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### Jim's Corner ###
Hi All,
After two weekends of special feature reviews I thought it best to give you an update what is happening behind the scenes.
First off I want to congratulate the winner of last weeks Ritter Sport Schokocreme competition ... Emily Hutchinson from Harrogate, who correctly guessed that the bar weighed a mighty 250.0g! A sample on the bar is en-route to you now Emily. Everyone else thanks for all the entries, please keep an eye out for more competitions running next week.
If you happened to miss my review of the Galler Heritage Lait Pleine Saveur on Friday be sure to check it out HERE. I can't recommend that milk chocolate enough, it was one of the finest bars of chocolates I have had across the last three years (hence the score of 9.4 out of 10!). It's a review not to be missed!
This week I have received parcels from Hotel Chocolat, another from Germany, as well as box full of different Pocky flavours. I hate to sound my own horn but there are some great reviews coming up this week. I hope you all continue to visit and add your own opinions to my reviews.
Have a great weekend
JIM
News from the chocolate market
* Fancy paying £600 for your own crafted chocolate coin?? Hmmm me neither ... See HERE
* Ever heard of Summerdown? Nope I haven't! They have some new chocolate mint thins coming out though ... See HERE
* Kraft are looking at technologies to make wrappers that avoid chocolate bars melting ... See HERE
* Old news this but Divine have an 85% dark chocolate bar out there on the market now ... See HERE
* McVitie's have cut the calories and redesigned the wrappers of Penguin biscuits ... See HERE
* Cadbury continue to come up with interesting ways to engage consumers with their Spots V Stripes campaign. They are asking you to 'challenge an Olympian' this week ... See HERE
* There are some new flavours of Galaxy hot chocolate hitting the marker ... See HERE
* Hershey have appointed a new sales director for a big push in Europe ... See HERE
Have I missed something this week? Please share the story with us ...
Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week
* TheImpulsiveBuy - This had me cracking up. Marvo got in touch with his feminine side with Nestle's Women's Wellness Hot Cocoa Mix ... See HERE
* GiGi Reviews - I saw these in a supermarket in the UK only a few days ago! It seems that Pringles are pushing their multigrain crisps worldwide as Gi also reviewed them in the US ... See HERE
* Rodzilla Reviews - Keep your eye on this site it's great! ChocolateMission friend Rodzilla reviews local resturants, ice cream, candy - just about anything really! ... See HERE
* CandyBlog - Candy queen Cybele posted her review of the Ritter Sport Summer Editions 2010 :D Come on Cybele keep up with the times haha! Great review - the photos put mine to shame ... See HERE
* Sugar Pressure - The guys over at Sugar Pressure did a great job comparing the original Clark bar with the new Dark variant. I want to try the Dark one now for myself ... See HERE
* Foodette Reviews - I've had a few run ins with tea flavoured chocolates before, Jess was similarly not so impressed by the majority of these ... See HERE
Review - Revisited
This is a new feature I'm looking to run each week. It is pretty common that I get a lot of e-mails/comments that disagree with my scoring and write ups of particular products. In these cases where I find this to be a recurring phenomena, I will give those products another try. This week we go all the way back to 2008.
Green & Black's Butterscotch - See HERE
I've updated my write-up and my photographs to make for a more coherent review, but I still stick by my original thoughts with this one.
If you know of a product that you think I have over/under played drop me a comment or an e-mail. You never know ... it could be the next Review - Revisited :D
Saturday, 4 September 2010
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28 comments:
Thanks for another great week of reviews Jim some of them were really great.
I think you are right about that Green Blacks butterscotch. I have had it a few times I've never thought it was anything special.
Whats the point brining out loads of hot chocolate products at a time like this? It's so hot outsdie still who wants hot chocolate?
I see I haven't won yet another one of your competitions Jim :( :( When are you doing another one, I entered like the last ten I surly have to win one soon.
I don't see the point of 'Hershey' going for a sales push. No matter how much they push people it doesn't get away from the fact that their chocolate is disgusting lol.
Well done to Emily for her competition win.
Dx
You've been sent more chocolate from Hotel Chocolat have you? I'm not jealous at all ...... honest I'm totally not jealous ..... arghhhhhhh it's so unfair :( lol
That story about Kraft looking into wrapper that keep chocolate bars from melting made me laugh. Whats the point in researching stuff like that?
Its down to the people that sell them to keep them in decent nick. I don't ever really recall having loads of problems with cadbury bars melting at all.
Is it just me that is finding all that spots and stripes stuff really childish? I get the chocolate is being aimed at kids but I had my first one the other day and there was a game inside asking me to play eye spy.
Just reading over that article about the beat the olympian stuff, it just strikes me they are chasing the kiddie market.
Rxxx
Thank you for the reviews this week Jim they were brilliant. I have told all my friends about that Galler milk chocolate from yesterday. It's my birthday in a few weeks so I hope they can take a hint lol.
Why is the text for all the news stories a funny size?
Thanks for the competition but let me win next time please.
I've had those pringles that Gi Gi Reviews has posted about. I didn't think they were that nice myself. I like normal pringles a lot more. Have you ever tried some chocolate coated crisps? LOL they seriously do them in America.
Jim did you see this story posted by Mars. They are looking to reduce the saturated fat content across thier chocolates.
http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/Mars-Chocolate-to-Reduce-Saturated-Fat-on-Key-UK-Products.html
I'm a nutritionist btw. I thought it was interesting.
I really hate that green and blacks bar you have reviewed again. Can I ask you review the coffee crisp again one day please. You said it was crap in your last review but I think you said it had gone off or something. It's my favourite chocolate bar you can buy from america.
Jim you forgot to post your customary link about chocolate being good for peoples health. I have obliged for you lol http://doctor.ndtv.com/storypage/ndtv/id/004698/type/news/Dark_chocolate_good_for_heart.html
Its so easy to find stories like this.
Congrats to Eimly.
Thanks for the reviews this week Jim. I like the way you varied them up this week. There were loads of different sort of chocolatey delights for us to feast our eyes on. Nice work.
Doh :( yet another failure in your competitions.
When is the next one going to be?
Do you have any bigger prizes you are going to give away lol.
Lucky Emily well done. I was really hoping to win that chocolate cream ritter. I doubt I will ever get to taste it now. Not unless they pull their finger out and start selling some more of their flavours in the UK.
Thanks anyway.
I look forward to reading those Pocky reviews. You haven't done many of them before have you. Out of curiosity did you get them in England or did you have to buy them on the internet?
Thanks for the reviews this week Jim. I'm sure most of us appreciate the effort, despite the whingers.
@Nick - I think it's because it'll be autumn soon and that's when hot chocolate sales start picking up.
Congrats to Emily :)
I too am unsure about this Hersheys sales push, I can see where they are coming from but to be honest apart from a very few products which we already get, most of their stuff is not very nice, at least by UK standards, particularly the chocolate. I just can't see someone going to pick up a bar of DM and go 'oooh Hersheys, I'll get that instead' lol
I'm still yet to see/try this new Csdbury bar, and I don't like the new Penguin wrappers.. theyre too fussy and you can barely see the name properly. Manufacturers seem to want to stuff the fronts of their wrappers with as much info as possible these days and it ruins them.
Great week Jim thanks again.
My favourite this week was the one with all the chocolate cakes and stuff. I tried the rocky road from marks and spencer after seeing your review. I would have given it a bigger score but I see what you mean about it not being very satisfying.
Thanks for the shout out, Jim!
The reviews this week were great, had me wishing I was living in the UK. I now have a new "must try" chocolate added to my list.
Congrats Emily!
It's nice to see the 7 days roundup back..I have lots of catching up to do this week.
Nooo Nestle please don't ruin the idea of hot chocolate as a special treat by adding daily vitamins for us ladies :D
To go with the 'tea flavored chocolates' here is chocolate-flavored tea: http://t2tea.com/shop-for-tea/rooibos-honeybush-tisanes/?v=1
a family friend brought the 'honey green almond' flavor from Australia, it's delicious and I discovered it has chocolate in it. I tried searching online for it first to avoid having to hunt for the box lol, and there were so many results -- apparently chocolate is a popular ingredient in tea, though I'd never seen it before.
Brilliant reviews Jim.
I like the sound of more hotel chocolate reviews coming up? Can you give us a sneaky peak at what you will be reviewing?
I like the sound of some of those new hot chocolates. The galaxy ones are so much better than those crappy OPTIONS low calories one that they sell.
Well done Emily - hopefully I will win the next one lol.
I've always liked Options although I don't like the Highlights very much. I always find with the ones that are meant to taste like the chocolate bar counterpart (i.e galaxy, maltesers etc etc) they never ever taste like they should do, they are always a dissappointment to me.
The one that annoys me most is the Galaxy 'Bliss' (?) one that you are meant to make with hot milk, if you follow the microwave instructions it doesnt work atall lol
Everyone
Hi All,
I hope you are having good weekends.
Well done to everyone who has congratulated our competition winner. Don't worry if you didn't win this time around I have a lot of leftover samples from various places. I will be running several Twitter/Site competitions in the coming weeks.
Just looking through some of your comments ...
Nick - Phil is right chap. These companies are just getting their products on shelf for the forthcoming winter period. Better early than late.
Golden - I have indeed. There are some really cool products amongst what I have been sent as well. I will get the reviews up soon.
Duncan - I can't say I often have a problem with chocolate bars melting on me frequently either. The weather isn't hot enough in this country haha!
Rachel - I think they must be going after a younger demographic with this campaign. Like you say it is all a little immature.
Anon - There were so many stories I decided to compact that section a bit.
Alicia - No I hadn't seen that. As long as it doesn't hamper the taste I think that's a good thing don't you?
Kieran - That is a review I plan to 'revisit' mate. It's on the list don't worry.
Tricky - Haha thanks! I forgot to post one because there were so many other things to post this week.
Anon2 - Stay tuned to the site and you will find out :D
Matt - I got sent these by a reader. I will have to ask them where they get their Pocky from.
Alan - I agree I think there are some real barriers for Hershey to overcome here in the UK. I don't think their brand health is that good amongst the average chocolate consumer in this country. It's going to take a lot of effort. I can't comment on the Penguin wrappers yet as I haven't seen them! Once I do I will let you know what I think.
Rodzilla - No problem chap. Keep up the sound work on your website. I think you are doing really well.
Thea - Obviously being an Englishman I do like my brews :D A special chocolate tea post could be on the cards for later this year. I will track down a decent amount of products first to do side by side comparisons. Thanks for the idea :D
Robbie - Patience chap! They will be up soon enough!
Alan - I don't options are all that bad either. I used to drink the coconut one they made quite a bit, the hazelnut one isn't bad either.
All this talk of hot chocolate has me thinking that I should be giving some away next week ..... now wouldn't that be an idea!!!!
Right best be off to make the best of the weekend that remains. Make sure you visit the site regularly next week my loyal readers! There is plenty of good stuff upcoming.
JIM
Solid reviews as ever Jim. You continue to outdo yourself with every day :) well done to your prize winner.
Big thanks, the choc has just arrived and looks gorgeous (and huge!) thanks everyone for all the congrats too :) x
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