November 4th: Lindt Christmas Truffles

Dean-German-Grocery have really spoilt me, sending me a great deal of samples from Lindt's Christmas range. As we have seen already there are some fantastic products this year (see here!), these mini truffles particularly intrigued me.

All three came sized about 30.0g ... think Quality Street Big Ones ... but with a lot more class :) Each of them came stunningly presented in dainty, but classy small boxes. Inside the truffles were protected by plastic film layers. As you can see from the pictures all three truffles looked fantastic. Each had a different nut placed on top, and all of them had detailed and intricate crafting detail. The distinct layering of the fillings further added to what on the whole were some stunningly presented products.

Below are my tasting notes for each - I have done my best translating the names ... any kind people who can confirm/help me out with these please do:

Lindt Christmas Yuletide Truffle:

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

All of these truffles included an amazing amount of layers - this Yuletide truffle in particular which included an outer layer of solid milk chocolate, a layer of lighter whipped milk and white chocolate placed on top, an egg-nogg truffle filling, a vanilla creme filling, all of which was topped off by a sugared hazelnut .... phew!! It smelt fantastic - several creamy, dairy scents released themselves from the plastic wrapping.

I was sad enough to cut each of theses truffles in to four smaller pieces. Each piece provided a delightful set of flavours, that varied largely depending on which constituent was most present. The outer milk chocolate set a lovely context for the inner fillings. It wasn't the strongest in its flavours, but its simple smooth milky taste allowed the overall taste to be expanded by the egg-nog and vanilla creme. The egg-nogg had a wonderful whipped texture and added nutmeg and rum flavours in to the mix. The vanilla creme took a bit of a backseat to the egg-nog, but it noticeably noted the aftertaste. The hazelnut piece topped it off nicely offering a long woody taste. The light nature of the fillings meant this wasn't the most fulfilling chocolate ever, but nevertheless it was highly enjoyable.

Overall a high quality truffle that offered several variable different elements to its taste. I particularly enjoyed the flavours from the egg-nog. Personally I would rather the centre had been completely filled with the egg-nog truffle, rather than shared with the vanilla creme. This was a very minor criticism though - a fantastic truffle.

8.4 out of 10

Lindt Christmas Festive Truffle:Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

This festive truffle was formed of: an outer layer of milk chocolate, a layer of whipped dark and milk chocolate on top, a filling that constituted of half marzipan and half nut creme, and finally a sugared almond. It had similar appealing creamy scents as the Yuletide variant, though it also had spicy elements to its fragrance, due to the coriander and cinnamon contained in the nut creme.

Once again the outer milk chocolate performed its task of providing an understated coating chocolate well, with its enjoyable, if a little unspectacular milky flavours. As the smell suggested the coriander and cinnamon elements were forthcoming, and could be tasted in nearly all the layers. I thoroughly enjoyed their contribution to the overall taste, the mixture of the creamy fillings and spicy notes was very unique. However it must be said that the strength at which they delivered their flavours came at partial detriment to the other layers - most notably the marzipan that struggled for presence in the taste. The sugared almond placed on top provided a nice buttery nuttiness to the aftertaste. Again this wasn't the most fulfilling of truffles, though it delivered some enjoyable and lasting flavours.

Overall another hugely enjoyable truffle, though the flavours of the spices may have needed toning down just a touch to give some of other ingredients a greater say in the taste. Like the Yuletide truffle, it probably could have done with going with an either/or approach in regards to the marzipan and nut creme fillings.

8.0 out of 10

Lindt Christmas Walnut Truffle:

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

The final truffle out of the three I sampled was this 'Walnut truffle', which included a coating of outer milk chocolate and a lighter whipped milk and white chocolate on top. The centre comprised of an amazing three different fillings - vanilla creme, nut creme and a layer of marzipan tucked into the centre ... of course all of which was topped off by a grand looking walnut. As with the other two variants the smell of the truffle was very appealing with some very forthcoming creamy, nutty scents.

It was quite amazing really how Lindt tried packing so many layers into this one truffle. Despite the sheer quantity, each was still very distinguishable when I cross-sectioned the product. Though distinguishable visually, when actually eating the product the fillings converged into one. The mixture of the nut and vanilla creme was fantastic and tasted absolutely delicious when enjoyed in tandem with the smooth melt of the outer chocolate. Although the marzipan could be detected with its firmer texture, it remained largely flavourless. The walnut piece on top had a very fresh, earthy flavour. This was my favourite tastewise out of the lot, though the flavours didn't last the longest due to the nature of the light flavours and fillings. 

Overall this was another accomplished truffle that is well worthy of its high score. Although not individually distinct, the fillings were collectively great tasting, providing a very moreish creamy, nutty flavour. As I found in the 'Festive' variant, the marzipan element was relatively lifeless, which had me thinking similar thoughts about whether its presence was actually necessary. On the whole though, another stunningly presented, great tasting truffle.

8.4 out of 10

These were some very high quality truffles that I would highly recommend trying this Christmas if you get the chance. Each had amazing detail, and the presentation was of a very high standard. At times the number of fillings did seem a little to 'busy' for their own good, and maybe could have benefitted from having less ingredients, with more of a focus on one filling in particular. However, largely they were all packed full of flavour, and their stunning presentation in my opinion would make these perfect stocking fillers this Christmas.

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

November 4th: Lindt Excellence White Coconut Chocolate

Kcal 240 Fat 17.0g Fat(sats) 12.0g Carbs 18.0g (per 40.0g)

Devoted ChocolateMission readers will know that when it comes to white chocolate I am a little bit cautious. It seems to be an art that very few can really pull off, and the quality varies wildly from manufacture to manufacture ... from the horrible Cadbury Dream, the middle of the road Milka white to the outstanding Ritter Sport and Hotel Chocolat offerings. Today, courtesy of Dean-German-Grocery, it was the turn of Lindt to show me what they could do. This was no plain white chocolate bar mind, this one had an extra coconut element to it.

I love the standard of presentation of the Excellence range, every single product from the range has thus far justified the name. None more so than this bar in particular; the cardboard packaging and foil wrapping kept the bar in pristine condition, the bar itself looked great with a fantastic light complexion that was interspersed nicely with white flecks of coconut. The bar also had a great aroma, a very forthcoming dairy, coconut mix quickly emanated from the wrapper further adding to the already superb presentation.

I must admit to not being the biggest fan ever of coconut, though the coconut flavours in this bar were nothing short of brilliant. The coconut added a delicious milky nutty context to the overall taste. The white chocolate was amazingly clean and smooth with no reliance whatsoever on sugar to give flavour, it was simply just wonderfully creamy and moreish. Despite the fantastic synergy of coconut and white chocolate culminating in a fantastic overall taste, there were a few factors that were not quite so great. Firstly the taste didn't last that long in the mouth, once the chocolate had melted the flavours disappeared relatively fast - this wouldn't be quite so much of a problem if the nutritional information didn't point out the fact this was a high fat/calorie laden bar. I'm guessing the bar was so high in fat due to it being rich in cocoa butter. This was obvious by the melt of the chocolate, it was silky smooth, though this was spoilt somewhat by the roughness of the coconut pieces. Although this was obviously to be expected, it didn't help the fact that it offset the texture by making it slightly grainy.

Overall I have gone on about the two minor negatives way too much, so it is worth reiterating how fantastic this bar was presented and tasted. It looked stunning and it's taste didn't let it down. It was fantastically creamy and nutty, definitely among the best white chocolate I have ever tasted, not the richest no - but outstanding in it's flavours nonetheless. Whether you enjoy this bar or not will largely be reliant on your enjoyment of coconut ... a bit like the Ferrero Raffaello. If you enjoy coconut and love your white chocolate this is a 'must try bar' ... for the rest of you I also highly recommend it.

8.7 out of 10

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

November 4th: Nestle Princessa Mleczna

Kcal 199 Fat 11.6g Fat(sats) 3.5g Carbs 21.4g

My local Tesco supermarket has recently had a massive influx of Polish foods and goods. Included in the new ranges are quite a wide array of Polish chocolate bars, a few of which I picked up to sample. The packaging was unsurprisingly all in Poilsh, so actually determining what this bar included was a bit of a struggle. After doing some research via wiki I ascertained that this Nestle Princessa Mleczna included 'milk chocolate, with a milk cream filled wafer'. 

In actual physical size, the bar looked incredibly large. Picking it up though, it was that obvious the wafer was the main constituent - it was incredibly light, an unsurprisingly not very fulfilling. The wrapper itself looked pretty good, it had a nice foil glossy look, and the picture on the front actually made the product look pretty appetising. Unlike the wrapper though, the bar looked a bit plain and dull. It was just one long wafer, covered in what looked a pretty minimal layer of milk chocolate. The product didn't offer much in the way of a meaningful aroma, a small sweet smell was detectable, but was far from being anything of note. 

The milk chocolate looked worryingly thin in its appearance, and this sadly translated into the taste. The chocolate offered very little in the manner of a cocoa taste, and its thinness meant it was all but lost in the sweetness of the wafer. The wafer itself was also extremely poor, the milk cream centre added a minor milky context to the taste, however its presence was far more noticeable for giving the wafer an abysmal limp texture. Not only did this make the product completely unfulfilling, but it meant that none of the flavours left a meaningful impression in the mouth.

Overall this was a really quite a poor product, and not the best of starts for this Polish range. The milk chocolate was woefully inadequate and the moistness of cream filling meant that the wafer was on the whole limp and lifeless. This sort of reminded me of a rubbish version of the Nestle Crunch Crisp, it is funny how Nestle don't extend their best practices for products across their company. I understand the company is run regionally, but the sheer variance in quality is huge, and pretty inexcusable when the company already has the knowledge internally on how this product could have been made much better. I would recommend you stay clear of this one.

5.2 out of 10

   

November 3rd: Hotel Chocolat Cool Yule

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

For the last two weeks I have been sampling various parts of the Hotel Chocolat Christmas range, mostly in the form of some of their smaller offerings (Kissing Mistletoe / Little Angels etc!). Well included in my Christmas sampling package was this 'Cool Yule' 500.0g slab - which took the form of 'a background swirl of 30% and 40% milk chocolate, pressed with a white chocolate snowman and sugar snowflakes'. 

This 500.0g slab took me well over a week of constant nibbling (and some sharing!!) to completely finish. The presentation was fantastic, the slab came in a nice looking paper, plastic wrapper that although wasn't the most protective type of packaging still did a relatively good job, and even included a handy resealable flap. As you can see above the slab also looked superb. The swirl effect of the chocolate and the white studded snowflake pieces gave the background an interesting look, whilst the snowman was crafted with a great amount of detail. The slab smelt very enticing with some very familiar Hotel Chocolat dairy, cocoa smells all very evident and forthcoming. What was more impressive was that the smell was still just as strong when opening the packet on the fourth day of nibbling away - it was very impressive how it kept such a fresh appeal. 

Obviously with the slab being so large, different parts of the slab offered varying tastes. Apart from having a slightly milkier taste I couldn't detect too much of a difference between the 30% milk chocolate and the 40%. Both had wonderfully creamy, heavily cocoa rooted tastes that were very enjoyable and devilishly moreish. The white chocolate snowman was a splendid addition, I must admit I was sad enough to break off all the chocolate around it before devouring it. As the snowman was printed onto the milk chocolate background, I largely ate the white chocolate in tandem with the base. The white chocolate gave the milk chocolate an even creamier context and noted the aftertaste with a nice vanilla element - it brought back some good memories of the Milk & White Fusion slab. Another little touch I really enjoyed was that the snowman's scarf had an additional cherry flavouring added to it. The fruity flavour addition was mild, though it gave the slab a little something extra. I enjoyed this slab immensely, however there was one element I think could do with some revision. As I mentioned above the milk chocolate was studded with some white sugary pieces (to give the snowfall effect!!). Personally I would rather these had been left out, as in my opinion they broke up the smoothness of the chocolate and the extra sugar burst they released I felt wasn't all that necessary. I must reiterate this was only the most minor of observations, and it didn't affect my overall high satisfaction with the product whatsoever. 

Overall this was a typical high standard, highly enjoyable Hotel Chocolat product that I enjoyed immensely. This was the first Hotel Chocolat product I have had to consume over more than a few days, and I was quite simply amazed at how fresh the bar kept over the course of a week. The slab maintained all its creamy, cocoa rich flavours, which were delivered with some wonderfully thick, but smooth melt in the mouth textures. Personally I would prefer a few mini slabs like in the Peepster Boxs, rather than a huge 500.0g one, as there is potential for more variety. Despite this, there is no doubting that this is one high quality product that is ideal for gifting this Christmas.

8.7 out of 10        

November 3rd: McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuit Flapjack

Kcal 321 Fat 15.4g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 41.7g

My exploration of the flapjack world continued today with me sampling the McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuit Flapjack ... mouthful of a name eh!? Despite not overly enjoying McVitie's attempt at the Snickers Flapjack, I was looking forward to trying this Hobnobs version, which came described as - 'Rolled oats baked with Hobnobs biscuit pieces, butter & syrup, topped with milk chocolate'. I am not the biggest of biscuit eaters, but if I had my choice of biscuit I would always go for a Hobnob.

In size this flapjack fitted slap bang in the middle of both the Cadbury and Snickers flapjacks I had reviewed already, at a plentiful 65.0g. The packaging and flapjack itself looked relatively nice, though both were rather plain in their design. I did again have the slight issue of the flapjack sticking to the wrapper ... would it be too much to ask manufactures to include a thin plastic tray!? The product didn't offer much of an aroma but there was a slight buttery, oaty scent.

Despite the milk chocolate consisting of only 13% of the total constituents, the chocolate had a significant presence on the overall taste. It was hardly milk chocolate in all its full glory, but it still provided a relatively nice milky sets of flavours, and melted quite smoothly and softly against the coarser flapjack base. The flapjack base tasted pretty fantastic. It combined all the good elements of the Hobnob biscuit and implemented them well into a flapjack context. The sweet biscuit flavours were still wonderfully complimented by the ever so slight salty kick. The extra oats and syrup element further accentuated the buttery, sweet taste. The full 65.0g was a satisfying and enjoyable mid-afternoon snack. 

Overall this Hobnob variant had the best flapjack base I have tasted so far on Chocolate Mission, but was just slightly lacking in its chocolate quality. The simply addictive nature of the biscuits was translated well into the flapjack format, with all the appropriate sweet, salty, and buttery elements as prevalent as ever. The milk chocolate was fair, however lacked the charm of say the Dairy Milk of the Cadbury flapjack. If your a Hobnob addict this is one I am sure you would enjoy, definietely worth a try if your a fan of the biscuit.

7.6 out of 10 

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