November 16th: Milka Erde

Kcal 550 Fat 33.0g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 55.5g (per 100.0g)

This Milka Erde (Earth) was another one of four recent Milka Limited Editions that Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me to sample (I reviewed the first one last week - Milka Luft Air!!). This Milka Erde bar was formed of Alpine Milk chocolate with a nougat cream and crocant filling. Crocant - for those of you that don't know is a form of nut brittle.

The bar came in the standard 100.0g Milka format, and had a reasonably nice looking wrapper. The filling of the bar was nicely pictured on the front, and as ever the one layer plastic material had a handy resealable flap. The bar itself looked nice, with a nice glossy surface and interesting looking small brittle pieces jutting out between each of the blocks. The smell of the bar seemed to have more of hazelnut focus rather than the dairy one that is typical with most Milka bars. As I generally find with the majority of Milka products, the presentation was very good, not quite top end quality (Lindt etc), but still consistently well presented.

From the first block it was very noticeable that the Alpine Milk was faster in its melt than normal. I don't know what it is with the 'cream' filled Milka bars, but these variants always seem to melt all that bit faster. I guess it must be the moistness of the fillings, though I am still a bit puzzled as to why this would effect the solid outer chocolate. Anyway, despite the faster melt the milky flavours of the Alpine milk still provided a more than adequate initial flavour for the sweeter, nuttier flavours that preceded. The nougat creme had a nice creamy taste that had a strong hazelnut influence. Interspersed between the smoothness of the creme filling were small crunchy sugary pieces that gave an extra sweet hazelnut burst when bitten into. The two creme and crocant elements combined, produced a creamy nutty taste that was very similar to the one delivered in the Ferrero Giotto - just an awful lot sweeter. Although I did very much enjoy the taste, I did find this variant particularly sweet and a bit sickly. Because of this I could only handle a few blocks at a time, and ate the bar over four servings.

Overall this is another good variant from Milka, however I don't think this bar is quite for everyone. All the ingredients combined to give a short, but very sweet and impactful creamy, nutty taste that was delivered with an interesting texture combining both smooth and crunchy elements. Although I did on the whole enjoy the taste, I at times found it overly sweet, which meant that I could only eat the bar in small quantities. If your a fan of Milka then it is pretty likely you enjoy sweeter chocolate offerings anyway, so this bar would be well worth you taking a look at.

8.1 out of 10

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

November 16th: Tunnock's Caramel Log Wafer

Kcal 150 Fat 6.7g Fat(sats) 5.4g Carbs 21.0g

Having reunited my taste buds with the Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer just the other day, Today I dug in to a bar from the Tunnock's range that I had never actually tried before. The Tunnock's Caramel Log follows much the same premise of the aforementioned Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer - just the Caramel Log as you can see by the picture, is sprinkled with pieces of roasted coconut.

The Caramel Log is available in two different guises - in both multipack format and single impulse bar format. The only difference between the two is the packaging. To be honest I think the multipack packaging that you get in the supermarkets looks terrible - it looks likes the cheap, garish gold coloured wrapping paper you get in Woolworths around Christmas time. Luckily for Tunnocks I picked up one of the impulse bars. The packaging was very retro, with an awesome old school design printed on a paper based material. The inside of the paper was waxed meaning the bar was kept pleasantly fresh. I liked the look of the bar, the added coconut made it it look remarkably like the Zagnut bar they have in America. Despite the sealed nature of the wrapper, the product still lacked a telling aroma - offering little more than a minor sweet scent.

It was remarkable how a simple 2g sprinkle of roasted coconut changed the experience of this bar from the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer to the extent it did. The added coconut both added and detracted elements to both the overall taste and textures of the bar. The presence of the coconut to the outside of the bar further came at detriment to the already paper thin layer of chocolate, I could literally hardly taste the chocolate at all in this one. What the coconut did accentuate though were the bisuity flavours of the bar, which combined with the sweetness of the caramel was simply fantastic. The overall taste was more nutty than the wheatier Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer. Obviously the roasted coconut added an extra crunchiness to the outside of the bar, however I could detect that the wafer was noticeably softer, and didn't quite retain the crispness of the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer bar. The culmination of all these factors meant that the Caramel Log was an equally satisfying snack, ideal for eating with an afternoon cup of tea.

Overall I really couldn't pin down a preference between this bar and the Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer. The dilemma of which you should go for, if ever put in that position, should really be decided upon considering these trade-offs .... do I want a more wafer based product? or a biscuit based one? Do I want a nutty taste? or a slightly more chocolaty one? To be honest I have no real preference between the two, I would quite happily settle for either as a cure for my mid-afternoon munchies.

7.6 out of 10

November 15th: Thorntons Almond Marzipan Bar

Kcal 198 Fat 7.8g Fat(sats) 3.7g Carbs 30.3g

It has been a long while since I have reviewed any Thorntons products, so today I thought I would dip into one of their more appropriate seasonal offerings - their Almond Marzipan Bar. This bar was formed of 'dark chocolate, finished with milk chocolate with a smooth marzipan centre' and is available all year round in their impulse bar range. I am not the biggest marzipan fan, but even I could appreciate the Ritter Sport Marzipan bar, so I had an open mind with this one.

The bar came in a 45g size that provided a sufficient snack - due to the sweetness this was probably about the right size. The product was presented nicely, the wrapper had a nice matted finish, and the bar looked nice with the dark chocolate finished off well with the drizzle effect of the milk chocolate. The marzipan looked very well portioned when cross sectioned, on the whole it looked better than your average chocolate bar. Opening the pack I was somewhat surprised at the smell, the cocoa scents I was expecting from the dark chocolate were all but absent. The product had a very sweet smell that I can only presume came from the marzipan, it didn't smell nutty, just very sweet. 

Looking at the back of pack I was a bit taken back by the claim the dark chocolate contained 60% cocoa solids. If I had to liken the taste of the dark chocolate to anything it would unfortunately be the Cadbury Bournville, it had very weak cocoa flavours, and a cumbersome, slow grainy melt. The milk chocolate didn't even register in the overall taste, as I assumed its presence was mostly for decoration. Where the chocolate failed somewhat the marzipan partially made up for. It had a nice dense texture that certainly gave the bar a bit of presence compared to the all but forgettable chocolate. The taste of the marzipan was like the smell suggested, and was very sweet. It lacked the distinctness of the buttery, almond flavours of the Ritter Sport Marzipan, though they were present in a more toned down form. The sweetness of the marzipan meant this bar did become a bit sickly, this could probably have been subsided somewhat if the chocolate had been more meaningful in its flavours.

Overall this wasn't a bar I massively enjoyed, and I am not too sure I would be recommending this to anyone anytime soon. The chocolate was on the whole poor, lacking both the flavours and textures to balance the taste of the marzipan. The bar was presented well, though this was only of minor worth considering the other problems. If your a real marzipan fan you could possibly get some pleasure from this bar, I would suggest the Ritter Sport Marzipan over this though.

6.6 out of 10  

November 15th: Reese's Select Clusters

Kcal 220 Fat 13.g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 24.0g (43.0g - 3 pieces)

Yankee Soda & Candy have again come up trumps supplying me with yet another innovation from Reese's. These Reese's Select Clusters included 'peanuts, pecans, peanut butter and caramel, wrapped in milk chocolate' ... this all sounded pretty good to me!

Each cluster weighed 15.0g and was about half the size of a standard Reese's cup. Each came individually wrapped in nice looking, orange coloured themed Reese's packaging. I was somewhat disappointed that they lacked an inner paper sheath like included with the standard cups, the Clusters I sampled had leaked some of their caramel inside the wrapper ... what a waste eh!? Each cluster had a nice nutty smell upon opening; they were by no means the strongest smelling Reese's product, but they still smelt good nonetheless.

I ate each Cluster in two bites. Unsurprisingly the strongest element to the taste was the creamy peanut butter, which as you can see in the cross-section above was most heavily portioned. The creamy nutty flavours of the peanut butter contrasted perfectly with the sweet notes of the chewy caramel. It was this contrast of salty, sweet notes that dominated the overall taste. Don't get me wrong this was highly enjoyable, but also slightly disappointing as the flavours of the pecans, peanuts and quelle surprise the chocolate were all but absent. The nut pieces did add a minor crunchiness to the texture but even that was subtle. I ate three of these pieces in one sitting - it was reasonably satisfying, however I feel I could have easily eaten a few more.

Overall I thought these were a reasonably tasty product, though could have been delivered far better than they were. The added promise of the pecan and peanut pieces had me prepared for something a little different, but in reality I got something only a little varied from the standard Reese's Peanut Butter cups. The balance of the peanut butter and caramel elements was superior to that of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Caramel, and provided a very enjoyable contrast of sweet of sweet and salty flavours. If the Pecan and peanut pieces were amplified in their presence ... and of course the milk chocolate sorted out, then Reese's could be on to a winner. For the moment, a fair but really not to amazing addition to the range.

7.9 out of 10

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

November 14th: Galaxy Smooth Dark

Kcal 521 Fat 33.6g Fat(sats) 28.0g Carbs 48.0g (per 100.0g)

Having tried the US equivalent Dove Dark Chocolate last month, I thought it best I get a wriggle on and get round to trying the UK Galaxy version. The bar described itself as 'deeply smooth, intensely delicious and not at all bitter' ... confidence for you eh!?? I will be the judge of all that thank you Mars :)

The bar came in a 125g serving, which when related to the £1 I paid for the bar, was actually quite plentiful. The bar was pretty well presented, the packaging was coloured with appropriate darker shades of brown, and even included two layers of foil. The chocolate itself had a pleasant looking wavy shaped design implemented on each piece, much the same as the milk chocolate variation. As well as being well presented  the bar had a nice aroma, it had forthcoming cocoa scents that certainly had a good degree of appeal. 

When looking at the back of wrapper I was surprised to see the bar contained 50% cocoa solids, to be honest I was expecting more of a milder formulation like the Bournville 39%. What was more surprising was that this actually translated into the way the bar tasted. The bar had a strong cocoa base flavour that grew in its intensity as the melt progressed. Although the cocoa flavours became greater and greater in their concentration, as the on-pack description suggested the taste never became bitter, and was nicely balanced by a nice creamy element. The bar tasted great, but what impressed me most was that the bar retained the gloriously smooth texture of the milk chocolate variant. The melt was nicely paced and amazingly silky feeling in the mouth. The richness of the cocoa flavours meant that a 50g or so serving of this was both plentiful and satisfying. 

Overall I am really rather angry with myself for taking so long to review this bar ... it was actually a really good standard dark chocolate. I often describe popular brands dark chocolate variants as 'mass consumer friendly' ... in that they generally aren't intensified in their cocoa content at all, just merely unsweetened versions of their original milk chocolate variants (its not always a bad thing!!! see Mars / Snickers / KitKat for examples!!). Anyway, this term couldn't be more untrue of this bar ... the cocoa flavours were amplified, yet nicely balanced with a nice milky undertone that culminated in a delicious dark chocolate that had a fantastically smooth texture. I would highly recommend this Galaxy variant, especially if your looking to ease yourself into dark chocolate. An excellent choice for dark chocolate beginners, especially for the bargain price of £1!!  

8.8 out of 10

November 14th: Ritter Sport Whole Almonds

Kcal 557 Fat 36.8g Fat(sats) 17.9g Carbs 45.4g (per 100.0g)

Having exhausted all the Ritter Sport Whole Hazelnuts variants (see Dark, Milk & White), I today turned my attention to the Ritter Sport Whole Almonds variant. Unlike the hazelnut variants, this bar only comes in the one chocolate format - milk chocolate. I have seen this variant available in the UK, but today's bar was again provided to me by Dean-German-Grocery.

This was yet another from the 100.0g bar range, like the hazelnut variants this bar comprised of 23% nuts .... all the way from California so the packaging told me! As you can see above the packaging was a distinctive green colour and had some relevant whole almonds pictured on the front. The bar appeared just as presented on the front of pack, with almonds plentifully portioned across its entirety. Their whole nature meant the pieces didn't break off cleanly, though I guess this was to be expected from such a nut heavy chocolate. The smell of the bar was noticeably lacklustre, there was no indication of the almonds whatsoever, the usual dairy scents of the milk chocolate also seemed somewhat toned down.

From the very first piece this bar reminded me of the Ritter Sport Peanut bar, which you may remember wasn't my favourite Ritter Sport variant. The milk chocolate fulfilled its usual duties of providing a relatively average milky tasting chocolate. It normally works so well for Ritter Sport bars as it normally accompanies some big hitting added flavours (see Praline, Yogurt etc!), unfortunately as with the Ritter Sport Peanut bar the added flavours from the almonds were somewhat lacking. The almonds were no where near as flavoursome as the hazelnuts variants. Despite their whole nature they were largely flavourless, only adding the most minor of incremental buttery elements to the taste. I was also somewhat disappointed with the texture of almonds, they had an almost squeaky and soft feel when bitten into ... they certainly didn't have the desired crunch. The lack of real hard hitting flavours from the almonds meant that in comparison to other whole nut products this wasn't the most satisfying, saying that 50.0g still provided a moderately fulfilling snack.

Overall this was one of the more lacklustre Ritter Sport variants I have reviewed, solely due to the poorness of the almonds. The milk chocolate as ever delivered a smooth, milky base chocolaty context, though the bar was severely let down by the disappointing almond nuts. Both their taste and texture were lacklustre, they paled in comparison to the the far more flavoursome and fresh tasting hazelnuts variants. Personally I really wouldn't recommend this bar, as there are far better in the Ritter Sport range. Possibly one for really big almond fans, but I think even they will be left disappointed.

6.8 out of 10

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

November 13th: Lindt Christmas Magic Selection

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

Today sees me review my first selection box of chocolates. I have made a slight adaptation to the scoring criteria: replacing the sustenance score, with a score for selection (variety etc), for the obvious reason that selection boxes are more about consuming in smaller quantities but with a wider choice. This Lindt Christmas Magic Selection was sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery and forms part of the Lindt Christmas range.

In typical Lindt fashion, both the box and chocolates contained within looked fantastic. The box had a nice selection of colours and golden font. The chocolates themselves were presented in a golden coloured tray. Each of the chocolates were formed well, in particular the bell and star shapes which had some very intricate detail. The chocolates had a very pleasant aroma that had buttery, cocoa and dairy notes - yum! Below are my tasting notes for each piece, each of the different pieces were rated on a system that went from awful, poor, standard, good, very good and excellent.

Star - This piece was best enjoyed by biting off the strongly flavoured milk chocolate on top and enjoying it separately from the superb white chocolate. The base had a delicious milky, vanilla taste that included small pieces of crunchy coconut. Very good.

Diamond - Had a delightful creamy praline taste. It had a vastly softer texture, almost like fudge. The flavours didn't last that long in the mouth, however the hazelnut praline taste was outstanding. Very good.

Dusted Ball - This was a Marc de Champagne truffle, that included the same luxurious filling than the Lindt Marc de Champagne truffles I reviewed last week. Full of flavour and silky smooth. Excellent.

Cone - These milk chocolate praline pieces came presented in nice mini silver wrappers that made them look absolutely superb. Their taste was far milkier than the rest of the chocolates, though the nutty praline did come through in the end. Very moreish, but the flavours didn't last all that long. Good.

Bell - A fantastic layered chocolate that included layers of outer milk chocolate, cream filling with crunchy nut pieces and a nice layer of lighter praline above. The contrast of the smooth fillings, with the crunchy small nutty pieces was very enjoyable. best of the lot. Excellent.

Overall this was a fantastic selection, and I enjoyed each of the five different offerings. The smallest of grumbles would be that the one I favoured the least (cone shape), was portioned three times, and the others only two. That aside, each and every piece had a fantastic taste, and the variety in textures was simply superb. If your going to be gifting a selection box this Christmas you could go very little wrong here.

9.0 out of 10

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

November 12th: Cadbury Roses

Kcal 490 Fat 22.0f Fat(sats) 12.3g Carbs 66.3g (per 100.0g)

These have been a fixture in my families household at Christmas since I can remember. A 2kg lasts us the best part of December. To be honest, apart from them we normally have very little other chocolate round the house ... well until this year of course :) Cadbury Roses come billed as 'an assortment of chocolates' .... let elaborate on this one

Now I know Cadbury Roses come in many different shapes and sizes, but in the interest of fairness to the selection box scoring system, I have decided to score the range on its 80.0g box. This smaller box size provided a 'best of' look at the range and included seven different variants. I honestly can't remember the packaging for Roses being different to what it is today, I swear it hasn't changed. Anyway, I personally don't think the outer packaging looks the most appetising.I like the light blue on purple colour scheme purely for its classic appeal, but something is at the back of mind telling me it is beginning to look outdated and a bit 90s. No such problems with the pieces themselves - each came in vivid and fresh keeping wrappers, and were all shaped and crafted in to detailed looking individual shapes.

One of the things that I noticed universally with all the milk chocolates from the selection, were that their chocolate wasn't quite of Dairy Milk standard. The chocolate had more a sugary taste, with the milk elements still highly detectable, just not quite as prevalent. Below are my tasting notes for each chocolate:

Orange Creme - Orange Foil Cube - This variant had a nice milky, sweet smell and was shaped nicely in a bite sized piece. The shape allowed for a wonderful melt, the chocolate flavour was well established by the time the sweet, fruity fondant was revealed. The orange flavour was very evident and was a nice fit with the milk chocolate. Very Good.

Country Fudge - Brown Finger - A sweet, caramel type smell was relatively forthcoming. The piece was nicely sized and provided a good fit in the mouth. The chocolate layer was very thin meaning the chocolate didn't impose itself too much on the overall taste. The dense fudge centre softened somewhat once warmed in the mouth and had some nice buttery, honey type flavours. The usual dryness that is so typical with fudge was avoided. Though I was disappointed with its lack of flavour progression, I still very much enjoyed this piece. Very Good.

Brazilian Darkness - Red/Gold Cube - This was the only dark chocolate piece out of the selection. The enhanced cocoa content was detectable in the smell, the aroma was not half as sweet as the rest of the range. Again, the piece was a nice size and shape. The dark chocolate was more like unsweetened milk chocolate - it was ok, though far from high standard dark. The toffee centre was nicely flavoured with a delicious butter taste that had detectable notes of hazelnut. I am glad they have done away with the annoying small nut pieces that used to ruin the texture of these pieces!! Good.

Strawberry Dream - Pink Dome - Jim aren't you allergic to strawberry??? err yeah!! I risked it thinking that there wouldn't actually be any real strawberry content ... I was correct! The smell was extremely sweet with some artificial fruity smells. The chocolate was extremely thin and melted in an instant revealing the fondant centre. The fondant was way over portioned meaning the overall taste was horribly sweet ... cue throat burn!! Poor.

Hazel Whirl - Purple/Orange Dome - Sweet, milky smell. Possibly a little to large in its shape ... could have done with being a tad smaller to fit nicely in the mouth in one go. The chocolate was pretty nicely flavoured with the standard milky sweetness. The chocolate melted at a reasonably nice rate revealing the whole hazelnut. The hazelnut was crunchy and forthcoming in its nutty, woody flavours. Very Good.

Hazel in Caramel - Purple Finger - Sweet, milky smell. Was a bit long in its size, again could have been a bit smaller. The outer milk chocolate seemed less sweet in this version, though this was actually to my taste. The caramel was stunningly flavoured - buttery, sweet with a nice burnt sugar aftertaste - gorgeous! The hazelnut was hugely effected by the caramel ... in a bad way! Its taste was lifeless and its texture was soft and mulchy. Good.

Caramel - Light Blue Cube - Like the Brazillian, perfect size and shape for a bite size piece. The chocolate could/should have been thicker but was just about enough to provide a cocoa base flavour at the start of the taste. The toffee centre was fantastically flavoured, sweet and buttery with the occasional hint of saltiness. The taste was long, it was very enjoyable sucking on the toffee until it melted. The best of the lot. Excellent.

Overall there is no denying that Cadbury Roses are a fantastic selection of chocolates, and are well worthy of all their acclaim. The selection is wide and offers a diverse range of differing tastes and textures. Though the selection is wide, there is maybe a little too much emphasis on nut variants. This is all dandy for a person like me who enjoys nuts, though for someone that doesn't their choices maybe a little limited. My personal favourite was the Caramel piece aka the inside-out Cadbury Eclair. The selection box isn't without its dud (see Strawberry Dream!!), though many selections aren't ... I guess they have to cater for all tastes. I don't need to recommend these, it would be naive of me to think that you all haven't had some sort of experience with Cadbury Roses already.

8.4 out of 10

November 12th: Milka Amavel Mousse Creme Caramel

Kcal 555 Fat 35.0g Carbs 53.0g (per 100.0g)

After reviewing the Milka Amavel Mousse au Chocolat to huge success (8.7 out of 10!!), I was hugely looking forward to this 'Creme Caramel' flavour variation that Dean-German-Grocery kindly sent my way. Comprising again of the standard 'Alpine Milk chocolate' the bar included a Creme Caramel mousse filling which formed 33% of the total constituents.

The bar came in the same 160.0g size as the Mousse au Chocolat, and in the same ten mousse containing 'pod' design. I was disappointed to an extent with the appearance of the product - mainly due to the on-pack picture, which displayed the 'Creme Caramel' mousse as golden coloured. As you can see above when cross-sectioned the filling was actually far darker. To be honest I think a lighter coloured filling would have looked far more interesting, it was just a bit of a let down that the bar looked much the same as the Mousse au Chocolat variant. Though the bar was a slightly lacking in its aesthetics, it smelt absolutely stunning. It had a sweet, brown sugar like appeal. It reminded more of the smell of the top of a Creme brulee rather than a Creme Caramel ... whatever it smelt massively enticing.

It came as no surprise that the 'Alpine Milk' provided a delicious milky base flavour for the filling. Both the melt and texture were smooth, and as normal its flavour was very creamy with the slightest of hazelnut notes in the aftertaste - yum!! The 'Alpine Milk' certainly provided a very enjoyable background set of flavours, but the real deal sealer was the Creme Caramel mousse, which was simply delicious. The texture was much the same as Mousse au Chocolat, and had a dense but soft feel. Despite being similar in texture, it varied largely in its flavour delivery. The filling had a surprisingly rich set of flavours that went beyond just being a sweetened version of the Mousse au Chocolate. There were elements of brown sugar, syrup, vanilla and buttery notes that made for an extremely moreish, long lasting taste. Such was the appeal of the bar I ate the 160.0g over only two sittings, Yes it could have been more fulfilling, but there was no doubting this was one extremely enjoyable bar.

Overall this was a very satisfying product that I very much enjoyed. The 'Alpine Milk' provided the perfect compliment to the filling. Its full bodied milky appeal was strongly flavoured, though never over powering and allowed the flavours of the 'Creme Caramel' to express themselves. The 'Creme Caramel' mousse was simply stunning. It would have been all to easy for Milka to just sweeten the Mousse au Chocolat filling, but this offering had distinct creamy, buttery vanilla elements that made it hugely appealing. I highly recommend this bar to anyone who likes the sound of it. I was half expecting the 'Creme Caramel' flavour to be a bit of a gimmick, but this couldn't have been further from the truth - a brilliantly constructed bar.

8.8 out of 10

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

November 12th: Lindt Champagne Truffles

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

Having barely survived Lindt's last foray into the world of liqueur chocolates (see Lindt Christmas Punch), I was mildly cautious at trying these 'Marc de Champagne Truffel' (aka Champagne Truffles), which again were provided to me by those kind folk at Dean-German-Grocery.

I received these truffles in a rather nice looking pack of 2 that weighed in at surprising 50.0g. Once again it was high marks for Lindt in their presentation, it was again simply superb. The outer packaging gave the product a real premium look, which was not to be let down by the truffles themselves which also were not only stunningly presented in golden foil wrappers, but also were brilliantly crafted in hollow heart shapes that had particularly lavish looking truffle centres. This brilliant presentation combined with the delicious milky smell that emanated from the truffles meant that all early signs were looking good - time to dig in.

The outer part of the truffle was formed of a thickish layer of milk chocolate. The smooth, friendly milky flavours reminded of the Lindt Excellence Milk Extra Creamy and provided a luxurious initial taste to the truffle. Contained within the milk chocolate shell was the simply divine champagne truffle filling. Again I must stress to you I am no alcoholic connoisseur, however I really enjoyed the flavours of the truffle centre. The taste was largely dominated by the slight tartness of the champagne which constituted 8% of the filling. The slightly tangy flavour of the champagne was wonderfully incorporated in a sugary fondant type creme. The texture was smooth yet at the same time almost had a slight fizz to it ... you would have to taste it to really ascertain what I am getting at here. Though the milk chocolate flavours were a little short in their longevity, the champagne truffle centre left a longing set of tangy, sweet flavours.

Overall as far as truffles go, these are up there with the best of them. They were presented beautifully and combined a delicious taste with some delightful textures. I am not a big champagne drinker, but I thought the flavouring of the truffle centre was spot-on, and the milk chocolate played the perfect host. I have no problem whole heartidly recommending these for gifting this Christmas - absolutely fantastic truffles, that even look the part as well ... maybe Lindt can produce good liqueur chocolates after all!

8.8 out of 10

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

November 11th: Ritter Sport Dark Whole Hazelnuts

Kcal 559 Fat 38.7g Fat(sats) 17.5g Carbs 44.7g (per 100.0g)

Being a huge fan of both the Ritter Sport Milk and White Chocolate Whole Hazelnut bars, Dean-German-Grocery insisted they send me this Dark Whole Hazelnuts variant. I was never going to be one to complain - formed of 50% cocoa solids plain chocolate and 23% hazelnuts, I saw no reason why this shouldn't a bar I would really enjoy.

The bar came in the standard 100.0g form, which made for two very plentiful servings. The outer-packaging was of standard Ritter quality, and like the Milk and White Whole Hazelnuts variants pictured the bumpy surface of the bar on the front of pack. The chocolate itself looked superb, it had a deep, dark coloured appearance that had contrasting lighter hazelnuts dispersed evenly throughout. As well as looking great, the bar also had a very forthcoming cocoa smell, that raised my expectations even further - it smelt fantastic.

Like the 50% cocoa solids formulation indicated, this was not the most intense dark chocolate I had ever tasted, it was still full of flavour though. The flavours were very forthcoming and strong, yet never bitter, and a nice milky undertone complimented the raw cocoa edge superbly. The melt was a little on the slow side, however was wonderfully thick and highly enjoyable in contrast to the crunchiness of the hazelnut pieces. All too often in dark chocolate and nut combinations, the flavours of the nuts get glossed over by the more intense flavours of the dark chocolate - the nature of the whole hazelnut pieces stopped this from happening here. The hazelnuts had nice earthy, buttery flavours that were by no means belittled by the chocolate, they tasted very fresh indeed. The combination of the rich dark chocolate and full on nut pieces delivered a really long lasting taste that meant this was an extremely fulfilling bar - 50.0g felt like plenty.

Overall it seems that Ritter Sport have pulled off some fantastic hazelnut bars for all three milk, white and dark chocolates. In this bar the danger lay with the dark chocolate dominating the nuts, however this was luckily not the case. The hazelnuts just further added another wonderful nutty context to the full bodied cocoa taste, proving once again that nuts are at their best when implemented whole, and not ground down into small tasteless pieces. Yet another cracker from the Ritter Sport range, and one that I very much recommend - especially to you dark chocolate fans.

8.8 out of 10

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

November 10th: Hotel Chocolat Organic Dark 82%

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

After my recent weeks excursions looking at some of Hotel Chocolat's Halloween and Christmas ranges, I this week continued my look at 'The Purist' range with the 'Organic Dark 82%'. As with the '72% Peppercorn' and '100% organic' bars, this was a product of the Hacienda lara Plantation and was formed using National Arriba cocoa beans. Shall I bore you with more details or just get on with the review? ... lets get on with it :)

I don't have to tell you how much I rate the presentation quality of 'The Purist' range. The slab came beautifully packaged in a cardboard sleeve that as ever included some in-depth detail on the bean to bar (or slab) process . The chocolate itself had the usual Hotel Chocolat logo inscribed, the chocolate actually felt relatively soft in comparison to other bars from the range, handling the bar very briefly even left very evident fingerprints as you can see in the picture above. Once released from its inner foil packet the chocolate smelt absolutely divine, the cocoa smell was extremely forthcoming and really set my expectations high for what was to come. 

At first glance this formulation may look only slightly different from the current Chocolate Mission leader the Hotel Chocolat 85% Dark Chocolate, however its organic nature meant it lacked the soya lecithin and vanilla ingredients, which did vary its taste slightly. The flavours were by and large very similar, with the cocoa unsurprisingly very prevalent and impactful. The strength of the cocoa intensified as the smooth melt progressed, with subtle notes of dark fruits and coffee intermittently detectable. The variance between this bar and the 85% slab came in the aftertaste of the bar. The vanilla in the 85% really rounds off the taste nicely, providing a minor sweet lingering flavour in the mouth. With the vanilla absent, the cocoa remained the dominant flavour throughout. Though the cocoa flavours were absolutely outstanding and clean tasting, they at times verged on the excessively intense (see 100% organic bar), ideally something would have been included to mellow the aftertaste

Overall this was a chocolate that came extremely close to being of the same standard as the current Chocolate Mission top rated bar, however just lacked the aftertaste to match. The dark chocolate was of a very high quality, combining a rich, full flavoured cocoa intensive taste that grew as the wonderfully smooth melt progressed. As I stated above the only thing this bar was missing was a friendly aftertaste ... a touch of vanilla and this bar would be nearing perfection. Very highly recommended for dark chocolate fans - there are very few better.

9.0 out of 10 

November 10th: Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuit

Kcal 134 Fat 5.2g Fat(sats) 3.8g Carbs 20.8g

Having seen Terry review these over at 'The Chocolate Review', I thought I would give the Tunnocks range a well deserved look over. Today I started with the 'Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuit', which is exactly what it says on the tin!! I hadn't had one of these for years, though they were a huge childhood favourite of mine, I used to consume them by the truckload when I was a wee nipper. 

The wrapper had a nice retro look, unsurprising really since these have been made since the 1890s!! It had a nice bright foil outer exterior, though had a paper based interior ... this may just be nostalgia but I really liked the format and use of the red and gold colours. The bar itself didn't seem to have changed one bit ... well since I can remember anyway! The chocolate layers appeared thin, though the caramel placed in between the wafer looked plentiful and appetising. The product had quite a weak sweet smell, I guess this wasn't helped by the lack of tightness of the wrapper ... the bar wasn't actually sealed, the paper wrapper was only folded to contain the bar within.

This is going to sound very silly but the bar tasted exactly how it looked. The milk chocolate coating was extremely thin, which meant that the cocoa flavours didn't have much of a say in the overall taste once the caramel and wafer elements came into play. As you all know I am no big fan of wafers, but the caramel placed in between, gave the one in this bar a far more substantial feel than the average. The wheaty flavours of the wafer were further accentuated by the sweetness of the caramel and provided a very biscuity, sweet taste. The chewiness of the caramel and crunchiness of the wafer provided some fantastic contrastive textures. Despite its relatively small size (30.0g), in comparison to some standard chocolate bars this felt like a more fulfilling snack.

Overall after eating this I remember why I used to eat these so often in my youth. There are some areas that could do with a little fine tuning - the chocolate for instance could do with being twice the thickness to give it more of a meaningful contribution to the taste. Saying this, I can see why Tunnock's wouldn't want to play with a recipe that is over 100 years old ... the mixture of the caramel and wafer is fantastic - as the saying goes ... why fix something that ain't broke!! Chances are you have consumed one of these in your lifetime ... if you haven't there are no excuses now!!

7.6 out of 10

November 9th: Milka Alpine Milk Cream

Kcal 575 Fat 38.5g Carbs 52.5g (per 100.0g)

Those of you may recall I reviewed the Milka Chocolate Cream bar a few months ago. Despite it not being my favourite variant of Milka, I was looking forward to trying this bar, which was again sent to me by those wonderful people at Dean-German-Grocery. This variant combined the standard 'Alpine Milk chocolate with a smooth milk cream filling'.

The bar came in the standard 100.0g, which provided two very sufficient 50.0g servings. The product came in the standard Milka packaging, though the bar itself varied slightly in its appearance to the norm with cow patterns replacing the standard Milka logos. That extra bit of detail, coupled with the distinctness of the layering, made it really stand out as a very well presented bar. The chocolate emanated a very strong dairy smell that was very evident and forthcoming as soon as I opened the wrapping ... very nice indeed.

When I reviewed the Chocolate Cream, I remember the chocolate cream filling being at detriment to the Alpine Milk chocolate ... the milk cream filling in this bar did quite the opposite. The Alpine Milk was implemented with just about the right thickness. It was amazingly smooth in its melt, yet thick enough to establish a firm flavour base before the milk cream filling joined the party. How can I describe the milk cream filling without using the word creamy!??? Hmmm well I cant because that is exactly how it tasted - it was like double cream but in a more solid fashion - almost like an exceedingly milky white chocolate ... just without all the sugar. As with the outer chocolate, it had a substantial constituents that was just ever so slightly softer in its texture. I feared before tasting this bar that the filling might lack flavour, but in reality it was stunningly executed with both a strong and lasting taste.

Overall this bar is up there with the Milka Caramel in terms of being my favourite Milka offering. It combined the already fantastic Alpine Milk chocolate with a simply dreamy milk cream filling that culminated in one fantastically creamy experience. As I said above the cream filling was more like a fantastically flavoured white chocolate, not only adding that extra dimension of dairy flavours but also accentuating the cocoa flavours of the Alpine Milk even more. A simple must-try for Milka fans, a really highly recommended bar.

8.7 out of 10

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

November 9th: Lindt Kristallzauber

Kcal 586 Fat 42.0g Carbs 48.0g (per 100.0g)

What a lovely name eh? Lindt Kristallzauber .... translated into English ... Lindt Crystal Magic!! These mini chocolates formed yet another part of the Lindt Chrismas range that Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me to sample. The front of pack described them as 'Caramel infused in tender alpine milk chocolate' and 'as delicate as a snowflake' ... how very cute ;)

These came in an 80g bag that I will admit I ate all in one greedy serving - woops :) The outer-packaging took the form of a foil paper bag, which had highly decorative snowflake patterns and golden coloured writing. Indeed it looked fabulous to look at, but as you can see above was a right pain to photograph. Each of the mini chocolates came in wonderful little foil packages, and had delightful patterns imprinted into their surfaces. Each of the chocolates had a nice sweet dairy aroma, though due to their size it wasn't as if I hung around smelling them for any great deal of time.

As well as looking like miniature Lindors, these shared many of the same characteristics in their taste and textures. The outer alpine milk chocolate had quite a mild milky flavour that was largely dominated by the inner smoother centre that was far more strongly flavoured. The filling had an extremely silky feel in the mouth, and released a truly wonderful buttery, caramel taste. The lasting taste in the mouth was an enjoyable vanilla note, though much like Lindor truffles, the speed of the melt meant the flavours were gone all too quickly - hence why I found myself tucking away 80.0g in no time whatsoever.

Overall these are yet another great tasting product from Lindt, though the size of the pieces make for a tad of an underwhelming experience. As I have described above the actual taste was fantastic - with milky, caramel flavours aplenty ... it was just the fact that they didn't last long at all which was disappointing. In a way these chocolates seemed more of a tease, rather than a product that delivered 100%. Still, as a gift I am sure these would go down a storm - they look good and taste good ... both characteristics of which I'm sure are pretty high in peoples criteria for chocolate gifts this Christmas.

8.0 out 10

Fancy gifting this Lindt Kristallzauber this Xmas!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!