To celebrate students returning to school/college/uni after the Christmas break, here is an aptly named Polish chocolate bar which translates as "Student". It seems a strange choice of name for a chocolate bar but perhaps it's pure marketing genius - I practically lived on chocolate bars in my student days. The full name of this bar is the Studencki Wisniowy which translates as "Student Cherry" (no gags here - move along). I bought this a few weeks ago but I was reminded of it's existence after reading a review of the Cherry Ripe on The Snack Review blog - why aren't there more cherry flavoured bars around? Or for that matter - why aren't there more chocolate bars aimed at students?
The Studencki is described as "dark chocolate with a cherry dessert filling" which already sounds rather delicious. It's made by Polish chocolate makers Wawel who seem to be best known for their chocolate "Danusia". Although if anyone has further information then please leave a comment below - because I literally know nothing.
This chocolate bar looks very good, it has a dark glossy color with nicely shaped segments. Disappointingly the filling is not a deep red, like the picture on the front of the packaging. Here's a reminder:
Nope, nothing like that. I suppose it would be too confusing if they pictured a beige, (or is it more of an orange?) coloured filling on the front. The dark chocolate has a decent enough cocoa flavor and is perfect for people who don't actually like dark chocolate that much - it's very sweet and quite creamy. The chocolate taste was enjoyable enough.
I was more disappointed in the filling - and it's not just because of the color. The "cherry dessert" description had given me quite high hopes. Unfortunately the filling had a very gritty texture and I could feel the little grains of sugar throughout. The cherry flavor was not bad, but it had a slightly "liqueur" undertone to it which is not my thing at all.
Just after writing that last sentence I had a closer look at the ingredients, written in the most minuscule font ever, and amongst the "cherry marmalade" and "cherry puree", I spotted the word "alcohol". Aha! I knew it! So now I understand why it's called the Studencki.
The search for a decent chocolate cherry filled bar continues...
Grocery Gems Verdict: Studencki Cherry Chocolate Bar
RATING: 4 out of 10.
Buy them again?: No.
Nutrition: 200 calories.
Purchased: Local Polish grocery shop.
Price: £0.40p for a 42g bar.
