We are always missing something in life: the weather is bad, work is stressful, time is too little. But when it comes to chocolate, there are no dissatisfied people. No, really, show a person who voluntarily gives up a piece of chocolate.
Not so long ago (on a historical scale) the choice was not that great. But the modern assortment of stores is simply enviable. And chocolate from some manufacturers can even occupy several counters. Among these “populists” are.
How it was
This is a brand with an unusual history. The brainchild of Stollwerck AG, Alpen Gold was conceived to conquer the countries of the former socialist camp. Currently, products are manufactured in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. Poland was also targeted.
The beginning of the history of this confectionery product in Russia is said to be 1992 and 1994. Although the first one was opened in Pokrov only in 1997.
In 2001, all rights to the brand were given to the Americans. Kraft Foods (now Mondelēz International) stepped in and took over production facilities in Poland and Hungary. On her initiative, the world's first monument to chocolate was erected in Pokrov in 2009.
Chocolate Alpen Gold: production history
Alpen Gold is a confectionery brand created at the end of the 20th century for the market of post-socialist countries. It was later sold to Kraft Foods (now Mondelis). This brand represents a variety of confectionery products: chocolate, candies, ice cream and cookies.
Alpen Gold products are not available for sale in all CIS countries. Thus, chocolate can be found on store shelves in Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Poland.
The brand name literally translates as “Alpine gold”. Although the company has no formal direct connection with the Alps, and all its factories are located in Eastern Europe. However, the top of the Alps was featured on the packaging of manufactured tiles for quite a long time. Currently, the emblem of this brand's chocolate is a rainbow. The company’s slogan also changed - the pompous phrase “Real gold of the Alps” was replaced by the life-affirming motto “Optimism is in your hands!”
Brief history of the brand:
- The Alpen Gold brand was created in 1992.
- In July 1997, a chocolate factory was put into operation in the city of Pokrov. This marked the beginning of the production of this product in Russia.
- In 2001, the Alpen Gold brand was purchased (later Mondelis). From now on, chocolate and other delicacies of this brand began to be produced in Russia (Pokrov), Hungary (Budapest) and Poland (Poznan).
It was on the initiative of the new owner company that the world's first monument to chocolate was erected in Pokrov.
The development of the brand has reached ever greater heights over the years. Thus, the company spends substantial amounts of money on an advertising campaign. In September 2012, a commercial was presented to coincide with the release of a new type of chocolate, Alpen Gold.
ALPS – SWITZERLAND – GREAT CHOCOLATE
By the way, you will no longer find mountains on modern packaging. They were replaced with a rainbow. Mountains have also disappeared from the packaging of chocolate produced in Europe. The slogan also changed several times: “The real gold of the Alps” gradually transformed into “Optimism is in your hands!”
How much does it weigh in grams?
The modern line of Alpen Gold chocolate is represented by a wide range of standard chocolate bars. Their only difference in weight is not the traditional 100, but a reduced 90 grams.
Compared to them, a relatively new type has “grown up” a little - milk chocolate “Alpen Gold Oreo”, which contains as much as 95 g.
We have 200 g: just with hazelnuts, hazelnuts and raisins and with whole nuts. For those who require an increased portion.
Not far behind them in weight are the fantasy “Alpen Gold Max Fun”:
- explosive caramel, marmalade, cookies;
- peanuts, multi-colored dragees, caramel;
- cola, popcorn, explosive caramel.
These bars contain 160g of joy. According to the manufacturer, there should be enough for everyone.
And the last option is a convenient bar weighing 38 g. It is positioned as an excellent option for a snack. Indeed, this bar is truly chocolatey. It is convenient to take it to work, school, exam, etc.
Composition of Alpen Gold chocolate
The chocolate of this brand, in addition to fillings, includes grated cocoa and cocoa butter, which makes the taste of this delicacy so real, chocolate. But, of course, production cannot do without the addition of emulsifiers and flavorings. And thanks to the content of milk fats in chocolate, its calorie content ranges from 510 to 530 kcal per 100 grams. This means that too much of this treat can lead to weight gain. However, it is not worth eating at all only for people with intolerance to some of its components.
Chocolate is a special type of dessert. It has a sweet and rich cocoa taste with a subtle and slightly bitter aroma. He is loved in all corners of the world.
Follow the assortment
It’s definitely good that Alpen Gold chocolate pleases us with a large number of types. Everyone will find something to their liking: milky, dark, with fillings and additives, large and small, classic and exotic. Plus, the range is replenished with new types from time to time.
The entire range can be divided into types:
- Dairy options.
- With fillings.
- Made from dark chocolate.
- Other types.
Lactic:
General composition for all dairy types:
- of course, sugar, without which chocolate would be bitter;
- traditional for high-quality chocolate, cocoa mass and cocoa butter;
- dairy products (milk product): whole milk powder and whey, as well as fat;
- soy lecithin (emulsifier) to combine it all into a homogeneous mass;
- Vanillin flavoring for taste – identical to natural.
The main positions in the milk chocolate line are as follows:
Type Additional Ingredients:
- No filling
- Hazelnut. The manufacturer added roasted hazelnut pieces to the main ingredients.
- Hazelnuts + raisins. The classic combination of chocolate and nuts (hazelnuts) is complemented with raisins.
- Salted peanuts + crackers. In this chocolate you will find traditional nuts, and salted roasted peanuts (in palm oil and salt). Plus crunchy cracker bits. Its composition is the most common: flour, fat, malt and glucose syrups, sea salt!, sugar, raising agents and flavoring.
- Salted almonds + caramel. Another option with salted nuts. This time it’s almonds, also fried, salted, also in palm oil and salt, plus pieces of caramel, which is made from sugar and glucose syrup with the addition of baking soda to make the caramel more airy and fragile.
- Peanuts + colorful dragees + caramel. Max Fun is a unique series due to the ingredients it contains. These are not just nuts (peanuts), but also candies with chocolate filling in a bright, multi-colored glaze (dragées), plus orange-flavored caramel.
- Explosive caramel + marmalade + cookies. Another Max Fun. In addition to the main ingredients, it contains fizzy caramel made from sugar and glucose syrup with the addition of lactose, oatmeal cookies (if you don’t try them, they have a caramel flavor), and chewing marmalade in the form of various figures prepared with gelatin and natural juice.
- Cola + popcorn + explosive caramel. In fact, cola is not cola at all, but marmalade with the appropriate taste; crushed corn, previously fried in vegetable oil with the addition of salt, and explosive caramel made from the same ingredients are also added (see No. 7).
Since all chocolate is prepared within the same production facilities, all products, regardless of the main composition, may contain the following allergens or traces thereof: gluten (wheat flour), various nuts (especially peanuts), various dairy products, egg products.
Milk with filling:
Subtypes of milk chocolate of the same composition, but with the addition of various fillings, can be divided into a separate group. There are several representatives in it:
- yogurt with blueberries;
- yogurt with strawberries;
- with cappuccino;
- with OREO;
- with OREO peanut butter flavor.
Yogurt flavors necessarily contain dairy products: milk fat, whey, milk powder itself, as well as dry yogurt. An important component is fruit powder and flavorings, which add flavor to the filling.
The “Cappuccino” filling is obtained by adding the appropriate flavoring to dairy products.
The last two flavors are the newest, and they have a more complex filling: pieces of Oreo cookies are added to the milk base, consisting of all the same ingredients.
Dark:
Oddly enough, the basic composition of dark chocolate is no different from its milk counterpart. Perhaps it is the amount of ingredients, but they are as follows: most of all sugar; a little less grated cocoa and cocoa butter; in the next place - whole milk powder, whey (also dry) and milk fat; emulsifier and flavoring complete the list.
There are few types of dark “alpine gold”:
- Actually dark.
- Dark with double filling: raspberry/yogurt.
- Dark with double filling: cherry/almond.
- Dark + white.
The yogurt filling is no different from that of milk chocolate, but the raspberry layer is very similar in composition to regular jam. In addition to sugar and glucose syrup, it contains raspberry juice, chokeberry juice and pectin. And of course, flavoring.
The second two-layer chocolate contains almond paste (not pieces or whole nuts) and cherry “jam”, repeating the raspberry in the previous description, with raspberries replaced with cherries. True, alcohol is also added to it.
Since the dark and white types consist of the same ingredients, their composition fully corresponds to the composition indicated on the milk/dark packaging.
White:
The only one. The most delicious, according to most.
White chocolate is, in fact, not chocolate at all, based on the fact that it does not contain cocoa powder. It contains only sugar, cocoa butter, whey and milk powder, milk fat, lecithin and flavoring.
It’s just that Alpen Gold doesn’t produce white chocolate; they decided to supplement their only “blonde” with crushed roasted almonds and coconut flakes. Which only benefited the taste.
It should be said that the line of Alpen Gold flavors is gradually expanding, so we will be looking forward to new products.
Alpen Gold - how many flavors
Today the brand produces 22 types of bars - including different flavors, different types of snacks and small bars. (Remember that this brand’s history actually began with just two flavors).
Of course, there are comrades for taste and color. The bars delight sweet tooths all over the world. As we said, the assortment consists of more than fifty flavors. Let's list the most popular, and perhaps the most delicious in the opinion of the Russian consumer.
“Cappuccino” is a substitute for a cup of coffee; Bitter with almonds; Milk with almonds; Milk with cookies and raisins Bitter or milk with hazelnuts; Bitter or milky with hazelnuts and raisins; Filling yogurt with strawberries (or lemon, blueberries, wild strawberries, raspberries and cranberries) in milk - reminiscent of a children's treat; “Cocoa cream” - the most delicate milk with cocoa mousse filling; Bitter with marzipan - it is known that marzipan is a rather expensive delicacy, but the company does not make it particularly more expensive than other varieties, which also attracts many sweet tooths; Coconut cake is tastier than Bounty! The filling is much more tender than the popular advertised sweet. “Elite cocoa of Ecuador” - after such a bar you will not want other varieties of Bitter bars without filling from other manufacturers; Orange and liqueur (or brandy) are 1000 times tastier than the usual thin glazed candies with alcohol inside; “White crispy” - with waffles or different types of nuts; Dark with mint filling - if you want something sweet and refreshing at the same time; “Two chocolates” - a mixture of two types of bars; A bar with crackers and salted peanuts; With crispy waffles and hazelnuts; With corn flakes and peanuts; Truffle tile - filled with ganache; White tiles with almond and coconut filling; Almond Caramel Salt Bar; Bitter bar with raspberry-yogurt filling; Bitter slab with cherry-almond filling; Oreo bar.
Unusual flavors that no other manufacturer has: popcorn, cola, marmalade and explosive caramel; marmalade, cookies and explosive caramel; with peanuts, multi-colored dragees, caramel.
Regular standard format tiles weigh from 90 to 100 grams. There is also a Max Fun line - they are larger than usual, weighing 160 grams. Even more, for 0.2 kg there are flavors with hazelnuts (whole, crushed, along with raisins).
For a small snack, you can take - 45-gram snacks from milk bars, hazelnut bars; with muesli; with hazelnuts and waffle.
Composition of milk chocolate
So, let's give an example of the composition of the Alpen Gold tiles. Milk chocolate with hazelnuts in a 100 gram package contains: sugar, crushed cocoa powder and butter, whole milk powder, as well as its whey and fat, roasted hazelnuts, standard emulsifiers - soy lecithin, E 476, vanilla flavor identical to natural. It may contain fragments of peanuts and wheat grains.
The content of residues in the chocolate mass is: dry cocoa - about 25%, including skim cocoa - about 3%, milk - not less than 20%. If you have a food allergy to protein, you should avoid using it. Milk fat makes up about 5% of the total mass. Alpen Gold chocolate, its photo is presented above, has the following nutritional value per 100 grams of product: proteins - 6.4 g, carbohydrates - 57.9 g, of which sugar - 55.7 g, fat 30.3 g, of which saturated acids are 15.5 g, fibers are 0.6 g, sodium is 0.14 g. The number of calories in this serving is 532.
