In this edition of the OnMilwaukee.com "Milwaukee Challenge," the editorial staff went for the sweet stuff and tempted its taste buds with two varieties of locally made truffles. The challenge matched the classic Kehr's Candies against Waukesha's Indulgence Chocolatiers.
Here are the tasty results:
Amy Carlson
Food writer
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
Being a diehard chocolate lover, I must award best truffles to Indulgence Chocolatiers. Beyond the fact that the truffles were more traditionally round in shape and simple in flavors with a decadent, glossy outer coating and rich ganache fillings, they had me at dark chocolate, which was pervasive in most of the truffles we tried, save a few milk chocolate spheres thrown in for good measure.
Kehr's alone would likely have been fine, and tasted like your standard boxed chocolates, with everything from peanut butter to strawberry cream fillings, but in comparison to the Indulgence chocolates, they were clearly inferior, and after Andy (Tarnoff) remarked that the inside tasted like frosting, I couldn't get that out of my mind. The Kehr's chocolates quickly became too sweet for my taste.
In a cost comparison, Kehr's was by far the more reasonable chocolatier, but this is one of those instances where the extra cost brings far better quality. And dark chocolate just makes me happy.
Molly Snyder Edler
Staff writer
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
I admit, I am not a big chocolate eater, so I certainly wouldn't splurge on a box of truffles. However, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Indulgence candy. These handcrafted chocolates, although about twice as expensive as the Kehr's, were definitely lighter and creamier. The chocolate tasted very fresh -- it was soft and not the least bit crumbly. (By the way, I tried one with coconut and one with a strawberry whipped filling.) Best of all, after eating a couple of the chocolates, I didn't feel like my teeth or stomach were rotting. I consider this to be a good sign.
Julie Lawrence
Staff writer
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
This challenge was difficult because it seems to me that every truffle I've ever eaten has been slightly different, either in appearance, texture or taste. I can't seem to find a single truffle standard, so comparing these two boiled down to one thing: distinctness.
Kehr's was good, but good in the way that most chocolate is good -- sugary sweet and milky. Biting into Indulgence's offering was more of a special and rare treat. The creamy filling was rich, bold and pronounced. Although both varieties I sampled were coffee flavored, Indulgence's was reduced to a nice hint, rather than overpowering the chocolate.
Drew Olson
Senior editor
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
Chocolate is like pizza. When it's good, it's an unbeatable force. When it's bad, it's still pretty good. The Kehr's candies we sampled in the office were tasty. The flavor was rich, not overly bitter and the texture was consistent, if predictable. The sample from Indulgence, however, went beyond consistent and right to sublime. It was richer, creamier and had a flavor that seemed to impact the taste buds in waves. When I was told that Indulgence was more expensive, I wasn't surprised. The difference in quality was like comparing a Toyota Camry to a Mercedes-Benz. The Camry is a solid model and nobody would be disappointed with its performance, but it didn't measure up to a competitor in the higher class.
Bobby Tanzilo
Managing editor
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
I'm a chocoholic -- the darker the chocolate the better -- and I love rich candies, so while the Kehr's are tasty and home-grown (I drive past Kehr's most days), I enjoyed the Indulgence truffles more. The outer chocolate tended to be darker and the fillings were silkier and richer. I'm not sure that either of the companies' truffles are actually truffles by definition, but they were both yummy. But the combination of the richness in flavor and elegance in presentation put Waukesha's Indulgence over the top.
Andy Tarnoff
Publisher
Pick: Indulgence Chocolatiers
I'm not a truffle expert, but I know what I like. And the offering from Indulgence tasted more like an expensive truffle than the Kehr's product, which seemed more like a simple piece of fudge. While the Kehr's had a complex aftertaste with hints of rum, it was also softer and flatter, and generally tasted like a too-sweet chunk of frosting. The banana flavor wasn't good at all. Indulgence's truffles had a silky, yet thick texture. The raisin flavor was sublime; the nut flavor tasted sufficiently nutty and buttery. In general, it wasn't too sweet and allowed for the "expensive" taste to come through.
