Bradley's: Ooey-Gooey Cherry Mess

Welcome to day 4 of the reviews of Bradley’s chocolates from Knoxville, TN. So far, the box has not featured anything outstanding, but I’ve only found only one piece, a white chocolate orange truffle, that was truly disappointing. I wasn’t too optimistic about the cherry-filled creation sitting in the box.

In the name of research, and as a service to you, my loyal readers, I had to check it out.

It was even worse than I’d feared. The chocolate shell collapsed immediately, giving way to a sugary cherry syrup surrounding a tough, tasteless mass that may or may not have been a cherry in a previous life. From the bits of chocolate that I salvaged from the mess that I found all over my hand, I discerned that the chocolate was gritty and was overpowered by a vanilla flavor intended to mask inferior quality cocoa.

I didn’t even finish it. I just washed off my hand.

After dealing with that (literal) mess, I moved along. Duty called. As did a coconut-filled milk chocolate.

The milk chocolate coating is smooth and features a subtle nutty undertone, but the flavor in this treat is all with the coconut.

I suspect that there’s a bit of coconut extract in here, given the intense coconut flavor, but the taste isn’t artificial in nature. The coconut is a bit stale, but not overprocessed and includes only a bit of added sugar, such that it is not overwhelmingly sweet. Although the chocolate isn’t complex, the overall effect is fairly pleasing, even if a bit sweet.

Have you ever had a chocolate disintegrate in your hand? Did you bother to eat it afterwards?