January 27th: Hotel Chocolat Caramel Sweethearts

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

Those of you lucky enough to have someone to send chocolates to this Valentines Day will be happy to know that I will be running through the finest selections on offer from Hotel Chocolat in the coming weeks. Today I started off by taking a look at the Caramel Sweethearts - a product that I have seen Terry and Chocablog already get their mitts on (Click names for their reviews!). These were formed of 'caramel flavoured milk chocolate hearts with bresilliene, cocoa crispies and cherry powder'. For those that are unaware 'Bresilliene' constitutes of grounded hazelnut and sugar.

As with every Hotel Chocolat product these came wonderfully presented in a pink tinted 170.0g box that contained 28 chocolate hearts. The pieces looked incredible, with very intricate engravings present on each of the chocolate hearts - it all looked incredibly impressive. I was a little less struck by the aroma of the product. A quite minor diary smell was present, though the most forthcoming influence came from the subtle savoury smelling rice crispies.

Although the pieces looked fantastic it must be said they were quite awkward to eat. They were a little to large to eat in one bite, but also broke into several bits when snapped. This was something fundamentally caused by the crisped rice and proved to be not the only downside of the rice inclusion. The milk chocolate had a a pleasant enough melt in the mouth, however the pieces also had a degree of roughness due to the bresilliene and rice ingredients ... after eating four pieces the roof of my mouth was actually quite sore. It wasn't just the textures that let this product down though. The combination of the sweetened caramel milk chocolate, and bresilliene made for a very sweet overall taste, one that seemed to rely on sugar a lot more than most Hotel Chocolat products I have reviewed before. The influences of the hazelnut and cherry powder elements seemed lost within the sugary nature of the chocolate, which was just a real shame. I ate these about six at a time, though with each serving they failed to really satisfy or give me that much pleasure.

Overall I am not very often underwhelmed by Hotel Chocolat products, but I really didn't hit it off with these. Hotel Chocolat have set their own standards, a quick look through the archive will show that no doubt they are a company who deliver quality on a regular basis. Unfortunately though, I wouldn't place these in that category. These Caramel Sweethearts were overly sweet, and the roughness of their texture caused quite considerable irritation when eaten on mass. Not the best start to my look at their Valentines day range ... but trust me there are some corkers to come.

6.9 out of 10

January 27th: Ritter Sport Organic Almond

***UPDATED WRAPPER APRIL 2011


Kcal 374 Fat 26.9g Fat(sats) 12.6g Carbs 25.5g (per 100.0g)

Today thanks to Dean-German-Grocery, I tried the last of the Ritter Sport Organic bars, the 'Mandelsplitter'. This bar was formed of milk chocolate that was studded with small almond nut pieces. As with the rest of the milk chocolate bars from the Organic range, it was formed of a 35% cocoa recipe, whilst the almonds formed a plentiful 23% of the total bar.

The product came in the standard Organic 65.0g size, that was split into the typical 16 blocks. I thought the outer packaging looked pretty good. The two tone green nicely differentiated the product from the standard Ritter Sport range, whilst the almonds featured on the wrapper looked pretty tempting. As I have mentioned above the almond pieces were generously portioned, and looked impressive dispersed within the chocolate. The bar emanated the usual dairy led aromas of Ritter Sport milk chocolate, the smallest hint of nut could also be detected.

The milk chocolate did its usual standard job, and carried the flavour of the bar well with its creamy tasting, smooth melting attributes. Considering the small sizes of the nuts pieces I was actually quite surprised at how well they established their flavours. The nut pieces added a woody, buttery influence to the taste that was on the whole quite pleasant. Although the almonds didn't have the depth of flavour of other nut types (hazelnut, cashews etc), they still provided an extra level of interest to the overall taste. I wasn't totally at ease with their finely, chopped implementation, as small bits of nut did tend to get stuck in my teeth; they also didn't quite provide the desired nut crunch. I ate this bar over two separate sittings, both of which were surprisingly satisfying for just over 32.0g each.

Overall much like the rest of the Ritter Sport Organic range this was a solid bar, though it was far from really being a stand out product. I tend to prefer nuts implemented in a wholenut form, though the flavours delivered by the almonds in this bar were actually quite flavoursome for nuts that had been chopped so finely. The Ritter Sport Organic bars overall have hardly been groundbreaking, but I guess for people who prefer their chcolate without all the chemicals, this range would be a good place to look.

7.8 out of 10

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

January 26th: Galaxy Chocolate Muffin

Kcal 390 Fat 21.8g Carbs 44.0g

Given both my love for muffins and love for Galaxy milk chocolate, I couldn't help but give one of these Galaxy chocolate muffins a review. Described as a 'chocolate muffin filled with chocolate cream and covered in Galaxy milk chocolate', this product contained a whopping 390 calories and 21.8g of fat. This wasn't quite what I had in mind when I started off the month looking at the 'lighter choices' on the chocolate market - woops! 

The muffin weighed in at a stonking 86.0g, and provided a pretty sufficient option for breakfast - I certainly didn't get the 11am munchies. The outer packaging was relatively good looking - as you can see above it incoporated the usual Galaxy theme, though included McVities branding as the actual muffin was baked by them. I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by the look of the muffin. It was nicely protected in a transparent tray, but it didn't really look all that impressive either straight out the pack or when cross-sectioned; it could have done with a decorative logo or sprinkles on top to just make it that bit more aesthetically imposing. One thing that was certainly was striking was the delightful smell. Sweet, fresh cakey scents emerged as soon as the muffin was released from its plastic wrapper - yum! 

There was no doubting that this muffin tasted superb - but it could have just been a little more generous in some of its elements. The cake part of the muffin tasted pleasant, yet unspectacular. Unsurprisingly it dominated the taste of most mouthfuls due to it being present in a far greater proportion than the rest of the constituents. It had a nice doughy taste that was awash with strong notes of vanilla and sugar. It was perhaps a little dry in its texture, though where present the chocolate cream quickly make amends for this. The chocolate cream tasted fantastic - it was sweet, chocolaty and ever so creamy - it just unfortunately wasn't quite portioned generously enough, and was only present in the odd bite. The Galaxy chocolate melted on top was also a very welcome edition. It gave the top half of the muffin a very pleasant crispness when bitten into, whilst also providing a very enjoyable creamy chocolaty burst.

Overall this was a very enjoyable spin-off from Mars, and certainly provided a product that was worthy of the Galaxy branding. As mentioned above I would have liked to have seen the chocolate cream, and melted chocolate on top more generously portioned, as the bites where they were present were by far the most enjoyable. This was a fantastic product, and one that I would very much recommend if you have a love for muffins and Galaxy chocolate. I wouldn't suggest you have one of these a day, but as the occasional treat these are a nice proposition. 

7.9 out of 10

 

January 25th: Kraft Chips Ahoy Snak Pak

Kcal 170 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 24.0g

Excuse me for taking another slight diversion in my mission to find the best chocolate bar in the world, but when offered the chance to review a pack of these Chips Ahoy Mini Cookies by Geraldine at Yankee Soda & Candy I simply couldn't resist. Whenever I used to visit the US when I was younger I could never get enough of these, and I always used to bring back several packs with me. Before today though I hadn't had a Chips Ahoy cookie for a good few years, so I was looking forward to once again tasting these chocolate chip little treats.

Yankee Soda & Candy sent me a 35.0g pack of mini Chips Ahoy, which made nicely for a pretty standard snack that I ate during one afternoon. I must admit I groaned out loud in despair when I saw the branding .... 'Snak Paks' ... no wonder kids seem so dumb nowadays, why on earth would you miss the 'C's out? Maybe this is just me showing my age :D !? Anyway that aside the presentation was pretty good. The mini cookies came in a foil packet that ensured a nice freshness to the product. When I opened the small bag I was met with a lovely wave of sweet, biscuity smells that even had a nice indicative hint of cocoa. I was delighted to find that all the cookies were in a good condition, and looked relatively twee in their 'mini' form.

So did they taste as good as I remembered? In short ... yes! Chips Ahoy don't quite deliver the taste of freshly baked cookies, though this is unsurprising given their mass production and worldwide distribution. The cookie base was just how I remembered - very sweet and wheaty with hints of both brown sugar and salt. Of course as you would expect with cookies they had a delightfully fresh crunchiness, though the slight moistness generated by the melt of the chocolate chips made for a highly enjoyable addition to the dry base texture. The unsweetened nature of the chocolate chips also still seemed highly suited given that they delivered a forthcoming set of cocoa flavours, though did not add to the already quite sweet taste. One criticism I still have is with the taste longevity, which I again found quite lacking ... I guess that is just what makes them so moreish.

Overall these are definitely one of my favourite cookies/biscuits, and they tasted just as good now as they did when I was younger. The mixture of the sweet cookie base and plain chocolate chips make for a good combination, but it must be said that if the overall taste were to sustain itself that little bit longer in the mouth it would really make quite a difference. If you like your cookies or are an avid biscuit eater I would suggest getting yourself familiar with Chips Ahoy.

7.8 out of 10

Fancy trying the Kraft Chips Ahoy Snak Pak for yourself? Head over to Yankee Soda & Candy

January 25th: Conscious Chocolate Yummy Mummy

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

The Conscious range has proven itself to be much differentiated from many other chocolate brands and has delivered some fantastically enjoyable bars thus far for me to review. This Yummy Mummy variant certainly offered something no other brand I have come across before and was formed of raw chocolate with spices, Yacon root and Lucuma. Now those of you who don't have a foggiest what Yacon root or Lucuma are, I can tell you that Yacon is a perennial plant and Lucuma is a subtropical fruit - fancy huh!? Still confused see HERE & HERE.

The bar came in a nicely sized 40.0g serving - of course I still was none to impressed with the packaging, which as you can see above was basic to say the least. The chocolate looked relatively unimpressive, though the small pieces of Yacon and Lucuma could be seen dispersed throughout. As with the rest of the Conscious range the smell of the product was a real strength, and the forthcoming cocoa scents really whet my appetite.

One thing that is consistent with all Conscious products is the quality of the chocolate - again here it was superb. It had a delightful set of flavoursome but not overbearing fudgy, cocoa tones that really left a longing taste in the mouth. As the melt of the chocolate progressed these flavours became increasingly strong, which is always a nice effect. To be honest as I wasn't able to distinguish the taste between the Yacon and Lucuma beforehand, I couldn't honestly tell you what sort of flavours each individually brought to the table. Combined the small pieces brought a sweet, apple like taste, that was fair but not overly inspiring. To be honest the smallness of the pieces meant they partially ruined the texture of the chocolate, and made it somewhat gritty. On the whole the rich flavours of the chocolate meant this was a largely satisfying bar.

Overall this was a nice chocolate bar, though I must admit the Yacon and Lucuma were hardly the best tasting fillings. Original? ... Definitely! ... Great tasting? ... Not particularly! It was not that they tasted bad, they had a sweet, fruity appeal but just really didn't seem to be that greater combination with the chocolate. Although I was hardly bowled over by this bar, I am all for companies trying different combinations of ingredients; for this reason I suggest if your curious you give this product a try.

7.6 out of 10

January 24th: Sarotti Creme de Cacao

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

You may recall a week or so ago that I was hardly bowled over with the Sarotti No. 1 Mexico Chilli bar. I said in that review that I was hoping for more from the next Sarotti product I was going to try. Well thanks to Dean-German-Grocery I didn't have to wait long, as today I sampled the Sarotti Creme de Cacao - a 'milk chocolate bar with a cocoa cream filling'.

The bar came in a 100.0g form that was broken down into 24 rather small looking blocks. Like I do with most 100.0g bars I split the bar in half and ate them in separate sittings - both provided relatively fulfilling snacks. I liked the all round aesthetics of the product - the outer packaging had a nice design, and showed off the nature of creme filling nicely. As I said the actual chocolate blocks themselves looked a bit small, though each was still branded intricately with the Sarotti logo. The chocolate was contained within a branded foil layer that released a very sweet smelling cocoa smell when opened.

The chocolate contained 32% cocoa solids min, which I thought was a little low sounding. It came as no surprise when I read that sugar headlined the ingredients, though the bar had more of a dried milk sweetness to it rather than a raw sugar based one. The outer chocolate substantiated a very dominant set of milky flavours, though the cocoa influence was forever present as a constant undertone. The distinction between the outer chocolate and inner filling could be detected in both taste and texture. The outer chocolate was slower to melt and firmer in its density. The cream filling was not only softer, but it had a creamier taste, that just had the smallest hint of salt. The resulting taste was a very pleasant one, and was really quite unique with its sweet milky flavours - if I had to liken it to any other bar it would be the Milka Alpine Milk Cream.

Overall this was a far better showing from the Sarotti brand, and this was a bar that I got a great deal of enjoyment from. The chocolate was led largely by a powdered milk taste that was not only creamy tasting, but also had a delightful sweetness. The textures were wonderfully delivered with the slow more methodical melt of the outer chocolate complimenting, the lighter, faster melting filling superbly. Some may find the sweet flavours a bit overbearing, but for fans of Milka, Ritter Sport chocolate this is a bar right up your street.

8.0 out of 10

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

January 23rd: Munchies Munchies

Kcal 504 Fat 25.3g Fat(sats) 16.4g Carbs 64.7g (per 100.0g)

I am trying very hard not to start off with a rant but I just can't quite help myself - who the hell came up with the name for this product?!! I'm sorry, but to put it extremely mildly the marketing team behind 'Munchies Munchies' hardly struck gold with that name - its terrible. Having not particularly enjoyed my last pack of Munchies I have been pretty reticent to trying these; when I saw them on offer in Tesco for 89p though I hardly felt like I could put them off any longer. These 'Munchies Munchies' came billed as 'milk chocolates with soft caramel and crisp biscuit centres'.

I bought these in a 150.0g pouch that contained several miniature pieces about two thirds the size of the standard Munchies cubes. The outer packaging was presented well enough. Branding aside I thought the pouch made use of a nice contrast of red and orange colours and the pictures exhibited the product well. I was less impressed with the look of the pieces themselves - like I found with the standard Munchies the chocolate had a very dusty looking surface, they simply just didn't look fresh. Opening the pouch I was met with a very sweet smell. The aroma did have hints of cocoa and caramel that gave it a relative appeal unlike its aesthetic appearance. 

In comparison to the standard Munchies I found these smaller sized pieces preferable for two main reasons. Firstly I liked the dome shape - the pieces fitted nicely in the mouth which meant they could either be eaten singly or a few at time with relative ease and comfort. Secondly I thought the smaller pieces were superior as the caramel content was lowered whilst the biscuit piece remained the same size, this thankfully gave it more prevalence in the overall taste. Given that both the chocolate and caramel were as disappointing as in the standard Munchies, the greater presence of the biscuit was highly preferable. Unfortunately the chocolate was grainy and lacking flavour, whilst the caramel was only a little better with its overly sweetened, sugar rooted taste. The lack of meaningful flavours from the pieces meant these were a largely unfulfilling experience.

Overall even though I would say these were preferable to the standard Munchies, I still think they are far from being a good product. The chocolate was of a similar poor quality and the only reason I perceived the caramel as more bearable was because there was simply less of it. The biscuit pieces were as enjoyable as ever, but this was of little relevance given the poorness of the other elements. This seems to be just another mindless brand extension, and a product of little thought - you need only look as far as the name for evidence. Although slightly superior to the original Munchies - I personally still wouldn't recommend either. 

6.1 out of 10   

January 22nd: Ritter Sport 71% Fine Extra Dark Chocolate

Kcal 558 Fat 44.6g Fat(sats) 28.5g Carbs 31.0g (per 100.0g)

A couple of weeks ago in my review of the Ritter Sport Organic 60% Dark, I mentioned that Dean-German-Grocery had sent me this 71% Fine Extra Dark bar. I decided not to do a direct comparison of the two bars as I thought they would have had very different crafting and recipe properties. I am guessing ... well hoping, that from the title you have managed to gather this was in fact a dark chocolate variant which contained 71% cocoa solids min.

This bar was delivered in the standard 100.0g size, and provided me with two very fulfilling servings. I was a little surprised at the choice of colour for the packaging, the quite vivid pink colour was personally not a colour I would have chosen to represent the strongest bar in the Ritter Sport range ...what the hell at least it stood out. The chocolate itself was beautifully presented, the surface had a nice shine to it, and the Ritter Sport logos looked extremely well cut into the surface. The presentation wasn't let down by the smell, the bar released some fantastically rich smelling cocoa scents upon opening the wrapper.

My preconception that this bar would be quite different to the Ritter Sport Organic 60% bar proved a bit inaccurate. I perceived only a slight variation in the overall taste, with this bar having a slightly more intense cocoa edge. Despite being described as 'Extra Dark', the creamy background was still present, and provided the same pleasant complimentary base tones to the forthcoming cocoa flavours. The texture was wonderfully smooth, and melted at a nice rate, with the taste growing in intensity as the chocolate developed in its melt. The aftertaste was firmer in comparison to the Organic bar, and had less impetuous placed on the vanilla flavour, and more on the cocoa. It left an even greater impression in the mouth, and just made the bar that little bit richer.

Overall this was a good standard dark chocolate, though like its Organic 60% Dark counterpart just slightly lacked the definition in its flavours to really challenge the upper tier of the dark chocolate ranks. Despite its strongly concentrated 71% formulation, its intensity didn't mirror this; the cocoa flavours were forthcoming but were largely controlled and rounded by the strong creamy undertone. I ever so slightly preferred this bar to the Organic 60% Dark as the aftertaste was a little longer lasting, though to be honest there was very little difference between the two.

8.5 out of 10

Fancy trying the Ritter Sport 71% Fine Dark Chocolate for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!

January 21st: Marks & Spencer Millionaire Shortbread

Kcal 450 Fat 18.3g Fat(sats) 5.9g Carbs 66.9 (per 100.0g) 

It seems lately that I have been on a one man mission to save Marks & Spencer from the credit crunch. In the last few weeks I have been finding myself all too often in my local M&S food hall, not only checking out their divine selection of sandwiches, but also their confectionery range. Today I picked out this 'Millionaire Shortbread' bar, which was comprised of 'all butter shortbread covered in a layer of caramel and milk chocolate'. One look at the nutritional information all but confirmed this was a bar of pure indulgence. 

The product came in a huge 65.0g serving that provided a really fulfilling snack. The packaging was pretty no frills, with the bar only protected by a transparent plastic wrapping. Although this was a little basic looking, the bar itself looked fantastic. The shortbread was golden, the caramel thick and the chocolate unblemished and smooth looking - it looked magnificent. The bar smelt hugely enticing. As soon as I opened the plastic packaging I was presented with some buttery, biscuity sweet smells that were extremely alluring.

This thankfully wasn't a product purely about its looks and smell - it tasted just as good as well. The shortbread was divine and had a full flavoured, butter led taste that was complimented superbly by the sweetness of the brown sugar. Above the shortbread sat the caramel layer, which added a wonderful set of fudge like flavours. The caramel also added a hint of saltiness, that really contrasted well with the overriding sweetness to the taste. The milk chocolate formed the upper part of the bar and was of a reasonably good quality. It didn't really stand out in and amongst the caramel and shortbread, though it still brought a chocolaty context to the overall taste. The combination of all three layers certainly made for a very sweet taste, though it was incredibly moreish. Saying that the 65.0g certainly pushed the boundaries of what I could consume in one sitting.  

Overall this is one of those products that if you ate everyday you would soon become tired of it. Eaten as the occasional treat though, this is truly a luxurious tasting product that I would highly recommend. The blend of the caramel and shortbread was simply superb, and combined the sweet, buttery flavours of each with a fantastic salty moreishness. The chocolate could have been more prominent , though it still provided a reasonable influence to the overall taste. I found this to be both a really enjoyable, as well as a very satisfying bar. 

8.6 out of 10   

January 20th: Conscious Chocolate Nicely Nutty

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

My reviews of the Conscious range have seen me try some pretty tasty bars, with the Choca Mocha Magic a clear shinning star so far. Today I tried another variant from the 'sugar free, pesticide free, gluten free, raw and handmade' chocolate range - the 'Nicely Nutty'. This bar contained four different types of nuts - cashews, brazil, walnut and hazelnuts. Never before had I tried a bar that had dared to mix all four, so this was always going to be an interesting prospect.

I needn't tell you about my displeasure regarding the outer packaging - according to Emily at Conscious it is currently under redesign. The chocolate itself was relatively impressive looking, the nuts pieces although small appeared generously portioned throughout the bar. Again due to the soft nature of the chocolate, the product was messy to handle - this definitely isn't a range of chocolates you want to be eating on the move. Once again the smell of the bar was a real sell point for me. When the foil packaging was unwrapped a fantastic mixture of nutty, cocoa aromas were released - it smelt very tempting.

Having savoured the fantastic smell for a decent amount of time I decided to tuck into the bar, and was immediately struck by the strong nutty flavours. As I have aforementioned the nut pieces were small, but very well portioned. It was near impossible to tell what type of nuts the actual pieces contained by their aesthetics looks, though in the context of the taste they were very distinguishable indeed. Each of the blocks were awash with woody flavours from the hazelnuts, buttery flavours of the cashews, earthy flavours of the brazils and salty flavoured walnuts. My only slight criticism of the nut pieces were that as they were so small they did tend to get stuck in between my teeth. This was only a minor issue though, and on the whole the nuts combined fantastically with the balanced unsweetened cocoa flavours in what was a long lasting, enjoyable taste.

Overall this was one of the finest tasting chocolate and nut combinations I have tasted. In previous reviews I have alluded to the fact that I believe nuts are best implemented in a wholenut form (ala Ritter Sport Milk Whole Hazelnuts), well this bar completely blew that theory out the water. Even though the nut pieces were very finally chopped they delivered a wonderful strong set of distinct nutty flavours. The chocolate was as usual very tasty, if a little messy, and carried the nuts very well. This is yet another bar from the Conscious range I would really recommend.

8.3 out of 10

January 19th: 100 Calories Hershey's / York / Reese's

Once Geraldine at Yankee Soda & Candy heard I was looking at some 'light choices' on the chocolate market she thought she better send me some samples of these 100 calorie bars that she is currently stocking. Geraldine was kind enough to send me three different variants - Hershey's, Reese's and York. Below are my concise thoughts on each of these 'two fingered crispy wafer bars':

100 Calories Hershey's Bar:

Kcal 100 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 3.5g Carbs 12.0g

Out of the three this was the variant that excited me the least. This was a straight up milk chocolate covered wafer, with a milk chocolate filling. Out the three it was definitely the least striking in its general appearance - it lacked the distinct smell of both the others, though still had a relatively pleasant sweet, cocoa led aroma.

The taste of this variant struck me immediately as very Kit Kat like, though the flavours of the wafer were not quite as lasting. This did give the cocoa flavours of the chocolate more of a prominence in the taste, though these flavours were not all that sustaining and were quickly gone from the mouth. The inner milk chocolate filling had a nice moistness against the crispness of the wafer, though it wasn't differentiated in terms of taste from the outer coating.

Overall a fair standard milk chocolate option that would certainly suffice for people who are not a fan of the other mint or peanut variants available.

7.0 out of 10

100 Calories York Bar:

Kcal 100 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 11.0g

This variant was formed of a dark chocolate coating with a mint creme filled wafer. It was ever so slightly more appealing in regards to its presentation to the standard Hershey's bar as the mint content of the product immediately stamped its authority with its lovely fresh scents.

The dark chocolate of course did not have many attributes of dark chocolate whatsoever - as with every mass consumer 'dark chocolate' it was more along the lines of unsweetened milk chocolate. I would have liked to have seen the cocoa amplified in its prominence, though the coating still did its job of providing adequate chocolate base flavours. The real ray of light with this variant was the delightful peppermint filling, which provided a delightful set of cool, minty flavours within the sweet, crisp wafer.

Overall this was my favourite out of the selection. The dynamic combination of the unsweetened chocolate and the really forthcoming mint flavours made for the taste that sustained the longest presence in the mouth out of the three.

7.5 out of 10

100 Calories Reese's Bar:

Kcal 100 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 11.0g

This last variant was formed of a milk chocolate coating with a peanut butter filled wafer. Allot like most Reese's products both the fingers had a somewhat greasy coating, and melted very fast in my hands. Despite this being a slight annoyance, there was no denying the wonderful enticement that was brought on by the wonderful peanut scents that emanated from the product.

It was a bit same old story here with Reese's. The milk chocolate was quite frankly poor - the extra greasiness meant that the milky, cocoa flavours lasted for an even shorter time in the mouth, which given the size of the product really wasn't a good thing. The saving grace of course came in the form of the peanut butter filling, which was delightful by all accounts. Creamy, salty, sweet and nutty are four words that best describe Reese's peanut butter - outstanding stuff.

Overall I slightly favoured this bar over the Hershey's variant as the nutty flavours made it a slightly more interesting product. Probably not the flavour you should look at if your wanting a specific chocolate hit from your 100 calories though.

7.3 out of 10

With all of these bars only weighing in at 19.0g each I was hardly expecting much, but these delivered some quite tasty snacks for 100 calorie options. They were never going to hit the heights of more traditional bigger chocolate options, though for those watching their weight but not wanting to eradicate their favourite treats from their diets completely, these are a great range of bars, and are ones I would recommend.

Fancy trying the 100 Calorie bars for yourself? Head over to Yankee Soda & Candy

January 19th: Thorntons Dark Chocolate Bar

Kcal 261 Fat 18.7g Fat(sats) 11.7g Carbs 19.7g

I find Thornton's brand activity in the last few years a bit puzzling to say the least. What I once perceived as really quite a prestigious brand, now in my eyes has the same commonality as any other mass consumer brand. If you look around, pretty much everywhere stocks Thornton's chocolate - from supermarkets, convenience stores, Woolworths .... I have even seen some of their goods in petrol stations. This is a stark contrast to the level exclusivity the brand used to hold by only selling its goods exclusively in its own shops. Despite my reservations of the brand strategy, I will admit they make some damn fine chocolate - today I tried their 60% dark chocolate.

The bar came in a 50.0g serving size, at a relatively inexpensive 59p. The wrapper of the chocolate was ok - it had a good design that gave it a premium look. However, as you can see by the picture above of the chocolate, it didn't do the greatest of jobs keeping the product fresh. The chocolate had a blemished, dusty looking surface - the appearance turned out to be very indicative of the textures to come. I wasn't all that impressed by the smell of the chocolate either - it was predominantly quite sweet smelling, but there was a background hint of a sour dairy scent ... it didn't smell all that appetising.  

I won't skirt around the issue - I thought this was one of the poorest dark chocolates I have ever tasted, neither the taste or the texture were of a good quality. From a 60% cocoa solids chocolate I was really expecting more in terms of flavour depth. From the initial moment the chocolate entered my mouth, to the time it had fully melted away, the flavour progression was near non-existent. The taste started off as what I would describe as musty, it had a really padded out feel to its cocoa flavours - they were neither striking or imposing, just weak and very uninspiring. The poorness of the taste was only outdone by the poorness of the texture. As the melt progressed the chocolate cloyed and clumped - it just felt like a really poor quality chocolate. This was a really unsatisfying bar, it was a struggle to eat the whole 50.0g, but this was more down to the lack of quality rather than its fulfillment credentials.

Overall as I have already referred to, this bar was one of the poorest dark chocolates I have had. For a 60% recipe it really lacked flavour, the cocoa was very understated and just completely lacked the strength in taste I was hoping for. The awful texture only reaffirmed my conclusions that this was a really poor quality chocolate - its melt was both grainy and lazy. To be honest I have very few nice things to say about this bar. It wasn't quite Cadbury Bournville bad, but it was pretty close - this isn't a dark chocolate I would recommend.

6.0 out of 10     

January 18th: Eat Natural Almonds Apricots & Yoghurt

Kcal 228 Fat 12.4g Fat(sats) 8.2g Carbs 26.4g

Though this bar doesn't actually contain any cocoa, I simply cant turn down a request, and my recent pledge to look at 'lighter choices' on the confectionery market has led me in the direction of the Eat Natural brand. Eat Natural products contain no added preservatives, and only contain 'the best, wholesome ingredients'. Today I decided to start my look at the range with the Almonds, Apricots and Yogurt variant, a bar that I have tried a few times before.

The bar came in a 50.0g size that looked a lot larger than the fulfillment it actually provided. I thought the bar looked quite enticing - the wrapper nicely conveyed the natural aspects of the bar, whilst its largely transparent nature showed off the magnificent fruit and nut pieces that sat under the yogurt coating. The product had a reasonably enjoyable aroma, it was largely dominated by the sweet scents of the coating, though minor fruity, nut scents could be detected.  

As previously mentioned this was a bar I'd had a few times before, so I was already quite a fan. The yogurt coating fused the bar well, and delivered a delightful combination of strong milky, vanilla tones. In coherence with its yogurt billing, the coating had a lasting and pleasant tang in its aftertaste. Beneath the coating lay the almonds, apricots, rice ingredients, all of which contributed nicely to the overall taste. The apricots were sweet and fruity and had a pleasant chewiness. The almond pieces were implemented whole, which meant they generated some strong buttery flavours. One thing that was noticeable was that they weren't the most crunchy almonds ever, and added more of an undesirable squeaky texture. The other most noticeable element to the taste was the coconut, which further added a degree of milky nuttiness. The mixture of all these constituents made for a delightful bar, though as I have said considering it size, it wasn't quite as satisfying as I thought it might be. 

Overall this is one of my favourite snack bars, though I must admit it is not without its shortcomings. The yogurt element was nicely flavoured and provided a creamy, but slightly tangy, pleasant coating. The inner apricot and fruit pieces were all bursting with flavour, and really made for a varied and enjoyable overall taste. To be honest looking at the fat content of this bar, it is not particularly what I would consider a lighter option - in actual fact it contains more fat than a lot of bars I have reviewed. Regardless this was a nice change up from a standard chocolate bar, and is certainly worth a try if your a fan of cereal bars. 

7.8 out of 10     

January 17th: Sarotti No.1 Mexico Chilli

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

Every now and again Dean-German-Grocery like to send me some of their own favourite German goods to review along with the other more mainstream Milka and Ritter Sport products they send me. A major favourite with the folks at Dean-German-Grocery is a brand called Sarotti. Sarotti are quite a well known established brand in Germany and are based in Berlin. Today I sampled their 'No.1 Mexico Chilli' bar, a dark chocolate that included 'roughly and finely grounded chilli pods'.

I ate this 100.0g bar in two separate 50.0 servings, which provided me with two adequately fulfilling snacks. The presentation of the product was a bit hit and miss. The outer packaging was well presented, with the product clearly communicated through both the picture and on-pack description. I wasn't all that impressed with the look of the chocolate itself though. Despite being protected within a foil layer, the surface appeared dusty and not very fresh looking, which rather spoilt the quite intricate looking design work. The bar had a relatively strong aroma that made its presence known once the foil seal was broken. The cocoa made the dominant contribution, though there was a slight hint of a spicy undertone.

This was a really hard bar to rate as I felt it did some things really well, and others really poorly. Despite its 66% cocoa solids recipe the chocolate really wasn't that forthcoming in its flavours, and took what seemed like forever to deliver a taste of any real note. It wasn't until the melt was really quite progressed that the real flavours of the cocoa came through. Even then they seemed quite subdued, and not all that imposing, offering little more than a quite mellow, unsweetened chocolaty taste. So what did this bar do well??? ... its implementation of the chilli was really quite well done. In comparison to other chilli bars, the chilli in this bar had a sweeter impact on the taste, and had a longing presence in the mouth. The chilli also saved the rather lazy melt of the chocolate, adding an extra level of interest with its warming effect.

Overall as aforementioned this was certainly a bar with its ups and downs. The dark chocolate simply wasn't the best ... in fact nowhere near the best, and was largely in debt to the chilli element from saving it from real mediocrity. Quite frankly there are better dark chocolate and chilli bars combinations out there. You need only look as far as the Lindt Excellenc Chilli to see how this bar should have been done. This isn't a product I would tell you to go out your way to try, I am hoping for far more from the Sarotti range next time I try one of their products.

7.3 out of 10

Fancy trying the Sarotti No.1 Mexico Chilli for yourself!? Fancy any another Ritter Sport / Milka / Lindt / Storck or German Grocery ... head over to Dean-German-Grocery!!