Zotter - Tequila mit Salz und Zitrone

Zotters

We went in search of the bearded lady, Conchita Wurst, and discovered that not all Austrian women/transvestites have similar decorative and distinguished jaw lines. 

Infact, Austria, as a nation seemed to be keeping their recent 'artistic' victory at this year's Eurovision very low key, underwraps and possibly slightly embarrassed. 

'Rise Like a Phoenix' was certainly not the tune of choice for die Menschen of Wien. Oh well, they have plenty to look forward to now they will be hosting next year's Eurovision Song Contest. Danke Conchita! 

Traditional Viennese folk are probably hoping it will all go away but I'm sure the marketing team at Zotter are already working on a suitable chocolate bar to celebrate the fact. Did you know that Zotter even has a Cemetery of Ideas where old varieties go to do whatever past favourites do and some are even exhumed and resurrected for a short while. 

Zotter wrappers never fail to disappoint with their imaginative designs that always manage to raise an eyebrow or smile.....If you're thinking about collecting, Zotter wrappers, might be the next big thing.

If you're a Zotter fan you'll not be surprised by the variety of chocolates that Zotter produce including this hand-scooped or 'handgeschopft' bar which contains nobel bitter chocolate (70% cocoa) filled with tequila ganache and lemon ganache. A surprising mix of organic and fairtrade products can be found on the ingredients list. 

Zotter Ganache Layer

The bitter chocolate, salt, tequila and lemon ganache work perfectly together. An absolute delight! There is just the right amount of 'salt and alcohol' to have the desired 'tequila' effect without making it overly caustic or alcoholic. 8/10. Priced at €3.35 70g.

Zotter fans will be able to find a huge selection of their favourite chocolate confection in Vienna's Naschmarkt located between the Linke and Rechte Wienzeile. Head to Bio Welt for a huge Zotter selection.  

Once you've secured your chocolate bars take a wander around this fascinating fruit and vegetable market with its interesting mix of expensive Viennese and slightly cheaper Turkish and Asian stalls. 

You'll also find stalls selling hand-crafted soaps, oils and clothing including a multitude of street-food vendors and restaurants to enjoy. 

Zotter - Walnut-Marzipan

Clearing out my chocolate draw today I came across several chocolate bars that I'd totally forgotten about. Amongst this slightly old collection of confections was a bar from Zotter.  This was great news but a Best Before date of Feb 12 is not really ideal and I nearly had second thoughts about eating it.  But, in my book, if it smells okay and looks clear of anything green and furry then it is probably alright to eat.

As usual Zotter do not fail to impress with their packaging standards. In my opinion they are world leaders in their field.  I'm sure there are people out there right now buying up the artwork rather than the chocolate.  So, I was surprised to read on their website that many people do not believe they take their chocolate seriously?! 

Dark Mountain Milk Couverture 50%

There are very few companies that actually make their own chocolate from 'bean to bar' and Zotter is one of them. They have very close links with their farmers and have amassed a wide and diverse range of cocoa suppliers from around the world. In total Zotter buys chocolate from 11 countries Peru, Brazil, Ecuador and surprisingly India. You can see the full list here.

Hand Scooped - This is hand-made in Zotter speak. Hand Scooped is a range of bars that have one, two or even three distinctive layers.  This bar reminds me of an over sized praline and I imagine the processes are similar but on a massive scale.

70g Walnut and Marzipan - for adults only

Once out of the packaging this bar is best seen cut into slices to enable you to see the various distinct layers. This particular bar is made with freshly roasted and caramelised walnuts mixed with marzipan and rum which is then coated with dark mountain milk chocolate. The marzipan is sweet and the 'crunch' I can only assume comes from the walnuts. The chocolate itself doesn't provide very much in the way of flavour as it is masked by the slightly overpowering marzipan. Soft, sweet, almost like eating a piece of cake! 

Organic and Fair 

Marzipan, you either love it or hate it and I felt that there was nothing unpleasant about this bar and therefore it deserves 5/10 for flavour and 9/10 for presentation. 

To the people of Zotter, I promise that I'll review my next bar within the 'best before' deadline next time but, I think it stood up rather well considering how late I'd left it! 

Zotter you need to check your website. Planet Organic is not selling your products at the moment? However, Chocolatiers is selling this bar at a special price of £2.16, a 30% discount.