July 13th: Zentis Belnuga

Kcal 307 Fat 18.7g Fat(sats) 5.2g Carbs 30.0g

A little over a week ago I took my first look at the Zentis range and was pleasantly surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. I have not made my disliking of marzipan a secret on this site - aside from the Niederegger brand I generally find it far too sweet and on the dry side. Well as just mentioned last weeks Zentis Belmanda broke this cycle and in my estimation came pretty close to Niederegger. Given that success I was very much looking forward to trying todays offering from the Zentis brand - the 'Belnuga'. This bar was pretty much the same proposition as the Belmanda but had an additional hazelnut nougat layer running through the centre of the almond marzipan ... this was going to be interesting.

Just like the Belmanda this Belnugat bar came in a very fulfilling 60.0g size. The wrapper was also very similar, incorporating the same style of fonts and design but just with a bronze coloured background. The bar itself looked particularly intriguing - the darker hazelnut nougat contrasted well with the lighter marzipan whilst the outer chocolate had a very smooth and unblemished surface. The aesthetic prestige of the product was certainly not let down by the delightful mixture of nutty smells that were released from the foil packet. They smelt as fresh as they did tempting so I didn't hang around before getting stuck in.

I thought one of the greatest features of the Belmanda was the quality of the outer chocolate - this is a department where Niederegger suffer quite badly. The milk chocolate implemented here was superb and had a delightful smooth, thick melt that the unruffled surface suggested. The cocoa flavours were relatively strong but were more playing robin to the batman cream and milk flavours. The marzipan below seemed just a touch moister than in the Belmanda and this was obviously due to the hazelnut nougat that lined the centre. The marzipan was stilling lacking the bready, dough flavours of Niederegger though brought some magnificent sweet almond influences to the party. The hazelnut nougat came into play during the latter stages of the melt and delivered not only a nice bit of lubrication to the marzipan but also some fine extra nut and cocoa flavour bursts. The texture wasn't silky smooth and had a bit of grit to it but I preferred this as a soft truffle filling would most likely have got lost in the denser marzipan. The extra hazelnut and chocolaty influences brought to the aftertaste were very welcome and ended each bite with just a little bit extra interest.

Overall this bar has ended Niederegger's dominance of marzipan and has proved that other manufactures can get it as equally as right. What I especially loved about this bar was the progression of the different flavours influences in the taste. From the creamy chocolate, to the sweet almond to lastly the chocolaty hazelnut paste it was delicious on so many different levels. At 60.0g a bar this would cure any hunger pang known to man - its rich yet ridiculously moreish and would certainly be a bar I would pick up again in the near future. If you enjoy your marzipan I urge you to get hold of one of these bars - move over Niederegger you now have company!

8.8 out of 10

Head to Dean-German-Grocery for all your German Candy & Chocolate Needs

July 12th: 7Days of Chocolate Reviews - Edition 5

By now I think this post needs no introductions ...


The Chocolate Mission Omnibus:

My first review of the week was the simply fantastic Thorntons Milk Chocolate with Tonka Bean bar which I concluded was one of the best milk chocolates I have had all year. A number of readers agreed that this bar was worthy of its 9.0 score, so I suggest if you are yet to try it you get involved with Thorntons' award winning Tonka Bean special.

Monday was the also the day I received a welcome heads up from ChocolateMission reader Phil who found an article from The Grocer magazine saying that Nestle were bringing out a new Kit Kat Caramel bar. It only took a one day for Susanne to confirm that they were in fact already available in Sainsburys - so I headed on down there and posted my review yesterday - You can see that by clicking HERE. The limited feedback I have had so far from Mark, Susanne and Lottie suggests that I may have been a little generous with my scoring ... the more I think about it the more I think they could well be right.

The standard of the products reviewed this week was exceptionally high with the Cadbury Moro Gold Totally Nuts, Zotter's Bird's Eye Chilli and then Hotel Chocolat's Praline Fusion all hitting scores in the high 8.0s and even low 9.0's in the case of Hotel Chocolat.

Lets hope this weeks selection is equally as good!


News from the Chocolate Market:

* You can view the article that Phil posted earlier in the week that talks about the relaunch of the Wispa Gold and Nestle's launch of the Kit Kat Caramel - See HERE

* Divine the sneaky bastard fairtrade chocolate company have launched a few new bars - See HERE

* Mars are throwing £1m at the advertising of their chocolate milk shake range - See HERE

* Premier foods is launching a new Cadbury Fudge Cake Bites product to its range - See HERE

* Cadbury are launching a new product for the upcoming Xmas market ... bit early don't you think? See HERE

... Have I missed anything? Please share!


Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week:

* Chocablog - Dom is running a new competition - get your entry in to be in with a chance to win some Thorntons chocolate! See Here

* Foodstufffinds - Got to grips with some Jell-o that she found in Selfridges. I hear this 'pudding' stuff is pretty popular in America ... I might have to check it out for myself soon. See HERE

* GiGi Reviews - Tracked down the latest Oreo Limited Edition to be churned out by Nabisco ... in all fairness these look rather damn good! See HERE

* Impulsive Buy - Marvo tried out the latest Pepsi Limited Edition - Pepsi Shiso from Japan ... he wasn't all that impressed by the flavour but I still can't get over the toxic colour! See HERE

* CandyBlog - Cybele reviewed Mars' Galaxy Minstrels that we have here in the UK. She obviously thought a lot more of them than I did ... cracking review as normal though, I suggest you check it out! See HERE


Question of the Week:

'Do you eat less chocolate during the summer months? If so what do you snack on instead?'

July 11th: Kit Kat Caramel

Kcal 107 Fat 5.4g Fat(sats) 3.0g Carbs 13.2g (per bar)

At the start of the week ChocolateMission reader Phil shared an article from 'The Grocer' magazine that stated Nestle were bringing out a new 'Caramel' Kit Kat. Having just reviewed the simply fantastic Kit Kat Chunky Caramel all sorts of possibilities crossed our minds. Would it have a caramel layer? caramel chocolate ala Carramac? or would it be caramel flavoured chocolate. Well having tracked them down thanks to a tip-off from reader Susanne (Sainsburys!!!) I can confirm that to most peoples disappointment that they were described as 'caramel flavoured milk chocolate coated wafers'.

As you have probably worked out from the photo above these new Kit Kat Caramel came in a multi-pack that can be found in most supermarkets. Indeed I bought these in a 9x2 finger pack with each two finger serving weighing in at 20.8g. First impressions of the packaging were a little underwhelming. Aside from the yellow colour implemented on the wrappers the new flavour variant hardly had any whooplah attached to it and ultimately failed to raise any sort of excitement. Again if you look at the photos above you can see that the actual Kit Kats themselves looked no different whatsoever to standard milk chocolate Kit Kat. I wouldn't say this was necessarily a bad thing but it is not as if Nestle had gone out their way to really differentiate the product from anything else we have seen before. I am not saying that Nestle should have done anything overly elaborate as I still quite like the traditional Kit Kat design (hence the 8.0 score), that said it would have been nice to have a little shake up. Whereas the presentation failed to excite the smell certainly didn't. Upon opening the wrapper I was met with a pleasant barrage of toffee like scents that certainly gave promise for the taste.

Caramel flavoured milk chocolate wasn't top of anyones wish list when this product was first announced, however as Alan pointed out if it was anything near the standards of Hotel Chocolat caramel flavoured chocolate it could really be something to behold. Of course I never perceived the chocolate to ever be in the same league as the Hotel Chocolat equivalent but at the same time it was in some ways better (and worse) than I was expecting. Due to the mildness of standard Nestle milk chocolate it didn't take long for the caramel flavours to come through and at first they were really rather welcome. The toffee hints added nicely to the usual sweet dried milk flavours and seemed to bring something just a little bit more special to the flavours of the outer chocolate. Unfortunately though I thought that as the chocolate got later in its melt the taste became overly sweet and to the point where the sugary flavours dominated the malty, biscuit flavours of the wafer. The ferocity of the sugar in the taste not only took the wafer element out of the taste but also at times caused a mild burning sensation at the back of my throat. Before consuming one of the two fingers packets I was expecting to eat another packet after. This didn't actually happen though due to the burning feeling at the back of my throat and I decided against further adding to it by having another.

Overall I am a real fan of the standard Kit Kat and I have to say as a headline I didn't think this was as good. The added caramel had both its plus and minus points. As I have stated above it did bring an extra dimension to usual mild milk flavours of the chocolate with its sweet, buttery, toffee flavours. Unfortunately though the first word I used to describe it came a little over bearing and the sugary sweetness became all too much dominating not only the flavours of the wafer but also causing a slight discomfort at the back of my mouth. If your a fan of the Kit Kat range I am sure this is worth you trying, at the same time though I should warn that you shouldn't get all that excited about it.

7.8 out of 10

July 10th: Lotte Toppo Coffee Eclair

Kcal 232 Fat 13.6g Carbs 24.8g (per 1 packet - 42.0g)

'Did these actually have any form of chocolate in Jim?' Will inevitably be the first question that springs to mind when you guys first read the name of this product review. To be quite honest with you all I hadn't the foggiest idea as the packaging was of course all in Japanese - to be honest I didn't really care :) Never in a million years was I going to turn down the opportunity to try these Coffee Eclair flavoured Lotte Toppo when propositioned by J-List. Frequent readers of my blog will know that I am pretty willing to try any sort of confectionery that has the word coffee involved - needless to say as soon as I received these I didn't hang around and dug straight in.

Immediately from the outset I was impressed with this product. As already indicated I hadn't a clue what all the on package description said due to the obvious language barrier but anyway the pictures of the cakes that were featured did enough to seriously whet my appetite. Inside the wonderfully presented box there were two 42.0g foil packages that contained several stick pieces; all of which managed to remain unbroken despite the serious air miles that the product went through. The stick themselves looked a little plain until snapped, upon where a plentiful amount of dark beige coloured creme emerged. Up to this point I had really been taken in by the product and the temptation only increased when the quite frankly gorgeous smell of sweet coffee and pastry emerged from the foil packets when opened.

Up until this point everything seemed to be bang on the money - the proposition sounded great, the presentation was good and the smell was absolutely to die for ... there was only one thing left to do and I truly obliged. My first observation of the stick pieces was that they seemed to be far heftier than previously similar products I have reviewed i.e. Pocky. Indeed each stick did feel heavier in hand and ultimately did make for a more fulfilling snack - having finished marvelling at the weight of the thing I finally got stuck in. The first flavours that came to my taste buds were from the outer biscuit which had a quite mild buttery, shortbread like taste. On the whole the biscuit was pleasant but I think the taste could have been a little stronger especially thinking back to other products like Pocky which seemingly always manage to deliver a strong malty context to the taste. The story happened to be much the same for the coffee eclair flavoured filling. The smell suggested the coffee element would come through very strongly but when it came to the actual taste it was more reserved than I was expecting it to be. The filling was very cream rooted and seemed to just have a hint of coffee rather than a real flavour hit. Despite being slightly disappointed by the lack of impact by the coffee I still very much enjoyed the smooth milky taste and needed no second invitation munching away on one pack in a single sitting.

Overall I guess in a way it would have been more accurate to describe these as cappuccino flavoured as at the end of the day they delivered much the same experience. With cappuccinos I tend to find you get a deliciously milky moreish taste but never quite manage to get your entire coffee fix. As I have described above these on the whole were pretty tasty and I must say I did enjoy them. As far as coffee flavoured products go though I would say that if your looking for a strong coffee flavour hit you should approach these with caution. Conversely if your after a biscuit with a mild coffee creme these are a pretty perfect snack that I would very much recommend you get hold of. If your a fan of Pocky or Toppo I wouldn't necessarily say these are a must try variant, but at the same time would agree that they are very much worth sticking on your J-List wishlist.

8.0 out of 10

July 9th: Zotter Bird's Eye Chilli

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

Not so long ago I declared that 2008 was the year of chilli flavoured chocolate as I felt that it was really last year that this flavour combination went mainstream. Since then I have covered several manufactures attempts ranging from the simply fantastic Lindt Excellence Chilli to the not so good Milka Fever bar. Today I got my chance to try Zotter's Bird's Eye Chilli - a bar that was billed as 'Noble bitter chocolate filled with chilli cream'. Given the high quality competition I was a little anxious to see how Zotter would do; my recent successes from the rest of their range did give me a little confidence.

This was another standard Zotter bar and came in the usual 70.0g size. The presentation was as ever pretty spot on with the paper wrapper sporting an arty sophisticated look and the thick golden foil wrapper ensuring a pleasant, fresh and unblemished look to the surface of the chocolate. One thing you can always bank on with Zotter products is that you will be treated to some fantastic smells as the foil packaging is unravelled. A mixture of rich smelling chocolaty scents and hints of spice filled me with anticipation - suffice to say it didn't take me long getting stuck into this one.

I haven't had many criticisms of Zotter thus far but I have mentioned a few times that their chocolate hasn't always been as strong in its flavours that I would have like. In previous bars this was never much of an issue as they were generally more about the featured fillings. Things got turned on their heads a little today though as the chilli element was more of a filling enhancer in contrast to the other nougat based fillings which made up the entirety of the filling itself. This of course meant that this bar needed the dark chocolate to deliver - thankfully it did. The cocoa flavours were strong and smooth from the outset and did a fantastic job of creating a wonderful richness with a creamy yet unsweetened taste. The bar had two distinct layers - the outer crisp dark chocolate and the smoother yet still quite firm truffle like centre. Although softer in texture it was the filling that packed the chilli punch. Containing only 0.18% chilli I was initially doubting how much of a say the chilli could have in the taste. My doubt was soon put to bed when my first bite revealed that the chilli element certainly wasn't held back ... boy was it hot. The chilli not only generated a warmth in the mouth but also some very distinct peppery flavours - as a lover of hot food I really enjoyed it and couldn't help but wolf down the whole bar in a single sitting.

Overall this has to be another two thumbs up for Zotter. I don't wish to curse myself but I am yet to try a bad product from the brand and todays bar provided further evidence that when it comes to adding flavours to chocolates these guys know what they are doing. The 70% dark chocolate was of a very good standard and the chilli element was really brought to life with its implementation in the filling. I am not going to kid anyone - this bar may be way too spicy for some - it really does have a devilish kick to it. For that reason my recommendation of this bar comes with an element of caution. If you don't like spicy food stay well away ... if you do ... tuck right in!

8.6 out of 10

July 8th: Hotel Chocolat Praline Fusion

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

If your a keen ChocolateMission reader you will be aware that the Hotel Chocolat Praline White sits among my favourite bars of all time and currently occupies third place in the overall ChocolateMission rankings. Given the prestige of that slab I certainly was needing no encouragement from the Hotel Chocolat team when they suggested I try another similar product from their Mini-Slabs range the Hotel Chocolat Praline Fusion. This chocolate was formed of milk chocolate hazelnut praline swirled with white chocolate hazelnut praline ... yep this certainly took my fancy.

Some of the previous Mini-Slabs I tried before came in the form of two 62.5g slabs (125.0g) but these came in 50.0g servings (100.0g). As ever I could not fault the presentation of the product and I even noticed a few improvements from some of the previously reviewed Mini-Slabs with the old style inner plastic packet replaced with a more decadent foil patterned sleeve. The exterior cardboard box looked as sophisticated as ever though I perhaps wouldn't have chosen the yellow colour out of choice. The slabs looked quite frankly wonderful. Although I didn't capture it in the pictures above the other sides of the slabs showed off the lovely swirl pattern of the two toned chocolates which looked incredible. After opening the foil packet I was literally salivating at the prospect of what lay inside - the nutty smells were amazingly tempting.

I am already running out of superlatives and I haven't even got to the taste ... lets start off with the quick headline that 'this chocolate was bloody delicious'. I started off by eating away at the familiar white chocolate praline end and was quickly reminded of the splendor that was the previously reviewed Praline White slab. It was ridiculously creamy with just the finest of woody, nut flavours that lasted in the mouth for what seemed like an age. The milk chocolate praline was a little stronger flavoured though equally as finely balanced as the white chocolate end. The cocoa was more pronounced in the taste though still had a strong milk undertone that provided a fantastic smoothness throughout. In both chocolates the hazelnut flavours were amazingly distinct and seemed to seamlessly combine with both of the different chocolate types. Where the taste was awesome the texture was equally as so. It was unlike your standard chocolate and had more of a softer Gianduja type texture. It melted insanely smoothly in the mouth, though had the slightest chewiness to it which meant that it didn't disintegrate straight away when placed in the mouth. The soft thick melt meant the wonderfully fresh hazelnut flavours could be savoured and lingered long in the mouth after the chocolate had melted away.

Overall I have to say this was undoubtedly one of the finest chocolates I have ever eaten and is one that I would happily eat everyday if given half a chance. Why has it got an ever so slightly lower rating than the Praline White!? Well having thought about it I did marginally (very very marginally!) prefer the white chocolate end to the milk chocolate end, however I must stress this was the smallest of preferences. The texture was luxurious and how Hotel Chocolat quite made the taste so balanced between cream and hazelnut I don't know. If your a praline fan there is simply no excuse to not trying this bar - you owe it to yourself more than anything to experience such a fabulous chocolate. This Praline Fusion slabs gets two thumbs up from me ... if I had ten thumbs I would give it ten thumbs up - highly recommended!

9.2 out of 10

July 7th: Cadbury Moro Gold Totally Nuts

Kcal 325 Fat 19.6g Fat(sats) 10.1g Carbs 31.4g

Almost a year ago to the day I posted my review of the Cadbury Boost Totally Nuts bar from Australia. Just a few weeks ago Shopenzed sent me a selection of bars from New Zealand - included in which was this Cadbury Moro Gold Totally Nuts. At first I pondered whether there was a point doing a new review as frankly it seemed like pretty much the same product as the aforementioned - it even came described the same - 'a chocolate flavoured centre packed full of peanuts surrounded in caramel, all covered in Cadbury Dary Milk chocolate'. Closer inspection of the wrapper however did indicate there were some very minor differences in the portioning of the nuts and the caramel so I thought 'why not!?'.

The bar came presented pretty much the same as the Boost Totally Nuts and came in an extremely substantial 60.0g form. The packaging also looked none to dissimilar, with the Moro branding pretty much just replacing the Boost branding. When I cross-sectioned the bar I compared it to the cross-section of the Boost:TN and could clearly see that the nut pieces were not as small, whilst the caremel seemed just a little more plentiful. Despite appearing aesthetically a little different the smell was very familiar with the sweet caramel scents proving very enticing amongst the strong nut aromas.

In regards to the taste test I first ate this bar and then read back over my previous review of the Boost:TN to see if I perceived any differences. On reflection I did notice some very subtle differences but they didn't really alter my perception of the bar that much. The outer Dairy Milk offered the same taste experience as with any other Southern Hemisphere Dairy Milk product - it was less creamy than our UK stuff but still provided an enjoyable chocolaty flavour hit to each and every bite. One of the small variances I did notice came in the implementation of the nuts. The peanuts seemed to be less present in terms of number but were whole nuts instead of broken up pieces. This had a slight impact of the taste as it meant that the nutty flavours were not released until properly crunched and chewed. This allowed the caramel to have a greater say in the overall taste as it was very much the prominent element in between the melt of the outer chocolate and the chewing of the nuts. Although noticeable it was such a minor thing that I never formed an opinion of preference or otherwise. I was frankly to busy enjoying it and the progressive nature of the taste from the chocolate to the caramel and finally the peanuts I thought was just simply magnificent. I ate this bar straight from the fridge which added a little more resistance to the chocolate centre and just a touch of chewiness to the caramel. It took a long time to eat which meant it was both savoured and satisfying - fantastic.

Overall the differences between this Moro Gold Totally Nuts and Boost Totally Nuts were so minimal that only a saddo like myself would be able to notice :) To be honest though I am pretty glad that I have been able to do this comparison as it meant I got to eat another of this simply delicious chocolate bar. Whether you prefer your nuts whole or broken into smaller bits I think you would enjoy this bar either way. The chocolate is of a good standard, the caramel is sweet and buttery and the nuts provide a roasted saltiness that compliments the other sweet elements wonderfully. Whether you come across the Boost Totally Nuts or a Moro Gold Totally Nuts I suggest you just do yourself a favour and indulge in one - mass confections are rarely this good.

8.8 out of 10

July 6th: Thorntons Milk Chocolate with Tonka Bean

Kcal 577 Fat 39.1g Fat(Sats) 23.7g Carbs 48.1g (per 100.0g)

A few weeks ago I was invited to the Academy of Chocolate awards in London but was unfortunately not able to attend due to it coinciding with my Univeristy Finals .... DOH (Dom from Chocablog still went See HERE)! Despite being majorly disappointed I have still been able to indulge in some of the splendours thanks to Thorntons who sent me some of their award winning bars. One of their award winning bunch just so happened to be this 38% Venezulea Milk Chocolate with Tonka Bean which won a silver award in the milk chocolate category. My aim today was to establish whether it was really worthy of this recognition?

As you will have seen from the picture above this bar was another from the Thorntons Blocks range, though it did come in a noticeabley smaller 70.0g size (normally 90.0g!). I don't know why this was, but one would assume that it was down to more expensive ingredients used in this bar. Despite the smaller size chocolate the bar came in the same sized box and was contained within a nicer looking foil packet rather than the plastic one that is usually used for the Blocks product line. Having opened the foil packet I soon realised this wasn't going to be a bog standard milk chocolate as a wonderful variety of different sweet and spicy cocoa scents intermittently made themselves apparent.

I like to do my research on the products I review and a little research into the Tonka bean revealed to me that it is the seed of the Dipteyrx Odorata, a legume tree in the Neotropics. Geeky stuff out the way suffice to say I was expecting something a little special and Thorntons certainly obliged. Having ran this site for nearly two years now I have certainly had my fill of milk chocolate and I can safely say this was certainly one of the best. So what made it stand out you ask? Well this chocolate combined a simply delicious unique taste with a quite fantastic soft, thick melt. The taste started off quite mellow with a milky cream undertone building in strength as the taste progressed. Although this sounds rather simple there was always something about the flavours that sparked interest and they certainly grew in diversity the longer the chocolate stayed in the mouth. The taste had notes of vanilla, honey, butter and small hints of cinnamon; this may sound overly busy but the progression of the taste came in an orderly fashion and was resoundingly smooth and consistent throughout. I was disappointed when I finished the 70.0g in one sitting but I must admit this left me feeling extremely satisfied and I enjoyed it from the very first to the very last piece.

Overall it has been a long time since I have been this impressed by a plain milk chocolate bar but I really, really liked this one. I was a little flummoxed at a how a plain Thorntons bar could be 'award winning' (me sceptical!? Never!) but this bar deserves all the acclaim it gets and possibly more. This bar offered something a little more than just your standard milk chocolate and had an interchangeable taste that was so much more than just a creamy boring chocolate. The varying elements in the taste and quite wonderful texture made for a truly superb product and one that I would extremely recommend for the rather small sum of £1.79. When I say it is as good as Hotel Chocolat's 40% house Milk Chocolate you have to know that I mean business - it is!

9.0 out of 10

July 5th: 7Days of Chocolate Reviews - Edition 4

You know the drill! Lets see what went down this week!


The Chocolate Mission Omnibus:

The week started off with a little disbelief that another product could possibly challenge Niederegger in the marzipan stakes with the Zentis Belmanda proving to be a surprisingly well received product. Reader Lu also seemed to agree with me but Heidi who had also recently tried it recently wasn't too impressed by the chocolate involved.

Later on in the week I got to grips with some products from another two different continents the Mieji Shu Cookies from Asia and the M&M's Strawberried Peanut Butter from America, both of which proved to be very reputable products.

Friday saw me getting stuck into the Milka Berggluhen bar which had a lovely strawberry cocoa creme centre. This quickly got both George and Susanne asking me which I preferred out of that bar and the Thornton's Milk Chocolate with Strawberries I reviewed the week before - check out the review to see what I said!


News from the Chocolate Market:

* I brought the news a few weeks ago that the Wispa Gold was coming back - well it looks like product is under way! This article says we can inspect the bars back in our shops for a limited time as of September 14th! See HERE

* Nestle have made their Kit Kat range free from artificial colours, flavour or preservatives! See HERE

* Cadbury are redesigning their Trebor mint brand packaging! See HERE

* M&S are relaunching their confectionery range - which will also include Pick-&-Mix! See HERE


Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week:

Here are some of the articles I have been reading this week

* CandyBlog - Cybele managed to track down a new Dark Chocolate Variant of M&M's Premiums. See HERE

* Foodstufffinds - Managed to track down the elusive new Marmite that is flavoured with Marstons beer ... mmmm! See Here

* GiGi Reviews - Is so lucky to live near a Trader Joe's! I love that place - Gi got stuck into some of their pretzels this week! See HERE

* Impulsive Buy - Marvo chanced his luck with a new flavour of Ben & Jerries that has just been launched in the US! Looks fab to me - white chocolate and peanut butter .... yum! See Here


Question of the Day:

'If you could see any product reviewed on this site what would it be & why!?'

July 4th: Hershey's Brownie

Kcal 190.0g Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 3.5g Carbs 28.0g (per 43.0g)

I want to start off todays review by wishing a happy 4th of July to all my American readers (and the rest of you aswell!). In respect to this I wanted to review a typical American product and CandyPirate duly obliged by sending me this Hershey's Brownie. I had previously reviewed another product from the same range - Reese's Brownie and was a left a little disappointed with it because of the lack of emphasis on the peanut butter. This offering wasn't billed quite as complexly as the previous and constituted of 'a chocolate brownie base topped with Herhsey's chocolate chips and drizzled with chocolate icing' ... sounds good eh!?

Despite the misleading packet information this brownie clocked in at 85.0g. For some reason the packaging broke the nutritional information down into two servings yet the actual brownie itself came as one solid piece ... so times the above nutritional values by two and you get the whole product actual values. Although this was slightly annoying the presentation altogether was pretty classy. The foil packet looked rather snazzy and well designed and kept the brownie in a wonderful fresh state. The Brownie itself probably would have looked better with a bit of Hershey's branding but still looked pretty damn appetising. The brownie didn't instantly register as scintillating in regards to smell but when heated in the microwave for a few seconds really emanated some freshly baked cake smells that got me salivating like Homer Simpson.

When I reviewed the Reese's Brownie a lot of readers suggested that I should have heated it before eating it. As mentioned above I didn't make the same mistake twice and decided to not only warm this one but also serve it with a little vanilla ice cream (...time to head to the gym maybe!). Much like the smell suggested the base brownie was superb with its sweet, buttery cake taste. Unlike so many Hershey's chocolate products I have had before the sour aftertaste of the chocolate was all but absent here and didn't factor into the taste whatsoever. Both the chocolate chips and chocolate icing were quite sugary in their taste, though at the same time they reaffirmed the friendly cocoa flavours of the base brownie making each bite where they were present insanely chocolaty. My only criticism of this product would be that where the chips and icing were not present the brownie at times was just a little too dry for my liking - especially in the middle where the brownie was most dense. For this reason I wasn't all that taken by the texture and thought that it could have done with a small bit of chocolate icing lining the middle of the piece to moisten the inner brownie. Despite what the packaging said I did eat this all in one sitting which I am sure you can guess proved to be a hugely fulfilling snack.

Overall I am not the greatest fan of Hershey's milk chocolate so this was never going to be a product that struck me as being out of this world. Although by no means the greatest at the same time it was pretty damn good and I would certainly have it again given half the chance. In terms of a chocolate hit this product delivers left right and centre. The actual quality of the chocolate wasn't the best but at the same time it was by all means good enough and made for one insanely rich chocolate experience. If you like your brownies I would certainly recommend you give this a try. My instructions would be to heat and serve with cream, ice cream ... or anything really just to add a bit of moistness. Happy 4th of July everyone - enjoy your day!

7.9 out of 10

Head to CandyPirate for all your American Candy needs ... all in the UK!

July 3rd: Milka Berggluhen

Kcal 580 Fat 40.5g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 47.0g (per 100.0g)

The sheer number of new Milka variants coming out never ceases to amaze me. Thanks again to Dean-German-Grocery I got the chance to try yet another one in this Milka Berggluhen bar ... I am aware the Berggluhen means 'mountain' something - can anyone help me with the translation here!? Names aside the bar offered a similar proposition to the Milka Strawberry Yogurt I reviewed last month, only with the yogurt part of the filling replaced by a chocolate creme.

This new variant is part of the standard Milka range and came in the normal 100.0g size. The packaging included all the usual Milka branding as well as some nice pictures of some strawberry fruits and some whipped chocolate cream. In the cross-section above you will be able to see that the central creme took up a large proportion of each block - within the filling it was nice to see some small red specs which were obviously the flakes of strawberry. The aroma of the chocolate was incredibly similar to the Milka Strawberry Yogurt with its fruity smell. It was strong and enticing to a degree but I still thought it was just a little artificial.

My main problem with the Milka Strawberry Yogurt was that the taste was way too sweet which meant it was a chocolate that became rather monotonous and sickly very quickly. With this bar things were quite the contrary and the greater emphasis placed on the chocolate certainly made for a greater overall taste. The outer Alpine Milk chocolate provided its usual milk based flavours and although still quite sweet had that pleasant hazelnut note which added another flavour dimension. The inner chocolate creme filling didn't build on the taste of the outer chocolate, though more maintained the creamy nutty flavours in the background of the taste when the strawberry pieces where encountered. The smoothness of the creme filling was absolutely fantastic but I also enjoyed the crunchy small grain sized flakes that included the strawberry flavours. Just as with the Milka Strawberry Yogurt the fruit element was quite sugary yet was also surprisingly fruity. Due to the fast melt of the filling, each piece didn't last that long in the mouth - the greater impetuous placed on the cocoa flavours though made it quite a rich and satisfying chocolate.

Overall I have had better flavours from the Milka range but nonetheless this was still one that I really quite enjoyed. Personally I thought the cocoa creme worked better than the yogurt filling as it had more of a say in the overall taste and took the edge off the harsh sweetness of the strawberry flakes. Although the strawberry element seemed less sweet it didn't seem to lose any of its fruity flavours and the red berry notes very much came to the forefront of the taste. One thing I especially liked about this bar was the smoothness of the texture - I would even go as far saying it was comparable to Lindt's Lindor range in its degree of silky smoothness. If your a fan of Milka or strawberry flavoured chocolates this is a bar you will want to check out.

8.0 out of 10

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

July 2nd: Meiji Shu Cookie Mild Chocolate / White Chocolate

According to my pals at J-List it is searingly hot in Japan at the moment though that didn't stop sending me across another sampling package full of the latest goodies to grace the J-List website. Without further ado let me introduce todays items for review - Meiji Shu Cookies. These cookies were pretty simple and consisted of an outer biscuit layer with an inner chocolate creme.

I was lucky enough to get my mitts on both the mild chocolate and white chocolate variants - both of which came in two boxed cartons with inner foil packages containing several mini biscuit pieces. Whilst on the the subject on packaging I must admit I was pretty impressed by the presentation of both flavours. Although I couldn't read any of the on pack blurb I thought the pictures looked particularly appetising and was glad to see they gave an accurate insight in to what the product actually looked like. Aswell as looking very tempting both variants smelt wonderful - the mild chocolate had more of a biscuity, wheat smell whilst the white chocolate had a grander milky, sweet smell.

I ate both of these over the course of two days (one each day!) and shared them with a few work colleagues over a mid morning coffee. Below are my thoughts on both:

Meiji Shu Cookie Mild Chocolate:

Kcal 295 Fat 19.3g Carbs 25.7g (per 51.0g)

It doesen't take a genious to figure out these were the milk chocolate variant out of the two and they were the first ones that me and my colleagues got stuck into.

The outer cookie elements had a wafer like malty taste that had just a touch of cocoa in it to give it a chocolaty taste from the outset. If you imagine what a denser coco pop would taste like you are thinking along the right lines here. The outer biscuit had a light crispy texture that when bitten into quite wonderfully perished to reveal the smooth, soft creme centre. The transition to the crunch biscuit to the inner creme was truly fantastic and was my favourite part of the whole product. The inner chocolate creme added a nice moistness to the biscuit and further cemented the sweet chocolaty taste that had already been generated in the mouth by the outer biscuit. The taste was resoundingly nice though there wasn't much in the way of an aftertaste which meant they weren't that fulfilling.

Overall these were a lovely snacking product and one that I would certainly have again. This conclusion has been determined because of the prestige of the chocolate element involved, but more because of the fun, uniqueness of the product itself. If it is a chocolate hit in particular you are craving these might not quite do the job. If it is just a decent tasting, light snack your after though these are very much the ticket.

8.2 out of 10

Meiji Shu Cookie White Chocolate:

Kcal 295 Fat 19.8g Carbs 23.9g (per 51.0g)

I thought these looked absolutely superb both on the packaging and I wasn't let down by the product itself.

In comparison to the Mild Chocolate variant the biscuit had more of a wafer like taste and had a consistent note of honey that remained present throughout its duration. Just like the aforementioned the textures that were displayed here were truly awesome - I just couldn't get enough of the dry biscuit letting loose the more liquid like creme centre. Where the creme in the Mild Chocolate failed to really build upon the flavours of the biscuit, this White Chocolate variant really had something else in store. The creme reminded me of vanilla ice-cream and had a sweet, custard like set of flavours. The resulting taste was exceedingly sweet but this was nicely balanced by the outer biscuit which maintained an everlong savoury base to the taste. In comparison to the Milk Chocolate the taste was longer sustained with the vanilla element leaving a longer last impression in the mouth. This obviously meant that out of the two they were the more satisfying.

Overall the feedback I got from my colleagues about these were that they were simply delicious and were enjoyed by one and all. I have to say I agreed with them - the taste would perhaps be a little too sweet for some but as someone who likes white chocolate I particularly enjoyed them. If I was going to order just one of the following variants I would pick these but to be honest both of them were pretty damn good. Again I would very much recommend these if your after a tasty Japanese snack.

8.6 out of 10

July 1st: M&M's Strawberried Peanut Butter

Kcal 230 Fat 14.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 22.0g

Last weekend I went and saw the new Transformers 2 film - thinking about it now I wish I had these M&M's to keep me occupied during the overly long middle sections of the film where Megan Fox wasn't present. These days it is not often that a blockbuster passes through without there being some sort of confectionery item that bears the licence. Off the back of last years Indiana Jones M&M's and Reese's Black Knight Bats I today got to grips with these M&M's Strawberried Peanut Butter thanks to CandyPirate. CandyPirate seem to be the only guys in the UK that have these in stock at present so I suggest if these take your fancy you very much get involved and visit the CandyPirate website and pick up a few of the 39.7g snack bags they have on offer (Click HERE).

Just as the name suggested these were your typical M&M's Peanut Butter with just an added strawberry flavouring embedded in the milk chocolate. Having observed the packaging I was immediately taken in by it and I liked the way that the usual M&M's designwork had been altered to bear the Transformers theme. The M&M's themselves came in red, brown and red speckled yellow colours ... where was the Optimus Prime dark blue eh!? (...excuse me whilst I fight my inner geek!). In previous M&M reviews I have often commented on how they usually lack forthcoming smells - I found quite the contrary here and was welcomed by some pleasant red berry and chocolate scents.

Implementing fruit flavours in M&M's has never been one of Mars' strengths - for evidence see their attempts M&M's Razzberry & M&M's Wild Cherry. Those reviews didn't really inspire confidence but I was glad to find that Mars had done a distinctly better job here. The outer shells were of their usual accord and provided a nice crisp layer to the softer inner chocolate and peanut butter. I was again amazed at how M&M's can deliver such a strong chocolate flavour burst with such a thin chocolate layer. The chocolate hit was delivered well in each bite with the mild cocoa flavours predominantly sudued by the stronger sugar and milk ingredients. The strawberry flavouring did take a while to register on my tastebuds but I much preferred this to a strong, artifical type flavour burst like in the previously mentioned Razzberry & Cherry M&M flavours. The strawberry influence was sweet yet gave a distinct fruity, red berry like tinge to the chocolate andI though it complemented the peanut butter well. The peanut butter centres lacked the forceful nut flavours of Reese's Peanut Butter yet still have a delicious buttery, saltiness that meant these were incredibly moreish. It didn't take me long to get through the small bag but I felt pretty satisfied having eaten it.

Overall unlike many that have gone before these were actually a pretty successful move tie and I would expect them to become a main part of the M&M's portfolio in the future. Peanut Butter and Jelly (jam to us Brits!) is a pretty common sandwich filling in the US so it surprises me very little that this combination worked well. The strawberry element was decently executed despite the simplicity of the 'flavouring' approach to its implementation and I thought that it complimented the savory flavours of the peanut butter well. I always like to rate things dependent on whether I would have them again - although I would always pick Reese's Pieces ahead of M&M's Peanut Butter I would most definitely settle for these as a second best. If you like the chocolate and peanut butter combinations this is a product you will almost certainly want to get hold of.

8.2 out of 10

Want to try the M&M's Strawberried for yourself? Head to CandyPirate for all your American Candy and Chocolates Needs - Right here in the UK!

June 30th: Hotel Chocolat Hot Shots

Fathers day last week didn't pass without the old man being the lucky recipient of another selection box courtesy of my pals at Hotel Chocolat. Given his partialness for the odd whisky truffle I thought that he would appreciate these Hotel Chocolat Hot Shots - a selection comprised of milk and dark chocolate truffles with 'hints of whisky, rum and cognac'. Remembering back to my review of Hotel Chocolat's Summer Cocktails I recall not being overly fond at the vicious nature of the liqueurs involved there, which I guess is why the folks at Hotel Chocolat were a little surprised when I requested these. Unlike last time though I felt that the boozy nature of the truffles were communicated better and thus felt more prepared.

I really liked the presentation of this product as the packaging immediately caught my eye with its sophisticated look. The chocolates were sealed first by a thick cardboard sleeve and then a cardboard box in which they were protected by several layers of paper and film - a handy booklet was also included to tell the truffles apart. All this packaging meant that the truffles themselves were kept in A-grade condition and I was further enticed when I was met with a wonderful array of chocolaty smells.

Below are my thoughts on each of the three different truffles:

Oak-aged Cognac:


This chocolate was formed of a 40% milk chocolate outer shell with a cognac hinted milk chocolate centre. The outer milk chocolate established some familiar cream based cocoa flavours with a thick smooth melt. The inner filling felt delightfully soft on the tongue with just a little bit more moistness and further enhanced the breadth of the chocolate hit before delivering the cognac chiefly in the later stages of the taste. Personally I found the cognac a little too strong and startling to the taste and possibly just a little too bitter. The cognac flavours were the least lasting out of the three and probably the one I would substitute out given the chance. Standard.


St Lucian Rum:


This was definitely my favourite out of the selection and combined a 74% outer dark chocolate with a St Lucian Rum infused centre. Unlike the cognac truffle I thought both the liqueur and the chocolate worked in tandem well and enjoyed how one complimented the other. The flavours of the outer dark chocolate were focused primarily on delivering the chocolate hit to the product and did so with a fine depth of strength with its cocoa flavours. The inner filling was nicely hinted the rum which I felt had a far smoother implementation that the other two in the selection. The flavours were boozy and had a nice fruity edge that gave the truffle a bit of sweetness. Excellent.


Highland Single Malt Whisky:


I felt lucky to even get to try one of these as they were definitely my old mans favourite and were gone within a flash. Like the cognac truffle this one had an outer layer of 40% milk chocolate but contained a malt whisky hinted centre. The same fantastic creamy chocolate influences were established by the milk chocolate and transcended almost identically into the softer truffle filling. I must say I much preferred this whisky truffle over the cognac as I found the taste far more smoother and didn't quite have the shocking nature that the previously mentioned delivered. The booze flavour hit was very much there but far kinder in its implementation and the malt flavours lingered longer in the mouth leaving a greater lasting impression. Very Good.


Overall these were a fine set of liqueur truffles and were far more to my taste than the Summer Cocktails. The liqueur hits were still as strong in these but I was expecting them far more given the nature of the branding and information on the box. The St Lucian Rum truffle was my personal favourite though I must admit I was equally as happy tucking into one of the Malt Whisky ones. I liked the Cognac truffles for their chocolate but was less impressed with the throat burning liqueur hit that was delivered at the end of the taste. It is unfortunate I didn't get to review these before Fathers Day as I would have said they would have made a great gift. At the same time though I think these would be a suitable present all year round so I would recommend them to anyone who likes their boozie chocolates.

8.6 out of 10

Buy these Hotel Chocolat Hot Shots by Clicking HERE