August 14/15th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 52

JIM's Corner

Hi All,

I hope you have all had good weeks - we have had some great products featured on the site this week. If you haven't managed to check out some of the reviews that have been posted on the site I would make sure you check out the Greneda Chocolate Co's first ChocolateMission outing and also take a look at Galler's Cafe Noir, both scored in excess of 8.5 out of 10!

If you are followiing me on Twitter you will have no doubt have seen the Weetabix competition I have been running this week. Winners will be announced Saturday evening so keep an eye for that. I'm sure a lot of you will be excited to hear that there is a Zotter competition in the pipeline! Keep an eye out for that.

Some readers recently have requested that I give you guys a sneak preview of what is to come this week. Well without giving the game away too much I have more coming from Galler, a 'Bits n Bobs' and also a new variety of Kit Kat Chunky :) I bet you weren't expecting that last one! Be sure to check in Monday for that.

Have great weekends

JIM


News from the chocolate market

* Fox biscuits are bringing out some new 'Choc n Oat' bars ... See HERE

* I've never heard of this company 'Moo Free' before I guess they must be a dairy free chocolate producer. Anywho they have some new products coming out ... See HERE

* CoCo Pops have a new fibre based cereal out ... See HERE

* If you like Cadbury Clusters you should check out these new Muller Pots ... See HERE

* Women love chocolate right!? Well so do Men ... REAL MEN like me :D ... See HERE

* Auberge du Chocolat takes home the gold at the Great Taste Awards ... See HERE

* .... Have I missed anything!? Why not share it with us all! Drop me a comment.


Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week

* Foodstufffinds - Another awesome week of reviews was highlighted by this post about Pot Noodle's Bombay Bad Boy :D I want to see a review of the Spare Rib now ... See HERE

* Candyblog - Cybele has managed to find her way around to reviewing the Tunnock's Caramel Milk Chocolate Wafer. It has legendary status in the UK ... See HERE

* TheBeWilderedBrit - This is one of my favourite sites at the moment. Bemused Brit Richard took a look at these Necco Chocolate Wafers this week ... See HERE

* GiGiReviews - What is it with my American blogging friends reviewing all manner of UK things this week. This week GiGi had a try of our Snickers Flapjack ... See HERE

* JapaneseSnackReviews - Well this has caught my attention! I am going to have to try this soon as possible - Kit Kat Salted Caramel Big Bar ... See HERE

* Caffeine-A-Holic - Bryan's site is one I have only just recently just come across but it's one I will be keeping an eye on. Take a look at his review of Red Bull Energy Shots ... See HERE


Posts I updated this week

* Cadbury Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut - See HERE ... updated photos
* Cadbury Triple Choc Roll - See HERE ... added mint variety review
* Schogetten Tiramisu - See HERE ... added dark chocolate variety review
* Reese's Crispy Crunch - See HERE ... Updated photos

August 13th: The Grenada Chocolate Company Organic Dark Chocolate 71%

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

In some of my recent reviews you may noticed me mentioning that I have been buying an increasing number of chocolates from the UK supermarket retailer Waitrose. Indeed if you are one of my UK readers I would strongly suggest you take a visit to you local store to check out their chocolate shelves. I'm not saying it is going to be a cheap visit, but I'm in little doubt that a lot of you will be surprised at just how wide their range is. On one of my recent recent Waitrose visits I picked up this little known offering made by The Grenada Chocolate Company. This bar came billed as a 71% cocoa organic dark chocolate bar, made from 'organic cocoa farms nestles in the lush Carribean rain forest'. When I review chocolates like this, it really blows my mind how the ingredients make their way from rain forests on one side of the world, to being in my hands here in the UK.

This bar came in a 85.0g tablet and set me back the reasonably priced sum of £2.99. One of the things that immediately struck me about this product was the packaging. I have never been to the Caribbean, but from what I understand it is a colourful, vibrant place, which is something the wrapper communicated expertly. Sat on the shelf the bar really stood out - believe me it would have to considering the hundreds that Waitrose stock. Inside the chocolate was wrapped in a thick layer of bronze foil and looked beautifully fresh with a crisp, clean looking surface and it's deep black colour. When it came to aromas, the chocolate fully justified it's fresh looking aesthetics and it emanated some fragrant, roasted cocoa smells which gave me great expectations of the taste to follow.

Breaking the chocolate in to smaller chunks it broke with a lovely sounding snap which further gave evidence that this was a delightfully fresh chocolate. Of course looking, smelling and sounding fresh wasn't going to mean anything if it didn't taste fresh and flavoursome, and I have the pleasure of reporting that it very much did. From the very first seconds of the chocolate being in the mouth the cocoa flavours came to the party and quickly established a strong set of sugar and milk flavours. As the smooth melt slowly gathered paced, these brown sugar notes caramelised into a smokier influence, which had minor hints of wood and red fruits . As the solid mass entered it's final melting stage, transforming into a liquid state, a final plethora of chocolate and coffee elements came to the fore. This final twist in the aftertaste was a fitting end to each blocks, and left a great impression on my palette for a long time after consumption. This was definitely one of those chocolates best enjoyed in small amounts alongside an after dinner coffee. It wasn't suitable for eating in any great quantity, as it was exceedingly rich.

Overall this was one of the best plain dark chocolate bars I have tasted for a long time and is well worthy of it's 9.0 out 10 rating. Pretty much everything about this bar was superb: the packaging looked great, it smelt wonderful, it broke with crispness and of course mostly importantly it was exceedingly tasty. My tasting notes above may read like I am trying to sound an expert (which I don't think I am!!), but that was truly the only way I could describe the taste. I hope my rambling has been able to communicate that the flavours on offer were rich, smooth flowing, progressive and never in any sense bitter - it was almost the perfect dark chocolate. Compared to my all time favourite Hotel Chocolat 85%, I would rate this chocolate in the same league, though I wouldn't say the finish or the textures were quite as creamy, so my preference still falls with the latter. If you are going to be taking my advice and are going to go for a shop in Waitrose soon, I strongly suggest you keep an eye out for this dark chocolate - to be honest it's going to be hard to miss it on the shelf.

9.0 out of 10

August 12th: Thorntons White Chocolate with Coconut & Lime

Kcal 583 Fat 39.3g Fat(sats) 25.9g Carbs 48.0g (per 100.0g)

One of the greatest things about running a website like this is that every now and then I get random parcels turn up on my doorstep with chocolate samples I didn't even know I was going to be receiving. Just a few weeks ago Kate from an agency called Nudge sent me a package on behalf of Thorntons, which contained one the latest limited editions from their Square Blocks *ahem* Ritter *ahem* range :D This White Chocolate with Coconut & Lime struck me as a suitable summery offering from the brand, involving a unique combination of ingredients. Thorntons are one of a very few brands that I believe make decent white chocolate (See HERE), so I was more than interested to see what I made of their latest white chocolate creation.

Despite all these Square Block bars looking the same you may have noticed that Thorntons certainly like varying up the size and weighting of them depending on the added ingredients. This coconut and lime bar clocked in at 80.0g, which served me for two sittings when sharing amongst a few willing tasting accomplices. I'm not sure of who picks the colours of the packaging at Thorntons, but I have a pretty strong feeling that guy/girl's favourite colour is green judging by the number of bars in this range that use that colour (Tonka, Pistachio & Mint). My green gripes aside, the overall presentation was of a good standard - the inner foil wrapper ensured a good degree of freshness, whilst the chocolate looked suitably intriguing on the eye with the golden bits of coconut visibly dispersed well throughout.

As I do with every chocolate I gave this one a good 'smelling-over' before I tucked in to it. The smells that emanated from the bar weren't the most forthcoming but when specifically searched for there were hints of citrus fruit amongst the underlying vanilla yoghurt like scents. As I have passed reference to already, Throntons are one of very few brands that I think have a decent white chocolate recipe and it didn't fail to impress me once again. During the initial phases of the melt, the chocolate presented a creamy milk based taste that was pleasantly passive in it's sugar emphasis. Moving in to the middle and latter stages of it's transformation, a subtle lime twist became noticeable which brought a switch of emphasis away from a creamy tasting chocolate, to a more fruit flavoured yoghurt like taste. Once the blocks had completely melted away, the remaining fragments of dessicated coconut provided a fitting end to each mouthful, bringing excitement in terms of both textures and nutty flavours. The progressive nature of the flavours and resulting taste meant this was a chocolate that demanded attention from the first to the last minute in the mouth. In this regard I felt like it was a satisfying chocolate.

Overall I thought this was an interesting and unique flavour combination, but I don't think it would be one that I would consistently choose to buy instead of Thorntons' plain white chocolate offering. Despite being listed in the actual ingredients as only 'flavourings', it was the lime element of this product that proved to be the X-factor, as it really changed the focus of the taste. The white chocolate started out very familiar with it's cream based flavours, however the introduction of the lime in to the mix made for a slightly sourer yoghurt like overall taste. Whilst this variation was still pretty delicious and a nice change up from the norm, I probably wouldn't include the lime in the mix if I was given the option, on relfection I would happily have settled for a plainer white chocolate with coconut offering. Whilst I may not have rated this as highly as Thorntons' white chocolate original, I would still happily suggest it as a nice variation for white chocolate fans to try. Be sure to check it out before it disappears with the summer sun.

8.0 out of 10

August 11th: Galler Cafe Noir

Kcal 536 Fat 34.0g Fat(sats) 17.3g Carbs 44.9g (per 100.0g)

Barely a week can go by at the minute without Galler featuring on this site, but I certainly wont be complaining if the samples remain this plentiful and the quality of chocolate remains as high as it has been. The bar taking centre stage today is another from their filled bars range, and is yet another coffee flavoured offering. Over the past month you will recall that I have reviewed many coffee flavoured chocolates, ranging from the Ritter Sport Espresso, Thorntons Colombian Coffee and even Galler's own Manon chocolate. This Cafe Noir bar however sounded like it had the potential to be the best out of the lot, and came described as 'dark chocolate with a coffee praline filling'. With my trusted taste testers at hand (my family), I today went about seeing if it could live up to my lofty expectations.

Despite travelling in the same parcel as last weeks slightly deformed Praline Blanc, this 70.0g Cafe Noir bar managed to make its way to me in slightly better condition. As you will see from the photo above, this bar was colour coded using a dark brown tab at the top, which I thought was a sensible choice of colour given the flavour theme. The chocolate bar itself did look a little worn and scuffed due to the previously mentioned post issue, but that aside it looked nicely appetising with darkly coloured outer chocolate nicely differentiated from the lighter coloured coffee centre. Straight out of the inner foil wrapper, the bar immediately made it's presence felt, emanating a tempting set of chocolate and roasted coffee bean scents.

Given what I have written in previous coffee flavoured chocolate reviews it doesn't take a genius to work out that this particular flavour combination is one of my favourites, and this is a preference that I share with my father. I wouldn't say either of us are chocolate coffee connoisseurs, but having tried several different varieties over the last few years I would of said that between us we could come to a decent judgement as to how good one is. Having tried so many different coffee flavoured chocolates, the only way to really judge this Galler Cafe Noir was to place it in the context of our previous experiences. Starting with the outer chocolate it was a great start as it was certainly a step in quality up from the likes used in Ritter Sport's Espresso. The exterior 60% chocolate was quite simply delicious tasting, and fast established a rich, flavoursome set of unsweetened cocoa flavours in the mouth. The melt of the outer chocolate was smooth and well paced, though the inner filling was even softer feeling when encountered. Compared to the outer chocolate the inner filling was slightly sweeter in taste - almost like a black coffee that had been treated to a few spoonfuls of sugar. Although the coffee was by far the leading flavour note there also were small hints of hazelnut and vanilla detectable in the latter stages of the flavour development, which was welcome as it made the taste at least somewhat progressive.

Overall both my father and I agreed that although the chocolate was more flavoursome and richer tasting than the Ritter equivalent, the Ritter Sport Espresso had a better quality coffee centre as it had a longer last flavour impact and was just a little less passive in taste. That said, this was still an incredibly tasty offering from Galler, and I thought the dark chocolate exterior made it better than the previously reviewed Galler Manon which had the same coffee filling just with a white chocolate coating. Having taken my reviews of Galler products in to double figures with todays post I now feel very confident as recommending them as a brand that is suitable for gifting if it is high quality that you are looking to communicate. One thing that you always get for certain with Galler is a feel that what you are looking at/eating is from the premium end of the chocolate market - the packaging and presentation is always first class. I might not be able to recommend this Cafe Noir bar as the best in class in regards to coffee flavoured chocolates, but I can definitely suggest it as a very competent offering. It's worth giving a try if coffee chocolates are your thing.

8.5 out of 10

August 10th: Trumpf Schogetten Marzipan / Banana Split

It's been a fair while since I last reviewed a Trumpf Schogetten product on the site, but with the help of some German friends I today get the chance to bring you a special 'two-for-one' review. In the ChocolateMission spotlight today we have both these Marzipan and Banana Split varieties - the latter of which is one of the latest flavours to come out especially for Summer 2010.

Both of these flavours came in the standard 100.0g bar format, and as usual came split into several separated blocks pieces. In terms of packaging and and overall presentation the Banana Split was the most attractive looking and really caught the eye with it's bright yellow pastel coloured background. In terms of aromas both proved to be fairly appetising, though the Banana Split was noticeably a little artificial smelling in terms of it's fruity scents.


Trumpf Schogetten Marzipan


Kcal 492 Fat 30.0g Carbs 45.0g (per 100.0g)

'Filled bitter chocolate with marzipan filling'

I remember my conclusion in my review of Schogetten's plain dark chocolate bar being that for the price you pay the quality is pretty tremendous. Placing the first piece of this in my mouth these were again my initial thoughts, as the dark chocolate exterior quickly established a decently rich set of unsweetned cocoa flavours in the mouth. Unlike better quality dark chocolates the taste wasn't all that progressive, though the cocoa volume rose to a decent level throughout the progression of the melt. Sat in the middle of each piece, the marzipan was nicely moist in terms of feel and texture and had quite a definitive alcohol edge to it's taste. Unfortunately the almond flavours were a little lacking and at times almost completely absent. Compared to the likes of Niederegger the marzipan filling was pretty poor in terms of quality.

7.3 out of 10




Trumpf Schogetten Banana Split

Kcal 555 Fat 34.0g Carbs 56.0g (per 100.0g)

'Milk chocolate with a banana creme filling'

As I have mentioned above I was pretty cautious about this chocolate before tasting it, as the smells that emanated from the packaging came across as quite fake. I probably needn't say much about Schogetten milk chocolate, as I have covered it so many times in my previous Schogetten reviews (See HERE). Suffice to say the milk chocolate substantiated a decent milk rooted chocolate flavour hit with every mouthful and the pace of the melt led nicely, in to the drier, almost chalky texture of the inner filling. That may not sound like the most complimentary of descriptions, however the differentiation in feel between the layers was pleasant, and thankfully the taste was there to match. In terms of fruity 'realness' I have to concede that the smells weren't all misleading, though this bothered me a lot less than I thought it would. I think this was majoritly because the delivery of the banana element was nicely underpinned by a strong flavour base of bourbon vanilla, which created the desired ice cream like experience. This chocolate was very sweet, but I found it adequately satisfying after a few blocks.

7.8 out of 10

Overall whatever flavour I try from Schogetten I seem to always come to exactly the same conclusion everytime. In terms of quality neither of these chocolates can be classified as 'best in class' at their flavours, however for the price you pay they are certainly worth a look at if you find yourself a little short in the pocket. The Marzipan variety has decent enough dark chocolate, but it's actual filling unsurprisingly lacks the prestige of some of the higher end marzipan brands. Similarly the Banana Split flavour had reasonable standard milk chocolate and a tasty filling, however compared to some of the summer varieties offered by the likes of Ritter Sport etc it simply isn't quite as good. I would recommend these chocolates if you are shopping on a budget, but if it is ultimately quality you are after you should look elsewhere.

August 9th: Galler Praline Blanc

Kcal 564 Fat 35.8g Fat(sats) 19.6g Carbs 54.5g (per 100.0g)

My slow procession through Galler's (website See HERE) filled chocolate bar range shows no signs of coming to a halt, thanks by and large to their own willingness to kindly ply me with samples (hurray!!). Over the course of 2010, Galler have not only won a fan in myself, but also the rest of my family who always seem to conveniently be on hand whenever a Galler parcel delivery needs signing for. One of the Galler bars that has featured quite prominently amongst reader requests is this Praline Blanc offering, which consists of 'white chocolate with a praline filling'. Having tried a few teasers so to speak in their Ballontin of Pralines selection box, I was certainly expecting alot from this particular bar.

This Praline Blanc can in the usual Galler filled bars setup with the 70.0g constituents split into four overly large sized blocks. If you look at my photos above you will notice that the bar didn't make its way too me in the usual A-spec fashion, I will have to blame this on the weather which as most of you will know here in the UK has been searingly hot over the last few weeks. Putting it's slightly misformed shape aside, the presentation was every bit as I expect from Galler. The chocolate blocks especially looked very tempting indeed with the dark coloured beige filling looking plentifully portioned within the snow white coloured chocolate. Straight out the foil wrapper the bar didn't have the strongest of aromas, though as soon as it was cut in to a thick, strong hazelnut smell managed to raise my anticipation that little bit more.

After a good few hours in the fridge, the chocolate managed to miraculously retake it's original shape so the all that was left to do was the obligatory taste test. After cutting the blocks into manageable mouthful pieces, my ever willing family and I shared the bar over some post lunch coffees which proved to be a very suitable occasion. The outer white chocolate was the first element to come to the party and was fast at establishing a smooth, flowing milk based set of flavours. The taste of the white chocolate was sweet, but it maintained a decent balance and the background hint of vanilla grew in stature as the taste developed. Sat below the chocolate the praline filling was pretty special tasting, and somehow managed to feel softer than the silky chocolate that coated it. It wasn't the strongest in it's hazelnut emphasis, but it had a pleasant amount of woody nut flavours, and the creaminess only further went to enhance that of the exterior chocolate. If I had a criticism about this bar it would be that I think it could have done with a bit of roughness in the texture of the praline centre, just to make the flavours grip that little bit more. Both the chocolate and the praline filling were both so smooth and fast in melt that their actual mouth longevity was pretty short lived, which is an issue that could of been solved by making the filling feel more substanstial.

Overall this may not be Galler's highest scoring bar on ChocolateMission this year, but it still a very accomplished praline based white chocolate offering. I have remarked this on several reviews in the last few months but the point is worth reaffirming yet again that Galler are very, very accomplished when it comes to the quality of their white chocolate. Yet again it provided a delicious exterior for the inner filling, and was even given the seal of approval from my father who is really not a fan of chocolate of the white kind. The praline filling below was perhaps not perfect but it was still exceedingly tasty with it's super smooth melting hazelnut flavour delivery. Although now having tried several of Galler's praline chocolates, I'm still a little none the wiser as to which of their chocolates is the best type to coat their praline recipe. One thing I can say with great confidence though, is that if you like your white chocolate and praline products this is up there with some of the best of them. It may not beat Hotel Chocolat's Praline White, but by my reckoning it's still very much worth a try to see what you think for yourself.

8.3 out of 10

August 7/8th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 51

JIM's Corner

Hi All,

I'm doing things a little differently for '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' as I have a special feature on the new Weetabix Chocolate Cereal below.

Not much has happened this week - apologies there have been no Twitter competition, things have been a tad busy my end. I am away for the weekend so this post will have to do you for Saturday & Sunday :D

Please feel free to contribute to my review below by answering the questions at end. Also if you have spotted any chocolate news stories be sure to leave them. I hope you all have great weekends!

JIM


Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week

Gigi Reviews - Gi had an awesome idea and provided us all with a posts documenting her top 10 products of 2010 ... See HERE

The Impulsive Buy - Whilst I was busying reviewing normal Peanut Butter Chips Ahoy this week, Marvo trumped me with a Chips Ahoy with Reese's review ... See HERE

Foodstufffinds - Cin has decided to expand the range of products she reviews. She took a look at a Pieminister Thai Cook Pie this week - it sounds delicious ... See HERE

Candyblog - Cybele has been on her travels recently but that didn't stop her swinging by Aldi to pick up some of these Choceur Chocolate Crisp Bars ... See HERE

ZOMGCandy - I always like seeing Ritter Sport reviews - Rosa at ZOMG is currently doing a nice round up of some the flavours she hasn't tried before .... See HERE

ChocolateReviews - Lee has been hard at work again this week and has posted a great review of a chocolate from a brand I haven't heard of before - Mast Brothers!? He rated it pretty highly! ... See HERE

Weetabix Chocolate Cereal

Kcal 156 Fat 1.8g Fat(sats) 0.8g Carbs 30.0g (per 2 biscuits)

I'm a firm believer in the saying that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' - I simply don't function without my usual Weetabix or Bran Flakes! Because of this, I simply couldn't resist writing a review on these new chocolate flavoured Weetabix. Normally I stay well clear of flavoured/chocolate cereals as they usually contain ungodly amounts of sugar (no one wants a mid-morning sugar crash!), but one of the first things to catch my eye on the packaging was the 'contains half the sugar of the average flavoured/chocolate cereal' strapline. That sounds as likely as a deodorant leaving you '100% sweat and odour free', but it did give me a little reassurance that these might be a little different from your average chocolate cereal.

Over the last few days I've been trying out these new Weetabix Chocolate in all different manners, here are my thoughts ...

* Classic cold milk - The usual wheaty flavours of the biscuit were well maintained, yet there was a nice chocolatey taste present throughout. Some of the biscuits had clusters of chocolate chips which further accentuated the chocolate flavour hit. Very Good.

* Hot Milk - I can see this being my preferred method of consumption during the winter! The cereal turned the excess milk into a hot chocolate like mixture which was a delightful way to finish off each bowl! Superb.

* Yogurt - This isn't as weird as it sounds. When eaten with a vanilla or banana flavoured yogurt the chocolate flavours were still cut through well in the taste. I find yogurt more filling than traditional milk, though I wouldn't advise picking a really sweet one like a fromage frais. Very Good.

* Honey/Sugar - It's not uncommon for people to add sugar or honey to Weetabix so I thought I would try it out with these new chocolate ones. I personally found the taste too sweet, and felt that the added sugary substances took focus away from the chocolate in the taste. Poor.

* Peanut Butter - This was a bit of a random thought but I'm glad I tried it! On top of each biscuit I added a layer of peanut butter and I found the salty flavours nicely contrasted with the sweetness of the cereal. To avoid gluing your mouth together I wouldn't recommend eating them dry like this :D Superb.

Overall I really like these new chocolate flavoured Weetabix and would say they are one of the best chocolate cereals out there on the market right now. It would be silly for me to give them a score based on the usual rating system (it's designed for chocolate bars afterall!), but I would happily recommend them to any Weetabix fans. I don't think I'm going to be replace these with my everyday cereal, but I will be keeping some in the cupboard to have as the occasional treat.

So over to you ChocolateMission readers ....

Have you tried them yourselves?
How would you eat them?
What are your favourite chocolate cereals?

August 6th: Chips Ahoy! Peanut Butter Chunky

Kcal 90 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 10.0g (per cookie)

At the back end of last year I was sent a gift package from a US foods importer (who puzzlingly want to stay anonymous!!) which included several products from the land over the pond. Having had a backlog of Japanese, diet and Valentines Day chocolates to get up on the site in January and February I can finally now get around to posting some of these reviews up on the site. Kicking things off today we have these peanut butter flavoured Chips Ahoy, a product I couldn't help but dig in to as soon as I laid eyes on.

These cookies came in a 396.0g pack that contained a plentiful 22 separate pieces which I shared (stupidly) amongst some work colleagues over the duration of a week. As I said above I needed very little encouragement getting stuck in to these, however I did like the presentation in particular the realistic visualisation of the cookies on the front and the practicality of the resealable foil seal. In regards to the cookies themselves aesthetically they were pretty appetising but they smelt even more so with some buttery nut scents evident amongst the standard fresh cookies aromas.

If you remember my review of the original Chips Ahoy back in January 2009 (See Here) you may recall that I am a real fan of Chips Ahoy and used to often eat them whenever I used to go on vacation in the US when I was younger. These Chips Ahoy Peanut Butter Chunky retained all the sweet brown sugar, salt and butter notes of the originals but every now and then also brought a further dimension to the taste with a delicious peanut butter twist. It has to be said that although they were extremely tasty the peanut butter chips that created the flavour bursts of buttery nuttiness were only sparingly incorporated and I was disappointed that they were not more generously portioned. Just as I wrote about the original Chips Ahoy last year the longevity of the cookies in the mouth were again disappointing and although I enjoyed the fact they melted nicely in the mouth I was similarly annoyed that this meant the flavours were gone all too quickly for my liking.

Overall just as I was hoping these were some damn tasty cookies but they did somewhat suffer from some of the problems that I raised about Chips Ahoy in the past. There is no doubting whatsoever that at times these cookies tasted absolutely wonderful with the original flavours further enhanced by the additional peanut butter thrusts brought by the PB chips. What stopped these cookies being up there with the likes of some of the Oreo flavours was the fact that whilst they tasted superb they just simply didn't last long enough in the mouth to leave a lasting impression or satisfy hunger as much they probably should given their high calorie and fat content per cookie. If you are a peanut butter fan I would still suggest you give these a try as they do the job in creating a good peanut butter flavoured cookie. I am not sure I would go to the expense of importing them myself but next time I am in America I will probably look to purchase another pack if I see them at a sensible price.

8.0 out of 10

August 5th: 'Bits n Bobs' - Cereal & Biscuit Bar Assortment # 2

After the positive response I got to last months Cereal, Biscuit & Cake Bar 'Bits n Bobs'(See HERE), I thought it only right to follow up with another B&B post with some of the products that were suggested and requested by readers from the first one. In the line up today I have some pretty well renowned biscuit bars from Nestle & McVitie's, a rather ghastly cereal bar and another offering from Bahlsen's biscuit range. If you are unfamiliar with the 'Bits n Bobs' posting format, this is where I write shorter, quickfire reviews for several products at a time.

Lets get cracking ....

McVitie's Taxi - Kcal 131 Fat 6.9 Fat(sats) 4.9g Carbs 16.3g

'caramel wafers and chocolate cream covered in milk chocolate'

Before today I hadn't ever tasted a McVitie's Taxi so I had no prior experiences from my childhood to call upon like I had with CLUB, Breakaway, Kit Kat etc - what a deprived childhood I must have led eh!? ;) Presentation wise the product was dressed in a typical looking McVitie's wrapper, though I was more excited by the look of the woven wafers and inner cream layers in the actual bar. I have to admit I was expecting a pretty boring, generic like wafer product, but I was actually pretty impressed by the taste. The chocolate constituents did nothing particularly special, yet the coating was flavoursome enough with it's sweet milky flavours. My enjoyment of this product was mostly driven by the caramel and inner cream layers, which brought a very welcome chewiness and viscosity to the crisp wafers. Whilst adding interest to the textures, the caramel also added a forthcoming toffee flavour hit to the taste. Colour me impressed McVitie's - I don't tend to by biscuit bars, but I will buy these again in the future.

7.8 out of 10

Monster Puffs Cereal Milk & Chocolate Bar - Kcal 86 Fat 2.6g Carbs 14.6g

'Sugar Puffs cereal and milk chocolate bar'

Despite being of the opinion that parents who feed their kids Sugar Puffs should be shot :D I just couldn't help myself when I saw these discounted down to 50p for a four bar multipack in my local Tesco. Despite the vibrant foil packaging I was less impressed by the actual cereal bar, which when it wasn't sticking to the wrapper was equally unimpressive with it's modest looking (putting it nicely!) chocolate layer. As you can see from my picture the drizzle of milk chocolate was woefully portioned so it probably wont surprise you that it barely managed to register in the taste. The combination of the puffed wheat cereal and syrup that bound it together wasn't unpleasant in any manner, but it was neither very tasty. The 20.0g constituents provided a pretty poor sized snack. I don't think these will be around for long.

5.8 out of 10

Bahlsen Choco Leibniz Dark - Kcal 138 Fat 7.1g Fat(sats) 4.5g Carbs 17.0g (per 2 biscuits)

After my review of Bahlsen's Jaffas a few weeks ago, a number of readers indicated that I should try their Choco Leibniz biscuits. If I roll the years back a bit, I can remember buying these biscuits when my family used to go to France - I was never a big lover of them myself, but they were certainly liked by other members of my household. Bahlsen biscuits are being promoted quite heavily in UK supermarkets at the moment, so I was pretty delighted when I found these very posh looking biscuits on a £1 deal in my local Tesco. Favouring the prospect of the dark chocolates ones I didn't wait long before testing them out with an after dinner coffee. In terms of taste these reminded me of the Ritter Sport Butter Biscuit chocolate bar, but just with plain unsweetened chocolate combining with the buttery crisp biscuit below. I didn't think that either the chocolate or biscuit were particularly exceptional, but like in the Ritter bar they made for a fantastic synergy. These didn't last long when I offered them round to the rest of my work colleagues.

8.0 out of 10

Nestle Breakaway - Kcal 99 Fat 5.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 12.0g

Normally when I know I don't like a product I do try my best not to review it, but I couldn't avoid the number of requests that came in asking me to review the Nestle Breakaway. I have always perceived the Nestle Breakaway as quite a bland offering - my heart always used to sink when my parents bought these back from the supermarket instead of the usual Kit Kat or Twix bars. That said I was willing to give them another chance - especially considering that a pack of 6 only set me back £1 in Tesco. Aesthetically I couldn't see many differences from how I remembered them - even the bars were decorated with the same checkboard patterns. Unfortunately the taste was just how I remembered aswell, with the mild tasting milk chocolate and non-descript flavoured biscuit generating very little excitement for me. If anything I think the biscuit part may have even got less flavoursome than it used to be - the two bars I ate today failed to bring any noteworthy flavours to the party, which resultingly made for a boring, bland tasting experience. I know these contain only 99 calories but I personally wouldn't waste your time on them.

5.8 out of 10

Got any ideas of products you want to see reviewed next month? Drop me a comment with your requests ...

August 4th: Whittaker's Milk Madagascar / Rum & Raisin

Whittaker's is a brand that continues to puzzle me. If you look back through my previous reviews you will see that I have generally loved their chocolates - their Peanut Block and Zestful Dark Orange bars particularly stand out in my mind as being memorable. My ongoing bemusement is a consequence of me continually failing to understand why the brand is very seldom heard of outside of the Southern Hemisphere. If you look across the blogosphere you wont happen to come across many Whittaker's posts or reviews, which suggests that consumer awareness of the brand isn't as good as it should be given the product quality. In a bid to put this right (one man mission style!), I today have the pleasure of bringing you my thoughts on two more flavours within their range - the Milk Madagascar, and the Rum & Raisin.

Both these bars were sent to me in 250.0g forms so I called in reinforcements to help me with the taste tests (they needed very little persuasion haha!). Just as I always say about Whittaker's products, the packaging on both was top notch, with both sporting the usual primary coloured gold background. Out of the two my preference was with the more visually striking blue colour of the Milk Madagascar, though I would happily concede that the slightly old fashioned purple colour was a fitting choice for the more retro Rum & Raisin flavour. Below are my thoughts on each of the bars I tried today:


Whittaker's Milk Madagascar

Kcal 532 Fat 29.7g Fat(sats) 18.9g Carbs 57.7g (per 100.0g)

'Extra smooth milk chocolate block'

I have to admit that what with all the different flavour combinations I try nowadays the prospect of a 33% cocoa milk chocolate wasn't the most exciting one ever - oh how I was to be surprised!!! Undressing this chocolate from it's thick gold foil sheath, I was immediately met with a fantastic array of fresh smelling dairy aromas. These forthcoming scents foretold an entirely accurate insight to the taste, which I have the great pleasure of tell you was utterly sublime. The flavours started rather mild and milky in presence, though they grew and grew in stature as the wonderful, Galaxy chocolate like smooth melt developed. The initial milk rooted taste sprouted flavour notes of butter, fudge and sweet cocoa to generate a level of flavour that was up there with the finer milk chocolates I have tasted. The buttery creaminess gave it a very distinctive taste which everyone that I tried this with, thought was superb. In a world that is cluttered with milk chocolates, uniqueness is so important (think Dairy Milky, Hotel Chocolate etc) - this Whittaker's Milk Madagascar certainly had it in spades.

8.6 out of 10

Whittaker's Rum & Raisin

Kcal 502 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 15.7g Carbs 60.9g

'Rum soaked raisins in a dark chocolate block'

I don't review a rum & raisin chocolate for years and then two come along in the same week (See Ritter Sport Rum, Raisin & Nut), it's funny how these things work out. Out of the two Whittaker's bars I was sharing around and trying myself for today's review, this was the flavour that everyone generally reached for first. This bar constituted of 47% cocoa solids dark chocolate, with raisins that had been soaked in rum (28%). On the ingredients list the raisins sounded very plentifully portioned, though it was certainly believable when I split the bar into smaller pieces upon where the raisins were clearly visible poking out of each and every block. Up until this point everything looked all dandy, however I was left pretty disappointed when it came to the taste test. Flavour wise the dark chocolate itself didn't have anything wrong with, though it has to be said it was a little mild in both it's milk and cocoa flavours. The taste was dominated by a fruity flavour edge which was established by the raisins. This fruitiness was fine, but was ultimately one dimensional and monotonous, and needed the rum influence to come to the party in order to progress the taste. Unfortunately the rum was totally MIA to extent that I just couldn't detect it whatsoever. Disappointingly this bar just left me yearning for the Ritter Sport offering I reviewed last week.

6.9 out of 10

Overall despite my more mixed experiences with Whittaker's today, I still stand by the point I made in my opening paragraph that they deserve to be far more well renowned. If you are thinking of doing a bit of online shopping for some Whittaker's chocolate (HERE) I would strongly suggest the Milk Madagascar as a perfect way to introduce you to the brand. It may not sound like the most exciting of chocolates ever, but I can assure you it is a delicious milk chocolate that is up there with the best of them. In regards to the Rum & Raisin I would advise you hedge your bets elsewhere with the brands range.

August 3rd: Galler Vanille

Kcal 473 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 17.0g Carbs 54.2g (per 100.0g)

Ever since I started reviewing their products in February 2010, Galler have been sending me more and more samples from their range, and just last week I received yet another parcel containing several of their filled chocolate bars. One thing I have to take the time to congratulate Galler for is their willingness to listen to what my readers want. I say this because the latest batch of goodies they sent me, contained several of the bars requested by ChocolateMission readers on previous reviews. One of these bars was the Galler Vanille, which was a product enquired about by frequent site reader and commenter Nigel. This Vanille offering came billed as 'dark chocolate with a natural vanilla filling', and I had high hopes that it would fair better than the Ritter Sport Bourbon Vanille bar which struck me as it's closest equivalent.

In alignment with the majority of the Galler filled bars range, this Vanille flavour came in a 70.0g bar that was split into four large sized chunks. Usual grumbles at the mammoth size of the blocks aside, the presentation was as classy as ever, and this time a pale blue pastel colour was used to communicate the Vanille flavour variant. If you look above to my photo of the chocolate you will see that the vanilla filling was plentifully portioned within it's dark chocolate shell, and I thought it looked appetising with it's slightly whipped looking texture. In regards to aromas the bar emanated a strong set of roasted cocoa smells, though disappointingly I couldn't detect any evidence of vanilla.

On the eye the chocolate exterior looked very dark in colour which created a decent visual effect with the paleness of the filling. In terms of strength the bar was of only of a 60% cocoa recipe, yet it still managed to create a flavour impression that other 80%+ chocolates could only envy. When placed on the tongue, the outer dark chocolate melted at a nice rate, and with a pleasant softness. Whilst in its transition from a solid to liquid state the flavours it generated were totally delectable, with the firm cocoa undertones nicely sense checked by an underlying buttery, milkiness. The chocolate did start out sweeter than I was expecting, though as the melt progressed these flavours developed in to more mature smokey, roasted cocoa bean notes. Having now bigged up the quality of the dark chocolate, I now have the displeasure in revealing that the vanilla filling wasn't anywhere near as good. Unfortunately the vanilla filling got completely lost in the richness of the dark chocolate and it failed to add a significant contribution to the taste. When I took the time to nibble around the chocolate to eat the filling in isolation, it was still very mild in it's sweet cream based flavours. When searched for, there were minor hints of vanilla essence detectable amongst the thick creme like substance, however the strength of the dark chocolate largely dictated that it played no part in the resulting taste.

Overall this was one of those products that was particularly hard for me to score. On one hand the chocolate I tasted was very decent and I got great enjoyment out of the taste that it offered. On the other hand I wasn't left ultimately satisfied in what it did deliver, as the promised vanilla flavouring was poorly implemented and pretty much absent from what I experienced. At the end of the day I have to reflect the latter in my ultimate scoring of this bar. Whilst I could easily award this product a higher score for it's taste attribute based on the superb quality of the dark chocolate, what I have to factor in is the disappointment that was caused by the vanilla filling. Between Ritter Sport and Galler I have managed to experience both ends of the vanilla flavour spectrum, with the Ritter bar being overly sweet and fake tasting, whilst Galler's offering being non-committal and bland in comparison. Both of these brands could take a few pointers from the fantastic Lindt Creola Vanille bar that I reviewed back in 2009, as to date that still remains one of the finer vanilla flavoured centre chocolates I have tried. This may not have been the best Galler product I have ever reviewed, but the quality of the chocolate gives me great confidence that there are certainly better things to come.

7.6 out of 10

August 2nd: Hotel Chocolat Purist Super Boosters

Dark -Kcal 534 Fat 45.9g Fat(sats) 28.0g Carbs 18.9g (per 100.0g)
Milk - Kcal 547 Fat 44.2g Fat(sats) 27.1g Carbs 26.2g (per 100.0g)

Two weeks ago I posted about Hotel Chocolat's recently relaunched Purist range, giving my thoughts on four of their newest single origin cocoa bars. What I failed to mention was that included in that very same sampling package, I was also sent these 'The Purist Super Boosters', which came in some wonderfully unique looking test tube like packets. For those of you begging the obvious ... 'what on earth is a Super Booster?' - please let me reveal that they are 'cocoa nibs covered in chocolate'. If you want the ultra fancy description let me tell you what Hotel Chocolat describe them as - 'Nibbly pieces of pure Saint Lucian Trinitatio cocoa simply sealed in 40%/70% coco milk/dark chocolate'.

Hotel Chocolat go on to claim that 'cocoa beans are naturally full of antioxidants, trace minerals and a caffeine kick'. Whilst it is fact that per 100.0g of cocoa beans you get 175mg of caffeine (single espresso = 90mg, standard tea = 45mg), what I think you need to bear in mind is that these tubes only held only 15.0g of Super Boosters each. Suffice to say I think it is back to the drawing board if you were planning to get your morning caffeine hit from these.
When I was thinking about writing this review I did contemplate writing about them separately but then I realised I had such similar points of view of both there was little point. Speaking of what they both did well is easy so let me start with the packaging and presentation. Whilst the actual cocoa nibs themselves weren't the most glamorous looking of products, the way in which they were presented was unique and I liked the 'test tube' like packets they came in. Both the milk and dark chocolate variants smelt wonderful when the metal caps were unscrewed, with both types emanating sweet scents of cocoa that had fruity hints.

To test both of these out I ate them across a number of different occasions, including with ice cream, slipped in a coffee, hot chocolate, cereal ... you name it I tried. What was consistent across all these occasions were the delicious bursts of chocolatey flavours that sprang to life as soon as they were chewed. As you will no doubt have already guessed, the milk chocolate coated nibs started out a touch sweeter in taste compared to the dark chocolate coated ones, though both tasted pretty similar as soon as they were bitten into, at which time both variants delivered a flurry of delicious cocoa flavours. As the smells had suggested the cocoa flavours had minor notes of red fruits and coffee (dark chocolates ones especially!), though most importantly the taste never ventured into the realms of bitterness. Out of the two I personally couldn't of picked a favourite, though my dark chocolate rejector work colleague was more happy when taking handfuls of the milk variant.

Overall my initial scepticism about these being 'a bit of gimmicky' one from Hotel Chocolat were well and truley washed away by the several cups of coffee that these Super Booster so pleasantly accompanied. When you consider that these are simply just small bits of cocoa bean that have coated with a lick of chocolate, it does reaffirm the argument that sometimes the simplest things can be the most effective. One of the things I really liked about these Super Booster was how great it was coming up with new ways to consume them. Don't get me wrong, eating them straight out the packet was splendid, but for me it was far more enjoyable adding them to cups of coffee, desserts, even spread on top of my toast and cereal in the morning! It would be interesting to hear what occasions you all could come up with for using these Super Boosters - no doubt by the end of the day we will all have some new ideas.

Milk - 8.6 out of 10
Dark - 8.6 out of 10

August 1st: Flipz Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate

Kcal 140 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 19.0g (per 28.0g/5 pieces)

A few things of changed since I last featured Flipz on this site back in Sepetember 2008 (Flipz White Fudge review - See HERE). The brand has been long gone from the UK for years, but recently there have been changes afoot in the brands homeland in the States. Firstly the brand now sits under the Demet's Candy Company branding, and the packaging no longer makes reference to Nestle (FYI Nestle sold Flipz to the Brynwood Partners' DeMet's Candy Confectionery Company in 2003). Secondly, the 'Pretzel' part of the brand name seems to have been dropped - they are now simply called Flipz. Now I have you all updated with the useless information :D I now have the pleasure of bringing you my review of one of the newest Flipz variants - the 'Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate'.

I recieved these Flipz in a 113.0g bag that contained enough for four different servings (according to the packaging anyway!!). Despite the change in ownership and branding the outer packaging looked no different to how I remember it from the brands long gone UK years, with the light coloured blue foil packaging really standing out aesthetically. Having never bought Flipz in anything other than the individual serving sized packs, it was nice to see that this larger pouch had a resealable fold at the back of the bag. When I opened the seal for the first time, a wonderful set of chocolate and nuts aromas washed over my senses, and this happened every time I resealed the packet and came back for more.

I have never hidden my love for snacks that combine sweet and salty ingredients so it will come as little surprise to you that I really enjoyed these. As you can see in my picture above the Double-Dipped part of the product name actually wasn't a gimmick, and when bitten in to there was a clear visual distinction between the exterior chocolate and peanut butter layer that sat below. As with all Flipz products, by far and a away the best way of eating these was to let the outer layers melt on the tongue before then munching down on the crispy pretzel below. Doing this allowed the sweet, milky flavoured chocolate layer to establish a chocolate flavour base, before then letting the nutty, salty flavours of the peanut butter then follow. The combination of the sugary chocolate and savoury salted layers of the peanut butter and pretzel were utterly fantastic, and had me reaching back in to the bag many a time. Whilst the taste was very moreish, I felt content with the suggested five pieces at a time. If you are a looking for a tip to make the bag last a little longer, I strongly suggest you store them in the fridge as this slows the pace of the melt of the outer layers so they can be savoured for longer.

Overall I have always enjoyed Flipz and I was one of those consumers that was really disappointed when Nestle pulled them from the UK. These Double-Dipped Peanut Butter & Chocolate flavour really just reaffirmed what we all already know here in the UK - we are the ones missing out. Individually neither the chocolate or the peanut butter constituents can be deemed as great, however when they are combine together they compliment the pretzel element wonderfully and make a phenomenal synergy. These Flipz didn't have the chocolate quality of Hotel Chocolat, or the superb quality of Reese's peanut butter, but this synergy made for a delicious overall taste. Looking across all the American candy, chocolate and food websites Flipz seem to always be one of the products that are at a huge price premium. For the sake of your bank account I wouldn't make a habit of making these a frequent purchase, but if you are a peanut butter fan I can strongly recommend them.

8.3 out of 10

July 31st: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 50

### Jim's Corner ###

Hi All,

Not much to report this week but I have the pleasure of bringing you the names of the winners of the mid week Ritter Sport competition. The winners were Sally (comment #5), Alan (comment #30) and Phil (comment #42) - please can you guys send me your adresses so I can send on your Ritter winnings.

The good news for the rest of you is that I still have lots of samples left to give away! So look out for more competitions coming very soon.

Now to clear up the matter of Jim's ChocolateMission Shop. You will see on the left hand sidebar of the site I have created an affiliate store on Amazon. I do have plans down the line to enter a far more developed store, but for the minute this very basic store will be helping fund my ChocolateMission. Take a look a look at whats on offer HERE. Keep your eyes peeled for a more developed store opening later this year.

Just as a reminder - keep an eye on the Hotel Chocolat site (SEE HERE) - they are starting to put up their End of Season clearance lines.

Have great weeks guys and girls

JIM

News from the chocolate market

* News continues to rumble on about that chap who bought a large portion of the world's cocoa ... See HERE

* Cadbury finally got around to informing everyone of their exclusive Morrisons' Bar of Plenty bar ... See HERE .... REVIEW HERE

* Seemingly I missed out on celebrating National milk chocolate day ... See HERE

* Divine have launched a new Orange & Ginger variant ... See HERE

* These guys set a new record for eating 3 Mars bars in under a minute - the thought of that makes me feel pretty ill .... See HERE

Have I missed anything? Please share your stories!!!

Updated Reviews

Only the one this week ... Fry's Peppermint Cream

Posts from other blogs I enjoyed this week

* TheImpulsiveBuy - I've got a real thing for granola at the moment. Marvo checked out these dark chocolate and peanut butter Nature Valley thin granola bars ... See HERE

* GiGiReviews - Gi was on top form again this week reviewing some very HobNob like looking Archway Iced Oatmeal Cookies ... See HERE

* Foodstufffinds - Cin tracked down the new chocolate flavoured Weetabix. I can highly recommend them myself! They are very tasty ... See HERE

* JapaneseSnackReviews - Only the Japanese would think of making Lemon Tea flavoured cookies :D ... See HERE

* Chocablog - Simon tried out the very cool sound Zotter Butter Caramel. I hope Mr Zotter sends me one along soon ... See HERE

* ZOMGCandy - Rosa wrote a great double post review this week documenting her thoughts on Ritter Sports Mini Chocolate Collection - its well worth a read ... See HERE

Have you checked out Hotel Chocolat's Clearance Sale yet? SEE HERE

July 30th: Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint

Kcal 475 Fat 20.7g Fat(sats) 13.1g Carbs 66.3g (per 100.0g)

The facial expression on my neighbour when I went round to pick up my parcel of chocolates flown in from New Zealand really was a picture :D "chocolates from New Zealand???" ... "are you sure this parcel was meant for you?" A brief explanation of my chocolate reviewing shenanigans later, and I had myself a new reader! The company who caused all this 'confusion' was Shopenzed, who are a service who ship all manner of goods from the Southern Hemisphere right across the globe - See HERE. Included in my latest sampling pack from them was this Cadbury Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint bar. I have previously had some good experiences with the Cadbury's Old Gold chocolate, so I was excited at the prospect of them making the most of this 'dark chocolate with a peppermint fondant' combination.

This bar came in a large sized 220.0g form, which was pretty lucky given that the rest of my family were pretty keen on getting their fair share. I've said it before, but let me reiterate it again, the Old Gold packaging looks superb. On my previous Old Gold reviews, readers have added comments along the lines of the wrappers not looking very Cadbury esc. and more Lindt in style, but on the whole the consensus seems to be that the range is nicely presented. The chocolate itself was segregated in the same format as the Old Gold Liqueur Flavoured Selection I reviewed last month, with each block being a manageable size for the mouth and the inner filling sensibly portioned.

The chocolate came wrapped in a thick layer of gold foil, which maintained the product in a fresh state both aesthetically and aroma wise. Taking in the smells, the chocolate emanated some fragrant cocoa scents, though I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any sort of minty offering until the chocolate was bitten in to. In terms of taste all four of us in my family didn't get overly excited by the Old Gold chocolate. Looking at it from a positive point of view, the two non dark chocolate fans in my family did remark they quite liked it, as the 40% recipe dished out a less intense, bitter taste than they had experienced with previous dark chocolates. From my perspective it wasn't so much the chocolate that I enjoyed, but more the peppermint flavoured centre which was by all accounts very nice. The mint fondant had a great presence throughout the taste, and immediately established a fresh tasting minty flavour burst as soon as it was encountered. I have found in the past that fondants can quickly become pretty overbearing in regards to their sugary sweetness, but this particular one managed to create more of a creamy taste as the melt developed. Personally I found this chocolate was best when eaten just a few blocks at a time, but on the contrary my chocolate mint loving sister was found reaching back in to the packet many a time for "just one last piece" :D

Overall I would struggle creating a case promoting the idea that someone outside of Australia/New Zealand should import this bar, but if I resided in the Southern Hemisphere it would certainly be a chocolate I would give a chance. For some reason or other, Cadbury just aren't the best at making dark chocolate. My views on the Bournville chocolate we have here in the UK are probably more extreme than the average consumer, but even I have to admit that the Cadbury Old Gold chocolate they make in Australia isn't half bad for a mass produced dark chocolate. Whilst the Old Gold chocolate was fair in regards to quality, the mint fondant centre was a step up in terms of class, and the creamy peppermint flavours certainly brought life to the overall experience. I have little doubt that chocolate mint lovers (like my sister *ahem*) would get a lot of enjoyment out of this Old Gold Dark Chocolate Peppermint offering, though I don't think I can go as far as saying it is anywhere near being a 'must try' product.

7.5 out of 10

July 29th: Ritter Sport Rum, Raisin & Nuts

Kcal 507 Fat 29.0g Carbs 53.0g (per 100.0g)

If you have been reading the site over the last few weeks it is highly likely that you would have seen my review of Ritter Sport's latest flavour addition, their Espresso chocolate. When I was approached about reviewing that chocolate, I took the time to have a quick look across the entire Ritter Sport range, just to check if there were any glaring admissions that I hadn't covered yet. Looking across the last three years it appeared that I had done a pretty thorough job, with only two flavours missing from my collection. One of these, most annoyingly was Ritter's Cocos (coconut) flavour, which unfortunately now has been taken out of production. Whilst I unfortunately can't build a time machine to review that flavour, the other bar I hadn't reviewed was thankfully still in distribution, so today I have great delight in bringing you my review of Ritter Sport's Rum, Raisin & Nuts bar.

My contacts at Ritter sent me six bars of this flavour to sample (alot huh!?), anyone who leaves a comment with a correct guess of the bar's weight on todays review will automatically be entered in to a prize draw for one of three leftovers* - if anyone gets this wrong it will be beyond belief haha! Suffice to say both the packaging and the chocolate looked terrific, I hope you are enjoying the extreme close up today, I wanted to give you all a good view of the nuts and raisins! The glossy foil wrapper was not only nice on the eye and decent at communicating the flavour theme (albeit in German!), but it also did a sterling job of containing the delightful fruity chocolate run smells that burst out of the packet each and everytime the seal was breached.

If I can quickly point you in the direction of the review I wrote on the Ritter Sport Raisins & Hazelnuts bar I reviewed a few years ago, it is probably better that I write about where this bar differed to that original offering rather than simply regurgitate what I wrote back then. Fundamentally this chocolate offered much the same experience with the milk chocolate, raisins and hazelnut constituents altogether making for a terrifically tasty fruit and nut experience. Once again the milk chocolate wasn't the most profound in terms of quality, but it was fair in flavour and did it's usual job of carrying the inner ingredients well. The raisins and nuts delivered their sweet fruit and wooden nut flavours expertly, though I have to say the taste was taken a step further on by the introduction of the Jamaican Rum to fold. I'm no big rum drinker, but the integration of the liqueur in to the chocolate was magnificently handled, and was neither too strong or too weak. The fruity alcoholic taste was complimented terrifically by the warming mouth sensation it created. Quite simply it managed to tick the boxes in terms of enhancing both taste and texture, and made for a delicious, moreish chocolate.

Overall Ritter Sport may not always be seen as the most prestigious or up market brands, but the quality of this chocolate leads me to believe they could teach the likes of Hotel Chocolat, Thorntons etc a few lessons. As I passed reference to above, the quality of the milk chocolate you get with flavoured Ritter Sport bars does not compete with higher end brands, (I wish they would implement their new 35% recipe across their range!!) but one thing they generally deliver on is the quality of their flavoured fillings. This rum, raisin and nuts bar would be yet another glowing example of why they deserve such recognition - it was delicious in every sense. When I have tried alcohol flavoured chocolates in the past, I have often found that the spirits are too overpowering *ahem* Hotel Chocolat *ahem* or too weak, but the rum in this bar was nothing other than spot-on. It was flavoursome and created an impression with it's warming mouth feel, whilst still allowing full expression of the raisin and nut elements - it was almost perfect. I could go on for a long time rattling off superlatives, but it's probably best I just end with the statement that if you like rum & raisin chocolates you needn't look elsewhere.

8.8 out of 10

*winners announced at weekend. Multiple comments doesn't = multiple entries. Rules of this competition to my own discretion