June 26th: Lindt Vollmilch Feinschmelzend Vollmilch

Kcal 572 Fat 39.0g Carbs 49.0g (per 100.0g)

What with the all the different flavour variants available in the European market nowadays, it isn't all that often I get the chance to review a simple milk chocolate bar. Courtesy of Dean-German-Grocery today I had a rare oppertunity to do just that and chanced my luck with the final variant in the Lindt Vollmilch Feinschmelzend range (soft melting milk chocolate) with this aptly named Vollmilch bar. Just in case you were wondering the title of this review contained no typo - it is really called Lindt Milk Chocolate Soft Melting Milk Chocolate.

Just like the other variants in the Feinschmelzend product range this bar came in a 100.0g size that was split into 5x2 blocks. The soft melting nature of the product was well communicated through the liquid chocolate illustration, whilst the nice looking branded blocks maintained a pristine condition kept within a silver foil layer. Most notably the chocolate smelt wonderful - it had a predominantly led cocoa set of scents though I could also detects hints of sweet honey and toffee.

Although I admired the smell of the bar for a while it wasn't long before I tucked in. Just as expected the texture of the bar was amazingly soft and melted like an absolute dream in the mouth. It was smooth, silky and had a luxurious feel as it slipped down the throat with ease. My only gripe with this was that the melt was all over too quickly and wasn't really one that I was able to enjoy for the desired length of time. The flavours were unsurprising yet delicious. The 30% recipe had a stronger cocoa flavour hit than expected, though these flavours were only really present towards the end of the taste. The initial flavours were slightly weaker with the dairy milk elements very much coming to the fore of the taste. The aftertaste of the chocolate had a special sweetness to it, with the end taste noted with a pleasant vanilla influence. Despite consuming this bar rather quickly a 50.0g serving left me feeling relatively fulfilled.

Overall I wouldn't rate this bar quite as highly as the Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy but it was still a tasty milk chocolate. The main problem for me with this bar was the short duration of time that each block lasted in the mouth. If anything it sort of felt like the chocolate was rushed in releasing its flavours and would have been better off forgetting the soft melting texture and letting me savour the taste a while longer. I wouldn't say this is a must try milk chocolate but if you come across it you would hardly be doing wrong giving it a whirl.

8.2 out of 10

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June 25th: Ritter Sport Ramazzotti

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

My relentless progress through Ritter Sport's seemingly never ending product range continued today with me trying the Ritter Sport Ramazotti. Although Dean-German-Grocery recently sent me Ritter's new summer variants (See HERE), this bar was actually part of their Spring collection as was indicated on the wrapper. Before I had seen this bar I had never actually heard of Ramazzotti - a little bit of research revealed that it was a tonic liqueur that is normally enjoyed as an aperitif or an after dinner drink (more HERE).

As you can see above the product came in the usual 100.0g Ritter form. I thought the packaging was well executed with the red and white colour theme making the wrapper stand out nicely along with the added illustrations. Although the chocolate itself looked very similar to other bars in the Ritter range, the smell of the product really made it stand out as it emanated a strong mix of liqueur and boozy scents once opened.

To be honest I really did not enjoy the first couple of blocks I had of this chocolate. As with 90% of Ritter bars the chocolate took a back seat to the additional filling and this unfortunately wasn't a good thing. The Ramazzotti took a really firm grasp on the taste from the outset and frankly tasted like the cheap bottle of booze kept at the back of most families liqueur cabinets. The mild and creamy cocoa flavours soon paled in comparison to the herby, slightly bitter alcohol flavours of the softer centre. As I ate the bar I must admit that my taste buds adapted to the harshness of the filling and it certainly became more bearable. The later pieces I had did seem to bringe pleasant elements of orange fruit and notes of honey to the party but I still wasn't left feeling like I wanted to eat more.

Overall this bar was far from being one of the best Ritter Sport flavours I have tried. Although I did become more accustom the taste of the Ramazzotti I never got to the point of actually thoroughly enjoying the chocolate. This is another one of those Ritter bars that I think you can either love or hate - if your a regular drinker of Ramazzotti chances are that you will really quite like this bar as the milk chocolate allows the flavours to be expressed well and makes for a lovely smooth melting texture. This is probably a bar I would neither have again or recommend, though if your a fan of the drink it would great to hear your views on it.

6.7 out of 10

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June 24th: Kit Kat Caramel Chunky

Kcal 327 Fat 16.7g Fat(sats) 10.8g Carbs 39.8g

Shopenzed have sent me some fantastic things from New Zealand and Australia but this product without question has been the best. For some reason unknown to man Nestle have decided not to include a caramel variant in their Kit Kat Chunky range over here in the UK. Apart from a slightly dodgy Hershey version available in America, the only place that you can currently get a Kit Kat Chunky Caramel is in the Southern Hemisphere - boy are we missing out!

Like the rest of the Kit Kat Chunky range down under this bar came in a pretty huge 65.0g size and came described as 'crunchy wafer with a caramel layer coated in milk chocolate'. I thought the packaging looked rather good with a golden gooey caramel like background covering the usual symbolic red and white Kit Kat colours. The bar itself didn't fail to look magnificent either - the caramel layer was very visual above the thick wafer and just like the packaging had a wonderful golden complexion. As if the caramel lingering out the bar wasn't enough to entice the smell of the product certainly tempted me even more. The cocoa and biscuit scents were further built upon by the terrific sweet scents of the caramel - this was going to be one to savour.

Nestle milk chocolate has come in for quite a bashing on this blog recently but it did a more than adequate job in providing the chocolate hit for this bar. Unlike the plain milk chocolate Nestle bar I had last month the melt of the chocolate was smooth and had less of a sugar intensive taste. The flavours were predominantly milk though the cocoa flavours were enhanced by the thin layers of cocoa creme that sat between the malty tasting wafers. Whilst the wafers provided a delicious crunch to the textures the real star of the show was the caramel. Surprisingly the caramel was simply superb on all levels and had a stunning sweet butterscotch and toffee influence on the taste. It was smooth yet a little chewy and the flavours lingered in the mouth so the taste could be fully savoured. This was one of those bars that I just had to eat all in one sitting, I literally couldn't get enough of it.

Overall this is without a doubt the finest variant in the Kit Kat Chunky range and it pains me that we don't get it here in the UK. The combination of the creamy milk chocolate, biscuit like wafer and sweet flavours of the caramel combined for a taste that was as delicious as it was moreish. The large size of the bar doesn't fail in satisfying even the greatest of hunger pangs and it does so without ever getting close to being sickly or monotonous in its flavours. If I had the choice this would probably be a bar that I would frequent often if it was widely available to me. If your a fan of the Kit Kat Chunky range I seriously suggest you get your hands on one of these.

9.2 out of 10

June 23rd: Milka Alpenzauber

Kcal 555 Fat 33.5g Fat(sats) 18.5g Carbs 55.0g (per 100.0g)

There is no denying that fruit flavoured yogurt bars have dominated the European market of chocolate innovation this summer. Over the past few weeks thanks to Dean-German-Grocery I have had the opportunity to cast my eye over several new products from Lindt, Ritter Sport and of course Milka. The Milka brand again came under the microscope today as I went about trying the Milka Alpenzauber bar. This product came billed as 'Alpine Milk Chocolate with a lime yogurt filling and popping candy' .... yes you read that correctly the dreaded popping candy!

This bar is one of the newest additions to the standard Milka range and came in the usual 100.0g serving size. The outer wrapping incorporated the usual purple Milka colour scheme as well as including some lime fruit pictures to communicate the flavour. The chocolate itself look rather pleasant as well with the pale yogurt filling appearing plentiful wedged between the chocolate. I have to admit I didn't stand around looking at the bar all that long as the wonderful aromas of zesty lime smelt absolutely gorgeous - I simply had to tuck in.

This bar was really a story of two different factors and these were the taste and the texture. Flavourwise the product was simply first class. The outer Alpine Milk did its usual sterling job of providing a cream based tasting sweet chocolate that maintained its delightful hazelnut note. The inner yogurt filling also tasted superb - it had tangy milky yogurt base flavours from which the citrus lime flavours built upon nicely to provide a flavoursome, fresh taste. Despite thoroughly enjoying the taste the experience for me was somewhat ruined by the blasted popping candy. I wish Milka would really stop putting this stuff in there bars as it gave the usual benign crackling feeling at the back of my throat. To be honest I thought it was hugely disappointing as the popping candy not only managed to ruin the textures but also my enjoyment of the product on the whole.

Overall this was a frustrating product for me as I truly enjoyed the taste but felt the whole product was ruined by the inclusion of the popping candy. As a milk chocolate lime yogurt bar this Milka offering ticks all the boxes - why on earth they thought they had to include the popping candy at all is completely beyond me. I guess this is a case of personal taste - maybe some of you guys actually like the stuff!? For me though, despite thoroughly enjoying some aspects of this bar it probably won't be one I will have again. I swear if I ever come across popping candy again it will be to soon!

7.8 out of 10

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June 22nd: Thorntons Milk Chocolate with Strawberry

Kcal 536 Fat 32.7g Fat(sats) 19.7g Carbs 53.5g (per 100.0g)

What with Wimbledon kicking off today I thought it rather fitting that we start the week with a strawberry based chocolate. As I mentioned yesterday in the '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' news section, Thorntons have just released a new line of bars to add to their already quite expansive 'blocks range'. Included in this new selection was this Milk Chocolate with Strawberry variant which was formed of '32% milk chocolate with dried strawberry pieces'.

One of the first things I noticed about the new bars I received from Thorntons was that some of them didn't conform to the usual 90.0g size that I have mostly commonly seen across the range. This bar for instance only weighed 80.0g, I guess this was down to the nature of the light yet largish dried strawberries. In regards to presentation I was all round pretty impressed. Again I thought that the outer packaging could have done with a little jazzing up, however I did like the look of the chocolate which had distinct red berry pieces dispersed evenly throughout. The only thing that tempted me more than the look of the chocolate was the smell. A divine plethora of sweet fruit and milk really set the mood for the taste and provided a nice insight to the chocolate at hand.

An all too common downfall when mixing milk chocolate and strawberry is that it is often a little on the sweet side. Indeed having survived a few throat burning over sweetened strawberry chocolates in my time I was hoping that Thorntons would get the balance right here. One thing that you can often be assured of with Thorntons is that generally their base chocolates are pretty good. The milk chocolate here was exactly that and had a very smooth melt with an eccentric set of flavours. A constant cream flavoured undertone lined the soft cocoa taste though there were intermittent acidic tones that were doused well by small notes of honey. The constant development of the taste of the milk chocolate was only to be outdone by the dried strawberries which brought some tangy berry flavours to most bites. Although the strawberry flavours were on the whole very short lived their acidic nature meant they left a lasting impression in the mouth. As noted already the fruit pieces were evenly distributed throughout the entire block with most chunks at least having one strawberry piece - personally I regarded this as quite important as it made the experience consistent. Although I admittedly would have happily eaten more the 40.0g servings I ate this in were both pretty satisfying.

Overall the area of milk chocolate and strawberries is often a haphazard one but Thorntons can be very proud of their efforts here. The milk chocolate was of a great standard with a really clean cut and variable taste. The dried freeze strawberries were a little unsubstantial though their tasty red berry flavour credentials were definitely up there as one of the better fruit implementations in chocolate I have tried over the last few months. As far as summer chocolates go I would recommend this one highly - it provided a fresh, light tasting fruity chocolate in what I found to be a pretty satisfying manner. I have had my ups and downs with Thorntons but I am pleased to say this was an obvious high and certainly worth tucking into the Wimbledon hamper along with the champagne!

8.5 out of 10

June 21st: 7Days of Chocolate Reviews - Edition 2

Welcome to Edition numero 2 of the new 7Days of Chocolate Reviews - again if you have any feedback on the structure or content just drop me a comment:

The Chocolate Mission Omnibus:

The week started off with me taking a look at a few of Lindt's new summer products. First I got stuck into a few variants from the Fioretto range, then on Tuesday a bar from the new 'soft melting' product line the Hazelnut Gianduja. Feedback on both products were resoundingly positive though the folks at Hotel Chocolat may wish to note there were demands made by Gemma & Lottie to bring back their own Gianduja squares.

Another review of great interest this week was the Cadbury Dairy Milk Desserts Triamisu. No one seemed overly impressed with this Cadbury effort however Heidi & Susanne suggested I get myself involved with a brand named Schgotten who they proclaim offer a better chocolate and coffee combination ... I will have to see about that now :)

Lastly I got my behind around to sorting out a Facebook page for ChocolateMission! Be sure to add me :D :D Please do so by clicking HERE ... or if your more a Twitter person .. add me by clicking HERE

News from the Chocolate Market:

* ChocolateMission reader Alan popped up with a few newsworthy items this week...

The first was an article that announced the discontinuation of Toffos (see HERE).

He also spotted some old school TV advertising currently being ran for Milky Way See HERE.

* Thorntons have released some new award winning bars - Venezuelna Milk, Dominican Dark with Salted Caramelised Macadamia & Venezuela Milk with Tonka Beans (See HERE) ... Thorntons were so excited they decided to send me these bars along with a few new limited editions ... reviews will start appearing very soon!

* Cadbury announced some strong financials despite the credit crunch (See HERE)

Have I missed some big news?? Why not tell everyone about it by leaving a comment!

Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week:

* GiGi Reviews - I was astounded to see that the US has only just realised the potential of honey coated corn flakes!! See HERE

* Japanese Snack Reviews - Japanese Kit Kats rock my socks! This is one I would love to try - Ramune flavour! See HERE

* Candy Pirate - Not so much a post but a restock! These guys have just sent me a whole new batch of samples - included in which are the new M&M's Transformers and different flavoured Taste of Nature Cookie Dough bites! Be sure to check them out HERE

* Candyblog - Not a week goes by without Cybele writing a post that leaves drool on my keyboard! Take a look at here review of the new Snickers Nougabot (Transformers themed!) See HERE

Question of the Week:

'If you could bring back one discontinued chocolate product what would it be?'

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

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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

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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

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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

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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