As soon as I learned about the limited-edition box of chocolates inspired by 3 Guerlain perfumes from this Fragrantica article, I had to have it. I placed an order and it arrived in a few days—the excitement!
As the text on the insert explains:
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, our Maître Chocolatiers have joined forces with Belgian Michelin star chef Arabelle Meirlaen to create three limited edition chocolate hearts. Inspired by her passion for perfumes, she created 3 Guerlain-inspired valentine hearts to share with your loved one.
My only disadvantage was that I had never smelled any of these 3 popular Guerlain perfumes, so I had to work backwards by tasting the chocolates first.
The milk chocolate heart, inspired by L’Homme Idéal, is half praliné with roasted sesame seeds and half almond and green tea “with a hint of matcha.” This one is the most textured of the three, which suits its savory flavor notes. Matcha seems to find a way to go well with everything.
The red heart made of white chocolate is inspired by La Petite Robe Noire and filled with half dark chocolate ganache with cherries and half praliné with hazelnuts. This fusion brings together the best of both worlds, which are usually enjoyed separately.
Finally, the dark heart inspired by Mon Guerlain is half dark chocolate ganache with bergamot and half milk chocolate ganache with lavender and chili. This I found to be a brilliant combination and despite my usual preference for milk chocolate over dark chocolate, this was my favorite of the three. I would love to see bergamot used more in food and drink besides Earl Grey tea.
I went to the Guerlain counter at a Saks department store yesterday hoping to smell all 3 perfumes, but they had only Mon Guerlain. Sure enough, the top notes are bergamot and lavender, but the floral vanilla blast was overpowering to me, as well as a spiciness that seems more felt than smelt (in which case, the chili conveys this quite cleverly in the chocolate). I wonder why the dominant vanilla was not more represented in the chocolate, but I suppose the overall interpretation is best when it’s not done too literally.
What types of chocolate do you like best, and are there any that you associate with perfumes?
Nose Prose 
Oh wow! How did I miss this?! Not that I’m much of a sweet person but I love Guerlain and don’t usually miss stuff like that.
Now I’m going to check if it’s possible to get it here (Croatia).
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Fingers crossed!
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I think the chocolatier missed a trick not using liquorice in the LPRN inspired heart.
Personally I dislike chocolate & cocoa as notes in perfumery.
Eating chocolate is a very different matter! There is a chocolatier in a nearby town that sells dark chocolate with peppermint & chilli. The sensation of hot & cold as the chocolate melts WOW!
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Ooh! Perhaps, in which case I’m secretly grateful, because licorice and I don’t get along… “red licorice” is fine, and I like licorice root, but those are very different. The peppermint & chili dark chocolate sounds amazing!
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It’s so great that you got these and have shared your impressions! I love dark chocolate, so the one inspired by Mon Guerlain appeals most to me, but they all sound luscious.
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Dark chocolate seems to have the most variety of novel flavors through ingredient pairings in general!
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Great post, and these sound delicious. Even though I’m not a fan of Mon Guerlain, the chocolate sounds like a winner. I am a fan of the L’Homme Ideal line, so need to try these. Akro Dark is probably the first scent that comes to mind, when I think chocolate.
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Will be curious as to your impression of how the chocolate matches up to L’Homme Idéal!
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