Monsieur Truffe Native Plums Review: Does the Chocolate Outshine the Fruit?
Monsieur Truffe’s 70% Dark Chocolate Native Plums combines dark chocolate with three Australian native fruits: Kakadu plum, Davidson plum and Doris plum. Made in Melbourne, it brings a distinctly Australian element to a 70% cacao bar, with the trio of native fruits forming the point of difference.
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Origin: |
Melbourne, Australia |
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Cacao %: |
70% |
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Weight: |
90g |
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RRP: |
~ $14.50 AUD |
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Certified: |
Vegan, organic and gluten free |
Appearance
The bar shows a deep colour and a slight gloss, with no visible bloom. Pieces of native plum are clearly visible across the surface, adding texture to the otherwise simple presentation. It breaks with a good, clean snap.
Aroma
The aroma is straightforward dark chocolate. Despite the visible pieces of native plum, we couldn’t detect any obvious fruit.
Taste & Texture
The 70% bar is smooth and slow-melting, with a rich cocoa character and restrained sweetness. It tastes like a 70% dark chocolate, although with less bitterness than we often find at this cacao percentage. On its own, the chocolate feels nicely balanced.
The native plum is much more restrained. It has a slightly chewy, semi-dried texture, bringing some sourness and occasional fruitiness, particularly when you hit a section with a thicker piece of plum. Elsewhere, the fruit is easy to miss.
The combination does work. The slight sourness provides some contrast against the rich cocoa, but the chocolate remains firmly in control throughout.
Aftertaste & Finish
The cocoa lingers for a little while after the chocolate has melted away. Occasionally, a slight plum flavour follows in the aftertaste, although it isn’t a consistent part of the finish.
ATC Verdict: Is It Worth the Splurge?
No, not for us. There is plenty to like about the chocolate itself. It is smooth, balanced and rich in cocoa character, with less bitterness than we expected from a 70% dark chocolate.
The problem is that the native plums never feel essential to the experience. Their slightly sour fruit character works with the chocolate when it appears, but we often found ourselves having to look for it. Even in pieces with more plum, it adds contrast rather than transforming the chocolate.
It leaves us more interested in trying another Monsieur Truffe chocolate than returning to this particular bar. The native plum is an interesting idea and the combination works, but ultimately it feels a little like something done because it can be.
Good chocolate. Interesting combination. Just not one we’d seek out again.
Editor’s Note
This review reflects multiple tastings over several sessions. We considered the chocolate and native plum both separately and together, paying particular attention to how consistently the fruit came through and whether it added enough to the overall experience before reaching our verdict.
Adrian, Editor at All That Is Cool
