March 9th: See's Candy Chocolate Assortment Part 1

For Nutritional Information on See's Candy Please SEE HERE

It has been a busy few weeks on ChocolateMission, though sandwiched in between everything I was recently offered the chance to sample some of See's Candies 'famous old time candies'. My contact at See's Jonathan informs me that they have several Easter Candy varieties and assortments currently available - so if your interested in gifting chocolate this Easter you might want to have a wander over to their site. 

For the next two days on ChocolateMission I will be giving you all my lowdown on See's 'Chocolate Assortment', which was formed of a selection of 21 different chocolates (Yes I know there are 23 in my photo above but randomly there were two that got doubled up!!). 

Now before I get into the nitty gritty of each individual piece let me give you my views on the presentation etc. In regards to the packaging I thought the product was presented very well indeed. The box weighed in at a huge 454.0g and came nicely wrapped in both paper wrapping and a stylish, retro looking cardboard box. Inside the chocolates were well protected by thing layers of bubble wrap and individual paper wrappers. My only disappointment in regards to packaging came in the lack of 'menu' i.e. there was no telling what piece was what!? This particularly annoyed me, though I guess is a problem that could be very easily be solved. 

To save this review being as long as my University dissertation I have decided to split it over two days - with the eventual score in tomorrows post. Below are my thoughts on the first 11 pieces from the selection:

 

Milk Buttercream:
This piece seemed like a sensible place to start given that looking at the See's Candy website, the 'Buttercreams' seemed to be deemed a speciality of the brand. To be honest I really didn't think much to this piece. It had a pleasant distinction in the texture of the outer chocolate and inner stodgy truffle centre, however the overall taste was frighteningly sweet. The initial flavours were predominantly milky and creamy, though these soon found themselves lost in what was a sickeningly sweet culminating taste. Not a great start. Poor.

Mayfair:  
This piece was comprised of buttercream with cherries and walnuts, coated in milk chocolate. Again the eventual sweetness was quite overbearing, though the introduction of the cherries and walnuts did somewhat curb the sugar dominance. The walnuts added a nice crunch to the texture, and combined well with the tart red berry flavours of the cherries to bring added interest in the taste. Standard. 

Rum Nougat:
As I mentioned above this was one of two pieces that I got two of - I guess I was lucky in this sense as it was actually one of the best as well! Combining raisin nougat, cherries, walnuts and rum all coated in milk chocolate, this was one of the more unique choices in the selection. The raisin nougat was particularly pleasant and combined well with the cherries and walnuts to provide a nice fruity, nutty background taste buzz. The rum element was not excessive, but highly detectable and brought a sophisticated, counter-balance to the sweet tasting milk chocolate. One of my favourites. Very Good.

Strawberry Cream:   
Described as strawberry buttercream with strawberries I was somewhat reticent to trying this one, so I split it with a friend and they offered their views as well. Both of us thought that the piece was again very sweet, though personally I didn't think it suffered as much as others due to the fact that strawberries are generally sweet anyway. In between the sugary flavours there were strong, zesty red berry tones that ultimately made for a relatively refreshing taste. Standard. 

Dark Nougat:
Combining honey nougat, vanilla, almonds and coconut coated in dark chocolate this one sounded right up my alley ... and it was. This was one of favourites of the entire box and I could instantly tell I was going to like it from the smooth melting of the outer dark chocolate. The inner fillings beautifully complimented each other with the honey tinted nougat and almonds providing a wonderful contrast in salty, floral tones. The aftertaste left a lovely lingering coconut, vanilla essence lick in the mouth, I just wish there had been more of these in the box. Superb.

Milk Pattie:
This was a pretty simple piece incorporating a vanilla caramel centre and milk chocolate coating. Again the milky, creamy flavours of the outer chocolate got annoyingly sweeter as the melt progressed, however I was impressed by the inner caramel. Combining all the good elements a good caramel should do - butter, sugar and salt with just a touch of vanilla it had a nice taste in the mouth. Although somewhat lacking in an aftertaste it was still overall quite pleasant. Good.

 

Caramel:
Despite just being dubbed Caramel on the website this piece incorporated a hard caramel centre, almond and a milk chocolate coating. This piece had a distinctly nutty smell, and this corresponded with the taste where the almonds were largely dominant. See's might want to rethink the the name of this piece as the hard caramel took more of a backseat to the savoury tasting almonds. The nuts were fresh tasting and full of flavour, thankfully abiding the sweetness of the milk chocolate. Good.

Almond Square:

Following much the same idea as the piece above, this was slightly varied in that the outer milk chocolate was replaced by a dark chocolate base. Unfortunately the dark chocolate was very flimsy in its portioning, and was too thin to really provide a substantial influence on the taste. Despite this the caramel in this piece established its buttery flavours a little more forcefully against the almond pieces. Another nice piece, though had the dark chocolate been better portioned it would have been better. Good.

Milk Bordeaux:

Another See's Candy speciality the Bordeaux was formed of brown sugar butter cream coated in milk chocolate. I enjoyed the distinction in textures between the crunchy pieces placed on top and chocolate and creme layers, however I found the taste too one dimensional and not to my liking. Unsurprisingly the sugary nature of the inner filling made this piece way too sweet for my liking. The flavour progression was very poor indeed and struggled to provide more than just a very sugar based taste. Poor.

Dark Pattie:   

This piece obviously incorporated the same vanilla caramel as the Milk Pattie, just in a dark chocolate coating. The dark chocolate had a delightful melt, and its unsweetened nature established some delicious cocoa flavours before the chewy caramel centre introduced itself to the taste. In comparison the milk chocolate piece I preferred this one, as the more sophisticated flavours from the dark chocolate complimented the good quality caramel very nicely indeed. Very Good.

Milk Molasses Chips:

Combining mollases honeycomb crisp in milk chocolate this was one of the pieces I was most looking forward to. It proved however to be somewhat of a disappointment, with the milk chocolate dominating the taste entirely. The honeycomb element seemed all but lost in the sweetness of the milk chocolate - in truth it offered nothing aside from a curious foamy texture. Yet another piece that was dominated by an overly sugar based milk chocolate. Poor.

Phew .... eleven down the rest to come tomorrow!! Be sure to check out the site tomorrow for the rest of the selection and of course the all important ChocolateMission scoring chart!

March 8th: Hershey's Kisses Pumpkin Spice

Kcal 220 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs ??? (per 9 pieces)

It has taken me while to get hold of these limited edition Hershey's Kisses Pumpkin Spice, but thanks to *ISHOP4YOUII* I have finally been able to cast my eye over them. I understand that pumpkin is a far more commonly eaten food in the US than here in the UK - to be honest I only ever see pumpkins around Halloween time this side of the pond, so I was expecting these to bring something completely new to the table.

Liz at *ISHOP4YOUII* kindly sent me about 18 pieces, which I ate sporadically over a few days. The pieces looked nice good - the wrappers reminded me of the caramel Kisses I reviewed last year, it was only when taken out of their foil that their distinct look was evident. The distinction between the outer orange and cream coloured centres looked both unique and appetising - it certainly made for an impressive look. As well as appearing aesthetically striking the Kisses had a really distinct smell - it was a tempting concoction of all-spice and dairy elements.

Hershey's Kisses can be hit and miss but I have to say I really enjoyed these. The taste comprised of a number of different flavours, all which came to the fore at different times. The outer orangey layer had a predominantly sweet taste, though there were strong indications of nutmeg and cinnamon consistently adding interest. These were best simply placed in the mouth and left to melt, and the transition of the outer pumpkin and spice layer to the inner creme layers was relatively pleasant, if a little fast at times. The inner creme was more milk led in its flavours and made for a pleasant creamy centre. One criticism would be be that due to the fast melt the flavours were not well sustained and didn't leave the longest impression, a few pieces at a time still provided a relatively satisfying snack though.

Overall these have to be one of my favourite Hershey's Kisses I have tried. The combination of the creamy, spicy flavours made for both a unique and enjoyable taste. As I have said I am not all that experienced with pumpkin flavours, but the sweet, cinnamon and nutmeg elements made each piece thoroughly enjoyable. I understand these are unfortunately a limited edition, so I am guessing stocks of these are probably running low. If you can get hold of some these are very much recommended.

8.0 out of 10

*** EU & UK Readers Attention*** Ever been been browsing Chocolate Mission or any other Candy Site and felt frustrated not being able to get hold of an American bar/item!??? .... well feel frustrated no more!!! 'I SHOP 4 YOU II'!! is a great service that provides a unique "one stop shop" international shopping experience!!! Visit the Ebay shop - if they dont have the item you want instock simply give them a message - there is no harm in asking. This service comes with a Chocolate Mission Seal of Approval!! It is a genuinely great, fast and friendly service... Just say you came from Chocolate Mission.

March 7th: EASTER 2009 Mini Eggs Superpost Part 2

Having brought you Part 1 of my Easter 2009 Mini Eggs superposts last week, I have expanded my research further afield thanks to a little helping hand from my best buddies at Dean-German-Grocery. Just as I did last week I will offer my concise views on the following products:

Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Egg:

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

These bigger Lindt Lindor Dark Chocolate Eggs have been gracing the shelves of my local Tesco since January, and I have not let them slip by without passing my eye over one. This egg was basically just a larger form of the mini Lindor eggs you will see below, and came in a 28.0g serving. It looked fantastic, and actually split quite easily with little force, which allowed it to be consumed in a nice four mouthfuls. When unwrapped the cocoa soon made its presence felt with a forthcoming smell that certainly proved very enticing.

There was no doubting that this was one fabulous tasting egg. The Lindor filling was its usual luxurious smoothness, I swear not another truffle on the market can touch it for its silky feel in the mouth. As expected The cocoa flavours were more pronounced than with Lindt milk chocolate and certainly made for an extremely tasty experience. Unfortunately the only slight downfall came in the longevity of the flavours, which is always a problem with the fast melting texture.

Overall this was a very enjoyable egg, though it really did not provide much in the way of hunger fulfilment or total satisfaction. The 60% dark chocolate recipe established some very fine, notable cocoa flavours, but just lacked the sustainability element with the nature of the quick to melt truffle centre. Very much worth checking out if your a Lindt fan.

7.8 out of 10

Aero Egg:

Kcal 128 Fat 7.5g Fat(sats) 6.8g Carbs 13.8g (per egg)

I cant recall seeing this egg on the market last year, and what with the 'new' logo placed on the wrapper I am assuming this is in fact a piece of innovation from Nestle. This was pretty much what you would expect from the Aero brand - simply an egg formed of milk chocolate with an aerated filling. The presentation was all pretty standard - the egg was contained within a foil package which maintained both the aesthetic and sweet aromatic qualities of the product. I was a little bemused to see Nestle branding on the egg and not Aero, though to be honest I must admit I only made that observation when I was looking over the photo as I wrote this review.

The taste was ... well ... of Aero. Very sweet in its chocolaty flavours, with a little less emphasis on the cocoa than I would have liked. As I have said previously regarding Aero there is little to dislike, though it really just lacks a definitive taste to stand out from the rest of the milk chocolate market. The inner aerated texture did add interest to the piece, though of course this made the egg lack in substantiality.

Overall if your a fan of aerated chocolate I guess there is some enjoyment to be had here if your after a small chocolaty snack. For the rest of you though I wouldn't really recommend this product as it lacks 'bang for your buck' ... i.e. this 24.0g single egg neither brings anything new to the table or any great deal of satisfaction.

6.8 out of 10

Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs:

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

Dean-German-Grocery most kindly sent me a 100.0g full of these assorted Lindt Lindor Mini Eggs. Contained within were several tiny Lindor eggs in milk, dark and white chocolate forms. Presentation was yet again to be marvelled at - the bag was a magnificent gold colour and the eggs themselves were all intricately wrapped in small branded Lindor wrappers. Upon opening the plastic bag the eggs were so tightly wrapped they did not release any aroma of note, though once peeled from their foil wrappers their individual scents were relatively forthcoming.

I must say I really enjoyed all of the three different variants. Each captured the wonderful melting centres of the Lindor format superbly in the sugnature silky smooth texture, though this also proved somewhat problematic as it meant individually the eggs did not leave sustained flavours in the mouth. The dark chocolate eggs were obviously the strongest tasting out of the three, and their richer cocoa flavours meant this was less of an issue in comparison to the milkier white chocolate and the sweeter milk chocolate variants.

Overall these eggs tasted absolutely superb though the extra smooth Lindor truffle format meant they were devilishly moreish. The 100.0g bag I had lasted a matter of minutes shared between three people. For taste I highly recommend, but I warn you these are by no means a fulfilling product.

7.9 out of 10

Kinder Softy Mini Eggs:

Kcal 57 Fat 3.8g Carbs 4.7g (per mini egg)

Your going to have to bear with my poor translating skills here as these were another product sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery, hence the packaging was obviously all in German. These eggs were formed of 'milk chocolate coatings with hazelnut creme filled wafers' - in essence think of a cross between Kinder Surprise and Kinder Bueno in mini egg form. Again I received these in a 100.0g bag and was instantly impressed with the very recognisable Kinder themed presentation. The eggs were smartly decorated in branded gold wrappers and looked wonderfully tempting when cross-sectioned. I must also comment on the very alluring chocolate biscuit like smells that were released when I opened the plastic bag ... they were extremely enticing.

I have to say I really did enjoy these eggs though there were a few slight areas of improvement I could suggest. The outer milk chocolate layer was extremely thin and did not leave much of a lasting impression in the mouth. The small amounts of flavour that were contributed however were fantastic and really made for a delightful diary led sweet taste. The wafers added little in terms of flavour but delivered big in terms of bringing a pleasant crunch to the textures. As with a lot of Kinder products the shining star of these mini eggs were the hazelnut creme fillings ... which were beyond superb. Nutty ... creamy ... buttery and just incredibly moreish.

Overall although lacking in substantiality these eggs really made up for it with their combination of luxurious textures and flavour combinations. As aforementioned the outer chocolate needed to be greater in its proportion, though it must be said that hazelnut cremes do not come better than from Kinder - recommended.

8.0 out of 10

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

March 6th: Oreo Old Fashioned Candy Cane Creme

Kcal 150 Fat 7.0 Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs 21.0g (per 30.0g - 2 cookies)

I remember first seeing these reviewed on GiGi's site way back last year so I guess I am three months late 'coming to the party' with my review. Having seen GiGi's lavish the praise on these I was very excited indeed when I first saw these in my package from *IShop4YouII*. I don't know if they are still being produced though one would guess not given the fact the packaging stated 'Limited Edition'. These special 'Candy Cane' themed Oreos were formed of the usual chocolate outer cookies sandwiching in a double serving of candy cane flavoured creme.

I was lucky enough to receive a 340.0g pack of these that contained a hell of a lot of cookies (hence the rather late review!). The packaging was all pretty awesome looking and the product came presented in a thickish, resealable folding bag that contained the cookies in a plastic tray within. The candy creme theme was well incorporated both on product and on-pack with some intricately implemented designs on both. Visually you could couldn't really see any noticeable differences between the standard Oreo creme and the candy creme of these, however the smell heavily indicated a sweet, minty presence.

As with my previous review of the original Oreo's I was again left wanting more of a chocolate hit from the the outer cookies pieces, though they still provided some pleasant sugary, corn and wheat flavours. Again referring back to my original Oreo's review I found the originals to be a little dry in terms of texture for my liking. With these however I found that the 'double-stuff' helping of the creme definitely made this less of an issue, giving it more of a moistness. As for the candy creme taste it was absolutely delightful. It seemed to take the sugary creamy taste of the original Oreo's that one step further adding a long lasting, fresh peppermint edge to the taste. Both the extra portioning of the creme and extra step in terms of flavour development made two cookies seem all that more substantial.

Overall these were every bit as good as I was hoping for and I must say I found them a superior option in relation to the original Oreo cookie. The sweet peppermint seemed to just further enhance the already fantastic creamy sweet creme and made for a cookie that just seemed to go that little bit further in terms of both interest and overall consumer satisfaction. It is a real shame these are a limited edition, though saying that I have just got my hands on some 'double-stuff' mint flavoured Oreo - if they are any bit as good as these they are sure to be a winner. If you can still find a pack of these I insist you buy some if your a cookie fan.

8.2 out of 10

*** EU & UK Readers Attention*** Ever been been browsing Chocolate Mission or any other Candy Site and felt frustrated not being able to get hold of an American bar/item!??? .... well feel frustrated no more!!! 'I SHOP 4 YOU II'!! is a great service that provides a unique "one stop shop" international shopping experience!!! Visit the Ebay shop - if they dont have the item you want instock simply give them a message - there is no harm in asking. This service comes with a Chocolate Mission Seal of Approval!! It is a genuinely great, fast and friendly service... Just say you came from Chocolate Mission.

March 6th: Lindt Caramel

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

Having very much enjoyed the Lindt Excellence Crunchy Caramel last month I was distinctly looking forward to trying this bar when I saw it in my latest package from Dean-German-Grocery. Formed of milk chocolate filled with caramel and nougat, I was hoping that it might challenge the Cadbury and Galaxy Caramel bars that currently reign supreme near the top of the ChocolateMission leader board.

This bar came in a 100.0g form, which despite the considerable size didn't deliver the most satisfying of snacks. The bar looked very similar to the Lindt Pistache and Lindt Punch products with its filled 'pods' design. Simply it looked fantastic, and when cross-sectioned the caramel in particular looked wonderfully enticing oozing out the branded pockets. The smell was also very notable, with some very forthcoming sweet, dairy and floral influences providing a very tempting proposition.

The milk chocolate was standard Lindt quality i.e. it was absolutely delicious. It had a luxurious smooth, thick melt that nicely allowed the flavours to develop as the chocolate changed form. The creamy flavours grew in intensity, and were well complimented by a strong hazelnut note in the aftertaste. Unfortunately things took a little turn for the worse with the revealing of the caramel. In comparison to other caramel bars it really lacked flavour dexterity, and only went as far as adding a quite harsh sweetness to the already quite sweet milk chocolate. It lacked the prestige in its flavours I was expecting, and was absent of the salty, burnt butter flavours that are normally associated with higher end caramel products. The nougat really struggled to substantiate any impact on the taste and really failed to create an impression on me. The overarching sweetness of the bar made consuming anything more than two blocks at a time not very enjoyable, and thus was not very satisfying.

Overall despite this bar still having a high quality milk chocolate, the actual caramel constituent was rather disappointing. In my opinion there was nothing particularly wrong with it, just it lacked the scope in its flavours that I was hoping for. I was hoping for an awful lot more from this bar and it frankly didn't live up to my very high expectations. It is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but put in context there far more accomplished milk chocolate and caramel bars on the market.

7.6 out of 10

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

March 5th: Amano 70% Dark Chocolate Madagascar / Ocumare / Jembrana

At the back end of last year I was contacted by the Amano Artisan Chocolate company who offered me the chance to sample some of the chocolate from their range. Amano are a US based firm and form their bars from only four core ingredients: 'Cocoa Beans, Pure Cane Sugar, Cocoa Butter and Whole Vanilla Beans'. They claim that they import their beans from some of the finest sources from around the world, with Madagascar, Ocumare and Jembrana being the origins of the bars I reviewed today. To find out a load more about Amano you can click HERE or either of the company banners I have placed in this review.

Now lets get on to more important stuff ... the actual chocolate!! I must say I was very impressed with the attention shown to detail in the presentation. Each of the bars came in 52.0g packs that I shared with a few friends to compare tasting notes with. The bars came in delightful glossy boxes that really had a premium product look and feel. Inside the bars were fantastically protected by gold foil layers, which really kept in the fresh smelling cocoa that erupted prior to breaking the foil seals. The aromas from all three bars varied little but were very forthcoming in their dark and tempting sensuous scents. A magnificent touch displayed on all three bars was the very intricate logo inscriptions on each of the blocks - it really gave the feeling that the bars had been carefully handcrafted.

Below are the tasting notes taken for each of the three different variants:

Amano 70% Dark Chocolate Madagascar:

Kcal 290 Fat 24.0g Fat(sats) 14.0g Carbs 28.0g

The flavours from this bar nicely developed as the smooth melt progressed.

The taste nicely took shape with some smooth vanilla and cocoa flavours that grew in their intensity. These more mild flavours transformed into some more earthy, coffee type notes as the chocolate took a more liquid form The longing impression left in the mouth was what I would describe as fudgy.

Overall a mild mannered chocolate that grew in richness as the flavours developed. A nice progressive dark chocolate with a sustained aftertaste.

8.7 out of 10

Amano 70% Dark Chocolate Ocumare:

Kcal 290 Fat 24.0g Fat(sats) 14.0g Carbs 28.0g

This chocolate did not quite share the same slow methodical nature of the first bar, but transformed more radically at the latter stages of the melt.

The initial flavours were similarly milky and cocoa dominated and showed little signs of development until the aftertaste. The flavours left in the mouth were noticeably more acidic - and were described by other co-tasters as leaving a 'red wine' type impression. I must say I found it noticeably more tart myself, it was like a red berry fruit sort of influence.

Overall the slightly soured notes in the aftertaste were not preferred in comparison with the other bars, but hardly ruined the overriding great taste of the chocolate. Still very good but not the best of the three.

8.6 out of 10

Amano 70% Dark Chocolate Jembrana:

Kcal 290 Fat 24.0g Fat(sats) 14.0g Carbs 28.0g

This was the favourite of all three bars tried and was certainly the most distinct in its flavours.

The initial cocoa, milky flavours were again substantiated well, though the milkiness seemed to gain creaminess as the melt progressed. As the chocolate developed from its solid state there was a very striking kick of caramel and honey, which certainly made for a very agreeable, friendly set of flavours. The sweet influence left a very unique floral type impression in the aftertaste, which made the flavours not only very pleasurable but also very satisfying.

Overall this was unanimously decided as the best of what was a great tasting range of dark chocolate bars.

8.9 out of 10

I must say I was quite sceptical at the quality of these bars before trying them, though I have well and duly been proved wrong ... these were exceptional. These reviews may come across as quite pretentious but I can assure you the differences between the bars were highly noticeable. Personally I would recommend any one of these three bars for dark chocolate fans - they each had their own individual merits. However, if I had to choose one it would have to be the Jembrana bar due to its unique combination of sweet but rich flavours. Amano have produced a fine range of chocolate bars here, and if your a dark chocolate fan I would suggest you give them a try.

March 4th: Milka Snowboard Fun

Kcal 520 Fat 28.5g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 61.0g (per 100.0g)

Following on from my review of the Milka Ski Guadi a few days ago, I today tried the second of the three new Milka variants the Milka Snowboard Fun - a bar formed of 'Milka White Chocolate with a yoghurt and wild berry filling'. Although I wasn't really looking forward to reuniting my taste buds with the Milka White Chocolate, the wild berry filling included flavourings of cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, which certainly made for an interesting proposition.

I ate the 100.0g bar over two sittings, both of which provided reasonably satisfying snack portions. I liked the aesthetics of the bar, the packaging was in the standard Milka style with the purple theme predominant. The interest of the presentation really came in the form of the bar itself where the red syrupy filling looked appetising sandwiched in between the two lighter coloured chocolate and yoghurt layers. What immediately struck me about this product was the forthcoming smell that emanated from the bar. It was fruity, yet a little synthetic ... as much as I wanted to hate it for its cheap like aroma, I actually found it relatively tempting.

When I reviewed the Milka White Chocolate solus I really didn't rate it ... it just seemed so monotomous in its shockingly sweet flavours, thankfully I can say that in this bar where it wasn't such a focal point it was far better suited. The white chocolate was still very sweet, though its creamy flavours were highlighted more greatly when eaten in tandem with the slightly soured yohgurt filling. Much as the smell of the bar suggested the wild berry flavours were very dominant and really added an extra dimension to the taste. The artificial generation of the berry flavours was unquestionable, though their fruity, tart influence was highly enjoyable against the milky, sweeter flavours of the chocolate and yogurt. All these fantastic flavours were delivered in delightfully different textures, with the chocolate melting beautifully into the drier yoghurt filling, all of which was complimented nicely by the moist wild berry syrup.

Overall I really thought this wasn't going to be a bar I was going to enjoy, but truth be told I grew really quite fond of this bar by the time I had finished it. As I have said the wild berry implementation was obviously artificial with the use of flavourings, but it was still efficient in delivering some delicious zingy, fruity flavours that balanced the sweetness of the bar nicely. If your a white chocolate fan I would strongly suggest you give this a bar a try, I wasn't expecting to ever say this about a bar that includes Milka White Chocolate but this is definitely a product I would have again.

8.1 out of 10

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

March 3rd: Maltesers MaltEaster

Kcal 155 Fat 9.2g Carbs 16.3g

You may have seen these appear in the shops around January time, though I thought I would save this review for closer to Easter as it felt a bit more fitting. I can't say I recall seeing these Maltesers MaltEaster last year, so I am presuming this is actually a bit of new product development from Mars ... not often we say that now. Formed of a 'milk chocolate bunny, with a crunchy and creamy Maltesers centre', it definitely sounded worth trying.

I bought the product in my local Sainsbury's for 59p. On reflection this was a pretty hefty price considering the quite lacklustre fulfilment it provided with its 29.0g. Anyway, the whole thing was presented well - the wrapper was well coloured and incorporated the usual Maltesers look well with a Easter theme. The piece itself was rather daintily formed, and looked particularly pleasant cross-sectioned when it revealed the creme like centre. The smell however, was a bit less spectacular only offering a minor sweet, malty smell.

I was really quite surprised to find that this Maltesers bunny actually tasted really quite nice. The outer milk chocolate was nothing special, though still provided a pleasant tasting milk chocolate coating - that on the whole did its job. The real shining star for me though was the creme like centre, it surprisingly was a lot more intricate than the standard honeycomb Maltesers centres. The filling was wonderfully creamy, with the malt flavours really creating a nice moreishness. The texture was wonderfully smooth, and was complimented superbly by some small honeycomb pieces that not only added bursts of honey flavour but also a crunchy interest. The only downfall with this product was its size, had it been larger this would have been an even more enjoyable experience as it really just wasn't that satisfying.

Overall this was a simply delicious product, however it just let itself down with its small size and relatively high price tag. The milk chocolate was unspectacular yet adequate, with the real depth of flavours coming from the wonderfully creamy malt centre. If you like your Maltesers then I really suggest you give one of these a try this Easter - you may want to wait until the Easter sales before you get addicted to them though.

7.8 out of 10 

March 2nd: Milka Ski Gaudi

Kcal 575 Fat 37.5g Fat(sats) 20.5g Carbs 52.g (per 100.0g)

Those lovely fellows at Dean-German-Grocery have again sent me across the latest new Milka variants. Milka is the sponsor of the 2009 Alpine World Ski Championships - hence the winter sports themed flavours. Today I sampled the 'Ski Gaudi' variant - a bar that was formed of 'Alpine Milk Chocolate, with a milk creme and hazelnut crocant filling' ... this sounded pretty promising to me.

As with every 100.0g Milka bar I split it in half and ate the product in two separate servings. The presentation was standard Milka style, the picture on the front proved to be an accurate representation, as you can see above the filling looked appetising and took up a large proportion of the total bar. I found the smell of the product quite alluring, it had a strong, sweet caramel like fragrance that was extremely forthcoming and gave good insight to the taste.

This was a bar that had a number of different elements to its taste, though just as the smell proposed it was very sweet indeed - even for Milka. The overall taste of the product was creamy and sweet with just a little touch of nut in its aftertaste. The Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate provided an extremely enjoyable coating to the filling and substantiated a pleasant base chocolate. The milk creme had a touch of caramel to it, which just further extended the range of the flavours with a slight burnt sugar tinge. The slight disappointment for me came in the form of the hazelnut crocant. The crystallised pieces added a nice contrastive texture to the smoothness of the chocolate and the creme, though they offered little in the way of extra nutty flavours ... to be honest they seemed more like crunchy caramel pieces. As aforementioned the taste was exceedingly sweet, despite feeling far from completely fulfilled I definitely could not have eaten anymore than 50.0g at a time.

Overall this was a nice enough flavour variation from Milka, however I expect this could be a little sweet for some peoples tastes. The milk chocolate was of course of a good quality, and the idea to add a touch of caramel to the milk creme proved to be beneficial. Personally I would have preferred actual nut pieces rather than the sugary crocant, as this probably would have delivered a better nut representation. If you can handle your sweet chocolate this is definitely a bar well worth checking out.

7.8 out of 10

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