Chocoviar are Venchi’s most iconic chocolate, being bite size chocolates combining unexpected fillings and textures. This is a round up of their current flavours:

Gianduia. This featured a whole, lightly roasted PGI Piedmont hazelnut coated in gianduia, enclosed in a 56% dark chocolate shell, and topped with 75% dark chocolate ‘chocoviar’.

The crunch of the whole hazelnut was delightful, yet the sweet nuttiness from the thick paste-like gianduia was almost overshadowed by the intense flavours of the two dark chocolates. However, their non-acidic bitter-sweetness enhanced the nutty notes of the hazelnut that were most prominent in the finish.

75% Dark. This comprised 75% dark chocolate topped with 75% dark chocolate ‘chocoviar’.

The ‘chocoviar’ addition didn’t significantly alter the chocolate, as it shared the same darkness as the chocolate itself. Nonetheless, the dark chocolate offered bold and intense flavours with minimal sweetness, devoid of overt bitterness or acidity, allowing a nuttiness to emerge as it melted into a thick, rich texture.

Pistacchio. This featured a centre of pistachio paste with roasted pistachio, all coated in a layer of toffee crumbs and nibs

The rich, creamy paste contrasted well with the crisp toffee crumbs and nips and the firmer crunch of the roasted pistachio pieces within. The dark chocolate added a deeper richness and a subtle bitterness, providing a well-rounded and satisfying, multi-layered pistachio flavour.

Crema Cacao. This featured a cocoa and hazelnut filling encased in a milk chocolate shell and coated in 75% dark chocolate and milk chocolate ‘chocoviar’.

The cocoa and hazelnut filling melted into a creamy, velvety texture reminiscent of thick nut paste, offering a delightful balance of nuttiness and sweetness against the robust bitterness of the dark chocolate shell. The milk chocolate ‘chocoviar’ provided a welcome element of crunch that contrasted with the tenderness of the rest of the chocolate. Among the trio of chocoviar chocolates, this was our favourite.

Arancia. This featured blood orange enclosed in 60% dark chocolate covered with 75% Chocoviar grains.

The blood orange centre offered a smooth, sweet jam-like texture, delivering a rich orange flavour without the typical bitterness from zest. The dark chocolate was creamy and balanced, with just the right mix of sweetness and bitterness. However, despite its quality, the combination of orange and chocolate remains a less preferred pairing for us.

These Venchi Chocoviar were produced in Italy and received as gifts from acquaintances visiting Hong Kong in 2024.