'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' Chocolate from Wild Ophelia - A Tasting
Molly Tue, October 29, 2013 
PanemPropaganda was lucky enough to receive a spectacular gift from the lovely people at Wild Ophelia. Wild Ophelia and their big sister, Vosges Haut Chocolat have created a whole new line of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire inspired chocolates, and we received The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Library Gift Box of 12 chocolate bars inspired by the districts of Panem. Since Wild Ophelia invites you to explore the Districts of Panem through the medium of chocolate, we invited our friends Samantha and Aaron from Panem Kitchen, where you can explore the world of The Hunger Games through it’s cuisine, to help us taste and review the 12 district-inspired bars.
As you will see, there is something for EVERYONE within the range (and the three of us clearly have very different taste in chocolate.)
District One: Rare Harvest Cashews in Milk Chocolate
Molly: The back of the bar says the cashew is “the diamond of the nut industry” and goes on to explain how rare and difficult they are to harvest - a very clever way to infuse “luxury” into this chocolate bar. It’s very tasty milk chocolate, with fine bits of cashews sprinkled throughout. I think I got a lot more nuts in my bar than Sam and Aaron as mine were visible and definitely noticeable.
Samantha: I think I expected more nuts. I mean, they’re in there, but they’re chopped so finely they don’t add much to the taste. Also, I’m really curious as to what makes them rare. It’s still tasty, though.
Aaron: Something to note is that the bars are quite thin, so there’s little room for filling. The cashews are so finely chopped that they’re barely noticeable and certainly don’t add much flavour. Disappointing as milk chocolate and nuts are a wonderful combination.
District Two: Fire Roasted Caramel and Pecans in Milk Chocolate
Molly: Delicious. Caramel and milk chocolate - hard to go wrong here. And it’s stepped-up by the roasted, slightly toffee-ish flavor.
Samantha: Had a good laugh over “fire roasted” caramel. I hope they really were back there standing over giant fires, stirring great vats of caramel. This was, however, pretty exceptional - the caramel is delicious. There’s a subtle pecan flavour, but I didn’t come across any pecan pieces.
Aaron: Good quality caramel with a tasty and moreish burnt flavour. The pecans are there in spirit only - something I was initially dismayed by, but I’ve gotten over it. The pecan notes are subtle but complement the overall sweetness nicely.
District Three: Arabica Coffee and Crystal Salt in Dark Chocolate
Molly: This is fantastic. Unique and interesting, with a great subtly crunchy texture that makes you feel like you’re eating coffee grounds, but in a GREAT way, not in a “crap, my coffee filter is shot” way. If you like coffee and chocolate together, you’ll adore this one.
Samantha: This was GOOOOD. There’s no fake coffee flavour. It legitimately tastes like coffee. I was surprised by how good the addition of salt was, too. Really liked this. A contender for my favourite.
Aaron: Coffee flavouring is usually a warning sign but this seems to be the genuine article. The ground coffee taste works exceptionally well with the deep cocoa while the salt adds a perfect contrast without being overwhelming. Definitely a bar I’d buy.
District Four: Sea Salt and Coconut in Dark Chocolate
Molly: If you are a coconut fan, run and grab this one. It’s a subtle essence of coconut, not flakes or chunks. Very sophisticated, very refined, and quite lovely.
Samantha: I loved it from the moment it went into my mouth (ha). The coconut is really subtle, and - not to get weird-sounding, but it tasted like summer feels? I mean dang. This one is good. This is my favourite.
Aaron: It’s almost impossible to go wrong with sea salt and dark chocolate, so this was an instant hit with me. The coconut is in the nose rather than on the palate but with the classic combination of salt and chocolate it’s best not to complicate matters. A perfect balance all around.
See the rest of our tasting AND where to order after the jump!
