April 9th: Hersheys Payday Avalanche

Kcal 250 Fat 13g Fat(sats) 5g Carbs 29g

Those of you in the know will be aware that the current leader for the wooden spoon in Chocolate Mission is currenty the Hersheys Payday (2.8 out of 10)....so what on earth possesed me to even review the Payday Avalanche??? The Avalanche is exactly the same as the original Payday...wholenuts covering a cramel centre but with the added inclusion of a thick layer of chocolate. My decision to give this a chance wa largely routed in the inclusion of this chocolate coating - surely a sweet layer of chocolate would help the Originals main problems of it tasting way too savoury!?

Out of the wrapper it the bar looked well rather ugly - granted it was never going to be the prettiest bar in the world but the chocolate looked scuffed and quite dull in colour. I guess in a way it just didnt look particularly fresh looking (despite the best before date being late 2008). Smellwise it offered absolutely nothing - from a bar with such a high nut content you would expect at least a hint of nuttyness...but no..not here im afraid.

Biting into the bar my worst fears were realised...the chocolate tasted of get this....NOTHING!! I kid you not absolutely nothing...the coating added a slightly waxy texture that if anything masked the other ingredients (..sad to say but not an overly bad thing).

The peanuts again as with Original Payday seemed out of context with their flavour - they tasted more like the peanuts you would have with your beer rather than a chocolate/candy bar. The caramel centre was also again disappointing - its very similar to the fudge nougat you find in a Baby Ruth bar i.e. devoid of flavour and overly chewy.

Overall reflecting on this bar I guess reviewing bars like this is all part of the Chocolate Mission; not every bar I review can be good and unfortunately...frankly this just isnt. The chocolate is probably amongst the most offending I have had whilst on this and its only saving grace from picking up the wooden spoon baton from its brother lies in the fact that despite still not looking that appertising it looked nicer than the Original bar with the added chocolate. As you can tell this bar isnt one im going to be recommending - if your a massive nuts fan though I guess there could be worse things for you to try...like the Original Payday ;)

3.0 out of 10

Want to make your own minf up on the Payday Avalanche? Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!

April 8th: Kit Kat Senses

Kcal 165 Fat 9.5g Carbs 17.5g

The Kit Kat Senses any which way you want to look at it is a direct move by Nestle to enter the marketplace with a rival for the Kinder Bueno.

The Kit Kat Senses describes itself as a 'milk chocolate covered wafer with a nutty hazelnut creme filling' - sure its almost identical in build to the Bueno but in truth it does some parts better and some parts not so well.

Nestle have very obviously marketed this bar at females - it promotes its 165Kcal per bar several times on the packaging. Unfortunately this means this bar weighs in at a measly 31g; now I know I'm not the target audience for this bar but its really a bit of a turn off...it cost me round about the same as a Bueno but seemed a least half the size (just over in reality)...why would you pay the same but for less...also its worth noting that despite its small size it still packed 9.5g of fat which is quite alot when you consider the weight of the product.

Opening the bar I as impressed with the look of it - it just looked good and well crafted. Breaking the first block off I was met with a nice nice nutty smell...good stuff.

Taste wise it was a bit of a mixed bag. The chocolate was really rather good, standard Nestle milk chocolate that was actually quite thick..especially at the base. The Wafer was also particularly nice - its was far more substantial than the wafer you get in the Bueno and had a far stronger longer lasting biscuity flavour...chalk one up for the Senses :) The hazelnut creme was a bit of a let down in this bar though; despite having a nice taste and one that was slightly nuttier than the Bueno, it was little less creamy and surprise surprise rather lacking in volume. It also didn't quite have the smooth buttery like texture of its Kinder rival.

Overall I think its all but impossible not to mark this bar directly comparing it to the Bueno, and unfortunately it just wasn't as good. Despite delivering better in the wafer and the chocolate departments the real test of the bar has to be the hazelnut creme and I believe the Bueno is superior in both taste and texture. This is not to say this is not a tasty bar - if your a big fan of a KitKat and fancy a lighter chocolate hit then this is definitely a bar worth considering. Whilst this was a fair product I think if you're after a Kinder Bueno beater you're going to have to keep waiting.

7.8 out of 10

April 7th: Cadburys Orange Creme Egg

Kcal 150 Fat 5g Fat(sats) 3g Carbs 25g

Ok so first things first I must admit - seeing this egg my intial reaction was 'who put my Creme Egg in the wash'....a bit of an over reaction I admit but its true that in the US their creme eggs (original and orange flavoured) are both 4g smaller than our standard 38g Creme Eggs in the UK...it may only be 4g but it was noticeable.

Similar to the eggs I reviewed for the Easter reviews I chilled this egg so that the fondant centre would be slightly thicker than at room temp. unwrapping the egg from the foil I was greeted with those all too familiar oval patterns etched into the side...it seems that even in the US they love those oval patterns :) Biting into the of the egg I was immediately struck with an extremely fresh fragrant fruity orange zesty smell...I dont think I could use more adjectives there If I tried :) ...anyway it was a very pleasent smell that immediately indicated this was no slight variation of the original.

It was immediately noticeable where the weight in the product had been cut - unfortunately the outer chocolate shell was thinner than you get in the standard Creme Eggs we get in the UK ...not great! Despite this the chocolate was excellent and was your standard creamy Dairy Milk.

Conversely the fondant centre has not been skimped on - it remains the same sort of gooey texture to the normal Creme Egg but has a remarkably different flavour. The orange flavour is intense and fresh tasting and really quite refreshing; though plentiful in volume it avoided being sickly. Despite eating the fondant mostly by itself, it was when the fondant was eaten with the chocolate shell it was at its best; the mixture of the two flavours worked extremely well and was a taste that didnt leave the mouth long after eating. Yummy!

Overall this is a really great variation of the all time classic Creme Egg. Chocolate Orange is a really quite popular flavour and I dont quite understand why this isnt widely avalible in the UK. Despite its slightly smaller size and thinner chocolate layer its orange flavour is refreshing and unique. A great product that im sure many a Creme Egg fan would really enjoy...I know I did - I your intrested in getting your hands on one of these I suggest you head over to my UK based friends CandyPirate. A very respectable score that manages to make in roads in the top 10.

8.5 out of 10

Want to try the Cadburys Orange Creme Egg for yourself? Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!

April 6th: Trader Joe's Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Kcal 80 Fat 3.5g Fat(sats) 2.5g (per 15g)

Semi Sweet? Now what the devil does that mean? Thats exactly what I was thinking before I opened these up - I can enlighten you all now and inform you that it is infact a wonderful cross between dark and milk chocolate.

Chocolate chips are honestly something I would never would have considered eating as a snack before the lovely Esther sent these for me to sample...far too small and fiddly for my liking, that being said these have changed my mind.

Removing the bag from the fridge I poured myself a small little bowl of which I ate with my morning coffee - tastewise I was extremely suprised how strong the flavours where...each little chip gave a very strong rich flavour that although a bit lighter than yesterdays dark chocolate covered blueberries were just as tasty.

The semi sweet aspect to these is really quite unique it manages to incorporate the sophisticated imposing flavours of darker chocolate but maintains a creamy sweetness of lighter milk chocolate. Suffice to say these were incredibly morishness and it wasnt long before I was pouring myself another finger bowl full of these (thank god for the 256g bag). The only small gripe with this eating method was the slightly grainy texture they had in the mouth...despite the taste being quite smooth and consistant it did have a slight bumpyness to it which im sure was just the unrefined cocoa - nothing major but smoothness is preferrable.

Overall these were really quite impressive. The amount of flavour these generate in each individual chip is quite frankly amazing. The small texture issue aside these are a perfect little snack that would cure a choclate fix even more so than alot of bars could do. Unfortunately my cooking skills are rather limited but I can imagine these being amazing added to cakes, cookies...perosnally I think that these would make the ultimate chocolate sauce melted over some ice cream..definately something to try if you get hold of some of these. As far as a score goes a very respectable 8.2 - there are so many things you could do with these..I would love to hear anyones thoughts on possible recipes or ideas.

8.2 out of 10

April 5th: Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Blueberries

Kcal 180 Fat 6g Fat(sats) 3.5g (per 40g)

Over the last few months of Chocolate Mission I seem to accumilated many dedicated readers - thank you too everyone who has contributed and left comments/feedback etc..its alwas great to hear from you all keep it up.

One especially dedicated reader especially has pushed the boat out and opened new doors for Chocolate Mission and it is at this point I would like to thank Esther from the USA. Dearest Esther was kind enough to send me a big..(and i mean BIG!!) box of goodies all the way from the US full to brim with goodies from a US outlet called Trader Joe's. Over the next couple of weeks I will be working my way through the vast amount of goodies Esther has sent me...and today I thought not better place to start than with the Dark Chocolate Blueberries.

As you can see above these came in a container of 256g...certainly a massive tub. The individual pieces were far bigger than I was expecting, each one was slightly larger than your standard malteaser. Opening the tub I was immediately greeted with a very strong cocoa smell - I was expecting a far more bitter smell but in actual fact they smelt really quite sweet.

Like most products I review, I let these chill in the fridge for a few hours before I consumed them. Popping the first one in my mouth I slowly let it melt on my tongue...the chocolate slowly rose in temperature and melted on my tongue afer a few seconds. The flavour was delicous - it wasnt bitter like I as expecting but was really full bodied and rich. After letting the thick chocolate melt away I bit into the remaining blueberry; upon biting into it, the taste in my mouth changed and my tastebuds were met with a slightly sharp berry taste.

Texture wise the chocolate was really quite smooth - the blueberry centre is very much like you get with fresh berrys..a slight burst when you bite into it but then a smooth fruity taste.

Overall Im really quite impressed with my first offering from Trader Joe's. The chocolate is a really good standard and despite its 'dark' billing avoids being bitter and provides a rather more deep rich flavour than your standard mass producded bars from the likes of Mars etc. The blueberry element is also really rather tasty; despite the rich flavour of the chocolate they manage to establish their own flavour to each small piece in what I would describe as a refreshing berry twist. If your lucky enough to be able to get hold of some of these I would honestly reccomend you do so. Its scored a very respectable score on Chocolate Mission..a good start for these Trader Joe' products..now if you dont mind im off to finish the rest :)

8.4 out of 10

April 4th: Pretzel Flipz Milk Chocolate

Kcal 260 Fat 10g Fat(sats) 6g Carbs 40g

Todays review brings up the 100th review of Chocolate Mission in little more than just over three months..its been a good start and I must thank everyone that has contributed to the site so far. Todays offering (courtesy of the lovely people at CandyPirate !) really brought back memories, some of you may remember Pretzel Flipz being avalible in the UK during the 90s...I certainly do - and back then I can remember filling many an empty stomach with bags of these.

Unfortunately Nestle for some reason pulled these from the UK market - and after having a pack of these today im still quite unsure as to why. I was the lucky recipetent of a 56g bag of the Milk Chocolate variant - for those of you who are not familiar with the product these are simply salted pretzels coated in milk chocolate. 

Opening the packed I was instantly reunited with the sweet chocolaty smell that I remembered distinctly from years past - ahhh the nostalgia. Biting in to the first pretzel I was really suprised at the flavour, the chocolate despite being the coating took an instant back seat to the salty savoury pretzel taste. It was not until I had chewed and swallowed the mouthful until the sweet taste really kicked in. Its really quite a distinct combination that is really quite hard to describe - you have to taste it to really understand it. 

The texture of the product is really what shapes the taste - the chocolate coating really has to melt in the mouth abit before its flavour really comes to the fore; the salty pretzel taste really is the dominating aspect and it does take a good few seconds before the mouth really melts the chocolate enough for its flavour to emerge. For this reason im finding it hard to decide whether this is a savoury snack that has a chocolate hint to it..say like a chocolate crossaint; or whether this is a chocolate snack with a savoury element to it..say like the Take 5 bar....hmmm food for thought indeed. 

Overall this product is really quite a unique one. It blends a sweet and savoury like no other I have tried so far, this is not to say its not a good mix though. The chocolate although not the highest in quality is pleasent and the pretzel adds a really moreish aspect; before you know it the bag will be empty :) This is a product I really quite enjoyed, as I said I wouldnt know to reccomend it as a savoury or sweet snack but I guess it would do the job for a need for either. A unique product that is well worth giving a go, either to try for the first time or to reignite old memories; worthy of its respectable score. 

8.2 out of 10

Interested in trying Pretzel Flipz Milk Chocolate for yourself? Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!

April 3rd: Kinder Bueno White *UPDATED MARCH 2011*

****UPDATE - MARCH 2011****

Kcal 110 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 3.3g Carbs 10.1g (per finger)

Back in January Ferrero announced the reformulation of their Kinder White bar with following statement to the trade - "The new improved recipe delivers the delicious intensity associated with white chocolate, plus a more creamy texture which melts smoothly in the mouth." Excited at the prospective changes, I today found one of the new formula bars on sale in my local Sainsbury's supermarket ... boy was I shocked at what I found!

Not only was the bar reduced in size down to 39.0g, but it soon became apparent that this reformulation in actual fact just meant an increase in the proportion of vegetable fat in the recipe. The thinness of the chocolate layer meant there was no detectable difference mouth feel wise - I don't get how it was supposed to established anyway given the outer dusting of cocoa was always going to add a relative coarseness. The only actual difference between the old and new bar that I perceived was that the chocolate did came across as a touch sweeter and sugar based in it's flavours.

Ferrero aren't the first, and neither will they be the last to both decrease the size of their products or increase the vegetable fat proportions. What gets me is that they have the cheek to position these changes as being driven by consumer demand. Sorry Ferrero but thats just cheap!

----- Kcal 120 Fat 7.6g Carbs 11.3g (per 21.5g finger)

Those of you who take an active interest in the confectionery market will be aware that a few weeks ago Ferrero announced they would be launching a 'white chocolate' version of the Kinder Bueno bar for the UK market...well being the impatient man I am I couldn't bear to wait and Ive been lucky enough to get my hands on one of these bars already. See above for proof ;)

Almost identically to the original bueno the bar comes in the form of two 21.5g fingers each with four sections.

Each finger is coated in what Kinder describe as 'chocolate meringue dust' - its a light brown coloured dust (like hot chocolate powder) that I will admit makes the bar look exceedingly good. This is where my positive things to say about this aspect of the bar run out though...this 'meringue' dust offers very very little in flavour and in all honest just causes one hell of a mess when you break the bar apart. When snapping the individual sections the brown powder just fell from the bar, making not only a mess of my fingers but also managing to get on my desk and clothes...not good. I understand its inclusion for its aesthetic appeal but its more of annoyance than anything and that's why the bars appearance score isn't good.

The white chocolate element is I'm sure what most of you are interested and for your information its not bad. It has an extremely similar texture to the chocolate on the original Bueno - rather smooth but verging on having a waxy texture that doesn't melt too well in the mouth. The actual flavour of the white chocolate isn't the strongest but has a slight vanilla hint which is quite pleasant. Most peoples complaints with white chocolate stem from the tendency for it to become sickly due to its generally high sugar content; this bar avoids this issue and its flavour although not the strongest is enjoyable.

The hazelnut creme and wafer elements are identical to what you find in the original Bueno. The wafer is pretty nondescript - pleasant enough but not going to set anyones world alight...it does its job competently but little else. The hazelnut creme is a different story altogether - its smooth, its creamy, in a word its wonderful and utterly indulgent experience.

Overall this latest offering from Ferrero is worth trying but far from being anything overly spectacular. The original elements that are kept from the Bueno are still really quite good - in terms of a creme filling not much else on the market gets near the Hazelnut centre...its really very good. The new elements this bar introduces are varying in terms of success. The meringue chocolate dust is not the best idea - visually impressive but practically not so; its unavoidably messy and basically just a real nuisance. The white chocolate element itself is an idea that is implemented with caution - its almost identical in texture to the original bar and a slight vanilla hint aside offers not too much differentiation in taste - its hardly poorly done but its a little unspectacular.

When this bar makes it to market here I would recommend you give it a go; I can see this being hugely popular due to the success of the Milk Chocolate Bueno - its not to far different from the original so if your a big fan I see no reason why you wont enjoy this white chocolate variant.

7.5 out of 10

April 2nd: Twix

Kcal 284 Fat 13.8g Carbs 38.0g

Looking over the banner of my website today I suddenly realised that despite having reviewed a few of the more obscure varieties from America, I had not actually reviewed one of the most popular bars available in the UK... the original Twix. The Twix Java currently holds pride of place in 4th of the Chocolate Mission rankings...so how would its UK original version fare?

Picking this up from my local shop today I realised that Mars had now made Twix available in a 'King Size' version - looking at the size and nutritional content of the original sized bar (56g) I decided that the original size would suffice and picked that up.

The 56g pack is split into two long fingers that obviously weigh 28g each. Each finger contains a crunchy shortbread like biscuit base with a layer of caramel placed on top, this of course is all coated in a layer of Milk Chocolate.

Opening the bar, as with the Twix Java I was not presented with a strong aroma; a slight sweet chocolate flavour aside it offered little in this department.

Breaking one of the fingers in half it was quickly apparent that the caramel layer was really quite viscuous and was unlike the runny caramel found in products like the Aero Caramel or the Cadburys Caramel; it was not quite as chewy as a Curly Wurly or a Chomp bar but rather a real stick on middle ground between the two. This worked really quite well in that it made sure that the bar was not overly messy to eat but also ensured the bar had a nice varied texture agaisnt the crunchy biscuit. In taste the caramel was very flavoursome, in terms of quality its extremely close to being on the same level as the Cadburys and Galaxy Caramel bars - really rather good!

The chocolate coating is probably the most disappointing aspect of the bar. Its not overly poor just I found its texture to be quite waxy, it quickly melted on my fingers when I was eating the bar despite the relative short amount of time it took to do so. Flavour wise its really nothing more or less than average milk chocolate - it did its job in terms of adding the chocolaty taste but really little in the way of exciting or luxurious flavours.

The base of the bar is an area where the American and UK version of the Twix differ. As seen in the Twix PB/Java reviews the American bases had a cookie based constituents and were chocolate flavoured; the UK original Twix I had today had a shortbread type base. I found the base of this bar to be really quite good - it was crunchy yet avoided being crumbly and messy, it offered a distinct sweet biscuity taste that had a hint of saltiness like all good shortbread. Not many bars really offer a biscuit like option like this on the market at present and it really rather owns this niche of the market at present.

Overall this is one of the better bars I have had during Chocolate Mission. Its only real shortcomings come in the form of the chocolate of the bar - its flavour and texture are both not up there with the better bars that currently are hosted in the top 5 which is the only thing really holding it back from being up amongst them. The caramel and biscuit base aspects of the bar are really well done and both add unique qualities in varying textures and flavours. If this bar sounds right up your street...it really probably is... and I recommend you try it out.

8.6 out of 10

April 1st: Tobelrone Milk Chocolate

Kcal 525 Fat 29.9g Carbs 60g

There are many examples of deep rooted symbolic branding in the confectionary market; the Cadburys Flake, KitKat Fingers to mention a few but none quite as symbolic as the triangular shaped Toblerone bar. The traiangle shapes represetent the Swiss mountains - the country in which Tobelrone was founded.

Now part of the wide Kraft Portfolio I today sampled the 35g Original Milk Chocolate variant. The bar itself was split into eight mini sized mountain shaped pieces as above. The bar is formed of solid milk chocolate with honey and almond flavoured nougat pieces.

The milk chocolate itself is really rather pleasent - I would say it is extremely similar in taste to Galaxy chocolate in that its smooth and has a distinct creamyness yet avoids being overly intense and is really quite good.

The nougat pieces are unlike anything I have had in any other bar where nougat is present. Instead of having a big thick helping running through the bar, smaller rice crispy sized pieces are disperesed throughout. This works really quite well and the smaller pieces remain flavoursome whilst adding a nice slightly converse grainy texture to the smooth chocolate. Flavourwise the nougat pieces are quite sweet yet due to their well proportioned nature they avoid becoming sickly - though the honey flavour is quite apparent the almond flavour isnt too forthcoming and this could be an area of improvement along with the rather small size of the bar.

Overall this is a really unique bar in more ways than just its striking shape. The concept of the smaller pieces of nougat are not an idea I have seen implemented in any other bar and its one that works really quite well. Though not overly amazing in really any criteria its chocolate is really quite good and its nougat concept is something different from the market norm; if you have never tried Toblerone before I would urge you to give it a go.

7.9 out of 10

March 31st: Aero Caramel

Kcal 210 Fat 11.2g Carbs 25g

This bar came in a 42g serving that was seperated into six sections. I say seperated, though in actual fact the surface of the chocolate was merely indented slightly and the caramel ran the whole way through the bar; this proved to be rather messy when I tried to split the bar into its six setions. The bar itself has two seperate layers composed of a base of bubbly airated chocolate with a thick helping of golden caramel running above it; all this of course is coated in a milk chocolate coating. The base of the bar is really quite pleasent, it is consistant with other Aero bars and has that delighful melt on the tongue feel that ensures a smooth pleasent initial chocolate flavour. 

The chocolate itself is pretty standard Nestle milk chocolate...not at all bad and due to its pleasent melting aspect its really quite enjoybale. By far and away the strongest flavour of this bar is of course the caramel; which is quite literally packed in to the brim. The bar I had was so packed that the rather thin chocolate shell was broken in a couple of places and the caramel was oozing out all over the inside of the wrapper - hardly the most appealing and annoyingly messy. The caramel flavour itself was honestly not the best I have tasted. Due to its sheer volume and sugaryness it quickly became rather sickly and after only three blocks (half a bar!!) I really felt like eating no more. Due to the nature of the research I did finish the bar but by the last block the taste was really quite monotomous and not one I was particularly enjoying.

Overall the actual Aero aspect of this bar (the airated base) was really quite pleasent and I can see how this would appeal to many. Unfortunately the actual caramel aspect of this bar is quite poor in comparison to others I have tasted during Chocolate Mission. This bar would benefit from having a little less caramel thats taste is more concentrated and flavoursome like comparative Galaxy/Dairy Milk bars. Worth a try if your a diehard fan of Aero but if not I would reccomend other Caramel bars above this one. 

7.3 out of 10

March 30th: Terry's Caramel Bite

Kcal 282 Fat 14.4g Fat(sats) 7.8g Carbs 34g

Terry's is a brand is most associated with the Chocolate Orange, and even I wasn't aware of the existence of this product until I found it in my local newsagents a few weeks ago. Terry's Caramel Bite was obviously a bit of a flash in the pan as a quick google search did not produce much in the way of relevant results aside from a few other reviews from other sites.

The bar came split into two equal sized sections both weighing 28g each - on pack it is described as 'A biscuit base with caramel coated in a milk chocolate and rice layer'. As you can see from the picture above the bar is layered quite nicely and the proportioning of each of the main ingredients: the chocolate caramel and biscuit is well balanced.

Biting into the bar the chocolate coating had a rather waxy texture very similar to the feel of Reese's chocolate. This wasn't such a good thing and the chocolate itself was rather anonymous in flavour, although what was pleasant was the extra crispy element of the rice which compensated slightly for the lack of taste. The biscuit base was really rather good. The biscuit in taste was very similar to the flavour of a Bourbon biscuit and despite the moistness of the caramel layer above it still maintained a certain crunch.

The most forthcoming element was the caramel layer, which unfortunately wasn't all that good. I have had so many good quality caramel products during the Chocolate Mission but this unfortunately fell short of being on par. The caramel was extremely sweet tasting and very similar in taste to the caramel you would find in cheap supermarket ice cream sauces....very very sugary and extremely sickly.

Overall this is a bar is a real mixed bag. The biscuit base is excellent, and is a really nice touch that I'm sure would work well in many other bars. Unfortunately the chocolate is rather average and the caramel is way too synthetic and sweet tasting for even the most sweet toothed person. On the plus side eating the whole product in one sitting did prove to be quite fulfilling. However, whilst I'm glad I have tried it I wouldn't tell you to go out your way to track one down. This part of the market is already quite congested, and this is just another average offering.

7.0 out of 10

March 29th: Hershey's New York Cheesecake Kisses

Kcal 190 Fat 12g Fat(sats) 7g

These were another import from the US and these really chaught my eye for two reasons 1) I love cheesecake and 2) I love chocolate...surely the combination of both would be heaven!?

The pack I ordered contained 5 large kisses which weighed in at 36g. This dosent sound like much but in stature the Kisses looked large and were alot bigger than compared to the standard sized kisses you normally get in the huge bags. A good size serving in my opinion.

The kisses had no distinct smell when unwrapped from their original packaing but this soon changed after biting into one of them. In a smell that I can aliken only to slightly gone off milk these really did not smell that appertising. The smell of the bars is something that I normally do not take much notice of; but the smell that eminated from these was so poignant and unusual that it was really rather off putting.

The Kisses were each about half full of white creme which thankfully didnt taste as they smelt. Though avoiding tasting like sour milk they had a very sugary sweet taste that had a slight twang of yogurt. flavourwise it wasnt really my cup of tea and was far too sickly and synthetic tasting - I really wasnt too impressed. The chocolate that covered the centre wasnt at all bad and although dominated by the filling was a nice background flavour.

Overall I am left really quite disappointed. This really is a case of a product sounding better than it is - the way that the cheesecake is presented really dosent do it any justice and the smell of the creme centre is enough to put a person off alone. Certainly not the worst product I have reviewed on Chocolate Mission but definately the most disappointing in terms of my expectations.

6.1 out of 10

March 28th: Nestle Yorkie Bar Raisin & Biscuit

Kcal 330 Fat 17.4g Fat(sats) 11.1g Carbs 39.7g

Firstly apologies for a lack of update yesterday - I worked late and subsequently didn't get time to have any chocolate...shocking yes I know.Following on from the Original Yorkie bar the other day I thought it best if I finish off the current range so today I opted to munch by way through a Yorkie Raisin & Biscuit - this variant includes pieces of shortbread like biscuit and of course raisins. This bar although exactly the same size as the original bar weighs in slightly less at 61g which is obviously accounted for by the lighter biscuit and raisins.

The bar was similarly split into five massive chunks though these did not break cleanly as the inclusion of the raisins weakened the bar in sporadic places...this meant unfortunately that the bar broke off in rather unfortunate sizes...some huge and some titchy - not overly impressive. Smell wise there was no evidence of the added ingredients; nothing that I could detect anyway, and it merely had the same slight chocolaty smell of the original.

Though distributed quite generously throughout the bar the raisins had little or no effect on the actual taste. In essence all they mostly did was add a rather random chewy texture which I honestly didn't enjoy overly. The biscuit pieces were also quite generously dispersed; and although adding a slightly cereal type taste I found them to be too light in actual constituents to add a meaningful flavour or texture. The chocolate was of the same standard of the original bar and there was no evident difference - a little uninspiring.

Overall this bar was slightly disappointing in my eyes. Due to its large nature, like the original variant, it will fill many an empty stomach and will leave the consumer in that instance quite happy. However that taste is really not as forthcoming as it should be and despite not ruining the bar in any manner its simply not as flavoursome as you would assume...it should be bursting with a fruity/biscuity hit but I feel it really falls short of its potential.

7.3 out of 10

March 26th: Nestle Yorkie Bar Original

Kcal 367 Fat 21.2g

The Easter reviews are over and its back to my normal one a day review. Todays review comes in the form of the colossal Yorkie Bar - a bar that dares to bare the slogan 'its not for girls'....personally I think its the most stupid marketing slogan currently out there...distancing your product from its target market can in no cicrcumstances been seen as a positive thing...but hey I only work in marketing so what do I know :) Luckily for me I'm a boy...this means that this bar is definitely for me...and I didn't need a second invitation.

I'm guessing the marketing slogan derives from the sheer size of the bar...it weighs in at hefty 68g - boasting a massive 367 Kcal per bar WOWWZA!! One thing is for sure - if you eat this bar your not going to need a second.

Aside from the silly slogan the bar comes in a nice foil pack, this made the bar look and smell quite fresh when opened and there was really quite a strong chocolaty aroma one removed from the packet. The bar was split into five massive sized chunks which I don't think could be described as bitesized for anyone; personally I would have much preferred smaller sized chunks as you get with other bars such as Galaxy and Dairy Milk.

Putting the first chunk into my mouth I was met with a rather familiar taste. It tasted almost identical to the chocolate from my Smarties Easter Egg that I reviewed a couple of days earlier though a little more full flavoured. This was probably due to the freshness of how the product was kept with the egg being in loose foil whilst this bar in a sealed foil wrapper. Anyhow the chocolate was pretty much the same - it wasnt the best chocolate ever nor was it the worst...just your plain run of the mill standard milk chocolate. Texture wise due to its block nature it wasnt melt in the mouth sort of chocolate and had more of a crunch and resistance to it.

By the time I was at the fifth block I was more than satisfied hunger wise and didn't particularly want to finish it off...due to it being for research purposes of course i obliged...being honest though I really doubt I could have managed anymore.

Overall the Yorkie is a no frills bar that doesn't claim to be more than it is. It iss a solid hunger fulfilling milk chocolate bar - that if your in need of a chocolate fix and in risk of starvation is going to do you wonders. If you however are more interested in the finer, good tasting chocolate end of the spectrum I cant say I overly recommend this.

7.8 out of 10

March 25th: Lindt Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny

Kcal 272 Fat 16.5g Fat(sats) 10g Carbs 27.5g (per 50g)

My final review of Easter 2008 is the famous Lindt Easter Bunny. The bunny is a particularly popular product at Easter and comes in two variants: Dark and Milk. Unfortunately I was only able to track down a Milk Chocolate version and was unable to get my hands on a dark version..oh well theres always next year :)

Asthetically the bunny looks amazing dressed in its foil wrapper and nice little ribbon. For a product that really wasnt too expensive it really looks the part and would have been great to both send and recieve as a gift...which is what Easter is all about really. The rabbit I sampled came in a 50g serving; just the right amount to sit down and eat in on serving.

After removing the foil a few of the details were still evident on the surface of the chocolate which was a nice touch. The surface of the chocolate was also relatively unscuffed and looked pleasent and clean cut to eye. Upon removing the foil a nice fresh cocoa smell eminated from the bunny which really allured the taste buds.

I decided to break the bunny into mouth sized chunks - similar to how most of us break chocolate eggs I bashed the bunny agaisnt a hard surface (awwww poor bunny haha!) and upon impact it broke it several different sized pieces. One thing that was noticeable was the varying thickness of each parts of the bunny; I cant say I was a big fan of this as some parts were desperately thing whilst other parts were really quite thick (base). This may not be such a biggie for most people but I personally would have preffered a similar all round thickness.

Lindt pride themselves on their good tasting chocolate and this bunny offering certainly didnt let them down. I would aliken the taste as a cross between Thorntons milk chocolate and Galaxy milk chocolate; in that it is really quite rich and creamy yet retains a distinct smoothness that makes it ever so moreish. Becuase of this pleasent tecxture and strong yet unsickly taste I would say it is definately amongst the best milk chocolate I have tasted so far an definately a cut above the standard of the chocolate that was present in the Giant Smarties Egg i reviewed yesterday.

Overall whether giving or recieving this product at Easter your going to be pleased. Its a class looking product that looks the part yet also has a great taste...what more could you want. Its no doubt a product that you would do well buying for your close friends and family as it relatively inexpensive but quality product....just make sure that these friends and family are going to be buying you one back as your not going to be happy parting with them :)

As far as its score goes its done really quite well - its one of the better products I have tasted on Chocolate Mission yet lacks that cutting X-factor that could really differentiate itself and push for the top 5. That said it comes a good 2nd in the Easter rankings; really not far behind the Cadburys Creme Egg which takes the crown of best Easter product this year.

Good stuff from Lindt I cant waite to move onto trying alot more of their range...lets face it if they can do the basics right as they have done here (Milk Chocolate) theres no reason why they cant push the boundaries of Chocolate Mission with their flavoured bars.

8.5 out of 10

March 24th: Nestle Smarties Chocolate Egg

Kcal 525 Fat 28.8g Fat(sats) 18.6g (per 100g)

Despite claiming I had no time for tasting/reviewing the giant chocolate egg that came with my Smarties pack this Easter I didnt forsee the mid afternoon Easter Mondays hitting quite so hard than they did today. In light of this and a reccomendation from a Chocolate Mission reader, I endulged in one half of the egg this afternoon.

My cynicism regarding this egg stems from the sheer amount of variations of Easter Eggs these generic eggs appear in. In almost every branded giant Easter Egg/bars combo, regardless of the manufacture it is verly likely it will come with one of these giant eggs with the same pattern as shown above; which for me just seems a bit boring and uninspired.

Anyway forgetting all that - judging the egg by its merits and not its reputation I have had far worse chocolate. The Shell of the egg was suprisingly thick - alot thicker than I was expecting anyway. Despite its etched in random sectioned pattern as shown above the egg when bashed agaisnt my kitchen table split perfectly down the middle - nice!

Tastewise it was what I expected really. It was neither the worst or best chocolate I have ever tasted, no where near the quality of the better chocolate brands but far from your supermarket own label sugar overloaded stuff. The texture wasnt overly bad either it had a slight melt in the mouth feel which though dosent slightly reach the smoothness of say Galaxy but is still quite nice.

Overall I guess im glad I didnt quite get round to throwing this out before I tasted it. Despite my negative attitude towards it because of the nature of it being generic, tastewise it isnt at all bad and I have to admit that the half I set aside to eat this afternoon was devoured rather quickly. Its definately not going to win any awards for 'best chocolate....well anything' but for a product that I guess alot of us will recieve this Easter period one way or another it isnt all that bad.

7.0 out of 10

March 24th: Nestle Heaven Milk Truffle Egg

Kcal 155 Fat 9.4g Fat(sats) 4.9

Rounding up the mini eggs reviews for Easter 2008 is the last egg from the Nestle Easter range this year. This Heaven egg is nearly exactly the same as the Dark variant I reviewed a week or so ago however as you can probably guess the Dark chocolate is replaced with Milk Chocolate.

As with the dark variant size wise it is lightly smaller than the Cadburys eggs this year, however it is actually the same weight due to it being layered rather than hollow and with a filling. The egg is formed of two layers - one layer of solid milk chocolate about a third or so deep with the rest of the egg filled with a truffle like centre.

Biting into the egg sideways the egg immediatelly split into the two sections. This again although not looking the best is rather handy for eating it and due to the truffle layer also being split down the centre it meant the egg was equally proportioned in each half.

Smell wise the egg offered a small hint of chocolate though not nearly as strong as you would expect given the concentration of the ingredients.

The two layers gave the egg a nice combination of textures with the outer shell providing a nice solid feeling whilst the truffle centre was more melt on the tongue. Unfortunately there wasnt that bigger differential in terms of flavour between the two layers, imagine biting into a layer of solid Cadburys Dairy Milk placed ontop of a Cadburys Wispa (but just replace the aforementioned with standard Nestle chocolate): what you will get it is a nice combination of textures but at the end of it exactly the same taste...its hardly the most exciting or innovative.

Overall this egg was pleasent enough - as I have said above it does have a rather monotomous taste when you consider what they could have done with both the layers. That said the egg is pleasent in blending a nice variation of textures and one of these eggs is certainly enough to cure hunger - if you see these hanging around some bargain bins post Easter its well worth picking a few up.

7.4 out of 10