Marzipan is an almond sugar paste, which, when properly done, tastes sublime. That is, of course, if you like almond and nuts. It has been used in confectionary at least since the middle ages and Germany has a particular strong tradition for using it, such as in Stollen, a rich and luxurious German Christmas log (idea for developing a stollen Ritter Sport?!).
In sum the marzipan-chocolate combination is a classic – and rightly so.
Interestingly, however, this marzipan bar is not one of the top 3 best selling Ritter flavours in Germany (1. Whole Hazelnuts 2. Praline 3. Alpine Milk Chocolate).
Surprisingly, it tops the UK list (1. Marzipan 2. Whole Hazelnuts 3. Peppermint). I say surprisingly because I was convinced - admittedly on no solid basis whatsoever - that marzipan was a continental thing.
I do not know how Ritter's marzipan flavour ranks here in Denmark, though I would on the same entirely unsubstantiated grounds as above, estimate it as one of the more popular flavours.
This offering from Ritter Sport has an attractive wrapper, although there is an issue of content overweight as I described in the review of the Caramel & Nuts, also from the Ritter range. The dark chocolate has an appealing and shiny dark brown/ black colour. Also, the marzipan filling, visible in a cross section view, stands out as quite attractive. The chocolate on the underside of the bar has some minor imperfections (caveties). Appearance: 8 out of 10.
Nice, if quite overpowering aroma of marzipan. The aroma of dark chocolate is not very much present. Aroma: 8 out of 10.
The snap, when breaking of a piece, is quite good. Also in the mouth the chocolate snaps in a very attractive manner. The snap is very well done indeed. The marzipan blends in naturally, but perhaps a softer texture would be nice. The melt is OK but could perhaps be somewhat improved. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.
The flavour is not too sweet which is good, as this can become a problem when combining chocolate and marzipan (which by its nature is quite rich). However, the dark chocolate (50%) lacks character and distinctive flavour. The marzipan is quite overpowering in its flavour and comes across as somewhat artificial, as if aroma/flavour has been added too generously. The result is an unpleasant bitter finish, which unfortunately, at least for me, ruins the flavour of this bar. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.
The strength of this bar is clearly its aroma and snap. However, judging solely on the basis of flavour I would score it much lower than the present average.
In sum, I was somewhat disappointed by this bar as the marzipan-chocolate combination has great potential.
Average 7,5
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