I am so happy! I am, once again, doing product reviews of Recipe to Riches‘ winning products thanks to President’s Choice. Please note that even though they are supporting me in doing these reviews, you know that I will be 100% honest no matter what.
The first contender is Jesse Meredith‘s Mini Raspberry Cheesecake Chocolate Cups. It is interesting that they dropped the “Encore” part of the name and went back to the original concept. Did you miss the first episode? You can watch it here.
The Hype
When I was at the store gathering photographs of the product, there was a lot of interest in the display and the dessert. It is clear people are really talking about the show and want to know more. Very exciting!
The Product
What surprised me right away about the box is how wide it is! Each box contains 10 little treats and sells for $7.99. Which I have to admit, seems like a lot.
The marketing is excellent. Jesse standing there wearing his big bow tie makes me smile. I love the colour choice for the box. The name of the product is kind of long but does sum up the product well.
You can clearly can tell this is a stand-out President’s Choice product for Recipe to Riches and makes you feel like you are buying something special thanks to its elongated design and bright colours.
When I opened the box I was happy to see that the cups were in great shape and they had the same hand-piped cheesecake feeling you got from the show.
During the episode the judges criticized the dessert for being a little dated. Just to be clear, I love classic recipes as long as they are done well. Also, I personally do not remember buying a deconstructed cheesecake in a chocolate cup in the last decade or so. Classic flavours are just fine with me as long as they knock my foodie socks off.
Taste Test
Making chocolate cups is time consuming and something most people are not going to want to make them themselves. Kudos to Jesse! That choice made me prefer buying them over making them right away.
I loved how it crunched and collapsed as the cream cheese and raspberry flavours melded and burst in my mouth. A fantastic and fun foodie experience.
I am not a fan of graham cracker so I was glad that I did not experience the texture of them (they are located on the base of the cup) but I could taste them as everything melded together. Which made the cups extra sweet. The raspberry tasted “real” and the cream cheese was luscious.
Foodie Conclusion
Of course I also wanted Reg’s opinion since these are all his favourite things: chocolate, cheesecake and raspberries. This treat was designed for him! He did enjoy the treat like I did but found it a little too sweet. Which I also feel is the case. We both wanted more tang and I personally really believe that if the cup was made out of a dark chocolate, it would have been more balanced.
At almost 80 cents per little bite, this is a very sweet indulgence. I think it could have been taken to a higher level but I am proud of the show for not changing Jesse’s idea but staying true to his recipe. That said, I find the price a little too steep so I can only give this product three and a half out of five wooden spoons. At $5.99 I would have said absolutely yes but $7.99 is a little too much to ask.
I would like to say congratulations to Jesse who did a fine job under a lot of pressure. He won $25,000 for his signature recipe and will be battling in the finale on CBC on April 2, 2014. The fact that this recipe comes from his heart and was inspired by his sister is a beautiful thing. I am very grateful I got to try it and am looking forward to getting to snack from the rest of the box right away.
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I’m sure the price reflects the fact that this is not a mass-market product. The fewer that get made, the higher the price. If it becomes part of President’s Choice standard line of products and sales warrant larger production runs, the price may drop. Perhaps?
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We bought the cups over the weekend and are really enjoying them. I love that it is one sweet bite. I thought President’s Choice got it right with this one 🙂
That’s a good point Debra! Maybe the price would change if it became a mass-market product.
Lyndsay, I appreciate your perspective! I enjoy the bite too and will be sad when the box is empty.
I find the dessert to be too sweet, seemingly missing the bit of tang typical of cream cheese. I don’t think I would buy it again.
That is exactly how we felt too Sharon! Sweet and not tangy enough.
I think the judges made the wrong choice here. These are too sweet and too common.