October 24th: M&M's Premiums Mocha

Kcal 230 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 25.0g (per 42.0g)

Today sees me complete the final piece to the M&Ms Premiums puzzle with the review of my most eagerly anticipated flavour - 'Mocha'. As you will all probably know I love my coffee, and I have a particular soft spot for coffee flavoured chocolate ... hence why I saved these till last. Could they top the rest of the Almond' flavours, though they still had a very appealing look. Nothing quite beats the smell of freshly roasted coffee, obviously this would be entirely impossible to replicate in the form these M&M's, but they still had a strong, slightly sweet coffee aroma - enticing to the extreme.

So how did they taste? Well as the smell suggested the coffee flavour was strong and was very much the dominant flavour. As with the rest of the range, the normal hard shells had been replaced with a glaze type coating. I still preferred the use of the softer coating, however I was somewhat slightly disappointed at the texture and melt of the pieces. The flavours really didn't hit until the chocolate beneath the coating had been reached. This meant that with the slow melt of the outer coating, the 'letting them melt on the tongue' method sometimes got a bit tiring. This was somewhat excusable due to the melt being quite smooth, however I would have preferred a flavour hit as soon as the pieces entered the mouth. The milk chocolate and coffee flavours were absolutely delicious and very moreish. The milk chocolate was sweet and milky and the coffee had a wonderfully long taste that lingered in the mouth for a great deal of time. They were not the most fulfilling out of the range, a richer darker chocolate maybe could have solved this problem.

Overall these didn't quite take the crown of the best in the range like I was hoping for, however they were still a very good chocolate and coffee offering. The presentation, smell and to a great extent the taste were all absolutely fabulous ... but there were just some areas that I thought could have been executed a bit better. Despite the milk chocolate providing a nice milky background flavour to the coffee, one part of me couldn't help but think that maybe an unsweetened, darker chocolate may have been better implemented. Not only do I think it would have enhanced the taste even further, but I think it would have also made for a more fulfilling product. Regardless, this was still a pretty awesome flavour variant. The 'Chocolate Almond', 'Mint Chocolate' and 'Triple Chocolate' flavours may form the top 3 from the range - but this is still one for the chocolate and coffee fans to look out for. A special thanks to **I SHOP 4 YOU II** for giving me the chance to review the M&M's Premiums range.

8.2 out of 10

*** EU & UK Readers Attention*** Ever been been browsing Chocolate Mission or any other Candy Site and felt frustrated not being able to get hold of an American bar/item!??? .... well feel frustrated no more!!! 'I SHOP 4 YOU II'!! is a great service that provides a unique "one stop shop" international shopping experience!!! Visit the Ebay shop - if they dont have the item you want instock simply give them a message - there is no harm in asking. This service comes with a Chocolate Mission Seal of Approval!! It is a genuinely great, fast and friendly service... Just say you came from Chocolate Mission.

October 24th: Reese's Snackbarz

Kcal 120 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 16.0g

Reese's certainly aren't a brand scared of launching new products are they!? It seems almost every other week I hear about a new product of theirs! Today's review comes courtesy of Yankee Soda & Candy, who are actually the only UK distributor I have seen with these in stock as of writing!! So what have Reese's come up with this time?? ... 'crispy rice & marshmallow with Reese's peanut butter' ... an interesting mix I thought and well worthy of a quick review.

The bar came in a 25g serving and was about the same size of the Kelloggs' Rice Krispie Square I reviewed the other day. I ate this as a mid-afternoon snack, though was not left entirely satisfied - I could have easily eaten two. As you can see the bar had pretty typical Reese's styled packaging, with orange being the dominant colour. One thing that did quirk me a bit was the spelling of 'Snackbarz' ... why oh why spell it with a 'z'? It is neither cool or contemporary, and more of an insult to the consumers intelligence if anything. Small rant aside ... the product smelt wonderfully Reese's ... by the term 'Reese's' I hope you can gather it had strong nutty scents that were wonderfully enticing.

The bar was split into three main layers. The bottom layer had the smallest coating of Hershey's milk chocolate. It added very little to the overall taste, though it did a grand job at adding a moistness to the texture bar. The middle layer consisted of the rice cereal, as you can probably imagine it was not the strongest tasting or most substantial, though it gave the overall taste a wheaty, malty connotation that was to be expected. The upper layer of the bar was quite frankly absolutely gorgeous, and was formed of an amalgamation of marshmallow and peanut butter. It had a wonderfully strong creamy flavour that had brilliantly contrasting elements of sweet and salty aspects to its taste that really made the bar a pleasure to eat.

Overall this is by far not the shinning star in the Reese's portfolio, it is still a great tasting small snack, and probably one of the nicest cereal bar type items I have tried *ahem Kelloggs' Rice Krispie Square*. The bar simply isn't big enough to be a truly satisfying experience, though I would greatly welcome the implementation of the marshmallow and peanut butter layer in a grander form. If you are interested in your low calorie, small tasty snacks this could well be worth you taking a look at.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Reese's Snackbarz for yourself? Head over to Yankee Soda & Candy

October 23rd: Ritter Sport Praline

Kcal 549 Fat 33.5g Fat(sats) 15.3g Carbs 52.1g (per 100.0g)

Today's reviews is dedicated to ChocolateMission reader Lottie, who has frequently recommended this bar to me. Comprised of milk chocolate filled with a huge amount of praline (42%!!!), this was yet another Ritter Sport bar literally crammed full of the proposed filling. Given the praline context of the bar, the comparisons with Guylian were all but inevitable.

The aesthetics of this bar were quite reserved for the range in comparison to say the 'Whole Hazelnut' bars. The outer-packaging was attractive if a little understated, the cross-section of the bar confirmed the wonderful generous amount of praline filling. I was expecting more of a distinctive smell, the nutty element seemed all but overwhelmed by the dairy scents of the chocolate, which was a bit of shame as it could have really set the expectations for the fantastic taste to come.

Personally I think Ritter bars are fantastically sized and sectioned. Each little piece always seem to provide the perfect ratio of filling to chocolate. The milk chocolate played the familiar role of being a slightly better than average chocolate, taking the backseat to the added flavour. I hope people don't perceive this as criticism of the chocolate, it isn't the most flavoursome, but its milky flavours provided a suitable smooth background element to the taste that perfectly accentuated the filling. The praline was slightly denser in its thickness compared to the chocolate, and had the slightest grainy, powdery feel. The creamy, hazelnut flavour was strong and extremely tasty and provided a long lasting nutty taste that lingered in the mouth for an extended time. Half a bar per serving (50.0g) was a more than satisfying experience, and certainly provided the desired chocolaty flavour hit.

Overall this was yet another strong showing from the Ritter Sport range, which is fast becoming one of the most consistent brands I have reviewed. The milk chocolate was again unspectacular, though provided a nice base flavour before the indulgent praline filling. My personal opinion is that the praline filling here was better than that of the Guylian products I have reviewed. The texture was far superior, and was smoother in it's melt in comparison to Guylian praline. In the context of the Ritter Sport range, despite my own personal preference lieing with the 'Whole Hazelnuts' bars, the flavours in this bar were fantastically balanced and creamy, and provided a very enjoyable chocolate. I would highly recommend this bar to any Ritter Sport fans, or fans of nutty chocolate combinations. Another very well deserved score for the German brand.

8.4 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport Praline for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

October 23rd: Whoppers The Original Malted Milk Balls

Kcal 180 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 31.0g (per 41.0g - 18 pieces)

Maltesers are insanely popular here in the UK, so given the opportunity to review the US equivalents by *I SHOP 4 YOU II* I could only oblige. Produced by Hershey, these 'Whoppers' took the same premise as Maltesers - 'milk chocolate-coated malt balls'. Maltesers are often enjoyed as a lighter chocolate alternative - despite 'Whoppers' containing less fat per portion compared to Maltesers, I was initially surprised to see that all 7.0g were in fact saturated fat ... I was less so when I spotted hydrogenated palm kernel oil listed as the second highest ingredient.

*I SHOP 4 YOU II* sent me a large box of 141g, which lasted me the suggested three servings ... none of which were entirely satisfying. I was disappointed somewhat with the presentation of the product, the Whoppers were loosely rolling around inside the cardboard box with no inner packaging whatsoever. This meant that the chocolates lacked freshness in both their smell and appearance. They offered almost entirely nothing in terms of an aroma, just a very minor sweet smell that struggled to overcome the smell of the cardboard. The 'Whoppers' when cross-sectioned looked relatively pleasant but this did not excuse the dull, blemished surfaces.

Despite the similarities in their physical attributes with Maltesers, these Whoppers had a pretty different taste. The texture and flavour of the chocolate coating was by all means very poor. It had a waxy texture that was slow to melt, it almost felt like the chocolate had a waxy benign skin to it - yuck. The taste wasn't all that much better either, for chocolate they were distinctly lacking in cocoa flavour - they offered a minor milky flavour though it was largely forgettable as it was dominated by the malt centre. I still can't quite make my mind up whether I prefer the malted centres of Maltesers or these Whoppers. The centres of these Whoppers had a more substantial feel about them, and even had a small chewiness once the honeycomb consistency had melted. The malt flavour was strong, and lasted longer in the mouth - though the overall taste had a far sweeter edge to it than Maltesers .... it was if someone had added a tiny bit of unnecessary brown sugar to each piece, which wasn't entirely preferable. Despite their still rather light nature, a serving sized portion did become monotonous and somewhat sickly.

Overall it has to be said that these Whoppers pale in comparison to Maltesers, which are by far the superior product out of the two. Despite at their core having a fairly well established malt flavour, in almost every other criteria Maltesers are the better product. The packaging of the Whoppers was poor, with very little thought given to the long term fresh keeping of the product. Simply letting them loosely roll around the cardboard box was never going to do a job in this respect. The milk chocolate coating was also by and large disappointing, it had a horrible waxy texture, and it's flavours were lifeless and unsubstantial. These are a product that I would in no way recommend unless you genuinely interested in making the comparison for yourself - quite frankly a poor effort.

5.6 out of 10

*** EU & UK Readers Attention*** Ever been been browsing Chocolate Mission or any other Candy Site and felt frustrated not being able to get hold of an American bar/item!??? .... well feel frustrated no more!!! 'I SHOP 4 YOU II'!! is a great service that provides a unique "one stop shop" international shopping experience!!! Visit the Ebay shop - if they dont have the item you want instock simply give them a message - there is no harm in asking. This service comes with a Chocolate Mission Seal of Approval!! It is a genuinely great, fast and friendly service... Just say you came from Chocolate Mission.

October 22nd: Cadbury Eclairs

Kcal 35 Fat 1.3g Carbs 4.9g (per one piece)

I have no idea why these have taken me so long to review given the fact they are one of my most frequent purchases. I don't think I can actually recall seeing a person ever turn down one of these chocolates when offered. The fantastic inside-out combination of hard caramel and Dairy Milk chocolate seems to have a pretty universal appeal ... I can tell you now I'm not going to argue against that.

I bought these in a standard 200.0g bag, which lasted all of a few hours sitting on my desk parked next to my computer whilst doing a uni assignment. I like the packaging of Eclairs, the foil wrappers for each of the pieces look nice, and the gleaming caramel surface gives a nice fresh look. I had never cross-sectioned an Eclair before but for the purpose of the review I did so as you can see above - looks good huh!? Despite the foil wrappers the pieces really lacked a forthcoming smell. I guess this was to be expected with the nature of the product, though the caramel was utterly scentless ... only when really searching for it could the most subtle of chocolate smells be found.

Why these are described as chocolate caramels I do not know. The outer layer is distinctly hard in my book - making it more of a toffee ... oh well who cares. The hardness of the 'caramel' really means that there is one way to eat these and that is by slowly sucking on the pieces in the mouth. Doing this allowed the ultra buttery sweet flavours of the caramel to slowly intensify -  producing a quite fantastic taste. What makes this product work so well is the fact that the slow sucking of the outer caramel slowly means the inner creamy chocolate heats and melts, making it wonderfully silky when it finally emerges from the softening caramel. The creamy Dairy Milk flavours added brilliantly to the slow releasing caramel taste ... the only disappointment was that the pieces melted away without leaving too much of lasting impression - how do you solve that problem??? ... well of course you grab another .... and another .... and another .... maybe one more .... uh oh the bags empty!! DOH!!

Overall whoever said that chocolate isn't addictive should really open up a bag of these and attempt to only eat one before putting the pack away ... I think it is simply impossible. The caramel is amazingly well executed, and the Dairy Milk adds that delicious product defining contribution to both the texture and the taste. If the flavours had lasted longer the score would no doubt have been far higher on the Chocolate Mission scale. I'm guessing these are already probably a favourite for the majority of people reading this blog, but for those that haven't tried them I strongly suggest you do ... just don't blame me for your inevitable Cadbury Eclair addiction :D

8.0 out of 10 

**EDIT**

On the subject of Cadbury, they are actually running a pretty cool competition that I have been asked if I can share with you all: 

"Making use of the 'Chocolate Steam Dream Machine', you are able to design your own Dairy Milk chocolate bar. If the parrot judge likes it, your very own, one-off Cadbury's chocolate bar could be made and sent to you in the post!"

<http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com/#/factory/>

Would be pretty cool to have your own bar made huh!? Would you eat it though! That is the question!?

October 22nd: Cadbury Magical Elves

Kcal 70 Fat 3.9g Carbs 8.4g

Well well well - It looks like our beloved Freddo has some competition this Christmas! I spotted these Cadbury Magical Elves in with all the Christmas gear at Tesco, and hurriedly grabbed a handful. In my haste I didn't check to see the price so anyone with this information please do share it. 

The packaging stated that the product was comprised of 'milk chocolate with magical popping candy' ..... 'magical popping candy'??? what on earth!?? ... according to the ingredients it was basically sugar, glucose syrup and lactose .... so yeah sugar!! The outer-packaging of the product was reasonable, it was obviously aimed at the younger consumer with a central colour coded elf character taking a focal point of the wrapper. The chocolate mould itself was crafted with the elf character pulling the same rather odd pose as with the Freddo ... I don't know what it is but the whole finger to the mouth thing is a worryingly suggestive pose for a kid focused product :) maybe it's just me. The product did have a nice aroma. Upon opening the wrapper some very familiar sweet Cadbury Dairy Milk scents restored some element of anticipation.

Right let the rant begin ... the Cadbury Dairy milk chocolate tried to deliver its usual delicious creamy, chocolaty flavours but the unnecessary extra sugar content from the 'popping candy' all but spoit its taste, making it overly sweet. Now I don't think I have one good thing to say about this 'popping candy' malarkey. Personally I thought the crackling, popping sensation to the texture was awful ... I just didn't like the fizzing sensation it brought to the back of my throat. Not only this but it disrupted the smoothness of the Dairy Milk and added a completely undesirable extra sweetness ... nope nothing good to say whatsoever. Have I even mentioned it was about half the size of a Freddo yet?? 

Overall this has to be one of the most unrewarding chocolate items I have reviewed for this site. In my opinion the 'popping candy' completely ruined the product - adding a frankly awful popping, fizzy sensation that was not only horrible in its texture but also managed to ruin the taste and smooth feel of the Dairy Milk. Sometimes Cadbury get it wrong ... really wrong (Bournville, Dream etc) .... I honestly wouldn't waste your time with these. Get out of my sight you small, insignificant little elves, give me back my 15p Freddo!! 

4.2 out of 10 

October 21st: Hershey's Rally

Kcal 300 Fat 17.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 36.0g

I was recently contacted by reader Geraldine - who informed me that she had sourced (and was selling) some Hershey's Rally bars through her ebay shop Yankee Soda and Candy. After doing some research it seems to be that these are somewhat of a rare bar. From what I can gather they used to be quite a popular selling bar in the US ... but somewhere along the line got discontinued. Cybele over at Candyblog recently likened the Rally to Hershey's Canadian version of the 'Oh Henry!'. It seems quite likely this Rally bar is simply one of those repackaged ... well personally I can't make the comparison myself having only tried the US Nestle version of the 'Oh Henry' .... blimey how confusing this all is!

Reading the on-pack description - 'Chocolatey nut roll' this bar instantly brought back dreadful memories of the quite frankly terrible Payday 'Avalanche' - thankfully it was far, far superior. The bar looked like a thinner, more structured version of the 'Avalanche', avoiding the dull and dusty complexion of the aforementioned. Upon opening the nice retro looking wrapper, I was met with an absolute barrage of very forthcoming nutty scents - frankly it smelt fantastic.

The bar had an outer layer of thick 'milk chocolate' ... inverted commas due to it being comprised of an assortment of oils. Despite it's artificial constituents it had a relatively tasty sweet milky flavour. Sure, this wasn't milk chocolate at its finest, the texture was a tad grainy and lacklustre in the thickness of it's melt, though on the balance it did it's job. The next layer consisted of whole peanuts and caramel - a perfect complimentary pairing. The peanuts had a fresh, strong nutty taste and provided a particularly enjoyable crunchiness to the bite. The caramel that fused the nuts provided a perfect buttery sweet flavour that offset the saltiness of peanuts superbly. The centre filling was a layer of chewy fudge - I found it largely disappointing in it's strength of flavour, though it did add a large substantiality factor to the bar. Weighing in at 62.0g and with it's strong nutty flavours, this was a very satisfying bar .... you would expect so to for 300 calories I guess.

Overall despite not knowing the complete story behind this bar, one thing I do know is that I actually rather enjoyed it. The chocolate and fudge layers are far from groundbreaking, though the sheer strength of the combination of the peanuts and caramel layer make for a wholly satisfying bar. It has elements that remind me of the Reese's Nutsrageous, Nestle 'Oh Henry!' and the Nestle 'Baby Ruth' ... all rolled in to one. I am hoping some kind American reader is going to provide some clarity on the origins of this product. Until then I suggest if you like the sound of this bar then it is well worth trying out.

8.2 out of 10

Fancy trying the Hershey's Rally bar for yourself?? Visit Yankee Soda & Candy!

October 20th: Hotel Chocolat Kissing Mistletoe / Little Angels

Yes indeed it is getting round to that time of year already - and it is my favourite time of year CHRISTMAS!!! So what does Christmas mean in the chocolate world?? Special seasonal lines that's what! Yours truly in the coming weeks will be bringing you reviews of the finest selections this Christmas. Hotel Chocolat have already been kind enough to supply me with some of their seasonal stock - no better place to kick off in my book.

Both these products came in wonderfully presented 110.0g boxes that included ten chocolates in each. The 'Kissing Mistletoe' was formed of the 40% house milk chocolate, whilst the 'Little Angels' included five white chocolate pieces and five caramel chocolate pieces.

The presentation of these products was brilliant - though to be honest I wasn't expecting anything else! The boxes had classy design work, and the chocolates inside were nicely arranged in plastic trays with several protective layers. I preferred the design of the 'Mistletoe' chocolates to the 'Little Angels' mainly due to the design work looking more interesting and intricate. Both products smelt wonderful, the milk chocolate 'Mistletoe' radiated more cocoa concentrated scents, whilst the little angels were of a mixture of strong dairy, sweet toffee smells. YUM!!

Anyway enough of the descriptive stuff - how did they taste??

Hotel Chocolat Kissing Mistletoe:


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

Comprised of the 40% house milk chocolate these followed much the same premise as the Hotel Chocolat Boo Halloween chocolates that I reviewed a few weeks ago, though there were a few subtle differences that enabled these Mistletoe pieces to score ever so slightly higher.

Even though I have described the taste of the 40% house milk several times I see no harm in doing so once more :) The milk chocolate had the delicious milky taste that I had come to expect from the 40% formulation. I can't emphasise enough how brilliantly crisp the taste was. The nature of the slow and longing melt meant the intensity of the creamy flavours progressed at a wonderful rate. Though the flavours were predominantly milky, there always seemed to be a strong cocoa background flavour which made the chocolate seem to last all that much longer providing a very satisfying experience. The 'Mistletoe' shapes were nicely formed, and provided around two plentiful mouthfuls per piece. In my opinion this gave them the edge over the BOO Halloween chocolates as some of the shapes from that selection were awkward to eat and thin in places - the textures were far more consistent in this 'Mistletoe' form.

Overall as to be expected these delivered milk chocolate in some of its finest form. For a more seasonal and fun themed version of the original 40% house slab you can go little wrong here.

8.8 out of 10

Hotel Chocolat Little Angels:

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

I must say when I saw these in the selection sent to me I was particularly excited. Good memories of the Hotel Chocolat 'Caramellow' and 'Praline White' came flooding back to me - thankfully these 'Little Angels' certainly lived up to expectations.

I started by eating the white chocolate pieces. They had a fantastic melt that felt ever so soft and very smooth. The milky flavours had a nice progressive nature that seemed to get creamier and creamier as the melt progressed. The aftertaste was noted strongly with vanilla, culminating in one massively moreish overall taste. A fantastic white chocolate - possibly the best I have tasted so far on ChocolateMission! Someone get me a slab of this stuff pronto!!

Next up were the caramel chocolate pieces. The melt with these was slightly slower than with the white chocolate and the milk chocolate, though it was equally as smooth. The caramel chocolate pieces were noticeably slower at releasing their flavours, though once the taste was evident it was multi-dimensional with different cocoa and sweet, buttery, toffee like flavours mixing into one delicious taste. The caramel angels did not leave the same flavour longevity in the mouth, though were equally as moreish as the white angels.

Overall both these different flavours are devilishly addictive and were chocolate of the highest quality. The only slight drawback with this product was the annoyance of the angel design, they were thicker in some places than others and were simply just an awkward shape to eat. In the grand scheme of things though the taste of both the white and caramel chocolates more than made up for this slight negative. Be warned if you are buying these chocolates to share ... don't expect them to last long.

8.8 out of 10

Not a bad start for the Christmas 2008 reviews eh!? Then again did we really expect anything less from Hotel Chocolat? If there are any Christmas products you especially want to see reviewed before you buy them for your lucky loved ones or even yourselves ... please just leave a request.

October 19th: Ritter Sport Joghurt

Kcal 517 Fat 38.1g Fat(sats) 22.7g Carbs 48.4g (per 100g)

My relentless assault on the Ritter Sport range continued today with me sampling the Ritter Sport Joghurt... that's Yogurt to us non-German speaking ... as if you didn't know that ... well I hope you did :D .... So milk chocolate with a skimmed milk yogurt cream filling - I know across Europe that Milka and Lindt have similar bars, but for us Brits this is quite the unique proposition.

Now we all know my admiration for the Ritter Sport packaging, so lets not go into that again, one thing I will remark on though is the lack of nutritional information supplied, something that is of particular annoyance given you have to traipse all the way onto the website to get the required information ... I do a lot for you guys ;) Splitting the bar up I was pretty astounded by the size of the filling, as you will see above it had a fair old thickness and looked remarkably prominent and well portioned (45% in actual fact!!). The product didn't have the most outstanding of aromas, it offered a sweet chocolaty dairy scent, though it was nothing out the ordinary or anything indicative of the flavour of the bar.

Having reviewed so many Ritter Sport bars recently it seems a little like groundhog day when describing Ritter Sport milk chocolate. It had a nicely balanced taste, more milky than cocoa weighted. The melt was smooth and nicely paced, however it still lacked a real uniqueness that other brands have. In the context of this bar the soft melting chocolate nicely revealed the slightly denser creamy filling. The sweetness of the chocolate contrasted nicely against the more sharply flavoured centre. The yogurt cream had initial milky, creamy flavours that progressed nicely into a more impactful tangy dairy taste. The edgy nature to the end of the taste made the flavours last a little bit longer in the mouth; 50g of this bar at a time provided a more than satisfying serving size.

Overall Ritter Sport just keep delivering the goods with yet another fantastic flavour variation. The milk chocolate is of course of a better than mediocre standard, and in this bar in particular it played nicely against the sharper, ever so mildly soured centre. Given the extremely generous portioning it was lucky the filling was as well executed as it was. It had a smooth creamy appeal that benefited greatly from it's differentiated tangy finish - it seemed to make all the difference in that the flavours just seemed to last that little bit longer. I once again highly recommend this Ritter Sport bar, another real treat from a range that just keeps on serving up great quality flavour variants ... long may it continue.

8.4 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport Yogurt for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

October 18th: Snickers Flapjack

Kcal 308 Fat 17.9g Carbs 31.4g

Having reviewed the Cadbury Dairy Milk flapjack last week I thought it only fair I give this Snickers flapjack a chance on the Chocolate Mission rating system. Described as 'a delicious flapjack with roasted peanuts and caramel, topped with milk chocolate', I was pretty hopeful of its chances given the original bars prestige. 

The flapjack came in a 60.0g serving, it was a sufficient snack though I was expecting more from such a product. I was disappointed by the appearance, the outer wrapping was pretty good looking, though the flapjack itself was poorly put together. The base of the flapjack simply didn't fuse together well enough, it was mushy and too soft, which meant it all too easily fell apart. The product as a whole just didn't look all that impressive, it looked particularly weedy in comparison to the Cadbury alternative. One thing I did enjoy was the smell of the flapjack, it smelt wonderfully nutty, which made up somewhat for the poor aesthetics.

As the appearance suggested the base of the flapjack was overly soft and crumbly. This gave the flapjack a real lack of substantially, as well as making it a real inconvenience to it. The peanuts that interspersed the soft base added a nice distinctive nutty element to the mild buttery oat flavours, the base on the whole though still largely lacked a really impactful flavour. I was pretty disappointed by the level of chocolate included, it was a very thin layer that lined the top of the flapjack and it really struggled to stamp its authority in the overall taste. The peanuts aside, none of the other ingredients really managed to leave a lasting impact, I can only wonder as to the whereabouts of the caramel in the scheme of things. 

Overall the lasting feeling I was left with after eating this flapjack was one of disappointment. Given the absolutely brilliant standard of the original Snickers bar I was expecting a product that was at least impactful in terms of its flavours ... unfortunately this was not the case. The limpness of the flapjack base was disappointing, though its lack of flavour more so. The milk chocolate was lacking in its presence and really needed to be far more plentiful in its portioning. The roasted peanuts at least provided a nice nutty element to the taste, though given the rest of the bland ingredients it still didn't make up for the lack of flavours. I personally wouldn't recommend this unless your a real Snickers fan, this was a product with great potential but was by and large disappointing. 

6.6 out of 10        

October 18th: Ferrero Raffaello

Kcal 180 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 13.0g (per 3 pieces)

Ferrero have been a bit on a run as of late in the Chocolate Mission stakes. You may have noticed I have been working my way through their portfolio (thanks to Dean-German-Grocery), with scores very rarely dipping below the 8.0 out of 10 mark. Today I sampled the Ferrero Raffaello, a product described as 'creamy coconut wafer almond bites' ... what no chocolate ... surely you can't review these Jim!?? Err Yes I can :D

Dean-German-Grocery were kind enough to send these across in a 150g pack, I did try limiting myself to only eating a few at a time, but these like most Ferrero products were ridiculously moreish. The product was beautifully presented, encased in a beautiful box, each with a stylish branded plastic wrapper. The Raffaello themselves looked stunning, they had a snowy white, fluffy looking outer appearance, golden looking wafers, creamy looking whipped fillings and perfectly shaped whole almonds placed in their centres. They also smelt absolutely divine - opening the small plastic wrappers a creamy coconut smell emerged; it smelt very fresh and very enticing.

This was yet another Ferrero product where half the outer layer ended up falling into my lap - as ever this was a slight annoyance. The outer particles that did make it into my mouth provided nice strong, initial coconut and milky flavours. The crunchiness of the coconut went nicely with the crispness of the wafer, whilst the milk creme holding the coconut crumble in place provided a nice smoothness. Like all Ferrero wafers the flavours were not the strongest, though this was really not an issue given the strength of the rest of the elements. Within the wafer was the white praline filling, for my liking it was a tad light in it's texture, though this can be forgiven due to it's absolutely fantastic taste. The light texture meant the flavour didn't last all that long, but it did provide one sinfully tasty nutty, creamy experience. At the heart of the white praline was a wonderful almond, which further added a last crunchy element to the experience. The nut also gave an extra buttery note to the flavour, though I couldn't help thinking that maybe a hazelnut would of given a longer lasting final flavour hit.

Overall yet again Ferrero deliver another superb product. The formula of the crumbly outer layer, wafer, truffle centre and nut piece is obviously not the most unique (Rocher & Rondnoir), but I see little point in changing a winning formula. These Raffaello are sinfully creamy, and ever so moreish, anyone who can eat one at a time, congrats you must have some amazing self control. To enjoy these you will have to enjoy coconut, if you don't, the initial coconut outer layer may put you off these. For Ferrero and truffle fans alike I can recommend these almost as strongly as the Ferrero Rocher and Rondnoir. Another triumph from Ferrero, who are fast becoming one of the most consistent Chocolate Mission brands.

8.4 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ferrero Raffaello for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

October 17th: M&M's Premiums Chocolate Almond

Kcal 240 Fat 16.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 20.0g (per 42.0g)

The 'Raspberry Almond' variant aside my experience of the M&M's Premiums range has so far been resoundingly positive. With two variants left to try I will admit that I had been saving them both until last as they appealed to me the most. Today courtesy once more of **I SHOP 4 YOU 2** I gave the 'Chocolate Almond' variant a run through the ChocolateMission rating system.

By now I think we all get the picture that I am continually impressed with the aesthetic looks of the range. This particular variant was coloured with a stunning marine blue marble effect. The nuts and milk chocolate layers were consistently large and thick - very impressive. The 170.0g packet released a wonderful smell once opened. Distinct, forthcoming chocolaty nutty scents immediately let their presence known, presenting a very indicative insight in to the taste.

As with all the other variants the crispy shells of standard M&Ms were not present here. The outer coatings melted at a nice rate revealing the thick layer of milk chocolate. The chocolate was sweet and milky in it's flavour and had a silky smooth melt. The standard of the milk chocolate was by no means of the highest order but it did it's job well and provided a nice creamy, sweetness before the more savoury roasted flavours of the nuts. The almonds that sat at the heart of each M&M were consistent in both their size and freshness - they were all largish and brilliantly crunchy. Aside from adding a nice contrastive texture they also added a superb buttery, nutty taste that was long lasting, fulfilling and highly enjoyable.

Overall I am happy to be able to convey the message that Mars didn't completely screw up their 'Almond Premiums'. These 'Chocolate Almond' M&M's more than made up for the truly terrible 'Raspberry Almond' variant, and delivered on several levels. They looked, smelt and tasted fantastic ... you can't really ask for much more. I would be very hard pushed to pick a favourite between these and the 'Triple Chocolate' variant .... so I'm not going to :) ... not until I try the last 'Mocha' variant anyway. The original M&M's Almond were good ... these are even better, highly recommended.

8.5 out of 10

*** EU & UK Readers Attention*** Ever been been browsing Chocolate Mission or any other Candy Site and felt frustrated not being able to get hold of an American bar/item!??? .... well feel frustrated no more!!! 'I SHOP 4 YOU II'!! is a great service that provides a unique "one stop shop" international shopping experience!!! Visit the Ebay shop - if they dont have the item you want instock simply give them a message - there is no harm in asking. This service comes with a Chocolate Mission Seal of Approval!! It is a genuinely great, fast and friendly service... Just say you came from Chocolate Mission.

October 17th: Kinder Delice

Kcal 189 Fat 11.9g Carbs 17.5g

Having already reviewed the incredibly addictive Kinder Slice way back in May, I was pretty damn pleased when Dean-German-Grocery included a few of these Kinder Delice in my sampling package. The Kinder Delice are a pretty similar product to the Kinder Slice in that they are comprised of two pieces of chocolate cake, with a layer of milk creme running through the middle. The differentiator from the Delice to the Slice is that the Delice is coated in a layer of milk chocolate.

The size of the Delice was also superior to that of the Slice - weighing in at 42.0g. Despite it actually being bigger in size I didn't really find this product anymore fulfilling, I did after all eat two in one sitting ... lol I had to be sure that the taste was consistent ... that is my excuse anyway ;) I liked the presentation of the product, the wrapper was traditionally Kinder styled with the red and white colours. The Delice itself looked appealing and had nice a decorative pattern on top the chocolate coating. The milk creme layer looked a bit sheepish in between the two thick cake pieces ... it was not portioned half as generously as with the Slice. Remembering back to the Slice review I can recall it having a particularly off putting old milky smell, this wasn't the case here with the Delice, it's aroma was more rooted in the chocolate element; it was far from being massively enticing, but it's smelt sweet and had some degree of appeal.

Despite the thinness of the chocolate coating it's flavour was really quite impactful due to a layer of chocolate creme that sat just below it. It had a sweet taste that was very smooth and milk based. Biting into it gave a nice initial crisp texture to the bar, it's melt was also nice and smooth. The sponge cake pieces were a little unspectacular, they weren't the most flavoursome and could have done with a touch more cocoa. As with the Kinder Slice the real shinning star was the milk flavoured creme filling, it had a silky smooth feel and deliciously creamy dairy taste ... it was just a shame it wasn't as generously portioned as with the Slice, as at times it got dominated by the sponge pieces. The aftertaste of the product lasted a surprisingly long time in the mouth and had a nice lasting milky taste.

Overall I have come to conclusion that Ferrero have a real tendency for crafting moreish products ... and this was no exception. It was ideal as snack, but I couldn't help but eat two at a time ... in a way this is a testament to how good it tasted - though when looked at in a different light it does indicate that one wasn't all that satisfying. There is no doubting this is a seriously good tasting product. Fans of the Kinder Slice will definitely approve, it has nearly everything that is great about that product, but with the extra addition of a fair standard chocolate coating. Hardly setting the rating system alight ... but a great product and highly recommended.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Kinder Delice for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

October 16th: Ferrero Giotto

Kcal 27 Fat 1.9g Fat(sats) 0.5g Carbs 10.6g (per piece)

Once upon a time I remember these Ferrero Giotto frequently occupying a shelf at my local newsagents. Unfortunately these seem to be all but gone from the UK, though not so it seems from Germany. Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me a huge pack on which to pass my judgment. For those of you who have not heard of Ferrero Giotto before, I can inform you they come described as 'moreishly nutty wafer bites, with a creamy hazelnut centre'.

When I was younger I remember that when seeing these on display in a shop I was often scared off buying them due to their posh aesthetic look, I would quickly seek solace in another friendlier looking alternative. Now being more mature (I hope!!), I can now appreciate the quality of the presentation an awful lot better. These Giotto came in small mini packs, with three pieces in each. The foil wrappers looked stylish and very premium, with some classy designs and fonts at work. The Giotto themselves were also brilliantly presented. They had a strong creamy hazelnut aroma that emerged as soon as the foil seal was broken. The pieces looked nice in their appearance, with some nice textural variances and contrasting colours. The only slight annoyance was their proneness to crumbling all over the place ... like the Cadbury Flake this was a product that was easy to end up with more in your lap than in your mouth.

Dean-German-Grocery sent me a big multi-pack with nine, three piece servings contained within ... I am almost embarrassed to say I finished the lot in just two sittings. The size of each of the individual pieces were perfect for placing whole in the mouth. The outer coating was a fantastic mixture of white chocolate and chopped nuts. The white chocolate was sweet, though due to it's relatively small portioning, worked out well to provide an initial creamy chocolaty flavour. The next layer was the wafer, which provided a nice crunchy element to the texture - it did not have the strongest of flavours, but added a nice sugary, malty background element to the taste. In previous Ferrero products I have frequently lauded the quality of their hazelnut creme centres (See Kinder Bueno etc), once again the hazelnut creme was absolutely spot on. It was devilishly creamy and silky smooth, with just the most divine of buttery, nutty tastes - sinfully good and ever so moreish. There is no doubt these tasted fantastic, and as I have just referred to were extremely addictive ... unfortunately this brings me on to my next point - these simply just didn't wholly satisfy me. No matter how many of these I ate, they just didn't satisfy my hunger whatsoever, this was hardly surprising considering the light weight constituents.

Overall these are another great tasting product from Ferrero, but just not a completely well rounded one though. There is no denying these taste fantastic, they have a delicious creamy, nutty taste that is absolutely superb. Despite this I just can't recommend them on the basis that I don't believe they are product that completely satisfy the consumer in terms of fulfilling their hunger. For my money these are a perfect little treat to have with a mid morning/after dinner cup of coffee ... they are more an enhancing product, rather than one that should be enjoyed on their own. If you are a fan of praline or hazelnut creme products, Ferrero Giotto will be right up your street.

8.0 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ferrero Rondnoir for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!