Back in early 2019, I bought a bar of Niederegger Classic Marzipan from Tesco and eagerly unwrapped it. Peeling back the golden foil, I discovered a bloomed bar with a musty aroma to boot.
I enjoyed Niederegger's classic bars prior to this and they have always been of top class quality. It was a real shame to find a badly treated bar on sale.
However, today I get a fresh chance to try the bar again, courtesy of Niederegger via Hertfordshire-based Chocolates Direct. This new-look bar, you'll be pleased to hear, is miles apart from my previous experience.
Packaging
The packaging benefits from a substantial revamp. I liked the old packaging a lot but love the vivid red colour of this new format even more. It's bold, and stands out from the crowd. I think the deeper colours of the old packaging lent themselves to being given as a gift to someone special, whereas this new style packaging looks more like it's an indulgent treat just for you. I don't think that's a big issue though, especially as Niederegger has an ever-growing range of marzipan gifts in its line-up.
The vivid red packaging is quite simple, with a logo at the top (featuring gold-foiled print), text down the side and a graphic of a few segments of the bittersweet chocolate-covered marzipan. Besides the change in packaging style (it used to be a paper wrapper and now it's a resealable box), the only other noticeable change here is that the pack size has grown from 100g to 110g.
On the rear, English, German and French text details the ingredients and nutritional information.
Niederegger Classic Marzipan Bar Review ingredients:
Bittersweet chocolate (cocoa mass, sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, emulsifier (soya lecithin), vanilla extract), almonds (28%), sugar, invert sugar syrup, alcohol. Cocoa solids: 50% minimum.
Marzipan accounts for 50% of this new format bar. The sugar content sits at just under 38%. I compared the wrapper to the old packaging and discovered the formulation has changed slightly. Marzipan used to account for 52% of the bar and the sugar content sat at 37.5%. So, it looks like we now get a dash more chocolate surrounding the marzipan. The recipes are broadly identical, with no change in ingredients, and just a minor change in the proportions.
Niederegger Classic Marzipan Bar Review
Just like its previous incarnation, this new-style bar features a dozen segments, each stamped with the Niederegger Lübeck logo. At 110g and nearly 1cm in depth, the bar feels chunky in nature.
The mirror-like glossy sheen of the bittersweet chocolate is a pleasure to see. The finish of this bar is almost flawless, and is a million times better than my previous bar.
The pieces snap with ease, although the generous quantity of pliable marzipan filling means that they don't always snap into neat segments. That was the only excuse I needed to eat more than one of the 12 segments at a time. I got four sittings out of this bar, but if you are disciplined, you can probably get six sittings. Kudos to you if you can eke it out over 12 nibbles.
The aroma of the bittersweet chocolate reveals just a hint of cocoa notes but the fragrance of alcohol-spiked almonds permeates out through the layers.
Inside, Niederegger's famous marzipan sits proudly, soft and yielding as you snap off chunks of the bar. The smooth almond paste filling is rightfully the star of the show here. It's sweet, but not overly so, and there's a subtle hint of alcohol although I can't quite place it (and Niederegger is understandably cagey about it). Amaretto would make the most sense but the flavour behaves most like spirit such as white rum. This sits right at the base level and adds a slight warmth to the overall bar.
You might expect the chocolate shell to interfere with the delicate almond flavour, but it does nothing of the sort. Instead, the bittersweet chocolate adds a hit of rich cocoa notes that compliment the sweet paste. I don't find the bittersweet chocolate too bitter nor too sweet, and it peaks in intensity right at the very end. The aftertaste is a satisfying chocolatey-almond combo that lingers for a while, and it gently reminds you to enjoy another piece. And another.
Overall, this is a very fine example of the Niederegger marzipan I know and love. Delicious, flavourful marzipan combined with a sweet, rich, sweet-yet-dark chocolate shell. The balance is just about right, and I prefer this bar over the snack-sized Stick 'n Go Classic Marzipan bar I tried last year, where the ratios didn't feel quite right.
If you've never tried Niederegger marzipan, this Classic Marzipan Bar is an excellent, entry-level product. Be warned, it may kickstart a lifelong addiction! I can't get enough of their mini loaves....
Niederegger Classic Marzipan Bar Review Review
RRP: £2.99 | Niederegger | Shop now
Smooth almond marzipan wrapped in the perfect amount of bittersweet chocolate to add richness and satisfying depth without masking the fragrant almond flavour. This addictive bar is extremely enjoyable and strong willpower is required not to clear it off in one sitting.
Where to Buy Online
The Classic Marzipan Bar is perhaps one of Niederegger's most widely stocked products in the UK It's available online and in many high street stores. Online stockists include Chocolates Direct (£2.99), Amazon°, Buy Flowers Direct (£3.49), and Friars (£4.50).
If bittersweet dark chocolate is not your cup of tea, a milk chocolate bar is also available in the same 110g size (with blue packaging). Also available in this range is ginger flavoured marzipan (yellow packaging) and orange flavoured marzipan (orange packaging), both of which are enrobed in dark bittersweet chocolate.
Do you prefer marzipan smothered in milk chocolate or dark chocolate? Let me know in the comments below.
