March 16th: L'Artisan du Chocolat 72% Bali / Jamaica / Congo

Rewind a few days and you will remember that it wasn't long ago that I was revelling in the gloriousness of L'Artisan du Chocolat's No.1 Salted Caramels (HERE). What I failed to mention in that review then was that L'Artisan had also sent me three of their latest Limited Edition dark chocolates, all of which I have been sampling with some fellow dark chocolate lovers.

These Jamaica, Bali and Congo are were all 72% cocoa recipes, and were formed using cocoa that were farmed and and fermented from these locations (more info on the website).

Looking at the net weight of the bars on the packaging I was surprised to see that each of the bars only weighed 45.0g, despite being packaged in boxes big enough to fit your average 100.0g chocolate bar. Given the premium nature of the brand and the chocolate, the size wasn't so much a surprise to me, and that said I did appreciate the clean graphics on the outer cardboard and liked it for it's simplicity. Unfortunately what I didn't think was so great was the style of the inner wrapping and design work on all three of the variants. I thought the plastic packets didn't really carry through the sophisticated brand positioning, and I felt that it cheapened the presentation considerably. Similarly the lack of branding and pattern work on the chocolate was something that was sorely missed and I felt this was also a missed opportunity to add some uniqueness to each bar.

Below are some collective tasting notes on each variant that I sampled with a group of friends. Apologies if the terminology comes across as pretentious, trust me I think I am no expert. It has been written in this manner to try and give you the best understanding of how each tasted.


L'Artisan du Chocolat 72% Bali

This flavour had pretty neutral, yet strong cocoa smell which was nicely indicative of the taste. This variant in particular broke with a wonderful snap sound which suggested that it was as fresh as they come. The taste was very smooth and had strong hints of fruit and banana which gave the cocoa flavours a consistent sweetness. The aftertaste had a little element of spice to it and generated a minor note of chilli in the mouth which further added interest to the overall experience. It was unanimously voted the favourite amongst the group with the main reason cited being it's non-bitterness and moreish sweetened cocoa stance.

8.4 out of 10

L'Artisan du Chocolat 72% Jamaica


Again here the smell was very indicative of the taste, and the bar emanated a smokey set of cocoa scents. The chocolate was similarly fresh to break apart but this chocolate seemed to melt at a slower rate to the others. As the smells suggested the taste was dominated by an undercurrent of tobacco like influences, with hints of woodiness and red fruits also coming through in the latter stages. The aftertaste was noticeably stronger than the other two variants and was the most bitter out of all three. The taste of this chocolate didn't suit everyone in the group and it did really divide opinion more so than the others.

7.2 out of 10



L'Artisan du Chocolat 72% Congo



This smelt similar to the Bali variant, though on balance was just slightly less pungent. In terms of taste this chocolate was screaming out Lindt 72% as soon as I placed the first piece on my tongue. The cocoa taste was less distinctive than the other two variants and maintained a familiar milky undertone throughout the entire experience. Whilst it wasn't quite as sweet or as variable as the Bali, it wasn't as harsh as the Jamaica and had a relatively nice, fresh cocoa taste. Both the feel and the flavours were smooth, whilst the melt was well paced. In all it was a solid, but safe dark chocolate.

7.8 out of 10

Overall these were some good quality dark chocolates, and me and fellow taste testers really enjoyed tasting the different experiences that all three offered. A look at the scores would suggest that probably only the Bali could be deemed as 'better than average' but if you look closely all three were hampered by the average score of 7 for presentation. The reason I gave them that score was because I didn't get the same feel of classiness from these bars as I did from the wonderful presented No.1 Salted Caramels a few days ago. If you compare them like-for-like I think you will agree that those Caramels look a class above these bars, though granted that is more about the quality of presentation of the Caramels. Presentation aside the quality of the chocolate here on the whole pretty good and it was really interesting the way that each offered up a different sort of taste. There was a clear favourite amongst the group in the form of the sweeter Bali variant, though this could be down to our personal preference and it is likely your own opinion would differ. To sum up I think L'Artisan du Chocolat could work a little on the packaging to align themselves in terms of quality with some of their other brand offerings. As far as chocolate quality goes though, they need do very little work there.

On a unrelated note what really surprised about reviewing these chocolates was how fun it was to do it amongst a group. Three of us enjoyed these over a few drinks and it was great comparing thoughts on how we thought the flavours developed. I would seriously suggest you guys grab a few of friends and try something similar in the near future - it is a lot of fun.

March 15th: Hotel Chocolat The Tipsy Scrambled Egg

Just in case you haven't seen my hundreds of tweets, posts or facebook messages in the last week or so I would briefly like to draw your attention to the ChocolateMission Easter 2010 competition (See HERE) - the prize being a Hotel Chocolat Milk Chocolate Scrambled Egg.

To whet your appetite for the competition I today bring you my review of one of the other eggs in the Scrambled range, the Alcoholics Anonymous favourite 'Tipsy' variant.

This Tipsy package weighed in at 220.0g and constituted of one 'milk chocolate egg, decorated with dark and white chocolate swirls', which was served alongside a 'selection of boozy chocolates'. Packaging wise aside from being a pain in the backside to photograph (reflections grr!), it looked fantastic. The egg looked suitably creative with the three different tones of chocolate, whilst the ingot pieces were similarly awesome to look at.

Taking the egg in isolation first I was pleased to see a little change up from the 40% house recipe and thought the 50% milk chocolate suited the more mature theme of the product. Whilst the 50% milk chocolate wasn't noticeably stronger in it's cocoa flavours than the aforementioned 40%, it was definitely a touch less sweet which made it richer. This just so happened to be to the preference of my father who was more than eager to help me out with this particular review :D As you can imagine the decorative dark and white chocolate patterns had very little cut through in the taste and seemed more there for aesthetic purposes.

Of course to go alongside the egg we were also treated to a wide selection of ingot shaped boozy truffles, some of which are in the photo above. Like I have found with many of the Hotel Chocolat liqueur truffles before I found the taste of the alcohol overwhelming in a few of the flavours - most notably in the martini, gin and cognac ingots where I felt the chocolate was overpowered. According to my old man I was just being a bit of pansy, as he really enjoyed all of them. I guess on reflection the milder amaretto, caramel & whisky and rum ingots were more to my liking and whilst I might not choose them out of personal preference (over say a praline or something) I would have them again if offered.

Overall this was a nice way to kick off my look at Hotel Chocolat's Scrambled Egg range, but like many of their boozy chocolates that have gone before I at times felt that the chocolatier had been a little over generous with his 'splashes' of alcohol. Taking the egg in isolation there are no two ways about it - it was perhaps a little no frills but it was really high quality milk chocolate and the swirled patterns on the exterior certainly made it look impressive. Now speaking of the ingot truffles my own feelings were a bit mixed as I didn't like the chocolate taking a back seat in the taste with some of the flavours on offer (named and shamed above). What is probably more relevant for you boozy chocolate fans to bare in mind though is that my father who enjoys spirits more than I do (not hard admittedly!) thought a lot more of them so I guess on that basis these are worthy of a recommendation for like minded people. If you are gifting to an older consumer this Easter I would say this Tipsy variant is a good option.

8.5 out of 10

BUY Hotel Chocolat's Scrambled Egg & MANY MORE HERE - CLICK

March 14th: The Chocolate Truffle Co. Noir Collection Costa Rica 64

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

Coming right off the back of my flirtation with The Chocolate Truffle Co.'s Lait Collection (See HERE) I am going to kick start things this week with a review of one of their dark chocolate bars. Similarly to the Lait Collection offering from last Wednesday, this was a bar that was produced using cocoa beans sourced from a Rainforest Alliance certified farm, which the on-pack label tells me will help protect the environment and improve the lives of cocoa growers. The cocoa here was again from Costa Rica and had been handmade in to a bar here in the UK. Having shared my feelings about the Rainforest Alliance certification last week I can only reiterate my views that it is all well and good having a chocolate that is ethically moral, but it also has to pass the taste test to make that all worthwhile.

Just like the milk chocolate bar this came in a 48.0g size which lasted me a course of three separate sittings. As you can see above in the photo the packaging was consistent from the other bar, and despite being more clued up with the knowledge that The Chocolate Truffle Co. are somewhat limited financially in this area, I still think this is an issue that need to address going forward. Inside the chocolate bar itself was again lacking personality visually but not so much aroma wise. The scents being emanated from the plastic packet were unsurprisingly very cocoa heavy but they were fresh and had a subtle red fruitiness that added a good degree of intrigue.

I always like to eat my dark chocolate with a fresh black coffee and I have to start off by saying that a few squares of this went down extremely well as an accompaniment. Letting each block slowly melt on the tongue the taste that developed wasn't anything I would describe as unique or differentiated from what I have consumed previously, but that is not to say it wasn't of a good quality. Much like the smells indicated the taste was very cocoa rooted and the unsweetened cocoa flavours were immediately established from the outset. The cocoa volume increased with the progression of the melt, though the aftertaste was somewhat of a tipping point and there was slightly sweeter milkier note left in the mouth with each block. If I was being fussy (like I am) I would say that I would have liked to have some other type of flavour influence to come to the party, like say a a minor hint of coffee, nut or tobacco etc. In reality the taste was perhaps what you would describe as slightly one dimensional, but luckily that one dimension of really fresh tasting, raw cocoa was very nice.

Overall this dark chocolate wasn't as unique tasting as the vanilla noted milk chocolate I tried last week, but it was still a good quality dark chocolate that I would was noticeably of a better quality than an average mass produced dark chocolate. Personally speaking I would have welcomed an additional depth to the taste and would possibly have liked it a touch stronger. However I think the 67% recipe will probably be about spot on for most dark chocolate fans sp I wouldn't advise them to make ammendments to their recipe there. Putting aside my usual grumbles about the packaging and claims etc, I think that The Chocolate Truffle Co. have really solid foundation of dark chocolate on which to build something special. What I would love to see is this chocolate used in some form of truffles and/or a few flavoured dark chocolates etc. I think with the added enhancement of say something like macadamia nuts or fruits sourced from these rainforests they could build a more compelling proposition, and one that might excite the average consumer more than just with the plain dark and milk chocolate bars they have currently. My own view is that this is a line of products to keep an eye on, as I can imagine special things might be round the corner.

7.7 out of 10

March 13th: Cadbury Caramel / Crunchie Biscuits

STOP PRESS ... 7Days of Chocolate Reviews has been replaced this week by an emergency NEW product review! Over the past two weeks my inbox has been overflowing (minor exaggeration) with e-mails from people requesting I review these new Cadbury Biscuits.

The sneaky people at Cadbury didn't even seem it appropriate to announce these new biscuits to the trade, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw these Caramel & Crunchie biscuits gracing the shelves of my local Sainsbury's.

On an introductory offer of £1, these 130.0g packs contained eight biscuits in each (roughly 12.5p each a biscuit if you're wondering!!) and came in foil packets that looked none to dissimilar to the actual bars their concepts originated from. Aesthetically speaking I thought that both the wrappers looked awesome, but it was the Crunchie variant that looked the more interesting comparing the inner contents ... the Crunchie took the biscuit so to speak.

With the Crunchie variant catching the eye it was now down to the taste test - below are my thoughts on the two variants ...

Cadbury Caramel Biscuits:


Kcal 70 Fat 3.8g Fat(sats) 2.2g Carbs 6.2g

'Cadbury milk chocolate biscuits with a caramel centre'.

Out of the two these were the ones I was most looking forward to trying. Now although the outer milk chocolate wasn't the Dairy Milk recipe I was hoping for, it still established a very Cadbury like sweet, milky taste as soon as soon as the biscuit entered the mouth. The shortcake biscuit base melted with ease on the tongue and displayed a fine degree of butter and brown sugar flavours. As disappointing as it was to find that this wasn't standard Cadbury chocolate per se, it was very encouraging to see that Cadbury implemented their usual caramel, and it brought all the delicious sweet toffee flavour elements that you get with the standard bar. Importantly the salt kick of the caramel was still present, and nicely contrasted the sweetness of both the sugary chocolate and biscuit base, making for a incredibly moreish overall taste.

8.5 out of 10



Cadbury Crunchie Biscuits:

Kcal 80 Fat 4.1g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 7.4g

'Cadbury chocolate biscuits with Crunchie bits'

Despite the Cadbury Caramel being a long time favourite of mine I also have a great fondness of the Crunchie so I was expecting similarly good things here. As you may have ascertained from the above the chocolate was again disappointingly not Dairy Milk but on a positive side the thickness of the chocolate was much greater here. The chocolate once again established the same milk rooted sweet chocolatey taste which lead nicely into the crisp biscuit inside. The biscuit initially had a more savoury wheaty taste, though it was soon nicely built upon by some bursts of honey and syrup which came about as a result of the honeycomb pieces when crunched. Out of the two I felt that the Crunchie biscuits were the more satisfying in regards to hunger fulfilment, as the meatier chocolate layer made each biscuit last longer in the mouth.

8.7 out of 10

Overall I am not always so positive when it comes to Cadbury diversifying into other markets and neglecting their core chocolate range, but these biscuits were so tasty they made me forget such worries. I guess the real surprise here was the fact that the Crunchie variant has scored higher given that my preference lies with the Caramel when it comes to the actual original bars. Without meaning to moan on too much I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of Dairy Milk chocolate, but the secondary recipe utilised once again more than held it's own and it just so happens that in the variant where it was implemented more prominently was the one that scored higher. In regards to taste I can't really separate the two as they were both pretty delicious. If my hand was forced and I had to choose just the one option though I would go for the Crunchie Biscuits as they provide a more satisfying option and looked a bit more interesting visually. At full price they may perhaps be a little pricey for just eight biscuits, but all Cadbury fans should at least give them a try. My review of the Turkish flavour will be up as soon as I find them - what do you all think?

March 12th: Lotte Crunky Crunch Chocolate Strawberry Tart

Kcal 271 Fat 16.9g Carbs 26.8g (per 48.0g)

I simply can't get enough of my Japanese chocolates at the moment, and I just love trying all the odd flavour combinations that manufacturers out there are willing to try on their consumers. The latest product sent my way by the fellas at J-List was this Lotte Crunky Crunch Chocolate Strawberry Tart (try saying that fast!), and it came described on the J-List website as 'strawberry flavoured white chocolate with crunchy malt puffs'. Looking across the web it seems that up until Nestle brought the Kit Kat to the Japanese market it was Lotte's Crunky brand of chocolates that were the 'in-thing' in the Far East, along with the timeless Pocky range of course. Today I had my own first flirtation with Crunky Crunch Chocolate, and this is what went down.

This Crunky variant came in a 48.0g size that was split into a 4x10 long thin bar. Like most Japanese products an outer cardboard sleeve protected the inner foil wrapped chocolate and I liked the style presentation with clear, colourful branding and on-pack pictures. Inside the chocolate was filled to the brim full of crispy cereal pieces and held a nice clean cut look with it's bright pink colour and enscribed Lotte branding. Like most fruit flavoured offerings from Japan this was not a chocolate that needed to be anywhere near the nose for the full effects of the aromas to be experienced. The strawberry scents were strong but a little on the artificial side to describe as truley alluring.

If you have similar previous experiences in mind like the Kit Kat Sparkling Strawberry I reviewed a few days ago I bet you are expecting me to say this was 'too sweet for my taste' right!? ... Well you're wrong, and believe me I was as surprised as anyone! Placing the first block my tongue I was expecting a strong explosion of sugary flavour influences but in contrast I was met with a laid back milky taste that a slightly cheesecake edge to it. Within seconds of being in the mouth the inevitable fruit flavours followed but the strawberry element in the taste was not the fake tasting kind I was expecting and it was far more juicy and pure in it's sweetness. As good as the chocolate was the main reason I thought this offering worked so well was because of the crunchy malt pieces which levelled out the sweetness of the chocolate bringing a more savoury, biscuit like influence to the party. This all combined made for a taste that was delicious as it was moreish, and I ended up eating far more of this bar in a single sitting than I thought I would want to before tasting it.

Overall I wouldn't say this is one of my favourite chocolates or products I have tried from Japan ever, but it was probably one of the ones that has surprised me the most. There was a very obvious pitfall that I expected this chocolate to fall in to and I really was expecting it to be horribly sugary in taste which you will all know is not something that I tend to enjoy. Reality though was quite contrary, with both the white chocolate and strawberry tasting far more subtle than expected and this really helped the resulting final taste. The cheesey edge to the chocolate (nicer than it sounds trust me!) and tart strawberry flavours were very well implemented and far exceeded everything I took for granted before actually tasting it. This was never going to be a combination that I personally was going to fall in love with, but it was certainly good for what it was and I would strongly suggest it to strawberry chocolate fans.

7.8 out of 10

BUY THIS BAR @ J-LIST ... CLICK HERE

March 11th: Hotel Chocolat Easter Eggs & Soldiers

Have you entered the ChocolateMission Easter Competition yet??? GET YOU ENTRIES IN NOW!!

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

Last weekend I showed you all the contents of the Hotel Chocolat Taste Of Spring chocolate box, which you get free if you place an order in excess of £35 with Hotel Chocolat this Easter. Within that picture I am sure a lot of you noticed the chocolate that was decorated with a sunny-side up fried egg. I can reveal today that this was a piece taken from Hotel Chocolat's Easter Eggs & Soldiers. Indeed, egg and soldiers but not as we know as they came described as 'solid milk chocolate praline eggs with white chocolate soldiers'. Obviously Hotel Chocolat are no fans of Marmite - everyone knows that soldiers are best served with plenty butter and a heavy coating Marmite but before we open up that can of worms lets first consider how good these were.

This Easter Eggs & Soldiers collection contained ten chocolate pieces - five half eggs and five soldiers. Cast your minds back to the Valentines Day period and you may remember me getting rather disgruntled at a fellow British manufacturers decision to take a more humorous approach to their seasonal offering (See HERE). To be honest I think Hotel Chocolat struck a good balance here - the chocolates weren't half as goofy as the aforementioned and I thought they still maintained a decent amount of classiness despite being a more playful concept. It wasn't like I particularly stood around looking at them for that long anyway, because as soon as I had peeled away the copious layers of intricate packaging I was greeted by some dairy heavy, nut scents that certainly did their job seducting me in to getting stuck in.

Starting off with the eggs I straight away felt very at home with the 40% milk chocolate recipe that formed their main constituents. The chocolate was flavoursome from the very first minute it was in the mouth and double cream like base tones were as usual complimented by a friendly volume of sweetened cocoa flavours making for a moreish, yet rich taste. What was slightly different from normal was the additional minor hazelnut note that became apparent as the melt developed leaving a very welcome wooden hazelnut hint in the aftertaste - Yum! Although I thought the white fried egg decorations looked cool on the milk chocolate eggs I couldn't really pick the flavours out from the stronger milk chocolate, so it was up to the soldiers to bring the white chocolate to the party. As you may all well know I am no great fan of white chocolate but I can still appreciate a good one when I taste it - the soldiers were nothing short of superb. They melted with infinite ease in to a soft liquor state and the taste was majority led by dairy cream that had a delightful vanilla edge. Combined one egg and one soldier made for a good snack but I think there was scope for more soldiers to be included considering they were only half the size.

Overall if there were ever any rumours that chocolate can't be presented in a less serious manner without hampering on the quality then Hotel Chocolat did a great job dispelling that myth compltely. On the face of things these were presented in a playful way, but from what I tasted this didn't impact at all on the usual phenomenal standards that this manufacture set themselves. The 40% milk chocolate was simply delicious and the additional praline influence arguably made it better than it ever has been. Had the only white chocolate influence of been the fried egg decorations it could have been argued that it was mere token gesture, however the soldiers held up their end of the bargain completely and the creamy taste is something that I would suggest all white chocolate fans would die for. If you are looking to gift something a little different to the usual chocolates eggs this Easter I would seriously consider these as a great option.

8.7 out of 10

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March 10th: The Chocolate Truffle Co. Lait Collection Costa Rica 38

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

With the likes of Mars, Nestle and Cadbury all recently blowing their own trumpets about their chocolates now being Fairtrade or Rainforest certified etc I am starting to get a little a sick of hearing how eating chocolate will help save the planet. What ever happened to chocolate being solely about enjoyment, and indulgence!? ... Those were my first thoughts anyway when I opened up a package sent to me by The Chocolate Truffle Company (website - See HERE) which included some samples of their Rainforest Alliance Certified Lait Collection range. This was to be my first experience trying anything from this company and I was damn sure hoping that this was going to be a chocolate that I would more remember for it's taste rather than the token green emblem on the front.

As you will see from the picture above the chocolate came in a pretty undignified fashion and I wasn't all that impressed with it being solely kept in a plastic packet that was only sealed by the on-pack label. The 48.0g bar was divided into 15 block pieces which disappointingly were not branded or decorated in any manner giving them a somewhat understated appearance. Despite the plastic wrapper being the only layer of packaging the smells that emanated once the seal was disturbed were really very pleasant. Strong hints of cocoa, earth and even coffee beans wafted from the chocolate and gave good insight in to the taste that was to follow.

If you had read the first paragraph and a half you probably would have guessed that this was going to turn out to be a none to positive review but I gladly say that I only have good things to say from now on. Breaking the chocolate apart I was instantly met with a sound that all chocolate fans like to hear and a wonderful 'SNAP' immediately confirmed that this was a very fresh chocolate. As you may have gathered from the name this was a 38% cocoa recipe with the cocoa beans sourced from a RA certified farm in Costa Rica. As much as that was good to know, it was really the taste I was interested in and it thankfully fantastic. Placing a piece on my tongue I was straight away met with a full bodied taste with the cocoa establishing a really chocolatey rich flavour base under the creamy undercurrent that had a honey like sweetness to it. As the chocolate softly melted into it's liqour form a delightful note of vanilla rounded the cocoa edge on the taste, leaving a longing bourbon note in the mouth. For a milk chocolate this was a very flavoursome experience and although I would of happily eaten more, half a bar at a time made for a decent serving size.

Overall this was one of the nicest milk chocolates I have had in a long in time, and in terms of taste I would put it up there with the likes of the Thorntons Tonka bean bar which remains of my favourites to this very day. To be honest I couldn't have cared less where the ingredients came from, and had the cocoa been farmed in Bognor Regis I wouldn't have thought anything more, or anything less of it before tasting it. I understand sticking the product in a cardboard box would of been a bit self defeating given the Rainforest Alliance connection, though I would have liked to have seen more effort made with the presentation of the product, as the actual chocolate deserved a lot more given how outstanding it tasted. Given the volume of milk chocolates that I try you guys will probably understand that for something to get a mark as high as 9 on the taste test it has to be something special. This chocolate was exactly that, and the long vanilla and cocoa flavours made a big impression on me and left me wanting more - definitely worth trying.

7.8 out of 10

March 9th: Hotel Chocolat Rose & Violet Cremes

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

Sons and daughters I hope you all haven't forgotten that it is Mothering Sunday this weekend! Indeed, it has come around early this year with the 14th of March being the date to mark in your diaries. To be honest up until a few weeks ago the day had slipped my mind completely (sorry Mum!), but thankfully a timely reminder and some samples later from the guys at Hotel Chocolat and I now look like son of the year as I gave my gifts a few weeks early :D score! One of the box of chocolates my Mum was treated to this year were these Hotel Chocolat Rose & Violet Cremes which came billed as 'fondant centres with natural essence of rose & violet in dark chocolate shells.'

I guess it is a bit cheeky that I have managed to review something I have gifted but given that there were twenty pieces (net weight 200.0g) there were plenty to go around. As you can see above the style of packaging was pretty similar to a lot of other Hotel Chocolat products I have reviewed in the past, and it was once again agreed all round that the glossy outer box and several layers of inner padding created a sense of sophistication and premiumness. As good as the outer packaging was the chocolates also managed to catch the eye, with the whiteness of the inner fondant really sparkling against the dark coloured chocolate.

Moving on to more important matters it would be no understatement saying that these Rose & Violet Cremes really divided opinion and this all started with the smell chocolates. Had this been a blindfold test I would have struggled to tell you these were chocolates at all as the flowery, sweet smells these emanated would have thrown me straight off course. On one hand I will admit that these aromas were indicative of the taste, though I personally didn't find them appealing in the slightest. For me the excellence of the outer chocolate was upset by the rose and violet fondants which completely dominated things as soon as they were encountered. Conversely (and luckily!!) my Mother loved how they smelt and tasted, and said that both filled her with warm nostalgic feelings of sweets that she used to have as a child. Out of the two I thought the flowery taste of the rose fondant was superior to the perfume like taste of the violet centres, but my Mum said both were as good as each other. After revealing that they weren't to my taste I was quickly banished from wasting anymore ... she liked them so much I had to sneak some from the box for the photos :D

Overall it was hard scoring these today because if was up to me I would probably have given them a 3 for both taste and smell, yet my Mum said I should give them a 10 ... 7 it is then!! I think it is very much a case of either understanding or expecting the taste, or simply just not (like me!!) Looking at the back of the box this probably shouldn't come as any surprise given that Hotel Chocolat proclaim that these are a 'British recipe that dates back to the early 1900s'. On reflection I guess they are pitched at a very targeted audience that isn't anywhere near myself. If my parents are anything to go by Hotel Chocolat did a very good job as they absolutely loved them, and said they would to have them again in the future. What I am being very careful trying to say here is that these Hotel Chocolat Rose & Violet Creme are probably more for a 'mature' consumer than they are for a young guy like myself, and if it is on that basis that these get scored on it looks like they are a very good product. If you are struggling to think of a gift for Mothers Day this year then I think these are good option for you to consider ... just don't be gifting them to me anytime soon thanks :D

7.2 out of 10

BUY THESE & MORE HOTEL CHOCOLAT PRODUCTS HERE

March 8th: L'Artisan du Chocolat No.1 Sea Salted Caramels

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

Back in September 2009 a ChocolateMission reader by the name of Miggins dropped me a comment on my 'Requests Page' asking me to review L'Artisan du Chocolat's Sea Salted Caramels. Now I will admit I wasn't the quickest off the mark sending L'Artisan du Chocolat an e-mail asking for some samples, but when I finally got around to doing so the kind souls were more than happy to oblige and within a week I had a lovely wrapped package from them delivered right to my door. Just as requested included in the box of samples were these 'No.1 Sea Salted Caramels' - a creation that L'AdC say were made in 2003 by lead chocolatier Gerard Coleman for Gordon Ramsay's Claridges restaurant. Surely as Gordon would say these had to 'f***** fantastic?'.

Now I have reviewed many, MANY chocolates in time but these were possibly the fanciest looking ones I have ever had the pleasure of reviewing. The packaging and presentation oozed class and straightaway set the mood that this was a premium chocolate offering. The outer box was quite plain but the simplicity of the design nicely pulled off an understated look. Inside this box sat a plastic screw-top container that wouldn't have looked out of place if it had contained jewellery. The truffles themselves were kept in immaculate condition within the air tight container and the strong smelling, rich cocoa scents that emerged were nothing short of being outstandingly alluring.

The 140.0g box of truffles I received contained about twenty pieces I thankfully didn't make the mistake of sharing them amongst colleagues, friends or family as from the very first one I knew they were going to be something I would want to savour. Each truffle was an indulgent experience from beginning to end from the initial dusting of cocoa powder hitting the tongue, right up to last salt lick that kicked in as the remnants slipped down the throat. Rewinding to the start like I said the first really flavour hit came from the cocoa powder which quickly established a dry, earthy cocoa influence in the mouth. Letting the chocolate sit on the tongue the depth of the cocoa flavours soon got even grander once the outer shell of dark chocolate was revealed when the warmth of my mouth began the elegant, smooth melt. The dark chocolate shell was extremely strong in its chocolatey flavours though I would imagine no one would find it too intense given the sweetness of the caramel centres. Once the crisp dark chocolate was soft enough to yield the liquid caramel centres joined the party and they were every bit as luxurious as the chocolate. The caramel was sweet, buttery and had a strong lick of salt that kicked into effect in the latter aftertaste. I can't quite find the words to describe how perfect the contrast of the sweet and salt elements were - you just have to taste it for yourselves to understand.

Overall I needn't say anything more than these L'Artisan du Chocolat No.1 Sea Salted Caramels were absolutely luxurious. They were presented immaculately, smelt divine and tasted utterly delicious, they were almost perfect ... almost! Just like I have said about previous salted caramel truffles, the only improvement I think could be made on these would be for the fillings to be thicker as that would made of further helped each leave a longer lasting impression in the mouth. That ridiculously minor nit-picking aside I hope I have been able to do these justice with my description above as Mr Gerard Coleman has crafted one of the finest truffles I have ever tasted here. What I think was also great to see was that these came presented as a product that gave the consumer confidence. The outer box, inner container and truffle pieces all reeked sophistication and I don't care what people say - first impressions are important and these all set a classy tone from the outset. I wouldn't be silly enough to suggest that these are the sort of product to replace anyones everyday Mars or Snickers, but if your are gifting chocolate anytime soon or looking for some suitable after dinner chocolates to wow your guests with I can't suggest these enough.

9.2 out of 10

March 6th/7th: Easter Competition + Easter Offers

*** COMPETITION ***

My chums at Hotel Chocolat have given me the opportunity to offer my lucky UK readers the chance of winning a Hotel Chocolate Milk Chocolate Scrambled Easter Egg (See HERE).

To enter all you have to do is send an e-mail to Jim@Chocolatemission.net with the answer to the following question ...

'Approximately how much does a Hotel Chocolat Large Dark Chocolate Ostrich Egg weigh?'

The winner will be drawn/announced on March 20th. Usual small print rules apply.

1. Only UK entrants 2. One entry per person 3. Whatever I rule goes.

*** OFFERS ****

Offer #1 - 10% off Hotel Chocolat orders for ChocolateMission readers ...

Reading this site was going to pay off eventually wasn't it!? :D :D

If you are looking to slash the prices on your Hotel Chocolat Easter Egg Extravaganza this year then input the code JIMEGG10 at the checkout to get 10% when you spend £20. Offer ends 4th April.

Offer #2 - Spend £35 and get a free Hotel Chocolat Taste of Spring gift ....

The guys at Hotel Chocolat sent me a long a sample of the free gift that you receive and I can confirm it includes 2 x milk chocolate batons, 1 x milk chocolate chocolate, 1 x billionaires shortbread truffle (amazing!!), 1 x sticky toffee flavoured dark chocolate egg, 1 x milk chocolate praline egg, 1 x key lime flavoured dark chocolate truffle and 1 x orange praline milk chocolate. I have saved doing a proper review on the selection as many of the pieces fall in to reviews that will coming up on the site in the next few weeks. What I can say though is that it is a wonderful little collection, take a look at the pictures below.

Good luck in the competition - if you have any questions don't hesitate to drop me a comment.

Remember you can do all your Hotel Chocolat Easter shopping HERE

JIM

March 5th: 'Bits n Bobs' - Japan # 1

Today we have another ChocolateMission first - I bring to you a new post style called 'Bits n Bobs'.

'Bits n Bobs' posts will feature on the site every months and will be full of mini 'reviews' of products that I have accumulated over the course of time. These 'reviews' wont always include score charts (only as and where appropriate!) and will be light on words ... the idea for these posts are that they are more picture based. Let me know what you think about the new style ... don't worry they won't be replacing the traditional product reviews.

This first 'Bits n Bobs' review will focus on products from Japan that I have been sent by both J-List and ChocolateMission reader Rachel (Thanks again!!)

Meiji Mini Chocolate & Sweet Assortment:


These were a cute little gift sent to me by J-List and were included in one of their last chocolate packages. These five little boxes included all different kinds of small candy sweets, ranging from mini popping candy pieces (yuck!) , fruit jelly beans, lemon flavoured candies, grape flavoured candies and lastly some strawberry chocolates (the dome shaped things!). If you ever looking to bolster the size of your J-List order with a small little addition I would suggest these as a nice snapshot of traditional Japanese sweets.


Meito Air in Banana Fish:

This was yet another curious item sent to me by J-List. This Meito Air in Banana Fish constituted of fish shaped ice cream wafers filled with a sweet banana mousse type substance. To be honest I didn't think that much of it - the wafers were pretty bland and the banana flavoured mousse filling tasted more artificial than fruity. I wouldn't go out of my way to have another ... it did look intriguingly bizarre though :D


Glico Caplico Cones:

These were sent my way by ChocolateMission reader Rachel who acquired these Glico Caplico Cones at a Japanese market in Central London. These were formed of wafer cones, with different flavoured mousse fillings which had '99 chocolate flake' bits running down the centre. Rachel was kind enough to send me three different flavours - vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Out of all of them by far my favourite was the chocolate as it was the strongest tasting. The vanilla was also pretty fair, but unfortunately the strawberry was similarly artifical tasting like the fruit flavoured Meito product above.


Fujiya Milky Chocolate:This one does get a rating because it was a pure chocolate product :D This Fujiya Milky Chocolate was another item picked up for me by Rachel in the Japanese market in London.

This product was presented fantastically and came in a mini envelope style cardboard packet that flipped open at the front. Inside a film packet contained several mini chocolate blocks which smelt strongly of sweet condensed milk. Taste wise the smell was very indicative, and the outer chocolate had a very distinct milk rooted taste that was only further reaffirmed by the white coloured milky centres. The aftertaste of each piece left a nice note of vanilla in the mouth and the melt was relatively pleasant smooth experience.

Overall I wouldn't say this was the best chocoalte in the world by any means but if you are after a sweet tasting Japanese milk chocolate that isn't far fetched from Kinder you might want to give it a try.

7.4 out of 10

I hope you enjoyed the post today - if you fancy trying any of these items I would suggest you head to J-List.

March 4th: Meiji Rich Matcha Chocolate

Kcal 237 Fat 16.2g Carbs 20.4g

I have tried many bizzare looking chocolates from Japan in the last few years but nothing quite prepared me for this Meiji Rich Matcha Chocolate that I tried today. As you will be able to tell from the adverts placed in the review above this was yet another treat sent to me by the good chaps at J-List, and it just so happened to be one of the most opinion splitting products that my family have tried from them yet. Matcha for those who don't know is a variety of green tea which of course originates from Japan. Admittedly I am not the greatest fan of green tea and it is not like I frequent the stuff by any means, but luckily for me I had some willing assistants who were more than happy to help give this a try.

This Meiji bar came in a 40.0g serving size that I divided up between three of us to share. In regards to the packaging I really liked the way the product was presented. The wrapper was bright and vibrant, whilst it would of taken a real idiot to miss what sort of flavour it was with all green tea leaves. Although the wrapper was pretty crazy itself, the chocolate was really something else and it's bright green colour added further intrigue and a real WOW factor when it was undressed from the silver foil. As if the chocolate's aesthetic credentials weren't enough, the aroma that emanated only further provoked curiosity with it's startling array of herb and tea scents.

Breaking my first chunk off the piece separated with satisfying snap and broke into a size well suited to consume one mouthful. Placing the block on my tongue I was greeted with one of the oddest mixture of flavours I have ever experienced and unfortunately I can't say I enjoyed all that much. In the initial parts of the taste a fine undertone of sugary, milk based white chocolate substantiated a sweet start, though it wasn't long in to the melt that the tea flavours joined the party. Just as the smell of the chocolate suggested the green tea was herby, with notes of grass and earth evident in the tea flavours that got stronger as the melt progressed. These tea flavours left a harsh bitterness in the aftertaste, leaving a strong imprint of green tea in the mouth once the chocolate had been swallowed. Personally I just didn't like it - it wasn't 'spit out the mouth bad', but I didn't find it enjoyable eating nonetheless ... simple as that!

Overall this was the most 'Marmite' of chocolates I had ever come across before and it split opinion with those who helped me taste it. As I have alluded to above, I myself didn't like the bitter aftertaste it left in my mouth and one of my fellow taste testers concurred with this opinion entirely. Conversely the other member of family who tried it absolutely loved it and was quick to hoover up the portions that we didn't eat at the time. Judging this bar by what it is and not what I thought of it personally, I have to say it was very good at what it was supposed to be. The Matcha flavours were implemented well and it came through very distinctly amongst the white chocolate base. Because of this I very confident in saying that if you are a green tea fan it safe to assume that you would get a heck of a lot of enjoyment from this chocolate. I can't say I will ever be trying it again myself but for all you green tea lovers it could well worth giving it a try.

6.0 out of 10

March 3rd: Easter Super Post - 2010 Eggs

Over the last two years I have covered a great deal of Easter chocolate eggs from the likes of Cadbury, Mars, Nestle, Hotel Chocolat etc within my special Easter Super Posts ... (2008 - See HERE, 2009 - See HERE).

In a bid to carry on with tradition I have been trying out some more chocolate egg offerings that are on the market this year. Lets get down to business already - below are my brief thoughts on the following three eggs.

Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Egg

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

Having tried the dark chocolate Lindor egg last year I thought it only right I give the milk chocolate variant an appearance on the site. This egg cost me 59p from Tesco and came in a 28.0g form. Aesthetically it looked pretty smart and Lindor red branded foil and gold fonts made it stand out from some of the other cheaper egg alternatives giving it a nice premium look.

In regards to taste the flavours were delicious yet very short lived. As expected the both the outer chocolate and truffle filling were wickedly creamy and wonderful but didn't leave the same lasting chocolaty impression than I think the truffles do. One of the things I commented on last year about the dark chocolate Lindor egg was that it didn't deliver the bite sized convenience of the original truffles, nor did it have the same sensual feel biting into the crisp outer shell into the smooth, butter like centre.

Overall in some regards this was a better than average Easter Egg but in another light it wasn't anywhere the quality of the original Lindor Truffles. If you are asking me the truffle format is the perfect choice for your Lindt Lindor fill - as experienced with the egg and bar alternative offerings they simply don't match up in terms of total experience.

7.4 out of 10


Thorntons Praline Egg

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

Similarly to the Lindt egg above I bought this Thorntons Praline Egg from Tesco for the price of 59p. It is worth mentioning that although they were the same in price, this Thorntons egg was actually considerably bigger at 35.0g and came described as a 'milk chocolate egg and crunchy sugar almond bits with a hazelnut praline filling'.

Despite this weighing more than the Lindt egg both were actually the same size and it was just the denser filling that added the extra bulk. Biting in to the egg the first thing I noticed were the crunchy pieces of almond in the outer coating and I liked the variation they brought texture wise. In terms of taste the chocolate was already pretty sweet, so I am not sure their sugary nature was that all that welcome - put it this way I would have preferred them to be nuttier! In regards to the praline filling I can pretty much reiterate the same thing ... it was more sugary than it was nutty which was of great disappointment to me.

Overall if you were to eat this egg I don't think you would either be massively impressed or massively disappointed - it was just a real middle of the road offering. The quality of the milk chocolate was by no means bad but it wasn't helped by either the almond or praline constituents which were both in my opinion under par.

6.9 out of 10

Kinnerton Shake 'ems

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

This was the real wild card of the selection! Has anyone even heard of Kinnerton Confectionery Limited before!?? ... no me neither!! These Kinnerton Shake 'ems Eggs are available in several different packaging alternatives featuring our *ahem* favourite *ahem* kinds TV heroes ... Toy Story, The Simpsons, High School Musical etc.

Shake 'ems Eggs constitute of 'hollow milk chocolate shells with plain chocolate pearls' and weigh 19.0g each. Price comparison wise I can't say they stack up to well - 65p for one (OneStop) makes them more expensive than the average competitor, yet they are significantly smaller ... hmmm! Frankly price is the least of the problems with these eggs - to sum the taste in four words I would use the phrase 'cheap advent calendar crap'. Indeed the outer milk chocolate shell lost all of its appeal after just the second mouthful upon where the sugary nature of the chocolate was horribly evident. Of course the inner candy pieces did very little to stem the sugar rush in my mouth - to be honest I threw most of them away.

Overall given the kiddie target market it was unsurprising I thought so little of this egg taste wise and I guess it was almost inevitable that it was going to be sugar overkill. That is something I can understand - lets be honest kids appreciate their chocolate like that! What I don't like is the fact that Kinnerton think that by sticking a picture of a TV character on the front of the pack they can charge a premium price. Parents do yourselves a favour and treat your kids to a Cadbury Creme Egg whilst you still can - all the sugar but a price worth paying in my opinion.

5.6 out of 10

March 2nd: Thorntons Mini Chocolate Brownies

Kcal 67 Fat 3.1g Fat(sats) 1.6g Carbs 8.8g (per brownie)

Having tried so many products from Thorntons' ambient cake range with great success over the past few weeks I needed very little encouragement giving these Mini Chocolate Brownies a run for their money on the ChocolateMission rating scheme. Given how tasty the Thorntons' Chocolate Cake Bars were I really had high hopes for these Brownies which came with the tantilising description of 'chocolate brownies sprinkled with Thorntons chocolate fudge pieces, dipped in milk chocolate'. Moving on from my scoping out of the cake bar market, brownies are my new area of interest so if you have any suggestions of products I might want to be trying please send a me a note on the request page.

I found these brownies sitting in the same part of the supermarket as all the rest of the Thorntons ambient products just next to the fresh bakery section in Tesco. £1.29 of my hard earned money bought me a pack of 12 brownies which struck me relatively good value for money, especially considering they lasted me just over a week. Aesthetically I thought the product was presented well and again I could appreciate the realistic looking product photos on the front of the packaging. Opening the foil packet up I was immediately met with a waft of chocolate cake like scents which really put me in the mood for what lay inside.

At first glance the brownies looked pretty underwhelming and way too small to satisfy the hunger of such a mighty man like myself *ahem*. Thankfully just like the Millionaire's Shortbread what these lacked in presence they made up for in taste and these similarly delivered a great deal of flavour in just the two bites it took me to eat a single one. One thing that definitely can't be disputed is that these packed a real chocolate punch and the combination of the outer coating, cake and inner fudge pieces really hammered this home with real quality. The outer chocolate established a sweet milky taste and I enjoyed the way it melted in to a liquor state to moisten the dry inner brownie base. Despite the cake already feeling quite dense it was further firmed by the chocolate fudge pieces which brought a slight chewiness to the bite as well as a pleasant burst of sweetened cocoa flavours noted with just a subtle hint of treacle. One brownie at a time wasn't quite the same rich experience as the Millionaire Shortbreads, however two certainly felt like an indulgence.

Overall chocolate brownies have never been the first port of call for me in a bakery but I am pleased to say that these were yet another product from Thornton's cake range that I enjoyed. In fact if you look back at all my reviews of Thornton's cakes you will see that they are a lot more consistent with their scores in this sector than they are with their actual chocolate ranges. These brownies were not the most complex of products I have ever tasted but they did their job exceedingly well and they went very nicely with a mid morning/afternoon coffee. On reflection I probably wouldn't buy these over many of the other products from Thornton's cake range (e.g. Toffee Cakes, Chocolate Cakes & Millionaire's Shortbread) but I would recommend them if you are partial to the odd brownie. I can imagine that these are one of those products that are consumed within a matter of a few days in a household environment.

8.4 out of 10