Oh, this is going to make you chocoholics out there happy. Coincidentally, these findings were conducted by the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition and come just in time with Valentine’s Day next week:
Dark chocolate and cocoa contains more antioxidants, polyphenols and flavanols than fruit juice, according to new research published in Chemistry Central Journal.
1 Comment February 8, 2011
Wow. Now I know the secret to making people very happy: give them chocolate. The excited, joyful emails and the super detailed feedback I received really show the power of chocolate. I’m thinking everyone who entered the giveaway must be hardwired to love chocolate (apparently we are genetically inclined, according to this new study).
Here’s a brief summary of what the lucky chocolate samplers thought:
Here’s some more feedback direct from Health & Swellness readers mouths (or emails rather) on what they thought about the new Nestlé Noir Milk Chocolate bars (edited for length!):
My favourite was the Nougat. You could taste the undertones of the honey which went so well with the almond. The Superior was a little too plain for me just on its own so I did something a little different. I cut up some strawberries and melted four or so squares of the chocolate in the microwave and then dipped the strawberries in the melted chocolate. Much, much better! A great little individual dessert. –Leila
My favourite I would have to say was the NESTLÉ NOIR Milk Supérieur. I found the texture to be extremely creamy and really loved the feel of each piece on my tongue – due to its unusual curved shape. Would I trade it for my usual pick? Depending on the price, I would most certainly have NESTLÉ NOIR Milk Supérieur join me for my weekly movie night. –Lesley
I really liked the Nougat one as it reminded me of Toblerone (one of my all-time faves). I found the hazelnuts were overpowering (bitter?) in the last bar–kind of cancelled out the yumminess and smoothness of the chocolate part. As far as [these chocolate bars] being better than sex? If sex was as available as chocolate I’d have to say yes… –D.
The Nougat had a light flavour with a little candy quality to it and the Noisette was equally subtle with their light flavour but overall a nice nazelnutty taste. Although I enjoyed the chocolate I prefer a more intense flavour (i.e. larger chunks of nougat and hazelnuts) and I’m more of a dark chocolate over milk but if I had to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 then I’d rate the Nougat at 7 and the Noisette at 8. –Ali
Picture if you will…5th day of school and the novelty has worn off! Pouring rain and no one fits their rubber boots, can’t find the raincoats, and I drop the book order in a puddle on the way to school trying to grab my son who falls down and rips his new pants. (well we WERE running trying to stay dry!). Forgot snack, library books and my daughter is complaining her underwear is too tight (shit! when was the last time I checked the size of those!)….. Yup, this is me, Mom-of-the-Year.. all this and the bell hasn’t even rung! But more importantly this is how my day ends……Open the mailbox to a small, heavy yellow envelope filled with BLISS! My family of four are called to the table…we have some serious business to attend to. I take out all 3 bars and inform them we MUST taste test the chocolate and decide what we like best. Expressions at this point could be somewhat compared to Christmas morning when they realize Santa actually read his mail and got then EXACTLY what was on their list!, even my husband was like a giddy schoolkid! And YES I declare…we get to eat it ALL!!!
Ummm… What’s with that name? Even people who don’t speak French as their first language usually know that the word “Noir” implies black or dark. But this is milk chocolate, not dark. Perhaps other people aren’t bothered by this, but I find this name choice just confuses me.
The wavy shapes are pleasing, but in certain light the ridge patterns make it seem as though there are finger prints all over my chocolate. There are huge psychological aspects toward the enjoyment of chocolate, and the impression, no matter how vague, that there are fingerprints on my chocolate does not create a favourable experience.
Of the three bars, the taste of nougat seemed to work best with the overpowering sweetness of the product. Let’s face it, if you are purchasing nougat, you are basically after a candy-sugar rush. Last Thoughts: I’m afraid that the Nestle Noir milk chocolate bars were too sweet for our family. –Sandra
I prefer dark chocolate, so I found the Superior and Noisette a little too sweet for me. The Nougat was my favourite one, the crunchy bits were delicious. Makes me want to try the dark version of Nestle Noir. –Tara
The Nougat….rich, heavenly, with a slightly chewy texture. This bar is so good you wants to just let it melt and savour the moment…but it’s SO good you can’t help but chew it and get to the next piece! Yup this is brutal honesty here, no manners allowed…you just want to shove the whole thing in your mouth! And finally the Superieur….we all agreed it was pretty superior! This one was smooth and creamy, delightfully pure. The shape of the square was awesome…my daughter loved how there was an indent to hold when a piece was broken off. the pieces look like ocean waves that just want to carry you away. Kids loved the pure simplicity of this bar that is anything but simple!
As for the cold and wet weather, what better remedy than heating up some milk, breaking up some squares of the Superieur and whisking all together and topping with a square of Noisette? My daughters comment….should be yellow, this is like a whole cup of sunshine and happiness! Oh and as for my me and my husband, we got to finish off our fav’s with a bottle of red at bedtime…sinfully De-Lish!! –Shawn
What I loved the most–the thickness and the shape of the squares, the chocolate is very smooth (reminds me of Nutella) and of course the nuts! Probably the best milk chocolate I’ve tried, ever. –Kristina
Of the three flavours, the plain milk chocolate was my favourite. I think I prefer additional ingredients like hazelnuts or nougat in a chunkier chocolate bar. Although when you eat two squares at the same time, the result was quite delicious. –Susan
I decided to start with nougat. I loved it! The chocolate was delicious, creamy and smooth, felt and tasted like good quality chocolate and not “junky” chocolate. And there was just enough nougat to jazz it up. I wear braces so I worry about having nougat as it can get stuck in my braces and or possibly break a brace but there were no issues with this nougat as the pieces were really small, but gave it a nice crunch and made the chocolate bar just a little more special.
As for what I didn’t like: the package. It just wouldn’t stay closed even though I opened it along the perforated line. Also, I think they could do a better job of letting consumers know it’s Swiss chocolate. Finally, I kind of think the shape is much ado about nothing. It didn’t hinder or improve the experience of eating the chocolate. –Miriam
The day I received my package the BF and I immediately decided we would hold a taste test. After dinner, of course! As I chomped on chicken and veggies all I could think about was ripping open the packages. I must confess – I debated having chocolate for dinner! But the BF looked at me as if I were 10 years old.
As we both sat in the living room with water in hand to “cleanse our palate” I opened up the milk chocolate. “mmm” were the sounds coming from the both of us! The chocolate was smooth, velvety and not overly sweet as most other milk chocolate. Much to my surprise I found the shape of the chocolate hit my mouth perfectly! I loved the way the lump of chocolate hit the roof of my mouth. Next up was the noisette, which so happened to be the BF favourite. But Something about it didn’t do it for me. It’s hard to pinpoint, but the nut flavour seemed off. Lastly the nougat! Mm mm good!! By far my personal fav! The trace of honey had me wanting more and finally the perfect amount of nougat! Lets be real here, nougat is delicious but having it stuck to your teeth, not so pretty! –Diane
The name Nestle Noir is really wrong and misleading. All three were milk chocolate so there was nothing noir. A lot of thought went into the packaging but it is not practical and makes not sense. All other brands open vertically at the top. Although I like the tear open cardboard, you have to take the whole chocolate out from the horizontal side to actually tear open the gold foil on the inside…so it kind of defeats the purpose. And all that talk about the new shape…it was mildly novel in my hands..but it did nothing to add to the taste. My favourite flavour is the nougat…I like the sugary bits. –E.
The arrival of chocolate was appreciated on such a stressful morning. Nougat was our favorite one, my kids too LOVED that one (and they are definitely chocolate connoisseurs). I really liked the swirly shape of each piece, and they broke away quite easily. –Wendy
I’m not one to inquire whether my cocoa beans were nurtured on the sunny side of the slope or the shady. But I have to admit, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart–or rather, my palate–for chocolate with snob appeal. There is something about a pretentiously packaged bar that makes me feel less guilty about indulging (sort of like drinking a great bottle of wine). So I was definitely ALL OVER the elegant aesthetics and Swiss name-dropping of Nestle Noir’s new milk chocolate line. I sampled each of the bars at different times of day, so as not to battle an orgy of flavours; chocolate is sensual enough without such concerns, right? My thoughts on each one.
Superieur: As with all three bars I tried, the cocoa content wasn’t listed on the package – which is no surprise for a milk chocolate product, I suppose, but with a premium bar you sort of expect to see that kind of attention to detail; you want to know what you are paying for. That said, the chocolate itself was delicious. Mmmm! I liked the vanilla aftertaste, though it was intense enough that I could only handle a few squares in one sitting. But really, what woman wants to let herself eat more than that anyway?
Noisette: Again, this first comment applies to all three bars: I really liked the unusual texture and sculpting of the chocolate, though it was strictly for the ergonomics aspect; not because it had any discernible effect on how easily the chocolate went down. I really enjoyed the addition of hazelnuts, which added some complexity to the overall flavour.
Nougat: Of all three, this one tasted the most like a regular candy bar, most likely because of the little bits of honeycomb. It was still delicious though–candy bars are popular for a reason–and the almond pieces added interest.
One criticism: I found it misleading and off-putting that they put a general health message on the back, which (to my view) leverages public knowledge of dark chocolate’s antioxidants and sends the implicit message that these bars share those same positive effects. And to the best of my knowledge, they don’t. But that’s a small quibble. Most people aren’t buying chocolate for their health. –Misty
1 Comment September 22, 2010
Every month or so, there’s new research stating how chocolate is good for you. And it always makes me sad. Why? Because the health findings are always about dark chocolate. And as much as I’ve tried (and tried and tried–I keep hoping my tastebuds will perhaps one day just do a 180) I’m just not a fan of dark chocolate. I mean, when will the research come out that Kit Kats are good for you? I”m waiting, researcher people! Alas, I have a feeling I’ll be waiting a long, long time.
The reason? Dark chocolate is much higher in cocoa content than milk chocolate, making it rich in antioxidants and flavanols, which studies have linked to everything from lowering blood pressure to reducing stress hormones.
That said, if you, like me, prefer milk chocolate, treat yourself. Every diet expert will tell you that you shouldn’t deprive yourself of what you love. Everything in moderation, ladies.
So when Nestlé asked me to taste test their new premium line of milk chocolate bars, Nestlé Noir Milk Chocolate, my answer? Hellz yeah!
There are three varieties: Supérieur, Noisette and Nougat. I ripped open Supérieur and snapped off a square. Before popping it into my mouth, I noticed a non-uniform texture and I thought the bar had melted and gotten deformed, but then realized that this was a wavy texture the chocolate had been moulded into.
“Cool. They’ve created an ergonomic little divet for my fingers, perfect for pinching the piece of chocolate,” I thought. But then I read the packaging and press release (Note to self: probably a good idea to read a press release before devouring the product, Karen!) and got schooled: the folks at Nestlé in Switzerland conducted studies and found the the shape and texture of the chocolate influences enjoyment so this nifty new texture is meant to complement one’s palate.
Neat, well, sorta. Cuz in reality? As much as I initially thought the ergonomic little divet was handy, glutton that I am, that thin side where the chocolate dips down kinda makes me feel like I’m getting cheated of chocolate (I’m all about sheer weight, baby, the more grams of chocolate, the better…).
Did I notice that the waves made it more pleasing to my palate? Not so much, to be honest. But visually, it did make me picture the creamy waves of chocolate as it was being prepared by Swiss chocolatiers, which made the bars seem kinda classier than the candy bar I’d typically be eating.
Anyhoo, my fave of the three new bars? It’s a tie between the Supérieur–sooo super smooth and creamy–and the Noisette–I love me some hazelnuts. Don’t get me wrong, Nougat is nice but the sticky little bits of honey seem to interfere with the creamy chocolate goodness (not to mention get stuck in your teeth). And the nougat bits seem to take it into candy bar territory–now I’m no chocolate snob–gimme a good ol’ Chunky any day–but if I’m shelling out $3.99, I want chocolate to be the star.
Hold up, what’s this? I just found this recent research that states that European chocolate contains much higher cocoa concentration that that made in the U.S. And Nestlé Noir Milk Chocolate is all made in Switzerland. So maybe this milk chocolate indeed has more flavanols and antioxidants than the average bar (can you tell I’ve got my fingers crossed on finding some sort of health excuse to eat this chocolate??). On my to-do list: check in with Nestlé about the cocoa content and any health research they conducted on these tablets.
HERE’S WHERE YOU GET A SWEET TREAT:
Now, on YOUR to-do list–that’s right, I’m giving you homework. Don’t worry–it involves getting FREE CHOCOLATE and eating it. Easy peasy. Nestlé has given Health & Swellness 20 packages of their new Nestlé Noir Milk Chocolate to give away. The first 20 peeps to email me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with their mailing addresses and phone numbers will receive all three varieties to enjoy (please put “chocolate” in the subject line). The only stipulation? You gotta live in Canada. And only one package per household—ie. Don’t hog all the chocolate by emailing me 20 times with different names.
And the only thing you’ll owe me? Your honest to goodness reactions to the chocolate, which I’ll post at a later date. Would you choose to eat this chocolate over having sex? (or perhaps use it to enhance your sex life, that’s what an Italian study has found). Did it help perk up a miserable day? Is it the best chocolate you’ve ever had? Or just so-so? Did you eat it all in one shot? Did it make you break out? Has it changed your life??
Let me know how you like or dislike it–if you don’t, remember, I’ll know where you live. 
10 Comments August 31, 2010