July 31st: Ritter Sport White Whole Hazelnuts

Kcal 210 Fat 14.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 18.0g (per 38.0g)

I really am motoring my way through the Ritter Sport variants at the momment - and im going to tell you this now...this 'White Whole Hazelnut' bar is gonna take some beating for the title of best in the range.

This bar contained 'White Chocolate with whole hazelnuts and crispy rice' and came in a standard Ritter 100g bar. The packaging had a nice distinct look to it with the focal point of the design being a picture of the lumpy hazelnut pieces poking out of the white chocolate...this was at least at little more imaginative and distinctive than the standard colour coding of the rest of the range. The bar itself also looked even more impressive than previous Ritter bars...each block still had the same fine logo design work, though the golden hazelnut pieces further added colour to the bar. Splitting the bar into its sections it had a nice dairy milky smell...yum this bar was certainly shaping up nicely.

Generally I find white chocolate takes longer to melt in the mouth, as the texure tends to normally have a waxier feel...this was not the case here as the chocolate melted delightfully in to a smooth like paste. Each block once melted left a delightful array of nuts and rice crispy pieces, all of which added a nice crunch to the experience. The variation of textures was delightful and made each bite that more interesting.

The different ingredients not only added a lovely contrast of textures but also flavours. The white chocolate was among the best standard I have tasted...yep as good as the Thorntons white chocolate! It was delicately balanced with a milky sweet base flavour that had just the right amount of vanilla to make for a long but deep taste...great stuff. Anyone who follows Chocolate Mission will know that I appreciate a good wholenut, and the hazelnuts implemented in this bar were of a great standard. Their crunchy bitey texture was backed up by a delightful fresh toasted flavour that complimented the soft flavour of the chocolate just superbly. Truth be told the rice element added very little to the flavour - I could at times detect a small hint of malt though largely it was dominated by the milky nut flavours...not at all suprising considering the small portioning of the ingredient...3% compared to 23% hazelnuts!

Overall this bar is my favourite of the Ritter Sport range so far and as I have said, its seriosuly going to take some beating. The flavours and texture are balanced near perfectly - the white chocolate is sweet, smooth milky and the hazelnuts and rice add an extra depth of crunchyness and flavour. This is just an incredibly moreish bar which I must admit I ate all in one sitting...its possibly not the most fulfling bar ever but its still a very satisfying one. For fans of white chocolate this is a must try...its simply delicious and comes with a Chocolate Mission recommendation. Clear some more space in the 'top rated bars' table - this is slotting straight in there!

8.9 out of 10