What’s a trip without buying some chocolates from the airport? Here’s what I got from the Cocoa Trees store in Changi Terminal 1.

Valrhona 70% Dark Chocolate Guanaja

Starts with a stone fruit flavor – I quote from a the website – as I could not pinpoint that flavor that flavor when you take the first bite. Not really sure what it meant since I’m more of an apple person rather than a nectarine person. Richness of the chocolate shines through towards the end of a mouthful.

Valrhona 66% Dark Chocolate Caraibe

Indulgent without the throat itching sugar level. And yes, it has hints of grape flavor as mentioned in the website. Fruity but not citrus acidic. One of my favorite dark chocolate bars of all time.

Did not get the 85% dark chocolate since based on experience, around 65% to 75% is the best dark chocolate for chocolate bars – not too bitter and still has enough sweetness to be eaten as a retail bar. Would like to try a bar of a 64% Tainori which claims to have hints of apple and cherry.

Neuhaus Milk Chocolate bar Almond Praline

Almonds made me pick this up from the shelf. Milk chocolates were sometimes too sweet for me so I hesitated for a while. But well, I don’t see almond praline filled chocolates that often so I got myself a bar. Compared to hazelnut praline I have tasted, this almond praline is not overly sweet. Crunch on bits of caramelized almond mixed into the filling. Just right if I wanted something on the sugary side of the spectrum.

What is praline? Sugar + nuts, boiled, then ground into the creamy filling we have in various chocolates and spreads.

Neuhaus Dark Chocolate bar Intense dark origin

Not as bitter as some dark chocolate I have tasted. It’s nice to have a dark chocolate ganache filling inside a dark chocolate shell. Textures play out as it melts in your mouth.