August 26th: Lindt Amarena-Kirsch

Kcal 552 Fat 36.0g Carbs 50.0g (per 100.0g)

Since the start of the summer I have been slowly making my way through Lindt's latest 100.0g tafel range, which you may recall has been based around different ice cream flavours. Having already reviewed the Nocciola (See HERE) and Eiscafe (See HERE) variants the one remaining flavour left to try was this Amarena-Kirsh, which I managed to get hold of with a little help from my German friend Franzi. Through aid of the on-pack pictures and my loose understanding of German I was able to get identify that this was based loosely round Cherries, though it took a quick Wikipedia search to identify the origins of Amarena-Kirsch. According to my favourite online encyclopedia, Amaerna-Kirsch are an Italian speciality, which would make sense given that both the Eiscafe and Nocciola flavours have followed that theme (More about Amaerna-Kirsch HERE).

As I have referred to already above this bar came in a 100.0g format which was split into a 5x2 grid of blocks. The packaging, albeit hard to photograph, looked as wonderful as ever and I thought the pinky, red colours made it look the most exciting flavour in the range. The blocks were again slightly on the big side for my liking, though the way they were so beautifully crafted and shaped meant I didn't dwell on that flaw for long. Cutting the block in half for my photography I was delighted to see that the inner creme was studded with large bits of what looked liked frozen dried fruit. In addition to looking pretty gorgeous, the light coloured inner creme smelt pretty phenomenal, mixing a lovely variety of chocolate and genuine smelling red berry scents.

To this point the chocolate was displaying a wonderful promise and the proposition of 'milk chocolate with cherry creme and Amarena cherry pieces' was something I couldn't wait to get stuck in to. Much like the smells had indicated the cherry flavours didn't hang about in imposing themselves on the taste, and straight away they were detectable in the background of the sweet cocoa flavours of the outer chocolate. As ever with Lindt milk chocolate, the taste was luxuriously cream based and it melted with a glorious softness to reveal the inner filling below. As pleasant and smooth as the chocolate felt on the tongue, it was then eclipsed in mouth feel sensation by the creme which had a lighter silkier feel to it's melt. It was at this point that the cherry really flavours really started coming through strongly, with the red fruit flavours establishing a very sweet, yet very 'real' tasting cherry influence. Submerged in the creme filling, the small specs of Amaerna cherry rounded of the taste quite superbly. In comparison to both the chocolate and the creme, the small bits of fruit were sharp and zingy in taste and provided a refreshing juicy sourness to leave a lasting impression of cherry in the mouth. The pace of the melt meant the flavour longevity wasn't optimum, but that wasn't too much of a problem given I had a full 100.0g bar :D

Overall this was probably the best cherry flavoured chocolate that I have ever tasted and it has surprisingly scored the best out of all three of the Lindt ice cream themed bars I have tried this summer. As previous chocolates have shown, implementing cherries in to chocolate is not the easiest thing to do without creating an artificial taste. Thoughts of this chocolate being in any way fake tasting were completely absent when I was eating it. The cherry influences were expertly integrated, in fact I don't believe they could have done it any better. One consideration I did have this chocolate however, was the appropriateness of the milk chocolate coating. As good, and tasty as it was, one part of me couldn't help but feel that a dark coating might have been better matched for the sweetness of the fruit. I could well be wrong and the flavour balance could go out of kilter with dark chocolate overpowering the cherry, but I would still be very keen to try it if such a bar existed. If you like your cherries then this is a must try chocolate for you. This is another pearl in the crown of Lindt.

8.6 out of 10

August 25th: Cadbury Spots V Stripes Challenge Bar

Kcal 205 Fat 11.7g Fat(sats) 7.2g Carbs 22.5g

If you have been watching UK TV recently it is likely you will at some point have come across the latest Cadbury advertising for their new Spots V Stripes challenge campaign (See HERE). To cut a very (very!!) long winded story short, Cadbury have an ambitious two year plan to "split the nation into two teams - Spots & Stripes", with the ultimate aim of "keeping consumers immersed in game play in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic Games", which Cadbury just so happen to be partnering. The basic idea is that consumers choose to either be a fan of the Spots team, or the Stripes team, and then play against each other for points which they register on the Spots V Stripes website (HERE). I have probably explained the concept pretty poorly so so if you wish to see more information I would suggest looking at this press release HERE. What I hope you are all more interested in, is the fact that Cadbury have launched a new bar to go alongside this campaign idea - the Cadbury Spots V Stripes Challenge Bar.

The product I sampled for this review today was sent to me by Lis at Foodstufffinds (review HERE - Thanks again!) and it came 39.0g bar that was divided in to three blocks. The idea is that you and a friend share the bar, eating your respective Spots/Stripes block each, before then playing a 'game' which is detailed on the inside of the wrapper (mine was eye-spy), with the 'winner' receiving the final middle piece. I will happily admit that the idea is all rather nice, but part of me couldn't help but feel it was an awful lot of fuss for what was fundamentally just a chocolate bar. On the positive side I was far more welcoming of the aesthetic appeal of the packaging and the actual chocolate, as I thought both lived up to Cadbury's usual high standards and were well designed and appealing on the eye. In addition, the bar also smelt pretty appetising with the familiar Dairy Milk scents fully showcased as soon as soon the matted foil wrapper was zipped open.

Unusually for me I have managed to write two paragraphs without actually telling you the product proposition - 'Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate & Cadbury creamy white chocolate'. Speaking openly and frankly, the first half of the product description filled with me glee, whilst the last bit brought back many an unnerving memory of my Cadbury Dream chocolate review a few years ago. There have been many times on this website when my preconceived thoughts about a product have been gone on to be disproved, but this wasn't to be the case here. Thankfully the Dairy Milk at the base of the product made up 75% of the total constituents so the taste was predominantly made up by the thick melting, delicious cream rooted sweet cocoa flavours of Cadbury's most famous chocolate recipe. Unfortunately placed on the top of each block, the not so great white chocolate only went to further sweeten the taste with it's sugar heavy flavours. Unlike any decent quality white chocolate it didn't enhance the creamy flavours of the taste or bring in any additional flavour notes such as vanilla etc - it was frankly just low quality sugary rubbish. It would be completely over the top of me to suggest that the white chocolate completely spoilt this chocolate bar for me (I still ate the whole thing after all), but at the same time I just simply didn't want it there, and it ultimately did hamper my subsequent levels of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Overall I like Cadbury's ambition to create a campaign that engages with consumers directly, however I think the focus on 'above-the-line' marketing execution has resulted in them releasing a rather lazy product to go alongside it. When I first heard that Cadbury were launching a new bar for this £14 million pound campaign I was instantly excited at the potential of an entirely new proposition. Given the effort put in to the entire Spots V Stripes marketing concept I have to admit I was disappointed when I learnt what was actually in store for us all. Unfortunately this disappointment was only further compounded when I tasted it, upon where I learnt that Cadbury still hadn't sorted out their white chocolate recipe. This Challenge Bar was far from being any sort of disaster due to it mostly comprising of Cadbury's wonderfully tasty Dairy Milk recipe, however for me the white chocolate only detracted from the overall product experience, rendering it a no better than average offering. Speaking as someone who doesn't care that much for the whole Spots V Stripes campaign concept (I concede it might appeal to younger people!), I'm left feeling that this is a missed opportunity for Cadbury, who I think could have really tied in a far stronger product offering. It's not a bad bar of chocolate by any means but I think it will do little to stimulate consumers to repeat purchase. As ever all your thoughts and views are most welcome, please be sure to share them below.

7.2 out of 10

August 24th: Twix Fino

Kcal 94 Fat 4.4g Carbs 12.3g (per finger)

STOP PRESS! Hold the back pages!! Mars UK have actually launched their first proper innovation since the Mars Delight which we first saw way back in 2004 (no the Galaxy Bubbles doesn't count!!) Last week I finally managed to lay hands on the Twix Fino, which was announced to the trade a while back in June 2010 (See HERE). Described by a Mars spokesperson as a "healthier wafer option", the Fino is aiming to "help expand the appeal of the brand to female professionals looking for a lighter snack" - supposedly taking on the likes of the Kit Kat Senses and the Kinder Bueno. To me this all sounded remarkably similar to the blurb that accompanied the launch of the aforementioned Galaxy product earlier this year. Have Mars forgotten about the male population who eat chocolate!? I'll let you discuss that one!

The Twix Fino comes in a 38.0g double finger packet and will be retailing for £0.52 in smaller independent stores before rolled out nationally in the supermarkets in 2011. Nutritionally the bar is relatively impressive, clocking in with significantly fewer calories than the Kinder Bueno (242 Kcal) and Mars Delight (222 Kcal), whilst being around about par with the likes of the Galaxy Bubbles (169 Kcal) and Kit Kat Senses (165 Kcal). Presentation wise I was also relatively impressed as the wrapper maintained a sense of Twix masculinity despite the target consumer obviously being females. The chocolate fingers themselves also looked pretty appetising with the caramel and wafer layers nicely segregated and balanced in terms of their portioning. Taking the fingers out of their silver foil packet confines, they broke apart with relative ease. The smells emanating from the bars weren't the strongest, though the mild hints of caramel and chocolate had a certain Mars familiarity about them.

On the wrapper the Fino was described 'crisp wafer with caramel, covered in milk chocolate' with the breakdown as follows: wafer (22%), caramel (21%) and chocolate (46%). Starting with the chief constituent, the outer milk chocolate layer was of course the first to be encountered what with it comprising the exterior portion of the bar. Compared to a usual Twix the chocolate wasn't quite as thick in it's portioning, especially at the base where I was expecting the usual thicker underside. Despite the thinness of the chocolate it still did pretty much the same job I expected it to, as the other elements of the bar were also notably lighter. The chocolate was totally as I expected - unspectacular in taste, yet more than adequate at providing a sweet chocolatey flavour hit to every bite. The caramel at the top of the bar also seemed somewhat lighter in portioning, but it again still delivered a familiar set of buttery sweet sugar flavours within it's soft chewy texture. The USP of this Fino bar was of course the substitution of the usual shortbread biscuit base for the folded wafer layers which you can see clearly in my photo above. Taste wise the folded wafer layers reminded me of a sparser version of the wafers used in the Mars Delight, yet without the note of honeycomb forthcoming in the rather plain tasting wheat based flavours. After a few mouthfuls it was more than noticeable that the wafers weren't massively contributing to the taste, but on the plus side they weren't negating the pleasant combination of the caramel and chocolate constituents. The total bar left my hunger feeling relatively settled, though unsurprisingly I didn't feel the same level of satisfaction that I get from a normal Twix.

Overall it was a little tricky scoring this Twix Fino as it came across taste wise as being a bit of Twix 'Lite', but looking at all the PR hype it wasn't if anything other than this was ever being promised. Quite simply the synergy between the wafer and chocolate/caramel layers wasn't as strong as the shortbread biscuit and chocolate/caramel combination of the normal Twix bar. Whilst the wafer layers were positively non-distracting in the grand scheme things, they also failed to add much to the total experience apart from of course the expected contrasting crunchy crisp textures. Taste wise they couldn't hold a candle to the usual biscuit base, though I guess that is what you would have to expect from a bar containing 100 or so less calories. Personally speaking if you offered me the calorie vs. taste trade-off, I would reach for gold foil original Twix bar every time with little or no thought. I don't want to send Mars UK straight back in to their non-innovation shells by bashing this Twix Fino too much, but I personally can't see it hanging around our shelves for too long given how established many of the other alternative offerings are already in this 'lighter choices' sector. You all know how much I value all your opinions so please feel free to share your thoughts about the product proposition, or better yet how you think it actually tastes. After all I'm hardly target market - who knows this could really strike a cord with 'female professionals'.

7.7 out of 10

*** COMPETITION*** If you Retweet this review today in your Twitter feed you automatically enter yourself in a competition to win one of three Twix Fino bars - winners announced this weekend!

August 23rd: Hotel Chocolat Rum Sultanas / Amaretto Sultanas

Lets start today off with a pop quiz :D - who knows the difference between a sultana and raisin? Answers on postcards please, preferably backdated to last week to before I had googled the answer below ...

"In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand the word raisin is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with sultana being a dried large white grape, and currant being a dried small Black Corinth grape"

You learn something new each day don't you - glorious Wikipedia!! So why am I going off on a random one about sultanas and raisins? It's because today I am reviewing some liqueur flavoured sultanas from Hotel Chocolat.

Hotel Chocolat are between seasons at the moment, so my contacts there offered me the chance to fill the seasonal void with some more samples from their 'little things' standard range. These Rum Sultanas and Amaretto Sultanas both came in 150.0g cardboard tubs that must have contained approximatelly 20-30 pieces in each. This style of packaging hasn't ever been a favourite of mine when it comes to Hotel Chocolat (See Ginger Tangs review). Not only do I not think it looks as aesthetically premium as some of their other offerings (their slabs etc), but also if you plan on eating the contents across anything more than a few days the cardboard material doesn't do many wonders for retaining freshness. Minor packaging gripes aside, the raisins and sultanas looked more appealing, and both radiated strong boozie chocolatey scents when I first opened them up. Below are my brief thoughts on each.


Hotel Chocolat Amaretto Sultanas - These came described as 'sultanas soaked in Amaretto, covered in milk chocolate and almonds'. Out of the two dried fruit products on offer today these were the larger in size, with some pieces being twice as large as the rum alternatives. My experiences with Hotel Chocolat liqueur flavoured chocolates have been a little mixed over the past few months, and I'm afraid to say that these were a little unbalanced when it came to how strongly the amaretto came over in the taste. The milk chocolate, plump juicy sultanas and small bits of almond did initially create a myriad of fruit, nut and chocolate flavour influences, however these were masked by the introduction of the amaretto which didn't take long in dominating the other constituents. The overall effect of the amaretto was detrimental to the taste for my liking, but then again I'm not great fan of the liqueur itself.

Hotel Chocolat Rum Sultanas - These came billed as 'sultanas soaked in Jamaican rum covered in milk chocolate'. As I have mentioned above these were noticeably smaller in size, which I found a little puzzling given that the only major difference between the two products were that these didn't have the small bits of almond nut in their coating. Suffice to say I didn't let this perturb me and I'm glad to say I was a little more receptive of these rum flavoured ones. Similarly to the above, the exterior milk chocolate and inner fruit fast established a sugary sweet taste that was well compounded by the fresh feeling sensation that the sultanas created when bitten in to. Like the amaretto, the rum was similarly forthcoming in the taste, however the sweet fruity hints that were present amongst it's boozie flavours complimented the other constituents better than the more startling alcoholic hit of the other spirit. Out of the two I found that these were the ones I was keener on and I finished the tub long before the amarettos.

Overall neither of these would ever be classified in a list of my all time favourite Hotel Chocolat products, but I have to hand it to them for taking a pretty dull product concept of chocolate coated dried fruit and making it somewhat interesting. The added 'interest' was admittedly just a large dose of alcohol for both products, which landed with mixed success. Lets face it though, this made the propositions far more exciting than they would have been had they just been plain. Out of the two my preference lay with the rum sultanas, though when I sampled them on my parents they said they were too sweet and gobbled the rest of the amaretto in super fast time. All-in-all they may not be the most exciting things that Hotel Chocolat have to offer but I wouldn't discount them from your thoughts entirely. If boozie flavoured chocolates are your sort of thing then these are certainly going to be worth you taking a look at if you also like chocolate covered fruits.

Hotel Chocolat Amaretto Sultanas - 7.5 out of 10
Hotel Chocolat Rum Sultanas - 8.0 out of 10

August 21st/22nd: 'Bits n Bobs' - Millionaire's Shortbread

'7Days of Chocolate Reviews' has been replaced this week by a special 'Bits n Bobs' post that I compiled after receiving an e-mail from keen ChocolateMission reader Lauren. A few weeks ago Lauren got in contact asking me if I had any advice on what brand of Millionaire's Shortbreads would be best to take a long to a tea party she was going to that weekend. Of course I suggested that she visit Heavenly Cakes, who I think make the best Millionaire Shortbread ever (See HERE). Lauren however was on a more pressing deadline and needed to buy them that day (DOH!). At this point I had to admit to Lauren I was a bit useless - I could suggest the very decent Thorntons Millionaire's, but to be honest I didn't have any idea about any of the supermarket offerings she mentioned in her e-mail ... I needed to do some research!

Although way to late to assist Lauren, with the help of my work chums, over the last few weeks I have been trying out various Millionaire Shortbreads that are available to us in our supermarkets here in the UK. I will keep the reviews short and sweet, suffice to say none of them were as good as Heavenly Cakes Millionaire's, but please feel free to add your own thoughts below.


Kcal 180 Fat 10.0g Fat(sats) 6.2g Carbs 21.0g (per slice)
Price - £0.79
'Shortcake topped with caramel and a chocolate flavoured coating'

I found these in Sainsbury's and I bought as I could hazily remember them being recommended to me by a ChocolateMission reader previously. Out of all four products on show today these were certainly the most unique in terms manufacture, price and subsequent taste. Unlike the rest of the Millionaire's this was produced by one of the UK's most famous cake brands, dear old 'Mr Kipling', so it was a bit of a surprise to see it was the cheapest out of all four. These things aside the main diversities from the Supermarket offerings came in the taste. Although it had a crisp outer portion, the base was cake like and soft instead of a hard biscuit. This didn't bother me at all, and I thought it delivered some fine syrup sponge flavours. On top of that sponger layer, the caramel was more like dry fudge rather than being soft and gooey. Similarly this wasn't a problem for me and I enjoyed it nevertheless. What was of great disappointment to me however was the chocolate coating, which had very little cut through in the overall taste and was certainly the poorest of all four on show today.

7.3 out of 10




Kcal 290 Fat 13.5g Fat(sats) 9.0g Carbs 26.2g
Price - £0.80p
'Belgian chocolate caramel shortbread'

I bought this in a single serve portion so I wasn't able to get any second opinions. Saying that I'm still pretty confident in my conclusion that this was the best of the lot - it was certainly the one I enjoyed the most anyway! The plastic wrapper and cardboard sleeve weren't perhaps the best looking packaging ever, but I certainly liked the look of the slice out of the packet and I appreciated the decorative bits of white chocolate placed on top. Starting with the biscuit base I felt the shortbread here was the most accomplished. It was crunchy, yet firm and had a delicious butter led taste taste that had all the desired flavours inputs from the hits of brown sugar and salt - wonderful! The caramel on top was similarly nice and firm in texture and did a nice job fusing all three layers. I felt the caramel and chocolate layers weren't the most accomplished in taste, however the caramel avoided being overly sugary and the chocolate did deliver the chocolate flavour hit to a decent standard.

8.1 out of 10




Kcal 170 Fat 8.1g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 14.2g (per square)
Price - £1.59
'Shortbread topped with caramel and milk chocolate, hand drizzled with white chocolate'

I have to admit that the packaging had me believing these were going to be the best out of the bunch and they nearly, nearly were. Out of all three I felt the chocolate layer of these squares was the most accomplished and I enjoyed it's creamy cocoa flavours and crispness at which it broke when bitten in to. Unfortunately I felt the other caramel and biscuit portions weren't as accomplished as the Sainsbury's offering, as both were just a touch shadier in both taste and texture. Taste wise the caramel was more startling in it's sugary flavours, whilst the shortbread was less buttery and blander in comparison. One thing that was especially noted by some of my work colleagues was that the biscuit bases were terribly soft and crumbly, and the softer, gooey texture of the caramel portion whilst looking nice, wasn't all that practical when it came to eating. If quantity and quality of chocolate are the most important things to you, then these are worth a look at.

7.9 out of 10




Kcal 205 Fat 10.3g Fat(sats) 6.2g Carbs 17.3g (per slice)
Price - £2.19
'Shortbread squares topped caramel and dark Belgian chocolate'

Save the best until last!? Unfortunately not - quite the opposite I'm afraid. Aesthetically these slices looked pretty decent, with the caramel layer looking very plentiful in it's portioning sandwiched between the caramel and chocolate. Speaking of the chocolate, I thought the 'dark chocolate' proposition might be a clever ploy by Waitrose to balance the sweetness of the caramel. Indeed the sweetness was taken out of chocolate, but it was unfortunately not replaced by any grander focus on cocoa or cream so it came off as being just rather bland. The caramel layer took the lead role in the taste with it's fine buttery sweet flavours, but the biscuit bases were just as disappointing as the chocolate. Personally I would say Waitrose billing the bases as shortbread is verging on lieing - they tasted more like blander McVitie's digestive biscuits and were soft and unsubstantial once in the mouth. Unlike the others I wouldn't be prepared to buy these again.

6.6 out of 10

August 20th: Mr Tom Chocolate

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

Before I kick off this review I must first take the time to thank my friends over at Candyholic.com for making this post possible. My pal Kristian from Candyholic was recently kind enough to send me a parcel containing some of the newest products out in Germany. Included in the package was some of the latest Milka and Lindt bars that you will no doubt see appearing on the site in the coming weeks. Kristian also happen to include some of his own favourite chocolates, including this Mr Tom Chocolate bar. Here in the UK the original Mr Tom bar can be found in most newsagents and supermarkets, however I have never seen this chocolate variety before. On the packaging this bar came described as 'milk chocolate with caramelized and roasted peanuts' and was of course produced in Germany.

This chocolate came in the slightly odd sized 150.0g and came in a square bar format not unlike a Ritter Sport chocolate. The wrapper wasn't totally reminiscent of the crazy retro looking Mr Tom bars we get in the UK, but it looked fine nonetheless and the chocolate looked reasonably appetising with visible chunks of peanuts distributed throughout. One slight annoyance for me was that despite the wrapper being similar in style to Ritter chocolates it wasn't resealable, which obviously wasn't ideal for a bar of its size. As I ate the bar over the course of a few days, it seemed to lose it's freshness a little, that said the wafts of peanut smells I got when I opened the thing for the first time were extremely tempting.

Judging by the aromas and the sheer volume of peanuts dispersed throughout, I was expecting a very nutty tasting chocolate and this is exactly what I got. Starting with the quality of the chocolate it has to be said it wasn't the best I have ever tasted, though neither was it the worst. On the back of the wrapper the ingredients stated that the chocolate comprised of 30% cocoa solids which I guess is around the expected strength for the average mass produced milk chocolate. In terms of taste it was nothing out of the ordinary with the flavour base centered around sweet milk and mild cocoa influences. To be honest it didn't really have any compelling or unique features about it, and was more just a bog standard milk chocolate that wouldn't have seemed out of place in any Nestle or Mars produced mass confection. The peanut pieces placed throughout the chocolate were portioned pretty generously, though as I so often find their chopped nature came to their detriment as they failed to have the same sort of cut through in taste as I'm sure whole nuts would have. Don't get me wrong, the caramel and salty influences were still there in force, however they didn't create the lasting impression that other peanut flavoured chocolates have done in the past.

Overall this was a decent enough milk chocolate that had it's strong points, but I ultimately felt like it could have been done a little better than what I experienced here. On the rare occasion that I do indulge in a Mr Tom bar, one of the things that I always love about it is how the peanuts are implemented in their natural whole state as it gives the bar not only a unique and compelling look, but also a raw and very 'in your face' peanut flavour experience. In this Mr Tom Chocolate bar the peanut element was somewhat masked by a no better than average milk chocolate, which leads me to be the question why didn't they just use the base of an original Mr Tom and then just coat it in milk chocolate!? Casting my mind to better alternatives I would say the Whittaker's Original Peanut Block is the best example of a bar that does this combination the best. In light of that I would recommend you give that bar a try before this Mr Tom Chocolate.

7.3 out of 10

August 19th: Galler Heritage Noir 85%

Kcal 559 Fat 50.1g Carbs 16.3g (per 100.0g)

Having got through a fair number of Galler's filled chocolate bars recently I was delighted when I was presented with the opportunity to try their Heritage Noir 85% dark chocolate bar. Those in the know will be well aware that 85% recipe chocolates have a pretty good track record here on ChocolateMission. I don't know whether it is by luck and chance, but bars of this strength from the likes of Lindt, Green & Black's etc have been some of my favourite chocolates of all time. In fact, if you look at the ChocolateMission leaderboard you will see that Hotel Chocolat's 85% House Dark Chocolate still remains right at the top (I very much recommend you try it if you haven't done so already!). Today was all about this Galler Heritage Noir 85% though, and it came described as a very unfussy sounding 'dark chocolate with 85% cocoa'.

This bar came in a 100.0g size that I willingly shared with some fellow taste testers. What can I say about the presentation? My previous reviews on Galler's filled bar range have been filled with nothing but superlatives when it comes to their packaging, but this bar really did look a cut above the rest. The outer wrapper was simplistic, yet totally premium looking in design, but it was the bar itself where this chocolate really shone. When I say shone, I really do mean it shone - the surface of the chocolate had the cleanest looking surface of any chocolate I have seen before. It gave the sense that the chocolate was fresh out the hands of the chocolatier who crafted it, whilst the perfect sized blocks and crystal clear Galler logo just further reaffirmed th sense this was a high end offering.

When I had finally finished marvelling over the gorgeous look of the bar, the next task myself and taste testers embarked upon was taking in the smells offered by the chocolate. All five of us remarked that the strong cocoa scents were appealing in their fresh, fragrant scents, though some (who got really into it :D ) went further by describing they could detect hints of roasted coffee and charcoal (oooh err!) haha! Smelling the chocolate was fine and necessary and everything, but this was really going to come down to the all important taste test. As mentioned above the chocolate blocks were a perfect mouth size, with one piece at a time the optimum size for just popping on the tongue. Doing exactly this allowed for the flavour development to be at it's best - this was a strictly no chew necessary chocolate. Placing a block on the tongue the chocolate quickly established a strong tasting set of cocoa flavours that came across as sharp and edgy to the majority of us. As the chocolate gathered heat and transcended in form, these cocoa flavours became more rounded, and developed flavour notes of vanilla, brown sugar and milk which somewhat took the edge off the taste. During the latter stages of the melt it was mentioned be a few of my taste testers (and myself!) that the taste developed undercurrents of burnt sugar and caramel. The aftertaste left in the mouth was pleasant, but not perhaps as long lasting as other chocolates I have tried of this strength.

Overall I personally felt this was a very accomplished and tasty dark chocolate which was a common consensus amongst all the people that I sampled it with. I think it was best summed up by one of colleagues as 'proper chocolate' - this it certainly was. The flavour development was absolutely first class and I loved the way it started out with a strong, almost startling chocolatey flavour hit before it developed in to a calmer, creamier kind taste. If I was to compare it to the Hotel Chocolat 85% I would say it was definitely in the same ball park in terms of my enjoyment of it, but the thinner nature of the Galler bars melt gave it slightly less longevity and presence than it's Hotel Chocolat counterpart. This is just my own personal opinion, and I wouldn't be surprised if there are many out there who might just happen to prefer this Galler offering. The wonderful thing about dark chocolate is that is shares many similarities to fine wines. Everyone has their own tastes that are matched by different brands, but like wines, anyone who has any idea about chocolate will be able to tell this is a high quality bar. I know I keep saying this about most Galler products I try, but I can only tell the truth - I really recommend this.

8.9 out of 10

August 18th: 'Bits n Bobs' Cakes, Cereal & Biscuit Chocolate Bars # 3

In the last few weeks my 'Bits n Bobs' reviews seem to have gone down well with readers, so acting on the few requests made in the last B&B post, I today bring you some more quickfire product reviews. In the line of fire today we have offerings from Jacob's biscuits, Kellogg's and my all time favourite food retailer Marks & Spencer ... lets get cracking ...




Kcal 116 Fat 5.8g Fat(sats) 3.7g Carbs 14.5g (per bar)

'Milk chocolate with fruit, chocolate cream and a biscuit base'

In my Jacob's CLUB superpost last month, readers were quick to point out that it wasn't quite so super as I had missed out one of the flavours in the range. Unbeknown to myself the CLUB biscuit also comes in a 'Fruit' flavour which currently isn't included in the 27 bar multipack that I bought to test the other three flavours. After a little hunting down in Tesco I finally found a 9 pack of bars for the price of £1 and brought them in to work for our tea room. For anyone wondering about the fruit content of these bars, it will come as little surprise to you that this came in the form of currants. Upon opening the bar it was particularly nice to see the currants nicely portioned throughout out the biscuit base. This made this 'Fruit' bar look more exciting aesthetically compared to the other variants which have to be said, all looked pretty similar. In regards to taste the milk chocolate and biscuit constituents primarily offered the same experience served up by the rest of the CLUB range, though the currants did manage to enhance the flavour depth. The sugary fruitiness of the currants wasn't anything revolutionary, but it was a welcome addition to the taste and the soft chewy texture of the fruit pieces nicely contrasted with the crunchy biscuit. If I was going to buy CLUB biscuits again in the future I would probably plump for either these or the mint ones.

7.4 out of 10

Kcal 84 Fat 2.5g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs 14.0g

'Chocolate toasted rice cereal and milk bar'

I remember this product being one of the first cereal bars to come on the market from the established manufacturers, and it was one of the ones I have become pretty familiar with down the years. As I have said on previous reviews, chocolate cereals have never been a thing that I have particularly enjoyed (apart from the latest Weetabix Chocolate See HERE), neither am I really much of a fan of rice based cereals. Given both of those facts it probably doesn't seem all the sensical that I have a bit of a soft spot when it comes these Coco Pops Chocolate & Milk Cereal Bars. I wouldn't say these are an every week purchase for me, but I do on occasion slip a pack in shopping basket and take them to work for a snack. Taste wise the chocolate payoff isn't as grand as what you get from any average chocolate bar, but the sweet cocoa flavours deliver a decent chocolate flavour hit. Additionally the milk icing that lines the bottom brings a very pleasant additional creaminess to the taste - I just wish they would make it as thick as it used to be! For a low calorie chocolate snack this is one of the best options out there in my opinion.

7.2 out of 10

Kcal 515 Fat 30.8g Fat(sats) 13.5g Carbs 55.5g (per 100.0g)

'Chocolate square with biscuit and honeycomb pieces, topped with a layer of milk chocolate and white chocolate drizzle'

Whilst the other two products have been around for donkeys years, this Marks & Spencer Honeycomb Tiffin is on of the latest additions to M&S's extensive 'food on the go' range. This 45.0g cake set me back a reasonably priced 69p and came in a pack sized similar in size to a box for a jewellery ring (sorry only comparison I could think of haha!). In true English fashion I consumed this alongside a traditional cup of Early Grey tea (stereotypical Englishmen I know!), which proved to be a very fitting eating occassion. Unfortunately for all cakes that feature on this site nowadays, they always come up agaisnt the tought comparator of Heavenly Cakes. Lets get this well out the way from the start, this wasn't as good as the Heavenly Cakes Tiffin cake! I did however still get a a great deal of enjoyment from this M&S offering. The base of the cake was a little crumbly around the edges, but it had a nice denseness to it in the middle where the honeycomb bits really came in to their own. The combination of the buttery biscuit pieces, milky sweet chocolate and honey made for a very interesting and diverse flavour experience. Unfortunately the taste wasn't particularly long lasting, something that I think could have been helped by the chocolate topping had it been a little more substantial and impactful in terms of flavours. It was a decent enough cake, especially when you factor in the price and convenience of it.

7.6 out of 10

August 17th: Guylian Milk/White & Hazelnuts

Chances are these Guylian bars reviewed today are 'the most travelled' chocolates ever to appear on ChocolateMission. You may be asking yourself how on earth this could be the case since Guylian chocolate is produced in Belgium!? Well from what I can make out from the back of the wrapper, these bars made a quick stop off to Australia! Indeed last week when browsing the shelves in my local Sainsbury's I happened to come across these Guylian Milk/White Hazelnuts bars. I hadn't seen either of them before so I was quick to consult the back of the packet to find determine their place of origin. It said 'made in Belgium, imported in Asutralia/New Zealand', so I was a little clueless (and still am!) as to how they made their way to my local supermarket in Surrey, England - whatever, I ended up buying both 100.0g bars!

Packaging wise I thought both were a little disappointing. Yes I will admit that they did manage to catch my eye, though I didn't think the use of the green colouring on either of the variants was very in keeping with Guylian's normally perfect sense of premiuimality (yes I'm making up words now!). Both chocolates were maintained in good condition thanks to a layer of foil packaging - the milk variant was by far the stronger smelling establishing a nicely nut hinted set of chocolatey aromas.

Below are my thoughts on each variant ...

Guylian Milk & Hazelnuts - Kcal 563 Fat 36.3g Fat(sats) 18.0g Carbs 49.6g (per 100.0g)

'How a chocolate smells, is always very indicative of the taste'. That is a phrase you will have found in several previous reviews and 99.0% of the time it is generally right. Out of the two chocolate types on offer today it was this milk variant that smelt strongest, however when it came to the taste it proved to be a little bland in comparison to it's white comparator. The chocolatey flavours had a very smooth milkiness, but there were very little cocoa flavours generated throughout the entire experience. Luckily for this chocolate, another one of my 'chocolate rules' of 'chopped nuts always being worse than wholenuts' was also proved totally wrong. Indeed, the chopped bits of hazelnuts were delightfully flavoursome and established a very forthcoming set of savoury woody flavours that left a lasting impression in the mouth. This was a chocolate very much saved by a very tasty helping of hazelnuts.

7.5 out of 10

Guylian White & Hazelnuts - Kcal 582 Fat 37.8g Fat(sats) 18.9g Carbs 55.0g (per 100.0g)

Contrary to expectations this white chocolate was actually very flavoursome, and fast established a thick creamy vanilla taste as soon as it entered the mouth. The pace of the melt of the chocolate was well timed, whilst the feel of transformation from solid to liquid was also pleasantly smooth. As much as the white chocolate was noteworthy to the taste, the majority of the experience was once again dominated by the chopped hazelnuts that were plentifully portioned throughout each block. The contrast of the creamier, sweeter white chocolate and the savoury hazelnut pieces was more extreme compared to the milk variant, which made the taste that little bit more exciting. I don't often say this but I found the white chocolate the more satisfying out of the two.

7.5 out of 10


Overall despite these being pretty average offerings from Guylian they were still fascinating to review given that they held several surprises ...

* Surprise #1 - Their place of origin!? ... I still have no idea how they made it to the UK.
* Surprise #2 - The white chocolate was tastier than the milk chocolate! ... This is something I don't find myself writing all that often.
* Surprise #3 - The chopped hazelnuts were actually pretty good! ... In both bars the chopped bits of hazelnuts generated a decent level of flavour and actually led the taste as soon as they were chewed.

Although I did prefer the taste of the white variant, it's failure to ignite any excitement with it's lacking aromas before the taste test has resulted in it scoring the same as the milk chocolate offering. To be honest I wouldn't get all that upset if you never come across these yourselves. They are both nice enough, but they don't offer anything that isn't available elsewhere on the market - See Lindt Excellence Caramelised Hazelnuts.

August 16th: Kit Kat Chunky Hazelnut

Kcal 270 Fat 15.6g Carbs 29.7g

I get the feeling that there are plenty of UK consumers still feeling a little disappointed (understatement of the year!) at Nestle's decision to replace the Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter with an inferior (in my opinion!) Kit Kat Chunky Caramel. If you are one of the people that fall in to that category this is probably not the best post for you to read, as today I will be showcasing this Kit Kat Chunky Hazelnut. Why is this such a bad thing!? Well I'm sure all my UK readers will be instantly annoyed by the news that this is a bar solely manufactured and distributed in Germany - I can hear the mass 'DOHs' being exclaimed now. On the wrapper the bar came described as 'crisp wafer layers, with a hazelnut creme filling, coated in milk chocolate' - this prospect had me licking my lips.

As with all other standard Kit Kat Chunkys this bar came in a single piece 50.0g size that I ate across a single sitting. My first impressions of the wrapper weren't all that positive and I was instantly confused by the choice of a green colouring to indicate the hazelnut flavours theme (I still am to be honest) Aside from the lime/bogey green exterior things became a whole lot more familiar when I unwrapped the foil and took out the bar inside. In keeping with any other Chunky variant the chocolate and wafers looked as just grand and thick, whilst the hazelnut creme looked well portioned and inviting. In addition to the standard chocolate biscuit Kit Kat smells there were also mild hints nuttiness on offer which further heightened my anticipation.

I'm sure 99% of you would have tasted some sort of Kit Kat product down the years so there is probably very little need for me to inform you all of what the chocolate and wafer constituents of this product tasted like. Just to clue up the remaining 1% :D the thick helping of outer milk chocolate delivered the desired chocolate flavour hit and was more than competent at establishing a sweet, milky cocoa flavour base that perfectly combined with the malty wheat flavours of the crunchy wafer layers. The sole defining aspect of this product was of course always going to be the quality of the hazelnut creme - was it good? was it bad? was it out of this world? Well it fell a little short of being out of this world :D but I'm glad to say it was very tasty indeed. Unlike the dry, pasty texture of the UK Chunky Caramel, this creme had a more fluid, cool feel in the mouth. Most importantly it added a further nutty dimension to the taste - it wasn't the most intensive of hazelnut influences, but it was strong enough to cut through both the chocolate and wafer elements, leaving a lasting impression of creamy hazelnut in the mouth. The total bar was a joy to eat and pleasure to eat in it's entirety and left me feeling very satisfied.

Overall this Kit Kat Chunky Hazelnut was every bit as good as I was hoping it to be, and would have to be placed right alongside both the Peanut Butter and White Chunkys in regards to my favourites. To give you some sort of context this Chunky Hazelnut was pretty much exactly like a beefed up, more substantial version of the Kit Kat Senses. It had exactly the same milk chocolate, wafer and hazelnut creme constituents, but all three were more heavily portioned which most greatly benefited the hazelnut creme. Unlike in the Senses where the filling is more of a 'suggestion' and portioned pretty poorly, every bite of this bar had strong hazelnut tones which I personally found much more to my liking and far more satisfying in comparison. My UK readers are no doubt going to be very frustrated by this review given that I have now been lauded over yet another flavour of Chunky they don't have readily access to. For those of you that do have this bar in distribution in your local stores, I would strongly suggest you give it a try - I for one will be buying it again in the future.

8.5 out of 10

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