February was coming to an end and the Mumbai evenings were once again starting to get hot and sultry – the kind where you just want to lie underneath a fan maybe with a stick of ice-cream in your hands – when I received the launch invite for Magnum’s newest flavor – the Choco Cappuccino.
As a teenager in NZ, I’ve had plenty of Magnum’s in my day and I was a happy girl when they launched in India last year too. I generally am quite the chocolate snob and dislike chocolate ice creams but Magnum’s Chocolate Truffle ice cream is something else. Its indulgent Belgium chocolate is the Louis Vuitton equivalent of the humble Choco-Bar we all grew up with.
The invitation was made even sweeter knowing that we wouldn’t just be the first in Mumbai tasting Magnum’s newest flavor. We would also be learning how to create magic with coffee and chocolate with World Barista champion, Fritz Storm and Asia’s Best Pastry Chef, Janice Wong whose edible art is the stuff dessert dreams are made of.
We started the evening with Janice demonstrating how to make Chocolate Mousse using water which I must say paired beautifully with the Cappuccino made by Fritz. I was lucky enough to be at one of the front tables where I got to try both these lovely creations and the lightness of the mousse as well as the creaminess of the coffee blew me away !
My favourite part of the evening was finally holding the new Magnum in my hand. We all un wrapped our Magnum’s, counted down like it was New Year’s and bit into it simultaneously. A loud ‘Crack!’ filled the entire room and then there was just silence as the joint flavours of coffee and chocolate melted in our mouths.
But wait – the Magnum mania wasn’t over yet ! We were all given a fresh bar of ice cream and chocolate toppings to make any dessert fan’s eyes pop. The mission ? Create a Magnum inspired dessert that looked pretty and tasted even better in less than three minutes. We used honey, cinnamon, silver chocolate balls and chocolate flakes to create ours. And, while it all seemed a bit pointless as there was no judging once the contest was over, we still got to eat our dessert which was quite enough for me.
For the coffee fans reading this piece wondering if you should rush out and buy a Choco Cappuccino, it’s fair to warn you that there isn’t quite as much coffee as you’d want in the ice-cream. But, the flavor does get stronger as you approach the core. Would I give up my Chocolate Truffle Magnum for this new flavor ? Probably not. But then, I am more a tea person !
Magnum Choco Cappuccino launched in stores on 1st March and is priced at Rs 90 each. If you’ve not tried it yet, it’s definitely worth a go!
