K Chocolatier: K Bears

Moving right along in my series of “chocolate I bought in Los Angeles,” it is now time to examine the offerings of K Chocolatier, run by Diane Kron herself in Beverley Hills. I was alerted to this establishment by Jenny (the Dessert Darling), who lives right nearby, and decided to give it a shot. Seeing as I spent more money than I care to admit at Ms. Kron’s shop, she kindly gave me some complimentary samples of her K Bears, which are chocolate-covered bits of crisped rice shaped like bears.

While I’d already purchased the best of her offerings in large quantities, I was intrigued by these cute little bits, and began with the white chocolate version, which has a noticeable cocoa butter aroma.

The white chocolate itself is creamy with a distinct cocoa butter flavor, which leads me to believe that deodorized cocoa butter was not used. The crisped rice is crunchy, and not one bit soggy, and the soft white chocolate compliments this texture well. It’s nicely done.

Next up was the milk chocolate version, which offered a caramel aroma.

The milk chocolate is very smooth, with caramel and cream notes, and compliments the crispy rice bits that it covers. I don’t taste the rice itself as much, with the strong caramel flavor, but the texture contrast is a nice addition. Also nicely done.

The last bear awaiting me was a dark chocolate version; it lured me with its strong, fruity aroma.

The chocolate features cherry and banana flavors, and is a tad bitter but not excessively slow. The melt is smooth and slow, and compliments the perfectly-crisped rice nicely. This was the most complex tasting of the K bears, and still maintained the wonderful texture contrast.

You may want to ask which my favorite of the three was. That’s like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. It’s not reasonable.

Chocolate with crisped rice: a do or a don’t?