April 13th: Meiji Rich Pistachio Chocolate

Kcal 272 Fat 19.1g Carbs 21.6g (per 45.0g bar)

As a self confessed pistachio nut addict I was really looking forward to trying this Meiji offering. Of course this was a bar sent to me by the wonderful folk at J-List, I am continually being amazed that I am now able to review such a wide range of Japanese products. One thing that I am going to quickly have to rectify though is my inability to read Japanese ... apart from the 'Meiji Rich Pistachio Chocolate' branding I failed to determine what any other of the on pack description meant.

This bar came in a 45.0g form that I ate in one solitary sitting. The outer packaging certainly looked very 'loud' with its very outlandish green foil look, whilst as you can see above the chocolate itself was suitably a more refrained pale green. The bar was extremely thin, and looked none to different to a Caramac with the obvious colour and branding differences aside. In regards to its smell the bar had a very appealing nutty aroma that just had the smallest hint of coffee.

As I have mentioned already the bar was extremely thin, thus meaning that individually the pieces didn't last that long in the mouth. This didn't stop the melt having a fantastic smoothness, though for my liking I would have preferred the bar to have had fewer, yet bigger chunks. The bar had much of a likeness to white chocolate but just with a heavy nut influence. The earthy, buttery flavours of the pistachio were very evident amongst the cream led flavours, though it must be said the taste experience just didn't last as long as I wanted them to. In and amongst all the creamy nut flavours there was a very welcome mild salt kick that really gave a real moreishness to the taste. Unfortunately the lack of a strong aftertaste really meant that this was not the most substantial of 45.0g chocolate bars ever.

Overall this was a really delicious bar of chocolate, but could of just been so much better had the design of it been a little better. The pistachio flavours were very well implemented, and brought very welcome nut and butter influences to the already fantastically creamy taste. Had these flavours lasted just that little bit longer I am sure this would have made for a far more substantial feeling chocolate. This is a unique chocolate bar, and is one that I would very much recommend if your a fan of pistachio nuts like myself. I am looking forward to my next bar from this exciting Meiji range.

7.5 out of 10

Head to J-List to find this product and many more Japanese Snacks & Foods

April 13th: Marks & Spencer Chunky Chocolate Flapjack

Kcal 450 Fat 23.4g Fat(sats) 12.5g Carbs 54.8g (per 100.0g)

Today sees me deliver my fifth flapjack review - the Marks & Spencer Chunky Chocolate Flapjack. Those of you may recall I am rather partial to my flapjacks, with my highest rating so far going to the Cadbury Dairy Milk option. This Marks & Spencer offering was going to have to go some way to beat it, but I guess this wasn't going to be just any flapjack ... this was a Marks & Spencer flapjack *groan*.

If this was a competition on size this M&S flapjack would have run away with it ... it weighed in at a beastly 80.0g and certainly provided one hell of a snack. I wasn't all that taken in by the packaging. The transparent nature of the wrapper displayed the product well, though I thought it was a little uninspiring. Despite this I actually quite liked the design work on the flapjack itself, it is pretty hard to tart up a flapjack but the simple drizzling effect of the chocolate placed on top was a nice touch. To be honest I was expecting more from the smell of the product, it just seemed a little lacking and only offered a quite mundane cereal type smell. It would certainly have been nice to have been able to detect a stronger cocoa presence. 

Despite the lack of evidence of chocolate in the smell, it was certainly forthcoming in the taste. The main constituents of the taste obviously belonged to the butter, honey and oat elements, but the real shinning star was definitely the 'dark chocolate'. Though described as dark on the wrapper, the flavours brought were friendly, milky cocoa bursts. Where the chocolate was present it noticeably moistened the flapjack, giving it a fantastic gooey texture. This turned out to be a very welcome addition, as you can imagine 80.0g of hefty flapjack did become quite dry towards the finishing of the product. Despite the inevitable dryness, the actual flapjack base was well delivered, and had a very pleasant buttery, oat taste that was well fused by the sweet golden syrup. As aforementioned the full 80.0g provided an extremely satisfying snack, to be honest it felt more like a meal! 

Overall this flapjack didn't quite hit the heights of the Cadbury Dairy Milk option, though this was always going to be a tall order. The fact is, it still delivered a delicious experience, but just couldn't quite compete on the quality of the chocolate in the Dairy Milk flapjack. If it came to it, and I was propositioned with either one of these or the Cadbury, if I was particularly hungry I would possibly consider choosing this flapjack, for the sheer reason that is huge and very fulfilling. As far as being an all round product though, I am afraid the Cadbury Dairy Milk flapjack triumphs. 

7.6 out of 10

 

April 12th: Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Crème Brulee

Kcal 569 Fat 36.7g Fat(sats) 21.0g Carbs 52.1g (per 100.0g)

This Cadbury Desserts range is one I have been wanting to try for absolutely ages. Thanks to Shopenzed I now have the opportunity to bring you my reviews on this Southern Hemisphere exclusive product line. Today I tried the Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Creme Brulee variant - which appropriately came described as 'Dairy Milk chocolate with a Creme Brulee flavoured creme centre'. What with Creme Brulee being one of my all time favourite desserts, I was very intrigued to see if Cadbury could really pull this off.

It seems that Cadburys' stealth downsizing of their big bars has made it as far as New Zealand - this bar weighed in at 235.0g having used to be 250.0g. I immediately like the presentation of the product - the outer paper wrapping had a nice glossy look to it, whilst I thought the creme brulee flavour theme was communicated well with the tempting looking pudding. Inside the bar was split into rows of four blocks that were a perfect size to eat piece by piece. The inner foil layer maintained not only the look of each block, but also concealed a simply wonderful sweet smell that had heavy vanilla influence.

I have remarked before that I believe that the Southern Hempishere Dairy Milk isn't quite as good as our UK stuff; this again was the case here. In comparison the NZ Dairy Milk had just a little more emphasis on its on sweetness than its milk flavours, and just seemed to have a touch more of a sugary taste. Despite this the chocolate was still very tasty and to be honest this was a bar more about the excellence of the filling. The golden coloured filling that was held inside each of the blocks was nothing short of delicious. It had had a simply luxurious custard type appeal that was creamy, sweet and hinted with some fantastic vanilla and butterscotch influences. Both the outer chocolate and filling were wonderfully smooth and thick; additionally the rich flavours meant that just four blocks made for a substantial snack (25.0g!!).

Overall this was a really enjoyable bar of chocolate and in my opinion I think Cadbury managed to pull this one off. The only way I think this bar could have been improved was if there was the addition of some caramel crunchy pieces that would give the burnt sugar effect. I guess one consideration of this might be the balance of the flavours - at present the creamy filling perfectly compliments the milk chocolate and it would be a shame to upset this. From this review I am sure you can tell this is a bar I really liked. If you do buy this bar I would strongly suggest putting it in the fridge for an hour or so before eating it ... trust me it makes it all that bit better. I would very much recommend this product if your a Cadbury or Creme Brulee fan.

8.7 out of 10

April 12th: Hershey's Skor

Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 25.0g

One of my first ever entries on ChocolateMission was a review of Kraft's Daim Bar. Ever since I have been meaning to try Hershey's equivalent product - the Hershey's Skor. Thanks to *IShop4You* thirteen months later down the line I have finally got my wish, and I today got my chance to see if it was in fact any better. I have read on Wiki that the Skor was actually first launched in 1981 to compete with another very similar bar called the 'Heath'. In 1996 Hershey's purchased Leaf Inc, who produced the 'Heath' - subsequently Hershey's now produce both bars under the Hershey's name ... puzzling huh!?

The Skor came in a 39.0g serving size, which certainly proved to a far more sensible size than the minuscule Daim. In regards to the packaging I wasn't all that impressed or turned off by it ... to me it just looked like a standard Hershey's product. Out its wrapper the bar looked quite similar to the Daim, though the chocolate did have a slightly dusty looking complexion that I am going to put down to the adverse conditions that the bar had to travel to get to me. The smell of the product was quite mild, yet pleasant enough. It was nothing more than I can describe as sweet, with just a small buttery hint.

On the packet the bar stated 'delicious chilled', given that I truly obliged and left it in the fridge for a good few hours before eating it. This proved a very worthwhile thing to do, as it certainly made the rather thin coating of outer chocolate last that little bit longer whilst it warmed in the mouth. The texture of the chocolate was somewhat grainy, much like its dusted look suggested. Saying that it tasted fair enough and managed to substantiate a sweet, chocolaty background taste. As sweet as the chocolate was, it was nothing compared to the brittle toffee centre. In comparison to the Daim the flavours were far more toffee led with less of an almond influence. The buttery, sweet influences delivered a nice taste, though unfortunately were not the longest lasting in the mouth. The 39.0g bar certainly made for a pretty standard snack size, and did its job adequately.

Overall due to size alone I would have to say I preferred this to the Daim. It varied slightly in its toffee flavours, with a little less impetuous placed on the almond and more on the buttery sweet flavours. The chocolate quality again wasn't all that great, though did a fair job that I wouldn't complain about too much. This isn't a bar I would be rushing to have again in the near future, however if your a fan of the Daim this is probably one well worth checking out ... if only for curiosity.

7.0 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 11th: Thorntons 61% Dark Chocolate with Ginger

Kcal 505 Fat 33.9g Fat(sats) 21.3g Carbs 43.5g (per 100.0g)

It has taken me a while to get round to Thorntons' new line of 'square bars', though I think my hesitance is justified given some of the poor efforts they have produced in the past. Coming in square shaped bars Thorntons' latest range cuts a very 'Ritter Sport' esque look. Today I tried one of the more appetising looking bars from the range - the 'Togo 61% Cocoa Dark Chocolate with Ginger'. I was hoping that given my previous success with the Thorntons Dark Chocolate and Ginger Bar that similar results might be seen here. 

It appears that the people in the Thorntons factory forgot to add the last 10.0g of my chocolate, as it came in a rather puzzling 90.0g size. Despite my slight resentment at the resemblance to Ritter Sport, I thought the product looked pretty good. The outer cardboard packaging was simplistic, yet stylish in its use of colours and fonts, whilst the bar itself was protected within an inner plastic sheath. As you will be able to see above the bar was uniquely split, with some double sized chunks included between the smaller single piece sized - a nice idea I thought. A strong spicy, ginger smell soon made itself evident as I unsealed the plastic packaging - it was comforting to know I was going to get my desired ginger hit. 

Over the course of 15 months we haven't seen many charts like the one below. This bar tasted pretty good ... very good in fact. Unfortunately though it had a pretty big problem with its texture, which was evident from the off. In regards to taste it wasn't the strongest tasting dark chocolate ever, though it exerted a clean, mild and unsweetened cocoa influence that I would say on the whole was really quite pleasant. The ginger element was delivered well through the implementation of not only ginger oil, but also some crystallised ginger pieces that thankfully saved the texture from being completely abysmal. As strong and pleasant as the ginger was it all proved slightly pointless due to the melting nature of the chocolate. The chocolate melted into an extremely fine, thin liquid that neither let the flavours fully express themselves, or give chance to long in the mouth. The texture gave the bar a diluted, almost watered down like feel, which I am sure you can imagine made for a really unsatisfying chocolate.

Overall I found this to be a really disappointing product, as the flavours were there ... but just weren't allowed to fulfill their potential. With dark chocolate you generally expect the taste experience to be long, and sustained in the mouth. Unfortunately this just simply wasn't the case here. The thin melt alone made for an ultimately unsatisfactory product that frustrated me more than anything. Not a great start for this new range of Thorntons bars, but I would be interested to hear all your views. 

6.8 out of 10   

April 10th: Kit Kat Yellow & White Peach

Kcal 69 Fat 4.0g Carbs 7.7g (per 12.3g)

Kit Kat just keep pumping out the flavours in Japan, and J-List just keep on sending them over for me to review. J-List are forever updating their product lines and stock, so it is very much worth keeping an eye on their website if it is Japanese Snacks that your are interested in. Today I sampled these Yellow & White peach flavour variants that came in 'Mini' Kit Kat form.

I reviewed some 'Mini' Kit Kats last year and was largely impressed at how well they established their flavours despite their small 12.3g size. J-List sent me a bag of twelve, in which six of each of the yellow and white peach variants were included. The mini Kit Kats came in a very presentable foil bag as well as individual foil wrappers. I thought both looked aesthetically pleasing, whilst they also maintained each piece in good condition. The smells that emanated from both variants were very similar, with each smelling incredibly fruity if a little artificial with their sweet peachy scents.

I decided to not review these variants separately as they fundamentally provided the same sort of proposition. Much like the smell suggested the peach fruit flavours were very assertive at establishing a firm grip on the taste. The 'Yellow Peach' flavour was the strongest in terms of its fruit flavours, though at times the sharp citrus taste did strike me as quite artificial. The 'White' variant was a little more subdued in its flavours and had more a less imposing milky smoothness to its taste. In both the wafer element established some nice savoury, wheaty flavours whilst the creme contained within the wafer layers brought a very satisfying, cool, cream based element to the dominant fruit influence. Of course with the small size of the pieces each individual Kit Kat was not the most fulfilling ... to be honest I don't know why they didn't just make them in standard size.

Overall there is no doubting that all these flavour variants that Kit Kat are producing are certainly making for an interesting product range. Personally I wouldn't say these are the best from their extensive range, though I would definitely say that fans of fruit flavours and peaches will certainly be able to get some pleasure from these particular flavours. The peach flavours did taste a little on the artificial side, though on reflection this was certainly better than the flavour not being delivered whatsoever. If your a Kit Kat fan then I would say these are worth a try.

7.2 out of 10

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***Visit J-List for more Japanese products and Snack Foods***

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April 10th: Fannie May Mint Meltaways

Kcal 240 Fat 16.0g Fat(sats) 10.0g Carbs 23.0g

Thanks to *IShop4YouII* over the last week or so I have been able to review some Fannie May products in the form of their 'Trinidad' and 'Pixies' offerings. Today I tried their 'Mint Meltaways', which were formed of 'chocolate mint centers in a pastel coating'. One thing I did note before eating these was that a single pack contained 50% of the GDA of saturated fat, contrasting this with other products this did seem remarkably high.

As with the Fannie May Pixies these came in a three-piece, 42.5g pack that I ate over a single sitting. The packaging once again impressed me, and as with the other offerings from the range looked stylish with its contemporary look. The chocolates had a very vivid appearance with their pastel, winter green colour; when cross-sectioned the inner chocolate had a noticeably smooth, dense texture. Opening the packet I was immediately met with an extremely strong mint aroma. To be honest even then I found it somewhat overpowering - these were one of those chocolates that simply could not be stored in any close proximity to any other chocolates once opened.

As overpowering as the smell was, I wasn't quite expecting the sheer dominance of the mint in the taste. The outer pastel coating had a taste that simply consumed every other flavour influence on offer. It delivered a really one dimensional menthol taste, which was very severly limited in its flavour progression. The peppermint flavours were not exactly repulsive, though at the same time their cancelling out of the dark chocolate centre was bitterly disappointing. The pastel coating had a rather waxy type melt, though I must say I really quite enjoyed the texture of the dense, almost chewy dark chocolate centre - it was just a shame it had no impact tastewise. Due to the quite simplistic taste I didn't find these all that satisfying - certainly not enough to warrant 10.0g of saturated fat thats for sure.

Overall I am disappointed to say these are the worst offering I have sampled from the Fannie May range. Despite looking the part, they simply placed far to much emphasis on the mint flavouring in this product. As I stated above, the mint flavouring was not particularly bad, just it quickly became monotonous and boring in relation to what the product really could have delivered. Personally I would suggest your probably best avoiding these unless your a real mint-aholic.

6.4 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 9th: Ritter Sport Strawberry Yogurt

Kcal 570 Fat 37.7g Fat(sats) 24.4g Carbs 52.4g (per 100.0g)

Before the e-mails land in my inbox let me confirm that this was indeed a product sent to me by *IShop4YouII*. To cut a long story short a mix up at the post office in the US meant that a few Ritter Sport bars got mixed in to my package ... bizarre eh!? Well anyway, it seems that 'Strawberry Yogurt' really is flavour of the month in Germany; this is the third bar this month that has starred this combination - please see Milka Strawberry Yogurt & Ferrero Yogurette.

I can't quite work out where this bar has actually come from by the language on the front? Anyone? Though it still came in the usual 100.0g square bar form. The outer packaging nicely displayed the flavour variant, whilst I thought the pastel pink was an appropriate choice of colour. The bar itself looked particularly appetising, with the plentiful pink yogurt supplemented with some bright red strawberry pieces. Opening the wrapper I was immediately met with a pleasant concoction of chocolaty, red fruit smells - no sign of any artificial like elements.

Just as with every other Ritter Sport milk chocolate bar the chocolate did a grand job of carrying the inner filling. It established a pleasant chocolaty base taste from which the filling built on nicely once revealed after the smooth melt of the outer chocolate. The yogurt that sat below was delicious in its flavours, and had a familiar creamy, yet tangy impact on the taste. Until I saw the bar I could not determine how the strawberry was implemented due to the language displayed on the wrapper. Once I tasted it however I was pleasantly surprised to find that freeze dried pieces of strawberry had been used, and boy they had flavour!! The pieces delivered real zesty, berry bursts that had no artificial nature about them whatsoever. Normally I find some yogurt creme filled bars to lack a bit in their hunger fulfilment, however due to the fruity twist this bar really felt quite substantial in 50.0g servings.

Overall I was singing the praises of the Ferrero strawberry yogurt product earlier this week, but this Ritter Sport offering has quickly gone and trumped it. This bar implemented the strawberry element that little bit better, with the dried fruit pieces really exerting some fantastic, fresh tasting fruit influences. This combined with the yogurt and milk chocolate made for another highly commendable offering from the Ritter Sport range. As much as I recommend you try this bar, I have to say I have had my fill of strawberry yogurt combinations for awhile :)

8.4 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 8th: Pocky Marble Chocolat Framboise

Kcal 93 Fat 5.0g Carbs 10.8g (per 17.6g serving - 4 sticks)

Ever since I revealed that ChocolateMission had struck up a partnership with J-List.com I have literally been flooded with e-mails requesting some reviews on Glico's Pocky range. One short e-mail to J-List later and I have myself some of the latest Pocky lines. Today I tried out this 'Marble Chocolat Framboise' variant which from what I am told was Glico's special edition for this years valentines day. The combination of milk chocolate and raspberry liqueur sounded like an interesting flavour combination to me.

The product came in a pack that included three mini sleeves of 4 sticks. I thought the outer cardboard box was well designed with some simplistic but nice looking pictures and font styles. I was surprised at the thickness of the Pocky sticks - they certainly looked a lot thicker than I expected. Out their packet the brown and purple colours made the sticks looked interesting, whilst they also emanated a very pleasant vanilla smell that had just a subtle fruity hint to it.

Frankly I thought there was only one problem with this product and it was a pretty predictable one. Although I think the small packets were designed so the consumer would eat them separately, I frankly couldn't help but eat all three at once. The taste was simply moreish, yet pretty unfulfilling at the same time. The biscuit sticks all had a nice fresh crunch and substantiated some nice wheaty, slightly sugared favours to each bite. The coated portions of the sticks were packed full of the intended flavours with the cocoa nicely coming through early in the taste. As the coating melted in the mouth the more fruity influence from the raspberry framboise element came through, adding some very pleasant tart red berry hints to the taste. The coating did have a slight tangy yogurt element to it that made the flavours last surprisingly long in the mouth, this however didn't make the product any more fulfilling.

Overall it seems that the Pocky range has got off to a pretty good start on ChocolateMission. I can see the brands lack of hunger fulfillment potential slightly holding it back on the scoring system, however I am sure most consumers will know that these are probably not the snack to choose if they are looking specifically for this. In regards to taste the quality can not be doubted. These were nicely flavoured with both the chocolate and raspberry elements expressing themselves well. If your a fan of Pocky then I would really recommend these ... more from this incredibly diverse brand coming soon.

8.0 out of 10

Head to J-List to find this product and many more Japanese Chocolates & Snacks

April 8th: Marks & Spencer Milk Chocolate Coconut Bar

Kcal 245 Fat 12.5g Fat(sats) 7.5g Carbs 30.0g

I have received some e-mails recently saying that I am not harsh enough on some products. My response to them is that this is mostly because it is extremely rare that I actually come across bars that are truly worthy of a real laying into. Well brace yourselves as today I found a product that does in fact deserve a full on rant, so please sit back and enjoy whilst I take apart everything that was wrong about M&S's attempt at replicating the fantastic Bounty.

This bar came in a 55.0g form that I unwittingly completely devoured for an afternoon snack. Much like with the M&S version of the Snickers I was pretty unimpressed with the packaging the product came in. The shade of blue/grey just didn't strike me as all that pleasing on the eye, though I guess the small picture of the bar cross-sectioned had a relative appeal. As enticing as the small picture was, the reality was somewhat a little different. When I split one of the small bars I observed that unlike the appetising white coloured coconut pictured on pack, the actual constituents were a rather off putting grey colour. Just to really cap off what was a completely uninspiring appearance, the smell really lacked any forthcoming attributes, and with the most minor of sweet scents aside, the product failed to register any aroma worth mentioning.

Remembering back to my first experience of the Bounty I can clearly recall the fantastic way in which the lovely thick chocolate melted into what was a delicious moist coconut centre. This bar did little to evoke such memories, and more reminded me of the truly quite terrible Quality Street Coconut Eclairs that I unfortunately sampled as part of my review of that selection box - just this bar came in a much larger form of course. The milk chocolate was thin and melted away all to easily leaving the quite frankly horrible tasting desiccated coconut in its wake. Why was the coconut so horrible you ask!? Well it lacked two fundamental things - one being taste and the other a nice texture. Aside from being amazingly bland, the coconut delivered a dry, sawdust like texture that just felt horrible in the mouth. Its flavours were neither longing or memorable, which made this a truly unsatisfying product.

Overall this was a seriously poor imitation product by M&S, which never even got close to having anything like the appeal of the Bounty. The coconut element delivered none of the milky, nutty flavours of its comparator, and rather just brought a bland, lifeless and boring dominance into the overall taste. Up until I reviewed the Bounty I believed I didn't like coconut products, a fact that has been further disproved by other fantasic coconut offerings such as the Ferrero Rafaello, Lindt Excellence Cocos etc. This product however gives coconut bars a bad name, and unless your a sadist for bad chocolate bars I strongly recommend you avoid this one.

3.6 out of 10

April 7th: Milka Amavel Mousse au Cappuccino

Kcal 550 Fat 35.0g Carbs 52.5g (per 1oo.0g)

Chances are you have flicked to the score already - if you haven't let me spoil it for you now ... this bar was absolutely first-class! To be honest I didn't really expect anything different - the previous Milka Amavel bars that Dean-German-Grocery have sent me have all been fantastic. This Milka Amavel Mousse au Cappuccino was really something special though, and was formed of 'Alpine Milk Chocolate with a coffee and cream mousse filling'.

As with the other bars from the range this came in a 160.0g size that I savoured from beginning to end. The packaging was all rather splendid, with the coffee flavour well communicated through the simple addition of some coffee bean and cappuccino illustrations. The bar itself was also wonderfully presented. It had a simply seductive, alluring smell that emanated rich scents of coffee and cream as soon as I opened the branded foil layer. As ever the pieces were well sized, and the mousse filling looked particularly appetising with its whipped appeal.

Sometimes I feel that Milka Alpine Milk can be a touch too sweet, though the rich coffee flavours really complimented the chocolate well. The textures of both the outer chocolate and mousse were both sublime. The outer chocolate melted at a delightful rate, slowly revealing the softer, yet still quite dense mousse filling. The slow melt allowed the flavours of both different components to express themselves with the creamy, sweet chocolate transitioning almost perfectly into the fuller bodied, coffee taste. The coffee flavours were balanced perfectly to my reckoning with them more complimenting the sweet chocolate rather than dominating it. This marriage made in heaven made for an incredibly moreish taste that I simply couldn't get enough of. I devoured the bar in three sittings, though even that commanded real self-control.

Overall the folks at Milka can really be proud of this bar - its simply magnificent. I would go as far as saying this is one of my bars of the year so far, if the milk chocolate was a little less sweet I could really have seen it challenging some of the bars slightly rated above it. If your a Milka, coffee, or just good chocolate fan I strongly suggest this be a bar you invest in at some point. This bar has quickly established itself as a firm favourite of mine - I really recommend it.

9.1 out of 10

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

April 6th: Cadbury Bournville Orange / Old Jamaica (UK)

I have to admit I wasn't overly excited when Cadbury announced that they were launching two new variants under the Bournville brand. Frankly I think Cadbury Bournville is far from being good quality dark chocolate - you only have to take a quick look at my review (HERE) to see how little I rate it.

Despite this I saw both these 'new' 180.0g bars on offer in Tesco (2 for £2!!), so I thought I would do the honourable thing for my readership and give them a review. Below are my thoughts on both the flavours:

 

Cadbury Bournville Orange:

Kcal 485 Fat 25.1g Fat(sats) 15.4g Carbs 60.8g

When I first saw this 'Orange' variant I assumed that the orange element would be implemented using the same 'orange chips' used in the old Dairy Milk with Orange bar. One look at the wrapper and it was confirmed I was entirely WRONG! This bar actually contained 'real orange pieces' .... a whole 12% in fact!

The use of the orange colouring for the wrapper was obvious, yet well implemented. I also thought that the orange pieces looked very plentiful and well distributed throughout the Cadbury branded blocks. The orange element was also very evident from the smell which had a very enticing fruity edge to its subtle cocoa hints. Despite eating this bar over the course of three days the aroma didn't seem to get any weaker, and nicely set the mood each time I reached for a piece.

Again I was hardly impressed by the standard of the dark chocolate ... however, in the presence of other ingredients its lack of flavour mattered less. The chocolate did establish a weak, unsweetened cocoa flavour base to each block, however it was the orange that really made this bar shine. The orange pieces had a fantastic juicy nature to them, which not only provided a fantastic change up in textures, but also a very nice burst of zesty orange flavours. The taste was long lasting which certainly made for a fulfilling chocolate.

Overall I was extremely impressed with this bar. It was certainly a case of the fantastic orange element making up for the lacking flavour of the chocolate, however I guessed it could be argued that a stronger tasting chocolate could take something away from the orange pieces. This is genuinely one of the better chocolate orange combinations I have tried, and is well worth checking out if your a fan of that combination.

8.4 out of 10 

 

Cadbury Bournville Old Jamaica (UK):
Kcal 465 Fat 23.4g Fat(sats) 14.3g Carbs 59.6g

Why have I put UK in the title!? Because I have reviewed the Aussie version of the Cadbury Old Jamaica before thats why!! Review HERE! Looking at the wrapper there were a few fundamental differences. The first was the truly horrible choice of violet colour for the packaging of this UK version!? Seriously what hell!? Secondly the words 'Rum flavouring' ... indeed our bar doesn't actually contain any rum. Lastly the level of cocoa implemented in our bar was stated as 39%, compared to the 'Old Gold' chocolate in the Aussie version which had 45% cocoa. 

I have already mentioned my disliking for the wrapper, however I thought the bar itself looked pretty good with the raisins dispersed generously and consistently throughout. Despite the lack of real rum the smell was largely dominated by it, though there was also a curious offish dairy hint evident as well.  

Just as I expected this was a bar thats flavours were firmly rooted in the rum flavouring and raisins. Just as with the other Orange variant I found the cocoa flavours really quite weak and just lacking the depth of flavour I wanted. Fortunately the raisin and rum elements duly made up for this and both added the expected sugary, alcohol flavours to taste. The combination of both was truly delicious, the raisins in particular seemed to bring strong bursts of flavour when their chewy textures were bitten into. The resulting taste provided a really quite rich and satisfying chocolate. 

Overall it has been a long time since I had the Aussie version, but I can say that our UK version is pretty much on a par with it. The Bournville chocolate was again lacking flavour, however just as with the 'Orange' variant the added interest from the extra raisin and rum ingredients made this less important, and allowed the flavour theme of the bar too come through in the taste more. No doubt the reintroduction of this bar to the UK will be making some old school Cadbury fans very happy, I bet this bar gathers a fair share of new fans as well.

7.5 out of 10

April 6th: Fannie May Pixies

Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 24.0g

A few days ago I took my first look at the Fannie May range in the form of the Fannie May Trinidad. Dipping into my *IShop4YouII* box of treats once again, I decided to give these Fannie May Pixies their chance to shine on the ChocolateMission rating system. These Pixies were very similar in proposition to the Nestle Turtles I reviewed in July last year - so similar in fact they were identical :D and were comprised of 'pecans in caramel and milk chocolate'.

Fannie May must love their 42.5g serving sizes, as just like the Trinidad these Pixies came in exactly the same size. Hosted in a familiar white style packaging, I thought the presentation was all rather good. The pack consisted of three individual pieces that were protected by a cardboard sleeve. When cross-sectioned the caramel appeared plentiful, though the lacking of pecans was somewhat evident from this point on. The smell was not the most forthcoming though when searched for had quite a distinct buttery aroma.

Aesthetically I thought the thickness of the milk chocolate was lacking, though when it came to the taste it certainly didn't fail in exerting its influence. The chocolate was well substantiated in the taste early on, and the sweet cocoa flavours were immediate from the outset. The milk chocolate had a reasonably nice melt and transitioned into the caramel layer very smoothly. I was somewhat taken aback by the soft nature of the caramel - I was expecting it to be far more viscous than it was ... it was probably just a bit firmer than the stuff you get in Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel. In regards to flavours it was not the best tasting caramel ever, but it still delivered some fine sweet, buttery, burnt sugar type notes. As I suspected by looking at the product the pecans really lacked relevance in the taste, though this was mainly due to their ungenerous portioning rather than the nuts themselves lacking flavour. Where present they presented some very welcome earthy, salty notes that made it more of a shame they were lacking in presence.

Overall these were a solid, yet unspectacular product from Fannie May. The milk chocolate was very promising indeed, and It has certainly set my expectations high for other milk chocolate products from their range. Unfortunately due to the not overly incredible caramel, and lacking of pecan nuts this product wasn't as good as it really should have been. If you enjoy your milk chocolate, nuts and caramel combinations these Pixies could well be worth a look at. At the same time though I wouldn't say you should really go out your way to try them.

7.5 out of 10

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