May 26th: Zotter Labooko Nicaragua 60% / Peru 40%

In previous Zotter reviews I have brought you all my views on some of their weirdest and wacky flavour combinations. From their Bacon Bits bar to their Walnuts & Cheese offering, I have covered a decent amount of ground when it comes to their 'Handscooped' range, but up until today I hadn't touched upon any of the other parts of their portfolio. This leads me up nicely to introducing you to the first of their Labooko bars that I will be featuring on the website in the coming weeks.

These Labooko bars are described on the Zotter website as being 'two pure "bean to bar" chocolates in one pack, and today I was trying out a milk chocolate duo. As you can see from the photo above, both came packaged in a single paper wrapper, but were segregated by thick layers of branded gold foil. I can't say I have managed to make the link between the characters on the wrapper and the actual chocolates (hmm!?), but I thought the arty design of the wrapper combined with the delicate pattern work on both the chocolates ensured the Zotter premium brand feel carried through from the Handscooped range.

Nicaragua 60% - According to Wiki Nicaeagua is the largest country in Central America (knowledge eh!?). I hadn't heard of many 60% cocoa milk chocolates before, but according to the wrapper this bar was billed as exactly that. If you look at the photograph above you will be unsurprised to hear that this bar was the darker of the two you can see, and it was not only more imposing in this sense, but also in regards to smell as it had a more pungent cocoa fragrance. When it came to the taste the flavours were very smooth, but the cocoa flavours were stronger and more forthcoming than your standard milk chocolate. During the latter stages of the soft melt suggestions of red fruit came through, which did bring a decent bit of variance to the overall taste. In a perfect world it would of been nice for the melt to have been a little bit slower in the pace so the flavours could of been enjoyed just a little bit longer.

8.2 out of 10

Peru 40% - According to the on-pack blurb this chocolate was formed of beans hailing from the South American country Peru, which has a population of over 29 million people (ok ok I will stop with the wikipedia now :D ) This was the lighter coloured of the two bars and was a little more subtle when it came to aroma and taste. In comparison to the Nicaragua I did find this chocolate a touch less flavoursome, and although the more dairy rooted flavours were just as smooth flowing, they didn't quite have the same depth. In terms of melt the chocolate was similarly soft and easy melting in the mouth, but I felt again that it could of done with a touch more grip, which would have made the total flavour experience that little bit richer.

7.9 out of 10


Overall these both fulfilled my expectations and were some very fine tasting chocolates. As you will have read in my previous Zotter reviews, whilst I have sometimes doubted some of their flavour combinations, I have never been able to fault their core chocolate, so it was no surprise that I found both of these bars as pleasant as I did. Out of the two, I found the Nicaragua bar more flavoursome as it had a bit more depth and variance in it's taste, though this was purely down to personal preference. I'm sure other people who like creamier, sweeter chocolates will more prefer the Peru chocolate with its more milk based taste - it really is down to what you want from a chocolate as to where your preference will lie. This has been a good start for the Labooko range on ChocolateMission - bring on the next few double acts!

May 25th: Heavenly Cakes Billionaires Cakes

Kcal 512 Fat 28.8g Fat(sats) 13.9g Carbs 63.5g (per 100.0g)

I don't know about you, but when it comes to food I am one of those people that always likes to save the best bit until last. Whether it be the last bite of toast with the thickest bit peanut butter on, or the orange jelly filling in the middle of each and every Jaffa Cake - it's just way I work. Long time ChocolateMission readers will have noticed that I approach my review writing in the same manner, in that whenever I get a box full of samples from anyone, I always try and leave my favourite product until last - it's always nice to end on a positive note if at all possible. Apologies if I have given the game away already, but there was no point trying to contain my love for these Heavenly Cakes Billionaires Cakes (See Website HERE) until the end of this review. If you don't like reading reviews where the writer repeats superlatives over and over, I strongly suggest you stop reading now.

Having brought Millionaires Shortbread, Chocolate Falpjacks and Toffee Tiffin cakes in to the office over the last month, my work colleagues were no doubt anxiously waiting to see what they would be treated to this week. Obviously I couldn't disappoint them, so I brought in a 650.0g gift pack of these Billionaires Cakes, which came described as 'Belgian milk chocolate brownies, covered with rich caramel & Belgian milk chocolate with white chocolate drops'. I have already commented on the packaging and presentation standards of Heavenly Cakes products previously (See HERE), and things were again of a very high standard. As with all the previous products I have reviewed from Heavenly Cakes, aesthetically the Billionaires really created an impression on all that tried them.

Once I had divided the giftpack in to sensible sized slices, the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' quickly changed focus on to the absolutely amazing smells of freshly baked brownies that emanated from each slice. As good as the aromas were, it wasn't as if any of us waited around long before putting these cakes through the all important taste test - the two words 'simply delicious' would best describe what we were in for. The brownie base tasted just as good as it smelt, with it's crumbly soft texture supplementing the amazing buttery, rich chocolate cake taste outstandingly. I probably needn't tell you all about how brilliant the layers of caramel and Belgian chocolate were, as I have hammered this point home on previous reviews, but again they were absolutely glorious. The caramel was chewy and viscous in texture, and totally delectable with it's creamy sweet, salted hint flavours. The milk chocolate sat on top just rounded each bite off wonderfully - with the cream based cocoa flavours delivered smoothly and fluently throughout the duration of the soft melt. All three layers combined made for one of the richest, flavoursome cakes I have ever tasted. It wasn't anything you needed, or would want to eat in large quantities, but it was totally satisfying and left one and all feeling very content.

Overall if you told me three weeks ago that I would be awarding a cake product a higher mark than I gave the Heavenly Cakes Millionaires Shortbreads, I would of thought you had gone a bit lala, but these Heavenly Cakes Billionaires Cakes managed to do just that. Everything about them was magnificent, and the combination of the presentation, the aromas and sumptuous taste just left me with a feeling of grand satisfaction. Like I have said about pretty much everything Heavenly Cakes have sent me over the last month, I wouldn't recommend for the sake of your health or wallet that you make these an everyday purchase. For any special occasion, or just if you feel in need of a real treat, I can't recommend these enough. Those who want to believe I have a vested interest in saying a sponsors product is good, I would love for you try these and let me know what you think - I think after your first bite of these Billionaires Cakes you would harbour those feelings rather quickly. I am still a huge advocate of the aforementioned Shortbreads, however I have to say that these Billionaires were quite possibly some of the best cakes I have ever tasted. That is a pretty statement to make, but I feel pretty confident saying it considering a good proportion of the other ten people I shared them with thought similarly. When it comes to money being a Millionaire is great, but being a Billionaire is even better - the same can be said about Heavenly Cakes.

9.2 out of 10

May 24th: Hotel Chocolat Cookie Creme

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

My reviews of the slabs from the Hotel Chocolat Summer Peepster Selection box continue today with me taking a look at the Cookie Creme offering. If you haven't yet checked out my reviews of the Tutti Fruitti from last year (See HERE) or the Eton Mess from last week (See HERE) they are well worth looking at, as both scored pretty highly on the ChocolateMission rating system. Whilst both of the aforementioned slabs were chocolates that had a fruity twist, this Cookie Creme slab today was of a more a original variety, and came billed as 'milk chocolate stirred with little cocoa cookies and pieces of shortbread'. I guess in the context of the other flavours in the selection, this didn't sound the most exciting, however as past experiences have proven sometimes it is the simpler things that are the best.

This slab was another that came in a 100.0g size, and I ate it over the course of a few sittings. I have always been a big advocate of the Hotel Chocolat slab format but I have to admit I was somewhat annoyed by the way that this slab was impossible to break apart without causing a right old mess. In terms of aesthetics there was no doubting the slab looked good with the two different colour biscuit bits decorating the top nicely. When attempting to snap bits off, these cookie pieces unfortunately couldn't help themselves from flying all over the place - this made was not only a little irritating because of the mess, but also because it limited their subsequent involvement in the taste.

One thing that continues to amaze me about Hotel Chocolat chocolate is how it always smells so fresh, and how it continues to do so even when left out to air for days (not that this happens all that often). The smells offered by this chocolate were very tempting in terms of the strength of the chocolatey scents, and there were even a few biscuit hints evident when really searched for. Once I had stopped enjoying smelling the chocolate, and finished picking up the several cookie bits lining my Kitchen floor (Doh!!) I finally got around to tasting it. People who have been reading this site for any extended time will probably be able to repeat what I am about to write word for word about Hotel Chocolat's 40% milk chocolate, as I have said it so often in the past. You will be unsurprised to hear that the chocolate was nothing less than delicious with it's nicely balanced cocoa taste wonderfully supported by strong undertones of sweet, double cream flavours. As ever it not only tasted superb, but it also felt wonderful in the mouth in terms of melt, and had a transcended from a solid to liquid state with an elegant, smooth softness. Whilst the viscosity of the chocolate was undoubtedly pleasant, it does have to be said that it meant the cookie pieces struggled to create an impression in terms of flavours due to the thickness of the melting chocolate. As a result I couldn't pull apart the flavours of both of the different cookie types, though at times there were subtle buttery shortbread suggestions. Despite the cookie pieces not offering a great deal to the taste, the quality and richness of the chocolate still made a 50.0g serving seem like a terrifically satisfying serving.

Overall I wouldn't say this was either one of Hotel Chocolat's most inspired or well executed chocolates, however the fantastic quality of the milk chocolate can't be denied. As I mentioned previously in the review, the cookie element on this slab wasn't implemented probably as well as it should have been. Although there were also shortbread cookies bits in the base of the chocolate, a lot of the bits placed on top of the slab broke away when it was being snapped. This is probably me being ultra fussy, but this was somewhat annoying, and I am certain that it hampered the resulting impression that the cookie pieces had on the overall taste. Putting my minor grumbles to one side, the 40% milk chocolate was again delightful. You would have thought I would be getting a little tired of it now having written so many reviews where it is used, but it is still one of my favourite milk chocolates and I have no problems reiterating just how good it is. If you are one of those people that hasn't indulged themselves in Hotel Chocolat yet this would be a safe chocolate of theirs to start with. I would also say this one is a pretty safe gifting option - after all who doesn't like milk chocolate and biscuits!?

8.2 out of 10

Want great Hotel Chocolat deals? SEE HERE

May 23rd: Lindt Excellence Caramelised Hazelnuts / Roasted Almonds

Eagle-eyed ChocolateMission readers will have seen that Lindt have not only redesigned the packaging for their milk chocolate Excellence bars, but they have also introduced two news varieties. If you are wondering what the other two flavours in the range are, you might want to See HERE for the original Extra Creamy variant, and See HERE for the Crunchy Caramel.

If my UK readers take a look in their supermarkets, it is likely they will see the entire Lindt Excellence milk chocolate range on some sort of offer. Lindt seem to be coupling this relaunch with some very welcome in-store discounts to entice consumers. In the FMCG business we call this a penetration drive (basically discounting products to get people to trial them!), and in my local Sainsbury's both these bars on show today were priced at a very affordable £1 each.

Before I launch give you my opinions on how these two new ones tasted, I should first pass comment on the new packaging. The actual changes are very subtle, but I think the cleaner background makes the range look more modern. Long story cut short I think the new designs are every bit as good looking as the previous, and they give the same premium brand feel of the previous with just a little bit of reinvigoration.

Lindt Excellence Caramelised Hazelnuts


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

'Lindt milk chocolate generously blended with caramelised roasted hazelnuts'

Seasoned readers will know that when it comes to hazelnuts I always prefer them to be implemented in a whole nut style rather chopped in to smaller bits. This particular chocolate was a perfect example of why I am of that way of thinking, as the small, granule like pieces of nut failed to cut through in the taste. Admittedly the cream based sweet cocoa flavours of the Lindt Excellence chocolate are stronger tasting than your average milk chocolate, but the smallness of the nut pieces hampered their input in to the taste, and they more just spoilt the texture by giving it an unwelcome grittiness. Despite the hazelnuts not having great cut through, there was still a terrific milk chocolate at the base of this bar which still made it a very tasty offering.

7.8 out of 10



Lindt Excellence Roasted Almonds

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

'Creamy milk chocolate with slivers of roasted almonds'

I should probably stop myself from trying to second guess these things, but this was one out of the two variants being showcased today that I fancied the least. As I hope you can see in the photo above these almonds nut pieces implemented in this bar were few in number, but were actually bigger in size, which surprise-surprise made them have a better influence on the taste. Just as with the previous bar the chocolate was still as gorgeously creamy, but there was an extra raft of savoury butter nut hints in the latter development of the melt. Unlike the hazelnut bits in the last bar, the smoother cut almonds didn't hamper the softness of the melt, and in comparison were pleasant to crunch on once the chocolate had melted entirely. This was a great quality milk chocolate, with a very tasty nut influence - big thumbs up!

8.8 out of 10



Overall I was never expecting to write this, but when it came to these two bars my preference firmly lay with the Roasted Almonds flavour. In the past I have tended to find hazelnut chocolates to be more flavoursome than almond ones, however this just wasn't what I experienced here. Although the hazelnut bar was disappointing, I must stress the credit that the almond bar deserves, as it was certainly one of the better almond bars I have ever tasted in the last few years of writing this site. One thing that can be said about both chocolates is that the quality of the milk chocolate is absolutely superb for the price you pay. It might not be quite as rich as some of the up market offerings like Hotel Chocolat etc, but the double cream lead taste has a terrific vanilla hinted finish, quite simply it isn't a million miles away in terms of quality. For what it is worth my recommendation would be to go for the Roasted Almond flavours if you are picking between the two - it would be great to hear some of your opinions if you have tried either.

May 22nd: Orero Brownie

Kcal 340 Fat 13.0g Fat(sats) 4.5g Carbs 57.0g (per brownie)

The review backlog is getting increasingly larger here on ChocolateMission so this week you are being treated to an extra review instead of the normal '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' post. The reason why the reviews are stacking up so high at the moment, is because I have recently received several deliveries from various site sponsors. One of these companies, Yankee Soda & Candy (a UK based merchant who sell American goods - See website HERE), were the providers of today's product - Kraft Nasbisco's Oreo Brownie. Informing you guys of the product description seems a bit of a pointless task given it's simplicity, but what the hell, it was billed as a 'brownie baked with real Oreo pieces' ... oh really now!?

The brownie came a largish 85.0g format, which I split with a fellow taste tester. From the outset the packaging created a real impression on me, and I was drawn in by both the cool looking Oreo branding on the wrapper, as well as the cheeky areas of transparency which showed off the inner brownie. Removing the brownie from the packet, an array of pleasant baked cake and Oreo biscuit smells became evident. These aromas managed to further my intrigue, which was already sky high thanks to the rather cool aesthetic effect created by the chunks of Oreo cookies visible in the brownie.

Getting straight in to details of the taste test, this product didn't give a freshly baked, straight out the oven brownie experience, but it would have been unrealistic to think it would do so. The chocolate and sweet cake flavours it did deliver were of a more than satisfying quality, and the Oreo pieces brought the cookie flavours to life in nearly every single bite. At this point I would love to continue to lavish the praise on this brownie, however from the outset it was apparent there there was a pretty glaring issue with this product, and it became increasingly detrimental with each mouthful. My main issue (that my fellow taste tester agreed with I may add) was that the texture of the brownie was just way too dry. The brownie needed some sort of icing, or inner filling to balance the dryness of both the brownie and the cookie pieces. The combination of them both created a saliva sponge, and even though I a glass of milk on standby, it still felt like it created a vacuum in the mouth. On reflection, I think I would have struggled to eat one of these by myself if I was faced with that prospect - half provided a more than substantial snack.

Overall Kraft Nabisco got a lot of things right with this product, but the texture and feel of the brownie in the mouth stood out like a sore thumb, and thus has limited it's score on the ChocolateMission rating system. In regards to taste this brownie wasn't the best tasting one I have had recently (check back Tuesday for that haha!!) but it certainly more than held up it's part of the bargain in delivering a fair standard base brownie with an extra cookie punch from the Oreos. Considering the product in that regard, and in light of the packaging and proposition, it would almost certainly be something I would recommend you all try. Unfortunately the texture inhibits me from being able to do just that, as for me it did somewhat spoil the overall experience. What is really frustrating is that this could have been so easily avoided had they just included a layer of Oreo cookie creme running through the middle of the product - why on earth didn't they do this? If you are a fan of Oreo cookies and are a lover of brownies you will probably want to try this and I don't blame you. Just make sure you have a couple of pints of milk to wash it down with.

7.3 out of 10

Fancy trying this for yourself? Visit Yankee Soda & Candy CLICK HERE

May 21st: Zotter Muscat Wine with Grapes

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

Last week I told you all that Zotter had sent me a new box of samples, and I kicked off my latest round of reviews last Friday with my look at their Honey Trio hand-scooped bar. Buoyed by the unanimous success of that honey flavoured chocolate, this Muscat Wine with Grape variety was the next one I picked out of my box. Given that I am not the keenest wine drinker, I called in some reinforcements (aka my family) who were all as keen as ever to help me out. On the wrapper this bar came billed as 'mountain milk chocolate, filled with milk-cream and raisins'. The words that followed 'raisins' made me laugh - 'contains alcohol' ... indeed this bar was flavoured with Muskat Ottonell wine - it was going to be interesting.

Aligned to the rest of the hand-scooped range, this bar came in a 70.0g size that I split into three slices for each of us to try. I have said this in many a Zotter review previously, but I just have to reiterate my love for their packaging. The artistic designs on the wrappers always strike me as being the correct side of outlandish, in that they have a nice uniqueness, yet never seem to go overboard, and always strike me as looking very sophisticated. The bar itself was coated in the usual gold foil wrapper, which kept it conditioned very well. Aesthetically the chocolate looked quite similar to a number of other Zotter bars I have reviewed and eaten previously, however the boozy, cocoa scents that were on offer gave great indication of what the taste was going to have to offer.

Although I have reviewed a decent number of Zotter chocolates in the past, they have all tended to have been made with stronger tasting dark chocolates, so I was interested to see how well their milk chocolate would stack up in comparison. Amongst the three of us that tasted this chocolate, what we found most pleasurable was the way the flavours developed over the course of the melt. From the very first seconds in the mouth, it was straight away evident that Zotter's milk chocolate competency was just as high as their dark chocolate, as the milk, cream and sweet cocoa flavours were quickly forthcoming and started the taste off terrifically. Sitting below the crisp outer shell of milk chocolate, the milk-cream layer started off very buttery and vanilla noted, however it wasn't long before the promised wine and raisin elements came in to play. Contained within the milk-cream layer, strong notes of sweet fruit, and alcohol came through nicely in the middle stages of the smooth, soft melting filling. Unlike previous alcohol flavoured chocolates, the fluency of the taste was not disrupted by the alcoholic element, and the flavours were non-compromising with the wine nicely rounding of each bite delivering a pleasant warming sensation at the back of the throat amongst all the sweet grape fruit flavours.

Overall Zotter have surprised me yet again with another chocolate that I admitedly wasn't all that excited about trying. As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I am not a big drinker of wine, so the appeal of a wine flavoured chocolate wasn't as great as some of the other varieties that Zotter have to offer. You can probably tell then, that it was to my great surprise how much I liked this particular chocolate, and it has to go down as one of my favourite alcohol flavoured chocolates ever. I am also glad to confirm that it wasn't just myself who was of this way of thinking. The keener wine drinks amongst my family were similarly impressed at how well integrated the wine and raisin flavours were interwoven in to the creamy filling. One thing I am always very keen on with chocolate, is that they are progressive in their flavour delivery whilst they are melting the mouth. This Zotter Muscat Wine with Grapes did this in spades, and for this reason I would recommend it as an exciting and unique tasting chocolate. It is well worth a try if you get the chance to do so.

8.4 out of 10

May 20th: Lindt Excellence Coffee Intense

Kcal 500 Fat 31.0g Fat(sats) 19.0g Carbs 49.0g (per 100.0g)

Having tried a ridiculous amount of chocolates over the past two years I sometimes lose track of what I have/haven't reviewed. This is exactly the reason why it has taken me within the region of two plus years to get around to trying this Lindt Excellence Coffee Intense - I simply thought I had reviewed it before. Well after a request from ChocolateMission reader Mark I realised this wasn't actually the case so I went about seeking one out in my local Tesco supermarket. Long time ChocolateMission readers will be all to aware that I am a big fan of coffee flavoured chocolate, thus the prospect of 'fine dark chocolate with an aromatic taste of Arabica coffee' sounded right up my street.

Forming part of the standard Lindt Excellence range this bar came in a 100.0g format that was split into twelve medium sized blocks. The packaging varied very little at all from the other Excellence variants incorporating the familiar gold font and clean design work that radiated the usual Lindt quality. The chocolate inside looked immaculately formed and separated with a terrific cracking sound when separated into smaller pieces. As much as it was enjoyable to look at the intensely dark coloured chocolate I couldn't help but also be consumed with the strong aromas I detected, with rich scents of cocoa and roasted coffee beans on offer.

Being the Lindt Excellence geek I am I tried guessing the strength of the chocolate by tasting it before looking at the back of the packaging. I tell no lie - I was only 3% out (sad eh!?) with my guess of 50% cocoa being marginally above that of the proclaimed 47% on the outer cardboard box. In terms of strength this was not the most intensely flavoured dark chocolate I have ever had but it was still full of flavour and wonderfully progressive - especially when it came to the introduction of the coffee element to the party (most over used phrase ever!?) later on in the taste. Eating each block in halves this chocolate was best consumed when placed on the tongue and left to melt as it allowed the initial milk softened cocoa flavours to fully develop and express themselves before the aftertaste kick of the coffee came in. Indeed, in the latter stages of the melt the roasted bean flavours of the coffee kicked in nicely and became increasingly stronger as the chocolate smoothly melted away leaving the small coffee granules on the tongue. As you may have guessed from the scoring chart below this was a rich tasting chocolate and as enjoyable as it was I felt no need to eat more than 2 blocks per sitting.

Overall this is another fine example of great quality from the Lindt Excellence range and was one of the tastiest chocolates I have had since the my reviews of the Hotel Chocolat offerings last month. A common problem with the majority of coffee flavoured chocolates is that often the coffee element is understated in the taste, however this was not the issue here where the 'Coffee Intense' name was really a reality. If I was being picky I would have perhaps liked to have seen Lindt use one of their stronger dark chocolate recipes - perhaps their 70% or 85% recipes would have made this chocolate even better? Maybe not? One thing I can conclude for certain though is that if you like your dark chocolate and coffee chocolates this is definitely an option I would recommend you try. One thing I really appreciate is consistency with quality and I believe this is one thing the Lindt Excellence range always delivers on. This Coffee Intense is just yet another fine example of what they can offer.

9.0 out of 10

May 19th: Hotel Chocolat Eton Mess Slab

Want to see great offers from Hotel Chocolate? - CLICK HERE

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

The summer sun may not be shining quite yet, but Hotel Chocolat have already launched their seasonal range. To celebrate my 1000th product review on this site, a few weeks ago I asked you guys the question 'what four slabs comprise the Hotel Chocolat Summer Peepster Selection Box'. Just as so many of you answered, the correct answer was of course 'Tutti Fruitti, Eton Mess, Cookie Creme & Banoffee', and it has now come round to the time that they all have a crack at the ChocolateMission rating system. ChocolateMission addicts will know that last year I reviewed the Tutti Fruitti Giant Slab - to read that review See HERE. Today it was the turn of the Eton Mess Slab, which came described as 'a timeless summer favourite, with strawberry and vanilla chocolate, cookies, meringue and strawberry pieces'.

This slab came portioned in a 100.0g single piece that I shared amongst a few willing taste testers aka my family. It has been a while since I had one of Hotel Chocolat's Peepster Selections but the presentation was every bit as good as I could remember, and the exterior cream and lime coloured cardboard packaging cut a fitting fresh and summery look. Additionally I thought the Eton Mess slab looked every bit as wonderful - with the two tone white and red colour chocolates magnificently decorated by the pieces of meringue, dried strawberries and cookies that lined the surface. Whilst looking the part, the slab also smelt gorgeous, with a waft of fruit and cream rooted scents emerging once the plastic packet was opened.

My expectations of this slab were sky high given the quality of the presentation and the evident smell, but I was most hopeful due to my previous experiences with Hotel Chocolat's Eton Mess truffles (See HERE). Transferring the elegance of those individual chocolates, to this slab was going to be no easy task, but I am glad to say Hotel Chocolat did a cracking job. Hearing the words strawberry white chocolate always gets the alarm bells ringing in my head, as it is very common that the mixture of the sugary chocolate and sweet fruit and can prove to be a little too much. This consequence was nicely avoided here, as the vanilla flavoured white chocolate had a fluent, cream based taste that had just a touch of a yoghurty tang to it. This yoghurt like influence nicely contrasted with the red berry sweetness of the strawberries, which came through in the taste as a very genuine fruity influence. The realness of the strawberry flavours were of course helped no end by the pieces of frozen dried fruit placed on the top of the slab, which alongside the meringue and cookie pieces created a pleasant crunchy element within the smooth, thick melting chocolate base. Shared amongst three other family members, a third of a slab in a sitting was just about the right amount to provide what I felt was a plentiful serving.

Overall this was a product that not only encapsulated that summer feeling perfectly, but also proved to be a great tasting chocolate. During the summer I like my chocolates on the lighter side (i.e. not heavy dark chocolates!), so nicely balanced fruity, white chocolates are very much the thing that are in order. In terms of meeting this criteria Hotel Chocolat are completely on the money with this Eton Mess Slab. The white base was devilishly creamy and not too sweet, whilst the strawberry element was incorporated well, and in a non-artificial tasting manner. In terms of the meringue and the chocolate cookie pieces, neither created a great impression on the taste, however they did bring enjoyable variances texture wise, and they certainly added colour and intrigue when it came to visual impact. I probably needn't say this as it must be blindingly obvious, but I would very much recommend this slab for white chocolate and strawberry lovers - the summer has arrived!

8.7 out of 10

May 18th: Heavenly Cakes Toffee Tiffin

Kcal 484 Fat 27.4g Fat(sats) 16.9g Carbs 59.1g (per 100.0g)

Ever since I posted my first Heavenly Cakes review two weeks ago, readers have been e-mailing me almost daily asking me when I will be reviewing certain products that they have obviously been tempted by on the Heavenly Cakes website. One of the most commonly mentioned cakes that I keep being asked about is the Toffee Tiffin, which on the website is described as a sinful concoction of 'crunchy biscuits, sweet sultanas, topped with caramel and smothered in Belgian milk chocolate'. Given the fantastic proposition I guess it should come as little surprise that this was one of the products to catch many a ChocolateMission readers eye. My job today, along with some ever willing taste testers was to see whether it lived up to the high expectations.

As with the other Heavenly Cakes products I have reviewed over the past few weeks, this batch of Toffee Toffin came in a giftpack sized amount which weighed in at a monstrous 750.0g!!! Having commented on the exterior packaging twice already I will spare you the finer details - see previous reviews HERE. One thing I will not be glossing over however, was how gorgeous the Tiffin slices looked - again I hope my photos have done justice to this. Once removed from the silver tray the layering of the slices was in full view, and boy did they look tempting. The base of each slice had visible chunks of biscuit and raisins, whilst the caramel and chocolate layers placed above looked plentifully portioned. Aesthetically they were begging to be bit into - believe me we all very much obliged.

In comparison to the Millionaires Shortbread and Flapjack cakes, these Toffee Tiffin slices emanated some very strong chocolatey aromas that straight away set the tone of the taste. Biting into the slice, the first raft of flavours that came through were of rich, unsweetened cocoa, which immediately delivered a substantial chocolate flavour hit. Supplementing these base chocolatey flavours, elements of butter, vanilla and brown sugar came to the party thanks to the crunchy digestive biscuit pieces that were dispersed throughout. In addition to the biscuits, the sultanas were equally well distributed, and they brought sweet, fruity hints that contrasted nicely with the plain chocolate flavours. This delicious Tiffin base on it's own would of frankly been indulgent enough, however the the experience was taken a few dimensions further with the presence of the caramel and upper chocolate constituents. The caramel layer especially was very welcome, as it's chewy, sticky viscosity gave the texture some added denseness, whilst the sweet butter flavours further enhanced the incredible taste. I needn't probably reiterate that the 33.6% Belgian milk chocolate was again gloriously smooth in melt, and superbly creamy in taste just like it was on both the Flapjacks and Millionaires Shortbreads. On a side note we split the 750.0g package in to twelve slices, which was a nice serving size despite being half the amount suggested by Heavenly Cakes originally.

Overall these Toffee Tiffin slices not only met my expectations, but also managed to exceed them, and thus have to go down as another superb Heavenly Cakes offering. If this hadn't been the case, this would of been a hard review to write given the amount of interest these seem to have generated with ChocolateMission readers. Luckily writing this post wasn't hard at all as they were every bit as good as they looked, and subsequently have definitely earned my seal of approval. The only issue I had writing this review was that I was running out of superlatives - as nearly every single element of this product warranted one. At the heart of the product, the Tiffin base was terrific, with the plain chocolate straightaway taking a firm grip on the taste within the light and crumbly texture that was studded generously with biscuit and fruit pieces. Supplementing this base quite superbly, the additional layers of caramel and Belgian chocolate just further took the taste a stage further by compounding the rich chocolate flavours and bringing a nice degree of chewiness to the lighter Tiffin foundation. If Tiffin is your cake of choice then I would strongly recommend you try these from Heavenly Cakes - more to come next week!

8.7 out of 10

May 17th: Hotel Chocolat Chocolate Gemstones

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

Summer is nearly upon us, and there seemed no better way to warm up for my Hotel Chocolat Summer 2010 reviews, than by checking out one of the few remaining products I am yet to try from their standard range. After receiving e-mails from ChocolateMission readers Rachel & Chloe, I let their requests be known to my contacts at Hotel Chocolat, who were more than happy to send me some samples for a review. The product requested for a run through the ChocolateMission rating system were these Chocolate Gemstones, which Hotel Chocolat describe as 'individual little white and dark chocolate drops, which are fused together to create rather beautiful glossy gems of marbled chocolate' - no understating there then :D

The Chocolate Gemstones came in a 150.0g bag that I shared amongst my ever willing taste testing family. As I have mentioned above, Hotel Chocolat describe these as 'beautiful', and I can do little but agree. As commented on in previous reviews, I wouldn't say that the transparent film packaging looks all that prestigious, but what it did allow was visibility of the splendid looking inner pieces. One thing I do hope is that my photograph above has done these justice, as up close the sparkling marble effect created by the blended dark and white chocolate looked nothing short of magnifecent. Putting aesthetic observations aside, a thing of real note was the lack aromas emanating from the packet. Aside from a very minor hint of sweetness, these offered little in the way of true smells, which is not something I would usually attribute to Hotel Chocolat products.

Nowadays, whenever I review something from Hotel Chocolat I often have to remind myself (and my family!!) that I have ti judge the taste based on the average chocolate offering, and not on what I have come to expect from Hotel Chocolat. Despite this grounding context, I unfortunately have to report that these Gemstones didn't deliver anywhere near expectations, and they proved to be really disappointing. The main problem cited by all four of us that tasted them, was that they were really, really poor at generating a substantial volume of flavour. My own conclusion was that this issue was driven predominantly by the outer coating, which seemed to have a glazing agent like finish, despite nothing of the sort being stated in the ingredients. This glossy outer layer gave the Gemstones a waxy feel in the mouth, and made the melt initially feel really laboured and unlike any Hotel Chocolat chocolate I have ever had. Once the melt was underway it was extremely fast paced, which meant there were only suggestions of cream and cocoa offered taste wise before each mouthful sizzled out. To be frank it took a really large handful of these Gemstones to be eaten at any one time for a meaningful flavour impact to be created. In turn this made them feel very unsubstantial - my sister even exclaimed they seemed like a 'waste of calories'.

Overall simple maths would tell you that Hotel Chocolat white chocolate + Hotel Chocolat dark chocolate = Hotel Chocolat amazingness, but this unfortunately just wasn't the case with these Gemstones. Thinking about it now, Hotel Chocolat chocolate doesn't strike me as the sort of thing that would be best suited for this type of product. One thing we all know is that Hotel Chocolat chocolate is usually bursting full of wonderful flavours - this product format just simply didn't let them come to light, and put to waste all the potential of the chocolate they were formed with. As I have written above, a lot of the blame has to lie with odd outer texture which each and every piece had. Yes the glossy finish made them look good, however it spoilt them in regards to balance of taste and texture, as the melt began laboured with very little on offer in terms of flavours, but then suddenly quickened, melting away entirely before the true taste could be substantiated. Hotel Chocolat produce so many other outstanding chocolates in a whole variety of different formats. This sadly was just not one of them, and I would strongly suggest you are better off looking elsewhere in their range.

5.8 out of 10

Looking for the latest Hotel Chocolat Chocolates? Click HERE

May 16th: Cadbury Crunchie Rocks

Kcal 235 Fat 10.5g Fat(sats) 6.4g Carbs 32.7g (per 1/3 bag)

Just last week Cadbury sent out a press release which announced the launch of three new products for the UK market (See HERE). The first two were inevitable new pack sizes for existing products which we have been expecting for some time - the Cadbury Wispa Duo and the smaller 39.0g sized pouches of Cadbury Nibbles. The third product talked about in the announcement however, was an entirely new one called Cadbury Crunchie Rocks, which were described as 'Crunchie honeycomb pieces, with golden cornflakes, tumbled in Cadbury milk chocolate'. Only a few days after reading that article, I found them on sale in my local Co-operative store for the pricey sum of £2.00 - I guess that is what you have to expect buying things from a convenience store in central London.

Just as they did with previous products like the Nibbles and the Clusters, Cadbury have launched these Crunchie Rocks in a 145.0g pouch, so this gave me opportunity to get some second opinions from some of my work colleagues. Packaging and presentation wise I thought these were a mixed bag - apologies for the awful pun! In terms of the pouch, the presentation is first class. The Golden Crunchie colours and branding are captured superbly and I think the matted pouch material gives the pack great stand out like it does with both the Clusters and the Nibbles. Whilst the packaging gets a thumbs up, I can't say the same about the aesthetics of the product. Just like I observed in my Clusters review, the inner pieces had dirty looking scuffed surfaces that didn't strike as looking all that fresh.

My disappointment at the poor looking chocolates didn't last all that long, as my mind was soon distracted by the gorgeous Cadbury chocolate scents that filled the air as soon as I ripped open the pouch. I have said it many a time before, but I just love the smell of Cadbury chocolate - I just get a comforting familiarity from the sweet dairy chocolate smells. Speaking of familiarity, it was also very much the name of the game when it came to taste, as the Cadbury milk chocolate took the lion share of the focus. The chocolate on offer here was Cadbury's 14% cocoa recipe, and it certainly did the job delivering the milky cocoa flavour hit for each mouthful. As I have previously reported, I think this secondary recipe isn't a million miles off the quality of their Dairy Milk chocolate, however there is a definite difference in the taste with the sugar and cream balance tilting more towards the sweeter side of things. At the heart of each cluster piece the cornflakes and honeycomb bits did a sterling job delivering the promised crisp, crunchy textures. At the point of the pieces being chewed, the Crunchie rocks released short, sharp bursts of sweet honey flavours, though the cornflake cereal created little impact on the taste in comparison. Shared across three of us the 145.0g bag only lasted a matter of minutes, but I felt a decent amount of satisfaction having consumed my fair share.

Overall I don't think Cadbury Crunchie Rocks are going to be shaking up the confectionery landscape anytime soon, but I think they are a relatively nice addition to the Cadbury range. In comparison to the now departed Cadbury Crunchie Nuggets (See HERE), I found them a more satisfying and fulfilling product, which was definitely a result of the cluster like format they came in. The Cadbury Crunchie bar itself is a product I enjoy on a very sporadic basis, but I like the idea of the Crunchie brand being extended in to sharing occasions. I think this new format is a sensible addition for the brand given that the normal bar isn't suitable for anything other than single person consumption - just think about how messy breaking apart a Crunchie is! For that reason, and more importantly because they taste pretty damn good, I give these a ChocolateMission thumbs up. They aren't the most exciting or innovative product we will ever see, but like the Cadbury Nibbles I think they have a purpose - its good to share after all :D

7.8 out of 10

May 15th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 44

### Jim's Corner ###

Hi All,

Today we have a special edition of '7Days of Chocolate Reviews'. You get an extra special mini rant alongside all your usual chocolate news and posts from others blogs. I would really welcome your comments.

Coming up this week - more Heavenly Cakes, Hotel Chocolat and Zotter to name a few!

Have great weeks.

JIM


News from the chocolate market:

* A company called Paterson's are launching a new line of cookies ... See HERE

* Cadbury are launching three new products ... See HERE ... my Crunchie Rocks review is up tomorrow.

* Naughty Ainsley Harriot and his unhealthy chocolate bars ... who would of thought chocolate could be bad for you ... See HERE

* These new McVities biscuit cereal bars have got my attention ... See HERE

* Victoria Beckham has banned Goldenballs from chocolate ... man up David ... See HERE


Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week

* GiGi Reviews - Gi tackles the 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp bars - my review is coming shortly ... See HERE

* Foodstufffinds - Cin has tried the new limited edition caramel flavoured Frijj - its not as good as the Cookie Dough in my opinion ... See HERE

* Impulsive Buy - I don't approve of anyone consuming Haagen-Dazs but this was a nice review of the new Banana Forster flavour ... See HERE

* Jen's Kit Kat Blog - Jen reviews the latest Semi-Sweet flavour Kit Kat from Japan ... See HERE

* Candy Blog - whilst we are on the Kit Kat thing it is very much worth reading Cybele's reviews of a number of flavours I have featured recently. Great pictures and a wonderful read ... SEE HERE


RANT TIME!!!

Once upon a time brands here in the UK actually stood for something, but increasingly we are seeing them widdle away all their heritage and equity.

A prime example of this would be these Cadbury Jaffa Cakes priced at 45p in my local Tesco - thats bettter than a 50% discount on the equivalent McVities Jaffa Cakes which cost £1.19. Out of curiosity I bought some to see how they compared. The packaging looked ok and Cadbury is a brand I trust - so why not!?

To be honest I wish I hadn't, as what I tasted was as abysmal as it was depressing. The cake bits were flavourless and felt stale in the mouth, whilst the chocolate was nothing like as flavoursome as usual Cadbury standards. Compared to the McVitie's Jaffas the orange filling was not as zingy or impactful ... the whole thing was just sub-standard.

So what on earth are Cadbury doing? What is the point releasing a product that is so obviously below the standard people expect? Not only has this made me rethink buying such Cadbury products in the future, but it has also made me think twice about whether they care about quality as much as they used to. I can understand to an extent getting a quick, cheap win agaisnt a competitor in the market, but is that really worth risking what consumers think about your brand? Its shorttermism to the extreme.

This isn't just an isolated incident, working in FMCG I see this happening all around our UK supermarkets. Another example is Hellmann's Ketchup and Heinz Mayonnaise, both are half of the price of the others core brand offerings, whilst they are also completely inferior.

I could whittle on all day with examples, but it seems pointless as our most loved brands seem content in throwing away years of brand heritage. My advice to consumers is to stick with what you know - half price products may look tempting, but believe me quality is always worth paying that little bit extra for.

It would be great to hear some more opinions on this matter!

Oh and just if if you were wondering here is the score chart ....nice huh!?

May 14th: Zotter Honey Trio

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

Zotter haven't appeared on this website since October 2009, when the Black Cherries with Vanilla registered a rather disappointing score of 6.8 out of of 10 on the ChocolateMission rating system (See HERE). Perhaps it was that score which upset Mr Zotter, but after a little love via Twitter he has finally forgiven me and sent me samples of his latest handscooped bars*. Included in the batch he sent along this Honey Trio bar was the one that chaught the eye of my honey loving father. Given that I was visiting home for the weekend it seemed only rude not to open it up to see if the 'fine bitter chocolate filled with honey, honey jelly and honey crunch' was as good as it sounded.

The 'handscooped' (why is it called that!?) bar came in the usual 70.0g format, which I split with the old man (I hope he doesn't read this!!). I have said this about Zotter products before so excuse for repeating myself, but the point needs reiterating that the packaging and presentation is always first class. Personally I think the wrappers perfectly manage to pull off a funky, yet sophisticated look, and I hope you agree that the outer sleeve looks very cool with the weird looking bees artwork. Inside things got a bit more serious, with the thick golden foil mantaining the bar in perfect condition, and the cross-section revealing a mind boggling four different layers. Once I had finally managed to comprehend how Zotter had crafted four layers in to the thin bar, I next took great delight in the rich cocoa scents that were being offered - YUM!

Up until this point Zotter were really delivering the goods - the look, the smell and the packaging already had big ticks, but it was down to the taste to deliver in the last box. One thing I think Zotter can be relied on to do is deliver the goods with their chocolate, and their 60.0% did little to prove me wrong. Despite the thin outer layer the dark chocolate was extremely flavoursome and brought a strong cocoa flavour hit to the party with it's smooth, rich buttery taste. The chocolate was quite strong and edgy, however the bitterness balance was perfectly managed with the strong sweetness of the honey constituents. Given that all the inner layers were so compact it was impossible to tell which out of the real honey, jelly and crunch elements delivered the delicious tasting sugary, floral honey flavours. Whilst I couldn't pick them out in the taste, what was highly noticeable was the different textures they brought to the party, with each bite a delivering an array of moist, crispy, jelly like sensations. Coming from a guy that eats a lot of chocolate this was an exciting bar to eat - my old man thought it was superb!

Overall Zotter make some great flavour combinations, and they make some poor ones - but something you can't excuse them of is never being innovative. Like I have previously found, it is because of this brashness why they can't always be relied to deliver consistent high quality, but this bar was up there with the best I have eaten this year. At the heart of each bite the dark chocolate was of a great quality, whilst the inner honey layers were delightfully variable texture wise, and did a splendid job bringing some sweet and tasty honey flavours to the experience. I have previously begged manufactures to bring out a high quality honey based chocolate, and Mr Zotter and co obliged with this terrific chocolate bar. It was well presented, tasted great and was a satisfying - you can't ask for anything more than that now can you!? As I have said above, I don't always think that Zotter get their extravagant flavours on the money, but this more sensible combination would be the perfect chocolate for any honey dark chocolate lover. This Honey Trio comes very highly recommended - it is the best Zotter bar I have eaten yet.

8.8 out of 10


* Before anyone complains that is a joke I am allowed to write what I want - we just hadn't made contact for a while!

May 13th: Heavenly Cakes Chocolate Flapjack

Kcal 496 Fat 32.2g Fat(sats) 19.0g Carbs 49.1g (per 100.0g)

Last week Heavenly Cakes burst onto the ChocolateMission scene with their Millionaire Shortbread scoring an outstanding (and very well deserved!!) 9.1 out of 10 on the scoring system (See HERE). Every day after treating my fellow co-workers to those Shortbreads, they were consistenly nagging me about when I would be next bringing in something from the Heavenly Cakes website. Well they didn't have to wait that long, as earlier this week Nigel & Maeve sent along some 'all butter flapjacks covered with real Belgian milk chocolate'. Once again, these had stiff competition to live up to in the form of the form of Thornton's Mini Caramel Flapjacks - read on to find out if Heavenly Cakes could triumph for a second time!

After receiving almost god like status in my office for bringing in last weeks Millionaire Shortbread (I have never been made so many cups of coffee in my life!), there was no way that I wasn't going to share the 550.0g gift pack of Chocolate Flapjack. As per last weeks review the flapjack slices came presented in much the same manner in the sky blue and pink trimmed boxes, and were contained within a deep-fill silver foil tray. When cut into, the flapjacks revealed themselves to be not quite on the same level of foodpornography as the Millionaire Shortbreads, but the chocolate layer was similarly exceedingly thick and still got many positive comments from my colleagues.

Resisting the urge to bite into my flapjack slice straight away, I first took note of the smells being offered. The aromas I detected were mostly sweet and chocolaty, though there were hints of baked oat biscuits which obviously made sense given the constituents of the base. Having chilled these flapjacks in the fridge for a few hours before eating (highly recommend you do this!), the chocolate seemed a little firmer to the bite than I experienced last week, though it still melted with the same wonderful smooth soft feel once warmed. The more I experience the Heavenly Cakes Belgian chocolate, the more I am coming round to thinking that it is a bit of a half way house between Galaxy and Lindt milk chocolate. It's delicious taste isn't as cream focused as Galaxy, and not as cocoa based as Lindt. It's one self defining attribute is it's very forthcoming vanilla noted finish, which nicely round off the latter stages of the melt with each bite. Sitting below the plentiful chocolate, the flapjack layer was just as plentifully portioned, and was equally just as tasty. The overriding flavours that came out of the viscous, chewy texture were butter, golden syrup and brown sugar. When eaten in large slices the taste of the flapjack base was a little one dimensional, however these were best eaten in smaller bites anyway as the taste was incredibly rich.

Overall these Heavenly Cakes Chocolate Flapjacks didn't quite reach the same levels on the scoring chart as the Millionaire Shortbreads did last week, though they still went down very well amongst both myself and the ten co-workers I sampled them with. As chocolate flapjacks go these were very good and the quality of the freshly made chocolate and oat and golden syrup fused bases shown through and made for both flavoursome and satisfying flapjack slices. In terms of whether they were nicer than the Thorntons Mini Caramel Flapjacks, me and my fellow taste testers were split down the middle. Personally I think that the Thorntons ones, which use caramel to the fuse the oats rather than golden syrup, offer just a little bit more in terms of flavour in their bases. On the contrary some of my colleagues argued the case that they proffered the nicer, thicker chocolate used on these Heavenly Cakes flapjacks - it really is just a matter of opinion. If we forget comparisons for just one minute and look at the facts, these were some delicious tasting flapjacks, which were highly thought of amongst all eleven people that tried them. I can't see myself buying them instead of the Millionaire Shortbreads, but flapjack fans should sit up and take note of these.

8.2 out of 10

May 12th: Cadbury Huesitos Leche

Kcal 105 Fat 5.1g Carbs 12.6g (per 20.0g bar)

Finishing off my reviews of the products I picked up in Spain, I today bring you my views on this Cadbury Huesitos Leche bar. Rewind your minds back a few days to my review of the original Cadbury Huesitos bar, and you may remember me asking the question - why does this bar exist? The reason I was begging that question was because it was simply just a poorer version of the Cadbury Tokke- a bar I reviewed just a few days earlier - See HERE. Despite not being too impressed with the original bar I was more looking forward to trying this 'Leche' variety - that is 'Milk' to all you non-Spanish lingual readers. On the wrapper it came billed as 'crunchy wafer bars with a milk creme filling, covered in milk chocolate'.

Unlike the original Huesitos, this Leche flavour came in a more sensible double 20.0g finger size. The wrapper wasn't all that different to the standard bar, though the 'Milk' flavour variation was clearly indicated with an on-pack picture displaying a distinctive white creme like substance sitting between the layers of wafer biscuit. Unwrapping the outer foil coating I was met with a mixture of dairy and biscuity smells that became increasingly stronger once I broken one of the fingers in half. Just as promised on the wrapper, it was nice to see that the inner cream layers were white as snow, and they certainly gave the cross-section some real aesthetic interest.

So did the replacement of the chocolate creme with a milk creme layer blow my mind!? ... err no not really :D As I was well expecting the chocolate and wafer constituents didn't vary at all from the original to this Leche bar, and both gave the same contribution to both taste and texture. The outer chocolate was ok in thickness and generated a familiar milky, sweet Cadbury chocolate flavour hit to each bite. The inner wafers were similarly average and were crisp to the bite and added mild notes of malt and wheat. Whereas the chocolate creme in the original Huesitos just went on to further reaffirm the flavours of the outer chocolate, the milk creme in this Leche variant slightly twisted the taste and gave it an additional burst of dairy, cream based flavours. In comparison to the chocolate creme, the taste wasn't necessarily any better or any worse - it was simply just a little different. As I have mentioned already above, it was good that this bar came in a double finger serving size, and unsurprisingly I found it far more satisfying for it being so.

Overall this Huesitos Leche bar has scored better than the original offering, but it could easily be argued that it has just picked up cheap points for being double the size. To be honest I wouldn't be able to pick a favourite out of the two Huesitos bars, as when it comes down to it there is really very little difference between the two. In Europe chocolate wafer bars are ten-a-penny but these are both probably just a bit better than your average offering. If it were up to me I would have improved them by making the outer chocolate thicker - like the proportion you get on a Kit Kat, and I perhaps would have suggested a dash of honey to the wafers to make them more flavoursome. Without wasting anymore words what this all boils down to, is that both the Huesitos bars are pretty average offerings. I wouldn't say either are worth you spending your monies to import, but if you are in Spain anytime soon and fancy a small snack they would do a sound job.

7.2 out of 10

May 11th: Fujiya Country Ma'am Rich Chocolate Cookies

Kcal 49 Fat 2.2g Carbs 6.7g (per cookie)

Today I finish off the latest batch of products sent to me by J-List, with a review of one of the more unusual offerings I have received from them yet. Now, despite having previously come across oddities such as the sweet potatoe and green tea flavoured Kit Kats, these Fujiya Country Ma'am Rich Chocolate Cookies struck me as something really very different. As you can see from the photographs above, Fujiya's Country Ma'am brand is a Japanese interpretation of one the all famous Western delicacies - the cookie. Admittedly the whole concept of the Japanese making cookies isn't all that wacky, but as I will go in to below it was the look and feel of the product that really struck me as quite odd.

The packet sent my way included 20 pieces, each of which was comparable in size to a Maryland/Chips Ahoy cookie. When I said the look and feel of the product came across as unusual, I was of course speaking mainly about the packaging - which I'm sure if you look above will similarly come across as looking a bit odd to you. I think it is the mix of the very traditional, American design style, clashing with the Japanese text which makes it look somewhat peculiar. As weird as it looked, it didn't really make me develop any sort of positive or negative feelings towards it - my feelings were really quite passive in that regard. One thing I did look upon favourably however, was the way that each of the cookies was sealed in an individual foil packet. This not only kept them looking great, but it also maintained a wonderful smelling set of fresh chocolate cookies scent within each.

Having rattled on about the packaging and presentation for two paragraphs, it is probably about time I told you about the actual product proposition - 'rich chocolate cookies, with white chocolate chips'. In theory they sounded great, but the question that begged to answered was whether the Japanese could pull off the American cookie experience? With a taste test score of 8 out of 10 (I know you have looked already :P ), I will be upfront and tell you that to my surprise they did, and with room to spare. The first thing that struck me about these cookies was how soft and fresh they felt out the packet. Each cookie had a crusty outer portion, however closer to the centre each piece was wonderfully soft and melted really nicely in the mouth. As I have referred to already, In addition to being pleasant in texture, they also tasted pretty superb, and certainly passed my expectations. At the heart of each cookie there was a shortbread like appeal with strong notes of butter, brown sugar and salt present throughout. Whilst these flavours were a constant, the original premise of the product was also delivered with the chocolatey cocoa flavours coming through with a decent depth of richness in every bite. In regards to the white chocolate chips, I was hoping for a little bit more in terms of cream based flavour bursts, though they still did a job in adding a bit of further moistness to the soft innards.

Overall these cookies really proved themselves to be a bolt out of the blue - I was no way expecting them to be as good as they actually were. As I said in the above I did find the packaging and presentation somewhat confusing with the mish-mash of Japanese and American cultural influences, but one thing that was perfectly clear was that these were some damn fine tasting cookies. I don't know what the going standard of cookies is like in America, but what often annoys me about many cookie products here in the UK is that all of them are rock solid in terms of texture. In fact, I can't think of a single mass produced brand offering here in the UK that can boast to have the same sort of 'fresh out the bakery' soft feel that these cookies had. If you factor in to the equation just how much distance these travelled in air miles, that claim becomes even more ridiculous sounding doesn't it? I never in a million years expected to be saying this, but thumbs up to Fujiya for making some top notch American style cookies - they have put us Brits (and probably many US brands) to shame.

7.9 out of 10


Want to try some Japanese style American cookies for yourselves? Head to J-List then folks! CLICK HERE

May 10th: GU Liquid Caramel Chocs

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

If you take a glance over to your left at the leaderboard you will be well aware that chocolate and caramel is one of my favourite combinations ever. As classical (another word for boring!) as you all may think it is, I have a real love for many different chocolate caramel products - ranging from the mass produced bars like Cadbury Caramel (See HERE), all the way up to the higher end market offerings such as L'Artisan du Chocolat's Salted Caramels (See HERE). Despite running this site for nearly 3 years now I don't think I am any sort of chocolate expert, however I would like to think I know a good quality chocolate caramel when I taste one. Facing the ChocolateMission rating system today we have these GU Liquid Caramel Chocs, and I had great hopes for them considering how much I enjoyed the GU Millionaire Caramel Flapjacks.

On pack these Caramel Chocs came described as 'liquid caramel enhanced with a hint of sea salt, encased in dark chocolate', and came in 110.0g box priced at £2.99. The outer packaging was simplistic, yet effective in it's decoration and I liked the real stand out that the white GU logo had against the usual black background. Some may think that it is a little plain, but it had all the necessary information and displayed it displayed it in a manner that gave the impression it was a premium product. Inside things weren't quite as much to my liking as the inner pieces were kept within a plastic transparent packet. The chocolates themselves were also disappointingly small in size and were only about the width of a 5p piece.

Opening the plastic packet I was met with quite a curious set of scents which at first started off cocoa led, although then took a turn with an odd spicy pepperyness. Thankfully the smell didn't really indicate the eventual taste, however I have to say that overall these were still very disappointing. As I have mentioned above the chocolates were very small, so it wasn't surprising that the outer dark chocolate was very thin. The dusting of outer powder was a nice touch but even with it the cocoa flavour hit generated did not have much longevity, which was especially disappointing given that the chocolate was smooth and pretty pleasant in it's unsweetened cocoa flavour delivery. Inside the filling was even more disappointing as it lacked many of the fundamental things that make a good caramel. The taste was sugary and floral hinted, yet it lacked any sort of buttery, toffee notes and even more annoyingly the promised lick of salt was nowhere to be seen. To be honest I willingly letting my co-workers scoff most of the box as to me they just weren't worth the calories.

Overall the scoring chart for these looks really ugly, but I am afraid they were pretty bad compared to most other chocolate caramel alternatives that there are on the market. Starting with the few positives, the presentation was pretty good, the textures were fine, and the outer chocolate actually wasn't bad and only really suffered because of how thinly it was implemented. Unfortunately the negatives vastly outweigh the positives when it comes to these GU Liquid Caramel Chocs. Starting with the most fundamental thing, the caramel, was simply abysmal. It tasted like a very cheap tasting sugary substance that lacked any of the richer notes that all good caramels have. What made the caramel probably worse in my mind was the fact that it was supposed to be salt hinted, which just simply wasn't reality at all. Having tried a few GU products in the past with great success, these have to go down as a really disappointing effort from the brand. It is not often I do this, but I would strongly suggest that you guys avoid these.

5.7 out of 10

May 9th: Meiji Chopan Assort Strawberry

Kcal 213 Fat 13.6g Carbs 20.4g (per 37.0g)

In my penultimate review from my latest batch of goodies supplied to me by J-List, I will today be taking a look at yet another offering from Meiji's extensive portfolio. To be honest when I first saw this product nestled in alongside the other familiar looking Kit Kats and Pocky packets, I had no idea at all what it was, as I had never seen nor heard of the Chopan Assort brand before. After a little investigating on the J-List website, Google and the on-pack pictures I managed to determine that this was a product formed of a 'strawberry flavoured chocolate cup, filled with milk/white chocolate, topped with small pastry piece'. It did sound a little out of the ordinary, but I guess this is a product from Japan so it would have been silly to expect anything else.

The Chopan Assort Strawberry packet consisted of four individual chocolates that weighed in at a collective 37.0g. As you may have been able to tell from the photo above, and from my previous description, the pack was split in to milk and white chocolate varieties, each of which was portioned twice. Keeping standard with Japanese confectionery norms, the packaging was very classy and probably even more so than normal with swish looking fonts and clean looking visuals communicating the strawberry flavouring clearly and in a non overly elaborate manner. The presentation was a real strength of this product, and the chocolates themselves did more than justice to the prestigious look of the outer packet and looked nicely crafted. Contained within a very cool looking foil tray, the strawberry fruit scents that emerged smelt genuine and made for a very appetising prospect at hand.

Before I ate these I didn't quite know what sort of occasion they were best suited to be eaten - they weren't a product that seemed suitable to eat all at once, but neither did they strike me as product to be savoured and eaten one-by-one. In the end I settled on eating them two at a time alongside my usual mid-afternoon and after dinner coffees. Starting with the outer chocolate cup layer, much like the aromas suggested the fruit flavours tasted genuine, and the red berry flavours avoided a common strawberry confectionery pitfall of tasting fake and artificial. The creamy strawberry flavours nicely led in to one of the two different chocolate centres - with the white chocolate reaffirming the sweet cream flavours, whilst the milk chocolate delivering an extra dose of cocoa notes to the taste. Texture wise the melt of both chocolate layers was very nice and felt soft and smooth feel in the mouth when in full flow. The real excitement though came from the small pastry bits placed on the top of each chocolate, as not only did they bring an extra crisp, crunchy element, but they also brought a delightful brown sugar noted wheat biscuit influence to the taste, which proved to be a lovely way to round off each bite.

Overall I have to say that I really have struck lucky with my latest sampling package from Japan, as these Meiji Chopan Assort Strawberry were yet another very enjoyable product for me to review. It is quite incredible how the simple addition of such a a basic thing like a small piece of crusty pastry can make a product really stand out, but it genuinely was what separated these from being 'just another chocolate'. Speaking of the quality of the strawberry element, it has to be said it was really very implemented, and the juicy berry flavours came through well in the taste, and in a non-artificial manner. Out of the two different chocolate varieties on offer, I can't say I liked one more than the other as they were both effective at what they did. The white chocolate pieces were extra creamy, whilst the milk chocolate ones delivered more of a chocolate flavour hit - I guess it will be down to personal preference as to which you will prefer. On the whole, my everlasting impression of these Chopan Assort Strawberry is very positive, and I would recommend them to anyone who likes strawberry flavoured chocolates.

8.3 out of 10

Fancy trying these Meiji Chopan Assort Strawberry for yourself? Head to J-List