November 2nd: Ritter Sport Voll Erdnuss (Peanut)

Kcal 558 Fat 38.3g Fat(sats) 16.9g Carbs 39.7g (per 100.0g)

Dipping yet again into my seemingly bottomless pit of goodies from Dean-German-Grocery, I today sampled yet another flavour from the Ritter Sport range - 'Voll Erdnuss' ... that's peanuts to us English speaking folk. Comprising of over 30% peanuts, like the hazelnut variants the milk chocolate was literally bursting to the seams with nuts a plenty.

The outer wrapping was pretty brightly coloured for the normally more reserved Ritter Sport brand. Despite not being enamored with the choice of colour for the wrapper, the bar looked fantastic with the peanut pieces especially prevalent. Although the peanuts held a very heavy presence, the aroma of the bar surprisingly lacked the strong nutty impact I was expecting. There were the usual dairy smells from the milk chocolate, but the nutty scents were very mild ... unfortunately a indication of what was to come.

As I have described above the peanuts were very heavily portioned. Despite the large number they failed to fashion any sort of notable impact on the taste of the bar. The peanuts seemed largely flavourless, lacking the expected buttery, nutty flavours that I envisaged before tasting. The milk chocolate was even spoilt somewhat from its usual slightly better than average quality. The milky flavours and smooth texture seemed disjointed and spoilt somewhat by the sheer blandness of the peanuts. The milky flavours of the chocolate had a relatively short lifespan in the mouth, the peanuts offered very little aside from a minor roasted, savoury flavour. The bar failed to deliver any really long sustaining taste, a 50.0g portion was to be honest very unsatisfying.

Overall I guess I really cursed myself last week when I called Ritter Sport 'one of the most consistent brands I have reviewed' ..... DOH!! This bar was far from a tragedy, but it was also by far the worst Ritter Sport flavour I have tried so far. Unlike the rest of the range, this bar simply lacked flavour. I was expecting a strong nutty experience along the lines of the hazelnut variants, but in comparison this bar was severely lacking in flavour depth and agreeable textures. On the whole I wouldn't recommend this variant, it was completely devoid of charm, especially considering the high standard Ritter Sport has set itself. In my opinion probably best to miss this one out.

6.7 out of 10

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

November 2nd: Ferrero Kusschen

Kcal 53 Fat 4.1g Carbs 3.2g (per piece)

Thanks to Dean-German-Grocery I have really been able to give the Ferrero range a thorough look at. The Ferrero Kusschen (translated = 'Kiss') are according to the website only available in Denmark. They closely follow the premise of the Rocher, though vary slightly in their appearance and lack of wafer.

At first glance I didn't recognise these as a Ferrero product. The packaging had a slightly less premium look about it in comparison to other Ferrero products. I thought the orange foil wrappers were ever so slightly tacky looking, however the chocolates themselves had a nice shape and looked pretty enticing when cross sectioned. The individual foil wrappers ensured the chocolates had a nice aroma, I could detect a strong nutty scent similar to that of the Rocher.

Each of the chocolates a thick outer layer of milk chocolate that melted smoothly at a nice slow rate releasing a longing milky flavour. The inner praline was interspersed with small hazelnut pieces, that further accentuated the creamy nuttiness of the filling. The middle hazelnuts seemed relatively fresh and had a nice crunch, though at times I found them to lack flavour. I am not a big fan of wafers, though I actually quite missed the presence of the layer in this product in comparison to the Rocher. It was not a layer I particularly championed when reviewing the Rocher, but with it removed, there was a noticeable loss to the interest of the textures, and even the absence of the minor malt flavours was very noticeable. The nut flavours lasted a reasonably long time in the mouth, a few of these chocolates at a time provided an adequate snack.

Overall I couldn't help but feel that these were a step down from the Rocher. I don't know what the difference is price wise, though I would hazard a guess that these are maybe a slightly less premium line from Ferrero!? Anyone able to shed some light on this? Don't get me wrong - the milk chocolate had a nice milky appeal, and the praline and chopped nuts added a nice creamy nutty aspect; I just felt these were not the full rounded product that the Rocher are. If you really don't care for wafers and enjoy your Ferrero products, it is very likely you will enjoy these ... personally I'm just going to stick with my Rocher and Rondnoir.

7.4 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!

November 1st: Lindt '1001 Nights' Lindor Noel Truffles

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

These Lindt Lindor Noel truffles form another part of the Lindt's '1001 Nights' Christmas range. Having reviewed many of the Lindt Lindor truffles already to pretty much resounding success, I was looking forward to trying this 'Noel' variant, which was formed of Lindt milk chocolate with a 'hint of 'cinnamon and coriander'.

As you can see above the product didn't come packaged like any standard Lindor. Instead the truffles came packed in a festive looking cardboard box that certainly looked very decorative. The truffles themselves came in standard Lindor wrappers and looked no different to their milk chocolate counterparts. Even before tasting these though, one thing made them stand out from the rest of the Lindor range ... their smell. The spices were amazingly forthcoming. When photographing these I was preparing over a weeks worth of different chocolate items, yet these 'Noel truffles' completely dominated my smelling senses ... even when placed back in their box!!

Despite the smell being completely led by the spices, the taste was still very heavily influenced by the milk chocolate. The outer milk chocolate shell had a deliciously thick creamy taste that set up the smooth inner filling perfectly. The middle of the truffle had the usual Lindor melt in the mouth butter texture, but also had an additional tingly, warming element to it. The taste of the centre was largely milky and smooth, though the spices brought an extra dimension of flavours. The flavours varied with elements of dark fruits, alcohol and the obvious cinnamon all adding to the long lasting taste. At times the flavours were a little intense for my liking, though on the whole the interchangeability of the different elements made for an interesting, and delicious taste. Four of these truffles made for the perfect amount and was a pretty fulfilling experience.

Overall these may not be the best tasting Lindt Lindor truffles, but they are the best scoring to date, with their full well rounded attributes - in particular their presentation and smell. The spices really made for a product that delivered big time in terms of its flavour hit. Though the spices were quite intense, the milk chocolate largely stayed in control, and provided the perfect smooth, creamy background for the varying flavours delivered by the soft filling. These are the type of chocolate that would be perfect to enjoy with a nice nightcap, or to go with a coffee. If your after a more unique Lindor experience with a little extra edge, I would very highly recommend these.

8.7 out of 10
Fancy trying the Lindt '1001 Nights' Lindor Noel Truffles for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 1st: Harry & David Moose Munch Dark Chocolate Bar

Kcal 290 Fat 22.0g Fat(sats) 13.0g Carbs 29.0g

You may remember a month or so back I reviewed the Harry & David Moose Munch Milk Chocolate Bar, which earned itself a very credible 8.0 out of 10. These Moose Munch bars are Liz from **I SHOP 4 YOU II** favourite bars, and I must say given the success of the milk chocolate version I was looking forward to this dark variant. This dark variant included all the same fudge, popcorn, caramel and nut ingredients, just all coated in a 'rich dark chocolate'.

Weighing in at the same 56.0g this was yet another massively fulfilling bar. There was some partial blooming on the bar, though I decided not to penalise it for this due to the large distance and variable conditions the bar travelled to get to me. On the whole I still thought it was presented well, with a good standard wrapper and even a plastic tray included for protection. I was pretty disappointed by the smell of the product, it wasn't that it smelt bad ... it was just it had no real forthcoming scent at all ... never a good thing as it meant there was no growth of anticipation.

This bar seemed far more packed full of the nut, popcorn and fudge elements compared to the previous milk chocolate version I reviewed. To coin my own phrase, the dark chocolate was very 'mass consumer friendly' in it's flavours, it was nowhere near what I would describe as a massively cocoa intensive taste. It noticeably lacked sweetness in comparison to the milk chocolate variant, and was quite dominant in regard to the other flavours of the bar. The added elements seemed a bit more lost in the context of the dark chocolate, the popcorn in particular really struggled to establish a firm flavour base. Of course all the different elements added an wonderful array of textures ... the nuts were crunchy, popcorn fluffy and the caramel and fudge added a smoothness to the middle of the bar. The dark chocolate flavour lasted for a long time in the mouth and could be tasted for a long duration after eating the bar.

Overall this dark chocolate variant provided a largely satisfying experience, though I think it is marginally inferior to the milk chocolate variant. Despite the dark chocolate not being as intense as it possibly could have been, it was still largely dominant, and nullified the flavours of the nuts, popcorn, fudge and caramel just that little bit more in comparison to the milk chocolate bar. These added elements were better proportioned in this bar, though I think this is something that is somewhat mostly down to luck. If you get the chance to try the Moose Munch range it is one that comes with my recommendation - its not the highest scoring range by any means, but it is certainly a unique one and well worth trying.

7.8 out of 10

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October 31st: Quality Street: My Caramel Swirl / Purple Big One / Green Triangle

It has been a long time since I have had any form of Quality Street, but from what I can remember there were always ones that disappeared from the tin far quicker than others. It seems everyone has their favourite, and Nestle think they are the 'Caramel Swirl', 'Purple Big One' and 'Green Triangle' pieces .... so what have Nestle done!?? Well made them in a grander form that's what! Under recommendation of reader Simon, I decided to give each of them a look at.

My Caramel Swirl:  

Kcal 186 Fat 9.5g Fat(sats) 5.7g Carbs 23.6g

Described as 'milk chocolate with a soft caramel centre',  this was the one I was looking forward to most. It looked impressive in stature and had a relatively dense heavy feel. When cross-sectioned the amount of caramel did look very impressive and had a nice pleasant looking golden appearance. The product didn't offer the greatest of smells, only a relatively low-key sweet smell could be detected.

The milk chocolate was pretty standard Nestle quality. It was by no means of the highest quality, and had little more than a reasonable sweet, milky taste. The caramel centre was not of the highest quality either, it had a relatively pleasant buttery taste, however lacked the real definition of flavours in comparison to the better quality caramels (Cadbury / Galaxy). The texture of the chocolate was partially grainy, though the smooth, chewiness of the caramel made the filling feel very soft in the mouth. The sweetness of the product meant that overall this was a relatively fulfilling snack.

Overall this was by far not the greatest milk chocolate / caramel combination I have tasted, but it was relatively pleasant nonetheless. If I were in need of chocolaty caramel flavour hit this wouldn't be the first product I would seek out, but I would probably settle for it nonetheless.

7.4 out of 10

My Purple Big One

Kcal 190 Fat 9.9g Fat(sats) 5.2g Carbs 23.4g

Is it me or does this name sound rather suggestive :) ... hmmm ok just me!! This 'Purple Big One' came billed as 'milk chocolate, with hazelnuts in a caramel centre'. 

Although I didn't care too much for the shape of this variant, when bitten into it looked pretty appetising. Again the golden caramel looked plentiful, and the added whole hazelnut pieces also looked quite enticing, all this to an extent made up for the clumsy design. The product smelt exactly the same as the Caramel Swirl, with no indication of the nut content at this point whatsoever.

The product not only smelt like the Caramel Swirl, but by and large tasted like it as well, though it must be said the hazelnuts did add a little something extra. The sweetness of the milk chocolate and caramel combination as described above was broken up somewhat by the savoury flavours of the nuts. In my 'Big Purple One' I got three whole hazelnuts, which made relative sense given I ate the piece in three bites. This meant each bite had an additional woody, nutty flavour that was delivered with a relatively fresh crunch. Again relative to its size it was a pretty fulfilling snack.

Overall your preference to this over the Caramel Swirl will be down to whether you enjoy hazelnuts. Personally I do, and I enjoyed the taste of the product that little bit more with the extra nutty element. By my reckoning the best out the bunch, but in my opinion a poor mans take on the Cadbury 'Nuts about Caramel'.

7.7 out of 10 

My Green Triangle:
Kcal 187 Fat 10.7g Fat(sats) 5.6g Carbs 20.7g

My Green Triangle constitutes of 'milk chocolate with a nut praline centre'. The Praline market is one that is generally a focus of the more prestigious brands, and having tried some pretty good offerings from the likes of Guylian and Ritter Sport I was quite curious to the quality this was going to deliver. 

The product had two main layers with the outer milk chocolate coating protecting the inner praline. As with the other two offerings, the milk chocolate offered the same distinctly average sweet, milky flavours. The praline centre had quite a thick, dense texture that I wasn't overly keen on, I would have much preferred the textures to have been a tad softer. Flavourwise it was also largely disappointing, the hazelnut flavours were there but just didn't really establish themselves. The lasting taste I was left with was the sweet chocolate, which was all a bit lacklustre. This was the most unfulfilling out from the three.

Overall I am not quite sure why Nestle would make one of their focus 'Big Ones' a praline offering. It was pretty obvious it was never going to meet the standard of the better offerings from the market, it wasn't necessarily poor, but as far as pralines go it was sub-standard. Add the fact the milk chocolate was hardly dazzling, it didn't take me long to come to the conclusion this was the worse of the lot.

6.3 out 10

Despite not being entirely enamored by any out of the three, I have safely come to the conclusion that the 'Big Purple One' is the best out of the lot. One thing really puzzles me with this range, and it is the question: 'when are these supposed to be eaten?'. Personally I would never choose one of these over a standard chocolate bar, but they are also to big to have as a one off small chocolate. Surely the appeal of the Quality Street brand is the fact they offer several 'okish' chocolates in one product ... why would you choose an average (or just slightly better) as a one off larger item??? I hope you know what I am getting at here, it would be great to hear some opinions on the matter. 

October 31st: Milka Luft White Chocolate

Kcal 540 Fat 29.5g Fat(sats) 18.0g Carbs 63.0g (per 100.0g)

Those of you who remember my review of the Milka White Chocolate a few weeks ago, will be aware that I wasn't its biggest fan. Despite this, Dean-German-Grocery were kind enough to include this limited edition 'Luft (Air) White Chocolate' in their latest sampling package. This was an aerated variation on the standard white chocolate bar ... basically think Milka White Chocolate meets Wispa / Aero style chocolate.

Despite its aerated form, the bar still came in the standard 100.0g serving. The bar was about the same size in length as the standard Milka bars, though it was about three/four times the thickness. The design work of the bar reminded me a lot of Aero chocolate, with bubbles visibly present in the cross-section of the bar. On the whole, the product was presented nicely aesthetically, the same could not be said about the smell. I remember with the standard Milka White Chocolate bar I was pushed to identify the minor milky aromas. With this Luft bar a smell was all but absent - with a small generic sweet scent the only thing remotely detectable.

Despite the chocolate formulation remaining the same, there was no doubting that the 'Luft' format changed its delivery. The taste of the bar was still heavily dominated by its sugar content - one look at the ingredients revealed this was to be no big surprise. The bar was still awfully sweet, though this sweetness was managed to a degree by the lighter nature of the chocolate. Despite feeling lighter, the chocolate did little to take advantage of the potential of the aerated texture. The melt just seemed to plod along as normal, with none of the fizzy, melt in the mouth texture qualities that are so present in other aerated chocolate alternatives (Wispa /Aero etc) ... pretty poor to be honest. I ate this bar over four servings .... despite the slightly friendlier taste I still could not stand more than 25.0g at a time ... a pretty unsatisfying experience to say the least.

Overall I have rated this 'Luft' variation even lower than the original bar, for the sole reason that the unique selling point of the bar - the Luft aerated texture, failed to deliver on almost every level. Despite making the overly sweet taste a tad more bearable, the texture remained dull, lifeless and empty feeling in comparison to the more superior aerated chocolate offerings. Again I am going to suggest to you that there are better white chocolate products available - though I guess if your a fan of super sweet chocolate with a lighter texture, there is potentially some pleasure to get from this bar ... maybe.

6.0 out of 10

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

October 30th: Reese's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar

Kcal 170 Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 18.0g

I mentioned last week that Reese's really aren't shy when it comes to diversification in their product range. Geraldine at Yankee Soda & Candy has managed to get hold of some of these new Reese's Sweet & Salty Granola Bars, and was kind enough to send one along for me to try.

Described as a 'Granola bar with peanuts, dipped in a peanut butter coating', I thought it most suitable I eat the bar for a mid-morning snack. Despite not being the biggest in its size (34.0g), it actually provided a pretty satisfying stop-gap between brekkie and lunch. I was a little unfussed about the presentation - the bar stuck quite annoyingly to the inside of the wrapper, though the bar itself looked nice with its glazed effect and appetising whole peanuts nicely dispersed throughout. I was extremely unsurprised to find the bar had a very forthcoming nutty smell upon opening, it was very inviting indeed.

Despite containing both oats and rice cereal, the peanuts completely dominated the taste. As the name suggested there was a nice contrastive element of sweet and salty flavours, the sweet flavour chiefly delivered through the sugary glaze. The peanut flavours were fantastic, though were bordering on being a little savoury for my liking. I would have preferred the peanut butter coating that thinly fused the bottom of the bar to have been greater in its presence. The sweet buttery flavours that the coating delivered were delicious, but were quickly dominated by the more prevalent whole peanuts. I very much like the degree of saltiness that is usual with Reese's products, but this was very close to being overly so. The nutty flavours lasted for a good amount of time, and as aforementioned delivered a pretty fulfilling experience.

Overall this was another pretty fair showing from Reese's ever growing portfolio. The peanut flavours were hugely dominant, but made for a pretty satisfying experience. The peanut butter coating could have been portioned far greater than it was, which would have maybe balanced the product a lot more with it's near overdominating salty flavours. I'm not going to complain too much though, it did a fine job of satisfying my mid-morning munchies ... and was a pretty tasty nonetheless. If your into your cereal/granola bars I recommend you give this a try.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Reese's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar for yourself?? Visit Yankee Soda & Candy!

October 30th: Divine Orange Milk Chocolate / 70% Dark Chocolate

I  had these bars sitting in my review box awaiting their turn for months before I finally took the plunge today. I can't say I was too enthused to review these bars - mainly due to the relatively poor performance of the Divine white and milk chocolate bars I reviewed at the beginning of the year. However after a bit of a nudge from Jeanna at 'The Wisconin Candy Dish', and her fantastic reviews of some of Divine's goodies (See HERE!), I decided to get a get a wriggle on and give them a chance.

The presentation of the Divine range has never been a problem for me, in fact it is actually rather good. The wrappers come two fold, and combine a nice contemporary designed outer-wrapper with a foil inner-layer around the chocolate for freshness. On the inside of the paper wrapping, it explains the fascinating story of how Divine are a Fairtrade company, and how they go about the bean to bar process ... interesting if your a geek like myself and enjoy that sort of thing :)

Divine Orange Milk Chocolate:

Kcal 240 Fat 14.1g Carbs 25.4g

There was never going to be any other comparator for this bar other than Terry's Chocolate Orange, which is one of my favourite chocolate orange combinations. Opening the foil wrapper I was met with a moderate orangey smell. The citrus connotation was obvious, though it lacked the sweetness and intensity of Terry's.

Way back in February, my feelings behind the Divine Milk chocolate were largely of underwhelment ... nothing about the texture or the taste really stood out for me. By and large these were my feelings with this bar as well, though the orange element was relatively forthcoming, and added an extra dimension to the familiar bland milk chocolate. The zesty, fruity note was largely evident during the duration of the chocolate in the mouth, though once the block had melted away the taste largely disappeared leaving only a minor milky taste. 

Overall I felt the extra orange element added an extra depth to the taste, though it was still somewhat shallow and lacking real impact. Personally I would recommend the far cheaper Terry's Chocolate Orange as a means of getting your chocolate orange hit, though I guess if your intent on buying fairtrade this is a fair, if still underwhelming proposition. 

7.3 out of 10  

Divine 70% Dark Chocolate:

Kcal 249 Fat 20.8g Carbs 12.4g

The first thing I noticed here was the disproportion of fat to sugar (carbs) in this bar compared to the milk chocolate and to a greater extent, white chocolate variants in the range. With this indication that there was a greater emphasis placed on the cocoa in this bar rather than a reliance on sugar I was somewhat hopeful.

My optimism was justified to an extent. The bar had mild scents of cocoa and coffee, though again they were only minor and lacking true definition. The melt was relatively thicker, however still lacked the softness and slow flavour release qualities of the finer dark chocolates of Lindt and Hotel Chocolat. This was the most flavoursome of the Divine range I have tasted, and had by far the most depth. The chocolate had more of an unsweetened milk chocolate sense about it rather than an cocoa intensified focus ... I'm sure to the mass market this would be far the more popular approach than the latter. The flavours never got too concentrated, and the overall taste was relatively long with the cocoa leaving a lasting impression in the mouth.

Overall this is definitely my favourite from the Divine range. Despite this though I still felt that the texture was still a long way from luxurious, and the melt definitly needs work. The taste of the bar was better than average; despite its 70% cocoa constituents it was pretty mass consumer friendly and mild in the grand scheme of the dark chocolate market. To be honest you only have to look as far as Lindt or Hotel Chocolat for better alternatives, but if your going to go Divine this is the bar I suggest. 

7.7 out of 10  

*** FREE COMPETITION ***

Once again I feel the need to treat you all to a FREE ... yes FREE COMPETITION :D :D

So what is up for grabs this time???

Well courtesy of the great people at Dean-German-Grocery - up for grabs are seven .... yes SEVEN Nestle White Lion Bars (Click for Review!!)

So How do I win? ... Answer these Following Questions:

Q.1 Name Four brands of Chocolate that are available to buy from Dean-German-Grocery

Q.2 Name these products:To enter send your answers to Jim@Chocolatemission.net

Please include your address for your prize to be sent to if you should be so lucky to win, and please make your subject 'Competition Answers'

Entries close at 10pm 12.11.2008 - and the winners will be notified
Open to the UK & Ireland only - sorry folks - times are tight as a student :(GOOD LUCK and keep tuning in to Chocolate Mission :D
This is a competition for seven individual winners to win one Nestle White Lion Bar each!!

Small Print:
1. None of your contact Details will be used or sold on to any 3rd party companies - this is a competition solely for fun.
2. Entries must be in by 10pm 12.11.2008.
3. Only one entry per person4. Rules/Prizes of the competition may be changed at any time to my discrection..there are blatantly details I have forgotten
4. As it says above this is only open to the UK & Ireland
5. My say on anything to do with this competition is FINAL

*******************************************

RESULTS!!!

Congratulations to:

Heidi, Jamie, Sally, James, Rachel, Ibbs & Tilly ..... You have all won a Nestle White Lion Bar!! I hope you enjoy them! 

Please share your thoughts on the bar once you have tried it!

Thanks for all the entries!!

Jim

October 29th: Kinder Country

Kcal 130 Fat 7.9g Carbs 12.5g

Kinder Country is yet another Ferrero product that doesn't seem to make it to UK shores all to often. I have seen it sporadically appear and disappear from our shelves over the years ... as you have probably guessed already my opportunity to review this came via Dean-German-Grocery. So what does the Kinder Country consist of? ... well it contains 'milk chocolate, with a milk flavoured centre with puffed cereal pieces'.

Dean-German-Grocery were kind enough to send a box of nine 23.5g bars. I ate six for the purpose of this review, though I have saved some with the intention of using them as prizes for the upcoming ChocolateMission competition ;) .... (Keep an eye out for that one folks!!). The packaging took that of a typical Kinder product - a friendly mixture of red and white colours. The outer packaging was nice enough, though the great aesthetic look of the bar itself was the determinant for its high 8.5 score in that criteria. The inner centre had great appeal with the fluffy white filling interspersed with cereal pieces, whilst the chocolate had a unblemished and fresh looking surface. The product had a sweet dairy aroma that had hints of malt, the smell wasn't all that strong, but was quite enticing when searched for.

Due to the diversity of the ingredients the Kinder country had a varying set of textures that came into play at different times of the eating experience. Simply letting the pieces melt in the mouth allowed the initial outer chocolate to briefly impose itself. The milk chocolate was unfortunately thin and melted too fast for my liking, however it did provide a nice initial chocolaty context to the taste. The cocoa flavours were quickly dominated by the milk filling; the texture of the milky centre felt light and whipped; the creamy flavours were strong and extremely tasty. Interspersed throughout this milky centre were the cereal pieces ... anyone who has had the cereal 'Sugar puffs' will know the flavours that these pieces added. You will be unsurprised to hear they added an extra crunchiness to the texture and an extra injection of sweet brown sugar, wheaty flavours. Although the ingredients and composition of the bar was relatively diverse , the longevity of the flavours was relatively short, and I found myself reaching for the third bar in a row all too easily. The flavours were almost too smoothly delivered and could have done with being intensified more to create a greater richness.

Overall this is another relatively good Ferrero offering, though is one that falls down a fairly common pitfall that a lot of Kinder products succumb to. You only have to look as far as the 'Happy Hippos', 'Maxxi' and 'Bueno' to some extent to see that Ferrero rarely produce bad tasting products. The common problem they all share is that they all lack substantially. The chocolate, milk filling and cereal ingredients were all delicious, but unfortunately lacked richness. Personally I think an extra thickness to the milk chocolate coating would do absolutely wonders for the product. If your a fan of Kinder products, it is very likely this would be a product you would enjoy. This is certainly a tasty product, I just suggest you buy a multi-pack if you want total satisfaction.

7.9 out of 10

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

October 29th: Lindt '1001 Nights' Chocolate Dream Candle Holder

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

As I have already brought to your attention, Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me through another load of samples, this time containing many of the most popular German brands Christmas offerings. One item that straight away stood out to me was this Lindt one. This product forms part of the Lindt '1001 Nights' range, and included 125g of mini milk chocolate truffles.

As you may have gathered from the title, this was not your standard chocolate offering. The tin packaging doubled up as quite a nice looking candle holder. I doubt I will get much use out of it myself, but this was really a nice unique touch. Onto the more important issue at hand, the chocolates, were wrapped in nice individual looking sparkly wrappers and despite their small size had nicely detailed logo imprinted surfaces. Releasing the chocolates from the wrappers, they had a nice smell that had a strong vanilla essence to it. As ever, the presentation of this Lindt product was brilliant.

For such small chocolates the number of flavour dimensions was incredible. The milk chocolate had a creamy taste that intensified as the piece melted. Inside the outer chocolate layer was a wonderfully smooth tasting praline type filling, which had a sweet hazelnut taste. The longer the praline filling was exposed, the greater the underlying vanilla flavour grew in its intensity. This vanilla flavour heavily noted the creamy chocolaty aftertaste, leaving a lovely lasting impression. These were extremely moreish chocolates, the only downside to them being that even half of the tin was a pretty unfulfilling experience.

Overall not only did this product provide a classy looking candle holder, but it actually had some pretty awesome chocolates as well :) !! The chocolates though small, and pretty unfulfilling were full of flavour. I would love to see these flavours incorporated into a Lindor truffle. The nutty flavours of the hazelnuts, and subtle but lasting vanilla flavours would be perfect for the Lindor format - I guess we can only cross our fingers. A good start to what will be a very extensive look over the Lindt Christmas range.

8.2 out of 10

Fancy gifting this Lindt '1001 Nights' Chocolate Dream Candle Holder this Xmas!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

October 28th: Cadbury Dairy Milk Black Forest

Kcal 242 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 7.1g Carbs 29.8g

The last bar I reviewed from Cadbury that was manufactured in New Zealand was the simply dismal Cadbury Buzz... I was really hoping todays bar the Cadbury Dairy Milk Black Forest was going to be a hell of a lot better..thankfully it was!

The Black Forest incorporates 'Dairy Milk milk chocolate with cherry flavoured jellies and biscuit pieces', all in a single serving 45g bar. The packaging looked nice...pretty typical Cadbury with a snazzy looking foil wrapper...the bar was split into eight chunks as shown above and had a nice look with the Cadbury logo cleanly scribed into each block. The bar had a familiar Dairy Milk creamy smell though had a slight scent of very sweet artificial fruitiness...the aroma was nice but I was a little curious with regard to the sweet fruity smell.

Further adding to the conundrum of the formulation of Cadbury Dairy Milk (see CDM Irish!), this New Zealand sourced variation of the recipe comprised of 27% cocoa solids and 25% milk solids. It had a similar taste to our English version though had a stronger cocoa edginess in the aftertaste. Its flavour was no where near the creaminess of the Irish though I must say I preferred the thinner texture with this bar as it allowed the other elements of the bar to express their flavours and not be lost in a overly dense chocolate.

The biscuit component was not the strongest in flavour but did add a pleasant crunchiness to the smooth chocolate....as I said it wasn't the strongest in taste and offered no more than the slightest wheaty flavour. The jelly pieces were really the distinctive element of the bar and I very much enjoyed their inclusion. They had a gummy bear like texture and provided a unique chewiness against the other smooth and crunchy textures. Like their smell suggested they were artificially sweet but lets face it...who do sent enjoy the occasional fruit flavoured gummy!?...well I do anyway! The jelly pieces were spread nicely throughout the bar and were present in nearly every block.

Overall I really enjoyed this bar and found it very refreshing in the way that it was a unique combination of flavours and ingredients...there just isn't currently anything else like it on the market. The combination of great tasting Dairy Milk chocolate and jelly pieces is executed brilliantly and I particularly enjoyed the experience of letting the smooth chocolate melt away in my mouth and then sucking on the remaining cherry jelly pieces. If your a fan of Haribo sweets or Maynards Wine Gums this would definitely be a bar you would enjoy. Its a real wonder why this bar doesn't have worldwide distribution and is only being sold in the New Zealand...that said its worth tracking down if you can find it - highly recommended!

8.6 out of 10

October 28th: Milka Caramel

Kcal 540 Fat 33.0g Carbs 56.0g

Similar to the case of the Milka Fruit and Nut of a few days ago, this Milka Caramel certainly had a lot to live up to considering that the Cadbury and Galaxy Caramel bars are still taking pride of place at number two on the overall Chocolate Mission leader board. As far as I am aware Milka Caramel is not available here in the UK ... not that I have seen anyway. Thankfully this bar is just one of many that comprises Dean-German-Grocery's extensive collection ... so I suggest you head there if this bar tickles your fancy.

As you can see in the above picture, this bar took a bit of a different angle to the market norm in regard to it's caramel centre. The bar was coated in the standard Milka Alpine milk chocolate, though the middle contained both a caramel flavoured cream centre as well as a more typical gooey caramel layer. This was a concept communicated well through the presentation of the product. The picture looked enticing and the cross section revealed the distinctive layering. The bar had a fantastically sweet, honey like smell that I would have savoured for longer had I not been so eager to taste the product.

Both the flavours and textures I got from this bar were superb. The inner caramel centre was absolutely divine - combining a delicious mixture of dairy flavours from the cream filling and sweet toffee notes from the more liquid gooey layer. Initially the distinction between the two components was quite evident, though once the super smooth melt had progressed they merged into a fantastic sweet, creamy taste. The outer Alpine Milk chocolate for my liking was a little thin in it's proportioning, it's flavour never really stamped its authority on the taste as it's melty nature made it all but disappear to quickly. Had the chocolate been that bit more prominent, the longevity of the flavours in the mouth would no doubt have increased. The flavours were fantastic, though a bit short in terms of their lifespan.

Overall I have big respect for Milka trying something a little different in terms of their caramel centre. It would have been all too easy for them to follow the typical route of filling the bar with any old golden coloured, sweet syrup and being done with that. Milka stretched themselves by incorporating the extra caramel cream layer, and have really created a product that brings something new to the caramel bar table. The taste of the caramel filling was delicious, I would say it even surpasses the caramel from the Cadbury and Galaxy bars. The only slight issue is that the level of chocolate isn't sufficient enough to really stamp it's presence on the taste ... a problem that could so easily be solved by increasing the proportioning of the Alpine Milk. This is both a unique and fantastic offering in the caramel market and one that I really whole heartidly recommend - my favourite Milka bar to date.

8.7 out of 10

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

October 27th: Lindt Christmas Punch

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

When sifting through the vast bunch of Christmas samples that Dean-German-Grocery sent me, this Lindt offering immediately caught my eye. Now I have never heard of 'Christmas Punch' before but according to Lindt it involves a concoction of cinnamon and rum ... sounds interesting huh!? Well this bar incorporated these 'punch' elements in the form of a liquid filling sitting inside milk chocolate ... I was intrigued!!

I am one for rattling on about how classy Lindt present their products, and this product did little to change my mind on this. The outer packaging had a lovely shiny golden effect - one that my camera really didn't do justice for as you will see above. As well as beautiful outer packaging the bar itself didn't look half bad either. The liquid 'Punch' filling was contained within several pods, each of which were impressively branded with the Lindt logo. The smell of the bar was what I can only describe as very forthcoming. Releasing the bar from its inner foil packaging I was met with an almost overpowering smell of rum - as you will learn later when I describe the taste this wasn't entirely preferable.

To really asses the quality of the chocolate I really had to tune myself into looking past the amazingly dominant rum flavours. The chocolate was quite a weak formulation for Lindt, containing only 30% cocoa solids. When tasted in isolation from the filling it had a smooth milky taste, and was heavily noted with cinnamon - to be honest I find it almost pointless describing the taste of the chocolate as this was a product about one thing, and one thing only ... the rum!! According for only 6% of the total constituents this was never going to be a situation where eating a whole bar would result in the consumer seeing double and having a sudden urge for Karaoke :) ... saying that I must say it was bloody strong and completely dominated all the other flavours of the bar. Now I am no rum expert but even I could tell this wasn't good quality rum. I'm a poor student who has drank some god damn awful spirits in my time, but to be honest this ranked up there with the Tesco Value stuff ... paint stripper anyone!?? The rum element smelt bad, tasted bad and even manged to ruin the smooth melt of the chocolate with its coarse crystallised texture ... need I say more??

Overall the novelty factor of this bar is high, however at the heart of the matter, it is just a really poor tasting bar. The rum is frankly awful - and its dominance of every other element of the bar pretty much spoils the product. Lindt as ever presented this product beautifully, given as a 'joke' gift it would actually look pretty classy ... unfortunately the laughs would soon stop upon tasting the thing. I may be well off on my own on this one ... but imagine that cheap bottle of booze at the back of your parents liquor cupboard that probably hasn't seen light of day for 30 odd years!?? ... well this is it in chocolate bar form!

5.6 out of 10

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