Nut butters are a very hot topic in the fitness community. Some athletes can't get enough of them and regularly include them in their diet, while others avoid them on principle. In fact, in recent years it has become customary to present nut butters as a perfectly healthy food with excellent nutritional values. But the reality is that if nut butters are not of a really good quality, they are definitely not a healthy food. For this reason, we try to regularly review popular nut butters and take a close look attheir ingredients so you know what you're investing in when you buy. In today's review, we'll take a look at Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread. This butter has received nothing but positive reactions from customers. Is it really that good? Let's find out!
Content of the review
The composition has a few flaws
When buying any nut butter, always study its ingredients in detail. Although all butters may look almost identical at first glance, the composition of each product varies considerably. The nutritional value of the butter is also based on this. Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread contains 37% roasted hazelnuts, coconut oil, erythritol sweetener, date powder, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, coconut flour and sunflower lecithin. If you compare it to nut butters from competing manufacturers, it is clear at a glance that this butter contains only a fraction of nuts. It is the total proportion of nuts in the formula that gives a pretty clear indication of the quality of the whole formula. The very second on the list of ingredients used is coconut oil, which is sometimes described as a superfood, sometimes as pure poison. As it happens, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Coconut oil certainly doesn't have any miraculous powers, and manufacturers list its positive properties asHowever, in normal quantities it is not something dangerous to worry about.
We rate the date and cocoa content of the butter positively. Thanks to them, the manufacturer has not had to resort to artificial colours or sweeteners. Similarly, there can be no criticism of the quality of the individual ingredients or their origin. However, the nutritional values of the butter are not impressive. Compared to most competing products, it contains more than 100 grams of butter per 100 grams.more calories (618 kcal), more fat (50 g), many more carbohydrates (29 g) and less protein (8,8 g). Therefore, it can certainly not be said that Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread is an ideal regular snack or that its composition can compete with the best butters on the market.
Seamless spreadability
Spreadability is also a very important factor to consider when choosing a nut butter. If the butter is too stiff, it is quite difficult to spread it or even add it to porridge. However, Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread performs perfectly in this respect. It has a great consistency that makes it easy to scoop onto a spoon or perhaps spread with a knife. Thanks to this, it can be added to virtually any dish, but you can also enjoy it on its own.
The manufacturer recommends keeping the butter refrigerated, however, to maintain a good consistency, I do not recommend keeping it in the fridge. There it will harden quite quickly and become hard to spread. On the other hand, when you take it out of the fridge, it will soften again just as quickly.
The taste is guaranteed to blow you away
Let's be honest. Even if a butter had the perfect ingredients and cost only a few crowns, no one would be interested in it if it tasted bad. After all, the main reason most people buy nut butter is because it tastes great. As far as taste goes, Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread is absolutely perfect. It should be noted that taste ratings are very individual, so not everyone may agree with me, but I cannot praise this butter enough. Although the nut content isn't very high, you probably wouldn't even be able to tell that in the taste. At the same time, the butter isn't over-sweetened at all, so the resulting flavor feels pretty natural. This is of course helped by the high cocoa content. We therefore rate the taste as excellent.
They are not among the cheapest
The overall impression of this butter is rather spoiled by the high price. In fact, compared to other products on our list of the best nut butters, it is noticeably more expensive per gram. This would be understandable if it had a truly uncompromising composition. But that is not the case here. You will therefore have to pay a little extra for Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread. But it's fair to say that the price difference compared to the best products on the market is not that staggering. The trouble is, however, that these products have a much better formulation. Therefore, the resulting value for money is not very glamorous.
Final assessment
Vilgain Hazelnut Cocoa Spread is an absolutely delicious-tasting butter, but unfortunately it falls a little short with its ingredients. So it depends which of these factors is more important to you. Do you mind paying extra for a great butter that doesn't necessarily have the best nutritional value? In that case, you won't regret it. Otherwise, you'll be more comfortable with a different product. In this context, let me refer you again to our comparison of the best nut butters.