June 10th: Nestle Peppermint Crisp (SA)

Kcal 235 Fat 11.4g Carbs 30.5g

Today im reviewing yet another imported product courtesy of my friends at Sweetstall. Todays offering came in the form of the South African bar the Nestle Peppermint Crisp. This bar is a combination of 'Peppermint cracknel coated in milk chocolate' and came in a pretty substantial 50g serving - it cured my chocolate pang thats for sure.

As you can see in the picture above this bar offers a pretty unqiue proposition. The mint cracknel is actually formed by very thin straw shaped sugar strand-like pieces. These sugar straws were very prominant in colour and were strikingly green - this combined with the nicely seperated chocolate blocks made for a nice looking and interesting bar. The bar came foiled wrapped which ensured and maintained a nice fresh smell to the bar...it wasnt suprising the smell was very minty and only had a slight cocoa edge.

To be blunt the milk chocolate in this bar was very average. In terms of texture it did a nice job as a coating chocolate, offering a slightly crisp initial bite but one which melted at a nice rate in the mouth to reveal the centre flavour. Its hard to describe its flavour as it was so largely dominated by the peppermint - by and large though it had a sweet milky taste which was neither fantastic or disappointing...just purely average.

The intricate sugar cane based centre made for a very distinctive centre texture. Initially biting through the chocolate the centre had a initial sharpness and crunch to its build. Once slightly crushed and moistened though the centre quickly became quite chewy and was a complete contrast to its initial texture. Its flavour was very strong and heavily rooted in the peppermint oil ingredient...despite its main constituants being sugar its strong mint flavour avoided it being sickly...this bar was incredibly moreish and had a nice fresh minty taste.

Overall this is a high quality tasting mint chocolate bar that certainly offers someting different with its unique centre texture. The fresh peppermint flavour was hugely dominant and heavily overshadowed the taste of the chocolate...a little too much if we are getting picky! I would definately recommend this bar if your a fan of mint chocolate - this could be heaven in chocolate bar form if thar is your get up. A nice bar that deserves a try if you like the sound of it...just watch your mouth on the initial sharpness of the centre...we wouldnt want a chocolate related injury now would we ;)

8.3 out of 10

Want to try the Peppermint Crisp for yourself? Head over to www.Sweetstall.com

June 10th: Maltesers White

Kcal 177 Fat 8.4g Carbs 22.4g

You may recall that last month I reviewed the original Maltesers which scored 7.4... take a look if you havent already. Today I felt a little peckish after lunch so decided to pick up a 35g bag of the white variant.

As you have probably already ascertained the only difference from the original Maltesers and this variant came in the substitution of the milk chocolate for white chocolate...well that and a shocking 2g from the single serving pack :)

On pack they were described as 'white chocolates, with crisp, light honeycombed centres' and came in a nice foil bag. The white Maltesers were almost identical in appearance but had a nice a slightly yellowish cream chocolate colour. When opened the product had a nice smell - very milky and creamy ...alot like vanilla ice cream.

To taste, this variant Maltesers was again very much a mixed bag. The white chocolate element melted at a nice rate in the mouth and provided a smooth coating. In taste the white chocolate was very milky with a slight vanilla note...its flavour was very much like sweet vanilla yogurt - it was an enjoyable taste though lacked the strength of the original milk chocolate. The honeycomb centres were again very tasty; they had a nice strong malty sweet honey flavour which was only spoilt by its complete lack of substantiality...the flavour lasted only seconds before fizzing and melting away on my tongue. I finished this 35g in a matter of a few minutes, and to be honest I was just as hungry as I was before I ate them.

Overall this variant runs into exactly the same problems as the original though to a further extent. These are a nice tasting product...the chocolate has a smooth texture and a nice light creamy taste...the honeycomb is also pleasant in flavour though just lacks any substanance of any degree. I guess these are a product I would recommend if your after a lighter choice of chocolate...though in my opinion if your going to eat chocolate you might as well do it properly and eat and entirely satisfying product...great tasting but just dont suprised when the entirety of the 350g pouch you buy at the cinema quickly becomes 0g!

7.1 out of 10

June 9th: Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark

Kcal 182 Fat 14.0g Fat(sats) 8.4g Carbs 11.5g

Ever since the disaster of last Monday's Cadbury Bournville experience ive been yearning for some good quality dark chocolate...thankfully today it was Lindt to the rescue.

This was the first bar I can remember in a long time where sugar was not the highest in proportion on the ingredients list...as you can guess with a minimum of 70% solids Cocoa was the most prominent. Speaking of the wrapper as you can see above its very stylish - a crisp clean white and black background with sleek gold writing. The chocolate itself had a nice appearance...it was split into six easily breakable mouth sized chunks each with a nice pattern and Lindt logo enscribed. The chocolate was tightly foil wrapped and once opened a lovely cocoa aroma emerged. As evident here Lindt never fail to go that extra mile in regards to the presentation of their products...stunning.

As you can guess with a minimum of 70% cocoa solids the flavour was reasonably rich. Letting each block slowly melt on my tongue the chocolate melted at a nice rate and formed a luxuriously smooth yet thick texture. It had an initial unique bitter smokey flavour but once melted held a nice rich cocoa lightly vanilla noted taste that was suprisingly sweet....ultimately very rich but yet very moreish!

Overall every aspect of this bar radiates quality, everything from the asthetic look of the wrapper, the ingredients, the texture just emits a message of luxury...thankfully this is something that is also evident in the taste. The flavour isnt overly complex yet is rich and delicious...nothing complicated here just high quality dark chocolate. I would recommend this bar to anyone...whether your a connoisseur of dark chocolate or just looking for somewhere to start you can go little wrong with this bar.

8.9 out of 10

June 8th: Oreo Cakesters Chocolate Creme

Kcal 250 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 36.0g

A few weeks ago dedicated Chocolate Mission reader Justin was kind enough to send me a pack of the original Oreo Cakesters to review...they scored a very reasonable 7.4 Chocolate Mission rating. For that reason when the opportunity arose for me to get my hands on a pack of the 'Chocolate Creme' variant I wasnt going to turn it down.

Much the same as the original variant these came in a pack of two cakes (57g), for reasons I will go into they turned out to feel like a more substantial product. As you can see above the cakes looked identical to the originals though with a darker coloured creme filling - very prtty to look at (..but even better to eat lol!). Aromawise the cakes lacked any smell worth mentioning...again a slightly sweet smell but nothing massivelly appealing.

The cake elements still retained a nice firm brownie type texture...slightly moist but firm and substantial to the bite. The cake pieces had a nice chocolaty taste and were definately still my favourite part of the cakesters - scrumptious.

So...the defining element of this variety the chocolate creme...how did it fare? Better than the original creme fillling in my opinion. Though still the same in proportion the creme filling had a thicker denser texture and with this a stronger flavour. The original Cakesters creme had a very sweet slightly milky flavour, this variant was creamier but slightly less sweet and had an cocoa edge to its taste.

Overall if I was offered a pack of these or a Kinder Slice I honestly dont know which I would pick (both probably haha!). These are on a par with the Kinder Slice but marginally better tasting than the original Cakesters! This is solely due to the creme filling flavour being slightly more distinguished making for a marginally more satisfying product. Again these come highly recommended by myself - an absolutely perfect snack enjoyed with a cool glass of milk.

7.7 out of 10

Want Candy & American foods like the Oreo Cakesters direct to you in the UK? Head over to Candy Pirate!

June 7th: Snickers Nut'n Butter Crunch

Kcal 250 Fat 15.0g Fat(sats) 6.0g Carbs 25.0g

As much as I dont like to admit it, the whole 'Limited Edition' candy craze in the US has encaptulated me. Im justifying my spend on this bar based on the fact that Chocolate Mission is currently jointly being led by the Original Snickers so it would be irresponsible of me not to review a limited edition Snickers offering...thats a good enough excuse for me anyway :D

This limited Edition Snickers offering is named the 'Nut'n Butter Crunch' and is comprised of 'milk chocolate, peanuts and creamy peanut butter taste'. This was all crammed into a 48.5g bar...a big on pack slogan states 'Snickers satisfies'...im not going to dispute this... despite its smaller size compared to the original Snickers (UK) it was more than sufficent and was a nicely portioned bar.

The wrapper had a nice colourful bold appeal whilst the bar itself had a nice asthetic look to it. The bar had a enticing cocoa smell which was further extentuated with a strong nutty note when bitten into.

As you can see above the milk chocolate coating was not the thickest....it provided a nice crisp outershell but due to the nature of the chewy centre its creamy flavour soon took very much a back seat...fortunately the centre filling was absolutely delicious.

When I was first reading about this bar on the internet I was expecting a pure peanut butter centre but when I recieved the bar I realised it was actually a peanut butter flavoured nougat...this slightly worried me as I feared for a bland tasting nougat...luckily my fears were soon put to rest as this was thankfully not the case. The nougat centre mixed a strong peanut butter flavour with a nice firm texture...what really made the nougat extra tasty though were the whole peanuts which were generously dispersed throughout. They had a fresh crunch and slightly salty flavour which made for a substantial tasty centre that was crammed with flavour.

Overall Im a big fan of peanut butter and this is genuinely a very good peanut butter flavoured bar. The combination of chewy and crunchy textures in the nougat makes for an extremely tasty and interesting centre filling. The chocolate coating is slightly lacklusture due to its small proportioning though this can be forgiven. Another thing that did slightly disappoint me was the lack of a caramel layer...unfortunately this element has been removed from this bar...I believe the extra sweetness from the caramel would provide a great combination of flavours agaisnt the slightly salted peanut elements. At the end of the day, although it could be made slightly better with a few slight adaptations this is a great tasting bar that I would recommend to Snickers, peanut butter or limited edition addicts like myself - this a bar I will be definately having again.

8.4 out of 10

June 6th: Cadbury Cherry Ripe (Aus)

Kcal 260 Fat 13.9g Fat(sats) 10.9g Carbs 30.4g


Earlier this week I made the revelation that the UK's classic Jameson Ruffle Rasberry was actually manufactured by a subsidary of Cadbury....well it appears Cadbury have shared this recipe concept abroad - more specfically with the guys 'down under' in Australia who have formulated a bar called the 'Cherry Ripe'.

The bars' on pack description states that it is comprised of 'Ripe juicy cherries and coconut in Old Gold rich dark chocolate'. As I said above the bar follows much the same formulation of the Ruffle bar but with a few fairly obvious variations. The first obvious variation comes in the substitution of rapsberry for cherry, the other is that the bar comes in larger 55g serving...this was a very substanstial bar and one that very much settled my hunger.

The bar came in a nice red foil wrapper - unfortunately this did not ensure much of a freshness to the appearance of the bar..as you will see above the chocolate showed slight 'blooming' and had a slightly off-putting white speckled coating. The bar also offered very little in the way of aroma - a slight hint of sweet cherry but this was very faint and without me actively searching for it would not have been detectable.

This bar had a nice initial texture with the outside chocolate providing a pleasant crispness upon biting into it. Unfortunately when letting the chocolate melt in my mouth I found that rather than smoothly melt it formed into clumps which I wasnt particularly partial to. Aswell as having a poor texture the chocolate didnt add much in terms of flavour - it took very much a back seat to the centre filling and provided little more than a slight mild cocoa note.

The mix of coconut and glace cherries provided both a chewy but crunchy texture. As you can see above the centre filling was artificially coloured red...fortunately this didnt correspond to the taste and both the coconut and cherry elements had a distinguished fresh taste. The coconut element provided a nice milky note which nicely mixed with the fruity sweet glace cherry to form a nice blend of flavours.

Overall this bar very much follows the story of the Jameson Ruffle Rapberry. The chocolate here is unquestionably quite poor...especially by Cadburys standards..it was lacking in flavor definition and had a particularly poor lumpy texture. Luckily the bar is saved by the centre filling having a nice fruity and fresh taste. The mix of cherrys and coconut is one that works - the chewy and crunchy textures provide a nice background to the mixing of the milky sweet flavours. With more attention paid to enhancing the chocolate element this bar could potentially be very good as the formulation and proportioning of the centre filling is spot on for the ingredients used. I would recommend this bar to fans of the Ruffle Raspberry or Bounty ranges...if you like the sound of the combination of cherrys and coconut its a pretty safe bet you will enjoy this bar.

7.1 out of 10

Want to Try the Cadbury Cherry Ripe and many other similar items?? Head over to Sweetstall.

June 5th: Ferrero Rocher

Kcal 292 Fat 20.2g Fat(sats) 6.6g Carbs 22.4g ( per 50.0g)

I much prefer writing reviews for products I have liked and luckily today i get that luxury again....some might say "Monsieur, with this Rocher review, you're really spoiling us".....you will only get that if you live in the UK...a corny ad many moons ago.

Ferrero rather pompously describe 'Rocher' as 'whole hazelnut in milk chocolate and nut croquante'....what the hells is croquante?? Let me clear things up Rocher consist of a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with nutella/hazelnut cream and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. Despite the over complicated on pack description I cannot lay fault to any other aspect of the Rocher's appearance...it looks fantastic and is presented amazingly. Everything from the gold foil wrapper to the chocolates themselves look the part - simple but stylish.

Beside from looking the part these also smelt hugely enticing....a very strong nutty smell was very apparent as soon as the chocolates were released from their golden wrappers... enormously appetite whetting.

As I have described above each chocolate has several layers to its consituants. The chocolate and chopped nuts coating provided an initial nice crispness to the chocolate. The next wafer layer for my liking was a tad insubstantial and light though still retained a nice crunch. The truffle centre was very smooth in texture and the whole hazelnut had a nice crunchy freshness...the number of different textures in this small chocolate is really quite remarkable and each of them brings a distinct unqiue texture characteristic.

Its pretty safe to say if you dont like nuts..you simpy arent going to like 'Rocher'. Each 'Rocher' is 30% compromised of hazelnuts so its not suprising the dominant flavour is a nutty one. The nut element actually has more prominance in the number of layers than the milk chocolate...theres chopped nuts in the coating, ground nuts in the truffle and of course the whole nut in the middle. The nut taste was distinctly fresh and with this forthcoming in flavour with a slight woody note. The milk chocolate element also tasted classy - it had a smooth milky taste that was neither too strong or weak in flavour...just right with the dominance of the nut flavour. The only sightly disappointing element was the wafer - like most Ferrero products it lacked subsitnance and flavour...very non descript and was very much like the wafer in the Kinder Bueno.

Overall theres nothing to say other than these are fantastic looking and tasting chocolates. They ooze class in every which way...the packaging, the smell and thankfully the way they taste. This might sound silly but its nice to find a chocolate that contains nuts and that actually has a strong nutty flavour....just too many bars and chocolates nowadays play host to non-flavoursome nuts...Ferrero Rocher are the opposite...30% nuts...100% taste. I would recommend these to anyone without a nut allergy :D :D :D haha no being serious I would recommend these to any truffles or nuts fans - very close to a top five place.

8.7 out of 10

June 4th: Nestle Milo Bar (Aus)

Kcal 265 Fat 14.4g Fat(sats) 12.7g Carbs 30.1g

This bar came with the promise of being 'energy food'...well after eating this I certainly feel energised to write about this bar as I really want to share how good it was.

I did some prior research before eating this bar and I learnt that 'Milo' is actually more commonly known of in the form of a chocolate and malt flavoured milk drink. Though first manufactured in Australia its most popular in Malaysia where 90%+ of all 'Milo' is consumed (Thanks Wiki!!).

Anyway enough with the boring stuff - this form of the 'Milo' bar came from Australia in a single 50g serving. I must at this point say I was particularly hungry before eating this bar - but as of now (30 mins after eating!!) im still feeling very full.

The bar came in a very striking green foil wrapper. It was a bit cryptic as the only bar description on display read 'soft on top with a Milo base'.....thats very good if you know what 'Milo' is!!?? :S Let me fill you in...the bar in appearance looked remarkably similar to a Toffee Crisp...and it was built quite like one to; it had a cereal base with a layer of caramel placed above, all of which was coated in milk chocolate. The bar had a nice biscuity type smell with also a nice undertone of milk - thumbs up!

The texture of the bar was also very similar to a Toffee crisp - it combined a crunchy cereal base with a chewy caramel layer and a nice thick layer of chocolate. The only real difference between this and the 'Toffee Crisp' was that both the cereal and caramel elements were alot denser and more substantial - particularly the caramel which was very viscucous and alot chewier than the gooeyier toffee found in the Toffee Crisp. The chocolate was about right in thickness and provided a nice crisp outer layer.

The 'Milo' base is a mixture of rice cereal and barley - it had a distinct biscuity malty taste which with its substantial nature made for an extremely tasty and filling base to the bar. The chocolate was neither of great or poor quality...it wasnt the strongest in flavour though had a milky sweet taste....in truth this component could be done better. The caramel element to this bar was suprising in taste...I was expecting a very sweet taste but was infact met with a flavour that was more like fudge....it was far creamier than your standard caramel - very tasty.

Overall this is probably the best bar that I have tasted from the Sourthern Hemisphere so far. The 'Milo' combines a nice variety of textures and biscuity malty flavours in a substantial 50g bar that I can imagine when enjoyed with a cool glass of milk would really hit the spot if in a situation of any hunger. The only slight drawback comes with the chocolate which could of been implemented slightly better. Im also not overly sure about its 'Energy Food' positioning but that really dosent matter as at the root of things we have an extremely tasty bar. I would recommend this bar to my whole Chocolate Mission audience...its simple...if you like a Toffee Crisp or just the sound of it...try it.

8.5 out of 10

Visit Sweetstall for all your Australian / US / Canadian / South African Candy needs right here in the UK!

June 3rd: Cadbury Bournville

Kcal 220 Fat 11.8g Fat(sats) 7.3g Carbs 26.6g

This bar is commonly regarded as a 'dark chocolate for beginners'... because of this from the start I was hardly expecting a rich 70% cocoa Lindt like experience. My only previous experience with the Bournville range only went as far as my childhood memories of the small Bournville squares always being the last ones to go from the christmas Cadbury 'Roses' assortment tin...not all that favourable then!

The bar came in an adequately substantial six block 49g serving. It was enclosed in a nice looking red foil wrapper with gold writing; unfortunately the bar itself wasnt as smartish in appearance and had alot of scratches and 'blooming' which you can see represented in the above picture. The foil wrapper ensured the bar retained a freshness meaning that its aroma was quite strong upon opening. The smell itself was pretty poor and not all the appertising - at first an resonable cocoa emerged, though unfortunately it transformed into a rather off putting stagnant milk smell...oh dear...not nice.

Putting the first block in my mouth the first thing I detected was the the texture was slightly grainy. The block didnt melt in the mouth and disappointingly stayed as a solid lump until bitten into. The texture wasnt the best and was akin to the lower end of the market cheaper chocolates.

Looking at the ingredients on the back of pack the first two components read as sugar and cocoa. Upon tasting it was very obvious that the sugar ingredient was far more prevalent as the flavour was very sweet for dark chocolate. The cocoa solids level in the bar are indicated as 39% which is significantly lower than you get in most dark chocolate bars. Thats not to say a cocoa note wasnt detectable...it was...but was overshadowed by a more dominant sweet sugary taste which unfortunately left the overall flavour in a musky, non specific poor middle ground.

Overall it seems as if Cadbury have held back from making the bar overly dark and cocoa rooted inorder to avoid the product being too niche. Unfortunately what they seem to have amalgamated here is a particulalry bland and weak tasting chocolate that would neither appeal to a dark chocolate or milk chocolate consumer. This offering falls well below the high standards Cadbury sets itself...if they are going to cater for the dark chocolate consumer they should be braver with their product positioning and offer a product that genuinely can be credited as dark chocolate. I wouldnt really recommend this to anyone - particularly not as a starting place for the world of dark chocolate as its a poor representation of the market.

5.3 out of 10

June 2nd: Lindt Lindor Coffee Truffles

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

Coffee...yum....Lindor truffles...yum....I had high hopes for these.

Good luck finding these in a packaged Lindor box selection as I dont think one actually exists...I found these as part of a pick-a-mix selection in my local Whittards shop. I bought four of these which more than made for a substantial portion.

Each truffle came in an individual wrapper that didnt look too dissimillar to the 70% cocoa dark truffles - a dark wrapper with white writing. The truffles were comprised of a thick outer dark chocolate shell with a smooth coffee flavoured truffle centre - they looked nice in appearance though were a bit lacking in anything more than a subtle cocoa smell.

Each truffle had a nice thick outer coating of dark chocolate. As I let the truffles chill slightly in the fridge before eating them the coatings provided a nice firm crack when i bit into them...this firmness provided a great combination of textures with the soft buttery melt in the mouth truffle fillings and was one that I found particularly sumptuous.

The dark chocolate outer shell had a rich cocoa flavour that I can only presume was the 70% Lindt dark brand. Despite its strong flavour it avoided being bitter and once melted had a particularly luxurious smooth taste. The inner truffle was equally as good and despite its light nature provided a great tasting fresh coffee flavour that really delivered in quality. I would genuinely say the quality of coffee flavour was among the best I have tasted on ChocolateMission including my all time favourite Trader Joe's coated coffee beans.

Overall these are some of the best truffles I have genuinely ever tasted - they score on a par with the original Lindt Lindor milk chocolate truffles and justifiably so. These truffles expertly marry the dark chocolate and coffee elements superbly whilst the mixture of firm and light textures provides a luxurious tasting experience thats just so incredibly moreish. I would whole heartidly recommend these to anyone...especially fans of dark chocolate, coffee or truffles.

8.6 out of 10

June 1st: Nestle Crunch Crisp

Kcal 240 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 13.0g Carbs 32.0g

Last month I reviewed the UK Crunch bars both of which scored in the upper 6's. Today im reviewing the US 'Crisp Crunch' bar that dedicated reader Justin very nicely sent to me in his box of goodies from the US.

The Cunch Crisp has a rather elaborate seven different layers...three interwoven wafer and milk chocolate creme layers topped with a layer of rice all of which has a chocolate flavoured coating. All seven layers constituted for a large 49.3g bar which was very adequete in settling my hunger.

So the on wrapper boring stuff...you may notice above the saturated fat content of the bar! No thats not a typo it does contain a staggering 13.0g of saturated fat...honestly Ive never come across a bar that contains so much per gram...quite staggering really but the ingredients list shows why this is the case. The bar contains two different types of hydrogenated oil: kernel and coconut....hmmm yuck! Whats even more suprising is that the bar dosent actually contain any cocoa butter :( thats really disappointing to be honest and really suggests this bar could have been made with better ingredients.

Above I described the intricate composition of the bar - this made for a great look and one that looked very appertising. Unfortunately its appearance was slightly let down due to the nature of how quickly the bar melted on my fingers...it was a little greasy feeling after only a few seconds of contact with my hands and did make them feel slightly messy....despite this it still looked the part. Out of the pack the bar offered very little in ways of an aroma, an ever so slight sweet smell but overly disappointing.

The wafer layers despite being in contact with the slightly moist chocolate creme retained a nice crispness - this was further excentiated by the rice which topped the bar. As the name suggested the bar had a nice crunch to it - this with the smooth chocolate creme made for a great arrangement of contrasting textures.

The bar despite containing no real chcolate ingredients was surprisingly chocolaty in flavour. The chocolate creme had a nice creamy chocolaty taste which complimented the malty wafer flavour nicely. The puffed rice ontop made for a nice cereal tasting undertone which added just another nice component to the overall taste. The sheer variation in flavour of the layers ensured the bar avoided becoming monotomous in taste and made this bar incredibly moreish.

Overall this is a better bar than the original Crunch bars we have here in the UK. The design of the bar is on the whole a nice one - it looks good and the nature of the interwoven layers make for an intresting combination of textures and flavours. My slight reservations with this bar came with its nutritional content and ingredients...im sorry but the inclusion of the hydrogenated oils is doing no one any favours...healthwise its a thumbs down...but also just think of the potential this bar has if these were replaced by more natraul actual cocoa ingredients...it already tastes nice and chocolaty it could get even better. I definately wouldnt recommend this to anyone on a diet but to the rest of us this is a great tasting bar that I suggest you try if you get the chance.

7.8 out of 10

June 1st: Jameson's Ruffle Raspberry

Kcal 125 Fat 5.3g Carbs 18.5g

To be honest I had never heard of this bar until I literally recieved half a dozen requests asking for it to be reviewed. I was told this is bar used to be very readily avalible...yet now seems to be getting less distribution on the confectionary market. Yet again it was Woolworths to the rescue and I found this mini bar hanging around the lower end of their extensive confectionary shelf.

So what the devil is a Ruffle Raspberry...I will leave it to the packet to explain...its a rather small 28g bar that has 'chocolate covered coconut and raspberry flavour fondant cream centre'...okay sounds interesting.

The wrapper also reveals that this little number is also a product of none other than Cadbury themselves...now theres a turn up for the books. The wrapper also told me that the chocolate is comprised of a min of 40% cocoa solids and that a good portion of it is made from cocoa butter..always nice to know.

As you can see in the picture above the appearance of the bar is striking. The chocolate was unfortunately a bit scuffed and rough looking but this was more than made up for by the beautifully flourescent pink coloured centre. To be honest I have never seen anything like it before - its truly unique looking. The bar had a reasonable aroma - it had a slight coconut smell with a hint of cocoa..nothing too amazing but ok none the less.

The bar texture was a bit of a mixed bag. The fondant centre was slightly crunchy with the coconut though also had a smooth creme feel to it. Unfortuntely the texture of the chocolate was slightly grainy and thin in thickness...thus not providing the nicest of coatings.

The taste of the chocolate was also disappointing - despite the claim of having a reasonable amount of cocoa it was largely flavourless and its taste was all but lost agaisnt the strong flavoured centre. The centre fondant was as you can probably guess very sweet in appearance. The coconut element was for me slighlty dull and on its own I could see this being a very indifferent proposition. Luckily for the bar its saved by a nice fresh tasting raspberry flavour which although achieved through flavourings added a nice berry twist.

Overall this obviously isnt the best bar I have eaten on Chocolate Mission but its far from the worst. The chocolate is very disappointing and adds very little to the bar in taste or texture. The centre fondant is a bit of a mixed bag the coconut adds a nice aroma and texture but little in taste...the raspberry twist is a nice added element to this centre though and it makes for a more interesting flavour. It seems this bar has a bit of following though I think this must be due to its nostalgic appeal rather than genuine love for the taste....if your a fan of Fry's bars this is probably worth you having a look.

6.8 out of 10

May 31st: Toblerone Honeycomb Crisp

Kcal 515 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 62.0g

Well this was pretty inevitable wasnt it....on Monday I 'rounded off' my reviews of the Toblerone range with my review of the 'Fruit & Nut' variant....well just to make me look silly Kraft have managed to release another variant of Toblerone that not even the internet seems to have heard of!!! Yes a google search and even the Toblerone site dosent show any knowledge of the existance of todays bar....Toblerone 'Honeycomb Crisp'.

Now heres where things get a little complicated....the name and on pack description mentions 'Honeycomb Crisp'...the description says "milk chocolate with almond, honey, nougat and added honeycomb pieces".....ok...but one look at the ingredients and this dosent transpire...milk chocolate...yes, almond...yes, honey...yes, nougat...yes but honeycomb pieces...nope! Instead included is 'rice'. So it turns out this isnt actually honeycomb but infact rice diguised as honeycomb...so how did it fare?

Appearance - brilliant as ever! Not quite the high standard of the 'Dark' or 'Fruit & Nut' variants but still pretty damn nice looking. The aroma was also very nice - as with the other variants a nice cocoa smell but with this bar it was complimented with an added sweet edge..not a synthetic smelling one though - a nice fresh one.

On to the big one then....the taste!! Well initially I wasnt overly impressed. The bar had a near overpowering initial taste - it is one that I can describe as tasting flowery...an elderflower like flavour infact! Its initially very strong and overly sweet for my tastebuds. Luckily this primary flavour was quickly diluted by the creamy chocolate and it soon transformed to a strong honey like flavour that was far more bearable and overly nice. As you can imagine with the added rice cereal the bar had more of a 'snap, crackle and pop' texture. It made for an intresting texture and none the less it complimented the smooth chocolate and small chewy nougat flakes nicely.

Overall this isnt the best of the Toblerone range....infact its scored the lowest of the lot lol...but thats not to say it isnt a nice bar...it is. I was a tad disappointed with the fact that the on pack description was a bit misleading...its not actually honeycomb, its a bar with an excentuated honey flavour and a rice crispy texture. Not really the same thing is it!?...but it is what it is and despite it having a pretty overpowering initial flowery noted taste it transformed into a nice strong honey rooted flavour with a great tasting base of great quality milk chocolate. Definately worth giving a try if your fans of the Toblerone range - to be honest Im genuinely intrested in hearing peoples opinions on this bar...that all depends on you being able to find it first though.

7.8 out of 10

May 30th: Nestle Violet Crumble (Aus)

Kcal 240 Fat 8.6g Fat(sats) 8.3g Carbs 38.0g

"G'day There Skip"...errr yeh... todays bar comes all the way from 'Down-Under' Australia via my good pals at Sweetstall. The Violet Crumble is Nestle's answer to the Cadbury Crunchie - a bar that I genuinely have alot of love for.

The Violet Crumble came in a very sizeable serving - and was contained in a pretty stylish purple foil pack. On pack it described itself as 'delicious shattering choc coated honeycomb'.... as you can probably gauge from this description and picture above the product proposition is entirely the same as the Crunchie.

The foil wrapper ensured the product retained a pleasant aroma - slightly chocolaty but with a nice hint of honey - an overly enticing smell.

The outside coating of the bar was comprimised of milk chocolate. Its flavour was reasonable - it was quite sweet but had a nice milky undertone. Unfortunately it wasnt quite thick enough for my liking and its flavour was quickly lost in the midst of the honeycomb centre.

The honeycomb centre....oh dear where do I start. Unfortunately unlike the aroma, a honey taste was nowhere to be seen. The honeycomb was sickeningly sweet and could be described as nothing more but tasting of sugar. Its texture was also pretty bad...I dont know if you guys have ever tasted freeze dried food? Astronuaght food?...but its texture was exactly like that...dry as a bone. It was so dry infact that it made the honeycomb congeal with the saliva in my mouth and literally just stick to my teeth...im sad to say but it was horrible.

Overall if this was a boxing match...in the red corner the Cadbury Crunchie....and in the blue corner the Nestle Violet Crumble....well I hope the blue corner brought a pillow cause its 'going to sleep'....the Cadbury Crunchie would win with a first round KO...the difference in class is that large. The chocolate of the Violet Crumble isnt bad...its passable thats for sure. The bar also looks nice in appearance and I cant fault it for its hunger fufilment credentials...its certainly a big bar. The product literally self combusts when it comes to the honeycomb filling...its tastes ever so sickley and has none of the honey tasting goodness that you get in the Crunchie. Whats even worse than the taste is the texture - it sucks any sort of moistness from the mouth and annoylingly just clings to your teeth...just horrible. I genuinely wouldnt recommend this bar to anyone...I wouldnt want to be held to that...I guess if your a massive fan of the Crunchie I could see why you could be interested in at least sampling this bar but If Im honest I would leave it well alone.

5.8 out of 10

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May 29th: Oreo Cakesters

Kcal 250 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 36.0g

Who said 'tea and cake' was an English thing eh? It seems everyone outside the UK gets all these different cake products that we simply just dont in the UK! These were another tasty treat from Colarado's own Chocolate Mission reader Justin. You all may recall my sheer fascination and recent addiction to the highly debated Kinder Milk Slice - well these are along the same premise...two cake sponges with a cream like filling....of course with these being Oreo style the cake was chocolate flavoured.

According to the back of pack, a single serving comprimises of two cakes - which together weigh 57g. To be honest these wernt overly substantial and I was still quite hungry after eating both...I certainly wanted to eat a few more :D :D The packet as you can see above was reasonably good looking... what I was rather pleased with was the cardboard sleeve that protected both the cakes..it did a sterling job to say the least and despite the numerous air miles and extreme weather conditions these faced whilst making their way across the pond, as you can see above they arrived in A+ condition and looked very very appertising.

Unfortunately the smell didnt quite correspond with the look and the aroma was rather lacklusture...not bad smelling just very non descript apart from a relatively low key sweet smell.

The texture of the cakes were suprisingly sturdy. The chocolate cake pieces were more akin to firm chocolate brownie rather than a light cake texture like found in the Kinder Slices. To be honest I preffered this more viscuous type cake as it allowed for a stronger flavour. The taste of the cake pieces was suprisingly more chocolaty than you get with the biscuit version of Oreos, incedently I was suprised by this as looking at the ingredients the actual cocoa content was low.

The middle cream centre of the Cakesters was much lower in proportion that seen in comparison to the Kinder Slice. Its taste was much alike the centre filling you get with standard Oreos...slightly milky but the dominant flavour being a sugary sweet one. Its texture was again very similar to the centre of a standard Oreo biscuit though ever so slightly lighter and more whipped.

Overall although these have scored marginally higher than the KinderMilk Slice, if it was a direct taste on taste contest I would say the Kinder option is superior. As an all round product though these Oreo Cakesters slightly edge it as a contest as they have more appealing look and superior texture to the cake element. These are certainly an incredibly moreish product and after consuming two I was more than ready for another...which isnt an entirely good thing in my opinion. I would definately recommend these if you enjoy the Kinder Slice or Oreos...or just generally if you like cakey products.

7.3 out of 10

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