April 20th: Galaxy Flutes

Kcal 56 Fat 2.9 Carbs 7.8g (per 11.25g piece)

Personally I think we are at an all time low for confectionery innovation here in the UK. I've been moaning for the best part of a few months now that recently every single product we come across brandishing a 'NEW' label is in actual fact just a re-released or repackaged product we've had previously. If you need me to name examples then please look no further than the likes of the Yorkie Honeycomb (HERE), Cadbury Creme Egg Splats (HERE), Cadbury Bitsa Wispa (HERE) ... I could go on! This mini-rant leads me nicely into introducing the 'NEW' Galaxy Flutes:

“Galaxy Flutes perfectly encapsulate the indulgence and pleasure which have become synonymous with the Galaxy brand and are a perfect treat for a luxurious snack for discerning chocolate lovers.

“Consumers will love the benefit of a combination of textures with the mix of wafer and cream providing an ideal afternoon snacking moment.”

.... yes another 'lighter way to enjoy chocolate' according to the wrapper - where have we heard that before!? Wasn't that the idea of the Galaxy Bubbles bar? Whatever! I came across these Flutes in my local supermarket where a pricey sounding £0.45 bought me a 22.5g pack of two wafer fingers. As ever with Galaxy products the packaging, wrapper and product were all classy looking and I couldn't fault them at all in this regard.

Choco-saddos like myself (aren't we all haha :D ) will have already clocked that these were infact Galaxy Amicelli made smaller and given as a repackaged format. This was fine for all the reasons I posted in my initial review of them a few years ago (See HERE), but in other ways it was just as much disappointing. Fundamentally what we had here were some very tasty filled chocolate wafers. As is the case with Galaxy products the chocolate was sweet, but luxuriously smooth melting and with a delicious prolonged creamy aftertaste that complimented the honey notes of the wafer superbly. It was this tastyness however that made for the downfall of these Flutes as they were a totally unfulfilling snacking option. Speaking as a mid-twenty year old guy these barely scratched the surface of what I wanted from a mid-afternoon snack - if anything they just made me hungrier than I was before eating them, that's a snack FAIL people.

Overall these Galaxy Flutes can be categorised right alongside many of the other 'NEW' UK confectionery products we've been provided with this year. Just as they have been, these were 'fine' for what they were, but frankly they were just totally unexciting as a new proposition. These Flutes don't bring anything new to the table and unless your a 'diet coke drinking female office worker' (stereotype sorry!) you probably wont bother giving these a second glance. The 'think tanks' at these confectionery companies must seriously be at an all time low. Personally I would suggest to these people that if this is the best they can come up with this year then please just stop the new prdocut development projects now.

7.2 out of 10

April 18th: Glico Pocky Almond Crush Bitter

Kcal 526 Fat 28.9g Carbs 57.9g (per 100.0g)

To say I'll keep the midweek mini short and sweet today doesn't seem fitting given the name of these Almond Crush Bitter flavoured Pocky. Normally I source all my Japanese/Far East snacks from my pal Pete @Jlist (Twitter HERE, Website HERE) but in actual fact I got these in a local Asian supermarket in which I ventured last week. Despite the package blurb being all in Asian text a handy English translation sticker placed on the back of box informed me that these were a product of Thailand and that packet contained 38.0g worth of biscuit sticks. As ever with Far Eastern sourced products the presentation was first class. The sticks were kept remarkably fresh within a thick, golden coloured foil wrapper and they smelt absolutely fantastic with strong chocolate and nut scents escaping when the seal was broken. In reviews previous I've often referred to my frustrations at nuts being chopped too finely. There was no problem with this here whatsoever. The nuts had just as much impact on the taste as the delicious, unsweetened cocoa flavours that the smooth melting, thick coating produced. The triple layered taste of bittersweet cocoa, salty almond nuts and sweet, buttery shortbread biscuit made for a delicious, multi-layered flavour journey. I'm not ashamed to admit I demolished the whole box of ten plus sticks in the one  sitting. There was no chance of me putting these down once opened and they will go down as one of my favourite ever Pocky flavours. I would highly recommend these if you have the luck of coming across them.

8.8 out of 10

April 16th: Happy Birthday Milka!!!

Happy birthday Milka!!!! 2012 sees Kraft's Milka brand celebrate it's 111th birthday and to mark the occasion they have produced three limited edition 100.0g bars. It's been way too long since I last got to review some Milka here on JCM, below you will see my thoughts and photos of these bars. Of course if you have any thoughts or comments on the bars below be sure to drop me a line on either the JCM Twitter (See HERE) or Pinterest (See HERE) pages.

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Milka Bunte Kakaolinsen (Milka Coloured Lenses)
Kcal 520 Fat 27.0g Fat(sats) 16.0g Carbs 62.0g

The direct translation of the bar's name might not have helped you, though I'm sure you've already managed to gather this was a Milka milk chocolate bar containing the Milka equivalent of Smarties. As a proposition this didn't do too much in the way of excitement for me, though that said I really did think the bar looked rather cool with all the different colours. Speaking of these chocolate pieces I was surprised they didn't make the bar a nuisance to split up evenly given their vast quantity. Conversely, the blocks broke away cleanly so there were no issues there. Taste wise I would happily settle giving this bar a thumbs up. The milk chocolate was as expected with it's cream and minor hazelnut noted flavour characteristics - sweet for sure, but tasty none the less. My initial unexcitement for this bar was driven by my relative neutrality to Smarties - I neither love or hate them. With that said I thought the Smarties equivalent pieces worked well here, and I especially liked the way you could let the outer chocolate melt away before crunching down on the remaining sugar shelled choc bits. I'm not sure I would rush out to buy it again (I can't anyway because these bars are only available in Germany!),but as a limited edition it was bar that brought a bit of colour to the table.

8.1 out of 10

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Milka A la Vanille-Pudding (Milka Vanilla Pudding)
Kcal 590 Fat 40.5g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 50.5g (per 100.0g)

Anyone remember this from 2009? This A la Vanille-Pudding flavour was previously available as one of  the limited editions created for the 2009 Winter Olympics. In fairness to Milka it's not like they've claimed anywhere that the bar was 'new', so I think we can give them a pass on this one. You can read my full thoughts on the bar HERE - alternatively you could just read my concluding thoughts below :D

 '...the product's main strength and main weakness came in the form of its vanilla pudding filling, which was great tasting but at the same time just incredibly sweet. For fans of sweet flavoured chocolate then this is a bar I would recommend, for those the other end of the spectrum I guess this is one to avoid.'


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Milka Knister mit Brausegranulat (Milka crackle with effervescent granules)
Kcal 590 Fat 40.5g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 50.5g (per 100.0g)


I haven't done my usual trick of saving the best until last I'm afraid. This was more the case of me putting off having to try this one until the very last possible moment. Those with any previous JCM experience will know my hatred of popping candy (aka Knister in German tongue), you need only look back at some similar propositions to see the poor reviews I gave them - See HERE & HERE. Unfortunately for me it appears that Milka aren't aligned with me on this, and they felt it only right to mark one their historic birthday with said ingredient. 'Alpine milk chocolate filled with milk flavoured creme,  crackle candy and effervescent granules (i.e. sherbet powder). You know what I'm going to say here so I wont beat around the bush! Alpine milk chocolate and milk flavoured creme - YES please, big time thumbs up for the creamy sweet hazelnut noted chocolate and super smooth melt. Popping candy and sherbet powder - BOO!! No, no, no I'm afraid! These two things ruined a perfectly good chocolate for me, with the popping candy creating it's god awful crackly, scratchy mouth feel, and the sherbet powder having little effect apart from an unnecessary additional sugaryness. This obviously isn't a bar made with a twenty something year old bloke in mind but that doesn't mean I have to give it a better score :D Sorry Milka, not for me this one.

5.6 out of 10

April 13th: Kit Kat Orange Tokyo Sky Tree Edition

Kcal 100 Fat 5.8g Carbs 10.6g (Per 2 finger serving) 

I honestly can't recall a week where I have had to do some much research to write some chocolate reviews. First it was that blasted Rilakkuma bear and today I've had to consult my pals at Wiki for some information on the Tokyo Sky Tree ... 

"Tokyo Sky Tree (東京スカイツリー Tōkyō Sukai Tsurī?), formerly known as New Tokyo Tower (新東京タワー Shin Tōkyō Tawā?), is a broadcasting, restaurant, and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan. It became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010 and reached its full height of 634.0 metres (2,080 ft) in March 2011, making it the tallest tower in the world, displacing the Canton Tower and the second tallest structure in the world after Burj Khalifa (829.84 m/2,723 ft). The project was completed on 29 February 2012, with the tower's public opening due on 22 May 2012." 

Of course this being Japan there is only one way to celebrate finishing the construction - yes you guessed it ... a limited edition Kit Kat

This particular limited edition came as a 3 pack of four finger wafers - all contained within a special large Sky Tree fronted box, and additionally their own separate smaller packages. Displayed on all of these very cool looking packaging layers, a rather curious golden crown and 'No.1' emblem is displayed. When I consulted the JList website (HERE) to my mild surprise it became apparent that it meant 'No. 1 flavour'. I'm not making this up folks! Yes Orange is said to be the number one flavour in Japan. 

   

Longer time readers of JCM will be aware that the UK orange Kit Kat has never been a favoured flavour of mine (See 4 four finger HERE & Chunky HERE) and it wasn't with the greatest deal of enthusiasm that I opened my first Sky Tree package. Surrounded by the standard Nestle milk chocolate coating the taste affair started with no real surprises with the sweet, dried milk taste fast established with medium paced smooth melt. From this point onwards things took a real upturn, and expectations were certainly exceeded when it came to the establishment of the orange flavours. Indeed unlike the simplistic overly sweet flavours of our UK Kit Kat, the fruit influence here came in the form of a delicious creamy creme placed amongst the thin wafer layers. It was altogether less sugar intensive, and provided more of a smooth, fruity flavour flow that gave more of a realistic orange taste. The four finger packet as whole was an easily consumable, yet satisfying snack.

Overall the sound of a orange flavour Kit Kat may not sound like the most exciting in the world of Japanese Kit Kats, but this one was a far greater experience than one had imagined it might be. I remain skeptical as to how a limited edition can be the 'No.1 flavour'!?? (Explanation anyone???) but having tasted it I can see why this Orange bar might have a wider appeal than some of the more opinion splitting options like say the Green Tea variant. You have to love the Japanese way of launching a Kit Kat to celebrate the opening of a building, I'm half expecting the equivalent Pocky to turn up on my doorstep next week. For the minute I will point you in the direction of the JList website to get your Japanese Kit Kat fill (HERE) - you should also keep a watch on the JCM twitter feed as there will be a competition to win some the Kit Kats featured this week (See HERE).

8.7 out of 10

April 11th: Midweek Mini(s) Japanese Kit Kats

This Midweek mini post today sees the continuation of Japanese Kit Kat week here on JCM and the products in focus really are miniature!!

We all know that the Japanese aren't afraid of releasing every flavour known to man, but additionally when it comes to repackaging old ones into new formats they appear to be rather keen on doing that as well. The two Kit Kat variants I'm showing off today are in actual fact to flavours that have previously appeared on the site in one form or another, just scaled down to mini versions.

If you want extended reading in to both these flavours I suggest hitting the review links under the pictures   to get the full scoop and my detailed musings on both of these. Just remember if either or these tickle your fancy you can always pop along to JList where they can be found on sale will a host of other crazy and limited availability flavours.

Kit Kat Dark Bitter Minis - See Review HERE - Buy HERE

Kit Kat Green Tea - See Review HERE - Buy HERE

April 9th: Kit Kat Rilakkuma Hotcake

Kcal 69 Fat 4.0g Carbs 7.7g (per 12.3g Kit Kat)

Before we kick off the review today please allow Wiki to answer the question that I'm sure a good 99% of you are thinking right now ...

Rilakkuma (リラックマ Rirakkuma, a combination of the Japanese pronunciation of relax and the Japanese word for bear) is a Japanese character produced by the San-X company who debuted in 2003. Rilakkuma and Tarepanda, another San-X character, have been described as "huge hits in Japan" by The New York Times. As of May 2010, Rilakkuma ranked as the fifth most popular character in Japan in a survey of the Character Databank.

 A Japanese snack based around a popular Japenese character!? That can only mean one thing right!? Indeed JList have been at it once more and yet again the JCM household is stocked full of weird and wonderful Japanese snacks. You can find these Limited Edition Kit Kat Rilakkuma Hotcake on the J-List website HERE, where you can buy yourself a box of 12 mini Kit Kats like the one I got sent for this review. I'm not sure my amateur photography will have done it justice, but the box itself was beautifully decorated and the friendly, fun looking presentation of the packaging was really top-notch even for a Japanese Kit-Kat product. I've not always been a fan of the mini Kit Kat format but as you will go on to learn, the smaller size worked favourably for this particular variant.

Judging by the taste of these white chocolate Kit Kats, Hotcakes appear to be Mayple syrup pancakes - that's what these tasted like anyway! Indeed, these white chocolate Kit Kats were sweet as they come, but in the small 12.3g doses they were a tasty little option to park alongside a nice cup of tea. The white chocolate had a sugary, dried milk taste that as it melted released a set of syrup drenched buttery pancake flavours. Only the brave would dare try eat one of these in say a Kit Kat Chunky form due to it's sugaryness but as stated above in the miniture form the flavour intensity worked.

Overall I'm not for one minute going to even pretend like I have the remotest interest in Rilakkuma, what he does? who his little chicken friend is? or frankly what he is all about :D One thing to say however is that it does appear like me and Rilakkuma have a shared passion for these splendid Hotcakes of his :D Kit Kat flavours are ten-a-penny in Japan but I can honestly say these are one of the most unique I have tried in recent times. I think we all know that white chocolate isn't my favoured chocolate type due it's usual overly sweet nature, however these proved that even I can enjoy it when it is done cleverly with flavour depths more developed that just sugar. I can't say these Kit Kats have me convinced to find out more about Rilakkuma but I'll happily eat some of his hotcakes :D

8.0 out of 10

April 6th: Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter one and all! Have a great few days off and enjoy all the chocolates that come your way.

My plans, aside from going to watch my beloved Manchester United <3 <3 <3 are to tuck in the generous bundle sent to me by my pals at Nestle! Yes indeed, Nestle sent me these three Yorkie, Kit Kat and Munchies packages to celebrate them becoming the first major confectioner to use 100% recyclable packaging across all their Easter Eggs. This move to recyclable packaging will save 726 tonnes of plastic waste from going to landfill this year - that's a damn lot when you stop and think about it. If you want to read more on this I suggest you take a look at the Nestle site HERE.

Right! Enough of that I'm off to eat some chocolate and sip some tea from my awesome chocolatey mugs :D (I love a good mug me!!) Enjoy Easter folks!

JIM - p.s. Keep an eye on @ChocMission this weekend! Competitions inbound!!

April 4th: Bits & Bobs: Easter Special

I have to say the 'new' products this Easter haven't been all that exciting here in the UK. As you will see below in my many mini reviews, a lot of the chocolates aren't really new at all - just simply repacked or slightly adapted offerings from last year. Apologies these might not be the most exciting reviews ever, but hey, I can only work with what these companies put out there :D

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MaltEaster Mini Bunnies
Kcal 62 Fat 3.5g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs(sugars) 6.2g (per Bunny)

Up until the Cadbury Caramel Bunnies showed up on the scene in 2010, Mars's MaltEaster Bunny was the holder of the 'Battle of the Bunnies' title (See HERE). Three years on from the original release (Review HERE), Mars have seen fit to introduce these MaltEaster Mini Bunnies. These Mini Bunnies came in a 58.0g packet which contained 5 individually wrapped bunny chocolates. As one would have hoped for, these were exactly as you would have expected i.e. there were no changes in content proportions or presentation- everything seemed to be just scaled back to accommodate the smaller size. With that said I'm sure it will come as no surprise at all to anyone to hear that I did indeed like these. The milk chocolate was sweet as always, but it suited the inner malty centre and the honeycomb bits added both crunch and pleasant notes of honey to create the Malteser experience. I guess my only gripe with these is the fact you only get 5 in the packet - that's neither enough to share or to last one person a reasonable amount of time before the bag is empty. The fact everywhere seems to be doing two of the original MaltEaster Bunnies at 2 for £1.00 does make a recommendation to buy these a little harder.

7.2 out of 10


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Nestle Aero Mint LambKcal 146 Fat 8.3g Carbs 16.3g

This is by no means a complaint but it feels like I've been reviewing so called 'New' Aero products for like the past year. If you have a look back across the last 12 months, to just name a few we've had the resurgence of the Aero Orange (See HERE), the limited edition Aero Dark (See HERE), the Aero Biscuit (See HERE) and of course last Easter's Aero Lamb (See HERE). In my 2011 review of the Aero lamb I concluded by saying that there was "really nothing too special about these lambs. They are simply Aero milk chocolate, shaped as lamb figurines". Well one of two things happened ... circumstance 1) The Aero team read JCM and saw the error of their ways ... circumstance 2) The Aero team got feedback from everyone bemoaning the lack of ingenuity - lets just say it was a combination on the two eh :D Now credit where credit is due, Nestle have listened and have adapted the Aero Lamb for 2012. As you will have gathered we now have a mint flavoured Lamb on our hands and I personally think that has benefited the product in two main ways. As is the case when it comes to the normal Aero bars, I prefer the extra depth to the taste that the peppermint brings to the party, and there's no doubting the Lambs look a bit funkier with the dayglow green centre. The Nestle Aero Lamb Mint is still no life changing chocolate, but it's an improvement on last years effort.

7.7 out of 10


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Galaxy Bubbles EggKcal 155 Fat 9.5g Carbs 15.3g (per egg)

If you've made it this far down the review today congratulations!! The bad news is your now looking at what is probably the most boring 'New' product for Easter 2012 :D Indeed enter stage left the magnificently innovative (/sarcasm) Galaxy Bubbles Egg. This 28.0g bad boy is the latest in the seemingly endless supply of new aerated chocolates here in the UK. I understand times are hard for manufactures and they are having to look at maximising profits, but come on guys give us a break with all the chocolates containing 'added air' please. Boy what on earth can I say about this egg to make it sound exciting!??? ... sorry I've failed! This was your standard Galaxy milk chocolate with yes, you guessed it ... a bubbly inner centre. Don't get me wrong you wont be offended by this at all should you buy or be given one, but I can only sum this up by saying you can certainly find more exciting chocolates to feast on this Easter.

7.0 out of 10


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Thorntons Caramel Melts EggKcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) Carbs ???

'Take an existing product, shape into an egg/bunny rabbit design and stick a 'NEW' sticker on it!??' ... Thorntons couldn't miss out on the action could they now!? ... No is the answer! Indeed displayed in all it's glorious form above we have this Thorntons Caramel Melts Egg. The Melts range has been out for the best part of two years now (Reviews HERE) and I'm frankly surprised they have lasted as long as they have. Whilst I'm surprised we haven't seen any spin-off limited edition flavours for the Melts range, I guess Thorntons just couldn't resist squashing them into an egg shape and giving it the 'Easter 2012' treatment. Last years Praline Melts Egg (See HERE) has now been joined by this Caramel Melts Egg, one that comes described as 'gooey caramel in a milk chocolate shell'. Bought on a 3 for £1.00 deal I thought it represented pretty good value for money and the milk chocolate had a noticeably slower, smoother melt compared to the more sugary chocolates of the more common brands above. Unfortunately I thought the caramel wasn't as tasty as some of the more commonplace options on the market. Compared to the Galaxy and Cadbury caramel eggs the golden filling here lacked the butteryness and depth of flavour. These aren't a bad little option but not offering anything above or below whats out there already.

7.5 out of 10

April 2nd: Hotel Chocolat You Crack Me Up Extra Thick Egg

As has now come tradition, Hotel Chocolat this year sent me one of their big 'Extra Thick' Easter eggs for me to get my lips around. Last year I had the absolutely delightful beast that was the Hotel Chocolat Extra Thick Purist Egg (See HERE), that one managed to get itself a huge 9.2 out of 10 and of course a big JCM recommendation. This year I decided to go for something a little less serious, and requested their 'You Crack Me Up' Extra Thick Egg. On the site this came billed as 'An irrepressibly upbeat egg cast in 40% milk chocolate and bursting with our cheeriest chocolates' - I couldn't resist the smiley faced chocolates that came with it :D they looked hilarious.


I will of course be 'pinning' all of these photos on the JCM Pinterest page (See HERE), so if you have any comments for the 'old man' I'm sure he would appreciate them. Now I'm not belittling his mastery photography here, but it would have taken a monumental effort to make this egg look unappetising on the eye. Quite simply the presentation was just first class with everything from the ribbon decorated outer box, to the foil wrapped egg and 'cheery' inner chocolate pieces looking every bit as fancy as you would come to expect from Hotel Chocolat. Profit margins must be forever being stretched at smaller companies like Hotel Chocolat, but there were no savings here I assure you.


Enough about the packaging - what was the chocolate like!?? Well come on now - do you really need me to tell you how lovely the 40.0% milk chocolate was again!? The egg was just as billed and had varying levels of thickness ranging from the 'Extra thick' outer portion, to the thinner middle egg section. The taste was what you would expect - rich cocoa mixed with a touch of sugar sweetness, and with the thickest, creamiest, smooth flowing double cream like flavour experience - just magnifico!


The tweleve count strong truffle line up was also fantastic with options ranging from the terrifically hazelnut noted smiley faced pralines, to the plainer option solid milk chocolate bunny shapes. There could of perhaps been a little more variety added to the mix with say a potential caramel offering, though the white chocolate 'soldiers' did at least bring a little colour to the party.


Overall my general preference for dark chocolate over milk lends me to score this a little under last years Purist Extra Thick Egg, but I think the 8.8 out of 10 rating tells it's own story. This was simply another superb chocolate offering from Hotel Chocolat and it delivered in line of all expectations. As noted in all my spiel above, the presentation was top grade and the chocolate was of it's usual impeccable standard. The egg was as promised 'Extra Thick' and the selection of truffles, albeit for those with plainer tastes, was still a delightful little mixture of fun looking chocolates. I'll leave you with the comment of 'stylish and tasty' - I doubt you need anymore convincing.

8.8 out of 10

March 30th: Hotel Chocolat Recommendations Easter 2012

This week I've been giving you a run down of some of the 'new' Easter products out this year. Whilst it's always nice to see new ideas and products, I think it's only correct to look back at some of the high quality products that have returned in 2012. This weekend I would like to take the chance to remind you of some of my favourite Hotel Chocolat Easter products. It's not all a blast from the past - there are some new photos courtesy of the 'Old Man' for you guys to drool over.

You should also make note of the promotion Hotel Chocolat are running at the moment (See ABOVE!!). You can get yourself a FREE 'Taste of Spring' chocolate selection when you spend over £35.00 (an all too easy thing to do trust me!) Enjoy your weekends and the pictures/reviews below.

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Pick from 2009 - Hotel Chocolat Rocky Road to Carramellow - Review HERE
This is one of the longest standing Hotel Chocolat Easter eggs. It must be popular considering it returns year after year. I can't say I'm surprised - caramel and rocky road fans need look elsewhere - Buy HERE.
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Pick from 2010 - Hotel Chocolat Eggs & Soldiers - Review HERE
Rejoice in the new pictures shot by the 'Old Man'. These now 'Classic' Eggs & Soldiers provide the ultimate chocolatey breakfast :D '5 praline milk chocolate half eggs with a troop of white chocolate dipping soldiers' - Buy HERE.

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Pick from 2011 - Hotel Chocolat 'A dozen Quail Eggs' - Review HERE
These were one of the best things I tried last year for Easter. Scoring a massive 8.9 out of 10 it comes as no surprise to me that they have returned for another year. The selection includes caramels, pralines and truffles galore. Highly recommended -Buy HERE.

.... more to come from the 2012 range next week :D

March 28th: Midweek Mini(s) Lindt Excellence Coconut Intense / Wasabi

You get a real treat today as I've lined up the first ever Midweek Mini double act with me bringing you my views on these two new Lindt Excellence bars. Lately on the site I've been moaning away about how all the 'NEW' products this year from our nearest and dearest (Cadbury, Mars, Nestle etc) have been disappointing, uninspired remakes of existing or previously seen products. Well this is something that cannot be laid at the door of Lindt today - I'm sure you have gathered that from the title :D

Kcal 508 Fat 35.0g Fat(sats) 22.0g Carbs 47.0g (per 100.0g)

Lindt Excellence Coconut Intense - This came described as 'fine dark chocolate with caramelised coconut flakes' and I had big expectations for it given my previous love for the white chocolate variation I had reviewed from Germany a few years ago. Splitting the bar in it's foil wrapper the coconut influence was evident from the outset and a wonderful plethora of sweet coconut smells set upon my senses straight away. With expectations dangerously sky high I will say they were met to a good standard by the taste. The bar might have benefited from being a stronger dark chocolate recipe (47.0%) however it still set a lovely Lindt like earthy richness with it's cocoa flavours, and the coconut played delightfully into this. The coconut was crunchy, yet not rough and the sweet, milky nut flavours grew in intensity as the melt progressed. This was a chocolate I enjoyed immensely - big time recommendation for all dark chocolate and coconut fans.

8.7 out of 10


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Kcal 492 Fat 30.0g Fat(sats) 18.0g Carbs 50.0g (per 100.0g)

Lindt Excellence Wasabi - Now I'm sure this was the one you were all most interested in seeing today and I was equally as excited for trying it. I remember the time when Lindt were seen as the pioneers of the chilli and chocolate combination - they were certainly the biggest brand to try it at the time they released the Lindt Excellence Chilli (See HERE). The word 'wasabi' will no doubt have disengaged over half of you already - the hot as fire horseradish condiment is hardly universally popular :D Personally, though I'm no great lover of the stuff, I do dabble in it when I eat sushi so I was curious to see what it would do for me paired with chocolate. Like the bar above the dark chocolate here was Lindt's 47.0% recipe and it brought on the same earthy cocoa flavour experience that I described above. As the melt of the chocolate developed on my tongue, this initially mild bitter undercurrent grew in stature, bringing about a raised mouth temperature along with it. This warming sensation was pleasant, however the herby, grassy flavour developments were a not to my liking. The wasabi influence was not to my taste I'm afraid and it spoilt my enjoyment of the chocolate at hand. Ho-hum, these things happen and I can't offer a recommendation based on the taste. What I will say is that it's great to at least see a well known brand attempt something new. Ultimately this was a fail, but brownie points at least for giving it a go.

5.8 out of 10