Godiva chocolates

[SobaAddict70]

These are just about my favorite kind of assorted chocolates.

My absolute favorites are the following:

Hazelnut praline and buttercrunch in marbleized ivory.

Chocolate cream and hazelnut praline in milk chocolate.

Hazelnut praline with biscuit pieces in ivory, decorated with candied sugar.

Dark chocolate truffle dusted with cocoa, sugar and cinnamon.

Lemon ganache in a milk chocolate shell.

Their newest one is "Noix Macadamia" which is hazelnut praline with ground nougatine and shortbread biscuit, topped with macadamia nut and enrobed in milk chocolate.

What are yours?

Soba

[Ellen Shapiro]

Don't like 'em, don't like 'em, don't like 'em! Too sweet, too low chocolate percentage, not good enough cocoa.

Okay, well, I'll eat Godiva if they're around. Ironically, I'll eat lots of them even though I don't like them very much. :) But I think I read somewhere that they dumbed Godiva down for the American market and that it's basically Hershey's-level chocolate. I have a friend who sometimes gives me chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat. Next time I get some Stan I'm going to give you a few.

[PopsicleToze]

Thank you for some validation... I don't like them either. And everyone and their brother sends me these for Christmas. In all fairness to Godiva, I'm not a sweets person. That being said, when strawberry season is in full swing, I'm the first one in line for chocolate-dipped strawberries at Godiva!

[Pan]

I've never been that impressed with Godiva. Way too expensive for what it is, in my opinion. If someone gave it to me, I'd definitely eat it, but that's about it.

[hillvalley]

Their newest one is "Noix Macadamia" which is hazelnut praline with ground nougatine and shortbread biscuit, topped with macadamia nut and enrobed in milk chocolate.

So that's what that was! I thought I tasted hazelnut.

Not that impressed.

I'm going through a six piece box. Haven't found a great one yet.

[Cusina]

Well, I kind of like Godiva... especially their new line, G. There were a few in that box that were very beautiful, creative and delicious.

I do agree that the quality of their regular line has diminshed over the past few years. This thread has some interesting conversation about the topic.

[maggiethecat]

I haven't eaten a piece of Godiva for a few years, maybe before they made the silly step of "dumbing down" the product for Americans who love their Fanny Mays.

But I remember being frozen, ezhausted and my blood sugar level hitting zero during a Christmas shopping expedition a few years ago. I ordered a Key Lime cream, enrobed in dark chocolate, and think it's one of the best buck fifties I've ever spent. Sublime.

[hillvalley]

When I was in middle school my best friend and I used to go to the Godiva boutique in Georgetown and buy the little boxes that held two pieces. We hid them in our desk and at them at lunch.

[anil]

The Godiva selections in the Duty Free shops in EU are a different beast from what you'd find @ Columbus Ave. store. I'm eating Baci from last trip.

[Shiewie]

I generally don't like or eat chocolate but I do like the Godiva dark chocolate squares and bars with 72% cocoa which are not sweet and leaves a faint fragrant bitter taste in your mouth. We only have one Godiva outlet here in Malaysia - at the airport ... and I have strict instructions from my chocolate addicted sister that a box of dark chocolate squares is required each time I'm on my way back from wherever.

[SG-]

I generally don't like or eat chocolate but I do like the Godiva dark chocolate squares and bars with 72% cocoa which are not sweet and leaves a faint fragrant bitter taste in your mouth. We only have one Godiva outlet here in Malaysia - at the airport ... and I have strict instructions from my chocolate addicted sister that a box of dark chocolate squares is required each time I'm on my way back from wherever.

Honestly I think the local cadburys do a better job, godivas have gone progressively worse over the years I feel. Even lindt is a better choice.

[laurenmilan]

Don't like 'em, don't like 'em, don't like 'em! Too sweet, too low chocolate percentage, not good enough cocoa.

You know, the first few times I tried Godiva, I was wondering if I was "missing something". Italian bar chocolate like Perugina had much more flavor, and that was just $3! Not to mention 1/2 the time I had it, it was sitting forever and had some "bloom" on it. I thought "well this is supposed to be the best, right?"

When I was out on my own and trying all sorts of brands of chocolate, I found so many better things and realized it wasn't *just me*.

[Shiewie]

I generally don't like or eat chocolate but I do like the Godiva dark chocolate squares and bars with 72% cocoa which are not sweet and leaves a faint fragrant bitter taste in your mouth. We only have one Godiva outlet here in Malaysia - at the airport ... and I have strict instructions from my chocolate addicted sister that a box of dark chocolate squares is required each time I'm on my way back from wherever.

Honestly I think the local cadburys do a better job, godivas have gone progressively worse over the years I feel. Even lindt is a better choice.

Cadbury?!! Not the ones we get here in KL - sickeningly sweet and very little cocoa flavour. The Godiva we get is made in Belgium I think - it's wonderfully smooth though slightly sweeter than Valrhona. Lindt is good too but what we get here is sweeter than Godiva's.

It's likely that chocolates of the same brand are manufactured in various localities so what you get in one place can be quite different in quality from that of another. A friend who is Kit-Kat connoisseur makes it a point to try Kit-Kats in different countries whenever she travels and it seems Aussie Kit-Kats are the best, then French, UK and lastly the ones we get locally which are manufactured in Thailand.

[SG-]

ARe they manufacturing Cadburys locally these days? I was refering to ones that were imported from the UK.

Given up on Godiva's, had too many complaining about the one's I gave them as gifts in those pretty little packages. Don't think they're made in Belgium anymore I hear.

[cakewench]

Cadburys have a lower percentage of cocoa than Hershey's. I have a few personal favorites with Godiva, but that's based on the quality of the fillings rather than the chocolate itself. For example, I just can't get enough of their raspberry-filled... anything.

I've been in Germany for a few months now, and I would like to put a vote in for their standard Ritter Sport bars as being some of the best chocolate I've had. ESPECIALLY considering the price (.60 euro for a 100gr bar. sigh.)

er, and I should add that I don't dislike Cadbury. I still love their Fruit and Nut bars, and their cream eggs will always have a place in my heart. and stomach.

[beans]

I have a few personal favorites with Godiva, but that's based on the quality of the fillings rather than the chocolate itself. For example, I just can't get enough of their raspberry-filled... anything.

The starfish!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shiewie]

ARe they manufacturing Cadburys locally these days? I was refering to ones that were imported from the UK.

Think so..if not then probably Indonesia or Thailand. Definitely not from the UK. Haven't got any around so can't verify it - will check where exactly when I'm at the shops.

Given up on Godiva's, had too many complaining about the one's I gave them as gifts in those pretty little packages. Don't think they're made in Belgium anymore I hear.

Will check too as I'm off to the airport later today. Don't like the ones with fillings though, nor milk or white chocolate at all.

[laurenmilan]

ARe they manufacturing Cadburys locally these days? I was refering to ones that were imported from the UK.

Given up on Godiva's, had too many complaining about the one's I gave them as gifts in those pretty little packages. Don't think they're made in Belgium anymore I hear.

Pennsylvania these days.

[wannabechef]

I had to resurect this thread in order to vent about my lunchtime Godiva purchase today There's a Godiva in my building, and I saw a sign in the window that said "fresh peanut butter cups made here daily". Well, I'm a sucker for peanut butter - and even more for the peanutbutter and chocolate combo so I stopped in.

I picked up one of those - and one of their extra dark 72% truffles. The price for these (2) items came to $6.50! I was floored. The truffle was 1.75, which I guess is normal. But the peanut butter thing was $4! For ONE, smaller-than-reeses piece of candy. I didn't say anything b/c I just had to taste these to see if it could possibly be worth the money.

I say this with no exaggeration whatsoever, Reeses is better! The chocolate had almost no cocoa in it, and there was barely any peanut butter. So utterly disappointing. The truffle was much better, but still nothing special. I prefer the Lindt 65% chocolate much better. It's fruitier, and tastes much more natural and rich than the Godiva.

So, this just confirms what I thought all along. Godiva is nothing more than a giant, fake, rip off. But, thats just my opinion.

[TrishCT]

Soba,

Next time you are near Bloomingdale's head up to the floor with Martine's....those are terrific chocolates....especially the fresh cream ones....there is one shaped like a pyramid that knocked my sox off.

[TrishCT]

Sorry...my post replicated itself...

Edited November 11, 2004 by TrishCT (log)

[merstar]

The only thing I like about Godiva is their recipes.

Edited November 11, 2004 by merstar (log)

[StudentChefEclipse]

Two reasons I shy off Godiva: First of all, they spend too much time developing nutty recipes, by which I mean too many nuts. Bleh. Can't eat nuts.

But foremost is, one of their store managers once told a friend of mine she was good with people and knowledgable about chocolate but simply too fat to work in the store. Too Fat! Apparently you cannot exemplify what happens if you eat the stuff to excess. So... boycott for me!

[Luis Gutiérrez]

Do you guys know Valrhona or Michel Cluziel? Try some of that and you'll see the difference!

Cheers,

Luis

[NulloModo]

Godiva gets given as a gift a lot I think because of excellent name recognition, people give it when they want to impress a bit more than that Whitman's or Russel Stover's sampler box.