February 4th: Hot Chocolate Project - Part # 2

Does this post really need any introduction ... I think not :D

If you missed out on Part # 1 of the ChocolateMission Hot Chocolate Project then you should take a look HERE. If you didn't then sit back with that mug of yours whilst I take you through my reviews of the next lot of warming chocolate drinks.

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Weight Watchers Instant Hot Chocolate Drink
Kcal 50 Fat 1.9g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 7.0g
'Instant Hot Chocolate with sugars and sweetner'

For those of you counting your Weight Watchers point this drink will knock one point off your total daily allowance ... I wonder how many points were in that Hotel Chocolat Mini Slab I had earlier :D Given the relevance of it being the start of the year I thought there was no way I could overlook the Weight Watchers hot chocolate offering. The mix came in a pretty unappetising looking 15.0g sachet (very medicinal looking if you ask me!!) that instructed I mix with 150.0ml of water. Ignoring this completely I used a combination of both warm milk and water, which created a relatively smooth textured, froth top drink. When it came to the taste test the initial sweet cocoa flavours delivered were surprisingly forthcoming though there was a high degree of what I would call taste wear out with the drink becoming progressively watery. It was better than expected given the uninspiring packaging, but under no circumstances would I advise mixing with water alone.

5.3 out of 10



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Galaxy Instant Hot Chocolate Drink
Kcal 98 Fat 2.5g Carbs 17.3g
'Galaxy Instant Hot Chocolate made with real Galaxy Milk Chocolate'

This drink mixture came in a 25.0g pouch that was styled much the same as the Malteser offering that I reviewed back in the Hot Chocolate Project Part # 1. The vinyl matted pack looked smart on the eyes and released a decent set of familiar smelling Galaxy scents when I tore it open. Mixing the drink with the warm milk and boiling water produced a well blended, thick drink that had a decent layer of froth that lasted the duration of the drinking time. The ultimate smoothness that is so synonymous with Galaxy products wasn't quite replicated to the same high degree in this drink form, however the drinking experience was still on the whole very pleasant. In addition to the smooth flow mouth feel, I'm also pleased to say that the Galaxy chocolate flavour experience was created superbly. The distinct extra creamy cocoa taste was evident from the outset, and this dairy emphasis was more to my liking than some of the more sugar focused drinks I have been trying as of late. Galaxy fans will get a great deal of satisfaction from this drink.

8.1 out of 10


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Horlicks Malt Chocolate Light
Kcal 120 Fat 1.8g Carbs 23.4g
'Instant low fat chocolate flavoured malted drink'

One of my all time favourite drinks as a kid was a milky cup of Horlicks before bed time, and it had been shockingly long since I last treated myself to a big mug of the stuff. In order to change this I felt it only right I cover off the chocolate flavoured Horlicks for my hot chocolate project - the single sachet came filled with 32.0g of powder. Despite not being instructed to, I used mostly milk to mix this drink and I would advise you do the same if you are tempted by this mini review today. When mixed with the warm milk, the powder blended superbly into a frothy, smooth drink that had a sensuous mouth feel. Taste wise this was a little lighter in terms of chocolateyness, but the creamy, malt cereal taste was delicious and wholey comforting .... zzzzzz I'm ready for bed now :D I would recommend this as a nicer option to the similarly positioned Malteser Hot Chocolate.

8.3 out of 10


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Options Belgian Choc / White Choc
Kcal 40 Fat 0.9g Carbs 5.8g & Kcal 44 Fat 1.1g Carbs 7.1g
'Instant hot chocolate drink with sugars and sweeteners' & 'White chocolate flavour hot drink with sugars and sweeteners

Options hot chocolate is more positioned as an everyday consumed hot chocolate and offers a low calorie alternative to some of the more heavy duty branded powders. The Options hot chocolate range consists of many ever changing flavours so in the best interest of keeping this review relevant for years down the line I have chosen the two that have been ever present since I can remember - Belgian Choc and White Choc. Speaking firstly of the Belgian choc flavour, when mixed with the milk and water combination the drink produced managed to tick almost every box. Unlike it's low calorie alternative Weight Watchers, the chocolate hit was still relatively decent, though it has to be said the mouthfeel was thin and much lighter compared to say the Horlicks or Maltesers. The white choc was similarly forthcoming in flavour, however the degree to which I would call it 'white chocolate' per se would be limited. The drink produced by the white powder was more along the lines of a warm cup of sweet tasting dried milk powder rather than a creamy white chocolate. I still quite liked it myself, but white chocolate fans be wary it might not totally satisfy you. I would recommend the Options range as one of the better lower calorie hot chocolate mixes.

7.2 out of 10


6.9 out of 10


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As ever guys and girls your views are all very welcome. Please be sure to share them.

February 2nd: 'Bits n Bobs' Japanese Selection

My friends at J-List have yet again updated themselves with all that is good and new in the Japanese confectionery market, and as ever they have been very generous in their willingness to send me some samples. The 'Bits n Bobs' review today will feature offerings from Meiji, Nabisco and lastly Bourbon. All of these products of course can be bought at the aforementioned J-List website. In the interest in words overkill lets get on with things ...

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Meiji Rich Strawberry Chocolate Box
Kcal 176 Fat 11.9g Carbs 15.8g (per 30.0g)

Feelings were undoubtedly mixed when I saw these Meiji Rich Strawberry Chocolates gracing my latest sampling package. I was pleased in the sense that I was going to get the opportunity to to try another from Meiji's 'Rich Chocolate' offerings, however I was also well aware of the fact that strawberry flavoured chocolates weren't exactly a Japanese speciality. In a change up from the Meiji Rich norm, I tried this product in this 'box' format, which included several smaller foil coated sticks. As is always the way with Japanese chocolates the presentation wasn't an after thought. The packaging was nice looking on the eye, and the chocolate was a striking pinky, red colour.

With the promise of the chocolate being comprised of 70.0% strawberry I was expecting an intense taste from the get go, but the little sticks took a very substantial amount of time before the flavours progressed from an initial faint sweetness. Indeed, it wasn't until the later stages of the melt that the fruit flavours were full flow, at which point I was left with mixed feelings. Any person with a half decent palette would have been able to determine that this was a strawberry flavoured chocolate, as the sweet, tarty strawberry flavours were obvious and at least differentiated from other similar red fruits. For a strawberry flavoured white chocolate the taste was pretty spot on, though unfortunately at the same time it was incredibly short lived and non-substantial.

Overall I would feel comfortable recommending Meiji Rich Strawberry Chocolate Box to people looking specifically for a decent strawberry white chocolate, however I would say there isn't enough here for the less enthused to get too excited about.

7.2 out of 10


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Nabisco Oreo Fun Stix
Kcal 149 Fat 5.7g Carbs 21.7g (per 31.2g - 6 Stix)

To this day I still find it funny how a brand like Oreo can have more products released in the likes of Japan that it does have here in the UK. Indeed, just like they do in the States, Japan also plays host to these Nabisco Oreo Fun Stix. When I first saw these my mind immediately thought of a review posted by Marvo a while back on The Impulsive Buy - See HERE. Our man Marvo wasn't one who got a great deal of 'Fun' from these 'cylindrical chocolate cookie wafers lined with Oreo creme', but I still look forward to trying them for myself as it gave me an excuse to whip up some hot chocolate and ice cream desserts :D

These Japanese Fun Stix came in an attractive looking box, with two 31.2g packs containing 6 Stix within each. In order to really put them through their paces I tried these Stix in a number of manners, some I have detailed already above. The taste tests I conducted using them as straws for hot chocolate and milk were pretty unsuccessful, as the wafers fell apart into tasteless mulch within seconds of contact with any fluid. When eaten on their own or with ice cream however they certainly stood up to the test, and the slightly salted cocoa hinted wafers were supplemented terrifically by the creamy sugary filling that lined the insides all the way through to create a delicious, moreish Oero taste.

Overall as a stand alone snack I found these totally non-substantial though I can't deny how wonderfully tasty they are when used as an added topping for a dessert. On this basis I can highly recommend these, Pocky fans especially will want to take note.

7.2 out of 10


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Meiji Porte Chocolate Snack Tiramisu
Kcal 280 Fat 19.3g Carbs 23.5g (per 47.0g)

Meiji's second snack offering I'm showing you today came from a part of their range that I hadn't previously come across. Despite reviewing many a product of Meiji's in the last two years, their Porte Chocolate Snack range was not one I had tried so I took the time to do some investigating on J-List before trying these out. Described as a 'great nut shaped snack, filled with whipped cream on top of a cookie wafer base, sprinkled with cocoa powder', I did correctly presume that the Tiramisu element was incorporated into the cream filling.

I hope my photos do the product justice, as these chocolates were superbly unique looking and appeared exactly as displayed on the box. In every sense it was very lucky that they were so aesthetically appealing, as I'm not sure I would have even tried them had my sense of smell been left to it's own devices. Indeed, these smelt absolutely horrible - like gone off, soured milk - totally disgusting. Thankfully they tasted a whole lot better with the bases and cocoa powder supplying an instant and ever present onset of unsweetened chocolate biscuity flavours. When the light fluffy centre was encountered, the taste soon took a sweeter, creamier emphasis. Most significantly, as the cream melted it displayed all the desired tiramisu flavour hits, with hints of alcohol and coffee both forthcoming at various points. The textural interplay between the wafer cookie base, soft cream filling and cool cocoa dusting was also a real treat.

Overall its not often we see a product score so highly on one metric and then so dismally on another, but these Meiji Porte Chocolate Snack Tiramisu were severely let down by their size and smell. Those looking for authentic Japanese snacks should try these if they feel they can overlook these obvious flaws.

6.7 out of 10


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Bourbon Choco Zutsumi Vanilla White
Kcal 364 Fat 10.5g Carbs 65.3g (per 92.0g)

As I always like doing I have saved the best until last, and I pleasure of presenting you with these Bourbon Choco Zutsumi Vanilla White. Now for those of you who are wondering what the hell these actually were, please allow my firends at J-List to do the honours: 'a popular favorite in Japanese pastisserie - This is a delicious Vanilla White ice cream confection shaped into yummy bite sized daifuku (soft white rice mochi)'.

These Zutsumi came in a 92.0g box that contained two separate four piece inner trays. In terms of Japanese snacks, it has to be said these were as authentic as you are probably ever going to get. Out the packet and in hand these mochi felt ever so strange with their jelly like exteriors putting my mother off trying them completely. I have to admit that the texture took getting used to, but once the harder cream filling was encountered it was a total after thought anyway. The centre portions of these Zutsumi were quite simply out of this world. They have to be one of the creamiest tasting confections I have ever tasted - Devonshire clotted cream wouldn't be a far off comparison. As well as creamy, they were also wonderfully flavoured with sweet, real tasting bourbon vanilla. Quite simply they tasted absolutely delicious and they certainly had that 'just one more' addictive nature to them.

Overall these were one of the finest Japanese snacks I have tried in a long time and I honestly can't recommend them enough. At first some may be a little disturbed by the mochi dumpling texture, but honestly when it comes to the taste I promise you they won't disappoint. These get a big ChocolateMission thumbs up.

8.4 out of 10

January 31st: Thorntons Continental Selection

If you have been keeping tabs on the site this month you will have seen me working my way through the different price tiers of Thorntons' selection boxes. If you need reminding, I started off by reviewing their pretty dismal standard Chocolate Selection (See HERE), then moved on to their Premium Chocolate Selection (See HERE). Today I bring you my review of their Continental Selection, a box I bought in it's 175.0g form, priced at £7.50 in my local Thorntons shop.

This Continental Selection came billed as 'pralines, truffles and mousses covered in milk, white and dark chocolate with Swiss, Belgian, Spanish, Italian and French influences', and supposedly contained fourteen pieces. I say supposedly as I was denied trying one of their Pistachio Marzipan chocolates, which was unfortunately nowhere to be seen. I have to say it was one of the of the pieces that stood out to me when I looked in the snazzy menu included in the pack, so I was disappointed not to see it included. Speaking of the presentation, this was a very nice looking box of chocolates and I liked the subtly and elegance of both the box design and the inner truffles.

Plenty of pieces to get through so lets get on with it ...

Alpini - This milk chocolate covered piece hosted a centre of hazelnut and almond praline, and was decorated by a light dusting of white chocolate. The textures of the crisp chocolate, exterior dusting and slightly gritty filling were pleasant, but the nuttiness of the praline was disappointing and was overawed by the sweetness of the outer chocolate. Standard.

Vanille Truffle - The outer white chocolate of this truffle made for a delicious creamy taste that led smoothly in to the bourbon noted truffle centre. Compared to the plainer filling pieces this flavoured one was more progressive and richer in taste as it detracted from the sugaryness sweetness and left a longing vanilla note in the mouth. Very Good.

Chocolate Truffle - I liked the aesthetic appeal and soft, sensuous textures offered by this chocolate, but unfortunately it didn't quite have the taste to match it's appearance. Although differentiated in terms of it's silky feel, the milk chocolate truffle centre was still equally as sugary sweet as the others. Standard.

Ganache Au Marc De Champagne - An absolutely fantastic chocolate! This was one of the finest champagne truffles I have tried - even up their with Hotel Chocolat's. The crisp outer chocolate shell led beautifully into the creamy, champagne noted cream below. The champagne volume was well measured and tickled the tongue to leave a lasting impression in the mouth. Spot on. Superb.

Vienesse Truffle - Every chocolate selection has it's dud and this was no exception. Remember when I reviewed this in it's bar form (See Here)? Unfortunately I was given a stark reminder when I tried this. Flavourless and bland. Very Poor.

Valencia - The Spanish influenced chocolate in this selection proved to be one of the best, and I loved this dark chocolate covered orange flavoured truffle centre piece. The dark chocolate coating really made the difference here and provided a beautifully contrastive unsweetened cocoa taste that was enhanced delightfully by the sweet orangey syrup held withing. A delightful fruity chocolate. Very Good.

Sicilian Lemon Mousse - This was another I have tried previously in bar form so I knew exactly what to expect here. As I perceived then, the white chocolate outer portion was delicious, but the inner mousse filling was unsubstantial and lacking the desired lemony zest. Still one that will satisfy white chocolate fans though. Good.

Catalana - This was one of the finer pieces in the entire selection and displayed a terrific amount of different textural elements for such a small truffle. The outer chocolate was further crisped by some tiny honeycomb pieces, whilst the inner caramel noted truffle was further supplemented by the most terrific smooth cream layer at the base. I delight for it's progressive cream and caramel flavours, as well as it's luxurious mouth presence. Superb.

Cappuccino - A complete carbon copy of the Caffee Latte piece included in the Thorntons Premium Collection (See Here). To repeat myself from there 'the coffee flavours were tasty, but mild mannered amongst the sweeter cocoa flavours that developed. Good.

Hazelnut Slice - As you can see from the photo, this was the piece that was portioned twice instead of the Pistachio Marzipan. Although I would rather of had the pistachio chocolate, this was a decent enough replacement, and unlike some of the other nut enhanced chocolates the hazelnut actually managed to cut through in the taste to a reasonable degree with it's woody influence. Texturally a little dry. Good.

Mousse Au Chocolat - I groaned when I saw this on the menu! This was a filler piece for the box i.e. an uncomplicated, generic chocolate included for the sole reason to take up space. Just as I thought it was pretty unexciting - sweet milk chocolate with a light, non-progressive chocolate mousse centre. If they had portioned this twice I would have been very annoyed. Standard.

Diplomat - 'Traditionally when one Continental diplomat exchanged a gift with another, it was custom for the present to be wrapped in a gold leaf' .... what!?? Unfortunately reshaping and wrapping the Alpini chocolate didn't make it any different :D Standard.

Cherry Truffle - We end on a high note here. The unsweetened dark chocolate shell, sour fruity cherry puree and sweet chocolate truffle centre made for a wonderful flavour and textural experience. I wasn't expecting to think that much of this chocolate but I really liked it. Very Good.

Overall this wasn't the best chocolate selection box in the world, but it was a noticeable step up in quality from the other two Thorntons boxes I tried earlier in the month. Whilst there were both 'filler' and missing pieces included in the selection, I would say the variety on offer was still very good, and it did contain a decent array of fruit, nut and caramels with different chocolate type exteriors. Priced at £7.00 I think this box comes in at half the price of the likes of Hotel Chocolat's selections and only a few pounds more than the Thorntons Premium Collection. On that basis I would tentatively suggest them as a sound option for gifting if you are in need of a chocolate selection box. I would suspect that moderate expectations would be exceeded.

8.2 out 10

January 29/30th: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 65

### Competition Winners ###

Hi All,

Thanks to all of you who submitted your votes for the ChocolateMission 2010 Readers Choice Award. Votes are being counted and verified :D and the post announcing the award winners will be up on the site on the 19th of February.

In the mean time I'm sure you all want to know who the lucky winners of the Ritter Sport chocolates are. Well I can reveal that ....

Ryan Stockhurst, Dorset UK
Fiona Matten, Cardiff UK
Steven Ferris, Windsor UK

Have all won. Congratulations to you guys. I will be sending out an e-mail asking you for your addresses so please respond ASAP.

Thank you to everyone who sent me their votes. There were some very kind responses in there. There will be plenty of more chocolate being given away in the next few weeks so don't worry if you haven't won today.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my reviews of all the new products this week. I certainly enjoyed writing them up. More exciting stuff to come next week of course - I hope you all take the time to visit.

JIM


News from the Chocolate Market

* Kellogg's are bringing out a new chocolate cereal ... See Here

* Nestle are launching a new 70% dark chocolate Kit Kat (Credit: Phil) ... See HERE

* Cadbury are launching two new selection boxes ... See HERE

* Maltesers is helping out with Red Nose day this year ... See HERE

* The new Kit Kat advert is rather good. Check it out ... See HERE

* Nevermind all this talk of a double dip recession. Its the 2014 chocolate drought we should be worried about ... See HERE


Valentines Day 2011 is coming ....



It may still be two weeks away, but you can never be too prepared for Valentines Day :D Just as a little teaser I thought I would drop in these photos of the Hotel Chocolat Valentines Ribbon Tied Selection. This little box consisted of 8 chocolates - five chocolate hearts (more on that in a minute!), and two praline chocolates (pictured) that you will have seen reviewed before in previous selections.

I've resisted doing a full on review for these, as I was also the lucky recipient of a Hotel Chocolat Melting Hearts H-Box (a larger version box of these!), a product I will be reviewing for you next week. In the mean time, why don't you head on over to Hotel Chocolat and get your orders in early.

January 28th: Hot Chocolate Project - Part # 1

After many requests, kettle boiling and stirring, I finally have the great pleasure of bringing you the first part of my Hot Chocolate Project. The Hot Chocolate Project is a ChocolateMission side project to find the 'best hot chocolate in the world' :D First of all lets get the boring stuff out the way ...

Testing Conditions & Reviewing principles:

To keep the comparisons fair I will adhere to the following consistencies - hey if we are going to do this, lets do it properly :D

* All drinks will be consumed during the evenings
* All drinks will be made using 150ml of milk and then topped with boiling water
* All drinks will be prepared (i.e. stirring times) as instructed on pack
* All drinks will be rated on the new scoring chart, which includes the whole new criteria of 'drinkability' i.e. the texture of the drink (grainy/smooth/textured etc).

... shall we just get on with it :D


Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate Drink
Kcal 99 Fat 2.4g Carbs 18.0g
'Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate Malt Drink'

The 25.0g of powder came in an attractive looking foil sachet and emanated a familiar smelling set of malt and chocolate fragrances. When mixed the drink produced a thick layer of froth on the surface, giving it a nice head for the duration of the drinking time. The liquid did have a hint of roughness to it, but I thought this suited the malted nature of the drink. Unfortunately when it came to the taste I didn't feel it delivered entirely on the Malteser billing. To my taste the drink was more sweet and sugary that it was malty or chocolatey. If you ask me, for the 99 calories you may as well just have a bag of Maltesers and get the real deal.

7.3 out of 10


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Cadbury Instant Hot Chocolate
Kcal 115 Fat 3.2g Carbs 18.7g
'Instant Hot Chocolate Drink'

This hot chocolate mixture came in a instantly recogniseable Cadbury coloured sachet and contained a hefty 56.0g of powder. In order to make sure the blend of the drink was suitable I did use a little more hot water with this one, and I was rewarded with a fabulous textured drink that had a gorgeous smooth viscosity to it. The extra thickness made for a more fulfilling and substantial proposition compared to many of the other hot chocolates I have tried. Although the aromas suggested a somewhat generic chocolateyness, taste wise it was recognisable as Cadbury with it's sweetened cocoa and cream flavours. Towards the end of my mug I was feeling the sugaryness was getting a little much for my liking, but I can't deny that it delivered the desired Cadbury experience.

8.0 out of 10


Cadbury Highlights Dark Chocolate
Kcal 40 Fat 1.6g Carbs 3.7g
'Instant Low Calorie Hot Chocolate Drink with Sugars & Sweetners'

If you look behind the original Cadbury Instant Hot Chocolate sachet in the photo above you should see the rather effeminate looking, pink coloured Cadbury Highlights Dark Chocolate. In the interest of being thorough, I of course only thought it suitable to try out the low calorie alternative from Cadbury - I know this will be of interest to you January dieters :D In terms of 'drinkability', the 22.0g sachet provided a thinner drink in comparison to the original described above. The mouth feel was still smooth and non-grainy, but it didn't provide quite the satisfaction, or luxuriousness of the aforementioned. In terms of taste the plainer chocolate alternative was fine, though a little undistinctive and didn't leave the same chocolate flavour hit impression. The drink was fine for a lower calorie proposition, but I'm not sure I would buy it again.

6.8 out of 10


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Skinny Cow Instant Indulgent Mint
Kcal 37 Fat 1.4g Carbs 4.0g
'Mint flavour instant hot chocolate drink mix with added sugar & Sweetener'

My only prior experience with this Skinny Cow brand was with a pretty dodgy ice cream I was given once so I wasn't holding out much hope for this hot chocolate mix. Closer inspection of the sachet pack gave me the revelation that this was in actual fact a product produced by Nestle - that was knowledge to me at least. Speaking of the sachet I didn't think the design work was the most attractive - whats up putting a huge barcode on the front chaps? Aroma wise the powder did little to excite, though prior expectations this was going to be a watery tasting cocoa abyss were thankfully none founded. Despite the sachet containing only 10.0g of powder, the drink retained a sufficient semi-skimmed like milky thickness even with the added water. Compared to some of the other branded options above, the chocolate flavour hit was mild, though the mint element came through relatively well in the latter stages of each mouthful making the taste somewhat passable considering it's low calorie/fat proposition.

6.3 out of 10



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I hope these first four reviews have whett the appetite for the reviews to come. If you have any hot chocolate suggestions/requests be sure to drop me a comment or an e-mail.

January 26th: Snickers Maximus

Kcal 269 Fat 15.0g Carbs 27.8g

If the three so called 'new' products weren't enough for you this last Monday you will be pleased to see that today's review contains another 'innovation' for 2011. Indeed, at the start of the month Mars sent a PR statement announcing the launch of this limited edition Snickers Maximus. This new limited edition bar is supposed to be the 'the next phase in Mr T’s campaign', and the launch is being supported by a £1.5m TV and radio campaign'. The Snickers Maximus comes billed as a 'Snickers without nougat, leaving even more room for the maximum serving of nuts and caramel'. Despite trying a million and one different Snickers bars from all across the globe in the last few years, this wasn't a variation I had yet tried ... lets see how it did.

It came as no surprise to me that this bar came in a smaller 52.5g compared to the 58.0g original - this is the size that all Snickers limited edition have come in down the years. I'm not one for usually getting all that fussed about wrappers, but I would of expected more of an effort from Mars than just the change to a beige and brown colour scheme and minor branding changes. Why not use our man Mr T for a more decorative pack? I'm no graphic designer but they could have made it a little more exciting. In better news there were no issues when it came to the bar keeping it's shape despite the lack of a firm nougat base. When I pierced the wrapper the usual glorious peanut sweet scents overcame my senses, smelling every bit as enticing as usual.

For those of you wondering the chocolate, caramel and peanut ratio of this bar was 31.0% chocolate, 42.0% caramel and 26.0% peanuts. For what this bar was, this was a decent proportional mix, and the bar still managed to retain the original Snickers bars great quality of allowing each constituents say in the taste. The flavour development was obviously lead by the outer milk chocolate, which melted at fine rate supplying it's standard chocolate flavour hit to every bite with it's sugary milky cocoa emphasis. Below the chocolate, both the caramel and peanuts were blended into one, ensuring the bar kept some level of viscosity even at room temperature. The golden caramel was chewy even when soft and when heated supplied it's usual array of sweet, buttery toffee flavours. Comparatively the roasted nuts were crunchy and salted in taste, providing a contrast in flavours that was dexterous and of course totally delicious. The only thing missing ... well duh the nougat!?

Overall I felt my experience with this bar was very similar to the times when I used to come across solid milk chocolate Kit Kats as kid. The fact that things weren't how they usually are was a novelty for a second, but at the end of the day the lacking element (in this case the nougat) didn't benefit the product at all. Quite simply without the nougat the taste wasn't as progressive or interesting, and I certainly didn't get the same level of satisfaction that I do from a normal Snickers. If there was ever a bar suitable for being a limited edition it is certainly this one, as I don't see anyone repeat purchasing having tried it the once. Unless you are someone that doesn't like nougat (I have genuinely never met anyone that has said this haha!) I just don't see the point in recommending it for any reason other than to just say you have tried one. It would be harsh to brand this bar as pointless, but I'm personally struggling to think of a reason for making it - wouldn't of it been cooler if they had given us the new Snickers Peanut Butter Squared they have now in the US? What do you guys think?

7.5 out of 10

January 24th: Nestle Aero Superpost

You may have noticed that Nestle have been busy since the turn of the year, with a lot of 'new' products being released across their Aero brand. I use the term 'new' somewhat loosely considering two of the three products have been seen before in past years, but with that I also bring you the first of my Easter 2011 product reviews .... in January :D ... I'm nearly as bad as the supermarkets who I hear began their Easter merchandising on Boxing Day.

Below you will find reviews of the Aero Caramel, Aero Orange & Aero Bubbly Lamb. All these products are now widely available across the UK, and I would love to hear from you all with your opinions. Please be sure to leave your thoughts ...

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Aero Caramel
Kcal 189 Fat 9.6g Carbs 23.3g

The most dedicated ChocolateMission reader might remember that this was a bar I reviewed back in 2008. Since then the bar became a victim of Aero's range cull around 2009, but as with the rest of the flavours that got canned around that time (Orange & Dark), it has made it's return. Before I ate this 2011 version I did take the time to read back my review from 2008 - to cut the long story short for you ... "Overall the Aero aspect of this bar (the airated base) was quite pleasant ... the caramel aspect of this bar was poor".

Frankly I could have cut and pasted the majority of that old review and stuck it here. The milk chocolate was it's steady self, whilst the caramel (what there was of it!) was still poor and lacked the flavour depth of most immediate comparators (Dairy Milk etc). I guess in a way, the lesser portioning of the caramel was a good thing guven it's poor quality, however this lesser portioning wasn't supplemented by any additional chocolate. Yes indeed like the majority of the mass produced products these days, this bar had just been reduced in size since it was last with us (now 38.0g vs the 42.0g bar of previous times). Overall news of this bar being brought back didn't ever excite me, and it unfortunately didn't surpass my low expectations.

6.7 out of 10


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Aero Orange
Kcal 542 Fat 30.7g Fat(sats) 18.7g Carbs 60.7g (per 100.0g)

Unlike the Aero Caramel above, the Aero Orange was never a bar that made it on the ChocolateMission rating system before being taken out of distribution a few years ago. For this reason I was more looking forward to trying this one than the other two products on show today - my hopes were additionally increased when my mother mentioned it used to be one of her favourite products from her childhood.

This bar is currently being sold in a 100.0g form and can be found (unless you are very unlucky) for £1.00 in most good retailers. The bar came sectioned in sensible sized blocks and I ate around a quarter of it to myself and then shared the rest amongst some of my work colleagues. The milk chocolate, well, ... sugary, milky and average are the words that spring to mind. Of course it was the orange aerated centre that led the mainstay of the taste - unfortunately like the caramel in the bar above it did very little for me. The orange centre melted with the expected delightful mouth feel and supplied a fair orangey fruityness to the initial moments in the mouth. To my disappointment, this initial pleasure was ruined by a strong undercurrent of sugar, which quickly made the taste sickly and impossible to eat in any satisfactory quantity. Fans of sweet chocolate will welcome it's return, but I won't be buying again I'm afraid.

6.9 out of 10



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Aero Bubbly Lamb
Kcal 145 Fat 8.3g Carbs 15.6g

I will keep this one short as I'm actually a little embarrassed I have an Easter product featuring on the site before January is even through :D The Easter products are being released increasingly early with every year that passes, it is all getting rather silly in my opinion (Boxing day!?? Oh come one!). Anyway, one of the new products from Nestle for 2011 are these Aero Bubbly Lamb, which you will again be able to find in most good retailers throughout the UK.

As you can see from the photos there is really nothing too special about these lambs. They are quite simply Aero milk chocolate, shaped as lamb figurines, with the typical Aero aerated centre (see Aero Orange review above for my thoughts on the chocolate quality). The lamb design will no doubt attract some interest from a younger audience, but for me this was fundamentally just an Aero milk chocolate shaped figure. Pleasant enough, but there are a million other snacks I would reach for first.

7.0 out of 10


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As I said it would be brilliant to get all your views on these Aero products. Be sure to share your thoughts.

January 22/23rd: '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' - Edition 64

Thornton's Milk Chocolate with Mango
Kcal 531 Fat 31.6g Fat(sats) 19.4g Carbs 52.9 (per 100.0g)

This week I thought it appropriate to kick off '7Days of Chocolate Reviews' with a special feature containing this latest offering from Thorntons. As with a few previous charity contributing products I have resisted awarding this chocolate a score, as I don't wish to be influencing your purchase decision on this basis.

More importantly than any score out of ten, I think it is worthwhile more looking at how this chocolate is positively influencing the lives of some very needy people in Haiti. This can be explained no better way than by Thorntons themselves ...

"A year on from the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, the country is still rebuilding and desperately needs investment. By buying this Thorntons Chocolate Block with Mango, you will be contributing to Save the Children’s life-changing education work in Haiti – reaching thousands of children with safer schools, classroom equipment and quality teaching."

Quite simply from every bar sold, Thorntons will be contributing a sizable £0.91 to Save the Children's work - you can keep up-to-date with the total contribution thus far HERE.

So what does the bar taste like you ask? Well to be frank it was neither the best or the worst offering I have tried from their square bars range. My score for taste would have been 7.5. The 37.0% chocolate was tasty enough with it's creamy sweet milk flavours, but I felt the mango pieces could have been a little larger as they didn't create quite the same zingy fruity impact I was hoping for. At the end of the day I just don't think it matters anyway, chocolate prestige really isn't the issue here. If you are shopping around this weekend I would urge you to go to your local Thornton's and buy one of these bars. You not only reward yourself with a half decent chocolate, but you can also feel pretty happy that a large chunk of your money has gone to those who really need it.

JIM


News from the Chocolate Market

* Nestle have relaunched some of their sharing bags ... See HERE

* Cadbury have a new Creme Egg campaign ... See HERE

* Chocolate is good for you :D so say Tea4Life (do you want to see a review of this?) ... See HERE

* Ferrero's Kinder Bueno White has a new recipe (I will update the review soon with my thoughts!) ... See HERE

* These guys look familiar ... Heavenly Cakes launch a gluten free product range ... See HERE

* McVitie's are bringing out a new Penguin Caramel Wafer ... See HERE

* Kraft are denying they are going to sell Green & Black's ... See HERE


Posts from other Blogs I enjoyed this week

* Foodstufffinds - Any blog post containing that hilarious Crusha advert deserves a shout out on ChocolateMission ... See HERE

* GiGi Reviews - Gi has just posted the most awesome recipe for alcoholic whipped cream :D :D I'm sure this will interest a fair few of you ... See HERE

* Gone Chocco - It's always interesting to see what other countries make of our chocolates. It's a bit early for the Easter reviews on ChocolateMission, but that hasn't stopped Gone Chocco ... See HERE

* The Candy Enthusiast - This is probably the only chocolate in the world I would never try. I hate mushrooms!!!! ... See HERE

* Chocolate Reviews - Lee does try some fancy pants sounding chocolates doesn't he :D check out his review of Jean-Paul Hévin 64% Papua New Guinea bar ... See HERE

* Foodette Reviews - It's been almost like baking week on Foodette Reviews. Check out her several adventures in the kitchen this week baking various products ... See HERE

January 21st: Eat Natural Selection 2011

It's been nearly two years since I last took a look at the Eat Natural range (See previous reviews HERE) but since the turn of the year I have received a few requests asking me to check out some healthier chocolate options. Back in 2009 the Eat Natural brand was still relatively unestablished here in the UK, but since then their range has grown quite considerably with several new variants and products (cereals etc).

These indulgent health bars aren't my usual choice of snack, but I was able to track down two new flavours with relative ease in my local Holland & Barrett health store. Both 45.0g bars came in at a pretty price £0.89, though I guess this was to be expected given the proposition and ingredients. If you look at the wrappers from the 2009 reviews you will see that little has changed in regards to the presentation, which I personally think is fair given that it was never bad in the first place. Puzzlingly the wrappers still lacked nutritional information (you would of thought consumers of these sort of products would be interested in that sort of stuff), but nonetheless every other detail you may ever wish to know e.g. ingredients, production method etc were included.

Here are my thoughts on the two flavours:

Eat Natural Dark 70% Chocolate Brazils & Apricots

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

I am sure you will agree that this was the uglier of the two bars :D the unidentified green bits caused me to quickly refer to the ingredients list upon where I quickly learnt that they were in fact pumpkin seeds. I'm sure someone will inform me of the health benefits, but I have to say they did little for the taste and proved more an annoyance getting trapped in my teeth. In regards to the other constituents this bar was a bit of a mixed bag, with some mouthfuls full of flavour, whilst others proving relatively tasteless depending on what was portioned where. The apricot cranberries and raisins were all plump and juicy, and provided the desired fruity sweetness to the very plain tasting rice base. On the flip side the brazil nuts were pretty lax in their flavour contribution, and it was only really where the coconut was present that a nuttiness came through. Billed as 70% dark chocolate I was hoping the base was going to contribute a grander chocolate flavour hit than it did. Unfortunately the chocolate came across very diluted in it's cereal bedding - I understand heavier portioning would have hampered the 'healthy' proposition, but it was begging out for a thicker chocolate base.

7.3 out of 10



Eat Natural Cranberries, Macadamias & Dark Chocolate

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

The less alien looking bar emanated some tempting nutty scents when unsealed from it's wrapper which was unsurprising given it's heavier portioning of nuts. Fundamentally this was largely the same bar as the one above, just with some minor differences in the portioning of some constituents. I don't know what strength the chocolate was this time, but it yet again cried out to be more generously portioned as the smokey cocoa flavours struggled to cut through the more dominant savoury rice cereal base. Although lacking the apricot of the above, the cranberry fruits took more of a leading role making for a tarter fruity taste than in the previous. As you may have guessed, it was the nuts where I felt this bar had more going for it, and this was mostly down to the copious amounts of coconut involved. Indeed, the shredded coconut added a very nice milky nuttiness to almost every bite, whilst the less prominent macadamias contributed some more additional subtle buttery nut flavours when encountered.

7.6 out of 10


Overall these where both sound offerings from Eat Natural, though both were crying out for a thicker layer of dark chocolate to supplement the tasty fruit and nut constituents. What with the company going from strength-to-strength and branching out in to new areas, I think it may be worth them considering making an an actual chocolate bar range. If they paired up the great quality fruit and nut produce with some high quality chocolate, then I think they could be on to something quite special. Do any of you have any favourites from Eat Natural? Have you tried either of these two bars?