May 8th: Yaokin "Dora-Choco"

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

You might have guessed that my latest sampling package from J-List has indeed arrived so be prepared for some more rather eccentric reviews from the land of the red sun. Today I sampled a product named Yaokin "Dora-Choco" - the "Dora" is short for "Dorayaki" which according to J-List is a waffle type pancake that is popular among kids in Japan. The product was simply formed of two Dorayaki pancakes sandwiching a chocolate filling. Although this was a product outside of the usual Chocolate Mission remit I was certainly willing to give it a try.

As you can see above the pack I received had two separate pieces in it. Obviously it was quite hard to represent the scale of the cakes though I can reveal they were really quite small and about the size of a £2 British coin each. Seemingly I am never failed but to be taken in by the look of Japanese products. Like so many others I have reviewed before I thought the wrapper had a fun look and used its colour scheme well to have a real aesthetic appeal. Even more impressively the plastic packet managed to retain the fantastic sweet cake smell of the product that made it self immediately evident once opened.

I would prefer to get the obvious negative of this product out the way as the rest of the experience was on the whole very pleasant. As you can probably have guessed the single pack was not in any way fulfilling as a snack - the small size of the product meant that this was very evident before even consuming it. That out the way I have nothing but nice things to say about these Dorayaki. The Dora pancakes were absolutely delicious and delivered far more in terms of flavours than your standard Scotch pancakes. The cake had a wonderfully balanced sweetness that had notes of vanilla and syrup present throughout the duration of the taste. What I really liked about the Dora was that they had a wonderful moistness to their texture which meant they never developed that dry cake like feel in the mouth. Sat in the middle of the Dora was the chocolate filling. It was pretty uncomplicated in its cocoa and milk based flavours though it certainly delivered the chocolate hit to the product and made a noticeable impact despite the dense nature of the cake element.

Overall despite these being annoyingly small they were on the whole a very enjoyable product. When I first saw these I must admit I was expecting very little as they just looked like Scotch pancakes with a thin layer of chocolate in the middle. It was great to find though what these lacked in size they made up for in flavours. Both the Dora and chocolate elements brought some pleasant flavour elements and made for a thoroughly delicious taste. I would recommend these on the basis that they are a cool and tasty Japanese product; additionally though I would say if you were to order them you should get quite a few packs of these as they wont last long.

7.3 out of 10

May 8th: Ghirardelli Intense Dark 72% Cacao

Kcal 200 Fat 17.0g Fat(sats) 10.0g Carbs 17.0g (per 38.0g - 3 pieces)

The Ghirardelli products I have been provided with by IShop4YouII have certainly been a little hit or miss. The dark chocolate squares that I tried a few months back seemed relatively tasty when in the presence of an additional flavour element, however solus the 60% failed to deliver anything more than an average dark chocolate. Given that this bar was formed of a 72% recipe I was hoping that this would offer just a little more in its subsequent flavours.

This bar came in a standard 100.0g size that certainly took me a few days to eat. The chocolate came contained within both a cardboard box and foil layer which combined with the sophisticated fonts and illustrations made the it all look rather nice. The chocolate itself was maintained beautifully by the foil with the Ghirardelli logo nicely printed on each block and a surprising fresh, dairy based smell very evident once the seal was broken.

One thing I did love about this bar was the lovely 'snap' sound that the chocolate made when splitting it. The blocks were a slightly awkward size in that they were a little too big to place in the mouth all at once, but a little small too split in half. Back to more important matters ... the taste was slow starting but eventually showed a fair breadth of flavour elements. The taste started out quite milky and weak, though once the melt progressed in its development strong cocoa and coffee like notes came through in the taste. At the end of the melt some strong charcoal like notes came through (not as bad as it sounds trust me!!), which ultimately made the aftertaste quite longing in the mouth.

Overall this was a little better than the Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate I tried before, yet was still a little way off competing with the best of the dark chocolate bars I have previously tried. The taste was extremely slow to develop, which is never a thing that I look upon favourably. Although the resulting taste was relatively strong, up until the melt was quite progressed the weak milk flavours were really quite unimpressive. Despite this being a nice dark chocolate this isn't a bar I would hugely recommend for the sheer reason that I know there are better options out there.

8.0 out of 10

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May 7th: Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Chocolate Flavour

Kcal 135 Fat 3.5g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 24.0g

I must admit I am one of those people that is forever hitting the snooze button on my alarm when it goes off in the morning. The upshot of this is I either have no breakfast at all, or have to eat it on the run. Last week in a rush to make it to a lecture I picked up one of these Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Chocolate Flavour bars from my university shop. Described as a 'soft baked crust pastry with a chocolate flavour filling' it sounded like a fair proposition.

The bar came in a 37.0g serving that I of course ate all in the one sitting. The foil wrapper ensured that the product was kept nicely fresh, whilst it also cut a relatively appealing look. The bar itself also look pretty appetising with its golden pastry and well portioned filling. The same however could not be said for the smell of the product, it had a very odd artificial sweet chemical like smell that was really quite off putting. 

Unfortunately the bar didn't fair better in its taste. The outer portion certainly had a rather odd texture ... it wasn't quite as hard as a biscuit, yet not anything like pastry ... to be honest it had just a rather stodgy, odd moist feel in the mouth. In taste it didn't fair much better either - it had an exceedingly sweet wheaty taste that very soon became both monotonous and sickly. Sitting at the heart of the product was the chocolate flavour filling ... which may as well have been described as a 'brown coloured artificial syrup'. Frankly it had added no cocoa influence of any note whatsoever, and only managed to further add a sugary flavour contribution to the already overly sweet taste. Had I not been the hungriest person in the world I would never have finished this bar ... to add some perspective the second bar I bought (for the purpose of the above photos!!) I threw straight away.

Overall it is never a good sign when after the first mouthful I have to check the best before date to see whether the product is in date ... its even worse when the fact is that it was 5 months in date and literally just tasted 'that bad'. The taste could be summed up in just one word which I have used several times in the above paragraph ... 'sweet' ... and boy was it overly so. The pastry had a very odd artificial taste and the chocolate flavour filling had no resemblance to any chocolate I have had before. I seriously would advise against trying one of these, I for sure will not be purchasing one again in the new future ... extremely poor in nearly every sense.

3.4 out of 10

May 6th: Nestle Treasures Relax Caramel Truffle

Kcal 210 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 26.0g (per 43.0g - half bar)

Rewind just over a week ago and you will remember me reviewing the Nestle Treasures 'Renew' bar. To be honest it was one of the worst bars I have had in a long while, which didn't fill me with the greatest of confidence in today's Nestle Treasures variant 'Relax'. Cheesy name aside this bar was formed of 'milk chocolate with a caramel filling', and was once again provided to me by the great people at *IShop4YouII*.

Just as with the 'Renew' variant this bar came in a 85.0g size that I ate over two sittings ... yes I did actually finish this one! The presentation was much the same as with the previous review, however the obvious differentiation came in the 'Relax' branding. Opening the gold foil wrapper I was pleasantly surprised - the chocolate looked pretty appetising cross-sectioned with its plentiful caramel portioning, whilst a nice toffee like aroma suggested that this bar may well be alright after all.

Unfortunately looks can be deceiving and in the tale of the taste this was again not the greatest bar of chocolate Nestle have ever produced ... far, far from it in fact. The milk chocolate was superior to that of the 'dark' chocolate from the 'Renew' bar, although it still lacked a cutting edge to its taste. It had a minor milkiness to it though this was quickly dominated by the sweet, sugary taste that quickly exerted itself. As you can probably guess this sugar rush was caused by the caramel ... I always find it a bit silly to describe a caramel as tasting like sugar, but frankly this had no other element such as butter, toffee etc in its taste. As well as tasting like pure sugar it also had a very similar grainy texture that really felt quite horrible in the mouth. Due to the monotonous nature of the taste it really didn't feel like a substantial chocolate.

Overall if your Nestle you're have to feel quite happy with the rather poor score I have given here ... I could have been a lot harsher. The reason why this bar got a 5 for taste and not a 3 was because unlike the last Nestle Treasures bar it actually tasted of something, which although still wasn't that great was actually a step up in one sense. Facing facts this is a pretty simple conclusion - there are far superior milk chocolate caramel combinations out there ... just a small look at the caramel archives will have you pointed in the right direction. Yet again this another Nestle Treasures bar that I won't be recommending.

5.6 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.

May 5th: Ritter Sport Raspberry / Wildberry / Peach & Passionfruit Yogurt

Just when I thought I had seen it all from the Ritter Sport range Dean-German-Grocery sent me across their new summer flavour variants. Back in April I remarked that there seemed to be a growing trend of fruit flavoured yogurt chocolate products being created by German chocolate manufactures. Looking at Ritter's three new bars below it seems that this was a pretty on the money forecast. These three new flavour variants all came in the traditional 100.0g Ritter Sport size, a quick look at the Ritter website however did show that they are available in miniature form as well. In regards to the packaging I was impressed with all three wrappers. They all indicated the flavour themes well and were coloured appropriately to the contents and radiated a very fresh look.

Below are my thoughts on each of the three bars:

Ritter Sport Raspberry Yogurt:

Kcal 583 Fat 39.1g Fat(sats) 23.6g Carbs 51.8g (per 100.0g)

This bar came described as 'white chocolate with a raspberry flavoured yogurt filling and rice flakes'. The aroma that emanated from the packaging was predominantly dairy based though I could detect a slight hint of raspberry.

The white chocolate that coated the bar was unsurprisingly splendid. It had a creamy dairy led taste that never verged on being overly sweet; this taste was further enhanced by the milk flavours of the yogurt filling. It did seem slightly sweeter than the outer chocolate initially, though this was kept in check by the tangy element in the aftertaste. Out of the three bars on view here this was the bar that was the weakest in terms of its fruit flavours. The raspberry was very much detectable, however unlike the others this bar didn't seem to have the fruity flavour bursts that really took hold of the taste.

Overall I did find this a very refreshing bar but it didn't quite give the same strength of flavour as the others. I found this to be a creamier version of the Ritter Sport Strawberry Yogurt which I guess some may actually prefer.

8.0 out of 10

Ritter Sport Wildberry Yogurt:

Kcal 568 Fat 35.8g Fat(sats) 22.6g Carbs 52.8g (per 100.0g)

The yogurt filling in this bar contained a whole host of different berries including blueberries, strawberries and blackberries within the milk chocolate coating. The aroma was heavily dominated by the strawberry which was notably amplified in comparison to the others.

The milk chocolate was as ever its wonderfully average self. The mild cocoa and milk flavours provided a solid base set of flavours and really let the filling do the talking here. In this bar the fruit flavours were really quite dominant and took a firm grip of the taste. The creamy flavours of the yogurt were slightly lost but the dried fruit pieces added frequent flavours bursts. The blueberries seemed to feature constantly throughout with blackberries and strawberries more evident when the fruit pieces were encountered. As with all three bars the rice pieces contributed little to the taste but added a nice crunchy element to the texture providing nice variation.

Overall out of the three I found this to be the richest of the selection. The fruit element seemed very amplified in this variant with none of the three berries getting lost in the mix. All the fruits contributed to what was a very flavoursome and satisfying taste - I really recommend this bar if your after a milk chocolate fruit flavoured yogurt bar.

8.4 out of 10

Ritter Sport Peach & Passionfruit Yogurt:

Kcal 585 Fat 39.3g Fat(sats) 24.1g Carbs 52.0g (per 100.0g)

Although I have had previous experiences with peach and chocolate this was the first time I had encountered a chocolate and passion combination. As you can see above this was another white chocolate bar that had a light coloured filling very generously portioned at its centre. Upon opening the bar I was immediately met by some very fresh smelling lemon like fruit smells.

Just as with the raspberry bar the white chocolate proved a perfect foil for the centre fruit filling. What I liked so much about this bar was the way the taste developed with each piece. The creamy taste of outer chocolate was again further enhanced by the initial milk flavours I got from the yogurt. These creamy flavours led wonderfully into the sweet peach flavours that followed as the thick melt progressed. The aftertaste was nicely influenced by the passionfruit element with some delicious tarty, zesty flavours really making for a very moreish overall taste.

Overall this was my favourite from Ritter's new summer range and it combined a pleasant white chocolate with a fantastically refreshing two toned fruit twist. Both the peach and passionfruit elements contributed to the initial cream flavours that were generated by the white chocolate and created a taste that was equally unique as it was satisfying. If you only end up buying one bar from the new variants on offer I would suggest it be this one.

8.5 out of 10

Check out Dean-German-Grocery for all your German candy & Grocery needs

May 4th: Kit Kat Extra Creamy Extra Crispy

Kcal 228 Fat 11.7g Carbs 27.5g

I have to firstly thank ChocolateMission reader Alan who ever so kindly sent me this bar to review. At first glance this may just look like a standard Nestle Kit Kat. A better look at the wrapper though reveals that despite the English language used, this was actually a bar imported from Germany. The wrapper also stated that this Kit Kat was 'Extra Creamy & Extra Crispy'. Given the fact I must have consumed unthinkable amounts of Kit Kats during my childhood I thought I would probably be in a good position to see if it differed at all from our UK offering.

As you can see above, the bar was none to dissimilar to the standard Kit Kat we get here in the UK. It similarly weighed in at 45.0g though somewhat noticeably contained slightly less fat. The bar was divided into the traditional four fingers with each sporting the Kit Kat logo. When looking at the fingers cross-sectioned it was noticeable that the chocolate creme between the wafer was more defined in terms of its colouring, and looked to be greater portioned. Contained within a foil wrapper the product remained well maintained and the sweet biscuity aroma didn't fail to entice.

To save beating round the bush I will get straight to the point and confirm that I could perceive very few differences to this bar and our UK Kit Kat. The taste of the outer milk chocolate was very familiar indeed and substantiated the usual milky, sweet cocoa flavours that Nestle milk chocolate is renowned for worldwide. I did detect a slight discrepancy in the flavours of the wafer, and I thought that the malty wheat flavours came through stronger than normal. Despite the cocoa creme appearing more portioned I didn't detect any greater impact on the taste, as I just said it was more the wafer that seemed to have a stronger impact on the taste. The four fingers of course proved to be a wonderful snacking option and certainly delivered a great degree of satisfaction at the same time.

Overall I would have to admit that in a blind taste test I would really struggle to tell one of these German Kit Kats and a UK one apart. Both provide the same wonderful classic combination of milk chocolate and wafers in what is a classical and well presented product. The only small area of differentiation I could detect was with the stronger wafer flavours I got from the German version, though I wouldn't really say it delivered the promised 'Extra Creamy Extra Crispy' billing. If you spot one of these I would urge you to try yourself and see if you can detect and differences - on that note though I honestly wouldn't expect much. 

8.3 out of 10

May 4th: Lyme Regis Dark Chocolate Covered Marzipan

Kcal 188 Fat 9.1g Fat(sats) 2.2g Carbs 23.6g

Ever since trying some of Niederegger's products, no marzipan has simply been able to come anywhere close in terms of level of quality. Bev at Sweet-N-Lite however insisted I try this Lyme Regis marzipan bar that she stocks under the pretense that it is vegetarian and vegan friendly. This offering was simply formed of 80% almond marzipan, which was coated in dark chocolate.

The bar came in a 40.0g serving that provided a really substantial snack considering the relatively low amount of calories. The packaging was fairly appealing aesthetically and cut quite a classy appearance. Although lacking any branding or real decoration the bar looked very appetising. When cross-sectioned the marzipan didn't crumble all over the place, which was an indicative sign of its slightly moist texture. Due to the foil nature of the wrapper the product also revealed a sweet, nutty smell once opened ... this was all looking rather good.

When reviewing marzipan bars now I find it almost impossible to not just contrast them with Niederegger's offering ... so let me do it again with this bar :) For my money the standard of the chocolate was actually better. The dark chocolate was thicker in its portioning and managed to establish some lasting cocoa flavours that lasted throughout the taste. The melt of the chocolate was nice and smooth, which contrasted nicely with the more textured marzipan. The marzipan itself didn't quite have the depth of buttery, nutty flavours as the comparable Niederegger, though it was still enjoyable, and had an extra vanilla like hint in its aftertaste. As I suggested above the texture of the marzipan was wonderful with a touch of moistness. This avoided it being overly dry and any cloying in the mouth.

Overall alongside the Ritter Sport Marzipan, this is a close second in terms of my favourite ever marzipan bar. Admittedly the Niederegger marzipan bars are still in a class of their own, but as far as readily available marzipan bars in the UK I haven't come across any finer. Both the dark chocolate and the marzipan were full of flavour, providing a wonderfully delicious experience. If your a fan of marzipan, I would suggest you try get hold of one of these.

8.0 out of 10

Visit Sweet 'n' Lite for more diet / vegan / vegeterian friendly chocolates

May 3rd: Lindt Creola Chili

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

This was the last bar from the Lindt Creola range that Dean-German-Grocery sent me in my latest sampling package. Having really enjoyed the other variants from the selection I was looking forward to this 'Chili' offering, which was a bar formed of 'dark chocolate, filled with a dark cocoa creme centre with cocoa bean chips and ground chilli'. Remembering back to the Lindt Excellence Chilli I must say I was expecting good things from this bar.

The product came in a 150.0g size that I ate over the course of a few days. Just as with the other Creola bars the outer packaging had a very artistic look that was complimented well with some fine looking gold font. The chocolate was split into ten huge blocks that each sported a Lindt logo. When cross-sectioned the distinction between the layers was immediately evident, with the darker coloured cocoa bean chips highly visible in the fluffier looking cocoa creme centre. As soon as I broke the foil wrapper seal I was met with an enticing mix of chilli and dark cocoa scents that certainly set the mood nicely.

The bar did not state the strength of the dark chocolate, however I thought it tasted rather like the 50% Lindt recipe which altogether suited the bar nicely. The melt of the outer chocolate was nicely paced with the chocolate melting into a thick liquid that was nicely concentrated in its flavours. The flavours were predominantly cocoa rooted, though still at the same time had a pleasant smooth milkiness that avoided any bitterness. The cocoa creme that lay below was more forceful with its cocoa flavours with notes of coffee and red fruits altogether making for a pleasant, rich tasting truffle centre. This was a chocolate that did a lot of its talking in its aftertaste and this was where both the cocoa bean chips and chilli element really made this bar special. The cocoa bean chips further brought additional chocolaty bursts when crunched, whilst the chilli added a fantastic warm spicy element to the aftertaste. A few bars I have had recently have really placed to much emphasis on the chilli when incorporating it in to the chocolate; in this bar though I thought the balance was just right and it brought a very exciting edge to the aftertaste.

Overall this has to be my favourite chilli flavoured bar of all time and has even surpassed the Lindt Excellence Chilli on the ChocolateMission rating system. The combination of the thick melting outer chocolate, divine truffle centre and wonderful chilli and cocoa bean pieces all combined to deliver a wonderful array of flavours and textures. The balance of each element enabled all of these disparate parts of the bar to contribute to what overall was a delicious, progressive chocolate. If your a fan of chilli and chocolate combinations this is definitely a bar I would recommend you seek out - I promise you won't regret it.

8.8 out of 10

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

May 2nd: Lindt Weisse Chocolade

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

Dean-German-Grocery have sent me some fantastic Lindt white chocolate bars before - see Lindt Excellence White Chocolate Coconut & Stracciatella. Given the enjoyment I got from both of those I was expecting good things from this plain Lindt White Chocolate bar. A direct translation of the on pack description promised that this bar was 'Extra Tender' so I was certainly expecting a smooth taste.

This bar could came in a 100.0g size. Unfortunately the packaging on the bar I recieved was slightly damaged so I had to nick the picture above from the Dean-German-Grocery site - I still thought however that the bar had a sophisticated look which I think is normally quite hard to pull off with white chocolate products as the colours used tend to be lighter in colour. The chocolate itself looked relatively nice but I was disappointed that the blocks were so small in size as it meant that the product was a little fiddly. As the product was contained within a foil layer the aroma was well sustained with some vanilla hints evident in the dominant dairy smell.

Just as with the other Lindt white chocolate bars I mentioned earlier the texture of the melt was just as wonderfully smooth and certainly delivered the promise of the chocolate being 'extra tender'. The chocolate transformed from its solid state into a nice thick liquid on the tongue with a pleasurable smoothness. Whilst I was enjoying the texture immensely I can't say I was getting as much satisfaction from the taste. Normally I ridicule white chocolate for being too sugar based but it was completely the opposite here. The flavours were frankly pretty mild - the cream and vanilla elements that were evident were delicious, but unfortunately just a little meagre and failed to create the impression I was really hoping they would. I ate this chocolate 50.0g at a time and didn't find it as fulfilling as many other white chocolate alternatives I have had.

Overall reading this review back it seems like I have come down pretty hard on this bar but I think this is more down to being an anticlimax rather than it being a poor product. The textures were divine and had a wonderful smoothness. The taste however was unfortunately not quite as luxurious and just lacked the impetuous that I was seeking. I think this chocolate is one that is suited well to complimenting another flavour enhancer - there is already evidence of that in both the previously Lindt Excellence white chocolate bars. Although I wouldn't go overboard recommending this bar I would say if your a white chocolate fan but find too many of the market offerings overly sweet and sugary this could be worth a look at.

7.6 out of 10

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May 2nd: Ghirardelli Luxe Milk Hazelnut

Kcal 230 Fat 15.0g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 23.0g (per 43.0g - 4 pieces)

Over the past few weeks thanks to *IShop4YouII* I have been sampling some Ghirardelli products. Their Luxe Milk range contains Almond, Duet, Crisp (as reviewed by Cybele) and Hazelnut variants - the last of which I reviewed today. The bar on pack was described as 'milk chocolate with roasted hazelnuts' and was manufactured in California, USA.

I ate the 85.0g bar over the course of two separate sittings. The product was well presented with the white packaging cutting a classy and sophisticated look with its gold coloured fonts. The chocolate also looked very appetising with each block sporting an intricately imprinted Ghirardelli logo. The hazelnut pieces were evident both aesthetically and through the aroma emanating from the bar. The pieces looked well portioned and this told in the smell where a strong, appetising nutty influence was very evident amongst some sweet chocolaty scents.

Just as I found with the other milk chocolate Ghirardelli products I have reviewed the taste was really quite sweet. The chocolate was very American tasting with its powdered milk like taste. It was undoubtedly creamy, but just had too much of a sweetness for my liking, and could have done with a little more emphasis on the cocoa. That said the product had some lovely textures with the melt of the chocolate being soft and thick whilst leaving the well sized hazelnut pieces in its wake. The hazelnuts were really full of flavour and produced some fantastic roasted, savoury influences that contrasted well with the sweet milk chocolate. The hazelnuts were not only tasty, but also had a nice fresh crunchy appeal.

Overall this was a nice milk chocolate and hazelnut combination, however it wasn't quite up to the standards of some of the better bars in this congested field e.g. Ritter Sport Milk Whole Hazelnuts. The chocolate for me was just a little on the sweet side and I would have preferred a chocolate with more of a sophisticated taste to compliment the very flavoursome hazelnuts. This was undoubtedly an enjoyable bar of chocolate, though as I have said this chocolate/hazelnut part of the market is a very competitive one and I would have to say there are slightly better options out there.

8.1 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.

May 1st: Ritter Sport Advocaat (Eierlikor)

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

Today I am reviewing my 30th product from the Ritter Sport range, and it is a bar that I haven't seen reviewed on any other site. This Ritter Sport Advocaat variant was part of the spring collection sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery, and was simply formed of a 'advocaat truffle filling with a milk chocolate coating'. My experiences with Advocaat are admittedly pretty limited, though I have to be known to indulge in a few 'Snowballs' (Advocaat and lemonade) during recent Christmas periods. For those unaware Advocaat is a liqueur that is formed of mostly eggs and brandy (See HERE).

This was a bar from the standard Ritter Sport range so it of course came in the usual 100.0g size. The yellow colouring of the wrapper seemed relevant to the flavour theme, whilst I thought the cream coloured filling at the centre of each block gave the chocolate a very appetising look. As with most Ritter Sport products the bar was kept in immaculate condition by the well fitted plastic wrapper. The tight preservation also meant that the aroma of the bar was nicely maintained; it was certainly not the strongest smelling chocolate ever, but some sweet cocoa scents did emit.

I am forever remarking that Ritter Sport chocolate on its own isn't the greatest and that it is normally the fillings that make so many of their bars great. Indeed the chocolate here again proved to be sound, yet unspectacular. The quite familiar milky and mild cocoa flavours were established early in the taste and were delivered nicely with a smooth, thick melt. Despite being portioned as generously as most Ritter fillings (35.0%) the Advocaat truffle filling unfortunately failed in establishing the level of incremental flavours I was hoping for. In comparison to other variants from the Ritter Sport range the cream based flavours of the filling tasted a little mellow and just failed to grab my taste buds with any meaningful flavours. In between the creamy flavours there were signs of the brandy coming through but on the whole it really failed to create much excitement. The culmination of the standard chocolate and uninspiring Advocaat truffle filling left me feeling quite unsatisfied.

Overall I am sure you will be able to tell by now that this was one of the poorer of the 30 Ritter Sport products I have tried. As I have said many a time Ritter Sport chocolate needs to be complimented well by the central flavour of the bar. When this is not the case as with this Advocaat Truffle bar the result is obviously never going to be an overly positive one. With most reviews you may have noticed that I can generally find at least a few clusters of people I can recommend the product to, unfortunately this just isn't the case with this one. This was far from being a poor tasting bar, but given the standard of the rest of the range you would be better off looking elsewhere.

6.8 out of 10

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May 1st: Marks & Spencer Chocolate Chip Shortbread

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

I know, I know this isn't the usual sort of review you get on Chocolate Mission, but having spent the majority of last year eating one of these for brekkie as I ran through M&S on my way to work I couldn't help but pick one up today to give it a review. As you will be able to see by the packaging these are freshly made in the M&S bakery, and are simply formed of shortbread biscuit with chocolate chips, dusted with a sprinkle of white sugar.

As I said above I used to commonly buy one of these before work in the morning for the rather small price of 59p. Anyone who has been into a M&S that has a bakery will know that they are one of those cheeky retailers that waft out the delicious smells from their ovens into the main store ... the shortbread piece I ate for this review smelt absolutely divine with a fresh biscuity aroma. Aesthetically it wasn't the most inspiring of products ever, but the chocolate chips were well dispersed, and the white sugar added interest. 

So how to describe the taste?? ... luxurious in nearly every sense would probably do it justice. The shortbread base was wonderfully balanced with both influences of a sweet and salty nature. The butter taste was predominant throughout, and substantiated a real moreishness to each bite. As mentioned the shortbread was of a good quality with the sweet brown sugar flavours nicely complimented by a touch of saltiness. The chocolate chips were nicely sized, and exerted just about the right amount of chocolaty influence on the biscuit. I really enjoyed the more milky flavours that the chocolate brought to the taste, but saying that I think dark chocolate chips could potentially bring something extra special. To be honest I did brush off a large degree of the white sugar dusting, as I thought the taste was already sweet enough ... it must be said though the sticking of the white sugar to the fingers did make it a bit of fun to eat. 

Overall this has to be one of my favourite products you can get from M&S. I keep saying that 'I am not the biggest biscuit fan' ... but I am beginning to disbelieve this myself given how much I love this shortbread. This is a product that combines a good quality biscuit with a wonderful chocolate influence. Next time your passing through M&S I insist you treat yourself to one of these. I promise you won't regret it!

8.7 out of 10  

April 30th: Mikado Milk Chocolate

Kcal 11 Fat 0.5g Fat(sats) 0.3g Carbs 1.5g (per 2.3g biscuit)

During the past week I have received over twenty requests for me to review this product so I have jumped it right to the front of the review queue. Over the past few weeks I have been lucky enough to try some of Glico's Pocky range from Japan and was surprised to find that Glico had released a product right on my very own doorstep in collaboration with Kraft Foods. These Mikado have actually been in my local Tesco for a good few months, though it was only recently that Kraft rolled out their promotional material in form of a rather hilarious advert (See HERE). Mikado is a pretty simple product and constitutes of 'thin biscuit sticks coated in milk chocolate', today I decided to see what all the fuss was about. 

I am aware that the bigger Mikado packs are actually available for 59p in Tescos at the moment, however when I got there they were all sold out and had to settle for a more expensive 39.0g pack from my local Co-Op. I immediately liked the clear and friendly aesthetics of the packaging and liked the way the central red circle and white background grounded the product in its Japanese heritage. Inside the box the sticks were kept within a foil package that not only seemed to maintain the sticks in fabulous condition, but also made sure that the sweet biscuity scents smelt exceedingly fresh and tempting.

The first thing I noticed about the sticks was that the milk chocolate actually looked a lot thicker that I thought it would be. As well as looking more tempting it also tasted a whole lot better than I expected and really delivered some fine creamy, cocoa flavours with its wonderfully smooth taste. The chocolate was not only stronger in flavour than I expected but also had a very pleasant thick silky feel as it melted from the biscuit. The chocolate was not the only element that I was resoundingly pleased with. The biscuit sticks were also surprisingly flavoursome with some honey and butter notes very evident within the dominant sweet wheaty flavours. My only criticism of this product is the fact that it was so ridiculously moreish that the 39.0g pack felt woefully inadequate. Indeed they are low in calories and a good option for those in need of a chocolate hit on a diet, however it is certainly not a snack that provides a great deal of fulfillment.

Overall I would say that Glico have produced a fabulous product here and it is little surprise that the Mikado brand is causing such a buzz. The product delivers a wonderful chocolate and biscuit combination with its own incredibly moreish nature providing its only real negative. If you have been unsure on whether to invest in some Pocky from Japan then I would recommend these as a good basis to judge whether the brand is for you. As you can probably ascertain from this review this was a product that I very much enjoyed and will definitely be buying again in the near future. If chocolate biscuits are your thing then there are no excuses for you not to try these.

8.3 out of 10