Côte d'Or Dark Chocolate Noir with Almonds

I've always been partial to Côte d'Or chocolates, even though they're a rare find in the UK. I've only ever seen them on market stalls selling discounted European stuff, and that's exactly where I spotted this Côte d'Or dark chocolate with almonds recently. It was a mere 99p for 200g - bargain!

It's described as "high quality plain chocolate with whole almonds" and contains 46% cocoa solids. Not particularly high for dark chocolate, but acceptable for "plain" or "semisweet" chocolate I suppose. It's made by Mondelez Belgium.

The bar is very thick with interesting shaped chunks, each one with the Côte d'Or elephant logo printed on. I really do love the feel of Côte d'Or bars, they're a lot more substantial than what Cadbury bars have now become!

There were plenty of almond pieces distributed throughout the bar, but it didn't smell particularly appetising, I suspect it may have suffered somewhat during transit.

The chocolate tasted ok, but was a bit underwhelming. The almonds were a nice touch but they didn't taste particularly fresh, and neither did the chocolate. It had a slightly "off" taste although it was still within the best before date. I also felt it could have been a bit stronger in flavour.

Overall, this bar is sadly a bit of a miss. I do enjoy Côte d'Or chocolate and some of their milk chocolate truffle bars can be absolutely lovely, but this one isn't a standout for me.

6 out of 10.