November 26th: Lindt Weihnachts Edelbitter-Chocolade

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

Today courtesy yet again of Dean-German-Grocery, I tried another component of the Lindt Christmas range - the 'Weihnachts Edelbitter-Chocolade' ... roughly translated as 'Bitter Christmas Chocolate'. The bar was comprised of a 70% dark chocolate that was filled with a chocolate mousse that was hinted with our favourite Christmas spices :) coriander and cinnamon. Will someone please explain to me the significance of these spices to the Christmas period!? We hardly get them in chocolate here in the UK, but as we have seen from the German Christmas bars (Milka etc!), these ingredients are very common indeed.

This bar was presented much the same as the (terrible!!!) Lindt Christmas Punch, with the 100.0g bar separated in to podded sections, definitely a unique and interesting way of presenting the product. As with every Lindt product under the sun the presentation was top quality, with the packaging combining some impressive exterior looks with some fresh keeping inner foil layers. Taking the bar out of its foil wrapper, some enjoyable strong cocoa scents quickly made their presence known. Their was an underlying hint of cinnamon, though the cocoa was largely dominant - it was highly appealing.

The exterior chocolate that lined the pods retained many of the same attributes as the Lindt Excellence 70% bar I reviewed way back in June. The chocolate had an initial bitter, smokey set of flavours that grew kinder and kinder as the melt progressed, up until the point I would describe as nearly verging on sweet. At the centre of the pods was a mousse filling that was noticeably lighter than the thick melt of the coating chocolate. The flavour of the centres was noticeably milkier, though the spices largely dominated the overall taste. In other offerings containing these cinnamon and coriander ingredients, their flavours have always been noticeable, but never as strongly present as in this bar. Like the initial intensity of the chocolate, at first the strength of the spices, especially the cinnamon, was a little startling. As I consumed more and more, the flavours simmered down into a more agreeable enhancing contribution to the taste, rather than a dominant one. Due to the strength of the flavours, this was a product I enjoyed over several sittings; and was most pleasant eating alongside a morning coffee.

Overall despite being largely enjoyable, I wouldn't say this is a product that is best consumed in great quantities. The flavours were very imposing, and definitely one of the richer chocolates I have ever tried. Like I have stated above, I found consuming this bar in small servings most enjoyable. Just letting one block slowly melt on the tongue, allowed for the slow release and flavour progression that some bars can only dream of. I think this is an offering of quite an acquired taste, and one that is meant for a specific situation. This is not your Kit Kat bar with your lunch time sarnie type of chocolate, but one that demands time and effort into its consumption. If you have the patience, and tolerance for the more strongly flavoured chocolates, this is a bar I would very much recommend.

8.4 out of 10

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

November 26th: Goplana Grzeski Kokosowe

Kcal 545 Fat 31.8g Carbs 54.3g (per 100.0g)

I took my first, and rather unsuccessful dip into the world of Polish chocolate last week with the Nestle Princessa. Had I already known how truly awful that bar was, I might not have been so keen to review anything from Poland again. Saying that I bought, this Goplana Grzeski Kokosowe bar at the same time as I bought the Nestle Princessa - so in the interest of not having it lieing in my review box for the next few months I thought I would just take the plunge.

This bar comprised of a 'white chocolate-coated wafer, filled with coconut cream'. It took an unnervingly similar form to that of the Princessa - coming in an exactly the same 36.0g serving size and with the same type of packaging. Whats more the actual bar looked exactly like the Nestle product, just with the obvious variation in it's colour. Fearing the worst, I took the bar from its wrapper and and was actually met with some reasonably nice smelling coconut scents. They were not quite as strong as other coconut products I have had (Bounty etc), but in comparison to the Princessa this actually smelt pretty good.

Despite comprising of only 2.7% coconut, the smell translated into a reasonably nice tasting coconut creme. It offered a nice cool, milky nutty flavour that on the whole was largely enjoyable. The white chocolate was as unfortunately equally as flavourless as the milk chocolate of the Princessa and really struggled to establish anything more than a sweet minor milky flavour. Not only was the flavour of the white chocolate largely forgettable, but its texture was pretty poor too. It had a waxy, grainy melt that was altogether pretty horrid. The wafer element was slightly better implemented in this bar than the Princessa - it didn't suffer the limpness that I found in the Nestle bar, and had a relative crunch. The coconut flavour left a lingering sweet flavour in the mouth that made this a largely more satisfying snack than the Princessa.

Overall despite still far from lighting any fires, this Grzeski bar did a lot of things better than its Nestle comparator. It tasted superior thanks to the pleasant coconut creme - the white chocolate was still distinctly lacking in quality, though, even that was marginally better than the milk chocolate of the Princessa. This combined with the extra bite of the wafer meant by and large this was an ok product ... I stress the word ... ok!! This isn't a bar I would massively recommend, but my faith in Polish products to an extent has been restored.

7.0 out of 10

November 25th: Pop Rocks Milk Chocolate

Kcal 161 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 24.0g

Pop Rocks - 'MELTS on your tongue, POPS in your mouth' ... I must admit, I can't say this was a chocolate bar I have really looked forward to reviewing - to be honest quite the opposite. I am never one to turn down free chocolate though, so I gratefully accepted this bar from the folk at CandyPirate. Billed as 'milk chocolate with a kick', you have probably have guessed by now that this bar included the infamous 'popping candy' - those of you who wish to see my latest displeasure with the stuff see Cadbury Magical Elves & Milka Wasser.

The bar came in a 33.0g serving, although this sounded small it actually provided a sufficient enough snack accompanying my mid-afternoon tea. The wrapper was pretty nice, the design was simple yet effective and communicated the theme of the bar well with some bright colours and jazzed up tag lines. The bar itself had a non to appetising dusty surface, it was also split into a pretty curious 3 blocks, each of which were just a little to large to eat all at once ... it would have been far better split into four. I must give some props for the logos that were printed on the surface, they gave the bar some much needed character. The smell of the bar was very faint, offering only a minor sweet scent - in truth it was largely undetectable.

Now before I get a barrage of e-mails in my inbox telling me how unfair I was on this bar, please let me substantiate that there were some parts of it I enjoyed. For one I actually quite liked the milk chocolate! I was expecting it to lack flavour considering it was only really supposed to be a carrier for the selling point of the bar - the popping candy, but it actually had a degree of appeal and had a nice milky taste. Unlike in other popping candy chocs I have tried, Cadbury Elves for example, the taste of the chocolate wasn't ruined by an unecesary additional sweetness from the candy pieces - this bar maintained a pretty neutral degree throughout. Right, so on to the popping candy ... I won't beat around the bush it still wasn't to my liking. I could to a point see the appeal of the fizzing sensation on the tongue, but the popping on the back of the throat I just couldn't handle - I guess it just isn't for everyone.

Overall as far as popping candy bars go, this wasn't bad - but due to my own dislike of popping candy it was never going to score high. The milk chocolate had a relative appeal - of course it was no where near top quality milk chocolate, but it had a milky appeal nonetheless. I can pretty safely conclude now that popping candy just isn't for me - hey we all have our likes and dislikes! If your the polar opposite to me and enjoy your popping candy, then this is a bar you will want to check out.

6.9 out of 10

Interested in trying Pop Rocks Milk Chocolate for yourself? Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!

November 25th: Milka Delicate & Dark Black Pepper

Kcal 565 Fat 41.5g Carbs 40.0g (per 100.0g)

Delicate & Dark (aka Zart & Dunkel), is yet another line of Milka that Dean-German-Grocery have provided me samples of. The premise behind the Delicate & Dark range is that it is a more darker, more premium offering to the usual Milka range - with the standard Alpine milk chocolate mixed with dark chocolate to form a bar with 50% cocoa mass. This particular variant was billed as 'dark chocolate mixed with Alpine Milk, noted with Black Pepper' ... yes you did read that correctly black pepper. Given my utterly disastrous first experience with the Hotel Chocolat pepper and chocolate combination, I wasn't all that optimistic with this one.

The presentation of the product was pretty good. It came in a thin cardboard box that was decorated nicely with the standard purple Milka colour scheme and gold coloured text. The 100.0g bar was tightly wrapped in gold foil. Once removed, the blocks appeared nicely sectioned - each with a Milka logo crafted into the surface. Initially in taking the aroma of the bar was quite pleasant, it had some very familiar Milka dairy scents, though I soon detected the black pepper ... no joke I nearly sneezed.

I do enjoy standard Milka Alpine milk chocolate, however when not accompanied by a strong filling flavour, say caramel for instance, I can find it a little on the uninspiring side. Don't get me wrong it is pleasant enough, but doesn't have a taste that really grabs the consumer by the taste buds. Things were a little different with this bar, the chocolate was indeed more forthcoming in its cocoa notes, but still retained the milky flavours of the standard Alpine Milk. So there I was ... enjoying the smooth melt and fuller flavours of this Milka chocolate when of course the inevitable happened with the introduction of the black pepper to the taste. In a word- Yuck!! As with the Hotel Chocolat bar it tasted out of place, I just didn't get the mix at all. It wasn't half as strong as the peppercorns in the Hotel Chocolat bar, but it still just tasted all wrong. I did eat 50.0g of this in one serving, though it was neither an experience that was satisfying or that enjoyable.

Overall I think you have to remember is that this site only reflects one mans views on a product, and it just so happens this man really doesn't get the mixture of chocolate and black pepper. I found this bar highly enjoyable until the pepper flavours came in to play. The chocolate was great tasting, which really gives me high hopes for the rest of the range. As for this bar though, I just really wouldn't recommend it. I would love to hear from any pepper and chocolate combo fans ... I just want to know if you actually exist :)

6.3 out of 10

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

November 24th: Hotel Chocolat Christmas Bauble

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

My third dip into the Christmas 'Peepster Box' saw me sampling this 'Christmas Bauble' slab. Those of you that are attentive will recognise the centerpiece milk chocolate 'Bauble' from the Hotel Chocolat Bells & Baubles selection I reviewed a few weeks ago. This 'Bauble' piece was 'set in to a swirling white and milk chocolate fusion' i.e. a slab comprised of both white and milk chocolate.

I ate this 100.0g slab in the two standard servings - as usual leaving the 'finale' Bauble piece till last. The only disappointment of course was with the lack of Christmas theme on the exterior packaging. I liked the look of the slab, however it didn't quite have the intricacy of the swirl pattern of the previously reviewed Hotel Chocolat Milk & White Fusion. The distinction between the milk and white chocolate was more simplistic - half white chocolate and half milk chocolate - it lacked the overlapping effect like in the 'Fusion'. The slab emanated some very familiar scents - the strong dairy and cocoa smells never fail to entice.

Both milk and white chocolates were on top form in this slab. Both chocolates textures were divine as ever, slowly melting into a thick double cream like consistency. The 40% milk chocolate delivered all the usual smooth, milky, cocoa led flavours with its clean, crisp taste - utterly fantastic. Similarly the white chocolate didn't fail in delivering its sweet, buttery, vanilla edged taste. My only disappointment with this slab was a result of its design work. As I have previously mentioned there was very little overlapping between the two chocolate types - individually the chocolates were absolutely superb, but it would have been nice to have had more of a mixture between the two. The only instance were the chocolates did mix to a worthwhile degree was the 'Bauble' piece that was more set into the white chocolate side of the slab. The mixture of both the chocolates delivered a full flavoured, creamy taste like no other - it is not often I eat chocolate that was this enjoyable.

Overall despite not reaching its full potential due to the design of the slab, this was yet another instance of pure quality from Hotel Chocolat. Further collaboration of the two types of chocolate would have been preferable, though individually they didn't fail in delivering their utterly luxurious separate tastes. I whole heartily recommend this slab - it is the perfect way of experiencing the greatness of both Hotel Chocolat milk and white chocolate in one fantastic product.

8.4 out of 10

    

November 23rd: Cote d'Or Sensations Brut 86% Cacao

Kcal 605 Fat 54.5g Fat(sats) 33.5g Carbs 19.0g (per 100.0g)

This is my first review of a Cote D'Or product, and what better place to start than the brands most appropriate comparator bar to Chocolate Mission's top rated Hotel Chocolat 85% Dark Chocolate ... easy start huh!? I know very little about Cote D'Or apart from that the brand is from Belguim and has a rich heritage that stretches as far back as 1883. I have seen a few of their bars in and around the UK, but Dean-German-Gorcery provided me with the bar for todays review.

I was instantly impressed with the presentation of the product. It came packaged in a nice cardboard box, that had a stylish, elegant design - it certainly gave the impression of a premium chocolate brand. The bar itself looked nice, the Cote d'Or elephant logo was cleanly crafted into the surface, which I may also add had a very clean cut, smooth looking appearance. The smell of the bar reminded me very much of Lindt chocolate. The cocoa scent was very prevalent and forthcoming as soon as I opened the foil wrapping. All signs up until here were good ... but of course the truth is in the taste.

One thing I did notice on the back of the cardboard box was the fact this bar contained over 600 calories and a near 55.0g of fat per 100.0g. I am sure I have probably consumed bars with similar levels, though this struck me as bloody high. I ate this the only way it deserved to be, served at room temperature, letting each block melt slowly on my tongue. The rate of the melt was ok, it took a while for the chocolate to get to melting temperature, though it did have a nice smoothness. Despite having a nice soft feel in the mouth, the chocolate once melted felt ridiculously thin in its melted state. Not only was the chocolate thin, it was near totally devoid of strong flavours .. how can this be from a 86% cocoa mass bar you ask!?? I am still asking myself that very question. Only when the bar was in its furthest stage of melt did it offer any (and i mean any!!!) sort of worthwhile taste. Even then the cocoa flavours were not even that forthcoming - they were just completely underwhelming. The aftertaste was very short lived, with the flavours all but disappearing within seconds of consumption. To make sure my taste buds were not deceiving me I ate 50.0g in one sitting, and then came back to the rest later in the day - at which point I took one square, had exactly the same flavourless experience and just didn't bother with the rest.

Overall this bar absolutely flummoxed me, I don't have a clue how Cote d'Or have managed to create a flavourless chocolate bar containing 86% cocoa, but my does it appear they have tried their best. The bar had many of the attributes of a premium chocolate offering, it had the look, smell ... even the texture to an extent. However, it just seemed completely devoid of meaningful flavour. Sure the cocoa flavours were evident, but this was only at the last stage of the melt, and even then the taste was neither strong or long lasting. To be honest I would leave this bar well alone, save your pennies for Hotel Chocolat or Lindt.

6.9 out of 10

Fancy trying the Cote d'Or Sensations Brut 86% Cacao for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

November 22nd: Hershey's Take 5 White Chocolate

Kcal 200 Fat 10.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 25.0g

It seems an absolute age since I last reviewed a Hershey's product, but fear not as **I SHOP 4 YOU II** today supplied me with yet another limited edition from the Take 5 range. I have reviewed the original Take 5 and peanut butter variants before, both to mixed results. Today I tried the White Chocolate variant - those of you who have forgotten what comprises a Take 5, it it is formed of pretzel pieces, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter and in this instance a white chocolate coating.

The bar came in a 42g serving size, this didn't prove to be the most sufficient snack - I was still quite peckish after eating it. The presentation was all rather fair; the two pieces came in a reasonably nice looking foil wrapper that displayed the contents clearly. Inside the packet a inner cardboard sleeve protected the product ... always a nice touch. The pieces themselves were also reasonably well presented. They lacked any really branding or intricate detail, though I could appreciate the distinctiveness of the layering of the inner fillings. I did enjoy the aroma that came from the product - some enjoyable nutty, dairy smells emerged and became increasingly strong when the pieces were bitten in to.

Unfortunately this variant shared a few of the same problems as the peanut butter variant. I found that the outer coating really lacked flavour and had a waxy, slow melt. The white chocolate had a very mild milky flavour, however offered very little aside from this. Fortunately the combination of the contrasting sweet and salty flavours of the peanut butter and pretzels did give the product some degree of enjoyable taste, but even these were short lived. The pretzels were lacking the real crunchy that I desired, however were flavoursome enough to warrant their presence. The caramel element lacked real presence, which was a shame as I thought the sweet, buttery flavours it did add where present, were nicely varied from the salty peanut elements. As stated above this wasn't the most satisfying of snack in terms of hunger. I think this was largely down to the flavours being very short lived.

Overall this was a bit of a lacklustre variant, largely due to the lack of quality from the white chocolate coating. Despite the best efforts of the nicely flavoured pretzel and peanut butter layers, the lack of flavour and poor texture of the coating really came at detriment to the overall taste. Out of the range the milk chocolate Take 5 is still head and shoulders above both the Peanut Butter and this White Chocolate variant. If you were going to go for a Take 5 product that would be the one I suggest.

6.9 out of 10

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November 22nd: Cadbury Shots

Kcal 15 Fat 0.7g Fat(sats) 0.4g Carbs 2.1g (per sweet)

These are a Cadbury product I don't see all that often. Their distribution may vary by region, and for all I know you guys may see them all the time, though here in sunny old Surrey these are very rarely come across. Saying that I did manage to pick up a lone pack in a random One Stop shop. These Cadbury Shots are Cadbury's answer to M&M's, Minstrels etc, billed as 'sugar coated balls of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate'.

These Cadbury Shots came in the form a 200.0g bag, which I shared with some friends. The packaging and presentation I thought lacked the usual Cadbury charm. The packaging was quite plain in it's design, and the chocolates looked nothing more special than glazed Cadbury Tasters. Don't get me wrong there was nothing wrong with appearance, it was just nothing special either. Hard shelled, sugar coated products commonly lack decent aromas (see M&Ms!!), though this was not true of the 'Shots'. The familiar Dairy Milk smell was ever present, maybe not quite as strong as with other Cadbury products, but it was reasonably forthcoming and enticing.

Though sharing the bag with three other people I managed to get my fair share. In relation to other sugar coated chocolates I would say these were a relatively fulfilling snack, something that was largely down to the strength of the Dairy Milk chocolate. Even given the extra sugar from the hard shells, the Dairy Milk was still quite nicely balanced with its delicious creamy taste. The presence of the sugary shells for me wasn't all that favourable. As mentioned they did little to enhance the taste, and to be honest they spoilt the best way of enjoying the texture of the chocolate, due them needing to be crunched. Dairy Milk is a chocolate that deserves to be longfully left to melt on the tongue, the inclusion of the hard shells meant this wasn't entirely possible.

Overall these were another relatively decent product from Cadbury, though they would never be my favoured means of enjoying Dairy Milk. The sugary shells didn't allow the enjoyment of the slow melt of Dairy Milk, slowly sucking on these gave a the taste of sucking on a sugar cube, which meant at the end of the day they could only really be chewed - which was far from my favoured means of enjoying the chocolate. The Dairy Milk chocolate hit was still delivered, but just couldn't be enjoyed for as long as desired. If your a fan of your hard-shelled chocolate such as M&M's, Minstrels etc these are probably worth you looking at. A fair Cadbury product, but far from anything spectacular.

7.8 out of 10

November 21st: Hotel Chocolat Christmas Chimes

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

Today I tried my second slab from the Hotel Chocolat Christmas 'Peepster Box', the 'Christmas Chimes'. This slab included a solid base of 74% dark chocolate with a rather familiar looking milk chocolate bell placed in the middle (see Hotel Chocolat Bells & Baubles!!).  It isn't all that often you see dark and milk chocolate combinations - I certainly haven't had a Hotel Chocolat mix of the two, so this was a new experience for me. 

I will reiterate again my slight disappointment at the lack of a Christmas theme implemented on the design of the box and packaging for the product. It just seemed a bit daft going to all the effort of making the actual slab itself look quite festive, but forgetting to do the same to the packaging. As I described in the Hotel Chocolat Bells & Baubles review the bell shape had a lot of detail crafted into its surface - it looked just as impressive implemented in this slab. The smell of the slab was just fantastic. As soon as I opened the plastic package familiar cocoa scents emerged filling my anticipation once again for another Hotel Chocolat indulgence.

I ate this offering much the same way as I ate the 'Heavenly Holly' slab - breaking off all the chocolate around the middle and then indulging on the centrepiece. The story of this slab was that individually the 74% dark chocolate and 40% milk chocolate were superb, but unfortunately together they didn't quite deliver the 'finale' I was hoping for. The 74% dark chocolate delivered all its usual fantastic flavours, it had an immensely rich cocoa taste that had elements of coffee and dark fruits prevalent throughout. I ate this slab over two very satisfying servings. At the end of the second serving I finished the slab off eating the milk chocolate bell. When eaten in isolation it delivered some fantastic creamy, cocoa flavours, however when eaten in tandem with the base it was largely dominated by the fuller flavoured dark chocolate and only managed to oddly sweeten the overall taste. Despite the lacklustre 'finale' the slab was largely very enjoyable.

Overall we all knew before that both the Hotel Chocolat 74% and Hotel Chocolat 40% were individually fantastic, what we additionally know now though is that together they aren't the best mix. The dark chocolate delivered its usual full flavoured, rich taste and really provided a fantastic base chocolate. The milk chocolate bell was equally as enjoyable providing a sweet, creamier chocolate. Unlike the white and milk chocolate in the 'Heavenly Holly', the mixture of the milk and the dark didn't quite provide the desired finish to the slab. Despite this minor disappointment, this was still chocolate of the highest quality - another highly enjoyable offering from the Christmas 'Peepster Box'.  

8.6 out of 10

November 21st: Ritter Sport Citrus Yogurt

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

Despite Chocolate Mission currently focusing on delivering Christmas themed reviews, when given the opportunity to sample this summer themed Ritter Sport variant from Dean-German-Grocery I duly obliged. This 'Citrus Yogurt' bar consisted of 'white chocolate filled with lemon yogurt creme and rice crisp pieces'. As with most Ritter Sport offerings the filling was very generously portioned, accounting for 42% of the total bar.

The product came in the standard Ritter Sport format - in a 100.0g bar with fairly nice looking packaging. As I tend to do with most Ritter Sport variants I ate this in two servings, both of which were satisfying enough. As I have mentioned the packaging had a nice look, with a relevant colour scheme and resealable flap. The bar aesthetically looked pretty interesting, the yogurt creme filling stood out nicely with its plentiful portioning and lighter complexion. Within the filling, the rice crispy pieces were also highly visible, adding a nice golden colour just as the on-pack picture suggested. The smell of the bar was very striking - a very pungent citrusy, lemon scent quickly emerged once the packaging was opened. It smelt very nice indeed and proved to be very indicative of the taste.

Despite the bar claiming that only the filling contained lemon, the flavour was evident as soon as I placed the first white chocolate piece in my mouth ... for me this had its advantages and disadvantages. It was disappointing somewhat as it didn't allow for the build of anticipation that you get with most Ritter Sport bars, I am talking about the time in between the outer chocolate melting and the exposure of the filling. Though the excitement of the flavour progression was absent, the actual taste was superb. The white chocolate provided a delicious creamy, vanilla background flavour that complimented the lemon filling nicely. The yogurt filling had several elements to its flavours and textures. The lemon element was obviously very strong, but was nicely balanced placed in its nice dairy creme context. The rice crispies were all but lost in the taste, though were notable for the extra crunchy element they brought to the mostly smooth texture. It was not the most substantial of bars, though with the tangy flavours from both the lemon and the yogurt, it was both refreshing and highly enjoyable.

Overall this was certainly one of the more unique tasting bars I have tried on Chocolate Mission, and I must say I largely enjoyed it. It is safe to say that if you don't like lemon, then you will simply hate this bar, it had a very dominant grip on the overall taste. Luckily, I am rather partial to lemon, and enjoyed the fresh, fruity flavours offered. I have already stated my slight disappointment at the lack of taste progression, however I still think the white chocolate complimented the creamy filling nicely. I am a little unsure as to how well this bar would have worked with a milk chocolate exterior - my guess would be not quite as well. This is a pretty easy bar to offer recommendations for ... its simple - if you enjoy lemon and white chocolate then get involved ... if you don't leave this bar well alone.

8.4 out of 10

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

November 20th: Ritter Sport Goldschatz

Kcal 565 Fat ??? Fat(sats) 24.4g Carbs 49.1g (per 100.0g) - site did not disclose fat content!

This Ritter Sport Goldschatz was a bar sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery. The 'Goldschatz' or 'Gold Treasure' to us Brits is a limited edition offering from Ritter Sport, and is formed of a solid bar of milk chocolate containing 40% cocoa solids - 21% of which came from the extra special Trinitario bean woooooo! I was pretty sceptical to what degree this bar could really differ from the slightly dull 31% milk chocolate Ritter Sport use across their standard range, but I thought what the hell anything is worth a try.

This product came in a mammoth 250.0g serving that myself and a few friends shared over the course of an evening. The bar came in a pretty snazzy looking shiny golden wrapper - I guess it did give the product a 'special' feel - it certainly made it stand out from the usual range. The bar itself was very well preserved within the wrapper, each of the blocks had a very shiny looking surface and looked particularly well crafted with the Ritter Sport logo cleanly cut into the surface. The smell of the bar was mostly cocoa rooted, it smelt pleasant but was neither the most forthcoming or remarkable.

Much as I thought, there was only a very minor difference in the taste to this bar and the standard milk chocolate that is implemented in such bars as the Ritter Sport Yogurt, Whole Almonds etc. The texture was good, and the slow thickish melt allowed the flavour progression to play out nicely. The taste of the chocolate was in a sense unremarkable, but at the same time still quite pleasant. The flavours started out very milky, though as the melt of the chocolate progressed the overall taste became far more cocoa driven and chocolaty. The enhanced amount of cocoa made for a longer aftertaste compared to the standard Ritter Sport milk chocolate, though I personally still thought there was a defining element missing to the overall taste. The chocolate was on the whole nice, but just lacked that cutting edge element to its taste to make it stand out in what is already a very congested milk chocolate market.

Overall this was a fair milk chocolate offering, though it really reaffirmed my own belief that the Ritter Sport brand is largely successful due to the usual prestige of its fillings. This was fair enough milk chocolate, though on reflection it lacked a real distinguishing feature like say the creaminess of the Dairy Milk or the clean, crisp taste of the Hotel Chocolat 40%. As far as milk chocolate goes this bar isn't bad at all, just I think if your going to go for a product from the Ritter Sport brand, your best going for a bar with an added flavour.

7.7 out of 10

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

November 20th: Milka Wasser

Kcal 555 Fat 34.0g Fat(sats) 19.5g Carbs 57.0g (per 100.0g)

There was no need to use a translator for this one - Milka 'Wasser' (Water) forms another part of the Milka Limited editions 'elements' range. This was one of the more unique Milka combinations Dean-German-Grocery have sent me, and was formed of 'Alpine milk chocolate with milk creme and melon'. The only watermelon product I have reviewed before was the Japanese Kit Kat Watermelon ... I was looking for far better things here.

The bar conformed with all standard Milka products, and came in a 100.0g size. The packaging was nicely done - it had all the usual fresh keeping, resealable attributes and included a nice looking picture on the front, displaying the watermelon ingredient clearly. The bar looked exactly like the Milka Milk Creme bar, though some small glistening translucent pieces could be seen between the whipped creme layer. The really striking thing about the bar was its very imposing aroma. A very sweet watermelon scent was very forthcoming, behind this strong fruity aroma were the usual pleasant dairy Milka smells.

The Alpine Milk chocolate as ever provided a very sufficient exterior chocolate. The smooth, creamy melt was delightfully paced and exposed the inner creme filling at just the right rate. The filling was unfortunately where the texture took a bit of a turn for the worse. The creme element was as I was expecting whipped and lighter, which on the whole was enjoyable. Hidden in between this smooth, light layer though were the small transparent particles I mentioned in the bars appearance ... and these were dreaded 'popping candy pieces' ... like the ones found in the Cadbury Magical Elves. I really disliked the popping sensation as it broke up the other smooth layers of the bar. It is a personal thing - I just really didn't enjoy the crackling sensation on the back of my throat. This unfavourable texture quality was really disappointing, even more so given the fact that the actual taste of the filling was pretty good. The watermelon flavour was obviously artificially generated, but still had a really enjoyable, fresh fruity appeal that worked well with the creaminess of the milk creme and alpine milk. The flavours were not the longest lasting, but 50.0g of this made for a more than adequate snack.

Overall the actual flavours in this bar were very well implemented and highly enjoyable, but unfortunately for me the product was ruined by the sheer awfulness of the 'popping candy' texture. The combination of the milk chocolate, milk creme and watermelon favours was well conceived and delivered a unique and refreshing taste. It was just a shame that Milka decided to include those god awful crackling pieces. Even if you are in the same camp as myself and don't particularly enjoy this texture effect, I would still partially recommend this bar solely on the uniqueness of its flavours alone. If your a 'popping candy' and watermelon lover, you are in for a real treat.

7.8 out of 1o

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

November 19th: Celebrations

Kcal 506 Fat 26.8g Carbs 60.6g (per 100.0g)

Looking at the contents of the Celebrations selection really makes impressive reading. So many of the brands included in the collection have done well on the Chocolate Mission rating system in their standard forms - Mars, Snickers, Bounty, Galaxy Caramel just to name a few. Could they deliver the same satisfaction in bite size form? I put this to the test.

Much like I did with the Cadbury Roses I bought this product in a 70.0g pack, which included one of all the different variants. I thought the presentation had both good and bad points. I can't say I am the biggest fan of the outer packaging - I don't know what it is about the Celebrations logo but I really don't like it. I liked the small mini branded foil wrappers each of the chocolates came in - they not only kept them in pristine condition but they all of them also looked aesthetically pleasing.

Below are my tasting notes for each different variant:

Galaxy - lacked a truly telling aroma. The size and shape of the block was of the 'old' design, which delivered a wonderfully thick melt. Usual delicious, long creamy taste. A good standard milk chocolate. Very Good.

Bounty - Very appealing coconut driven aroma. The smooth melt of the chocolate transitioned nicely into the rougher texture of the coconut centre. The milk chocolate could have done with being a bit thicker, though it provided a nice chocolaty base flavour for the milky nuttiness of the coconut. Very Good.

Malteser - Completely different proposition to the usual Maltesers. Lacked a telling aroma and was an awkward shape. The melt was smooth but felt somewhat greasy. The flavours of the chocolate weren't as forthcoming in comparison to the other variants - surprising as I would have thought they would have used the same chocolate recipe. The malt centre saved these and was actually quite pleasant. Standard.

Galaxy Caramel - Appealing sweet scent. The creamy taste of the chocolate was well delivered with the usual thick, double cream like consistency. The caramel was wonderfully portioned - offering a distinct sweet, buttery set of flavours with its luxuriously soft, slightly chewy texture. Excellent.

Mars - Smell largely dairy driven with a hint of sweetness from the nougat. The chocolate was thick enough to substantiate a milky base flavour that worked nicely in tandem with the sweetness from the caramel and the nougat. The nougat slightly dominated the caramel, which could have done with being a bit more generously portioned - still highly enjoyable though. Very Good.

Snickers - The chocolaty, peanut smell was very forthcoming and hugely enticing. The milk chocolate was well portioned and its pleasant melt substantiated the chocolate base flavours well before revealing the inner caramel, peanuts and nougat. The caramel and peanut elements delivered the classic sweet and salty taste to perfection, and the nougat gave the piece a real substantialty - my favourite. Excellent.

Milky Way - Delightful sweet, dairy smell. The milk chocolate was just about the right thickness and provided a nice chocolaty base flavour. The inner nougat wasn't the most flavoursome in comparison to other selections from the box, though it still had a milky, vanilla type appeal with a nice firm texture. Standard.

Galaxy Truffle - Like the Maltesers pieces these are only available in the Celebrations selection. The size of the piece was a bit on the large side, though there was no arguing with the taste. The outer chocolate melt was thick and revealed the truffle centre nicely. The delightful creaminess of the outer chocolate was even bettered by the luxurious lighter truffle centre - why oh why are these not available as a stand alone product? Excellent.  

Overall these are a fantastic selection of chocolates that combine the two fundamental elements of variety and good taste. The only real disappointing one of the entire selection was the Malteser variant, which in my opinion didn't deliver the same quality in comparison to the others - I am sure there will be those that disagree :) Personally I thought the other variants made the transition from full scale products to the bite sized pieces well, encapsulating their different attributes superbly in such small pieces. Despite the recent exclusions of both the Twix and Topic variants this is still a fantastic selection, and one that I would very much recommend. 

8.8 out of 10  

November 19th: Lindt Excellence White Chocolate Stracciatella

Kcal 230 Fat 19.0g Fat(sats) 13.0g Carbs 14.0g (per 30.0g)

After the huge success I had with the Lindt Excellence White Coconut Chocolate, I couldn't help but oblige when Dean-German-Grocery offered me the chance to try this 'White Chocolate Stracciatella' bar. Containing 'dark chocolate pieces and rice wheat crispies in white chocolate' it sounded hugely appealing. Doing a bit of research I found that Stracciatella is actually a form of soup, though it is also commonly used as a name for an Italian ice-cream formed of very similar ingredients (see here!).

I don't need to tell you again about the quality of the presentation of Lindt's Excellence range. The outer packaging had a nice light blue colour scheme and pictured a pretty enticing ice-cream image. The bar itself looked fantastic, it looked rather like the Hershey's Cookies n Creme bar, with the cream coloured background speckled with black dark chocolate pieces. On closer inspection I could also make out the crispy pieces, though they didn't seem to be portioned that generously. The bar had a delightful smell, it had a mixture of creamy, caramel sweet scents that were all really appealing.

Having learnt that Stracciatella was a form of ice-cream I was little less surprised when I confronted the insanely vanilla concentrated taste of the white chocolate. It was very distinct, and was far more intense than the white chocolate on offer from the Lindt Excellene White Coconut Chocolate. This had both pros and cons: I liked it for its impactful flavours that really left a creamy aftertaste, though it was these same flavours that did become a bit overly sweet when eaten in large amounts. The sweetness of the white chocolate did contrast favourably with the dark chocolate pieces, which added superb short sharp bursts of cocoa throughout. Like I mentioned above the rice cereal pieces were not that well portioned - to be honest I preferred it like this as the harder cereal pieces only disrupted the smooth melt of the chocolate. The bar tasted fantastic, but the intensity of the sweet flavours meant that it was one best enjoyed it smaller servings.

Overall this was yet another outstanding white chocolate offering from Lindt, who have now proved they can deliver high quality white chocolate in two different guises. The intense vanilla flavour of this bar was as equally as enjoyable as the more milky, creamy white chocolate like in the Lindt Excellence White Coconut Chocolate, though it must be said the added extra elements didn't mix quite as well as the coconut did in the latter. Vanilla ice-cream fans you will fall in love with this bar, similarly I would highly recommend this to any Lindt and white chocolate fans. Yet more outstanding quality from Lindt.

8.7 out of 10

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

November 18th: Terry's Chocolate Orange Snowball

Kcal 535 Fat 29.5g Fat(sats) 17.5g Carbs 63.0g (per 100.0g)

Look what I found on a BOGOF in Woolworths this weekend!! Yes indeed it seems like Terry is getting himself involved with Christmas this year, in the form of this Chocolate Orange Snowball. For those of you that haven't put two and two together this Snowball is comprised of 'white chocolate flavoured with real orange'. I am actually quite partial to a bit of Terry's Chocolate Orange, as proved by my reviews for the Milk Chocolate and Golden Nugget Crunch, so I had a fair bit of optimism before consuming this white variant.

I really liked the presentation of the product. Everything from the outer packaging, inner foil wrapper and even the chocolate itself incorporated the festive theme well. The cartoon design work on the outer cardboard box looked fun, and the inner foil not only maintained the product in a fresh state, but actually looked rather nice with a snowflake pattern. The chocolate itself was nicely formed in the usual Terry's Chocolate Orange sphere - it looked both unique and appetising. The usual orangey smell typical of Terry's wasn't quite delivered to the usual standard here - a yogurty tangy smell partially distracted my senses from the usual fruity scents.   

Mass produced white chocolate can be brilliant at its best (see Thorntons White Chocolate / Milky Bar), but truly terrible at its worst (see Cadbury Dream) ... thankfully this bar sat nearer the better end of the spectrum. The white chocolate was extremely sweet, but it also had a relatively large amount of flavours contributing to the overall taste. The underlying base flavour throughout was a strong powdered milk one, it was creamy but sweet and was finished nicely with just a hint of vanilla. As with all Terry's products the orange was the dominant constituent of the taste. Unlike the smell suggested its strength was as prevalent as ever - it was fruity, refreshing and nicely balanced with the chocolate. I ate this 170.0g sphere over a fair few sittings (8 or so!?), I enjoyed the taste but it was devilishly sweet - I could only handle a few segments at at time meaning this wasn't the most fulfilling product ever. 

Overall this was an enjoyable variant of the Terry's Chocolate Orange brand - not quite the best, but good nonetheless. Considering the mass produced nature of the white chocolate it was actually surprisingly full of flavour, all too often manufactures just replace the cocoa with sugar. Indeed the white chocolate was sweet, but it was equally as flavoursome with a nice creamy, vanilla noted taste. As ever the orange flavouring was nicely balanced delivering a strong zesty taste that complimented the chocolate nicely. If your a white chocolate or orange fan I would recommend this, possibly overly sweet for some though. 

7.9 out of 10