The Ovation range by Swiss chocolatier’s Frey is a segmented spherical ball with a range of flavoured fondant creme centres, in this case coconut…sound familiar? It’s pretty much like that British classic the Terry’s Chocolate Orange…but with filling!
Frey’s was established in Switzerland by brothers Robert and Max Frey in 1887. In 2014 the company successfully took over the US firm SweetWorks Inc, Buffalo NY, where this candy is now produced – Swiss chocolate made in and for the US market (and this is where I picked up my Ovation).
After giving the un-boxed chocolate a firm whack on a hard surface (the edge of a table is usually a good chocolate smashing tool) and the foil is pealed back you can definitely smell the sweet, creamy, subtle scent of coconut as the segments begin to unfurl. The milk chocolate is fine and the coconut isn’t overpowering, but personally I would like it to be stronger – I love coconut – but after a while the taste of the chocolate slowly takes over the delicate tropical seed. Not too sickly or too sweet – with the signature taste reminding me of the smooth flavor of coconut milk, I just wish it was a little more impacting.
I’ve found the coconut Ovation to be an enjoyable and exotic chocolate treat and somewhat of a novelty as I had never seen another chocolate brand before that parodies the Terry’s Chocolate Orange (a Christmas staple here in Britain), and available in so many different flavours!
You can also by Ovation break-a-part chocolates in pineapple, orange, pumpkin spice, creme de menthe, key lime, raspberry and amaretto!