Before Valrhona, before Michel Cluizel, before Amedei, there was Lindt. Remember when it was one step up from supermarket chocolate?

Well, it has jazzed up its looks over the years and introduced new flavours.

I found these flavoured Lindt chocolates at Candy Empire and some of them are not to be sniffed at.

The 100g bars ($4.80 each) have 48 per cent cacao content and may not be intense enough for those who like their chocolates darker. But the flavours are interesting.

Take the Chili - the spicy notes don't hit you until near the end, when you notice a slight tingle on your tongue and a warm, comforting heat starts to take hold.

Earl Grey Tee has subtle hints of bergamot, and you really can't go too wrong with the raspberry-flavoured one.

More unusual are the small boxes of chocolate pastilles ($4.80 for a box of five), one flavoured with lime and pepper, the other with sour cherries and chilli.

The latter is better - sour cherries, chilli and chocolate make for strange bedfellows but it all works somehow. Steer clear of the lime though, as the filling has a strange chemical taste not found in nature.

Lindt Chocolates from Candy Empire, B2-32/33 VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk. Opening hours: 10am to 10pm daily.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Mar 6, 2008.