Katie's Chocolate Club: February

Due to the distraction of Mardi Gras I did not opt for a Valentine's themed chocolate club this month. I just wasn't on the ball enough to make it happen. Instead, I scoped out FIKA of New York City. According to their website, 

"The word FIKA [fee:kah] translates into taking a coffee break to indulge in the ritual of conversation, often accompanied by something sweet or savory. Having a daily FIKA is a way of life in Sweden and an important part of the culture. It offers a way of both relaxing and staying connected."

Their packaging is unlike others I have seen. The black sleeve is attached to the white section to the left of the box and slides off, revealing a complete white box inside. That box's lid hinges on the left-hand side, as opposed to the lid coming off entirely like most other chocolate boxes. Inside, each chocolate was nestled in its own cavity, though some had danced around a bit during transit. A lot of the truffles have garnish on them that can rub off so there were lots of crumbs dusting everything. There was one casualty, a caramel that was cracked and broken: but no worries, I still ate it!

I did not see a place to add a gift note during checkout on their website. I may have just missed it, but none-the-less, no cheeky message this month. Darn! 

ROW #1

Pistachio Gianduja

Key Lime Pie

Peppermint Lime

Mackmyra Swedish Whiskey

Gingerbread

Staranise Hazelnut

ROW #2

Macadamia

Water (Salted Caramel)

Seawater Caramel (arrived broken)

71% Signature Dark

Goat Cheese (my "surprise" truffle)

Almond Gianduja

ROW #3

Quinoa Hazelnut

Wind (Four Liquors)

Almond Gianduja

Cardamom

Vanilla Xante

Caribbean Rum

ROW #4

Lingonberry

Cactus Lychee

Strawberry Lime

Hazelnut Gianduja

Laphroaig Whiskey

Almond

Hmmm... This collection confused me more than any others I have tried. Between the photo guide that came with the box and the page on the website I used to select my truffles, I did my best to identify each truffle, but I am not certain I got them all correct. Most of the flavors were very subtle, with the exception of the alcohol based ones: they were strong! Too strong in my opinion. The goat cheese, which I was fearful of because I am not a fan, didn't taste like the dairy product I detest. The salt on top of that truffle really overtook the taste.

Overall I was bummed that some of the more unique flavors didn't shine through. I was initially very excited to try so many new things (lingonberry, cactus lychee, cardamom, quinoa hazelnut, etc.), but was disappointed that I didn't get a strong sense of these ingredients in the ganaches.

From their website I see that they have multiple locations in New York City and their main focus appears to be coffee and providing a Swedish experience.

*all names/descriptions were copied directly from the guides provided with the collection.