Palets Les Grands Crus – Chocolate Discs

Palets Les Grands Crus from Chocolat Bonnat, dark medallions from around the world

Palets Les Grands Crus from Chocolat Bonnat is a small box containing 20 gold-wrapped chocolate medallions from the house's eight classic Grand Cru origins. Each origin is represented by two or three pieces, allowing the dark varieties to be tasted side by side, medallion by medallion.

Palets Les Grands Crus is an assortment of dark chocolate medallions from Chocolat Bonnat of Voiron, France, containing 120 grams in a pink box with a display window. "Palet" is the French term for a flat, round disk, which we call a medallion. All 20 medallions contain 75 percent cocoa and come from the house's Grands Crus Historiques.

Blossoms, fruit, and warm strength

The range of the eight origins that Chocolat Bonnat has compiled for this selection spans from light and floral to deep and robust. Equateur bears the color of the sun and is fragrant with notes of blossoms and honey. Côte d'Ivoire tastes classic, light, and fragrant, while Madagascar remains smooth and fruity. Thus, Asia, Africa, South America, and the Caribbean are brought together in a single box.

The spicy Ceylan from Sri Lanka provides a warm counterbalance, and Trinité from the Caribbean island of Trinidad proves round and balanced. Three origins are from Venezuela. Puerto Cabello is refined and invigorating, while the Hacienda El Rosario combines a delicate fragrance with strength. Chuao, the village on the Caribbean Sea, is considered by Bonnat to be the undisputed number one: powerful and warm.

Same recipe, different bean

Every medallion contains cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar according to the same recipe. The differences you taste when comparing them therefore come from the bean and the country in which it was grown. With such a high cocoa content, the unique characteristics of each bean stand out clearly. Like all the house's bars, which are free from milk powder, these palets are guaranteed to be free of nut traces, allowing nut allergy sufferers to enjoy them as well.

Bonnat uses the term "Grand Cru" to describe chocolate made from cocoa from a single origin, processed as a single varietal. The Grands Crus Historiques date back to Raymond Bonnat, who used them to establish the house's origin bars. In the flat shape of a medallion, the chocolate melts quickly in the mouth, and a single piece is enough to get to know the character of an origin.

A window full of gold

The golden medallions shimmer through the window of the pink box, making the gift intriguing long before someone opens it. As a small gift for coffee, the box comes ready-packaged, and it can be passed around the table until everyone has found their favorite variety.

A single medallion is enough to accompany an espresso after a meal, and those who intentionally taste their way from the light Côte d'Ivoire to the Chuao will experience just how differently dark chocolate can taste. "Taler" was once the name for coins, and in their foil, these look just like them.

From medallion to full bar

Each of the eight origins is also available from us as a full 100-gram bar, should you find a favorite among the Palets Les Grands Crus. These include the Chuao from Venezuela and the floral Equateur from Ecuador, and all other varieties from the house are available in the Bonnat collection.

The medallions are well-preserved in their box at room temperature between 17 and 22 degrees and away from the refrigerator, whose humidity dulls the chocolate's shine. The foil protects each medallion individually, meaning the box can last over several evenings.