Kcal 280 Fat 15.7g Carbs 30.5gFirstly I would like to thank Chocolate Mission reader Saz who made this review possible by kindly sending me a delightful bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk....whats so special about this bar of Cadbury Dairy Milk!?...well it was producded in Dublin Ireland. Though beforehand I admit being rather sceptical myself about the plausability of there being a difference, I do confess now after eating it, I couldnt have been more wrong.
Saz was kind enough to send me a 55g bar...just look at the packaging above!! Retro style Cadbury packaging!! None of this all in one foil packing we have here in the UK now. This was old school - a paper sleeve with a loose gold foil wrapping...like something straight out of Charlie's Chocolate Factory! The retro packaging was superb and the bar was flawlessly presented itself - it looked gorgeous. Despite the slightly looser foil the bar still had a sensual creamy cocoa aroma....Dairy Milk has such a distinct smell, for me it evokes so many good feelings...when you smell Dairy Milk you know your tatebuds are going to be in for a treat.
So come on Jim get to the bloody point does it taste any different!?....well it does....but I have no idea how or why lol!! The bar had exactly the same ingredients list, exactly the same cocoa & milk solids levels (20%)...but believe me this was different. The texture of the Irish bar was far far thicker...for me the English bar has a near perfect texture that melts in the mouth at just the right rate into a luxuriously smooth syrup like texture. The Irish Dairy Milk was denser and did not melt as fast...once it was melted it was still tremendously thick, almost glue like in the mouth. What this made for was a far creamier taste that was certainly far richer than our English offering. Tastewise I cant say I prefer one over the other...the Irish version is creamier but the English version has a slightly sharper cocoa flavour - to be honest they are both delicious.
Overall I was suprised but there genuinely was a difference between the two bars. The Irish bar is certainly richer and has a delightful creamyness. Personally I found the texture a little on the thick side...the bar needed a little more chewing than I would have liked and even when melted it was just a tad dense. Whats bugging me about all this is im still none the wiser to how these differences have come to be!? Nothing on the packaging or the net seems to be able this question...I would love to hear from anyone else who has tried both Irish and English variants...mark my words there is a difference...and personally im going to sit right bang on the middle of this lovely fence...they are both brilliant milk chocolate bars :D :D :D I really want to hear from people who have tried both...for those that havent I strongly recommend this bar....a glass and a half full of milk!?....a glass and a half full of luxury more like!
8.9 out of 10
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41 comments:
Aww I do miss the paper and foil wrapping. Dairy Milk is wonderful though. So creamy :)
Irish CDM is truly a wonderful thing. I think it is because the quality of Irish milk is superior; Ireland gets loads of rain, the grass is very green, which makes for happy cows, therefore quaility milk!
Just a thought, maybe it has something to do with what the milk from the cows? I now beef tastes different in different regions due to the diet of the cattle... Although, it seems like a bit of a stretch for an explanation. Thanks for the review!
Gemma I miss it too! The paper and foil just looks so old school...im not sure what the kids of today would make of it mind :) maybe its just us oldies (im 21 lol!) revelling in nostalgia! I know CDM is such a mass produced product but its just so tasty....abolutely top stuff!
Misty More rain than England? lol surley not :) Happy cows are going to make better milk than non happy cows thats for sure.
Justin That seems a pretty good theory myself! Like you and Misty both suggest it has to be something to do with the quality of the milk. Just out of intrest do you have a standard plain Dairy milk bar offering in the US? I have tried the Cabury Caramello (its being stored as a back up review for a day when im ill!) but that aside ive never seen a plain Dairy Milk bar on any sites!
Thanks for the input everyone - im considering going straight to top and asking Cadbury directly about the difference..to be honest im intrigued!
Thanks everyone!
Jim
Haven't had cadbury dairy milk in sooo long(had a bad experience with an advent calender that was left by the radiator)but I really want to try some again now.You just make it sound so darn tasty!I'm into it
p.s wouldn't the cows be sad if they get rained on all the time?
Lottie CDM genuinely has to be the tastiest value for money chocolate...just looking at the top rated bars it seems that way too. I simply just love how its so milky but still has a nice cocoa edge. Its simply delicious!
Your radiator incident sounds horrible...i just cant stand the thought of melted chocolate :( :( but then again im funny I refuse to eat any chocolate that mildly out of shape or inperfect in appearance.
Get back involved with CDM you wont regret it!!! Oh and regarding the cows...no way does rain make them sad! It means they get to sit down and chillax....and it makes their grass all the yummier ;)
Thanks for the input :)
Jim
Jim,
Ireland, being more westerly, does get more rain. It's most likely what others suggested--the milk. I know I can taste a huge difference between organic milk and normal milk, and the cream levels of various cows is different.
There is indeed a plain Cadbury's dairy milk over here. It's made under licence by Hershey's which makes (for this particular ex-pat) for a disappointing experience. Let me know if you want one and I'll see if I can find a small one.
Cheers,
Linda
Linda Hi Linda thanks for adding your input. The quality of milk theory is making more and more sense to me now...I mean it was the creamyness and the texture that I found so different after all - so the standard of the milk is the obvious starting point.
Thinking about it further I still dont know which I prefer...the clotted cream-like heavy and rich irish stuff or the more sublte, double cream like nature of the English.
Im going to endeavour to try plain Dairy Milk bars from all around the globe...im so curious to which will be the best. If you would be so kind to offer your help with a small bar I certainly wouldnt turn it down!
Thanks for the input :) I hope your having a nice weekend!
Jim
Oh Cadbury is one of the best chocolate ever and it looks so expensive i think. They are also use really good ingredients for there chocolate. It is definitely a huge rival for the milka chocolate!
Franzi I would say Cadbury use quite the best ingredients...theres still vegetable fat etc in the mix....but for the price its certainly awesome chocolate! The flavour is just so distinct.
The packaging on this Irish version is the old school version...its so much better than our rubbish flash looking foil packaging we have in England at the momment!
Thanks for the comment!
Jim
Hey bud,
There are a couple options, none really rival their overseas competitors in pure chocolate. Hershey's (obviously), Dove (which is Mars' pure milk chocolate), Ghirardelli is the US off-shoot of Lindt, so technically not a US company. Dagoba isn't too bad
Tons of smaller, non-mainstream chocolate shops that produce decent chocolate. Unfortunately, the quality premium is definitely reflected in the price. Hope that helps.
Justin Thanks for the info matey but i was asking if you had a version of the Cadbury Dairy Milk bar not just a milk bar! Sorry man I should be more clear! Those plain bars all sound good though. I do have a plain bar of Hersheys to try at some point its just about fitting it in the pretty hectic reviewing schedule! Thanks for the input anyway bud!
Jim
Whoops, my bad. I don't actually know if the Cadbury we get is imported or not. I'll look at the back of a wrapper next time I go to the store to determine where it's manufactured.
Justin Cheers man that would intresting to know! I would put a shrewd bet on it being manufactured in a Hershey factory of some sort! Let me know!
Cheers
Jim
The standard Dairy Milk here is definitely from Hershey's. I'll keep an eye out for a smaller-sized bar--I've only seen the big ones and those'll cost too much to post.
You can get the real stuff in British food suppliers and a couple of slightly upscale "world market" type shops.
Inspired by all the candy blogs I suddenly started reading, I'm now on a quest to find good milk chocolate. ;)
Linda Glad I can be of some inspiration! if you find some high quality american milk chocolate please share the knowledge! Stick around chocolate mission :)
Thanks
Jim
Hey,
So sorry for my absence (yet again) but glad you enjoyed this bar.
I agree with your review and just love the thick 'stickiness' of it as it encompasses your whole palate.
Anyways, I'll try and log on again slightly sooner!
Saz xxx
Saz lol I was wondering where you had got to :)
Lol the texture of the bar is just awesome! its just so dense!
I should be trying a few more Irish Cadbury bars in the very near future! So be sure to look out for them!
Thanks again for sending this bar along :) much appreciated
Jim
I had some of a caramello bar on sunday. I hope you get to try them and give your opinion on them! There is also a coconut rough flavour, tiffin flavour and a mint flavour that is much nicer than the UK one when it was out.
Roisin I'm currently working at trying to get hold of some more Irish bars... it is proving a little tricky but one kind reader has offered to send me some!
All the flavours sound fantastic and different to what we get here in the UK ... I want to try them so much!
Thanks for the information!
Jim
ahh, now im curious! Is there a difference between UK's Dairy Milk and the Australian one? I'm so used to the Aussie one, and was wondering! This calls for a taste test, Jim! :))
Cadburylover
I haven't tried a plain Dairy Milk bar from Australia, but I have tried a few Australian bars that use Dairy Milk like the Cadbury Dream ...
in that review I described the Dairy Milk as
"The bottom Dairy Milk layer was quite similar to the Dairy Milk we enjoy here in the UK. It was slightly less creamy, and it had a slightly less thick texture once melted....the differences wernt major, but on balance I would say the UK Dairy Milk is slighty better."
still though to test this initial hypothese I think it is only fair that I try a standard Australian Dairy Milk bar :D
Cheers
Jim
Hi all
Sorry crahsed in late, but just randomly came across the site as I love Irish Cadbury chocolate (and all chocolate) - in fact every time I go into a newsagent I check in case they have any, especially Tiffin and Coconut Rough which is amazing, and yes, the mint and honeycomb crisp are divine and nicer than the UK Cadbury versions.. I think so anyway! I found the below on the cadbury uk site - not sure who they were testing it on though!
"Cadbury have factories all over the world and endeavour to meet the tastes and requirements of each individual country. The recipe for the chocolate in Ireland has always differed from the recipe used in England to meet consumer requirements. Consumer research has shown that the Irish recipe in England and the English recipe in Ireland was not acceptable by the majority tested."
They also say that always use locally sourced milk, so yes maybe the Irish cows are just creamier.
Cheers
Cat
Ps. if anyone knows of anywhere in England that sells Irish Cadbury Chocolate, please let me know!!!
Cat Hi there welcome to the blog - Stick around :D
I am currently trying to get hold of most of those Irish Dairy Milk bar you talk about Tiffin, Mint Crisp etc... I should hopefully be giving them all a good review soon!!
Thats some interesing stuff about people not perceiving each of the countries home DM as good enough! Personally I think they are just as awesome. As I say in the review the texture of the Irish is far thicker - there is a noticeable difference for sure!
You might want to keep an eye on ebay - there aren't any Irish Dairy Milk auctions up at the mo ... but every now and then I do see them! Sorry I couldn't be of any more help! Like I said stick around it would be great to have your input on a recent basis :D
Cheers
Jim
I'm English but have an Irish mother; I distinctly remember Irish CDM from trips in my childhood - much creamier and smoother.
Cadburys Ireland has always had slightly different packaging for CDM compared to Cadburys UK.
Robert I wonder why they have different packaging? Doesn't make much sense to me!? I much prefer the old school look of the Irish mind!
Jim
I'm Irish but lived in London for 10 years. During that time I used to get CDM sent over to me regularly. I used to tell people in Ireland that it "just didn't taste the same in England". I think they thought I was suffering from homesickness (I wasn't). I think your description is perfect - the Irish version is much creamier and I really like the 'claggy' feel as it melts. Kind of like drowning in chocolate.
Jaygal Thanks for praising my description! To be honest I have only tried Irish DM a few times but I have a huge craving for it.
If anyone from Ireland is reading this and is willing to send over some of your finest variants from your Dairy Milk range I would be hugely grateful! Give me a mail at jim@chocolatemission.net
I am looking to try DM Tiffin, Mint Crisp etc!!
Cheers
Jim
Thank you for posting this article! I lived in London for 7 years, and then travelled to Australia where I found Cadbury's only to be severely disappointed as it tasted appaulingly bad (in my opinion). I thought the milk bar was off. Checked the sell buy date, and it was in fact fine. The taste was just not the same. I even asked my partner to try it, and even he was wondering what on earth was going on with the taste. So yes, it is true, different parts of the world, same ingredients, but different tastes. And, yes, the Australian Cadbury's are made in factories in Oz.
Anon
I do agree with you that the Oz Dairy Milk doesn't taste as good! But I must say they have some great sounding Cadbury flavours that I am desperate to try! I am currently trying to source somewhere to get me some of the Cadbury Desserts range ... no luck so far though :(
Cheers
Jim
I've had a couple of friends bring back the Irish DM from their holidays for me.. (to the UK) there's something special about it! I've spent many hours trying to find out what the difference is and I think it comes down to the cows! I'm off to Dublin in June and will be stocking up on as much as possible. Can anybody recommend other Irish chocolate brands of is it DM all the way? Thanks!
Fran
Check out here:
http://www.chocolatemission.net/search/label/Ireland
For my Irish reviews! There are a few other brands worth checking out possibly - Lilly O'Briens / Oatfield etc ... for my money though DM all the way! Make sure you try the Golden Crisp!
Jim
Wow! I had stumbled upon this blog but not the rest of it - reviews etc! Chocolate heaven. I'll be taking notes from your advice with me to Dublin and will keep an eye out for the Golden Crisp, as well as any other weird and wonderful looking choc :)
I'd be happy to pick you up a bar or two if you have any requests!
Fran
That is ever so kind of you! I am really glad you enjoyed the rest of the site once you found it :)
Let me know if you find something I haven't reviewed that is worth it!
Thanks
Jim
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has noticed the difference!! I'm glad I'm not imagining it!
I had told many friends, and none believed me so I will have to prove it by bringing home some of the Irish DM!
Kate
You are not imagining it at all! If they don't believe still send them here! Plenty of people have confirmed they have noticed a difference!
Cheers
Jim
I got hold of some irish Dairy Milk on ebay (having tried some of the other varieties you reviewed) and it is MUCH thicker isn't it! Whereas I could easily eat a small bar of English DM in one go theres no way I'd get through the whole small bar of Irish as its so thick lol but then , it does last longer that way! it is delicious though, I like them both very much to be honest. I think it must be irish milk that makes the difference.
I have lived in the UK and now I live in Eastern Canada and yet I am not very fond of the dairy milk bar sold in either, I was raised and lived in Ireland for 21 years and once you have tasted the Irish version you cannot settle for anything else. I do not know why it tastes different but without a shadow of a doubt it does and in my humble opinion the Irish version of the Dairy Milk bar is the most delicious chocolate bar on the market anywhere today. So everytime I go home to Ireland I stock up on as many bars as I can!
CDM in England used to taste very similar to the Irish version. About ten years or so ago the taste changed quite markedly -and not for the better. I couldn't believe that they could do this to such an iconic taste although few of my friends even noticed. Such was my distress that I rang Cadbury's and after quite a long conversation he agreed that it did now taste different although most people would not notice. He told me that the ingredients were the same but the method of manufacture had changed (technical advances). It is this that created a smoother yet much sweeter and less intense chocolate flavour -a shadow of it's former self.The Irish chocolate is the taste of my childhood. Twirls and flakes taste stronger because they are also made in Ireland although the bar is the best.Nothing to do with Irish milk! If the Irish factory changes it's method of manufacture the taste will be gone for good - and yes it is the greatest chocolate flavour ever created.
just reading this review made me want some dairy milk.
as others said ,i think the reason for the taste difference is the milk, as it is taken from kerry cows. Its amazing how different they taste, there like completely different bars. Here in Ireland the english one is also available and if you eat them at the same time you can really taste the difference.
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