Kaffeesplitter is Ritter Sport’s new variety of chocolate bar for 2018 in Germany. It’s their “Sorte Des Jahres” or ‘Sort of the Year’ and it roughly translates to ‘Coffee Chips’.
The cover states this is “mit karamellisierten Kaffeesplittern in dunkler Schokolade” and my rough German understands that to mean ‘with caramelised coffee chips/splinters in dark chocolate’. Shall we have a look? (Of course we shall!)
But first: Google Translate. The comedy Gods are being kind to us today!
Who knows? The long wait in the morning at 8.30 clock at the coffee dealer of trust and the snake does not want to be shorter … with our sort of the year coffee chips you can stay calm longer in the springs.
Coffee dealer of trust… has a snake? A long snake? A length-judgemental snake? We just don’t know. Edit: Actually we do! Thanks to @DarrenLeathley for letting me know that Schlange also means ‘queue’. So it’s not about a judgemental serpent after all… which does make much more sense. Thanks Darren!
Now… the blog post is actually a worthy read, even in a Google-Salad translation. It looks like they’re retiring the Espresso bar! So if you’re a fan of that one, get thee to a supermarket sharpish and pick up any they’ve got left over. Note: I actually prefer the Espresso bar to this one, so if you’re a fan – definitely go on a buying binge.
To the Kaffeesplitter itself then…
Coffee and cake was yesterday! The latest cry is coffee and chocolate. Of course the RITTER SPORT coffee chips come as requested. Caramelized pieces of coffee chips hit crisp dark chocolate and ensure that even the most talkative guest at the Kaffeeklatsch for a short moment speechless.
Kaffeeklatsch being, literally, coffee gossip.
This bar is at least 50% cocoa with 4% caramelised roasted coffee beans. Perhaps unsurprisingly this ensures the bar smells very cocoa rich, like a drinking chocolate. Obviously here I’m not talking about the pre-fabbed ‘just add water cause it contains dried milk’ stuff. I mean actual drinking chocolate, or cocoa like you’d use in cake making.
Despite that, it’s not a particularly bitter bar. Though the chocolate does have a vague and slightly earthy note in the background, it’s a very slight and mild flavour. I wouldn’t think it’s enough to put dark chocolate haters off here, as whilst it’s a 50% cocoa bar and certainly isn’t milky, it’s also not bitter or harsh as you’d expect from a dark chocolate. In a way, it reminds me of what Mondelez are doing with their Green & Blacks property in the UK. I suppose I feel like Ritter have made this bar so it appeals to the majority despite it being high cocoa.
Now then, the sugar roasted coffee bean bits add lots and lots of gritty crunch and a caramelised sweetness. The coffee flavour isn’t particularly pronounced here… After the first bite, it’s relegated to the background with the darker chocolate flavour and caramelised sugar taste being more notable. I think it should taste more like coffee than it actually does.
I’ve eaten quite a few bars littered with ground up coffee beans recently and this is, by far, the least like eating the dregs from a cafetiere. What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t a bad bar. The chocolate is fair and should appeal to the widest market (for a higher cocoa chocolate) and there’s plenty of crunch (though it leans further towards gritty than I’d like). The coffee flavour is muted and I do like the light caramelised flavour of the sugar roast.
It’s not exactly an instant hit for me – but then my tastes aren’t necessarily those of the public at large. I mean, I wasn’t keen on the Winter Edition White Chocolate Cinnamon bar and it’s widely loved. As always, take my reviews with a large bag of salt and try it for yourself. I’d love to know your thoughts!
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