April 4th: Cinnabon Cinnamon Mousse Pecan Cluster

Kcal 180 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 31.0g

Following my review of the Cinnabon Cinnamon Cream Pecan Cluster a few week ago, CandyPirate told me they sold out within a day. Indeed, it seems the product certainly enticed a lot of you - which led to CandyPirate sending me across this 'Mousse' variant from the range. This product varied slightly from the 'Cream Cluster' in that the white chocolate was replaced with dark chocolate, and the cinnamon cream caramel was replaced by a cinnamon mousse.

Just as with the 'Cream Cluster' this Mousse offering came in a 43.0g size that again proved a substantial snack. Although a little bemused by the 'Mousse' description I again thought that the presentation was all very impressive. The outer wrapper differed slightly from the aforementioned with a peach coloured theme which I thought was a nice colour selection. The cluster again looked very appetising indeed with the filling appearing very viscous for what came described as mousse. The aroma was again of particular enticement and had displayed a wonderful array of spicy, sweet cinnamon scents ... wonderful!

The packaging failed to note the percentage of cocoa in the dark chocolate coating, however I can confirm that it was really not that intense. For my liking I would have preferred a stronger flavoured, more intricate tasting chocolate though the coating still managed to substantiate some enjoyable unsweetened cocoa flavours. Just as I expected from the look of it the 'cinnamon mousse' had more of a dense, viscous texture. It was very tasty, but I would more describe it as a cinnamon nougat than a mousse; its sweet, yet spicy flavours lingered long in the mouth just like the cinnamon caramel in the 'Cream Cluster'. Just to top off both these delicious components were the pecan and toffee pieces. In the cluster I tried for this review a very large proportion of the topping were toffee pieces, which certainly added some very welcome buttery fudge flavours. The pecans were not as detectable, however they did add some noticeable savoury notes to the sweet taste.

Overall this was again another hugely enjoyable product from the Cinnabon range. I have rated it just a smidge below the 'Cream Cluster' as I thought the dark chocolate could have been just a little bit stronger and prominent in the taste. This is a very, very minor criticism as the resulting taste was still wonderfully balanced and full of spicy cinnamon goodness. Another small consideration is that the product description does need a little bit of refining as the filling is not at all mousse like. If you liked the sound of the Cinnabon Cinnamon Cream Pecan Cluster then I see little reason why you wouldn't enjoy this variant as well. This is another highly recommended product.

8.9 out of 10

Want to try the Cinnabon Cinnamon Mousse Pecan Cluster for yourself!? Head to CandyPirate for more American Candy & Goods

April 4th: Wonka Tinglerz

Kcal 200 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 26.0g (per 40.0g)

Long time readers will be aware that 'Popping Candy has never been a favourite of mine - you only have to take a look at the scores for the Pop Rocks or Cadbury Elves to see how little I enjoyed them. Nonetheless, *IShop4YouII* included a pack of these Wonka Tinglerz in my latest package - suffice to say I wasn't holding out that greater hope for these. Produced by Nestle these were on-pack described as 'Poppin'tinglin, chocolate candy'.

These came in a 113.0g packet that I ate with the assistance of a few surprisingly willing helpers. The packaging was of a foil nature - as well as looking relatively pleasant it also kept the contents appearing reasonably fresh. I wasn't all that taken in by the presentation of the candy pieces themselves, they ranged in size quite ridiculously with some pieces the size of Maltesers, whilst others being no bigger than specs of dust. The smell that emanated from the packet wasn't all that bad - it was very similar to hot chocolate powder in that it was a mixture of cocoa and sugary, sweet smells.

So where do we start? These were not the most attractive product to eat and basically involved pouring a handful of odd looking shaped pieces and sticking them in the mouth. In comparison to the Pop Rocks and Cadbury Elves I didn't feel the popping sensation was quite as obnoxious, as the popping generally took place on the tongue rather than the back of the throat - I still largely failed to see its appeal though. In regards to taste it was really composed of a very sugar based milk chocolate, with a cereal like twist. I could detect predominantly corn and rice type flavours mixed in with the sugary sweet chocolate ... though all these flavours were extremely short lived in what was a really nonsustaining taste. These were one of those candys that if you really wished (and I didn't!!), you could seriously just demolish a pack in one sitting with very little thought or eventual satisfaction.

Overall these proved yet again to be another popping candy product that really failed to capture my imagination. Some of my fellow tasters actually quite liked them, and duly finished the packet in minutes - though myself I just wasn't taken in by either the popping candy texture or rather mild flavours I was getting from the chocolate. If it is popping candy your after I suggest you better look at the Pop Rocks bars, as these Wonka Tinglerz just didn't strike any real chords with me.

5.8 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.

April 3rd: Cadbury Pinky

Kcal 158 Fat 3.2g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs 30.3g

Before I kick off todays review I must first introduce ChocolateMission's newest friends over at Shopenzed. Shopenzed are a company based in New Zealand who supply and distribute NZ products worldwide. If you guys are enticed by any of the goodies that I will be reviewing over the coming weeks I suggest you pay a visit to their site, or get in contact with Lesley, the very friendly and helpful owner.

My first review from the batch of goods Shopenzed sent me is the Cadbury Pinky bar. This product would have fitted in very nicely in my reviews at the start of the year when I was looking for some lighter choices on the chocolate market. Containing only 148 calories, and formed of 'marshmallow and caramel covered in Dairy Milk chocolate' I was intrigued to see what it could offer.

Despite the low number of calories the bar was still a very sizeable product and weighed in at 40.0g. As you can see above the packaging and presentation of the bar were kept firmly with the name in mind, with the pink colours providing an interesting and unique look. As you can imagine the scents that emanated from the bar were very sweet, which gave a good insight into the taste.

The Dairy Milk chocolate that coated the bar was surprisingly thick in its portioning, which allowed it to substantiate the usual cream based taste to each bite. There did seem to be some difference between the NZ Dairy Milk and the UK stuff, as the chocolate here had less of a milk emphasis and was far sweeter. To be honest I don't know how much this was effected by the rest of the ingredients as the marshmallow was obviously very sugar based. In my opinion the sugaryness of the mallow was a bit monotonous and its foamy texture soaked up the caramel making it a bit anonymous in the taste. The mallow did seem to have the smallest of strawberry fruitiness to it, though it was very faint and at times completely undetectable.

Overall this was a bar that was dominated by the marshmallow element which unfortunately lacked a truly telling flavour base. The outer chocolate was of a good standard though the marshmallow quickly dominated proceedings making the taste incredibly sweet and one dimensional. I guess those looking for a lighter chocolate option could do little wrong at least trying one of these. The chocolate hit is there, but just a little short lived - I guess for just 158 calories you can't argue too much. This was certainly not the greatest Cadbury product I have ever reviewed but there will be more from my NZ selection coming soon!

6.1 out of 10

April 3rd: Fannie May Trinidad

Kcal 200 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 9.0g Carbs 22.0g

I had been hoping to try some Fannie May products for a long time, and thanks to *IShop4YouII* I have finally got my wish. My first look at their range saw me sample their Trinidad offering - a single piece chocolate which was formed of a 'chocolate buttercream center in a pastel coating with toasted coconut'. For those that aren't aware Fannie May are a US based company from Chicago - in recent times ownership has gone to and fro several companies ... if you interested in reading further Click HERE.

I am aware these Trinidad chocolates also come in smaller selection boxes, however I received a 42.5g single piece. The outer packaging had a nice aesthetic appeal, it was simple yet classy and struck me as a more premium style brand. The chocolate itself was really quite sizable, although it was not the easiest product to eat I thought it looked appetising with its thick coating and whipped chocolate centre. As well as appearing physically imposing the product didn't fail to raise my expectations further with its smell. A wonderful array of sweet, vanilla essence aromas made themselves known as soon as the packet was opened.

All signs before tasting the product were good, and thankfully the quality was maintained. The outer pastel coating had a chocolate like texture and melted at a nice rate. According to the description the coating was supposed to contain toasted coconut, however in truth I really didn't get much of a coconut influence. The flavours seemed predominantly cream and milk based - they substantiated a very pleasant initial flavour set. The real treat to this product was the chocolate butter cream centre that was simply luxurious in every sense. It had a unique, dense, smooth truffle like texture ... it was superb. Contained within this distinct texture were some moist, fudge brownie like flavours that provided a really rich taste. I ate this Trinidad chocolate all in one sitting, it certainly made for a substantial snack ... and an enjoyable one at that.

Overall I must say I am very impressed with Fannie May's first showing - this product combined some delightful textures with some seriously rich flavours, and provided a very satisfying experience. The pastel coating could possibly do with a little tweak in its coconut content, which seemed a little lost in the grand scheme of the taste. One thing that doesn't need changing though is the rich butttercream centre, which was truly fantastic. If you like the sound of this one it could be well worth you getting hold of.

8.2 out of 10

Fancy importing some of your favourite goods from the US? I recommend you try ISHOP4YOUII - a friendly, family owned busines. You want it?... They can get it! E-mails welcome.

April 2nd: Hershey's Almond Joy Dipped Cookies

Kcal 300 Fat 17.0g Fat(sats) 9.0g Carbs 34.0g (per pack - 4 cookies)

The CandyPirate goodies just keep on coming. Today I bring you my review of the Hershey's Almond Joy Dipped Cookies, a product that came described as 'chocolate cookie bases with coconut creme and almond pieces, dipped in milk chocolate' ... quite the proposition I am sure you will agree. For those that don't know the Almond Joy is the US equivalent of the UK's Bounty bar, for some reason I am yet to get around to reviewing one, though I am hoping CandyPirate can help me out with that soon enough.

I received these cookies in a pack of four that I ate over two separate sittings. I thought the presentation of the product on the whole was very good, with the outer packaging communicating the contents well with a nice and realistic picture. The cookies looked especially appetising when bitten into - as you can see above all of the constituents were highly visible. Another very noticeable thing was their smell; as soon as the packet was opened a lovely waft of coconut greeted me which was certainly enticing.

The first thing I noticed about these cookies was that their outer milk chocolate coating was very quick to melt (in my hands!!), and had a little bit of a greasy feel. This was all soon forgotten as I tasted the cookies where I was met with a truly wonderful amount of varying flavours. The outer milk chocolate set a pleasant sweet chocolaty context to the taste with its fast, yet thick melt, whilst sitting at the base of each cookie was a crunchy biscuit that added a nice cereal based wheat taste. The really special part of this product though was the coconut creme that sat on top of the biscuit. It was lighter than I was expecting but it certainly didn't fail in establishing some wonderful nutty, milky flavours. The added almonds added a nice variance in these nut flavours with some more buttery notes coming through in the aftertaste. Two of these cookies made for an enjoyable and fulfilling snack to tie over my mid-afternoon munchies.

Overall I keep saying that I am not much of a cookie/biscuit fan, though products like this are certainly changing my opinion very quickly. All the different elements contributed to what was overall a fantastic cookie product. The resulting taste was full of creamy coconut flavours, whilst also delivering that ever so important chocolate hit. Looking at the nutritional information these probably aren't a product for the diet conscious, however if this is no concern of yours then I strongly suggest you give these a try.

8.4 out of 10

Want to try these Hershey's Almond Joy Dipped Cookies for yourself!? Head to Candy Pirate for all your American Candy & Foods needs!

April 2nd: Hershey's Sugar Free Special Dark Chocolate

Kcal 150 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 24.0g (per 40.0g - 5 pieces)

Thanks to *IShop4YouII* I have been able to take a full spectrum look at the Hershey's Sugar Free range, with me today lastly reviewing the Hershey's Sugar Free Special Dark Chocolate. Similarly to the others this product contained the usual Malitol sugar substitute - to be honest I was expecting this to have less of an impact on things considering that this was a dark chocolate - sugar should theoretically have had less relevance anyway.

As with the others from the range I received these in a 85.0g bag that contained about 12 pieces. The presentation was all round pretty solid - the Sugar Free nature of the product wasn't overstated, and the usual Hershey's theme was implemented accordingly. The chocolates themselves looked very similar to the standard Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolates, though obviously were darker in their appearance. Although kept within foil wrappers the pieces had quite a placid smell, they certainly weren't as strong smelling as other dark chocolate alternatives.

I am not going to waste my time skirting round the issue here - these were pretty poor quality dark chocolates. Although they had a reasonably good melt and texture, the flavours that were released were too subtle and just did not contain any sort of substance. With dark chocolate you normally expect to be imposed with some stronger cocoa flavours in comparison to milk chocolate. These however just tasted like the Hershey's Sugar Free Milk Chocolates without the sweet milky influences. To be honest nothing more can be said than they really just lacked flavour - from the beginning to the end of taste no flavour elements really established a firm presence. If I was to liken it to anything I would say it was similar to mixing cocoa powder with water ... it was like a very weak hot chocolate - devoid of both charm and of course flavour.

Overall like many of the others from the Hershey's Sugar Free range these really failed to get up to a reasonable standard. Although having a reasonable texture and melt in the mouth, they lacked one fundamental thing and that was an imposing set of flavours. Maybe this was due to the lack of sugar? Or maybe this was just down to the poor quality cocoa? Whatever I really suggest this is another from this range you give a miss!

5.8 out of 10

Fancy importing some of your favourite goods from the US? I recommend you try ISHOP4YOUII - a friendly, family owned busines. You want it?... They can get it! E-mails welcome.

April 1st: Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello (Ireland)

Kcal 230 Fat 11.9g Carbs 27.5g

My research in finding the greatest Cadbury Caramel bar took another step forward today, with *The Irish Shop* kindly providing me with Ireland's take on one of my all time favourites. So far I have reviewed the UK's Cadbury Caramel (9.4), the US's Cadbury Caramello (8.1), the Australian Cadbury Caramello (8.5) and Canada's Cadbury Caramilk (8.4). Today's Irish version sounded very familiar in both name and description - 'Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello - milk chocolate with a soft caramel filling'.

Puzzlingly this bar didn't state it's size, though I am sure it was actually smaller than the rest of the Irish Cadbury bars I have tried. I say this as it had a far flatter look about it, with the blocks not appearing half as big as I expected them to be ... they were flatter than even the standard Irish Cadbury Dairy Milk blocks. When cross-sectioned the amount of caramel in each piece was to be honest rather lacking - even the filling that was visible seemed relativley thin. Although much less of a problem, I thought the blue colour coding on the wrapper was an odd choice to indicate the caramel nature of the bar. Despite being wrapped in the aesthetically pleasing gold foil wrapping I must also say that the bar lacked the usual dairy freshness and emphasis in its aroma.

As you will be able to ascertain I wasn't all that impressed with the bar in regards to its physical presence, and I was hoping the taste would make up for it. Luckily for this bar the Dairy Milk flavours were still present and were as good as ever. The rich, creamy, chocolaty flavours were not overly affected by the smaller proportion of chocolate in each block and still proved well substantiated in the taste . I do generally find the texture of the Irish Dairy Milk a little on the thick side, so its marginally thinner implementation here was actually to my liking. The majority of my praise unfortunately ends here though, as the caramel filling in my book was really not up to scratch with the usual Cadbury standard. Much like its appearance suggested it was lacking in volume and subsequently presence in the taste. It was just too thin its texture, and didn't deliver the usual quality sweet, buttery, salty elements that every other Cadbury variation has before ... to be honest it was really disappointing, and deeply unsatisfying.

Overall had it not been for the great standard Dairy Milk chocolate, I dread to think what this bar would have scored based on its caramel alone. There is no simpler way putting it other than the caramel was poor. It lacked presence in the taste and really just failed to stamp its authority on any part of the experience. This is the worst of the Cadbury Caramel variants I have tried and would really suggest you give it a miss. Its been saved in the rating system by having a good standard milk chocolate, but I am majorly disappointed by this bar - I was expecting far more. For the minute the UK's own still reigns supreme.

6.3 out of 10

The Irish Shop - Visit for all your Irish Food & Product Needs!!

March 31st: Oreo (Japan)

Kcal 473 Fat 20.5g Carbs 67.4g (per 95.4g – 9 biscuits)

The goodies from J-List just keep on coming and today I got the chance to sample some Oreo cookies all the way from Japan. Of course this was a review that simply couldn’t be done without a pack of UK Oreos at hand for comparison, which I may add are no different whatsoever to the product available in the US.

J-List were kind enough to send me a pack of 18 cookies, that were then split into two separate foil bags of 9. Of course I couldn’t possibly eat all these cookies by myself so I did the unthinkable and actually shared with a few friends (it was actually quite useful as it allowed me to get their opinions as well!!). Collectively we all liked the presentation, it was all very familiar with its blue and white colour scheme, though we thought the authentic Japanese writing gave it a rather cool look. Aesthetically the cookies appeared no different whatsoever to the UK ones, however it was commented that the Japanese ones smelt more chocolaty with their sweet, biscuity aromas.

The taste comparison was done whilst consuming a nice afternoon cup of tea … I don’t think that could be anymore British sounding if I tried. Anyway, after much dunking, separating of layers and of course deliberation it was generally a shared view that the Japanese Oreos had a little bit more of a cocoa edge to their overall taste. Fundamentally the biscuit elements tasted the same, offering very similar malty, sweet buttery elements to the taste. The slight variation came in the ever so slightly more longing impact of the cocoa in the aftertaste, which in the Japanese cookies seemed to stay in the mouth that little bit longer after consumption. The inner crèmes were pretty much identical in their sweet, milky flavours, though the Japanese crèmes seemed just a tad lighter and moister in texture.

Overall it was a common conclusion that if we were all blindfolded we didn’t think we would easily be able to tell the difference between the Japanese and UK/US Oreos. As I have stated above there were ever so slight differences in the taste of the biscuit and textures of the crème fillings, however these were only truly noticeable as we were very much looking for any discrepancies. If you are interested in Japanese products and would like to try see if there are any differences yourself I suggest you head to J-List. If it is taste alone you are interested in, then you best just stick with what we have here.

7.9 out of 10

Fancy trying Japanese Oreos for yourself? Head to JList for all your Japanese Candy & Goods needs!!

March 31st: Lindt Creola Ek Chuah

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

Dean-German-Grocery have been kind enough to send me along the newest product line to emerge from Lindt - their Creola range. I today sample the 'Ek Chuah', a bar that was formed of 'milk chocolate filled with hazelnut nougat creme and cocoa bean chips'. I must say the cocoa bean chips sounded like an innovative element to me, which raised my anticipation ever so slightly more.

The Creola range appear to come in 150.0g bars - I ate this particular one over the course of three days. Typically the presentation was all rather good, with the wrapper exhibiting some really classy artistic decoration. I did have a small gripe with the bar itself in that it was only split into ten quite large blocks. Although each looked superb with delicately embossed logos, their size was just a little too large for my liking ... 15.0g a block is really quite sizable when you think about it. Regardless the bar was nicely kept within a branded foil layer that maintained both the wonderfully enticing cocoa smells and the general aesthetics of the product.

Seemingly you can always trust Lindt to produce the goods with their milk chocolate, and there was further evidence of this here. It was fantastic in both texture and taste - with the smooth, thick melt releasing the creamy, sweetened cocoa flavours at a wonderful rate. Beneath the milk chocolate lay a slightly softer nougat layer - the transition in the melt felt simply superb and immensely luxurious. As well as having a nice feel in the mouth the nougat layer was full of nutty, hazelnut flavours. It retained much of the creaminess from the milk chocolate, though its nuttier taste was a nice change-up. Dispersed throughout the nougat layer the small cocoa bean particles made for a delightful finish to each piece. Letting the blocks melt away on the mouth left the cocoa bean remnants, which delivered a crunchy, burst of powerful cocoa flavours for the aftertaste - delicious! As with most Lindt milk chocolate bars I didn't find this the most fulfilling, 50.0g provided a reasonable degree of satisfaction though.

Overall this was a great first showing from the Creola range, and I am hoping that all the other bars from the selection can live up to this level. The milk chocolate and hazelnut nougat layers were immensely tasty, and up to Lindt usual high standards. What really put this bar above some others I have reviewed though were the sheer delightful amount of different textures present, with the smooth milk chocolate contrasting nicely with the softer nougat and crunchy cocoa bean pieces. If your a fan of all things Lindt I strongly suggest this as a bar you should get acquainted with.

8.4 out of 10

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

March 30th: Reese's Crunchy Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Kcal 210 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 22.0g

Now if there is one thing I have never understood, it is how people can prefer 'smooth' peanut butter to 'crunchy' peanut butter? After all surely if you like peanut butter your going to like peanuts? It bemuses me to this day! Anyway ... today's review is of the latest limited edition from the Reese's range - the Crunchy Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Replacing the normal smooth style peanut butter with peanut butter with whole nuts in these sounded pretty damn good to me.

*IShop4YouII* sent me a 42.0g pack, which included two separate standard sized cups. The whole presentation was as good as ever with the both the outer packaging and peanut butter cups cutting the usual appealing iconic Reese's look. When cross-sectioned the whole peanut pieces could be detected, however I was more preoccupied with taking in the absolutely fantastic nutty aromas that made themselves known as soon as the outer packaging was removed ... if Hershey's were to sell these smells in a deodorant like spray-can I wouldn't think twice about buying it!! SOLD!!

What is left to say about Reese's milk chocolate that I haven't said before ... :) I think we all know I am not its great proponent. As always the slight waxy texture was retained and it lacked the desired cocoa flavours that I really wanted. The being said its sweet, milky influences were passable and really didn't matter all that much given the quality of the peanut butter filling. Obviously the 'USP' of this particular limited edition was supposed to be the crunchy nature of the peanut butter, and boy did it deliver. The peanut butter benefited from the extra level of contrast in it's texture, and it certainly added a degree of interest. The added peanut pieces also seemed to bring an extra nuttiness to the bites were present, the salt lick certainly felt reinforced. I could have eaten these all day but the two standard cups more than provided a sufficient snack.

Overall these unsurprisingly reminded me of the Reese's Big Cup with Nuts in that it delivered many of the same benefits with the additional peanut pieces. To be honest I am a bit disappointed these are not going to stay as a staple part of the Reese's range, as I for one actually prefer them to the standard Reese's peanut butter cups which of course have the smooth peanut butter. The extra texture and flavour enhancements brought by the additional peanuts make these a superior option in my opinion, and one I very much recommend you try if your a fan.

8.7 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 29th: Meiji Black Chocolate

Kcal 367 Fat 23.7g Carbs 32.2g

My friends at J-List have sent me some further products to sample from their extensive range of Japanese goods. Included in my latest package was this Meiji Black bar - unfortunately due to my lacking Japanese language skills I can't really tell you much about the bar from its on pack description. From what I understand though Meiji is a very popular brand in Japan and by the looks of their range on J-List they offer a very wide ranging set of flavours.

This bar came in quite a weird format in that it came in a large, yet thin 65.0g size. I thought the presentation was pretty good, with the product contained within both a sleek looking paper wrapper and a foil layer for freshness. The bar itself also looked aesthetically pleasing with its shiny complexion. Each block was also branded with the Meiji logo which is always a nice thing to see. The aroma that emanated from the bar had relative appeal; the smell was quite dairy led however I could also detect a slight smokiness.

Due to the aforementioned language barrier I couldn't tell what % cocoa the chocolate was, however I wouldn't expect it to be all that high. With the name 'Black Chocolate' I was really expecting quite a concentrated taste, though what I found was that it was actually really not that strong. The chocolate had a very prominent milky undertone that was consistently present throughout the duration of the experience. The creamy base flavours made for a surprisingly sweet taste, which stopped the roasted cocoa flavours from ever becoming bitter. Although it was nice in this sense and had a nice thickness to its melt, I thought it did make the chocolate a little one dimensional. Half a bar provided an adequate snack, though I wouldn't say it was the richest dark chocolate I have ever had.

Overall I found this to be a pretty 'run of the mill' dark chocolate offering. This is my first experience of dark chocolate from Japan so I don't know if this is the standard for dark chocolate from this area, but for me I just found the whole thing a little reserved in the ferocity of its flavours. The creamy undertone made for a resoundingly friendly offering, though I just felt it limited the impact of the cocoa which never fully managed to rise above the milk rooted flavours to exert itself fully. For dark chocolate begginers this would be a nice bar to start with. For people looking for a richer, fuller flavoured experience this probably isn't a bar for you.

7.4 out of 10

Head to J-List for this Meiji Black Chocolate and many more Japanese Candy & Snacks

March 29th: Oatfield Chocolate Peppermints

Kcal 378 Fat 4.0g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 88.0g (per 100.0g)

Continuing my look at Ireland's finest confectionery courtesy of *The Irish Shop* I today tried my luck with these Oatfield Chocolate Peppermints. Described as 'crisp mints with soft chocolate centres', these were a similar proposition to Cadbury Eclairs, but just with glacier mint replacing the outer caramel.

*The Irish Shop* sent me a 96.0g bag that contained about 20 wrapped sweets. The outer packaging looked very similar to the Emerald Caramel Eclairs I reviewed a few weeks ago, combined with the green foil wrappers I thought the product was all presented to a good standard. The mints themselves were not the most exciting looking, but when inspected closely the inner chocolate could just be made out sitting in the middle of each piece. Surprisingly when opened the bag was completely scentless, it was not until the individual foil wrappers were unwrapped that the pleasant minty smells emanated from the pieces.

I do like a good mint, and these were well received. The mint flavours were not overly intense and had a slight milky, creamy nature to their taste. The peppermint oil brought a nice refreshing edge, whilst the smallest intermittent salt lick made for a really moreish taste. At the heart of each piece the chocolate element provided a nice variation to the mint flavours, with a nice burst of cocoa that stayed present for a short time in the mouth. I felt it didn't quite bring the same sort of WOW factor as with the Cadbury Eclairs, however the chocolate was certainly a welcome addition, and just delivered an extra flavour dimension.

Overall although not the most spectacular product I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing, it was certainly a solid one and quite unique nonetheless. These aren't the sort of product you will want to consume all in one go, though they were great to have as a bag sitting on my work desk that I occasionally dug into. They provided a nice way to freshen up my mouth with just the smallest of chocolaty hits - if your a mint lover then I would recommend them.

7.3 out of 10

Check out the Irish Shop for all your Irish Chocolate & Foods needs! At Affordable prices!!

March 28th: Hershey's Milk Chocolate Layered Cookies

Kcal 300 Fat 15.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 37.0g (per 4 cookies)

Despite the mountains of chocolate I have been eating my way through recently in order to bring you all Easter 2009 in a nutshell, I have also been treating myself to the some of Hershey's latest cookie ranges that CandyPirate so kindly sent me. The first lot of the selection I decided to indulge in were these 'Milk Chocolate Layered Cookies', which sat under the traditional Hershey's branding.

I received these in a pack of four (56.0g) that did me nicely for two separate snacking occasions. The cookies were nicely presented in a well designed foil wrapper and also came adequately protected in a cardboard sleeve. The cookies themselves cut a nice look with all of the different layers visible and the Hershey's logo well crafted into the surface of both biscuit sides. Despite not having the greatest of chocolaty hints in its aroma, the smell that emanated from the packet was resoundingly pleasant and displayed some nice sweet scents.

Just as the name suggested the product was formed of three different layers. The outer cookies tasted almost completely identical to Bourbon biscuits we get here in the UK with a lovely buttery, sweet taste. Separating the crunchy cookies and inner white creme was a very welcome layer of milk chocolate. I thought it added not only added the chocolate hit that was slightly lacking in the cookie elements, but also delivered a complimentary moistness to the other two drier textured layers. Sat directly in the middle of each cookie was a pleasant sweet, milky fondant substance that was none to dissimilar to the stuff found at the centre of Oreos. Two cookies at a time certainly made for a nice snack to accompany a mid afternoon coffee.

Overall these were good cookies yet at the same time a little unspectacular. The three different layers combined to deliver what you would expect from such a product ... a pleasant biscuit and creme centre offering with just a little touch of milk chocolate to give it a chocolate flavour hit. These have scored ever so slightly better than Oreos, however for me they are pretty much inseparable as these offer much the same proposition. Cookie fans these are certainly a product you would like to try.

7.9 out of 10

Cant find these in your supermarket? Never fear CandyPirate is here!! Find this bar and many more American candy & foods delivered directly from the UK at CandyPirate!!