Chocolate box musicians

"Musikanten" Praline Box by Sawade for the Coffee Table

The "Musikanten" (Musicians) praline box by Sawade brings together twenty hand-decorated pralines under a wine-red lid featuring musical scenes. Brittle, nougat, and Bourbon vanilla alternate within, and not a single drop of alcohol is used in any of the pieces.

Pralinenschachtel Musikanten is the large Advent selection from Sawade in Berlin-Reinickendorf, containing twenty pieces (230 g) in a wine-red cardboard box. A horn player in a red uniform, a polar bear with a trumpet in a blue sweater, and a singer with a music book stand among golden musical notes on the lid.

The lid strikes up, then it’s time to share

Children usually hold onto this box long before it’s even opened, and are reluctant to let it go.

Inside are twenty pieces in dark paper liners, with rows alternating between dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. A whole pistachio sits atop a milk chocolate square, a dark square features fine lines of couverture, and the white domes on the edge are marked with a dark spiral.

On the palate, the experience moves from hard to soft. The brittle breaks into buttery, flaky layers, the nougat follows with toasted notes, and the Bourbon vanilla truffle settles in as a bright finish. Breaking, roasting, melting—three paths, all of which reach the destination without a drop of cognac.

This is precisely why this selection keeps getting passed around the coffee table instead of causing questions for every second person. With twenty pieces weighing 230 g, each praline retains a substantial size.

Hand-folded into fine layers

Flaky brittle is created when melted sugar is folded with fresh butter and almond nougat until the mass breaks down into thin layers. No one recognizes this point by the clock, but by the resistance felt against the tool.

That is why this brittle flakes when bitten, rather than shattering hard. The longer the mass is drawn over the table, the finer the layers become and the softer the sound of the break. With truffle brittle, a butter ganache is added, so that hard and soft layers meet in a single bite.

The spiral on the white domes is subsequently drawn by hand using a piping bag, twenty times per box, and each one slightly different. Sawade works daily with fresh butter, cream, and fine cocoa, and no praline leaves the workshop until it has received its final touch by hand.

Pralines that wander across the office desk

The "Musicians" enjoy an Advent afternoon with guests and a large pot of strong tea, and they even stand up to an office corridor as they are passed from desk to desk.

The variety list is also printed in Braille on the box, so that even without looking at the lid, one can feel what is inside. Stored at 15 to 18 degrees, in a dark and dry place, the coating remains glossy, whereas heating air will cause it to turn grey. Almond, hazelnut, and pistachio are included in several of these varieties, and the liners keep the rows in order even when half the box is already gone.

This same selection is available in a smaller size in the "Engel" (Angel) Praline Box, and more generously in the "Adventskranz" (Advent Wreath) Bonbonnière. More from Sawade can be found at Sawade Berlin, in addition to our entire Christmas selection. The polar bear with the trumpet remains even when the box is long since empty.