La Reina Hazelnut Cream

Crema di Nocciola La Reina, light and milk-delicate

The Crema di Nocciola La Reina from Papa dei Boschi is the light one among the hazelnut spreads from Piedmont: 60 percent Piedmontese hazelnuts PGI, fine milk powder, and real Bourbon vanilla, with no cocoa at all. Milky, mild, and pleasantly understated in sweetness.

Crema di Nocciola La Reina is the blonde, milky-mild hazelnut spread from the Noè family in Piedmont, stirred from 60 percent Piedmontese hazelnuts PGI, cane sugar, skimmed milk powder, and real Bourbon vanilla. No cocoa gets in its way, no palm oil, no foreign fats—just the Tonda Gentile in its most delicate form. La Reina means the queen, and she wears that name with poise.

Blonde, creamy, finely understated sweetness

In the jar, La Reina shimmers as light as café au lait, much paler than any dark gianduia. The first spoonful tastes of freshly roasted hazelnuts and warm milk, barely sweet, with a fine caramel note in the background.

On the palate, it becomes soft and creamy; the roasted note of the Tonda Gentile carries it, while the milk powder rounds it off gently. It is deliberately restrained with sweetness, letting the nut take center stage instead. Milky, creamy, playful—that is how it presents itself; a hazelnut spread that whispers instead of shouting.

You can think of it as the white sister to gianduia, a Crema di Nocciola that forgoes cocoa and relies entirely on nut, milk, and vanilla. La Reina also contains 60 percent Piedmontese hazelnuts but leaves out the 10 percent low-fat cocoa found in the darker recipes. Anyone who only knows sweet spreads will be amazed at how subtle a real hazelnut spread can taste.

From Lequio Berria by the Noè family

Behind La Reina is José Noè, a hazelnut farmer in Lequio Berria, a village in the Alta Langa at an altitude of 700 meters. He spent 20 years as a food engineer at Ferrero before returning to the family farm to refine his own nuts. He has been called Papa dei Boschi—the Pope of the Woods—ever since.

For three generations, the Tonda Gentile delle Langhe variety of hazelnut has grown there on over 40 hectares, without pesticides and using organic fertilizers. The PGI designation of origin protects the Piedmontese hazelnut just as a good vineyard protects its wine. Harvesting takes place at the end of August when the nuts fall to the ground on their own; afterwards, they are sun-dried on the farm.

José roasts the nuts and stirs them into the cream himself, completely without middlemen or outside products. For those who enjoy the full range, you can find all of Papa dei Boschi’s hazelnut specialties with us.

A light start to the day

La Reina is a mild delight by the spoonful—on bread, in yogurt, or in the filling of fine tarts. Because it is so light and low in sweetness, it even pairs well with fruits that have their own acidity, such as raspberries, apricots, and currants. A dollop on warm semolina pudding is also delicious, and it disappears quickly from the breakfast table.

On warm brioche for Sunday breakfast, its milky nature shines through most clearly; a spoonful is enough. If you prefer it darker and more chocolaty, reach for the Crema Gianduia with cocoa; if you are looking for the nut in its purest form, try the pure hazelnut butter without sugar. La Reina comes in a 250g jar, while its darker siblings are also available in large 500g jars. Kept well-chilled and removed with a clean spoon, it will last for many weeks—if you can hold out that long.