Sweet Indulgence in Godiva Chocolate Truffles

by Ashley Bowers

The sweet, creamy, rich, taste of chocolate truffles has always been nearly irresistible for mankind to resist. With the chocolate, cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla combination, truffles have always been a nice delightful dessert, snack, and a great gift on special occasions as well as holidays. But with a variety of brands available to the public, what is the deciding factor? For me, the atmosphere of the location, price, customer service, and quality of products are the most important factors to consider when buying chocolate truffles. After visiting two chocolate shops at a local venue, I concluded that Godiva Chocolatier was overall superior to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

When I first arrived at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, I was greeted by an oversized teddy bear standing in the door way, wearing a bright red tee shirt. I walked through the quiet store and noticed their delicious appealing candy apples as well as their assortment of chocolate truffles. The shop was clean and well organized with display shelves featuring holiday gift giving ideas. The menu board was an oversized blackboard with white writing, so the menu items were clear and noticeable to the human eye. Even with the menu board, I was unable to find the price of some of the items in the store, such as the individual truffles sold. The pastry case, where the truffles, fudge, and bars were contained behind was very neatly set up with a variety of selections including cashew bear cubs, raspberry milk chocolate truffles, and chocolate covered pretzels.

Customer service was at a bare minimum, even with two sales associates on site. After waiting ten minutes for a sales associate to help me, I selected a box of assorted chocolates containing two truffles for $1.95. Being a pastry student, I thought that the price seemed inexpensive and knew that truffles are typically worth more. My conversation with the young female associate was very short and impersonal, holding a conversation with the male sales associate while ringing in my total. There was not any questioning as to whether or not I was able to find everything I needed, after all that was not as important as my sale was to her. She placed the small plastic box in a white paper bag and I quickly left the site, slightly irritated due to the lack of customer service.

I arrived at home later that night and decided to indulge in the rich, creamy taste of chocolate truffles. After taking my box out of the bag I immediately noticed that there was not a seal on the box, for there were not any seals on any of the packages at the store. I selected one milk chocolate truffle and one dark chocolate. Looking at the over all appearance, I examined each of the truffles diligently. They both were of a smaller size than that of a normal truffle one would have expected to buy at any other venue. The filligrees, hand drawn designs, on the top of both truffles were nice but slightly muddled. The bottoms of each truffle contained noticeably large feet, a portion on the bottom of the truffle where the coating chocolate gathers.

The milk chocolate truffle was the first to be tasted and it contained a smooth ganache filling. The coating chocolate seemed to be that of a bitter sweet chocolate, which left my mouth parched and dry afterwards. There was a hint of non-alcoholic chocolate liquor within the truffle, which brought out the rich chocolate ganache flavoring. Next, the dark chocolate truffle was examined. The inside contained a thick rich chocolate ganache filling. The outer coating that the truffle was dipped in was bitter, most likely that of semi-sweet chocolate. The flavoring was very rich and again left my mouth parched and dry. Overall, the taste of both truffles from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store was mediocre.

Late afternoon the following day, I approached the Godiva Chocolatier shop and was instantly greeted by a sales associate whom asked me if she could be of assistance. I told her that I was just browsing but thanked her sincerely. I walked through the busy shop taking in all that they had to offer. The shelving was filled with holiday gift baskets, assorted chocolates, hot cocoa, and even sugar free candy bars. The area was clean and well organized with a pastry case filled with assorted truffles for individual sale. The truffle assortment included strawberry daquiri, honey nut butter, variety of fruits, caramel, and liquors. On the opposite counter, there were jars of cookies containing items such as coconut macaroons dipped in white chocolate and biscuits.

After collecting a few items, a different sales representative asked if she could be of assistance to me and if she could take the items I was buying off my hands and hold them for me on the counter. I thanked her as she placed them on the counter and continued browsing through the assorted coffee beans and dark chocolate dipped cookies called pirouettes. The shop was very lively and friendly, striving for customer satisfaction at all times.

I was through examining the products around the small store so I went to the check out counter to make my purchase. Unexpectedly, I was immediately greeted by the second sales associate who remembered that she had placed my items on the counter out of the way for me. She rang each of my items up, only after asking me if I found everything that I needed. A two pack of chocolate truffles came to a total of $4.99. Though the price was more expensive than the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s truffles, I knew that the price range was compatible with the quality of the truffle considering the time and dedication that is put into each piece. After signing my sales receipt, I thanked her and left with a positive attitude towards the company and their sales associates.

Back at home that evening I could hardly wait to try the chocolate truffles that I had just purchased. I could smell the sweet, chocolate aroma as soon as the seal on the box was broken. The box contained one milk chocolate truffle along side one dark chocolate. After removing the paper from the top of the truffles, I noticed the beautifully drawn filligrees centered perfectly on each of them. They were of normal size, larger than that of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s and the feet were at a bare minimum.

After examining the outer appearance of the truffles, the tasting period followed. Again, the milk chocolate truffle was the first to be tasted. The creamy chocolate ganache center melted in my mouth with the complement of the milky chocolate coating. It was so smooth that the milk within the chocolate could be tasted. The dry after taste that I had experienced with the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory’s truffles was not prominent; instead there was a clean, smooth taste that made me want another.

Next, the dark chocolate truffle was tested and for a person that does not usually enjoy dark chocolate, I was suddenly surprised at how delicious it was. The center contained a rich, smooth ganache that was flavored slightly with non-alcoholic chocolate liquor. The dark chocolate coating complemented the milky ganache flavoring and left a smooth after taste. I without a doubt wanted another but was saddened to realize that they were gone. Over all, the taste of both truffles from the Godiva Chocolatier store was outstanding and well worth spending more money on.

When making a decision on buying chocolate truffles for a special occasion, holidays, or even a simple treat for yourself, price, quality, customer service and the atmosphere of the store itself are always key points to remember. Though Godiva Chocolatier may be more expensive than Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, the few extra dollars are well worth it. Let your mouth water and allow it to indulge in the delightful taste of the sweet, milky, smoothness that Godiva chocolate truffles have to offer.