July 22nd: Charleston Chew 'Chocolatey' (US)

Kcal 230 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 4.5g Carbs 43.0g

Last week CandyPirate were yet again kind enough to send me another bar to sample - this time another of one of the US's best selling candy bars the 'Charleston Chew Chocolatey'....'Chocolatey' why not chocolate? Well folks further research has revealed that Tootsie Roll Ind have had to name this variant 'Chocolatey' and not chocolate due to the coating being formulated using vegetable fats and not cocoa butter!....oh....oh indeed! Though I sampled the original sized variant, the Charleston Chew has recently become avalible in a 'mini' format which Cybele at Candy Blog has cast her eye across...well worth checking out her review as she battles her 'mockolate' fears.

The wrapper described this as 'chewy flavoured nougat with a deliciously chocolatey flavoured coating'. the wrapper itself was very similarly styled to that of the Tootsie Roll I reviewed last week. Classic and retro in look but still with the TLC touch of an inside cardboard sleeve to protect the bar. The bar itself look pretty plain in appearance...it simply looked like a longer, thinner less detailed Milky Way...not particularly imposing or unique to be honest. This bar came in a huge sinlge serving finger shape that weighed in at a mighty 53.2g - it was not only the size of the bar that made it so fufiling but its nature, the extra chewy texture made it a pretty satisfying and substantial eating experience.

Taking the bar from the sleeve and cutting it into sizeable chunks the bar emanated a subtle vanilla essence like aroma. The chocolatey coating did not seem to have a distinct smell, though the vanilla scent was pleasant enough.

On the wrapper the bar suggested to 'Try me frozen'....so I did. As I said above I sectioned the bar into several bitesized pieces and then let it sit in my freezer for a good few hours. Obviously placing the first piece in my mouth the chocolatey coating took a while to meet its melting point. It must be said the coating really lacked a definitive flavour and was little more than I can describe as sweet tasting with the slightest...and I mean slightest cocoa undercurrant. Its texture was pleasant enough despite the lack of cocoa butter - once at melting point in my mouth it smoothly melted away to reveal the nougat centre.

The nougat/taffy like centre was where this product really came into its own...it tasted delicious and whats more was great fun to eat. As you can imagine when in its frozen state the centre had a hard texture though once warmed in the mouth was enjoyably sticky and chewy. It was tougher than standard nougat but not jaw destroying at the same time. By far and away the best way to eat it was to warm the nougat on the tongue, then slightly chew it to release the flavour and then suck on the remnants till all but melted away. In flavour it was very similar to that of the nougat in a UK Milky Way...deliciously creamy and milky with the slightest essence of vanilla - awesome stuff and incredibly enjoyable.

Overall this is another prouct from the US that like the Tootsie Roll has both brilliant and poor attributes. Lets not beat around the bush...the chocolatey coating is poor! It offered very little in taste and though despite not having an unenjoyable texture, there's just no doubt that it could just be delivered so much better with the implementation of actual higher quality real chocolate! The nougat centre is delightfully tasty, its flavoured sweetly but not overly so and its texture has just the right about of resistance to provide a long but enjoyable creamy vanilla tasting experience. Im going to recommend this product as its something thats slightly different from your average candy bar (especially for us in the UK!)...theres no doubting that with a slight tweaking of the ingredients and delivery of the chocolate this could really be a bar to behold - certainly a bar worth checking out if you like your nougat.

7.4 out of 10

Want to try out the Charleston Chew Chocolatey for yourself? Head to CandyPirate to find American Candy & Foods all directly in the UK!

July 22nd: After Eight Bitesize

Kcal 259 Fat 16.4g Fat(sats) 10.7g Carbs 40.5g (per tube)

What ever happened to the Mint Munchies?? Well I can tell you …they got rebranded as the After Eight Bitesize in 2006 that’s what. To be honest I think it made perfect sense considering the only way that they resembled Munchies in any way were through their appearance! Apart from that they are completely different – a mint soft centre fondant that is coated in plain semi sweet chocolate…vastly different to the caramel and biscuit original milk chocolate Munchies i reviewed about a week ago.

These came in a pack of 61g which contained twelve bite sized cubes. I personally don’t think there is a person alive that could possibly eat these all in one sitting…personally I preferred to just have the occasional one every so often and it took me over two weeks to eat a whole pack.

The packaging was nice in appearance and the gold foil wrapper made for a nice looking protective covering. The chocolates had a slight cocoa scent with a hint of fresh mint…not the strongest or most appetising but ok nonetheless.

As I have said I personally think it would be nearly impossible to eat all 12 in one sitting....they were so devilishly sweet. The fondant centres tasted almost completely of sugar...not suprising due to the pack being over 66% pure sugar!! Cazy huh! The plain chocolate lacked flavour and had an unfortunate grainy clumpy texture as it melted in the mouth. The fondant centres were more liquid in constituents than I was expecting and had a cool feel on the tongue...if it wasnt also for their gritty nature I would have enjoyed this texture far more. Its extremely rare that I get pain in my teeth when I eat sweet foods - but like the original Munchies these pained me to eat...I could literally feel my throat burning after eating just one...again simply too much for me.

Overall these are definately not a product I will be revisiting in the near future...if only for the sake of my teeth. The spearmint flavour was no doubt refreshing of sorts, and I can see the credibility in this product for its initial purpose...just the one off mint after dinner or with a coffee...just, in this guise I simply believe the flavours just dont work - its just overly sugar based and way to sweet. These arent a product im going to recommend to anyone - if you want chocolate mint I suggest you save yourself the dentist bill and seek elsewhere.

5.3 out of 10

July 21st: Hotel Chocolat Crostini Fruit & Nut

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

I have good and bad news...after this review I only have one Hotel Chocolat slab left in my current selection to reiview ... :( as JLC would say BAD TIMES!! The good news? Hotel Chocolat themselves have recently been in contact and will soon be providing me with samples of some of their new products..... :D GOOD TIMES!! Digging into my 'Peepster Box' for the third time, today I tryed out the Crostini Fruit and Nut slab.

This particular variant came in a 100g slab and described itself as 'Tangy cranberries and succulent sultanas meet silky smooth milk chocolate, studded with pieces of roasted almond and crunchy crostini'....no mention of the hazelnuts hmmmm weired!! As you can see above the slab was highly authentic looking...bits of whole nut and different fruit dispersed throughout...I will admit it looked great but the dispertion of the ingredients was beyond clumsy! The middle part of the bar was nearly all fruit and nuts whilst the outer edges of the slab nearly all chocolate! It would of been nice for a bit more consistancy though I guess some artistic appeal may be lost. The bar smelt gorgeously creamy with just a hint of nut - it looked great, it smelt great...all that was left was to dig right in.

The milk chocolate used in this bar was of the same formula as the current 'Chocolate Mission number 3 top rated' 40% house bar....40% cocoa and 20% milk solids. It had the same gorgeous taste - a nice rich but deliciously creamy rooted cocoa flavour that delicately melted in the mouth...milk chocolate dosen't get much better. Though still masivelly enjoyable the flavour of the milk chocolate did feel slightly disrupted at times due to the volume at which the other elements were packed into the slab in some areas. The fruit elements in the slab were a joy...richly fruity and with a slight sharpness to their taste which played nicely agaisnt the sweetness of the chocolate. The sultanas were unlike any I had seen before...abolutely huge with a nice soft texture, the cranberries were far smaller in size but still added an equally as strong tartness to the overall flavour. The other components in the slab were the crostini and nut elements. Due to the strength of all the other flavours, the crostini biscuit and almonds were hardly detectable and struggled to make an impact on the overall taste. Unlike the almonds the hazelnuts implemented were whole in their implementation, and they subsequently provided a buttery crunchyness...they had a very distinctive and fresh taste.

Overall this is yet another great standard bar from Hotel Chocolat and one that I again whole heartidly recommend. The milk chocolate is gorgeously creamy and full of flavour and the fruit and hazelnut elements further provide some divine flavour and textures contrasts. My one small gripe with this bar would be the dispersion of the ingredients....in places the slab was overly busy in its flavours and the weaker ingredients simply faded into the background agaisnt the stronger tasting ones. Hotel Chocolat should maybe strip down the bar a little and rid of the crostini and almond components...this would allow the milk chocolate to have more presence but still retain the fruit and nut diversification of flavours through the cranberries, sultanas and hazelnuts. Despite this small modification you can't doubt the excellent standard yet again...another tremendously satisfying offering from Hotel Chocolat.

8.8 out of 10

July 20th: Kinder Happy Hippo Biscuit / Cocoa Cream

Kcal 120 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 9.0g (both variants)

I quite frankly lost count of the amount of times that these have been requested for me to review...I think they must be one of the most requested of all time and not being one to let my readers down I have duly obliged and today sees me reviewing the Kinder Happy Hippo range.

Im pretty sure these are a product that are distributed all round Europe but for those who have no clue what these are let me explain. In proposition these are both remarkably similar to the Kinder Bueno. Both variants are formed of a outer layer of wafer and sugary 'meringue' crunchy pieces covering their respective flavoured fillings. The original 'Biscuit' variant contained a hazelnut like creme whilst the 'Cocoa Cream' contained a chocolate and vanilla flavoured centre. Each Hippo weighed in at 20.7g and came wrapped in a cellophane wrapper. The Hippos themselves looked nicely presented, the outer sugary crunchy pieces did fall off all over the place when handled but they looked nice and decorative...my only question is where are the Hippo's smiles?? They didnt look too happy to me...quite sad if anything lol!

I tryed the 'Biscuit' variant first and was impressed by the sweet nutty smell that emerged once removed from the wrapper. The 'Chocolate Cream' variant had less of a distinctive smell and was just more sweet than anything else. In both variants the sugary pieces smelt very much like milky white chocolate and the wafer had a nice malty smell to it.

I decided to eat the three sections in a variety of ways...first nibbling, then munching in one and then letting it melt on my tongue. By far and away the most fun and flavoursome was the nibbling away at each component option. This maximised the relatively flavourless taste of the wafer - in both variants it had little more than a slightly sweet malt flavour like the smell suggested. The 'meringue' outerpieces in both variants had a very similar taste...almost entirely of sugar! Yes they added a nice decorative touch and textured crunchyness, but flavourswise they added nothing but a sharp injection of sugaryness...if it was up to me I would still include them, just with less of a presence than both the current variants have them.

Lets get down to business end of things...the creamy fillings YUM OH YUM!! As stated above the 'Biscuit' original variant had a hazelnut filling which was almost idential to the one found in the Kinder Bueno...just a little more vanilla noted though. The filling was in a word DREAMY!! Seriously smooth with a texture that just melted on the tongue into a long smooth buttery nutty taste....this filling is seriosuly the stuff of dreams. The 'Chocolate Cream' version was not quite of the same standard but still highly enjoyable. The flavours of the vanilla and chocolate seemed to be less impactful, though still as wonderfully smooth. Looking at the ingredients cocoa only accounted for 4% of the total ingredients...maybe the cocoa could be more generously portioned to give it a more intense chocolaty taste....it just simply didnt have the same flavour depth of the hazelnut 'Biscuit' alternative.

Overall these seriously should come with some sort of health warning...they are simply addictive! I started this morning with a pack of 5 of each and now as of 4pm I am left with only two of each pack left - these are a tad moreish to say the least. The wafer and 'meringue' coatings in both lacked flavour though the simply divine creamy centres in both variants more than made up for their shortcomings...especially the hazelnut creme in the 'Biscuit' version. I very much recommend both of these...they are not the most well rounded or fulfiling products ever rated on Chocolate Mission but still theres no doubting these are fun, tasty products.

Kinder Happy Hippo 'Biscuit' 7.5 out of 10
Kinder Happy Hippo 'Chocolate Cream' 7.2 out of 10

July 20th: Nestle Milkybar Buttons

Kcal 164 Fat 9.5g Carbs 17.4g

I revealed yesterday that the Milkybar kid is struggling at the momment in the war of the chocolate buttons - facing heavy competition from the Cadbury alternatives I reviewed yesterday. In order to complete my ruling over the matter, today I tucked into a packet of the Neslte Milkybar Buttons.

Just as with the Cadbury Buttons I sampled these in a standard 37.5g bag; again they wern't the most substantial snack ever but I guess its worth taking into account the smaller appetite size of the younger demographic these are aimed at. The Milkybar Buttons came in a sealed foil pack - quite basic decoration but the packet did care to highlight the 'all natraul ingredients'...26% whole cows milk (dried of course), cocoa butter, sugar, whey powder, veg fat and vanilla flavouring....nice to know I guess and pretty clean for such a mass producded confection. The Buttons themselves were slightly smaller than their Cadbury counterparts...it didn't really make any difference and I personally dont have a preference...it just meant there were more of them. Due to the foil packaging the buttons retained a nice aroma within the packet - they had an awesome fresh cream like smell that smelt very enticing indeed.

These buttons tasted no different to the chocolate in the Milkybar bar format - utterly delicious! They had the same super smooth milk taste, with just the smallest note of vanilla in the aftertaste - theres no doubting these were sweet but the milkyness washed over the sweetness and produced a long luxurious creamy taste. The shape and size of the buttons meant they melted nicely on the tongue at a rate that was not quite as fast as the Cadburys alternatives. The taste experience was longer and a wonderfully creamy aftertaste stayed in the mouth for a longer duration after.

Overall quite why the Milkybar Kid is losing his battle agaisnt the Cadbury competition is beyond me. The ingredients used in the Milkybar Buttons is of a higher quality and the taste is simply of a better standard. The Cadbury White buttons yesterday were extremely sweet and the 37.5g serving was just about right, I could litterally eat a mountain of these Milkybar Buttons...they are sweet yes...but more so creamy, and just simply moreish. Personally If I was to grab a Milkybar product I would grab the bar version...and thats purely down to the serving size being bigger. If I had to choose a pack of 'Buttons'!? No contest!! Milkybar Kid you have the backing of Chocolate Mission.

8.0 out of 10

July 19th: Cadbury Dairy Milk / White Buttons

Dairy Milk Buttons Kcal 170 Fat 9.6g Carbs 18.4g
White Buttons Kcal 180 Fat 11.0g Carbs 18.9g

Word on the marketing grapevine is that a certain Milkybar kid is getting a tad trounced this year in the war between the chocolate buttons. From what I have read Milkybar button sales are down over 25% in Q1 2008 - with consumers shifting spend into the Cadbury Buttons brand...being a huge Milkybar fan I decided it was about time I checked out the competition.

To make sure I had both bases covered I today sampled both the Dairy Milk and white chocolate variants of Cadbury buttons.....ohhhhh the labourous task it was :D

Both came in 37.5g bar servings, in nicely presented foil packs. The Dairy Milk variant scored slightly higher in appearance due to there being the nice touch of the Cadbury logo enscribed on the bottom of each of the pieces....on the white chocolate variant they were just smooted over.

The Dairy Milk Buttons had a very familiar Dairy Milk aroma when I opened the packet...deliciously milky smelling the aroma all but confirmed these were the same quality Dairy Milk as per the standard bar. Personally I dont think many products smell quite as good as Dairy Milk. Placing a few buttons on my tongue they took literally a few seconds to melt; as the aroma indicated these did indeed taste remarkably similar to the standard Dairy Milk bar....there was just one problem!! Due to the nature of the shape of the Buttons the chocolate melted extremely fast and thus meant the flavour development and enjoyment time was cut way too short in the mouth. The shape of the Buttons meant that they simply didnt last long enough to savour the taste and thus meant for a product that was really unsubstantial.

Though working at detriment to the Dairy Milk variant, the shape of the buttons actually worked in favour of the white chocolate. Anyone who follows Chocolate Mission will know that I had serious problems handling the sweetness of the Cadbury Dream. The white buttons were still super sweet but due to the rate at which they melted the Buttons didnt last long enough in the mouth for the flavour to become as sweet as in the bar format. The White buttons had a nice vanilla like aroma and genuinely smelt quite appetising. As I have said they tasted very sweet but had a pleasant enough creamy milk like base flavour. The sweetness of the product meant that these felt like a more fulfiling product compared to the Dairy Milk variant...the 37.5g was about the right amount that you would probably want to eat of these.

Overall I found neither of these to be overly spectacular products, but as you can see by the scores the white chocolate variant benefitted greatily from this 'Button' format. The Dairy Milk Buttons ingredient quality is not to be doubted...they still contain the same Dairy Milk goodness, however the tasting experience just wasnt the same as with the bar format. With the blocks in the bar format, the flavours can really be savoured and the milky flavours are allowed to develop as the nature of the blocks means it takes longer to melt in the mouth...the Button format does not allow this flavour development to happen and the taste is all but gone from the mouth to quickly. Though the fast melting nature of the Buttons did not work for the Dairy Milk variant it actually reflected well on the White variant and the shorter length of the taste worked in its favour. Personally I cant see myself having either of these again in the near future...for Dairy Milk there are better formats and to be honest although this format works for the Cadbury white chocolate...if I was to consume some white chocolate I wouldn't choose Cadbury lol! I guess its now up to me to try the Milkybar Buttons to make a comparison, so I cant make a judgement there yet - that verdict will be delivered soon....its a hard life being a reviewer of chocolate :D

Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons 7.3 out of 10
Cadbury White Buttons 6.9 out of 10

July 18th: Ritter Sport Marzipan

Kcal 180 Fat 10.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 23.0g (per 6 blocks 37.5g)

This will be the first of many reviews of the Ritter range over the coming weeks - today saw me kick the range review off with the Ritter Sport Marzipan bar. This bar encorporated plain chocolate and a marzipan filling (44%) - for those of you that dont know marzipan is a confection primarily consisting of ground almonds and sugar.

As with all the Ritter Sport bars this came in a 100g serving - normally I would have eaten this over two 50g sittings, but due to the nature of the taste I ended up eating this over four. The bar came in a square format split into sixteen individual blocks - although not the most originally presented this format made the bar easy to section and the extra added Ritter enscribed logo on each block added a little finesse. The wrapper was nicely presented - not the most premiuim looking though it had a nice fresh tight seal and a clear appetising picture of the Marzipan flavour.

The bar had a nice aroma which was at first deeply dominated by the plain chocolate element...it had a deep cocoa smell that smelt slightly burnt. Once the blocks were split, the nuttyness of the almond came through in the smell - neither of the two elements smelt amazingly enticing, though both were far from offensive.

The plain chocolate had a smooth texture that melted nicely on the tongue to reveal a thick grainy textured marzipan. I wasnt bothered by the roughness of the marzipan as I was expecting it due to the nature of the filling - but still it wasnt the nicest feel in the mouth. The plain chocolate tasted pleasant enough - its flavour wasnt the darkest of plain chocolate I have consumed nor was it the tastiest. It was slightly one dimensional in its flavours - it had a nice cocoa taste with a slightly noted honey aftertaste - generally it was just pleasant enough plain chocolate. Comparatively the marzipan tasted delicious. It was portioned nicely and generously, and although I was expecting it to have an extremely sugary taste, its flavour was more reliant on the almond ingredient and it had a pleasant buttery nutyness. Dont get me wrong it was still very sweet though and thus four blocks of this bar at a time proved to be a rich enough experience.

Overall the combination of chocolate and marzipan is a slightly dangerous one to attempt in that I could easily see how it could be delivered in an overly sweet and sickly tasting bar. Fortunately this Ritter bar managed to avoid this pitfall - though it must be said the subsequent taste was very rich. The plain chocolate was a tad one dimensional and on its own I think it may be a little lacklusture. Luckily the marzipan element was delightful and balanced in its flavours and delivered a super sweet but enjoyable almond taste. A good start for the Ritter range and one to look out for if your a fan of marzipan. This is not a bar a you will want to eat in vast quantities but as a fulfiling quick chocolaty sugar fix this is a good opion.

8.0 out of 10

July 17th: Terry's Chocolate Orange Golden Nugget Crunch

Kcal 210 Fat 11.0g Carbs 24.5g

Hot off the back of last weeks Terry's Chocolate Orange review, and due to the subsequent requests that followed, today saw me delve further into the Terry's range with the 'Golden Nugget Crunch' - a bar that had the same 'milk chocolate flavoured with real orange' but with the added inclusion of 'studded honeycomb flavour crunchy bits (10%)'.

This variant came in the same sized 40g pack as the original and was packged in a yellow coloured variation of the original wrapper. The bar itself also had the same distinct segmented appearance, though as you can see above had small golden pieces of honeycomb throughout.....I say throughout though one of the only letdowns of the bar was that the honeycomb pieces were unforunately far more present in one half of the bar than the other. As with the original bar as soon as the wrapper was opened I was overwhelmed by the strength of the orange aroma...it was a tad artifical but refreshing none the less.

After the first half of the bar I have to admit I was disappointed. The bar hardly included any honeycomb pieces and although the flavour of the orange and milk chocolate were still as delicious as the original, the subtly of the honeycomb was disappointing. Thankfully though the latter three pieces of the bar subsequently contained vast amounts of honeycomb pieces - and my oh my were they delicious. One of my slight gripes with the original chocolate orange was that by the end of the bar its flavour was becoming too sweet....well you may be suprised to hear that the honeycomb went some way to settling this problem. The honeycomb was not as simple in flavour as I thought it was going to be - each little crunchy piece gave a burst of honey flavour. It tasted slightly floral with a touch of caramel, and was nowhere as sweet as I was expecting - it was more pronounced in its flavour depth than I was anticipating. The extra element of the honeycomb went some way to subsiding the sweetness of the chocolate which made for an extremely moreish taste...in a word YUM :D

Overall I must admit that at 35p a bar I was expecting a devilishly over sweet variation of the original chocolate orange. To be honest I really couldn't have been more wrong - the extra honeycomb pieces added further depth to the taste and with were far more advanced in their flavour credentials than I was expecting. This is definately one for fans of Terry's Chocolate Orange; at just 35p you could buy ten of these for just one Hotel Chocolat 85% slab...now im not going to say I would buy the ten of these but the point im trying to get across is that you really cant go wrong at least trying this bar for that price....a great tasting variation that even betters the original....its not often I say that now!

8.4 out of 10

July 17th: Nestle Milo (SA)

Kcal 212 Fat 10.9 Carbs 25.7g

Sweetstall yet again came up trumps for me today and in reaction to my review on the Nestle Milo bar from Australia, the guys thought it right to send me through a sample of the South African variant of the bar.

Despite being under the same 'Milo' brand the bar was distinctly different in proposition. It weighed in at a smaller 42g bar and comprised simply of a bar of milk chocolate with 'choco malt (17%)' spread througout. The bar was fairly substantial though I feel it could have done with being about at least 20% bigger...making it round a 50g bar. The bar was presented nicely in a green foil wrapper - the bar itself was unspectacular in appearance though it was fresh looking with a smooth surface, it also broke up easily went sectioned.

The bar had a nice milky smell that had a slight hint of maltyness - it gave a very real indication of how the bar was going to taste. The milk chocolate had a relatively nice texture that melted in the mouth at a nice steady rate. Its texture was neither the softest or the smoothest though this mattered very little with the extra roughness added by the powder like Milo. The milk chocolate was pleasant enough in flavour - it had a pretty standard Neslte milk chocolate flavour...more milky than cocoa based , sweet but not overly so...just real unoffensive average milk chocolate. The 'Milo' choco malt wasnt over generously portioned and held a pretty low key presence at the bottom of each of the blocks. Despite its relatively low presence it tasted delicious and had a really pleasant crunchy biscuity flavour. The choco malt reminded me very much of Oreo cookies but with a slightly more established honey noted flavour with just the tiniest hint of salt.

Overall this bar is another great tasting extension of the 'Milo' brand though there is a slight job to be done with the way the bar is put togther and proportioned. The milk chocolate was pleasant enough, its milky flavour was tasty if a little unspectacular. The bars main strength though lay in the Milo element which unfortunately just wasnt generouly portioned enough. Simply put the Milo choco malt element had a delicious taste - biscuity and original in its flavour...it just need implementing more. I wouldn't recommend this variation of the Milo over its Australian counterpart but Milo fans will inevitably enjoy this. Its a nice bar but its also a pretty average one at the same time...worth a look at if you come across it.

7.6 out of 10

Want to try the Nestle Milo or other South Africa Chocolate Candy or Foods? Head to Sweetstall.com

July 16th: Thorntons Sicilian Lemon Truffle Bar

Kcal 192 Fat 11.3g Fat(sats) 7.3g Carbs 20.8g

Due to the numerous requests recieved about this bar recently, today I thought it was about time I got round to reviewing this variant in the Thornton's Continental truffle bar range. This particular bar came pitched as 'luxurious white chocolate, with a layered centre of lemon mousse and truffle, finished with a milk chocolate decoration'...I dont know of many (if any) other lemon and chocolate combinations on the market at present so this bar already had points for originality.

Like the other bars in the Continental range this bar came in a 39g serving. The centre of the bar was light in build meaning that this wasnt the most fulfiling of bars I have ever eaten. The bar though slightly small and meager looking, was nicely presented and I appreciated the effort that had been put in with the design of the bar - it looked nice. The bar had strong lemony milky smell that further heightened my anticipation of the eventual taste....it smelt lovely and fresh and very fruity.

I found the way this bar was consumed was extremely important to the flavour experience. When simply bitten into and chewed the taste was completely dominated by the strong citrusy lemon mouse - the flavours of both the chocolates were all but lost and overpowered. I found by far and away the best way to eat this bar was to lick out the centre mousse filling and then eat the chocolate components after. The lemon mouse was light and velvety in its texture and had a deliciously strong and zesty lemon favour...it certainly made for a refreshing and distinctive taste. The milk chocolate was rather lacking in presence and I feel that it was more included for decorational purposes rather than flavour - even the base milk chocolate truffle layer was pretty lacking in flavour despite it nice silky texture. The white chocolate had many of the great attributes that were near synonymous to the Thorntons white chocolate bar I reviewed a few months back: it combined a pleasant creamy slightly vanila noted flavour that avoided being overly sweet....unfortunately its taste was all but overpowered when eaten in unison with the lemon filling.

Overall this bar is only a few recipe adaptations from being a really nice offering. Individually each of the components were excellent - the lemon mousse filling had a delightfully refreshing zesty flavour and the white chocolate was as equally delicious with a luxurious creamy taste. Unfortunately as I have stated the lemon flavour simply overpowered the rest of the bar - it wasnt that it was that overly strong, more so that the white chocolate was simply not balanced in proportion with the filling; if this was to be solved this could be a really quite tasty bar. I wont be going back to Thorntons to grab another of these in the near future but I would recommend this bar to any citrusy flavour lovers.

7.4 out of 10

July 15th: Tootsie Roll

Kcal 220 Fat 5.0g Fat(trans!!) 2.0g Carbs 46.0g

Tootsie Rolls are the one of the most if not the 'the' defining cultural icon of the American candy market. They have been manufactured for over 100 years and remain as one of the best selling candies in the US. Today courtesy of CandyPirate this icon went through its paces under the Chocolate Mission rating system.

So what is a Tootsie Roll you ask!? Well its officially classed as a 'chewy chocolate flavoured candy' - its not quite a chocolate bar, its not quite fudge...but imagine a crossbreed of the two. The Tootsie Roll is available in many different shapes sizes - I sampled a 64g bar which proved both greatly fulfilling as a snack and as an enjoyable eating experience.

The Tootsie came in a pretty smart retro style looking foil wrapper, to avoid the sticky roll sticking to the wrapper a thin non-stick cardboard sleeve was included, which more than served its purpose. Im not going to sit on the fence the Tootsie Roll did not look appetising in any manner - look at the picture above...it looks like a plastic lump of ... (fill the gap yourself lol!). Not appetising in the slightest...the sticky tacky nature of the roll further detrimented its score in this area. Despite its ghastly appearance the roll didnt smell at all bad - it had a strong caramel like scent that although was a tad confusing considering the chocolate flavour of the bar was still quite pleasant.

Its worth noting the make-up of the Tootsie Roll. The ingredients dont make pretty reading: 'sugar, corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, condensed skimmed milk...and finally the cocoa'. This isnt a product for the organic purists amongst us and although it can claim to be a 'low fat candy' it does include those horrible trans fats....bad times!!

What with the aesthetic look and constituents of the bar, to say I was mildly cautious before eating this would be a slight understatement - thankfully I was pleasantly surprised. After sectioning the bar (quite a messy and sticky experience!!) I went about experimenting different ways of eating bite sized pieces....it turned out that this product could be equally enjoyed a number of different ways. Sucking on the individual pieces slowly released a chocolaty fudge flavour that just about right in its intensity. As the piece slowly warmed in the mouth it became softer and softer until it all but melted away on the tongue. This method gave the roll a nice buttery taste and texture that was neither overbearing or too subtle...it was just enjoyable slowly sucking away at the flavour. The next method I tried was chewing on the individual pieces. This made for a more intense cocoa flavour that still had a strong caramel undertone at its root. The chewing of the pieces made for an interesting taffy like texture that was certainly a unique experience. Its hard to liken the taste of a Tootsie to any other product but if you were to imagine a chocolate flavoured caramel with the texture of very chewy fudge you really wouldnt be far off.

Overall I must say this is a product that really quite surprised me when it came to the taste test. As I said I was really quite worried at the prospect of this product when looking at its ingredients and aesthetic look but what lies at the heart of this bad looking artificially manufactured product is actually a nicely flavoured satisfying chocolate flavoured snack. Whether you like this or not will solely be down to personal preference - so take my review at face value. Fair enough its not chocolate being celebrated in its greatest glory - nor has it scored particularly highly on the Chocolate Mission rating system, but this is a product I would recommend you try at least once if only for the sake of saying you have tried it.

7.0 out 10

Want to try the Tootsie Roll and other iconic American Candy & Foods? Head over to Candy Pirate for all your American Candy & Food needs

July 15th: Cocoa Deli Fruit & Almond Clusters

Kcal 181 Fat 8.2g Fat(sats) 4.9 Carbs 24.7g (Per pack - 3 Clusters)

Last month I reviewed the Cocoa Deli 'Rocky Road Clusters' to reasonible success - they were hardly the most spectacular offering on the market but they certainly had merit for being a bit unique. Today whilst scowering the shelves at my local Woolies I came across these 'Fruit & Almond Clusters'...of course curiosity inevitably got the best of me.

These 'Fruit & Almond Clusters' had an on pack description of 'clusters of moist raisins and crunchy almond pieces set in smooth Belgian milk chocolate'. They came in a 40g pack which although not the biggest in size proved to be a substantial snack due to the dense nature of the raisins. Both the packaging and product were sound but unspectacular in appearance - the wrapper was coloured a slightly less feminine shade of purple compared to the pink 'Rocky Road' variant, though it still had a far from premiuim look. Again the inclusion of a cardboard sleeve notched up half a point in this category as it definately served its purpose and avoided the product from breaking up. The clusters had a nice fruity sweet smell that was quite distinctive compared to other more generic aromas that I have come accustom to whilst reviewing for Chocolate Mission.

Each of the three clusters were coated in Belgian milk chocolate with the bases having a heavier helping of coating than the upper regions of each of the bites. The chocolate was sadly weak in flavour apart from where thicker at the bases and lacked flavour against the more substantial fruit and nut elements. Where detectable the chocolate had a pretty enjoyable milky taste that was smooth on the tastebuds...it just simply wasnt proportioned heavily enough which was a shame.

Raisins made up the bulk of the product accounting for over 34% of the total constituants. As the on pack blurb suggested they were plump and moist and added a nice chewy texture to each bite. Raisisns are often implemented as flavourless filler in alot of bars but the raisins in question here had a nice sugary fruity flavour. The almonds were unfortunately not quite as well integrated - they were very finely chopped which meant they didnt quite add the desired crunchyness in texture that would have potentially contrasted so greatily with the softer fruit. Flavourwise the almonds were pleasant and provided a nice subtle nuttyness to the taste; I think the choice of Almonds was quite a wise one as I dont think the more woody flavour of hazelnuts or saltier peanuts would have worked quite aswell against what was already an overpowered chocolate offering.

Overall this was another solid differentiated product from Cocoa Deli, though I think there is certainly room for improvement. The raisins in this bar were fruity and flavoursome and certainly made for a substantial overall product. the almonds although not adding the best texture due to thier chopped nature were still relatively flavoursome and complimented the fruit nicely. Unfortunately this bar was seriously let down by its poor milk chocolate - it lacked flavour and simply wasnt just implemented generously enough. If you like the sound of these its probably worth you tracking these down - if its a chocolate hit your after though you will probably be left wanting.

7.4 out of 10

July 14th: Munchies

Kcal 273 Fat 13.4g Fat(sats) 8.5g Carbs 35.9g

These have been around ever since I can remember...doing some research I found out that they have actually been around for over 50 years now - thats a pretty long time considering the in and out nature of the confectionary market nowadays. Until today I hadnt had a pack in years so I decided it was about time to put these under the Chocolate Mission microscope.

On pack Munchies are described as individual milk chocolate-coated blocks with a caramel and biscuit centre. There are twelve in a pack which made for quite a substantial serving - more so than I could handle at one time but I will go into that. The appearance was a bit of a mixed bag...the packaging combined a smart looking red outer wrapper with a nice gold foil inner layer...unfortunately although looking nice it didnt protect the chocolates as I would have wished - many of the chocolates had scuffed appearances and had a dull dusty surface...they just didnt look the freshest product ever. Despite the relatively un-fresh looking aesthetic appearance they had a resonably nice aroma - very chocolaty with a slight hint of vanilla essence.

I ate these very much like i eat most of my chocolate - I placed one on my tongue and let the taste slowly evolve as each of the different layers melted away. The outside chocolate had a grainy texture much like its appearance suggested. It wasnt repulsive but it wasnt the smooth initial texture I was hoping for. Its flavour was quite milky but had a dominant sugary taste - it wasnt the best milk chocolate and was not up to the usual Nestle standard which at best can be quite creamy and pleasant.

The caramel layer lay beneath the milk chocolate coating and boy was this sweet. The texture was quite runny for caramel and took no time at all to disappear once exposed in the mouth. Its flavour was very sharp and very very sugar rooted...it was so sweet that after only a few of these I got that sensation of pain in my teeth - ouchie..I was not impressed one bit - this was seriosuly poor caramel - it came as no suprise when I looked at the ingreidents list that suagr was indeed top.

The last element was the biscuit layer which actually was too bad. It had a nice shortbread like taste and had a slightly salty note to it that thankfully didnt add more of a sweetness to what was already a pretty sickly taste. Despite being at the centre of the quite moist runny caramel the small biscuit piece still managed to maintain a degree of crunchyness which was a nice texture variation.

Overall these are a pretty unspectaular offering from Nestle. The milk chocolate coating was pretty poor for the normally okish Neslte standard milk chocolate - its texture was quite gritty and its flavour really quite sweet. The caramel flavour was overly dominating and and it made for a very sickly overall flavour....so much so that after half a pack I could eat no more - my teeth couldnt handle the pain and the back of my throat was burning with the sweetness of each Munchie. Its quite a shame as at the heart of each Munchie lies a pretty nice tasting biscuit piece...I just couldnt take the taste of the overly sugar reliant outer layers to get to it. Overall I guess if your a fan of really sweet chocolate and think you can handle the sugar then these are worth a look at..I cant go as far as recommending them though.

5.7 out of 10

July 13th: Hotel Chocolat Almond & Coconut

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

Dipping into my 'Peepster Box' for the second time, today I casted my eye over the Hotel Chocolat Almond and Coconut bar. Anyone whos been reading the blog will know that I have had a particularly tough time finding decent quality white chocolate...Milkybar and Thorntons White aside its all been rather poor....how will current Chocolate Mission leader Hotel Chocolat perform in this area? Well read on and find out....

This particular variant came in a smaller single slab 100g serving. Compared to the other 125g slabs I have tried from Hotel Chocolate it wasnt the richest bar and I actually ate this in one sitting.

On pack the slab described itself as 'coconut accentuated smooth white chocolate, balanced beautifully with crunchy almonds'. The slab itself looked great...just look at the cross section above the almonds were generously crammed into the slab and were dispersed evenly. Everyone already knows my thoughts regarding the design of Hotel Chocolat slabs...aesthetically brilliant....practability terrible.

The bar smelt gorgeous...the strongest smelling comoponent by far were the almonds which smelt deliciously nutty and woody. The bar also had a lovely undertone of coconut which further raised by expectations of the added flavours.

I slightly chilled the slab which gave it a delightful snapping sound when breaking it up. The chocolate was delicious in flavour and had an developing and changing root taste throughout its presence in the mouth. The initial flavour was the coconut element which was forthcoming in its flavour as soon as the chocolate met my tongue. Unfortunately it was only this initial instance where the coconut flavour was detectable and it soon subsided to the other components. The chocolate then developed into a double cream like flavour and texture once melted on the tongue...silky smooth and just the right viscosity...the 30% milk solids and heavy lashings of cocoa butter duly made for a creamy silky taste. The afertaste was heavily vanilla noted which provided a pleasant and long flavour experience.

As I outlined above the almonds were dispersed generously and appropriately throughout the bar which resulted in each mouthful having a delightful contrast of textures. The almonds provided a fresh crunchyness agaisnt the super smooth chocolate...a truly great combination. The almonds themselves had a subtle buttery flavour that although were not the strongest in taste were pleasant and fresh tasting nonetheless.

Overall im getting bored of saying this (no not really!) but this is yet another great offering from Hotel Chocolat. The white chocolate was divine in flavour...it had a taste that developed during the course of its time in the mouth....its sinfully cream like in flavour and and gorgeously smooth. My only slight disappointment with this bar came in its coconut element...why did they use coconut essential oil!? Why not Cococnut flakes/chips!? They would have furthered the variety of textures and also made for a longer coconut flavour. This small gripe aside this is white chocolate at its best...its not the richest tasting chocolate ever but its by far and away the best tasting white chocolate I have reviewed on Chocolate Mission. Another great product thats worth anyone trying from Hotel Chocolat.

8.7 out of 10

July 12th: Revels

Kcal 168 Fat 7.3g Carbs 23.8g

Unfortunately for us in the UK its Big Brother time again and Revels are the latest brand this year to climb on the bandwagon with their own flavour themed 'eviction'. It indeed seems that Mars are getting rid of one of the current flavours - if you care you can cast your vote on this site 'Revels Eviction'.

For those of you who aren't from the UK and don't know what Revels are, they are balls of milk chocolate which have an assortment of flavoured centres. The flavours include: coffee, orange, chocolate, raisin, caramel and Maltesers. These came in a 35g bag, which although wern't the most hunger fulfilling made were a sufficient snack. The Packaging looked okish - not the greatest choice of colours on the wrapper all of which I think are a bit mundane. The Revels themselves were mostly pretty hard to tell apart - the Maltesers, orange, coffee and caramel are totally non distinctive....though judging by the last marketing campaign the 'roulette' nature of these are meant to be a selling point and not a frustration....I guess the little anticipation before the revelation of the flavour hit was partially interesting.

Despite the huge variation of flavours the bag smelt purely single scented...a very familiar milky cocoa aroma that wasn't to forthcoming in its strength.

Due to the nature of the different centres there were a variety of different textures and of course flavours. The milk chocolate coating was the same across all flavours - not the strongest tasting but with a nice milky flavour that allowed the different flavours of the centres to establish themselves.

Orange - Had a nice fruity taste that although sweet were just about the right strength in flavour concentration. The texture was fondant like and contrasted nicely with the smooth milk chocolate coating.

Chocolate - The most obvious shaped and flavoured exactly the same as the rest of the milk chocolate coatings. The texture was nice and smooth - although not the most exciting they were a pleasant flavour.

Coffee - My favourite of the lot. The texture had the same fondant like grainy feel of the orange though it tasted not half as sweet with a unique cappuccino like taste. Unfortunately I only got two of these in my pack :(

Caramel - Due to their name I was expecting a far softer more liquid centre..in actual fact I think these would be better described as toffee. They were soft and and chalky in the mouth and had a very awkward dry feeling agaisnt the smoothness of the milk chocolate. They weren't the most forthcoming in flavour though had a nice buttery aftertaste.

Raisin - These were not the freshest tasting Raisins I have ever had and the nature of their skins made for a pretty vile clash of smooth and leathery textures. Despite their horrible texture they had a nice sweet fruity sugary flavour that I enjoyed.

Maltesers - Well whats there to say? A nice combination of light textured honeycomb and milk chocolate but in comparison to the other flavours on offer I found myself disappointed when I came across one of these.

Overall these are a pretty standard and unspectacular collection of flavours. Personally my favourites were the orange and coffee...both of which offered a nice variable texture and flavour hit against the smooth milk chocolate coatings. The caramel, raisin and chocolate flavours offered moderately interesting alternatives, though I have to call in to question the inclusion of the Maltesers. In comparison to the other alternatives the Maltesers lack that flavour hit and personally if I was to vote to get rid of one of the flavours it would be that one...after all if you fancy Maltesers just buy a bag of them!! These aren't the most spectacular of products ever and your hardly missing out if you give these a miss...for those that like a bit of variation in their chocolate these are a nice choice for you. If you guys vote in the 'flavour eviction' leave a note of which you voted for!!

7.0 out of 10