Amella caramels are each made with cocoa butter and fruits or vegetables and hand-dipped in chocolate, creating a rather unique product. Equally special are the small rectangular boxes they come in. Their design is old-fashioned and modern at the same time, and the material used has a handmade feel.

I received a sample of each of their three caramels. Starting at the white chocolate end of the spectrum, we have the Carrot Cake caramel. The top is white chocolate, over a beautifully dark orange-colored cocoa butter caramel, with pecan pieces and carrots. It has a definite carrot cake smell and tastes like that’s what you’re biting into. The caramel is nice and chewy like a heavier cake. The white chocolate lends sweetness to the mixture, and while the pecans are soft enough that they’re not very crunchy, they do add a pleasant taste and texture. I found myself sad as I closed the box on the two remaining Carrot Cakes, but there were more to try.

The Passion Fruit caramel is dipped in milk chocolate. I’ve finally realized that I don’t like passion fruit, yet it was perhaps all the more clear after making this discovery that this is a high-quality product. Though the bite is too much for me, the passion fruit has a strong tropical fruitiness. It’s a very fresh flavor. Their flavors are meant to work as one unit, but what I can taste of the chocolate and caramel as individuals is good.

Moving both up and down the choco-spectrum is the Black Forest. The caramel has Amarelle cherries and 70% dark chocolate, but is dipped in white chocolate, which is in turn sprinkled with bits of dark chocolate. These all seemed to have extra trouble pulling away from their papers, maybe from the extra melting quality of the added chocolate? Anyway, this one turned out to be my favorite. I usually do love chocolate caramels since caramel is already a fun thing and having chocolate only makes it better. There’s a standard tart/sweet effect here with the cherries and white chocolate, with the dark chocolate bridging the gap between them. I think there’s a little too much white chocolate, but once it melts away, you can still reach the richness of the dark chocolate. It’s just how any good dessert should be, yet so often isn’t. You don’t want the taste to go away, so you settle into a chewing/sucking combo to get the most out of it. One piece can go such a long way.

Amella has come up with a way to reminisce over other edible experiences while still embracing a new take. Definitely recommended.