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Kcal 75 Fat 5.4g Fat(sats) 2.7g Carbs 6.1g (per truffle)With only a few days left until Christmas I have gone to the effort of bringing you a product review that ticks both the boxes of 'new product Monday', and also something that can be found on the highstreet for all you last minute present buyers! Indeed, the product in the spotlight today is the new KOKO Truffle Collection from Cadbury! Hold on a minute!? Didn't I review the Cadbury KOKO truffles already last year!? ... Why of course I did .... However, Cadbury the sneaky devils have brought out a new 'Truffle Collection' alternative for 2010 - they obviously just forgot to tell anyone about it!
I bought this Cadbury KOKO Truffle Collection whilst in the highstreet drugstore 'Superdrug'. Like the originals the individually wrapped truffles came in a large 200.0g box and cost a very reasonable sounding £2.99. Sat amongst everything else on the shelf, it took my finely tuned 'new product chocolate hunting eyes' to notice the different light green colours used on the packaging. As far as I good see, this was the only noticeable differentiatior from the standard KOKO pack. Don't get me wrong it still looked lovely, as did the truffles, but I think it would have been worth while Cadbury making things a little clearer.
This Truffle Collection consisted of three different flavours - my comments on each of them are below:
Milk Truffle - These were essentially the standard KOKO truffles and had thick outer Cadbury milk chocolate exteriors, with a smooth truffle filling. I hate to spoil the review but these orgiginals still turned out to be the best. The flavour development of the sweet milky chocolate was little different from shell to filling, but the softer textured centre created a very pleasant overall mouth feel. Not Dairy Milk, but still nice enough sweet milk chocolate truffles.
Almond Truffle - These truffles included roasted almond nut pieces within the usual inner truffle centre which I thought made for a very tantalising prospect. Unfortunately the presence of the tiny almond fragments failed to generate any nutty flavours, and rather just upset the texture of the truffles by making them feel a little gritty. Sigh!
Hazelnut Truffle - The hazelnut truffles promised 'delicious hazelnut praline' within the milk chocolate truffle, which I thought again sounded like a decent proposition if executed correctly. Texture wise the smallness of the nut pieces did again upset the smooth, flowing nature of the truffle, but on a more positive note there were at least minor detectable notes of wooden hazelnut in the latter stages of the melt development.Overall this Cadbury KOKO Truffle Collection was a fair box of chocolates, but it could have been a lot better had there been some more thought given to how the nut variations were created. To put it in to an understandable context, both the hazelnut and almond truffles came across as more 'Cadbury Roses' in terms of quality, rather than chocolates that had been created especially for a premium Cadbury offering. Neither of the two variants were 'bad' so to speak, but at the end of things neither really offered enough in terms of being deemed anything like superior to just the original milk flavoured truffles on offer by Cadbury KOKO already. If you are stuck in a bit of a corner this Christmas and need a last minute gift for someone, then you wont be doing anyone a disservice by buying them a pack of these Cadbury KOKO Truffle Collection (unless they have nut allergies haha!). If you have the time though, I would suggest you take a look at other alternatives, as these really aren't anything spectacular.
7.4 out of 10
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35 comments:
Coolio I hadn't seen these before. I had seen the pink coloured packaging koko before but never picked them up to see what they were like. I don't think they look like anything special so I will leave them alone for the minute.
Rxxx
You can also buy these in Tesco btw. I saw them with all the christmas chocolates the other day but just thought they would be the normal ones in a different colour because of the season. I didn't realise they were actually different though, I didn't bother looking that closely.
Lol I would never think of buying these koko things. Personally I think they just scream 'WOMEN' at me lol. I think they have to be aimed at females, the whole things looks very girly IMO. I would feel embarrassed giving or receiving them.
It doesn't really help that the almond and the hazelnut ones look exactly the same does it? You would have thought they would have tried to do something more clever than just using those two nut types. This is one that can possibly be categorised as just being different for the sake of it. I don't think they put much effort in here.
Hmmmm the price sounds good considering it sounds like you get a good few truffles. I'm not too keen on the nuts though, they sort of spoil this pack for me.
I think I would just stick with the normal ones if I was going to buy these.
Lol I thought you had just started posting old reviews again for a minute there. I didn't even notice that the pink had been swapped for that ugly green colour on the box.
These sound pretty disappointing to be honest. I like your association to cadburys roses, that is a good gauge on what to expect the quality to be like lol (not very good). Thanks for the review.
Dx
Are these even Dairy Milk?
Boy why did Cadbury even bother making these? By the looks of things they didn't put much effort in to them at all?
I love these manufactures who think that just crumbling some small bits of nut into normal chocolate makes it a 'praline'. Do they not understand it is a far more complex process where you have to mill the nuts in with the original cocoa? Idiots.
Hmmm interesting. I've not even ever seen the original koko so to hear there is already a new type of them out is a bit surprising to me :) Like you say they could be a good last minute option as they don't look at all bad for being so cheap. I would consider them if I was desperate lol I'm well planned out though ;)
I've not seen Cadburys score this low from you for an age. You must really not of liked them lol. Good review anyway Jim, Im not surprised these didn't make it in to any buyers guide though, lol I think they look pants.
For £2.99 I dont think you can argue with these. They look way more like the sort of thing I would buy for my mum or sister rather than my dad, but I think they would be a nice part of a present for a female.
I think you could be right about that green colour though. It makes them look very old fashioned.
I think your photos are doing these a disservice!!!
LOL I think you are making them look a whole lot more yummy than what you say they taste like :)
I would try these but there are so many other things you can buy around that price. Guylian truffles are tons better than these probably are. Guylian all the way for me.
:( I was hoping you were going to be posting about hot chocolates today. I have been drinking these terrible options ones all week :( I need someone to tell me what the best hot choc is. Its soooooooooo cold :( :(
Cool review Jim. I wouldn't ever buy these for myself but they might be a cool little add on for someone that was desperate for a Christmas gift. I wouldn't be too fussed about getting any of those nut ones if what you say is right lol.
I'm not even going to put these in my consideration because I've never even seen the normal koko. To be honest I think you have to go that extra mile at xmas anyway, so cadburys isn't something I would consider anyway, you have to be a little more fancy than that if you dont want to look a cheapo I think.
Overall this Cadbury KOKO Truffle Collection was a fair box of chocolates, but it could have been a lot better had there been some more thought given to how the nut variations were created. To put it in to an understandable context, both the hazelnut and almond truffles came across as more 'Cadbury Roses' in terms of quality, rather than chocolates that had been created especially for a premium Cadbury offering.
Eugh i hate the nutty ones you get roses tins. You know the ones that are cunningly mocked up to look like the hard caramels? They have the really small nut bits aswell. So disgusting.
If you are stuck in a bit of a corner this Christmas and need a last minute gift for someone, then you wont be doing anyone a disservice by buying them a pack of these Cadbury KOKO Truffle Collection
If someone buys me these I will know now they just bought them as a last minute thing lol :P
Cool review Jim thanks so much. I like the way you have tried to link these to Christmas lol :)
I guess in a way they sort of are, but I fully expect to see these on sale all year around as well.
What have you got planned for the rest of the week? Any more delicious cakes to come?
@Nick LMAO that is totally what I was thinking mate. I would feel so embarrassed if someone gave these to me. Lol they even look like they are a purse with the shape of the bag and the ribbon and anything. I wouldn't be seen dead with these.
Ooooooh these are cute. I love them. I didn't realise they were made by cadburys at first. The logo on the front is very small isn't it. Why do you think they chose not to put their name to them more? Lol do you think they were embarrassed by them or something? They dont sound that nice, not normal cadburys standards anyway.
Gorgeous pictures. I like the way you can see inside to see the truffle. Yum =)
These look a little disappointing to me. They aren't as expensive as I thought they would be. £3 isn't bad for what it looks like what you get! Out of interest how many of each type do you get? If it's any more than 3 or 4 I think thats good value for money.
Some of you do come across as a little ungrateful. I would be delighted if someone gave me these as a gift. I know this is terribly cliche of me to say but at the end of the day it is all about the thought that counts. Im genuinely just grateful for anything that I get given. Cheer up all of you. Its just chocolate :-)
There's something to be said for halfway-descent chocolate that you can get at a drugstore for personal chocolate emergencies (they happen, especially on business travel). Reviews like this help folks spot the good stuff.
Thanks for the review Jimbo. These aren't anything too impressive are they lol. I can imagine quite a few blokes will be disappionting their wives and girlfriends if they end up giving them a pack of these. You are right, they do look like repackaged roses chocs. tut tut cadburys.
These look like the sort of chocolates you get in a milk tray but just in wrappers. They could have done better than this by the looks of things.
What on earth possesed them to make the other ones both nut flavoured? I can think of a million things that could have been more suitable. A caramel wouldn't have been a bad place to start would it!?
I saw those in Sainsbury's the other day and wondered if they are anything special. The packaging does look rather pretty and actually reminds me of the packaging design of a local chocolatier (incidently named Coco...).
However, judging by your review I can skip them without missing anything, not being a huge fan of Cadbury as it is. Nut pieces "upsetting the texture" (what a great description btw! ;-) without giving real flavour is just very wrong!
Talk about retro style with the packaging. The pattern work looks like the sort of thing you would get on a dodgy 70s shell suit lol.
I dont find this enthralling at all to be perfectly honest. I'm not surprised Cadbury haven't been shouting about them being released because there isn't much to talk about. These aren't anything that cant be bought elsewhere.
I wondered what you'd have in store this week and this didn't enter my mind once so it was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't aware there was a different variety out though now I vaguely remember seeing a light green/blueish packaging as opposed to the purple/maroon/pink thing before.
Your pictures look great but as soon as I saw the piddly little bits of nut, I new whaat was coming in your review. They might as well have not bothered with adding additional nuts. Thanks again for a fab review, hope your head's recovered from the office party :D
When are these people going to learn that piddly bits of nuts are useless. Either put the whole ones in or at least make them in to some sort of paste so the texture is smooth and nice. No one likes things being left at a halfway house like these.
These look boring to me. I'm surprised the KOKO brand has lasted actually, it's always struck me as a bit dull and uninspired. The packaging looks like it's stuck halfway between luxury and cheap.
Still, good review Jim, the photos are excellent.
Hi All,
Just 4 days of chocolate reviews left for this year. Seemingly not many of you were impressed by the Cadbury effort shown here :D Lucky I didn't put them in the buyers guide haha!! It wont take me long to respond to comments today ... by the sounds of things most you are thinking the same sort of things.
Rachel - Re: Your Comment I wouldn't make an effort to rush out to buy them no :D
David - Re: You can also buy these in Tesco btw
This I didn't know, they must have rolled them out to some of the different retailers now I guess. Cheers for letting us all know, I'm not sure on the amount of people that will be looking out for them mind.
Kim / Golden / Paul / Kevin / Linda - Re: Two types of nut is too similar
This seems to be the most constant theme flicking through the comments. I have to agree with you all. One nut truffle would have been sufficent, there was room for the imagination to have been used but they seemingly didnt want to.
Jess / Richard - Re: Price
I think for what you get you can't argue with the price at all. You wouldn't want to pay anything more for these, the price is generous and I don't think many people will think they are that cheap.
Anon - Re: Dairy Milk
No they dont use Dairy Milk chocolate. I don't think your average consumer will notice though, just us observant people :D
Lauren - Re: I would consider them if I was desperate lol I'm well planned out though ;)
Given the state of the royal mail at the moment I think there might be more 'desperate people' than we first envisaged.
Richard - Re: Packaging
It does look a bit old fashioned doesn't it!? I like the shape of the packaging, its just the design work that needed to be a bit better I think. That and they need to make the inner wrappers more differentiated. They were hard to tell apart.
Karen / Anon - Re: Photos
You people are being way to kind about my photos these days. Its not as if I am using a different camera either :S
Rebecca - Re: Hot Chocolate Reviews
Dont worry they are booked in for the new year. You are right though it is very very cold, here in Surrey it is anyway.
Warren - Re: Your Comment
I dont think anyone would see Cadbury as a 'cheapo' option chap. I would be more than happy recieving a big bar of Dairy Milk for Christmas. It is a fine brad for gifting I think.
Katie - Re: Eugh i hate the nutty ones you get roses tins. You know the ones that are cunningly mocked up to look like the hard caramels?
Do you not look a the colour of the wrappers :P Everyone knows the blue ones have the nuts in ... well they did last time I checked.
Chris - Re: What have you got planned for the rest of the week? Any more delicious cakes to come?
The rest of the week has a few selection boxes and random reviews + the last buyers guide. No more Heavenly Cakes Im afraid. I spoilt you last week haha!
Nick / Duncan - Re: Aimed at a female consumers
Yeh I think it is pretty obvious these are aimed at a female consumer. I dont get the whole being embarassed to buy them thing though? Surely people would just assume you were buying them for someome else :D You are worrying about it too much.
Jo - Re: The logo on the front is very small isn't it. Why do you think they chose not to put their name to them more?
If I had the answer I would tell you :D ... unfortunately we would have to ask someone at Cadbury this.
Victoria - Re: Your comment
It was very random finding them in Superdrug. By the sounds of it they are being distributed elsewhere now.
Linda - Re: A caramel wouldn't have been a bad place to start would it!
Totally agree, Its not like they dont have the capacity to make them easily either is it?
Anne - Re: Your Comment
Well perhaps Cadbury have got it right with the packaging after all. Most the negative feedback about it seems to be coming from the guys and not the females who have commented. I'm glad you are enjoying my poor writing skills :D I do try my best but I'm no Shakespeare haha :D
Andrew - Re: dodgy 70s shell suit
I was thinking of old curtains myself, but I like your tracksuit association that did make me laugh :D
Ria - Your comment
Sorry if the review was a bit predictable but I got to tell it like it is :D
The office party was ok but a lot of people were worried about making their way home so it was actually quite a restrained affair. It didn't live up to last years.
Nils - Re: Your Comment
You seemingly agree with Ria by the looks of things. I agree with you both. I would much rather have one of those two extremes than what we got here.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Be sure to check the site tomorrow for a common selection box you might be coming across in the next few days.
JIM
I did look at buying koko truffles before but I didn't like the way they didn't show you what they looked like on the box. I hate products that do that, I always think you should be given some sort of idea what you are buying. Its only sensible.
Hmm, I seem to be the odd one out here, as I adored the nutty truffles. The Almond was my favourite, then the milk, then the hazelnut, but they were all delicious. I thought they wer so creamy and smooth and just melted on the tongue. Heavenly for me.
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