June 20th: Ritter Sport Apricot Brandy

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

I am getting pretty close to hitting the number forty mark with my Ritter Sport reviews - this brand seems to know innovation like no other. As you all probably are aware by now Ritter like to release new flavours all year round in line with the seasons and once again Dean-German-Grocery didn't fail in supplying me with their latest creation. Todays bar was released as part of their Fruhlings-sorte (spring collection) and came described as 'milk chocolate with an apricot liqueur truffle centre'. Maybe its just me but the words apricot brandy remind me of the cheap tasting liqueurs that you get in restaurants in Mediterranean countries after having a meal out.

The bar was an addition to the standard Ritter Sport range so it came in the usual 100.0g block. Presentation was again nicely done with the wrapper having a clean and clear cut set of pictures and fonts that detailed the contents of the bar well. The chocolate itself didn't have any remarkable aesthetic features about it and looked almost identical to others bars from the range. Although its looks didn't suggest this bar was anyting out of the ordinary its smell suggested otherwise. The chocolate had a variety of elements in its aroma and had different degrees of dairy, floral and fruity hints.

As in most milk chocolate Ritter Sport bars the outer coating did its job adequately of supplying a reasonably well flavoured sweet chocolaty base set of flavours to the taste. The melt was smooth and relatively thick and played nicely with the lighter and more liquid feeling truffle centre. Just as expected the truffle filling was indeed where the flavours mostly expressed themselves. Much like in the smell the floral, sweet fruity notes of the apricot where quite dominant and provided a reasonably pleasant experience. Just as the chocolate reached the pinnacle of its melt the liqueur factor came into play with the warming feel and malt flavours of the brandy kicking in strongly during the aftertaste. The integration of all these separate factors - chocolate, fruit and liqueur, made for quite a rich tasting chocolate and one that had to be eaten one block at a time for all the flavours to truly be savoured.

Overall my impressions on this bar were rather mixed. The taste was certainly packing the flavour strength but it wasn't all to my taste. I am not a big liqueur fan and I probably would have preferred this bar without the brandy as it really had a strong say in the aftertaste. Fans of liqueur flavoured chocolates will probably enjoy this bar a lot more than I did so on that basis I would probably recommend it to those people. Personally though having tried so many different variants from the Ritter range I can't say I will probably be having this one again - In my opinion there are far better options to choose from.

7.6 out of 10

Visit Dean-German-Grocery to find this product and many more German Foods & Groceries

June 19th: Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Tiramisu

Kcal 566 Fat 36.7g Fat(sats) 21.0g Carbs 52.1g (per 100.0g)

A few months ago I had the pleasure of reviewing the Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Creme Brulee bar all the way from New Zealand. As I enjoyed that bar so much Shopenzed sent over another flavour from the Desserts range in the form of this Tiramisu variant. As far as I am aware this bar is exclusive to New Zealand and it came described as Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate with a coffee flavoured creme centre.

Just as with the Creme Brulee I was lucky enough to be sent a gigantic 235.0g bar that as you can imagine took me a fair few days to eat. The outer packaging was well designed as it kept consistency with the 'Desserts' branding yet communicated the tiramisu flavour well. The chocolate itself look remarkably similar to the Creme Brulee bar with the blocks being the same mouthful size - the only difference came in the slightly darker colour of the inner creme. I couldn't quite decide whether I liked the smell of the bar - the aroma contained the usual diary scents of the chocolate but also had a rather odd smokey coffee smell.

With Dairy Milk bars unless something is drastically wrong you can always bank on the base milk chocolate always being of a high quality. This was again the case here with the Dairy Milk providing its standard creamy chocolaty flavours with its effortless thick smooth melt. Of course the tale of the taste was largely affected by the inner tiramisu creme and I will tell you now that it wasn't as good as it could have been. Much like the smell suggested the coffee flavours weren't quite right - rather than the desired fresh coffee bean flavour hit they cut more of a musky and artificial type coffee influence. The resulting taste was like a dull flavoured mocha and just didn't grab me as anything more than a mild coffee flavoured sugary fondant centre. It was by no means repulsive, though at the same time it didn't quite bring the tiramisu experience I was hoping for.

Overall I guess I was a little disappointed with this bar, however I think this was mostly down to the impeccably high standards I judge Cadbury bars on. The tiramisu filling at the end of the day was just a little average - it was passable with its meagre sweet coffee flavours but at the same time didn't deliver the variation or impetuous in its flavours that I wanted. The milk chocolate was of course of a good standard and to be fair packing all the flavours of tiramisu into a small filling was always going to be a huge challenge. I wouldn't whole heartily recommend this bar as I think there are better Cadbury products out there - possibly worth a try if you fancy it though.

7.6 out of 10

Visit Shopenzed for all your New Zealand & Aussie Chocolate & Candy needs

June 18th: Milka Amavel Mousse a la Birne-Mandel / l'Orange

The Milka Amavel range has consistently proven itself to be fantastic with scores often in the upper 8's and low 9's. In fact one of my favourite bars I tried this year was the Milka Amavel Mousse au Cappuccino, so when I was give the opportunity to try another two variants from the range I certainly wasn't going to turn Dean-German-Grocery down.

Both these Orange and Pear & Almond variants came in the standard 160.0g Amavel size and were both split into the rather awkward triangle shaped blocks. As well as the different flavoured fillings there was differentiation in the type of chocolate used. The Mousse a l'Orange was formed with Milka dark chocolate, whilst the Mousse a la Birne-Mandel used the more traditional Alpine Milk chocolate.

Once again both proved to be very worthwhile bars - here are my thoughts on each below:

Milka Amavel Mousse a la Birne-Mandel:

Kcal 555 Fat 35.0g Fat(sats) 19.5g Carbs 53.0g (per 100.0g)

I couldn't recall having tried a peach and almond combination before so I was looking forward to seeing what this one could offer. When I broke the block in half the inner filling could be seen to have a very pale and fluffy complexion. The aroma that revealed itself when the chocolate was split into was fruity though had a strong chocolaty base tone.

The overall taste wasn't quite what was promised though it was still was very tasty indeed. The outer Alpine Milk chocolate provided the standard sweet tasting creamy chocolate that it is known for. The transition of the smooth thick melting outer chocolate to the lighter fluffier inner mousse was as wonderful as ever and the development it brought on the flavours of the outer chocolate was also something to be hold. The pear flavours took a firm grasp of the taste when the mousse was encountered and provided a sweet, fruity context. I couldn't detect the almond anywhere in the taste, however there was a small hazelnut element brought to the experience by the outer Alpine Milk chocolate.

Overall like all good fruit flavoured chocolates this bar communicated the fruit influence well and had a fresh tasting influence. Despite the almond being somewhat absent from proceedings I wasn't left disappointed as the strength of the flavours was already pretty strong. If you like your pear fruit then this would be a chocolate you should seriously think of trying.

8.7 out of 10

Milka Amavel Mousse a l'Orange:
Kcal 565 Fat 39.5g Fat(sats) 22.5g Carbs 45.0g (per 100.0g)

As I have mentioned previously this bar was a little different to the rest of the Amavel range as it used dark chocolate rather than the standard Alpine Milk chocolate. The difference was exhibited clearly by the chocolate itself as the outer chocolate was a far darker colour to the milk chocolate filling. Despite the stronger chocolate the orange ingredient was by far the dominant aspect in the smell of the bar which gave it a very fresh feel.

I am a big fan of Milka Apline Milk chocolate but I thought that the outer dark chocolate worked just as well. The melt of the chocolate was equally as luxurious and maintained the same nicely paced smoothness when changing form. Much like the Birne-Mandel bar it was pleasant that the flavours of the filling did not come to the party until the mousse filling was encountered - this allowed for a nicely progressive taste. The cocoa flavours of the outer chocolate were notably amplified and didn't have quite the sweetness of the normal milk chocolate. This worked really well with the mousse as whilst the orange flavours were zesty and juicy, they were still rather sweet which meant that the balance of the taste was maintained by the dark chocolate.

Overall having tried both bars I couldn't pick a favourite out of the Birne-Mandel or this l'Orange as both provided wonderful fruity chocolate experiences. The decision to use dark chocolate rather than the sweet milk chocolate in this bar was a good one as I think using milk chocolate would have made the resulting taste a little on the sweet side. There are plenty of orange and chocolate combinations around but I would rate this one as good as any of them - another success from the Amavel range.

8.7 out of 10

Head to Dean-German-Grocery to find all your German Chocolate & Grocery needs

June 17th: Nestle Nuts

Kcal 243 Fat 12.3g Fat(sats) 3.1g Carbs 31.1g

This was yet another product supplied to me by Dean-German-Grocery and I believe that it is a bar that is available all over Europe apart from the UK ... which begs the question why the English name? When I read what this Nestle Nuts bar was formed of it immediately reminded me of the Topic bar that we have here in the UK. Comprised of milk chocolate, nougat, caramel and hazelnuts it sounded like it had a lot of potential.

Although this bar weighed only 1.0g more than the Topic bar at 50.0g it looked a lot larger. The wrapper was relatively plain, though I thought the simplicity with the yellow and red colours was actually rather nice looking. As you can see above the bar itself also looked very tempting when cross-sectioned with the hazelnut pieces appearing very well portioned along with the caramel. One thing that did slightly annoy me was the lack of nutritional information on the wrapper, which I have had to look up myself for you guys! Disregarding this slight annoyance the aroma of the product was suitably hazelnut led and certainly proved to be very enticing.

The milk chocolate that coated this bar was really your bog standard no frills Nestle stuff. I guess that sounds rather negative though to be honest it delivered the desired chocolate hit with its predominantly sweet, milky flavours and thickish melt. Sat below the milk chocolate the nougat and caramel combined to provide a very pleasurable combination of chewy, dense textures which made the taste last for a sustained time in the mouth. The flavours I got from both these elements were not particularly spectacular - the nougat especially struggled to create an impression with its flavours but thankfully the caramel made up for this with some butterscotch notes. The hazelnuts sat within the nougat were absolutely fantastic. They provided a fresh woody, nut element to the taste whilst also contributing a wonderful crunch element to the mainly soft, chewy texture.

Overall I would say that this bar provided a far more fulfilling experience than the Topic but didn't quite deliver the same amount of flavour. As a snack this bar was by far the more satisfying as the viscous textures made for a taste that was far longer sustained. Although the flavours were still majoritly nice I would say in comparison to the Topic the nougat and caramel were not quite as good, which ultimately meant I ranked it lower in terms of actual taste. For fans of the Topic bar I would recommend this as a product you should at least try to see which you prefer. This was yet another worthwhile treat served up by Dean-German-Grocery.

8.2 out of 10

Get all your German Candy & Grocery needs at Dean-German-Grocery

June 16th: Lindt Milk Chocolate Hazelnut-Gianduja

Kcal 590 Fat 42.0g Carbs 45.0g (per 100.0g)

A first glance this may just look like another milk chocolate and hazelnut combination but having tried this bar I can confirm that it was somewhat a little special. I got the chance to sample this bar thanks again to my friends at Dean-German-Grocery who kindly sent across a whole host of new Lindt bars that will be appearing on this site in the coming weeks. This 'Hazelnut-Gianduja' variant came described as milk chocolate with hazelnut, though a little research on Wiki revealed that 'Gianduja' is in fact a type of chocolate that contains hazelnut paste - this sounded right up my street.

This was another bar from the 'vollmilch feinshmelzend' (milk chocolate soft melt!?) range so it again came in a 100.0g size that was divided into ten well sized blocks. As well as the chocolate itself being nicely presented I liked the look of the outer wrapper as it communicated the hazelnut influence well whilst still maintaining a simplistic sophistication. The smell of the bar was predominantly cocoa led and had little influence from the nut element - this was somewhat surprising when put in the context of the taste.

Despite the chocolate only being a 30% recipe the strength of the flavours was certainly not lacking. The initial flavours were mostly cream based though as the chocolate heated in the mouth the cocoa and hazelnut elements came to the party. The hazelnut flavours were particularly strong and had a taste that was certainly akin to a good standard praline - it was sweet yet wonderfully nutty and the full on wooden flavours of the nuts lasted a long time in the mouth. Just as with the Lindt Milk Chocolate Creamy Caramel bar I reviewed the other week the melt of the chocolate was absolutely sublime. It had a silky soft ebbing melt that felt simply luxurious in the mouth - I guess a slight drawback from this was that the melt was extremely fast. Despite the longevity of each piece not being particularly long the strength of the flavours meant they left a lasting impression in the mouth and made for a deliciously rich chocolate.

Overall this was a bar that I loved from the very first piece and must admit I was rather disappointed when I finished the last one. As I said in the opening to this review it would be easy to just dismiss this as just another milk chocolate and hazelnut combination. In my opinion this would be a poor view to hold as the way the hazelnut was integrated into the chocolate made for a chocolate that was a strong tasting as it was wonderfully smooth in texture. Having to write so many reviews means that I rarely get to try products again after I have finished them - this however will definitely be one I will seek out again.

8.9 out of 10

June 15th: Lindt Fioretto Minis Limette / Cappuccino / Mousse au Chocolat

Dean-German-Grocery recently sent across another box full of German produced goods included in which were these new Lindt Fioretto chocolates. The Fioretto range looks to be pretty extensive and has a large number of different flavours aswell as sizes. Today I got the chance to try two of the variants from the 'Minis' range - Cappuccino and Limette, aswell as one from the standard sized collection - Mousse au Chocolat.

In regards to presentation I thought all three products were presented terrifically. The Mousse au Chocolat Fioretto came in a cardboard box that was decorated with a black and gold theme and included six large sized pieces. The Mini variants came in 115.0g bags that included around 8 pieces in each - again here I thought the choices of colours for the packaging were well executed and gave both products a welcoming yet stylish look.

I guess at this point in time it is worth mentioning that I didn't really have a preference to the bigger or small sized pieces. I thought that all three different chocolates looked wonderful and especially liked how each of them showed signs of distinct layering from their outer chocolate coating to inner fillings.

Below are my thoughts on the different chocolates:

Lint Fioretto Minis Limette:
Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

These came billed as a 'lime filling with a cocoa creme and white chocolate coating'. What with the mass rush of new product development hitting the fruit flavoured chocolate market it was little surprise to see a fruit based flavour in the range.

Contained within their light green wrappers these chocolates had a nice fruity milk smell as I unwrapped them. The initial flavours I got from these were mostly cream based and as I was to learn were rather relaxed in terms of their strength in comparison to the filling. As the piece melted softly in the mouth the rice cereal that lined the outer coating brought a pleasant contrast of textures to the melt. Sitting below the coating was a layer of cocoa creme that raised the strength of the flavours in the mouth with some nice cocoa influences. The real intensity of these chocolates though were delivered by the lime fillings. They had a jam like jelly texture and had a real sharpness in its flavours. The lime was at times just a little overpowering of the chocolate, though more often than not it brought a tasty fresh zestyness to the base chocolate taste. 

Overall these were nice chocolates when eaten a few at a time though I must say I wouldn't like to eat a full sized version of this flavour. The lime filling didn't hold back in its flavours - it was juicy and refreshing but sometimes just a little too tart and could have done with being a little sweeter. That said I think fans of white chocolate and lime would get a lot of pleasure from these.

8.5 out of 10

Lint Fioretto Minis Cappuccino:
Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

You guys won't need reminding of my love for chocolate and coffee combinations so you can probably guess that I liked the sound of these 'cappuccino flavoured praline centres with a milk chocolate coating'.

Although these had a nice hint of coffee in their aroma I must say they were a little reserved in this regard when compared to the other variants. I wasn't expecting anything less but it must be said that the milk chocolate was of a great quality. It provided a creamy cocoa background taste to each bite and melted with a terrific ease and softness in the mouth. Once again the rice cereal provided little in terms of flavour, however was a worthwhile addition due to the extra variation in brought to the textures. Just as with the Limette a cocoa creme lined the inner filling but it had a less of an effect on the taste due to the outer coating being of relatively the same strength. The inner cappuccino filling was relatively well executed though I would have liked to have seen more of an emphasis on the coffee flavours. The coffee element was certainly present but struggled to have a real impact as the softer truffle like centre also had relatively strong cocoa presence that just further elongated the flavours of the outer chocolate.

Overall these were decent coffee chocolate but were by no means my all time favourites. In hindsight I was probably looking for more of an espresso type coffee hit rather than the cappuccino one delivered here. People who enjoy quite mild flavoured coffee milk chocolates will like these very much.

8.0 out of 10

 

Lint Fioretto Mousse au Chocolat:
Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

I thought these sounded the most boring out of the selection but they actually turned out to be my favourites. As I have mentioned above these were bigger in size and were about twice as large as the other two Mini variants. 

These pieces were formed with an outer coating of dark chocolate and rice cereal which brought a pleasant barrage of cocoa flavours as soon as the chocolate entered my mouth. A wonderful dairy undertone made sure that the strong cocoa flavours never verged on being bitter and made sure that the intensity was always kept in check. As with the Minis sitting below the hard outer shell was a thin layer of cocoa creme that was slightly sweeter than the outer chocolate. My absolute favourite thing with these chocolates though was the inner mousse filling. It was light, smooth and melted in the mouth wonderfully. It had a creamier taste than the other chocolate layers which meant that it gave a delicious aftertaste that again helped balanced the stronger flavours of the outer dark chocolate. 

Overall it was the development of the taste that really made this Mousse au Chocolat variant stand out from the rest. Right from the off the outer dark chocolate established a high degree of flavour that was firmly cocoa rooted. As I made my way further and further into the centre of the chocolate the taste started to get creamier, whilst the textures became softer and softer - it was a frankly wonderful experience. Very worthy of 9.0 rating on ChocolateMission - very recommended.

9.0 out of 10

Head to Dean-German-Grocery to find Lindt Fioretto!

June 14th: 7Days of Chocolate Reviews - Edition 1

I have decided to shake things up a bit here on ChocolateMission. Replacing the normal review posted on Sundays will be a new weekly post called '7 days of Chocolate Reviews'. Today I bring you Edition 1 - I hope you enjoy it and welcome and feedback.

The Chocolate Mission Omnibus:

Here I will detail the most notable of the reviews I posted in the previous week.

The most discussed review this week was my look at Hannah's White Mice which gained the title as the 'worst product I have ever reviewed for ChocolateMission'. Despite several readers such as Alan, Lottie, Gemma finding them similarly awful, Emma was on hand to give her support. See Review HERE.

This week also featured another retro throwback with Burton's Wagon Wheels also receiving a well over due review - See HERE. I also finally got round to adding a 'About Me & FAQs page' - please feel free to take and gander and ask your questions HERE.

News from the Chocolate Market:

* The Wispa Gold is coming back - SEE HERE - this is really great news! No doubt I will review it ASAP.

* Thornton's have a new Safari Zoo Park Competition which will be rolled out on their 'Moments' range - SEE HERE

* Mars products are now certified as Kosher - SEE HERE

* Marketing Week ran an article looking at how Mars & Snickers have reduced the size of their bars but not their prices - SEE HERE

Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week:

* GiGi Reviews - Gi continued to make her way through NY's finest Black & White Cookies - SEE HERE

* Candy Blog - Cybele finished her look at the new Herhsey's Pieces range with her review on the Hershey's Special Dark Pieces - SEE HERE

* Chocablog - Dom posted an awesome (and timely) review of Paul A.Young's Choc D'Amour chocolates (the ones that Kate from the Apprentice devised) - See HERE

Question of the Week:

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post - why don't you let me know what you think by answering my first question of the week:

'What do you think of Edition 1 of 7 Days of Chocolate Reviews?'

June 13th: Lindt Tequila Sunrise

Kcal 491 Fat 27.0g Carbs 54.0g (per 100.0g)

It has all gone a bit Lindt crazy over the past week hasn't it!? Not that I am complaining! This Lindt Tequila Sunrise was another bar sent to me by Dean-German-Grocery. This product was another from Lindt's filled pod range and was formed of 'dark chocolate encased orange flavoured tequila creme fillings'. Although I am not the biggest tequila fan this was a bar that I was looking forward to, as it certainly sounded like nothing I had tried before.

Just as with the other filled pod bars this one came in a 100.0g serving and was split into 15 separate blocks. I thought the presentation of the product was yet again superb, with the packaging still maintaining a classy look despite the quite vivid orange colours. The bar itself also looked pretty appetising with the pod shapes providing interest along with the enticing look of the plentifully portioned creme fillings. The smell of the product was a little more reserved than I was expecting, though some fruity cocoa scents stirred my anticipation ever so slightly.

The packaging did not display the strength of the dark chocolate, though I would hazard a guess at it being no stronger than 50% cocoa. It was relatively reserved in its flavour strength, though this actually boded quite well and let the inner creme filling express itself fully. I was expecting quite a sharp tequila hit from the creme however I was glad to find it was actually less imposing. The alcohol kick was there but not overly dominant and worked well with the fruit elements. The fruit influences came in the form of the zesty well rounded flavours of the orange and the sharper, tangier bursts from the pomegranate juice. The tartness of both these combined was balanced wonderfully by the sweet nature of the creme, and made for what was a truly delicious and refreshing taste.

Overall this was a well executed favourite variant by Lindt and one that I would definitely try again in the future. I was half expecting the tequila element to spoil the balance of the flavours, but truth to be told it was actually quite reserved in its impact on the overall flavour. I would have perhaps have liked the dark chocolate to have had more of a say in the grand scheme of the taste, however its relaxed implementation here was fine as it let the real selling point of the bar, the fruity elements, establish a firm grip on the overall taste. If you like your orange and chocolate combinations I would very much recommend this bar - Lindt triumph once again.

8.5 out of 10

Find this bar and many more Lindt / Milka / Ritter Sport / German Groceries at Dean-German-Grocery.com

June 12th: Zotter Cheese, Walnuts & Grapes

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

When I first saw this bar I probably had a face that looked like it had been smacked by a kipper. Cheese, Walnuts & Grapes!?? What on earth was I in for here? This wasn't the first time I have doubted Zotter. My last foray with the brand was with their Bacon Bits offering - a bar that included pork scratchings in its truffle filling. Despite my pessimism it turned out to be pretty fantastic - still though I couldn't help but feel that a bar formed of milk chocolate filled with cream cheese, grapes and walnuts may just have been taking things just a little too far.

As with the rest of the Zotter bars I have reviewed so far this one also came in a 70.0g size. The presentation was once again first class with the outer packaging incorporating both a sleek artistic design and clear communication of the flavour theme. The chocolate bar look no different to the rest of the range with its long, flat rippled surface. Once cross-sectioned the inner filling had visible fruit and nut pieces which were very evident in the light coloured centre. Even before the bar was cut in to an enticing nutty cocoa smell became evident once the thick foil was undressed.

Due to my complete lack of confidence in the filling combination I was very tentative at the size of the first few slithers I cut off and ate. I am glad to confirm that as I ate more and more these rather thin pieces soon became much larger ones - before I knew it the bar was gone altogether. I have commented on the smoothness of the taste of other Zotter variants before and things were not different here. The outer chocolate had a wonderfully silky soft melt in the mouth that felt absolutely luxurious with its dominant milk based flavours. If I was to have one criticism of this bar it would be that once again the cocoa didn't have quite reach the strength in its flavours I desired. As a counter argument to that I guess a stronger chocolate may have detracted somewhat from the simply delicious flavours that I got from the centre. The cheese cream was absolutely delightful - it had a wonderful truffle like texture and had a slight yogurt tang amongst its cream based dairy taste. The sharpness of the cheese was offset nicely by the sugary fruit flavours of the raisins that added partial resistance and chewiness to the plethora of soft textures. My favourite part of this bar though had to be the walnuts and I savoured every bite where they were present. The nuts were crunchy and fresh flavoured with some wonderful buttery, straw based savoury influences. To my surprise this was a bar that I couldn't get enough of - the full 70.0g was finished in one sitting.

Overall I don't think I have ever reviewed a product that has changed my opinion so drastically prior to eating it. My preconceptions were that this simply couldn't work on any level - come on now cheese and chocolate!? I like to think my instincts are good but sometimes you just have hold to hold up your hands and say you are wrong - this is one of those instances for me. The combination of the cheese, walnuts, grapes (raisins!) and chocolate was simply delicious and each complimented the other to provide an overall fantastic taste. For some of you I doubt reading my words alone will be enough to convince you that this bar works. I seriously urge you to give this one a try though. If you are brave enough do let me know what you think!

8.6 out of 10

June 11th: Cadbury Moro Gold

Kcal 310 Fat 16.9g Fat(sats) 11.8g Carbs 35.6g

Thanks again to my friends at Shopenzed I today got to try another one of the Southern Hemisphere's exclusive Cadbury offerings. Described as a 'chocolate flavoured centre with biscuit pieces surrounded in caramel and covered in Dairy Milk chocolate' it sounded exactly like the Cadbury Boost bar that we get here in the UK. Due to the similarities I thought it best to compare the two and actually found there to be a number of differences.

One thing where the two bars were similar was in the size of the product, both weighing 60.0g and packing a mighty 310 calories each. I liked the wrapper of the Moro Gold - I thought it was simple yet effective with its use of the traditional purple coloured theme and yellow and gold fonts. In regards to the actual bar the Moro Gold looked smaller than the Boost as it appeared a lot thinner in its width. Although not looking as aesthetically imposing the bar did have a sweet chocolaty scent that smelt rather pleasant.

I noticed a few fundamental differences between the Boost and the Moro Gold and the first of them came in the outer chocolate that coated the bar. I have commented before that the Dairy Milk down under doesn't seem quite as creamy as the stuff we get here in the UK - this again appeared the case here though I think it probably wasn't helped by the thin nature in which it was implemented. Although the outer chocolate wasn't quite the standard of the Boost the inner filling was a different story altogether. I generally find the inner filling of the Boost a little too sugary in its flavours but things were a little different with the Moro Gold. The chocolate flavoured filling of the Moro Gold was very light in texture and had a very cream based milky taste. The biscuit pieces that sat within the filling were terrific and provided delightful bursts of sweet and salty shortbread like flavours when encountered. The caramel that sat between the chocolate coating and the filling was very well portioned and added some delightful butterscotch and honey flavour notes with its chewy texture. Despite being 60.0g the Moro Gold didn't feel anywhere near as substantial as the Boost as the lighter texture of the filling melted extremely fast.

Overall despite the Moro Gold being billed as an equivalent of the Boost there were actually a fair number of differences between the two. The Dairy Milk was again not on the same level in regards to the quality of our UK stuff but I must say that I far preferred the taste of the chocolate filling with the Moro Gold. The lighter texture and creamier taste of the filling allowed the biscuit pieces to come through more and just made for a taste that wasn't quite so reliant on sugar. I probably wouldn't frequent this bar due to the hideous amount of calories involved but as an occasional treat I wouldn't mind having this bar again.

8.1 out of 10

June 11th: Burton's Wagon Wheels

Kcal 158 Fat 5.7g Fat(sats) 3.2g Carbs 24.6g (per biscuit)

It almost seemed like fate last week when I bought a Wagon Wheel from my staff shop and received a request for a review later that afternoon - Weird huh!? I have fond memories of Burton's Wagon Wheels from my childhood, they were a common feature in my school lunch box and I remember them being one of the most valued items in the playground swapsies marketplace :) Before today I hadn't seen the brand for a good few years! Are they even still available in the supermarket multipacks? Described as a familiar marshmallow filling sandwiched between two biscuit pieces the only thing notable about todays proposition was the wording 'chocolate flavoured coating' ... oh dear!

I must say the Wagon Wheel I ate today looked slightly smaller than the ones I used to feast on as a child!? It would be nice to know the weight of the product down the years - todays weighed in at 36.0g and I thought it was a fair sized snack to compliment an afternoon cup of tea. As well as knowing the hostory of its weight it would be also nice to see the development of the packaging. I may be wrong but I remember Wagon Wheels coming in glossier, foil packets. I thought the wrapper that this product was presented in was just a little simplistic and lacked anything that drove home the message of the contents or created any sort of anticipation. In addition to the lacklustre presentation I was also not that enamoured by the extremely sweet smells that emanated from the product.

Despite not being impressed by the design work on the packet it was nice to see that the product looked little different from when I was a child. The circular biscuit pieces contained the marshmallow layer well and the chocolate coating was evenly dispersed. Unfortunately my worries regarding the 'chocolate flavoured' coating proved to be well founded though, and it tasted really quite dull. I am finding it hard to summon the words to describe its taste as it went no further then providing a simplistic waxy sugary coating to the biscuit pieces. I guess the important thing to take from this is that I didn't get the desired chocolate flavour hit from the coating whatsoever. Whilst I thought the coating was poor my perception of the biscuit and marshmallow layers were a lot more positive. The biscuit elements had a pleasant malty base taste and brought bursts of both sugar and salt flavours when chewed. Sitting at the middle of the biscuits was the marshmallow layer - it was by no means anything special with its sugary taste but I still enjoyed the slightly chewy mallow texture as it added a nice bit of variety.

Overall this product didn't quite deliver the nostalgia hit I was hoping for, yet at the same time certainly didn't indicate to me that it was a product best left in the past. At the heart of the product there are still some great things - the brand name and image is still in my opinion strong and could be reinvigorated with a rethink of the packaging and presentation. The product itself also still has legs - the combination of the biscuit and marshmallow is still a pretty good one and I think that if it was backed up by a real milk chocolate coating then I could see it being far better received in terms of taste. I personally won't be rushing back for another Wagon Wheel anytime soon but would be interested to hear what you guys think!

4.8 out of 10

June 10th: Whittaker's 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana

Kcal 564 Fat 37.3g Fat(sats) 23.8g Carbs 45.4g (per 100.0g)

Ever since I first announced that I had managed to build an alliance with Shopenzed in New Zealand I have been receiving e-mails requesting I review some of the Whittaker's range. Although we don't have Whittaker's here in the UK from what I can tell it is a very established brand in the Southern Hemisphere - according to the packaging they have been around since 1896 ... now that is a long time. Given their heritage and praise from ChocolateMission readers I was certainly looking forward to getting stuck into this 72% Cocoa Dark Ghana bar.

Being the kind souls that they are Shopenzed sent me across a quite huge 250.0g bar. Straight away I was drawn in by the look of the packaging. It had a retro looking gold theme that I thought encapsulated both style and diversity - it really gave the product a premium look. The beauty of this product didn't just stop at the wrapper; below that layer the chocolate was wonderfully maintained in a thick golden foil wrapper. The foil layer not only sealed in the fantastically fragrant cocoa smells, but also made sure that the blocks were unblemished and in tip-top condition.

The whole 250.0g took a while to get through even with some keen family members helping me along the way (how very kind of them eh!?). The bar itself was split into well sized blocks that were perfect for eating one at a time. Just as the strong cocoa scents indicated the flavours of the bar were certainly forthcoming - this wasn't a chocolate that needed any sort of warming up in the mouth before the true flavours were revealed. The initial part of the taste was elegant and smooth with the predominantly dairy based flavours ebbing and flowing with the smooth melt. As the melt of the chocolate progressed from its early stages the raw cocoa flavours started coming to life more and presented themselves delightfully providing a rich tasting chocolaty flavour hit. Despite the cocoa being really quite strong the taste never flirted with the possibility of becoming bitter. The taste experience was smooth throughout its progression and just simply delicious - I guess this must have been largelly down to the plentiful cocoa butter in the chocolate.

Overall this is up there with some of the best dark chocolates I have had. It didn't quite deliver on the same playing field as the Hotel Chocolat 85% but I have to say it wouldn't be far off if it just had a tad greater thickness in its melt and possibly just another dimension in its aftertaste (vanilla maybe!?). This was a bar that I was really disappointed to finish - to put it another way if someone told me that this was the only chocolate I could eat for the rest of my life I probably wouldn't be all that disappointed. Having tried so many dark chocolates over the last two years for one to really stand out it has to be something rather special. For me this stood out as a wonderful dark chocolate and is one that I would suggest you try for yourself if your a fan of this sector of the market.

9.0 out of 10

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June 9th: Harry & David Moose Munch Confection Dark Chocolate

Kcal 220 Fat 11.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 27.0g (per 42.0g serving)

Back in September/November I reviewed the Harry & David Moose Munch Bars, both of which are favourites of Liz's at *IShop4YouII*. Well after my positive reviews of the bars Liz was kind enough to send me this fantastic product in my latest package. The Harry & David Moose Munch Confection Dark Chocolate consisted of caramel coated popcorn and whole nuts pieces. Additionally some of these pieces were coated in Harry & David dark chocolate ... it sounded fantastic to me!

Liz sent me a 127.0g box that as I will unwittingly explain lasted me all of 20 minutes (for shame!!). The product was well presented and came in a smart looking cardboard box that incorporated the usual Harry & David type branding and fun illustratives. I liked the fact the box had a cut out window so the product could be visually seen. The confection mix not only looked appetising, but also smelt fantastic too. I was greeted with a vast array of sweet toffee and nut aromas as soon as I opened the plastic packet.

One would assume that since the product came in such a large box it was meant for sharing. As mentioned though I managed to eat my way through the entire lot in 20 minutes ... it was just so ridiculously moreish. Every single piece within the mix was coated in a simply delightful caramel coating - it wasn't like the cheap tasting sugar coated popcorn you can get - but more sophisticated in its buttery, sweet toffee like flavours. In and amongst the popcorn were some delicious tasting pecan and cashew nuts that were simply bursting with fresh salty nutty flavours. What made the mix truly excellent though were the dark chocolate covered pieces. The unsweetened cocoa added an extra degree of interest with the salt of the nuts and sweetness of the caramel providing spot on contrasts. The only major error I could find with this product was the lack of fulfilment it provided me - 660 odd calories later and I was still wanting more!

Overall as you will have gathered from this review this was a product that I simply couldn't get enough of. I found the mixture of the popcorn, caramel, nuts and dark chocolate simply superb ... it was a truly fantastic snacking product. I wouldn't necessarily recommend these as a product to eat by yourself, though for snacking occasions with friends I honestly can't think of many other products that would do you any better. If popcorn is your thing, these are a must try!

8.0 out of 10

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