May 23rd: Milka Choco & Rice

Kcal 510 Fat 26.5g Fat(sats) 26.5g Carbs 61.0g (per 100.0g)

I don't think you guys are going to be needing any second guesses in regards to where this bar came from! Of course the lovely people at Dean-German-Grocery once again provided me with yet another bar from the extensive Milka range in the form of this 'Choco & Rice' variant. Formed of 'milk chocolate with crisped puffed rice' it wasn't exactly the most complex of Milka flavour variants available but it still had relative appeal to me anyway.

This bar varied slightly from the standard Milka line and came in a rather large 200.0g size. The product was about four times the thickness of the normal Milka bars and twice the length. Despite being rather on the largish size for my liking the presentation was all pretty top notch. The usual plastic wrapper still had the same resealable fold, which proved particularly handy given the size and how long it took me to eat. The chocolate itself also looked very appetising with the rice pieces looking a lot larger than I thought they would. Along with creating an impact visually the rice cereal also had an influence on the aroma where it complimented the usual Alpine Milk dairy scents nicely with a biscuit like hint.

I have had so many Milka bars now I knew exactly what to expect from the milk chocolate. The taste was as usual dominated by the cream flavours and retained a pleasant sweetness that never seemed to get overbearing. These flavours were delivered with the usual thick, smooth melt which combined with the slight note of hazelnut made the flavours last for a relatively long time in the mouth. I am always a little unsure when it comes to puffed rice in chocolate as it can often be flavourless, however the cereal in this bar managed to disprove this. The rice pieces substantiated a nice savoury element to the sweet tasting chocolate and added a nice variation to the texture with their crisp shells and soft centres. My only criticism of this bar was that due to the rice being so well portioned it meant the bar didn't seem all that satisfying - after eating a 50.0g portion I didn't feel particularly fulfilled.

Overall this was a product that I actually enjoyed more than expected and has proven that when done correctly puffed rice and chocolate can make for a good combination. I guess it is products like the Nestle Crunch that had previously shaped my thinking like this, though having got a lot of pleasure from this Milka bar I will think twice before making any preconceptions again. Milk chocolate and puffed rice may not sound like the most interesting of combinations but this bar managed to create a good level of intricacy with its range of cream, nut and cereal flavours. On this basis I would recommend it to any Milka fan or to anyone who has a soft spot for chocolate and cereal products.

8.0 out of 10 

Head to Dean-German-Grocery for all your German Candy & Grocery Needs