May 17th: Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered...Coffee Beans / Sunflower Seeds / Edamame

A Chocolate Mission first!! Three in one here. Dedicated readers may recall that last month I was the recipetent of a HUGE box of Trader Joe's goodies from the US sent to me by one of my favourite and most kind readers Esther. Contained in this box were several plentiful 497g containers of different chocolate covered goodies of which myself and my family have been nibbling our way through for the last few weeks.

Having finished three of these containers this week it seemed relevant to write them up in the same review :) One thing that is worth noting with all Trader Joe's products is the ingredients they are made with... looking at the ingredients list for the all the chocolate in these items its all very pure. Simply cocoa mass, cocoa butter and a few other simple natrual ingredients...its no wonder the taste is generally so clean and natraul as it contains none of the chemichals or enhancers that all our day-to-day mass confectionary items contain - as you will see the quality of chocolate never fails to deliver.

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans:

Kcal 170 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 21.0g (per 40g)

Theres no two ways of putting this...these were tremendous!! Simplicity seemed to be the key to these - they were simply just coffee beans dipped in Trader Joe's Dark chocolate..but boy did it make for a fabulous mixture. Asthetically as you imagine they arent anything special just small dark coloured blobs...generally smaller than your average malteaser, but larger than M&Ms or smarties - they varied slightly in size due to the nature of the coffee beans.

Aromawise they were stunning...I dont think I have ever smelt a better aroma coming from any product whilst reviewing for Chocolate Mission. Upon opening the small container every time I was met with a glorious 'freshly brewed' coffee smell with just the slight hint of cocoa - heavenly.

Texturewise each bean combined a smooth but thick outside layer of chocolate with a crunchy coffee bean inside. My preffered method of eating them was letting the chocolate slowly melt on my tongue and then biting into the crisp coffee bean.

Tastewise these wernt a disappointment. The chocolate was sinfully luxurious - it had a dark cocoa rooted tartness of which the longer it stayed on the tastebuds transformed into a rich creamy slightly coffee noted flavour...I havent come across much better tasting chocolate. Beneath this delicious chocolate of course were the coffee beans which literally just exploded with flavour once bitten into. As you can imagine the coffee taste was very strong but luckily it was equally as good as the chocolate. Each bean had a fresh roasted flavour that although was very rich provided a sumptuous coffee hit like nothing i have tasted before.

Overall these are the perfect accompaniment with a morning cup of coffee - a hand full of these with a dark black freshbrew and theres simply no better way to start the day. Simply delicious and its score is only held back by its limitations in its appearance and hunger fufilment credentials...as far as taste goes these are the best chocolate/coffee flavour combination I have had on Chocolate Mission.

8.5 out of 10

Trader Joe's Chocolate Sunflower Seed Drops:


Kcal 140 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 14g (per 27g)

To be honest I always thought that Sunflower seeds were things that birds or people on weired faddy diets ate...this seeds thing was a whole new concept to me and I must admit to being partially wary of these before I ate them.

Looking up sunflower seeds on the internet it was brought to my attention that they do have health benefits in that they are a good source of vitamins E,B and fibre -interesting.

There was no doubting the uniqueness of the appearance of these seeds. As you can see above they came in a variety of crazy yet friendly colours which slightly put my apprehensiveness aside. From the tub they offered very little aroma which was slightly disappointing as this gave me no clue to what they would eventually taste like.

Texturewise these were suprisingly intricate. One small seed contained three layers - firstly a crisp layer of sugar coating, then a very thin layer of chocolate and then of course the seed. This layered effect gave each of the seeds a very crunchy texture - one that was really quite pleasant.

Tastewise the seeds had an initial sweet sugary flavour due to the cripsy sugar coating. Once bitten into the slighty nuttyness of the seed was released along with a very subtle chocolate flavour - the flavours wernt overly strong but incredibly moreish.

Overall these arent overly imposing interms of flavour - I guess if your looking for a healthier chocolate alternative these are a good option but in truth these simply wont cure an urge for chocolate or hunger. These are a nice unique product and if you need another source of fibre in your diet then you can go little wrong here. I would reccomend these as a nice middle ground for people that find chocolate covered fruit too sweet and chocolate covered nuts to calorific.

7.1 out of 10

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Covered Edamame Soya Beans:

Kcal 200 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 6.0g Carbs 21.0g Protein 7.0g (per 40g)

These were another slightly new proposition for me. I must admit to already buying ino the whole 'Soya Bean' consumption trend already...sure soya bean salads, soya beans with pasta, in tomato soup....chocolate covered soya beans errrr no.

Now all the instances I have mentioned above have involved me having boiled/steamed soya beans; these were slightly different in that they had been roasted. Like the sunflower seeds im sure we are all aware there are associated health benefits with Edamame..(its even classed as a 'superfood' here in the UK!). Another quick look on the net suggests that these beans are a great source of protein and also have associated links with prevention of colon cancer. Now I know its rather naive to ever try and argue that chocolate is 100% good for us but by the looks of it these beans arent too far off providing a decent argument.

Appearancewise these looked exactly the same as the coffee beans - though on average slighlty bigger in size. Aromawise they offered little more than a slight cocoa smell - no sign of any other elements here which I guess was due to the roasted nature of the Edamame.

Texture and tastewise the chocolate had the same qualities as the above coffee beans. A thick viscosity that still had a pleasant melt in the mouth element with a creamy yet deep routed cocoa taste - delicious. The soya bean element was slightly unusual, due to their roasted nature. They had an initial crunchyness; though this transformed once through the initial outside layer as the inside of the bean was slightly soft and chalky. Unfortunately this wasnt the most benefical to the taste as it rather diluted the flavour of the chocolate. The edamame themselves were rather non descript in true flavour but had a slight salty taste with nutty soy notes which was really neither overly pleasant or unpleasant.

Despite their relatively weak flavour they did have a real hunger fufilment aspect - just handful proved to be more than adequete for a snack.

Overall these are another unique concept from the people at Trader Joe's. As far the marriage of health benefits and chocolate go im still relatively unconvinced - and wouldnt overly recommend these as your part of your diet plan to increase your protein intake. The chocolate element is glorious though suffers a little due to dumming down texture effect of the soya beans. For an on the go snack these would provide a nice alternative to diversify a persons usual repetoire. Though not the stongest in flavour they really do fill a gap and worth definately worth checking out if your in to the whole superfoods craze.

7.6 out of 10

May 16th: Cadburys Flake

Flake Kcal 170 Fat 9.9g Fat(sats) 6.1g Carbs 17.8g
Flake Dark Kcal 160 Fat 9.5g Fat(sats) 6.0g Carbs 16.6g

Im continuing the 'buy one get one free' you guys have been getting on Chocolate Mission this week as today I managed to sample both the original Flake and Flake 'Dark'. The flake for those who dont know is a long thin bar of interspersed woven chocolate layers - this makes for an extremely delicate product, hence why it is known as 'the crumbliest chocolate in the world'.

Its an extremely popular bar amongst woman due to its 'lighter' chocolate proposition and its relatively low calorie content....suffice to say i did consider whether I was really reviewing these in the wrong environment due to my lack of diet coke and Sex in the City DVD boxset...hmmm less said of that the better....I do claim 'man points' for eating both at the same time :D

Despite their relatively 'lighter option' positioning I actually found that one of these 32g bars alone didnt do a bad job satisfying my hunger - in truth eating both at the same time was actually a bit of a struggle.

So whats the difference between the two variants you ask? Well the Dark version contains slightly less sugar and more cocoa solids...a min of 44% compared to the original's 25%. Asthetically of course the dark version was a slightly darker shade of brown (see above). The bars looked genuinely great, the woven nature of the chocolate made for an intresting and unique look in what plays a really big part in the character of these bars.

Aromawise, comparing both side by side the original version offered far more of an appertising smell. It had the more instantly recognisible sweet Dairy Milk smell whislt the Dark version offered a slightly less appertising very faint cocoa scent.

Texturewise both bars offered an amazing yet at the same time frustrating experience. The crumbly nature of the chocolate has both elements of brilliancy and idiocy. Its both exciting and luxurious and has the most intresting melt in the mouth texture going...but...and yes theres a BUT here.... its SOOOOOO messy to eat. It goes everywhere and I mean everywhere! Luckily I ate this using an aid of a plate but without one I would have lost proably half a bar and thats not a good thing; its just to crumbly.

I ate the Dark chocolate version first and was slightly suprised at the lack of taste. Though not containing the degree of cocoa solids of some other 'dark' bars on the market (Greene & Blacks/Lindt etc) 44% isnt remarkably low and the bar suprising lacked much of a cocoa taste. I can see why Cadbury wouldnt want the bar being that bitter due to the target consumer, but this lack of cocoa flavour made for a slightly dull shallow taste.

Conversely the original flake was far sweeter. Though not branded as Dairy Milk its definately made with the same ingredients and had the same thick creamy taste...made all the more sumptuous by the melt in the mouth texture. Its sweeter nature made for a bolder flavour and was one I savoured to the last bite.

Overall its extremely hard to rate these bars due to their main strength and main weaknesse both lieing in its unique but inconvenient texture. The way in which both bars melt in the mouth is pure luxury...the problem is just getting it in your mouth and for this reason I would never recommend anyone attempting to eat one of these 'on the go'. In regards to which out of the two is superior I would say the original. I feel the depth of cocoa flavour has been limited in the dark version - probably due to the stigma that the trarget consumer would find it 'overly bitter'. The original Flake combines Dairy Milk chocolate with the compelling texture which makes for one great tasting bar. I would definately recommend these bars to anyone...but this recommendation definately comes with the advice to use a plate :D

Flake 8.2 out of 10
Flake Dark 7.6 out of 10

May 15th: Thorntons Ginger Bar

Kcal 190 Fat 10.6g Fat(sats) 7.4g Carbs 20.1g

They say the best thing to do if you fall off a horse is to get straight back on...well after this weeks earlier travesity from the Thorntons range (see Vienesse truffle bar) I decided to revisit Thorntons sooner rather than later, in hope of rekindling my faith in the 'master chocolatiers'.

This bar offered a 'chocolate truffle centre with natrual ginger oil and crystallised ginger pieces, enrobed in rich dark chocolate'. It came in bar that was little over 35g - not overly massive but due to its rich taste did a job in satisfying my hunger. The bar had a strong pleasant ginger aroma - thankfully this was also translated in the taste of the bar. Asthetically this bar wasnt anything outstanding - it was a long fingered bar with a slightly ribbed ripple effect...what did look appertising was the truffle centre which had a particularly smooth looking texture.

Txturewise the bar had a nice contrast. The outside coating of dark chocolate had a nice solid thickness that provided a nice cracking effect agaisnt the soft buttery truffle like centre. The centre, despite its smooth looking appearance had a slightly grainy texture which was accountable due to the presence of the crystallysed ginger pieces. This combination of thick outer chocolate and smooth centre provided a nice variation of textures.

Tastewise the bar was very good. The dark chocolate coating provided a rich cocoa taste that wasnt suprising due to its 60% min cocoa solids content. The chocolate although initially slightly bitter transitioned into a more creamy flavour once melted in the mouth. The majority of the ginger flavour was delivered in the truffle centre through the both the ginger oil and crystallysed pieces. The ginger flavour was strong yet not overpowering, and gave the bar a very distinct and enjoyable taste - very nice indeed.

Overall i must admit I do enjoy writing reviews on bars I enjoy rather than dislike...and luckily this is one I enjoyed. This is another great tasting truffle bar from Thorntons and the classic combination of ginger and dark chocolate is amalgamated in this bar very well. The mixture of textures with the thick outer chocolate and smooth truffle centre is nothing short of superb; whilst the quality of the dark chocolate and ginger ingredients is really very good. Areas of slight improvement could be the size, aroma and asthetics of the bar but that is being very pedantic...this bar has restored my confidence in Thorntons - phew :)

8.0 out of 10

May 15th: York Peppermint Pattie

Kcal 140 Fat 2.5g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 31.0g

My latest batch of goodies from the team at CandyPirate included the York Peppermint Pattie - a dark chocolate covered peppermint confection produced by Hershey.

It came in a foil wrapped 39g serving - a size that was just about right for a single serving. The foil wrapper ensured that the product retained what was quite a fresh taste though the product didnt actually retain much of an aroma - I was expecting a very pungent minty smell but this was all but absent; the product did have a slight cocoa scent but even that was not particularly strong.

Looking at the nutritional information, although this bar packs plenty of carbs, the fat and calorie content is remarkably low - ideal for a lighter chocolaty choice. As you can probably guess the main constituant of the bar is of course sugar - this was always going to be unavoidable due to the nature of the 'pattie centre'.

The chocolate provides a pleasant initial cocoa flavour however soon takes a backseat to the more powerful peppermint ingredientt. The chocolate coating is 'semi sweet in flavour' and gives a nice, slightly bitter taste to the contrasting sweet minty centre.

As suggested to me, I chilled this product before I consumed it. This gave the centre a slightly firm texture; unfortunately it did not cure the slight stickyness issue that was always going to be a problem with what is such a sugar based product. Tastewise, despite it being terribly sweet the peppermint centre was pleasant and had a refreshing flavour - thumbs up in this department.

Overall this is a product that if your a fan of mint chocolate your really going to love. The chocolate is of a good standard and gives an initial great cocoa taste. The dominant flavour is of course the peppermint centre which provides a fresh yet sweet taste that makes for a unique and tasty experience. Although not ticking all the boxs in the aroma, texture and asthetic departments this is certainly a product that can be enjoyed by more people than just mint chocolate fans - definatey worth taking a look at...especially if your on a diet ;)

7.3 out of 10

Want to try the minty freshness of the York Peppermint Pattie??!! Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!

May 14th: Toblerone Dark Chocolate

Kcal 500g Fat 30.0g Fat(sats) 18.0g Carbs 50.5g (per 100g)

Upon reccomendations from more than a few dedicated Chocolate Mission readers, and having already sampled the original milk chocolate version with relative success (a score of 7.9) I didnt take much convincing to try this bar . The Toblerone Dark Chocolate is simply the same as the original, just with the obvious dark chocolate now accompnaying the honey, almond and nougat pieces.

I bought this in a 100g bar from a high street discount store (Woolworths) for the mere price of £1!! Bargainalicious! I ate a good 50g in one sitting which is a suprising amount for a dark chocolate product, as normally dark chocolate is so rich; as you can imagine this went quite a good way to supressing my hunger.

The bar looked as stylish as the original milk chocolate version with the very distinctive triangular blocked design. This dark chocolate version looked particularly impressive with the nougat adding a decorative white speckled effect - very classy looking. Like the original the aroma wasnt that strong apart from a very subtle sweet scent.

Despite containing 50% cocoa solids, tastewise the chocolate wasnt as rich as I was expecting. The sweet honey and nougat pieces took the slight bitter edge off the plain chocolate which made for a slightly less concentrated and intense cocoa flavour - which I think perfectly suited this bar. Unfortunately the flavour of the chocolate was strong enough to offset the taste of the almond....a flavour that was already quite weak in the original milk chocolate alternative.

Texturewise the bar was as interesting as its milk chocolate counterpart. The nougat pieces being as small as they are made for a slightly grainy but not overly chewy texture. The nougat flavour was not lost despite the smallness in size, and the pieces were perfectly proportioned throughout the bar ensuring an appealing but not overly convoluted texture.

Overall i would say I ever so slightly prefer this dark chocolate version to the original milk chocolate. Tastewise the chocolate is nicely implemented - having a deeply routed cocoa flavour that avoids being overly bitter due to the sweetening effect of the honey and nougat ingredients. The only disappointment flavourwise comes with the almond flavour which is unfortunately lost due to the intensity of the other flavours. The bar looks amazing asthetically and this coupled with an intresting texture has landed this bar with a very respectable score. If your a dark chocolate addict I would strongly recommend this bar to you...especially at the ridiculous price of £1 per 100g!

8.1 out of 10

May 13th: Nestle Crunch

Milk Chocolate Kcal 170 Fat 9.1g Fat(sats) 4.8g Carbs 19.7
White Chocolate Kcal 166 Fat 8.8g Fat(sats) 5.6g Carbs 19.4

Today you guys are extra lucky and are getting two for one!! This is mainly due to the fact that last night I was particularly hungry meaning I managed to sample both the milk & white chocolate variants of Neslte's Crunch bar. The Crunch bars are solid bars of chocoloate which include 'Rice Krispie' type bits of cereal in them.

To my knowledge these arent the most highly distributed Nestle produts - I had a bit of a search for them myself..eventually finding both occupying a shelf in local newsagent. The bars themselves are not the biggest weighing in at just 31g each - this means that both are quite kind on the calories front but I guess its just relative to their size.

Asthetically the bars looked the same - they were just long slabs of chocolate with some nice patterns and the word 'Crunch' etched into the surface....very simplistic but nothing to complain about. Smell wise they slightly differed, the milk chocolate variant offered very little in this department; whilst the white chocolate offered a more appertising milky aroma.

Looking at the ingredients the milk chocolate variant actually included more cereal than the white chocolate version (15% compared to 10%). This wasnt particularly noticeable in texture as both offered a relatively pleasant yet similar mixture of smooth chocolate and crisp cereal. The 'Rice Krispie' like cereal gave the same 'snap, crackle and pop' texture that is so synonymous with the breakfast cereal - it made for an intresting, unique and ultimately enjoyable texture though as with the cereal didnt provide more than a weak malty taste.

Tastewise I enjoyed the milk chocolate bar more so than I did the white chocolate. I ate the white chocolate version first and was expecting a Milkybar like quality. Unfortunately it wasnt quite up to standard and the creamy milkyness of the Milkybar must have been lost somewhere; judging by the taste it must have been replaced with sugar as the taste quickly became very monotomous and overly sweet.

The milk chocolate was of a slightly better standard - it was not the best chocolate by any stretch of the imagination but was certainly a better quality than the white. Suprisingly the milk chocolate actually contained 35% min Cocoa solids - I say suprisingly as most mass manufactured bars are relatively lower than this. Its flavour was definately more milk than cocoa based and far less sugar based than the white variant, this made for a slightly more enjoyable taste.

Overall these arent bars I would overly recommend you rush out and buy - in truth they arent the best tasting and with the intresting texture aside they are truly unspectactular. A single bar isnt going to really do a job with fufilling any hunger of much note, though I guess you could do worse if you were looking for a very light snack. The cereal provides a nice texture yet a truly uninspiring flavour - much the same as the chocolate in both bars. My personal preference would be with the milk chocolate variant due to the overly sweet and sickly taste of the white chocolate though im still far from recommending these to anyone as theres better out there on the market.

Milk Chocolate 6.8 out of 10
White Chocolate 6.6 out of 10

May 12th: Maltesers

Kcal 187 Fat 9.1g Carbs 23.2g

Its suprising how long its take me to get around to reviewing these as they are actually the highest selling confectionary item manufactured by Mars (Yes even more than the Mars bar!!).

Maltesers, for those who are unaware consist of a spherical malt honeycomb centre, surrounded by milk chocolate. As you will see above generally the chocolate layer is quite thin..though this can vary.

These came in a 37g bag though they felt considerably lighter. A Malteser in hand feels light as a feather and it must be said they didnt do the greatest job subsiding my hunger. A quick glance at the ingredients list revealed the dreaded 'hydrognated vegetable fat' - boo! These are generally regarded as a lighter option for a chocolate snack, and the lower than 190 Kcal really does make these a viable option for a dieting chocoholic needing a cure for a chocolate fix - though as I said not the most filling option avalible.

Tatewise these were pretty good. The chocolate was just about the right thickness and had a nice texture that melted away from the honeycomb centre at just the right rate. The outside coating despite its low cocoa level (min 14%!) had had a quite strong cocoa taste and had the light creamyness that is synonymous with Galaxy chocolate. The honeycomb centres were also quite tasty. As you can imagine they had a strong malty flavour with undertone of honey which was pleasant and not overbearing mix. Personally I would prefer the centres to be more substantial in texture - they melted away in the mouth far too easy which meant the delicous flavours were all but gone too quickly.

Overall these are a nice tasting product. The chocolate and honeycomb centres provide a nice pleasant combination of flavours which are incredibly moreish. Unfortunately they are just so unsubstantial you will finish a packet of these in no time at all and still be left hungry. If your after something more substantial you best look elsewhere but if your after a good tasting but light chocolate snack you can go very little wrong here.

7.4 out of 10

May 11th: Kinder Milk Slice

Kcal 114 Fat 7.4g Carbs 9.4g

Ive recently had a number of requests asking me to review some German products - seeing these going for 50p each on Ebay I couldnt turn it down.

I didnt have a vast knowledge of what these actually were until they turned up on my doorstep last week. Looking at the packaging I wasnt helped to much...it was all in German! A spot of internet research was needed....the Ferrero website informed that that these were 'chocolate sponge cake with a milky filling'...and they were exactly that - two thickish chocolate flavoured cakey slabs with a very healthy milk truffle like textured centre - all with an added dash of honey!!. The site also informed me that these needed to be kept in the fridge to keep them fresh..lucky I looked really!

As per instructed I stored these in the fridge - Each individual 'slice' only weighed 28g but in truth one was more than enough for a sufficent snack. I opened the package and immediately detected an extremely sweet sugary smell...it wasnt the most pleasant - I was expecting more of a milky aroma.

I split the slice into four triangular bits - this caused a slight out spill of the filling but this was only due to its plentiful nature. The slice proved quite fun but if a little messy to eat! my own method was biting off one of the sides of chocolate cake slice and then eating the whipped centre followed by the other cake half...as I said messy but fun!

Flavourwise this slice was delicous. The cocoa flavour wasnt the strongest in the sponge element and if made a little stronger could be a real winner. The 'slice' was made extremely tasty by the centre filling - its texture was smooth and truffle-like whilst its flavour was all types of creamy milky goodness with just a little extra sweet kick from the added honey - truly delicious. I would aliken the flavour of the centre to whipped cream - just that its texture was far more substanstial.

Overall this is a delicous snack/bar that I would very much recommend to any Kinder fans out there. I was expecting the worst initially opening the wrapper..it smelt overly sweet and cheap...that being said it tasted divine and combines two simple yet delicious elements of sponge and milk. I believe that these were once avalible in the UK!? Can anyone shed some light on this? Another tasty product from Kinder - for a simple light snack you could do little wrong choosing the Kinder Milk Slice.

7.0 out of 10

May 11th: Thorntons Continental Viennese Truffle Bar

Kcal 195 Fat 11.7g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 20.8g

My yearning for a decent truffle again got the better of me today so I decided to 'treat' myself to a more premiuim brand chocolate bar and invest in something from my local Thorntons.

How could this bar possibly not taste amazing??...'a special blend of white and milk chocolate, with a layered centre of feather-light mousse and truffle, finished with a sprinkle of sugar' - it sounded terrific and at 75p it really should have been.

The bar itself was really quite small, it was no longer than a KitKat finger and although a weight wasnt specified I wouldnt say it was anything over 35g. It looked a bit measly and in truth it was, I still felt quite hungry after eating this bar. Another area of slight concern to me was the colour...I know its supposed to be a mixture of white and milk chocolate - but surely that dosent produce this weired looking grey colour!?

The bars outer layer of chocolate although thick wasnt all that resilient. Despite being chilled in the fridge for an hour it texture was soft and almost verging on nougat...it certainly didnt have the solid coating I was expecting. Unfortunately this outer coating also really lacked any substantial flavour - for Thorntons chocolate thats really quite a rarity but this had a very shallow cocoa flavour that was more milky that it was chocolaty. The bar was not helped at all by the 'sprinkle of sugar' that was placed ontop - it gave a slight crunch but agaisnt the rest of the nonchalant flavours it made this bar overly sweet.

The centre mousse filling was also disappointing in texture and flavour. I was expecting it to have an extremely light whipped viscosity but in reality I would aliken it more to nougat. Unortunately the mousse centre provided nothing more than an overly chewy flavourless layer.

Finally the truffle layer sat just below the mousse centre. Just like the other layers, compared to expectations it was weak in flavour and texture - it wasnt smooth like you expect a truffle layer to be like but actually rather tough and chewy. This coupled with a totally non descript flavour made for another disappointing ingredient.

Overall I cant say how disappointed I am in this bar. I was expecting a luxurious creamy chocolaty experience but this bar was nothing more than a poorly textured, bad tasting overly priced bar. I wouldnt reccommend this to anyone other than the overly curious that have to try everything once. This bar does not come with a Chocolate Mission endorsement.

3.8 out of 10

May 10th: Reese's Nutrageous (UK/Canada)

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

A few months ago, last March I reviewed the Nutrageous bar that I imported from America and really quite enjoyed it. It scored a very respectable 8.3 out of 10 on the Chocolate Mission scale. Today I saw the UK version in my local newsagent...so I thought I would conduct some essential research into whether there are any differences between the two bars.

The first notable difference is the size - the UK version is 9g bigger at a whopping 60g. Hunger fufilment wise the US version was more than adequete already; but this UK version really did a job...I felt stuffed after eating it. Proposition wise the bar was exactly the same...'crunchy peanuts, a peanut butter centre, caramel and a chocolate coating'.

The UK wrapper was almost identical, though revealed that the bar was actually manufactured in Canada. The UK version sadly lacked nutritional information - something I find terribly annoying. Asthetically the bar looked no different...as you will see above it is a long knobbly finger - not the prettiest thing ever but when split the cross section does look quite appertising.

Tastewise the bar still retained the qualities of its US equivalent - and in some ways surpassed it. Frequent readers of this site will know that im not the biggest fan of the chocolate that Reese's use...i generally find it a little flavourless and to have a bit of a waxy texture. Though the chocolate was still slightly disappointing it did seem to have a little more flavour to it than the US bar. The chocolate tasted a little fresher if anything and had a less waxy texture to it which melted in the mouth a little easier.

The crunchy peanuts in the bar also seemed to have a bit more of a freshness to them. Their texture was far crisper and flavourwise they seemed to have a more fuller flavour. The peanut butter and caramel ingredients retained their amazing flavours and again made for a delightful chewy yet smooth centre filling - absoluely delicious.

Overall I was suprised to find that the version of the bar that is more widely avalible in the UK is actually the better of the two. The US version as far as Im aware is manufactured in Mexico, whislt our version in Canada...I dont know if the ingredients they use are actually different but the UK version definately had a far fresher taste. The chocolate aspect is still slightly disappointing and slightly holds back the score challenging the very top bars. Despite this though the other elements of the bar make for an amazing mix of textures of and flavours that make you savour every single bite of this huge bar. One of the best bars tried on Chocolate Mission - if you like peanuts or caramel try this now!

8.9 out of 10

May 9th: Milky Way (UK)

Kcal 236 Fat 8.8g Carbs 37.4g

Despite the wrapper featuring on my website banner, yesterday I realised I hadnt reviewed this bar - so today I went about putting that right.

In proposition the bar is identical to the '3 Musketeers' bar which currently sits a proud 2nd in the Chocolate Mission ranks: 'a light whipped centre coated in milk chocolate'. The Milky Way is slightly smaller than the '3 Musketeers' and is comprised of two 26g half bars...despite this slightly smaller size it certainly still hit the spot in the hunger fufilment stakes.

Its particulalry hard to describe the smell of the Milky Way as its aroma was so faint - it had a slight cocoa scent but in honesty it was pretty non descript. This may be due to the relatively low amount of cocoa in the bar...the ingredients list told me that the milk chocolate only contained 14% cocoa solids...I know this is a more milk based product but still thats really quite low.

Despite its low cocoa content the chocolate was tasty. It was almost identical to the chocolate found in the Mars bar and had the same smooth creamy characteristics. The 'whipped white centre' was also particulalrly nice tasting - it again had a very milky taste that although was very sweet, avoided being overly so and offensive. The flavour wasnt quite as deep as the '3 Musketeers' and lacked the slightly malty edge of the US bar.

Texturwise the nougat centre was slightly softer and not quite as substantial as the US equivalent - despite this it still provided a firm contrast to the melt in the mouth outside chocolate layer.

Overall this dosent quite hit the heights of its US equivalent though retains a majority of its counterparts qualities. The taste of the whipped centre isnt quite as full on as the '3 Musketeers' but still has a very pleasant creamy flavour that is incredibly moreish. Despite the low cocoa levels the chocolate is of a better than average standard and holds many of the qualities of Mars' Galaxy brand with a creamy smooth taste. Personally I think this bar is missing a special something...another ingredient...and I dont just mean caramel!! Just think of how tasty this bar could be with a layer of coffee/hazelnut/oragne creme or fondant....the opportunities are endless. Despite this its still a tasty bar with a very rich brand heritage - its a bar definately targeted at a younger audience..but in reality this is can be enjoyed by everyone.

8.2 out of 10

May 8th: Cadbuys Twisted

Kcal 210 Fat 9.4g Fat(sats) 5.8g Carbs 27.9g

This is probably one of the hardest reviews I have had to write for Chocolate Mission.

Let me get this straight from the start...this is a great tasting chocolate bar...bottom line.
Though let me also get this straight from the word go...this is not an 'an innovative bar' nor is it really 'innovation' as we have been led to believe by Cadbury in their press releases.

With wording like that from their marketers I was actually really quite excited about this bar and forked out 55p to get my hands on it...ok this is not exactly breaking the bank but this is relatively more expensive than your average Cadbury bar...hmmm I seem to remember paying 38p just a few weeks ago for a Cadburys Dairy Milk with Creme Egg.

55p later and further inspection of the snazzy looking wrapper revealed some intriguing facts... the 'Twisted' had exactly the same nutritional information than the Cadburys Dairy Milk with Creme Egg..surely not...!? YEP down to the last gram!...coincidence!?

Opening the bar it had a sweet fragrant Dairy Milk cocoa aroma - apparently according to the wrapper, Dairy Milk contains min 20% Cocoa Solids- news to me. The bar itself is smaller than your standard Dairy Milk bar...further research has show that it is only a few grams smaller at 43g in weight though - it was really quite a filling bar anyway so no complaints there.

As you will see in the picture above the bars' name is obviously derived from its shape. Its shaped identically to a Mars Delight bar - a long rippled finger...though as you can guess this its quite alot thicker...at least it looked more impressive than the Cadburys Dairy Milk with Creme egg.

You will also see in the cross section above that the chocolate was really quite thick - it provided a nice solid coating to the bar and stopped any of the fondant centre seeping out (a common problem I always had with the Dairy Milk with Creme Egg variant). The fondant centre had a smoother texture than you will find in the standard creme egg - to be honest I preferred the smoother feel.

Tastewise...guess what???? Its Dairy Milk with Creme Egg fondant centre...this of course is a good thing. The Dairy Milk chocolate was its normal creamy self, a combination of a smooth but rich cocoa taste...always a winner in my book. The fondant centre was also its usual tasty self, of course ever so sweet, but again like in the Creme egg, its correctly proportioned with the chocolate, making for a good balance of flavours. Anything missing here!??? ahh yes that marketing buzzword...'innovation'!

Overall its been very hard to score this bar. As I said above its damn tasty and on this basis alone I would recommend it to anyone...this is where my recommendations on this bar stop though because in truth I feel cheated. This is not the innovative product we were promised..this is the Cadburys Dairy Milk with Creme Egg bar but with a snazzy wrapper and new bar appearance. Even if these changes are admittedly for the better, this does not excuse the fact we are now paying around 20p more for these irrelevant changes. At the end of the day this is simply a bit of 'marketing magic' that I'm sure I will not be the only victim of. Cadbury have managed to create a buzz about a product that already exists, and are charging a higher price for it. In relation to the standard Creme Egg it just doesn't have the same magic...it doesn't look as good and the value isn't a great. Despite all this its a great tasting bar..but if your expecting something ground breaking your going to be left disappointed.

8.0 out of 10

May 7th: Reese's Sticks

Kcal 230 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 23.0g

The good people at CandyPirate sent me through another batch of goodies today and there seemed no better place to start than with Reese's direct comparison bar to yesterdays 'Butterfinger Crisp'.

Essentially the product is almost identical in concept - several interspersed layers of peanut butter and wafer coated in milk chocolate. The Reese's 'Stick' weighed in at a slightly less 42g and was no where near the size of the Butterfinger Crisp.

Looking at the back of pack, the ingredients read very similar to yesterdays: sugar, peanuts and vegetable oil comprising the top three...so again this was not another organic natraul experience.

Opening the package the bar did not have a particularly striking aroma which was slightly disappointing due to its relatively high peanut content. The pack was split into two 21g bars which looked almost identical in appearance to the Cadbury Timout bar; despite not having the most unique asthetic look it wasnt that part of the bars appearance I had a problem with...it was more the glistening layer of grease that was lining each bar. This felt horrible when handling the bar and left an unpleasent residue on my fingers.

Despite the wafer layers being in constant contact with the peanut butter, the wafers retained a nice crispy crunchy texture. The chocolate was quite thin in thickness which was slightly disappointing though the peanut butter layers had a nice smooth creme like texture which agaisnt the crispy wafer provided a nice contrast.

Tastewise the bar had mixed fortunes. As you can guess the chocolate was weak in flavour which is a common trend with most Reese's products. Conversely the peanut butter had a strong smooth creamy nutty flavour with a slight saltyness edge. Though the wafer was a little weak in taste it did have a slight maltyness that although could have been a little stronger, was pleasant.

Overall this is not a bad product but its definately not the best in the Reese's range. The peanut butter element as ever in the Reese's products was strong and the wafer certainly had a nice crunch too it making for an intresting texture. Unfortunately the chocolate was yet again a disappointment and this combined with the slightly lazy appearance of the product accounts for its relatively average score. If you have tried the KitKat Chunky Peanut Butter before and enjoyed it, its definately worth you trying this bar.

7.2 out of 10

May 6th: Nestle Butterfinger Crisp

Kcal 250 Fat 14.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 31.0g

Its amazing how many peanut butter based bars they have on the market in the US compared to our nonchalant approach in the UK. Thanks to the kind people at http://www.americalicious.co.uk/ I have been able to sample yet another offering in this area the 'Butterfinger Crisp'.

You may recall me reviewing the original 'Butterfinger' way back in February - I wasnt overly impressed with that bar and really didnt take to texture and sugar based flavour of it too much.

The 'Butterfinger Crisp' came in a largish 50g bar - it certainly did the job fufilling my hunger which isnt normally the case with a lot of wafer based bars. On pack it describes itself as 'Wafers and Butterfinger candy creme'. In more detail the bar had a several interspersed layers of peanut butter creme and wafer all coated in milk chocolate with small pieces of chopped nuts on top.

On closer inspection of the ingredients it was evident that sugar was infact the most prominant, followed by vegetable oils....oh dear...Montezuma's clean cut organic ingredients this is not...at least roasted peanuts was third on the list!?

Opening the wrapper I was met a mixture of feelings....one being 'damn this bar looks ugly (see above!!) but two...'damn this bar smells awesome'. Yes indeed it looked terrible but had a very appealing nutty aroma.

Texturewise the bar as you can imagine was very crispy. The wafer had a nice solid crunch whilst the creme layers provided a cool smooth variation. Due its crispy nature the bar was a little messy eating - bits of wafer, chopped nuts flying all over place which you can imagine isnt the most fun. The chopped roasted nuts on top gave the bar an extra element of crunch - despite their ugly appearance.

Tastewise it wasnt half bad. Unlike the original 'Butterfinger' where the main peanut flavour was a very highly sugar based one, this was avoided here and the peanut butter creme took more of a roasted slightly salty flavour. This was slightly helped due to presence of the chopped nuts on the top of the bar which really added to the overall nutty taste. The wafer had a nice biscuity malty flavour and the chocolate, despite its backseat in flavour prominance did a nice job of providing a creamy coating.

Overall despite my reservations due to the original Butterfinger I really enjoyed this bar. It avoided the pitfalls the original fell into and despite sugar being the main ingredient it wasnt the prominant taste. The peanut butter flavour is done really well with both the creme and chopped nuts providing a creamy yet slightly salty taste that is at least on par with the better peanut butter bars out there. Unfortunately its the looks of the bar that let it down - my word this bar is ugly...this is not the crafts work of the finer chocolatiers and a redesign should really be considered by Nestle. This small issue aside this is a great tasting bar that you should really try if you fancy the sound of it.

8.0 out of 10

May 5th: Montezuma's "Whoopee"

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

I continued making my way through the Montezuma's gift set today sampling the "Whoopee" bar. This was another white chocolate variant from the range and this time had the added flavour of raspberry.

Again this was a boxed and plastic wrapper sealed 45g bar that was split into six blocks. From the picture above you should be able to make out speckled appearance of the bar - it was simply six blocks of white chocolate, interspersed with small fragments of raspberry. In honesty this didnt make for the most impressive or appertising bar...it looked far from unappealing but it did very little to excite.

The bar had a slight vanilla essence smell though any hint of raspberry was lacking in the aroma which was again slightly disappointing.

The white chocolate had a very creamy milky flavour with quite a strong vanilla undertone. It made for a pleasent taste and avoided the pitfall that many white chocolate bars fall into and was not overly sweet. The raspberry flavour in the bar is established using freeze dried raspberrys (4%). Tastewise the raspberry wasnt to strong and could have done with being a bit more concentrated - due to the nature of being freeze dried, the texture of the bar wasnt very good....the chocolate when melted was relatively smooth though due to the smallness of the freeze dried raspberrys this smoothness was offset by a grainy texture. I also kept finding small pieces of raspberry in my teeth for a good hour or so after which as you can imagine be rather annoying.

Overall this again is a fair but unspectacular bar from Montezuma's. The white chocolate is a good standard but isnt quite the best I have had (see Thorntons!!) and the raspberry although not at detriment to the bar is rather weak and poor in texture. This is another good attempt at a classic recpie from Montezuma's..its not a bad bar nor is it an overly impressive one - I would expect more though for such a premium price.

7.0 out of 10