Comparing Valrhona Milk Chocolates

[Jim D.]

I am looking at the various Valrhona milk chocolates and trying to find a comparison of them. I am searching for a milk that is not so sweet as most of them are. If there are opinions on the following chocolates, I would be interested in hearing them:

Valrhona Tanariva Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 33% Cocoa, 38% Sugar, Fat Contents 35.5%, Milk 28%.

Valrhona Caramelia Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 34% Cocoa, 29.5% Sugar, 22% Caramel.

Valrhona Equatoriale Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 35% Cocoa, 44% Sugar, Fat Contents 37%, Milk 20%.

Valrhona Orizaba Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 39% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, Fat Contents 41%, Milk 26%.

Valrhona Andoa Lactee Milk 39% Cocoa - Fair Trade

Milk chocolate, 39% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, 26% Milk Content. 41% Fat Content.

Valrhona Jivara Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 40% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, Fat Contents 40.5%, Milk 23.5%.

[merstar]

Both Valrhona Guanaja Lactée Milk Chocolate 41% and Jivara Lactee Milk Chocolate 40% are excellent.

Edited April 3, 2013 by merstar (log)

[Chocolot]

I don't care for the caramelia. It has an almost fake taste to me.

[Alleguede]

Both Valrhona Guanaja Lactée Milk Chocolate 41% and Jivara Lactee Milk Chocolate 40% are excellent.

In the Valrhona range yes I agree on these two chocolates. Nice flavor, as well as a fluid product

[ChrisTaylor]

+3 for Guanaja. Probably my favourite 'mass market' chocolate.

Edited April 3, 2013 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[curls]

I have tried the Valrhona Tanariva Lactee and the Jivara Lactee. I really like the Jivara Lactee and tend to use it for all my milk chocolate ganaches and shells. Both of these milk chocolates are on the less-sweet side of milk chocolate.

[Jim D.]

Thanks for the helpful replies. The Guanaja Lactée that several have recommended is difficult to locate online. A Google search links mostly to bittersweet Guanaja. One result is Chocolate.com, but that links to Worldwidechocolate.com, and on that site, a search turns up nothing. Other usual chocolate sites don't have it.

[DancingLion Chocolates]

I am looking at the various Valrhona milk chocolates and trying to find a comparison of them. I am searching for a milk that is not so sweet as most of them are. If there are opinions on the following chocolates, I would be interested in hearing them:

Valrhona Tanariva Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 33% Cocoa, 38% Sugar, Fat Contents 35.5%, Milk 28%.

Valrhona Caramelia Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 34% Cocoa, 29.5% Sugar, 22% Caramel.

Valrhona Equatoriale Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 35% Cocoa, 44% Sugar, Fat Contents 37%, Milk 20%.

Valrhona Orizaba Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 39% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, Fat Contents 41%, Milk 26%.

Valrhona Andoa Lactee Milk 39% Cocoa - Fair Trade

Milk chocolate, 39% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, 26% Milk Content. 41% Fat Content.

Valrhona Jivara Lactee Milk Chocolate

Milk chocolate, 40% Cocoa, 34% Sugar, Fat Contents 40.5%, Milk 23.5%.

Jivara is one of my staples, but I used a lot of Tanriva last Summer--I really like the butterscotch notes that come out from the caramelization of the Madagascar beans.

Rich

[Jim D.]

Jivara is one of my staples, but I used a lot of Tanriva last Summer--I really like the butterscotch notes that come out from the caramelization of the Madagascar beans.

Rich

Thanks for those ideas. The Jivara seems to be widely popular. As far as I have been able to determine, the Guanaja that several others mentioned is not available at this time in the U.S. (Valrhona doesn't even list it on its website).

Jim

[Drewman]

FWIW - The caramel flavors come from the milk powders not the beans. Tanariva uses both whole milk powder & skimmed milk powder and the lactose in the milks gets caramelized during the processing when the water is evaporated out. It isn't the cocoa beans or nibs that are caramelized. That's why some people think the Caramelia has a "fake" flavor. They're tasting caramelized lactose rather than caramelized sucrose. For me, I don't find any of the Valrhona milk chocolates to be too sweet, but everybody's palette is different. Some people like Sam Adams & some people like Coors Light.

[DancingLion Chocolates]

FWIW - The caramel flavors come from the milk powders not the beans. Tanariva uses both whole milk powder & skimmed milk powder and the lactose in the milks gets caramelized during the processing when the water is evaporated out. It isn't the cocoa beans or nibs that are caramelized. That's why some people think the Caramelia has a "fake" flavor. They're tasting caramelized lactose rather than caramelized sucrose. For me, I don't find any of the Valrhona milk chocolates to be too sweet, but everybody's palette is different. Some people like Sam Adams & some people like Coors Light.

Drewman is correct; I meant to write "the caramelization *with* the beans." And unless Valrhona introduced something new, Guanaja doesn't come in milk chocolate form.

Rich

[merstar]

And unless Valrhona introduced something new, Guanaja doesn't come in milk chocolate form.Rich

It used to.