Up for review today is another holiday-themed offering, though the Russell Stover Caramel Heart honors Valentine's Day and is thus slightly more calendar appropriate than the previous post's premature Easter bunny. While Russell Stover boxed assortments are far from impressive in my opinion - the quality of the chocolate is never very good and where one would hope to find every piece a delightful surprise there are more disappointing fillings than acceptable ones - over the years I have come to the conclusion that their various seasonal goodies are without fail quite tasty. It's quite strange, really, as though they have a completely separate team of confectionery geniuses at work creating raspberry whip and maple cream for their Santas, Eggs, and Hearts, not to mention a far superior chocolate recipe to be used exclusively for those offerings. Why, Russell, why? Why not improve your sales year-round by making the good stuff you are clearly capable of the standard, rather than the exception? Well, on to the heart of the matter, as after all I am not a business consultant but a mere candy counselor. This token of love (love of sweets, that is) is surprisingly satisfying for its size. I believe this is largely owing to the dense, luscious caramel hiding within.
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Russell Stover Caramel Heart broken,
revealing a filling that does not leak,
nor even edge out of its shell over time.
It simply waits for the tempted to
discover its lovely, thick richness. |
Quite sweet but not cloying, delectably thick but not chewy, the filling is rich in flavor and texture. The milk chocolate is simply the best that could be hoped for from a mainstream product. Creamy and packing a subtle but unmistakable cocoa taste, the chocolate shell melts and mingles with the caramel for a euphoric experience. This heart won mine and I can't imagine it disappointing any caramel connoisseur. I have bought several for my own resident caramel lover.
Looks like the caramel could stand to be a bit more runny, but then again sometimes a thicker, more hearty caramel can be more satisfying. I hope you saved some for the rest of us, but what would you say it scores on a scale of 1 to 10? 2 thumbs up? 4 stars? A-? Smiley face, or frowny face?
ReplyDeleteWhile I considered adopting some kind of rating system, I've actually found that to be rather unhelpful when reading reviews. I believe that while something might be my absolute favorite treat in the world, awarding it 12 smileys or 101 points or A++ really doesn't inform of anything beyond my personal opinion. You mentioned that the caramel could stand to be a bit more runny, but if to me the perfect caramel is extra chewy, my rating of A+++ would be misleading to those that prefer gooey caramel. What I set out to do in my reviews is describe each product in detail so that the reader might gain an understanding of what to expect from the sweet and whether they are interested in checking it out and forming their own opinion. As you can see, I do throw in my two cents as two whether I cared for the product or not and whether I recommend trying it.
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