April 18th: Cadbury Picnic (Aus)

Kcal 245 Fat 13.9g Fat(sats) 5.8g Carbs 25.4g

Way back in February 2008 I reviewed the UK version of the Cadbury Picnic (Review HERE). My view on that bar was that it was a bit hit and miss ... and if anything felt like it was a bit 'jumbled together'. Well my kind friends over at Shopenzed sent across their version of the Cadbury Picnic - this Australian version was formed of 'peanuts, wafer, caramel, rice crispies covered in Cadbury milk chocolate'.

The bar came in a very plentiful size of 46.0g - it certainly made for a very fulfilling snack. I immediately preferred the look of the product to our UK version. The outer wrapper was made of a fantastic foil material that really made the red and yellow colours look particularly vibrant. The bar itself took a more orderly fashion than its UK equivalent - a look at the cross section above will show you that it looked remarkably like a Nestle Lion but just with peanuts incorporated into the outer coating. Aswell as aesthetically the nuts were also very evident in the smell of the product, where their enticing roasted scents added to the already tempting chocolaty smell.

My main complaint with the UK Picnic was that each bite was so inconsistent with what it delivered. I had pretty much the polar opposite experience with this bar, each mouthful was simply delicious. The outer chocolate had a wonderful thickness and made sure that every bite had a resounding chocolaty taste before the other elements came into play. Contained within this chocolate were the rice and peanuts that both added a nice crunch to the smooth texture. The peanuts especially bought some very forthcoming bursts of salty, nutty flavours which combined perfectly with the other sweeter elements. Normally I am not the greatest fan of wafers as I perceive them as being to light and unsubstantial. The caramel however made sure that the wafer had more of a dense, chewy nature, whilst also bringing some buttery, toasted sugar flavours to the mix. The combination of all these different elements was nothing short of superb.

Overall this bar was completely superior to our UK version and made for a thoroughly enjoyable product. With this bar everything seemed so more ordered - each element was correctly distributed throughout the bar which made the experience more consistent and thus more enjoyable. The lacking of raisins really wasn't a sore point for me, the sweet and salty combination of the peanuts and caramel was enough to make this one delicious bar. If your a fan of the Nestle Lion, or other similar products I strongly suggest you get acquainted with one of these - highly recommended.

8.6 out of 10

April 18th: Ghirardelli Milk & Peanut Butter

Kcal 250 Fat 17.0g Fat(sats) 9.0g Carbs 22.0g (per 45.0g serving)

A peanut butter product that isn't Reese's!! whatever next!? knowing my love for all things peanut butter related my pals at *IShop4YouII* thought this would be a great product for me to check out. Having got myself nicely acquainted with some of Ghirardelli's range already this year I must say that I was really looking forward to try this bar, which incorporated 'gourmet peanut butter with crunchy peanuts in milk chocolate'.

This bar came in a 90.0g size that I split into the proposed two 45.0g servings. I continue to be impressed with Ghirardelli's presentation - the outer cardboard box included some nice pictures of the chocolate, as well as using some stylish looking gold coloured fonts. The look of the bar itself didn't let the product down either - it was split into chunky logo inscribed blocks that when cross-sectioned revealed a plentiful portioning of filling in each. The product didn't quite radiate the same level of nuttiness than Reese's offerings, though it was noticeable that the bar didn't have the same greasy feel that you commonly get with the aforementioned products.

This was a bar that grew on me as I ate it, though it certainly had its ups and its down in terms of its tasting experience. I am ever critical about Reese's milk chocolate, and I thought this might be the area where Ghirardelli would really triumph. The outer milk chocolate for me though lacked the real cocoa strength that I was hoping it would have. Despite having a nice thick melt and substantiating a pleasant enough creamy, milky flavour base I would personally have preferred the flavours to have been more cocoa centric. The peanut butter filling was the part of the product that took some getting used to. It terms of initial nut flavour strength it was nowhere near as imposing as Reese's however it did include some crunchy nut pieces that really brought some nutty flavour bursts later on in the taste. To be honest this felt more like a peanut creme rather than peanut butter ... both the taste and texture were smooth, not like the rough, gritty imposing Reese's. The 45.0g servings certainly provided a degree of fulfilment, though the smoothness of the taste meant I probably could have easily eaten more.

Overall I can't say this is a bar that I would naturally pick over most Reese's products, though to be fair it is still an enjoyable offering in its own right. I was a little disappointed with the milk chocolate - it was not poor or anything, it was just that it lacked the desired chocolate hit I was wanting it to give me. The peanut butter centre certainly offered something a little different from Reese's - it was more subtle in its deliverance of its creamy, nut flavours ... whether you prefer that will solely be down to individual taste. If offered this is a bar I would certainly have again; its worthy of its very credible score.

8.0 out of 10

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April 17th: Pocky Kiwi Fruit

Kcal 67 Fat 3.4g Carbs 8.4g (per 12.8g - 5 sticks)

You guys demanded more Pocky reviews ... you get more Pocky reviews :) Thanks to fabulous people at J-List I once again today got the opportunity to test drive one of Glico's latest Pocky flavours this 'Kiwi Fruit' variant. Frankly I cant say I am the greatest fan of Kiwi, however as you will find out when you read on these turned out to be a really pretty awesome product.

When J-List sent these across they were kind enough to send across two boxes of these. I was planning on eating one for the purpose of reviewing and using the other for some form of competition ... unfortunately for you guys I ended up consuming both boxes (sorry!! competition coming soon I promise). Contained within each box were four seperate packets of five sticks which surprisingly supplied a sufficient enough snack.

I thought the presentation of the product was pretty good - the communication of the Kiwi flavour couldn't really be missed on the outer packaging, whilst I thought the green speckled nature of the sticks combined for a unique and colourful look. The uniqueness of the aesthetics were only to be outdone by the really quite formidable distinct smell that emanated from the packets. The smell had a artificial strawberry like nature to it which initially brought some concerns in regards to the taste.

Thankfully there turned out to be nothing whatsoever artificial about the taste - these were certainly one fantastic tasting product. The outer flavoured coating of the biscuit stick had a white chocolate nature about it, in that it delivered some very pleasant creamy, milky yogurt like flavours. The Kiwi element was implemented superbly with the fresh, forthcoming fruity taste seemingly constituting of red berry and citrus lime flavour elements. The biscuit as ever had a tasty shortbread like appeal with its wheaty flavours enhanced perfectly with slight sugar and salt bursts. The forthcoming and lasting fruit flavours made these a surprisingly substantial snack; they were moreish, yet at the same time five sticks seemed like a perfect amount.

Overall I was thoroughly impressed with these despite my initial pessimism that the Kiwi Fruit flavour could really be implemented well into such a small confined product. The fruit element was in fact one of the best fruit flavourings I have come across and was both flavoursome and balanced in its sweet well rounded taste. From what I understand Pocky is a brand that likes experimenting with all sorts of different flavours and have many limited edition variants. If this is the case and your a fan of Pocky I would strongly suggest you try a pack of these before they disappear, these come highly recommended.

8.2 out of 10

Click here for J-List where you can find many more exciting Pocky Flavours

April 17th: Thorntons Choc Chip Choccies

Kcal 48 Fat 2.5g Fat(sats) 1.6g Carbs 6.1g (per piece)

These were another product requested for a review by the ever present ChocolateMission reader Lottie. Now sometimes I understand I take things all a little seriously, but I must say the name of this product does make me want to bash myself to death with a blunt object :) ... its the word 'choccies' ... blimey I can't stand it!! Bad names aside these Thorntons 'Choc Chip Choccies' *groan* were formed of 'praline, fudge and oats covered in milk chocolate'. 

I bought these in a 115.0g bag that contained about 15 individual chocolates. The bag was reasonably plain looking but gave a good insight into the actual product using both an illustrative and of course on-pack information. It would have been nice had it included a resealable flap, however the chocolates were still kept in pretty good condition across the three days I kept them, and maintained their quite forthcoming malty, cocoa aromas well. I liked the look of the chocolate themselves as the centres had a visibly lighter, fluffier look than the outer coating. 

I thought the pieces were a nice size and fitted nicely in the mouth one at a time. The outer milk chocolate provided both a nice set of flavours and melt in the mouth, substantiating some delightful sweet, milky cream based flavours with its thick, smooth melt. Contained within this crisp, clean tasting milk chocolate, I would unfortunately have to describe the flavours of the centres a little more muddled ... almost murky. At times some strong hazelnut influences were present in the taste, however this seem to get somewhat distorted and shackled by the baking flour type flavours from the oats. The oats to me seemed a non worthwhile edition, and more hindered the pleasantness of the praline rather than add to to tasting experience. In addition I also couldn't quite see where the fudge element came into things? For me it seemed not to factor in the taste whatsoever. One positive thing I guess you could say about the oats was that they made the texture quite stodgy - thus making just a few pieces feel quite substantial. 

Overall these were described to me as 'to die for', and though I can't quite agree with that sentiment they certainly struck me as a product with potential. I think Thorntons have made the classic mistake of trying to put too many ingredients in one product here. A milk chocolate coated praline may sound a little more boring, though to be honest I think it probably would have tasted absolutely superb. It is always great seeing brands trying new things, but my advice for Thorntons would be possibly to keep it a little more simple ... oh and to never use the word 'choccies' for their products again :)

7.2 out of 10

April 16th: Kit Kat Jasmine Tea

Kcal 109 Fat 6.0g Carbs 12.5 (per 20.5g - 2 fingers)

Kit Kat seem to be on their own mission to constantly outdo themselves in terms of crazy flavours. J-List's newest addition to the ever expanding Kit Kat range is this Jasmine Tea flavoured variant. This particular flavour offered up the proposition of 'milk chocolate coated wafer biscuits with a Jasmine Tea flavour' ... could this seriously work!?

One thing that has become evident with my Kit Kat reviews over the last few weeks is that they can never be faltered in terms of looks. This flavour variant came in a 41.0g form that was split into two handy sized 20.5g two finger packets. The packaging struck several right notes with me, with the pastel green colour background and pink trim providing a very aesthetically pleasing combination. Out its foil wrapper the Kit Kat looked no different to our standard milk chocolate Kit Kat we get here in the UK. There was however a very notable tea leaf smell that emanated from the packet, suffice to say there was something immediately about it that didn't strike me as quite right.

I like to see flavour progression with the bars I eat and indeed this was one that had this in abundance ... unfortunately it just wasn't favourable. The initial bite brought all the usual sweet, milk based flavours of Nestle milk chocolate, whilst the malty wheat flavours of the wafer were also very much notable. As the melt of the piece progressed the Jasmine Tea flavours came to the fore establishing a really quite weird herby, floral flavour base. As I ate more and more of the actual product these flavours seemed to take over entirely. In my opinion these flavour influences seemed interesting and unique, up until the aftertaste kicked in having subsequently finished the bar. My mouth was left noted with some bitter flavours that didn't correspond at all to the nature of the sweet snack I had just eaten. For me this really spoilt the whole experience.

Overall this is a product that really at the end of the day I wont reflect on all the favourably. At the time of actually eating the Kit Kat the Jasmine Tea flavours tasted slightly out of place, though at least added a degree of interest. Come the time after the eating though the aftertaste really left an unpleasant set of flavours in the mouth, which really didn't reflect that well on the product as a whole. I would recommend this for all you curious Kit Kat lovers out there as it is really quite a unique experience ... those just looking for a good tasting chocolate will want to leave this one alone though.

6.2 out of 10

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

April 15th: Cadbury Energy

Kcal 240 Fat 13.9g Fat(sats) 8.4g Carbs 26.6g

Having never heard of this bar before I must say I was a little intrigued when ShopenZed so kindly sent one my way. Apart from the words 'rich chocolate' the packaging didn't do much to communicate what this bar was all about. A spot of research on the Internet actually came up with very little ... it seems no other person in the world has ever written a review on this bar! A little visit to New Zealand's Cadbury website however managed to inform me that this product was 'traditionally eaten by New Zealanders whilst tramping in the great outdoors' .... answers on postcards to what tramping is please!!

ShopenZed were kind enough to send across a 50.0g bar for me to sample. The packaging did away with the usual purple Cadbury colour theme and chose a very visually striking red. I thought both the wrapper and the chocolate were pleasing on the eye; the chocolate was a very bold coloured brown, which was several shades darker than any Dairy Milk bar. After splitting the foil wrapper I was met with some quite subdued, yet nice smelling cocoa scents ... this was a bar still not giving much away.

By this time I was really waiting to see what this bar was going to offer in terms of flavours - truth be told it was really nothing ground breaking. If someone asked me to tell them a chocolate bar that wasn't quite as sweet as milk chocolate, yet not as strong as your standard dark chocolate, Cadbury Energy would be the one. The chocolate had a decent enough melt in the mouth and transformed into a thickish liquid state at a nice rate. The flavours started off predominately milk based, however as the melt developed started to raise in intensity in terms of its cocoa flavours. The taste never at any stage got to what I would describe as strong or bitter, yet at the same time generated a decent amount of flavour. I ate the 50.0g bar in one sitting which proved to be a decent enough snacking option.

Overall this was a chocolate that quickly established itself as a pleasant enough chocolate, though was never anything spectacular. As I previously said this was a chocolate that seemed slap bang between milk and dark; for that reason I would recommend it to people who are normally used to sweeter chocolate but are looking to be a little adventurous in the dark end of the market. I have tried so many chocolates over the last year and whilst this was a fair standard product it probably wont be one that I will particularly remember.

7.2 out of 10

April 14th: Hotel Chocolat Ginger Tangs

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

Despite having mountains of products from several different continents sitting around my flat needing to be reviewed this didn't stop people gifting chocolate to me this Easter. I will quit the moaning now as I don't want to be the only person in history to go down for complaining about receiving a Hotel Chocolat gift. If you haven't done already I strongly suggest you head over to the Hotel Chocolat website (click!!), as they are currently having a huge post Easter sale.

So what do we have here then? Why we have some Hotel Chocolat Ginger Tangs which came described as 'real ginger pieces enrobed in dark chocolate'. The pieces came in a 150.0g pot that took me a week or so to consume. In regards to the presentation I would have thought more of it had I not taken a look at the Hotel Chocolat website where I saw the actual product picture looked a lot different than what was really delivered. The chocolates on the website show that the pieces are a lot longer and more crafted - I am not complaining about the actual product that was delivered, more so pointing out that there was a disparity. Aesthetics aside the product aroma was nothing short of awesome. The tub ensured that the lovely ginger and cocoa smells were maintained, suffice to say they never failed in tempting me to just have one more piece.

The packaging didn't actually say what strength the dark chocolate was, however having guzzled my fair share of Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate over the last year or so I can quite confidently say it would be around the 70% mark. As you can see above the coating to each piece was really quite generous, which meant that each mouthful delivered a wonderful base set of unsweetened cocoa flavours. Despite being as flavoursome and utterly fantastic as ever the chocolate really took a back seat to the ginger centres. The ginger centres were packed full of sweet, yet spicy flavours and really have a wonderful freshness and balance in their flavours. Of course being 'real' ginger some pieces at times had a slight 'stringyness' in their texture (see photo above!) which obviously wasn't always the most pleasant thing ever. This is a very slight criticism though and the taste more than made these a very satisfactory and enjoyable product.

Overall I never envisaged these being anything apart from superb and this proved a very accurate presumption. The dark chocolate was as always top quality and brought a plethora of rich cocoa flavours to the initial taste of the product. These chocolates were all about the ginger though, and the quite wonderful varying syrupy spiced flavours that each bite delivered were really quite fantastic. Obviously your own enjoyment of this product will be solely down to whether you like ginger or not. If you do then I seriously recommend you try these, they are simply one of the best ginger chocolate products I have reviewed.

8.3 out of 10

April 14th: Lindt Creola Vanille

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

In my previous review of the Lindt Creola 'Ek Chuah' I mentioned the fact that Dean-German-Grocery had been kind enough to send me the entire Lindt Creola range. Well continuing my assesment of it, I today tried the 'Vanille' offering from the selection - a bar which was formed of 'milk chocolate filled with cocao nib pieces in a vanilla creme'. Apologies for my lack of nutritional information for this range - it is neither displayed on the product or the web at present! Annoying huh!?

This was another huge 150.0g bar that took me a fair few sittings to get through. Presentation wise it looked very similar indeed to the 'Ek Chuah' variant, however there were the obvious differences in the branding and look of the product itself. Once again the bar was split into a rather annoying ten large 15.0g blocks - I would have preferred smaller pieces to accommodate the mouth better. Regardless of this the chocolate looked pretty enticing with the vanilla creme appearing very plentiful sat in between the milk chocolate coating. Upon closer inspection the cocoa nib pieces could also be seen in the creme. Releasing the bar from its branded foil wrapper I was met with a pleasant convergence of honey and dairy scents.

If there is one thing you can be assured of with Lindt milk chocolate it is that your certainly in for a smooth tasting experience. Indeed this was case with the outer milk chocolate, and it melted delightfully with a very crisp and creamy taste. As I noted when I inspected the bar aesthetically the vanilla creme was certainly very well portioned (43%), and thankfully it added some very worthwhile flavour additions to the cream based chocolate that encased it. As well as having a slightly softer texture that melted with a divine silkiness, it brought some wonderful vanilla essence type flavours that had hints of floral honey and caramel. The soft melting textures of the chocolate and creme centre were nicely contrasted by the small cocoa nib pieces that were left in the mouth once the aforementioned had melted away. They delivered fine bursts of cocoa flavours that really made for a long lasting and strong aftertaste.

Overall this was another fine bar from Lindt, though I guess I wasn't really expecting anything else. The Creola selection is really proving to be another fine range that delivers on the flavours that it promises - there isn't much else you can really ask for. The milk chocolate was again superb, whilst the vanilla filling was exquisite in both flavours and textures. This is possibly not a bar for people who do not enjoy the sweeter end of the chocolate spectrum, though for Lindt fans this is yet another you will seriously have to consider trying.

8.4 out of 10

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

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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