July 26th: Ritter Sport Cappuccino

Kcal 571 Fat 39.0g Carbs 49.0 (per 100g)

Today I took my second dip into the Ritter Sport range sampling the Cappuccino variant. The onpack description informed me the bar was comprised of 'milk chocolate with a cappuccino cream' which accounted for a formidable 45% of the total bar. The ingredients in the bar read pretty cleanly with a 30% cocoa and 19% milk solids mixture - the bar also contained 2% coffee and a rather ambiguous 9% cream powder...now thats one I havent heard of before.

As with the whole of the Ritter range this came in a 100g squared bar, which provided two pretty satisfying servings. The bar came in its impressive customary plastic packaging and sectioned, enscribed blocked appearance. Splitting the bar into its sections a truffle like centre made its presence known, oozing slightly from each block - it wasn't quite as distinclty coloured as the packaging suggested but it was distinguishable nonetheless. The bar smelt absolutely glorious - it evoked memories of freshly brewed chocolate topped lattes from back in the day when I was a younger Starbucks addict (nowadays its just a tall black for me!!)

As is the norm with most the bars I review I chilled this one which slightly hardened the soft centre. The milk chocolate that coated the centre tasted lovely, it had a smooth rich creamy taste...one that I would very much aliken to Milka Alpine Milk with its milkyness...the only difference I would really say there is between the two is that the Ritter milk chocolate didn't have the nutty aftertaste element to it's taste. The milk chocolate melted at a pleasant rate slowly revealing the flavour of the softer cappuccino cream centre - which in texture became softer and softer as it warmed on the tongue...it was very truffle like. The centre was very creamy and smooth tasting, it's flavour wasn't too intense in its coffee flavouring. Though fully detectable it was more of a chocolatey flavoured centre with a hint of coffee flavouring. I can see why the coffee intensity may have been held back just a tad to make it a frendlier taste, though personally I would have loved for it to be a bit stronger. Despite not being quite as strong as I would have quite wished its flavour was still extremely pleasant and very moreish...it tasted just so extremely smooth and velvety which made it very pleasurable to eat.

Overall another resounding success from the Ritter range and very worthy of its high score. This is an all round great bar...its presented brilliantly, smells appealing, has great milk chocolate and a delicious filling ; all this makes for a truly satisfying bar of chocolate. The only slight area I think it could be improved for me personally would be the coffee flavour to be slightly stronger...though its fully understandable this wouldn't be to the majority of peoples tastes so its not really a fault that can be to heavily placed on the part of Ritter. If you love Coffee and chocolate combinations this is up there with the Lindt Lindor Coffee Truffles and Trader Joe's dark chocolate covered espresso beans which I both also rate very highly - thumbs up from Chocolate Mission and highly recommended!

8.4 out of 10

July 26th: Galaxy

Kcal 250 Fat 14.9 Carbs 25.5g

Its puzzling why it takes me so long to get round to reviewing bars like this one - the most simplistic of chocolate bars on the market...the milk chocolate Galaxy bar.

I bought this in a 49g serving bar which split up into 6 sizeable chunks as shown above. As the packaging informed me these chunks were formed in a 'new shape for a smoother taste'.....hmmm right im not too sure how a different shape would alter the taste. That aside the bar looked impressive and the blocks were aesthetically pleasing on the eye.

Taking this from the fridge I unwrapped the foil wrapper and broke the chunks of the bar into a bowl. At this point I gave the bar a good smell assessment and was somewhat disappointed. The bar emanated a very slight cocoa smell - which had the slightest hint of vanilla. It was not as strong as I was expecting and to me this was slightly disappointing as I was expecting a far more imposing aroma.

As I have said the wrapper promised a smoother taste with the new shape of the bar. Unfortunately im not experienced enough with Galaxy chocolate to make a direct comparison between the old and new shapes' texture...what I can confirm though is the sheer luxurious nature of the current. Each block melted on the tongue at optimal speed..not to fast..not to slow and delivered a delightfully smooth silky feel. Bliss.

Tastewise this bar can be described as pure indulgence....it tastes wonderfully rich with a flavour that is heavily cream based. The cocoa level in this bar is slightly higher than the Cadbury Dairy Milk at 25% though it is really the milkier creamy taste of the bar that really makes it so divine and makes for an incredibly moreish chocolate bar...its a shame it was only 49g as I could have eaten far more.

Overall this isn't the most exciting bar in the world...it just a plain milk chocolate bar with no 'raz-ma-taz' attached...but this doesn't mean it isn't fantastic for what it is. It's texture is luxuriously smooth and it tastes so amazingly creamy...I just cant fault it. The only real areas this bar is held back is in its aroma and its hunger fulfilment potential...from a bar with such other high qualities I expected a better smelling - more fulfilling bar. I urge you to treat yourself to a Galaxy you wont be disappointed - just make sure its a bar larger than 49g!

8.7 out of 10

July 25th: Hotel Chocolat 50% Milk Chocolate

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

All good things come to an end and unfortunately this was the last slab that came in the 'Peepster Box' that reader Maxine so kindly sent my way. This 50% milk chocolate slab promised 'ultra creamy milk chocolate with loads of cocoa for an extra chocolatey boost' containing 50% cocoa and 20% milk solids....its always refreshing to see cocoa solids topping the ingredients list and not the usual sugar. Like the other plain flavoured slabs this variant came in two 62.5g slabs which as ever provided me with two plentiful and fulfiling single servings.

Despite spending a longer time sitting around in the Peepster Box the product still felt just as fresh as the other slabs I had started reviewing weeks ago. Im not gonna back down on my initial feelings towards the slab presentation style....it looks great oh yes....buts its practability I still believe to be poor. As I said the slab still had the same freshness as the ones I reviewed weeks before...the same shimmering flawless surface, the same crisp cracking sound as I split it up and the same distinctness of aroma when released from its plastic wrapper. This bar in particular had a strong chocolatey scent that was ever so faintly sweet and floral...very forthcoming and very tempting.

The taste of this chocolate was unsuprising in that it was exactly how it was described on pack. It had stronger taste than the 40% house that I rated so highly...its flavour was less creamy and edgier with its cocoa sharpness...I was expecting this to make the bar richer but the lack of creamyness meant that the texture was less viscous and despite the flavour being stronger than the 40% the taste didn't last as long in the mouth. The stronger tasting chocolate still melted in the mouth at a delightful butter like rate....just so silky and divine. The bar didnt quite have the longevity of aftertaste of the 85% or the 40% though its flavour on the tongue more than held its own.

Overall another great tasting option from Hotel Chocolat - not the best offering no but I believe it definately serves a purpose in the range in that it could be a great bar for someone looking to bridge the step change between milk and dark chocolate. Its cocoa flavour is noticeably more intense than in the 40% bar but isn't quite the harshness of the 85% bar that some may find just all to much if unfamiliar with stronger chocolate. Personally I like my chocolate either milky or dark...so In honesty I wouldn't go rushing back to this bar all that soon...thats not to say this isn't another luxurious variant...it is! I fully recommend this bar for those looking for an adventure outside their comfy milk chocolate zone but are scared to go for a fully fledged dark chocolate option...in my book theres no better bar to introduce your tastebuds to stronger tasting chocolate...not that I know of yet anyway ;) So I have come to the end of my 'Peepster Box'....lucky the postman delivered another different selection this morning :D with even more exciting flavours from the Hotel Chocolat range - coming soon to a Chocolate Mission near you :D

8.4 out of 10

July 24th: Lindt Swiss Classic Milk Hazelnut Chocolate

Kcal 558 Fat 37.0g Fat(sats) 17.2g Carbs 48.0g

The Swiss Classic range was part of the Lindt portfolio I had not touched upon until today. This particular line of 'Classic' bars fall under the Lindt & Sprungli branding - the difference this has from the original Lindt brand I do not know. The blurb on the back told me that this combination had been 'master chocolatiers since 1845!!' that sure is a long time.

Today I decided to sample the milk chocolate with roasted hazelnuts 125g bar. The ingredients list on the back looked pretty clean - 31% cocoa and 14% milk solids...a slightly odd combination but the cocoa content for a milk chocolate bar is nothing to turn the nose up at. The bar constituted of 17% hazelnuts though one look at the bar and you would have thought the level would be far higher - they were very visible throughout.

The wrapper of the bar looked stylish - it had a premiuim look that set itself apart from your standard packaging....nice solid gold writing with a pleasant looking picture. The bar came foil wrapped which released a wonderfully fragrant milky aroma when split...the smell also had a slight nutty undertone which wasn't suprising due to generosity at which the hazelnuts were portioned....17%!?...I dont think so! As I have described the bar smelt great but looked even better! Despite each block having an abundance of chopped nuts crammed in, the bar retained a stylish unblemished look with the Lindt logo faultlessly encribed on each. Aswell as its classy look it also split up effortlessly and conveniently despite the heavy presence of the nuts.

Taking the first block and letting it melt on my tongue I was initially met with a very familiar smooth milky cocoa intensive flavour - one very similar to the one I experienced with the Lindt Excellence Milk Extra Creamy. Texturewise it was also very similar...it melted on the tongue within a few seconds leaving the hazelnut remnants. Despite the soft enjoyable texture of the chocolate I unfortunately did not enjoy the texture of the nuts. Though shown as wholenuts on the packaging they were infact chopped in the actual bar which meant they gave a gritty and bitty texture that lacked the nice crunch of wholenuts. Thankfully the nut pieces were still relatively fresh tasting and had an enjoyable roasted woody flavour - very distinct and forthcoming in flavour. The combination of the cocoa intensive chocolate and distinct flavours of the nuts made for quite a rich bar that I consumed over three sittings...after each serving I felt very content.

Overall this is another classy bar from Lindt - its not quite perfect but altogether its still very enjoyable. The milk chocolate had a lovely rich cocoa rooted milky taste with a near perfect melt in the mouth texture. The hazelnuts had a fresh distinct flavour though were at slight detriment to the bar due to their chopped nature...they roughened the smooth texture without adding a nicy crunch element, it was also very annoying find bits of hazelnut in my teeth for hours after...this was the bars only true fault. If your into your milk chocolate and nut combinations this is a great option...very worthwhile checking out and is one I would recommend.

8.4 out of 10

July 23rd: Lily O'Briens Sticky Toffee / Honeycomb Crisp

Sticky Toffee Kcal 500 Fat 25.0g Fat(sats) 12.5g Carbs 65.7g (per 100g)
Honey Crisp Kcal 508 Fat 27.5g Fat(sats) 17.5g Carbs 62.5g (per 100g)

You may recall that I recieved a nice sample pack from Lily O'Briens a few weeks ago. Included in this pack were two flavoured bars from their range....the Sticky Toffee and the Honeycomb Crisp. Both bars were formulated using Lily O'Briens milk chocolate (30% cocoa and 20% milk solids) and their respective flavours. The Sticky Toffee bar centre was exactly the same as the Sticky Toffee chocolates I reviewed a few weeks ago with a soft centred caramel like filling. The Honeycomb Crisp had honeycomb pieces and crispy cereal dispersed throughout the milk chocolate.

Much like the original milk chocolate bars I was really rather unimpressed with the aesthetic look of the bars...they just looked so basic..merely blocked and sectioned bars...they looked like cheap supermarket chocolate when taken out of the fairly blandly designed looking packaging. When the blocks were split the Sticky Toffee did look a bit more appetizing with the toffee oozing out slightly...the Honeycomb Crisp was also slightly more interesting looking when sectioned with the crispies providing some textured detail...still though both were pretty uninspiring and plain looking. Both bars smelt remarkably similar - the aroma of the chocolate was the dominating scent I got from both...a soft milky smell with a strong undertone of honey...at least they smelt better than they looked!

The milk chocolate in both bars was idential in taste and texture. It had a nice milky flavour that had a smooth texture that melted at a nice rate of the tongue. As I previously stated in the original milk chocolate bar reviews the taste was still pretty one dimensional and didnt develop alot.. if at all during its duration in my mouth - luckily this wasnt so much of an issue with the additional flavourings in the bars which added secondary layers to the taste experiences.

Simply put the Sticky Toffee flavour was not quite aswell delivered in bar format than it was in the single chocolate format. The ratio of chocolate to toffee filling was far more weighted on the chocolate ingredient which meant that the flavour of the filling wasnt as impactful. It still had a pleasant sweet taste but the slightly grainy texture and salty aftertaste elements I got from the individual chocolates were absent here. Solely due to the dominance of the milk chocolate these aspects just didnt come through in the taste or texture.

The Honeycomb Crisp bar was quite simiar to the Sticky Toffee in that its added flavour was diluted somewhat by the milk chocolate. The honeycomb pieces and crispy rice added a nice differentiated aspect to the texture - obviously adding an extra crispy and crunchy element. Unfortunately the flavors of both were just simply not strong enough to make a real impact on the taste and apart from a slight added sweet honey note to the aftertaste both their presences were hard to seperate from the milk chocolate.

Overall these are two relatively fair flavour variants from Lily O'Briens though neither are really that spectacularly strong tasting. If I was to pick a 'Sticky Toffee' flavoured product from the Lily O'Briens range I would definately choose the individual chocolates...the filling is simply portioned more thus making for a greater toffee flavour hit. The Honeycomb Crisp added a nice texture to the milk chocolate but flavourwise could be far more impactful - its simply overpowered by the milk chocolate. If your interested in the Lily O'Briens range these are the more exciting option to the standard milk chocolate bars so I would recommend them in that sense. Both are pleasant twists on the original milk chocolate offering...but just beware the flavours here are subtle.

Lily O'Briens Sticky Toffee 7.6 out of 10
Lily O'Briens Honeycomb Crisp 7.9 out of 10

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