. In terms of quality it doesn't compare to Hotel Chocolat at all.

All in all, as my first try of this new range I can kind of see why Hotel Chocolat might be upset. The quality is nowhere near as good but no doubt Waitrose customers will buy these bars thinking they're similar to or even made by Hotel Chocolat.

NEWS JUST IN! Waitrose have decided to stop selling the new bars after talks with Hotel Chocolat: "it is not in our interest to enter into a protracted legal dispute with Hotel Chocolat, and so we have decided not to restock this product once the existing chocolate bars have sold".

5 out of 10. 


Comments

  1. Anonymous25 May 2018 at 10:38

    Just who is running Waitrose these days? How on earth did they conceive that brazenly ripping off an upmarket brand would be a clever thing for another upmarket brand to do. That's the sort of trick that only really works well if you're a budget brand.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Helen C25 May 2018 at 10:45

    Thanks for that info Kev, it’s a shame they won’t be restocking the range, but as they don’t quite match up to Hotel Chocolat maybe we won’t be missing out too much. I’ve been into Hotel Chocolat once, it’s a lovely shop but everything is very pricey. I’ll keep looking out for alternatives, I do sometimes like supermarket brands. Great post as usual! :-)

    Helen’s Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle Blog | http://helensfashionblog.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevs Snack Reviews26 May 2018 at 12:28

      Agreed, HC is only really for special occasions! A little tip - you can ask for samples of any of their bars before buying ;)

      Delete
  3. Pagecrawler26 May 2018 at 06:35

    Pity you didn't hang onto your bar it could turn out to be a rare collectors piece !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kevs Snack Reviews26 May 2018 at 12:27

      Theyre still on sale at Waitrose so I could buy more but somehow I doubt anyone will want them.

      Delete

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