All three of these are cocoa powders. Van Houten's is the original Dutch process cocoa. Sainsbury's Cocoa is made in Amsterdam. It could well be made by Van Houten, though it looks darker. Cadbury's is the only one to have added ingredients, and is around 50% sugar.
Cadbury's tastes like milk chocolate. Which is odd because there is no milk powder in the ingredients. All three were made the same way, with the same amount of fresh milk. Yet, it does taste like liquid milk chocolate. It is the least complicated of the three. The one that is most familiar and comforting. It suprised me how well it stands up to the others. You can spot the difference straight away, but though it is different, that's not in itself a weakness - just a difference. Like the difference between Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Lennon is without a doubt the more interesting, but also the more demanding and challenging. On the whole Lennon is more rewarding, worthwhile, and significant. But sometimes a McCartney song will have the greater appeal. The Dutch cocoa powders are John Lennon, while Cadbury's is Paul McCartney. Van Houten's has extra flavours and complexities which make it the more interesting. Sainsbury's cocoa is more robust. It's more straightforwardly chocolatey, edging to the dark chocolate, but not too dark. It perhaps lacks some of the subtle complexities and flavours of the Van Houten.
They each have their appeals, and I have learned a new respect for the Cadbury, which does taste quite smooth and velvety next to the rougher Dutch powders (and what I found worked really well, was a blend of Van Houten and Cadbury to combine the smoothness of the Cadbury's with the more interesting flavours of the Van Houten).
In order:
1st: Van Houten
2nd; Sansbury's
3rd: Cadbury's
No comments:
Post a Comment