January 25th: Midweek Mini Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly

Our 'Midweek Mini' today comes courtesy of our pals at Cadbury UK and their new 'Bubbly' chocolates. I first heard of these new bars about two weeks ago (See HERE), and it didn't take me long to track them down in my local Tesco supermarket on sale for their RRP £1.42 each. Described as 'Milk chocolate with an aerated milk/white chocolate centre', I have to say I found the prospect of these so called 'New' chocolates rather unexciting. Given the presence of the blocked Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly bar and Cadbury Wispa already on our UK shelves, I found it somewhat surprising Cadbury chose these Bubbly variants as their first NPDs for 2012.

Kcal 530 Fat 29.9g Fat(sats) 18.5g Carbs 56.9g (per 100.0g)
Kcal 530 Fat 29.8g Fat(sats) 18.1g Carbs 59.3g (per 100.0g)

I wont be handing out any prizes for guessing which was my favoured one of the two, as anyone whose read JCM prior would have been aware of my dislike for Cadbury's white chocolate. Well what can I say to spruce this review up a little!? Unfortunately I'm stumped - these bars were exactly as I expected. Creamy, sweet Dairy Milk goodness, with one of the bars containing a very unnecessary center of sugar laden 'white chocolate'. Admittedly the white chocolate coloured center did look rather cool with the 'Bubble' effect, however it did nothing for me taste wise and negatively effected my enjoyment of the Dairy Milk chocolate. Would I buy them again? No probably not. Would I be disgruntled if someone bought me one? Not at all.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly - 8.1 out of 10
Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly White - 7.7 out of 10

January 23rd: Kit Kat Strawberry Cheesecake / Yatsuhashi

We started the year looking at two of the latest flavours to be gracing the ever expanding Japanese world of Kit Kats with the Wasabi & Black Honey flavours (See HERE). Well since this time I've been trying out yet another two flavours which you will see reviews for below today. Please do remember, if any of these take your fancy, you can try them out for yourselves by heading over to J-List and paying my friend Peter a visit. Please be warned that some of the content on that site isn't suitable for younger viewers ;) (J-List HERE)

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Kit Kat Strawberry Cheesecake (Yokohama Edition)Kcal 69 Fat 4.1g Carbs 7.6g (per 12.3g Mini Kit Kat)

I'm guessing there is a portion of you reading today wondering what the 'Yokohama' and 'Kyoto' Editions mean tagged on the end of the names. Well folks these are not only Kit Kats from Japan, but they are Kit Kats that can only be found in certain regions of Japan - that's got to make them even cooler right!? Well entertaining us from the Yokohama region, this Strawberry Cheese flavour was admittedly one I wasn't looking forward to trying that much. Fearing being confronted by an overly sugary artificial strawberry confection taste I was happily surprised by what I got here. The white chocolate lacked the cheese factor of the cheesecake billing, though it creamy milk focus that far less sugar focused than expected. Amongst the wafer, a light, thin layer of creme established a subtler hint of strawberry than I expected, but all things considered less was probably more given how badly strawberry confectionery can be done. The culmination of these with the wafer made for a taste I would more accurately describe as Strawberries and Cream, whatever these were nice enough and I have made my way through a fair load of the twelve pack I was sent.

7.6 out of 10

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Kit Kat Yatsuhashi (Kyoto Edition)
Kcal 69 Fat 4.0g Carbs 7.7g (per 12.3g Mini Kit Kat)

Hailing from the Kyoto region, this Yatsuhashi Kit Kats had me straight away consulting my favourite online resource (Wikipedia :D ). According to Wiki Yatsuhashi is 'a Japanese confectionery sold mainly as a souvenir sweet (miyagegashi). It is one of the best known meibutsu (famous regional products) of Kyoto. It is made from glutinous rice flour (上新粉 jōshinko?), sugar and cinnamon' .... ahh this all makes sense now! These had all the promise of being rather good and I'm glad to report they were. Like our Strawberry Cheesecake friend above, this flavour was also a white chocolate Kit Kat at heart, though they were lightly brown coloured with 'cinnamon specs' - an interesting look it has to be said. Taste wise these reminded me of sweet chai tea with a glorious undercurrent of cinnamon flavours nicely complimenting a base taste of sweet milk. A whole Kit Kat Chunky size version of these would probably be a struggle to eat given the sweetness, though in this mini format these were a real winner. Well worth checking out if you like the cinnamon flavoured confections.

8.3 out of 10

January 19th: Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter

Kcal 260 Fat 15.2g Carbs 26.2g

Anyone who doubted me saving the best until last obviously doesn't know how things work round here :D This was one of the first ever bars I reviewed on ChocolateMission way waaaaaay back in February 2009 - See HERE. At the time I had no idea that the bar would then go on to be axed for the release of the Kit Kat Chunky Caramel - a decision which many of us today still bemoan :D

'Crispy wafer finger with a creamed peanut topping, covered in milk chocolate' - this not only sounded the business, but the familiar peanut scents smelt just as lovely as I remembered. With all indicators pointing towards things staying true from the old Peanut Butter Chunky it came as no surprise that the memories came flooding back when I took my first bite. The sweet milky chocolate, the malty wafer and the salty peanut topping made for a progressive and beautifully contrasting flavour journey. As ever I still thought the peanut butter lacked the quality of Reese's without the more textured mouth feel and nut intensity. Reese's comparisons aside this was still an extremely satisfying chocolate bar and I savored the taste from the first block to the third.

Overall this is my Kit Kat Chunky Champion of the week. I always think a product should be judged on whether you would buy it again, and this Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter is a bar I can see myself buying frequently. That coming from a guy who has reviewed 1000+ chocolate bars in his time should indicate how highly I rate this bar. I don't like changing previous scores but having been in the situation where we have been denied it for the past two years, I think this was a perfect case of not knowing what you have until it's gone. I will be very surprised (and disappointed) if this flavour doesn't win.

8.8 out of 10


Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 18th: Kit Kat Chunky Double Choc

Kcal 256 Fat 14.8g Carbs 28.0g

Our penultimate review this weeks has me taking me a look at another flavour that has never been present here in the UK. Looking elsewhere online I have managed to track this bar down to Australia - See HERE, where it appears to have once made up the triple variant Chunky range over there. Interestingly enough, a quick look at the Australian Nestle website revealed that it has obviously been axed, as it no longer appears listed as part of the range - See HERE.

Described as a 'crisp wafer finger with a chocolate flavour topping, covered in milk chocolate', this flavour didn't sound the most exciting out of the four. That said I was impressed by the look of the bar with it's plentiful chocolate topping, which looked appetizing above the wafer. What did it taste like!? Well this bar did exactly what it said on the tin. The milky sweet chocolate flavours were far more dominant over the wafer and the taste had an intensified chocolate focus. The extra chocolateyness meant the malt and biscuit elements generated by the wafer less of a input in the end taste which wasn't to my own preference.

Overall although I would classify this 'Double Choc' variety as the least exciting, I still wouldn't classify it as a poor chocolate bar. Without doubt this is the 'safest' flavour out of the selection. I can't see anyone disliking it, though neither can I see it having a great fan base due. I would be surprised if it turned out to be the Chunky Champion.

8.1 out of 10


Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 17th: Kit Kat Chunky Orange

Kcal 247 Fat 12.5g Carbs 30.2g

Day Two, and becuase it's a Tuesday I've decided to throw my least favourite of the selection in to the mix (I don't like Tuesdays :D). Today the Kit Kat Chunky Orange takes it's stab at the JCM rating system. As far as I'm aware this is a bar that is new to the Chunky format, and has only previously appeared in it's two finger form - See HERE. I was interested to see how the bar would do in this 48.0g form - Just for your information all of the new four bars weigh in at 48.0g.

Out of the four this the strongest smelling of the selection, the orange scents radiated from the foil confines as soon as the seal was broken. The bar came described as a 'crispy wafer finger with orange flavoured milk chocolate' - this literally was the two finger orange Kit Kat in a grandeur form. Split in to the three blocks, this was a bar that I felt like I'd had enough of by the second. The orange flavours within the milk chocolate were desperately sugary - more so than the white chocolate. Post consuming the third block I felt that horrible throat burning sensation beginning to stir at the back of my mouth.

Overall I can see chocolate orange fans being happy enough with this bar, but I think the average consumer will be happy enough leaving this flavour to the two-finger format. I would be surprised if this 'Orange' variant took the Chunky Champion crown.

7.8 out of 10


Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 16th: Kit Kat Chunky White Choc

Kcal 250 Fat 13.0g Carbs 29.1g

It's Day One of the Kit Kat Chunky Champion Week and today we are taking a looking at the 'White Choc' offering. Long time JCM readers will be aware that this is a bar I have previously reviewed from Germany - See HERE. That was a review I wrote nearly three years (WOW!!) and where I concluded by saying how I was 'bemused why this bar is not available in the UK'. Well now you all have the opportunity to vote it in to the everyday Chunky range, and having tasted it once again I wouldn't be one to be disappointed if it was.

As I commented so wisely in April 2009 (haha!), the white chocolate coating to this bar wasn't white chocolate in it's finest form, but it's sweet, milky flavours provided a pleasant mellow contrast to the usual milk chocolate. A full bar of this sugary white chocolate wouldn't be such a desirable prospect, but the malty, biscuit flavours of the wafer counterbalanced the searing sweetness just enough to make for a moreish tasty bar of chocolate.

Overall my score of this 'White Choc' Chunky stays consistent from three years ago. In my opinion this has one has got a good chance of becoming a permanent fixture to the Kit Kat Chunky range.

8.5 out of 10


Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 14th: Kit Kat Chunky Champion Week

So much for a hiatus eh!? Presenting DAY 1 of Kit Kat Chunky Week here on JCM. Indeed I've come out of blogging hibernation to give the JCM verdict on Nestle's latest Kit Kat Chunky Champion competition which will all be kicking off January 23rd 2012.

" ... consumers will be asked to vote for their favourite from four new flavours, with the eventual winner being added to the Kit-Kat line-up permanently. One voter a day will win £100 ..." ... full details HERE

Starting next week Monday I will be doing mini reviews of the four flavours in contention - White Choc, Double Choc, Peanut Butter & Orange. Not only are you guys getting reviews, but I'm also running a competition to win your own full set of the four contenders stated above.

To enter simply follow me on Twitter (@Chocmission) & then retweet one of my tweets this week.


See you Monday for our first Kit Kat Chunky Champion Contender! Here's a cheeky sneak peek to whet the appetite ;-)

JIM