April 25th: Ritter Sport Spring Limited Editions 2012

The arrival of the Spring season is always something I look forward to for many a reason. First of all it means that for at least a year, the cold snap of weather is over and there are brighter, warmer days to come (bye bye Winter!!). Secondly, and most importantly :D the arrival of Spring always brings about three limited edition Ritter Sport flavours and 2012 is no different.

On offer this year we have the return of two of the Spring 2011 line up and also the addition of a 'New' flavour. I use the term 'New' quite loosely here as in actual fact the latest 2012 Kakaosplitter variant is a bar that was formerly available as part of the Ritter Sport Bio range (review HERE).

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So who's survived the cut this year!? Well the Ritter Sport Bourbon Vanille has impressivelly been around as part of the Spring limited editions since 2009. It has never been one of my favourites, but I guess it must be pretty popular given it's out lasted all of the other variants that have been and gone over the years.

Ritter Sport Bourbon Vanille - See Review HERE

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The other bar to survive from 2011 is the Ritter Sport Haselnuss Krokant. This bar made it's debut back in 2010 when it replaced the Ritter Sport Eirlikor (Advocaat). It is also currently available as one of the flavours included in Ritter's new 'Cubes' selection box that I reviewed a few weeks ago. Again like the Bourbon Vanille this Haselnuss Krokant has never been a favourite of mine due to it's under strength nut flavours compared to other Ritter offerings. I would suggest it as a nice option for those who like more subtle nutty chocolates, but being honest it's one of the Ritter bars you could let pass you by and you wouldn't miss on much.

Ritter Sport Haselnuss Krokant - See HERE

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So it was the Ritter Sport Alpensahne Praline (See HERE) which got the boot from the 2011 range and as aforementioned it this Ritter Sport Kakosplitter has taken it's place. This bar comes described as 'milk chocolate with a chocolate creme filling, cocoa nibs and hazelnut-almond pieces' and you guessed it, comes in a 100.0g 4x4 square block. To get an all round perspective on this one I gave away several of these bars to friends and family and asked for their feedback. What was played back to me was probably around about 80.0% positive with most citing that they really enjoyed the pure cocoa flavours bursts that the added cocoa nibs brought to the party. This almost sounds silly to say but a lot of taste testers said they enjoyed it for it's pure chocolateyness - this was a bar that delivered a real chocolate flavour hit and I wouldn't disagree with them. All-in-all It was a lovely tasting chocolate and I obviously wasn't alone in thinking this as it was the flavour that was most requested off me when I offered people a second helping from the 10.0kg stash Ritter sent across.

8.1 out of 10



Overall I don't the Spring 2012 line up is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there are some nice varieties in there and the new Kakaosplitter bar is a welcome addition. Personally I wouldn't have chosen to rid of the Ritter Sport Alpensahne Praline from last year, though I guess the argument is there that it was awfully similar to the Ritter Sport Praline bar in the first place. I'm not sure I could stretch as far as insisting my UK readers import these bars at any great expense, however if you can find yourself a way of acquiring them where this isn't an issue I wouldn't advise against it.

April 23rd: Berry Temptation Classic Temptation Collection

Twitter is a wonderful thing isn't it!? Without it I very much doubt I would've ever been contacted by my new friends Berry Temptation who dropped me a message last week introducing themselves. Berry Temptation are a small UK based company formed by two friends with a shared passion and drive to create 'the perfect gift to your loved ones for every occasion'. As you may have gathered, these guys believe such a gift comes in the form of chocolate dipped fruits - strawberries to be exact. After exchanging initial pleasantries across the Twitterverse, Berry Temptation offered me the chance of reviewing their Classic Temptation offering. With the summer sun well on the way I couldn't help but say yes - this was to be the first time that JCM would feature a fresh fruit chocolatey offering.

As you can see above and below I was sent a pack containing nine dipped strawberry pieces. The fruits came beautifully presented in a black, ribbon tied box with the Berry Temptation branding embossed in a classy looking shiney silver font. Suffice to say I wasn't expecting such a well presented product from such a small company. This is normally where there are cost savings to be had and previous reviews I'v done for products for similar sized entities have often reflected this. The presentation in this instance however gets a real thumbs up. The strawberries were equally as impressive looking as the exterior packaging and I felt so confident in them I took them to a dinner party on the night I received them.

I'm glad to report my confidence was not misled - these went down tremendously and served up a real treat after what was a very rich meal. Indeed after our main course these were placed at the centre of the table for all to enjoy. After many a marveling 'oooh' and 'ahhh' at the (and I quote) "gorgeous" and "cute" looking fruits in front of them, my fellow dinner guests and I went about sampling. The box contained a variety of dark, milk and white chocolate strawberries, some plain, some with added bits of coconut and hazelnut. Myself I managed to try one dark chocolate with hazelnuts and one white chocolate with coconut. Both were delicious, but the dark chocolate with hazelnuts was my favourite as I loved the way the semi-sweet cocoa chocolate balanced the sugary sweetness of the ripe, juicey sugary strawberry. Among my fellow diners, it was the white chocolate ones that seemed to really hit the mark, with the common theme of enjoyment being the appropriateness of the creaminess the outer coating brought to the red berry fruits. There wasn't a single person who didn't like these and it wont come as a surprise for you to hear the box was emptied within minutes.

Overall it's always a relief when these samples from smaller companies come good and I can confidently credit Berry Temptation with a JCM thumbs up. I wouldn't ever suggest they are appropriate as an everyday option, but as a proposition I think they are perfect for such occasions like a dinner party like I spoke of above. As a total package I was surprised at the all round quality for a product from such a small company. Like I said above it must be very tempting to cut corners to drive margins when you are a new company like Berry Temptation, but I couldn't see any evidence of this here at all. I of course was not the only one to enjoy these and the dinner party guests I shared them with were similarly forthcoming in their praise of this Classic Temptation Collection. All of them left wishing I had brought a larger box and I was told by more than one of them that they would be looking up Berry Temptation very soon. I think it goes without saying these get a JCM recommendation - look them up on Twitter @BerryTemptation or www.berrytemptation.co.uk

 8.0 out of 10

April 21st: Bits & Bobs: New UK Misc Products

There have been a few new products that have come to occupy our shelves here in the UK in the last few months. Here are a few of the best (and worst) I've found lately ...

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Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares Rocky Road
Kcal 143 Fat 4.0g Fat(sats) 2.5g Carbs 26.0g (per bar)

Though they aren't my cereal of choice, but I do like a good Rice Krispie Square from time-to-time. New to the UK for 2012, Kellogg's have released these Rocky Road Squares and judging by the back of the packet I bought it seems like they have replaced the golden packaged Caramel flavour ones (See HERE). Also on the back of the multi-bar packet I bought, there was also this rather long winded description - 'Cripsy toasted chocolate rice cereal with melted marshmallow, raisins and white chocolate chunks'. This sounded all good to me and out their cool looking black foil wrappers the Squares looks as advertised with plenty of the aforementioned pieces scattered throughout. Taste-wise these added bits had mixed success. The raisins and white chcocolate pieces were enhancing, though the shortbread biscuit pieces were mainly lost in it all. The base of rice chocolate cereal was as ever it's sweet self and with the added raisins and white chocolate the 34.0g bar was about the limit I would have wanted in one. Rice Krispies Squares fans will like that they have something new to try - whether or not they will like that this one has replaced the classic Caramel flavour is another thing altogether though.

7.0 out of 10


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Cadbury Mallows with Caramel
Kcal 60 Fat 2.2g Fat(sats) 1.2g Carbs 9.9g (per Teacake)

Tunnock's Teacakes were one of the snacks I frequently consumed after school during my younger days. For some reason or other we always used to have a pack in the house - I guess it was because neither my sister or I ever expressed a dislike of them, so our Mother just continued to be them. Lifestories aside, it is for that reason I feel pretty confident about commenting on the quality of these latest NEW Cadbury Teacakes with Caramel. Cadbury's previous attempts at making Teacakes (See HERE) hadn't proved to be all that successful - generating only a 5.8 out of 10 on the JCM scoring system. The added promise of a 'caramel filling' in to the mix though, had me wondering whether they could be markedly improved!? I probably should have been able to tell that this wasn't going to be the case when I cut through the middle of one of the teacakes for the photograph. The caramel was minimally portioned in the mallow, and when it came to the taste it was almost indeed 100.0% suffocated. Aside from adding a little bit of moistness to the chalky, flavourless biscuit at the base, the caramel was pretty much a non-entity. That disappointment lumped in with the still unremarkable chocolate flavour hit and disappointingly foamy mallow and these 'with Caramel' weren't the step forward I was hoping for. These are best summed up by saying 'just buy Tunnocks'.

5.9 out of 10


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Paynes Poppets Strawberry Milkshake
Kcal 188 Fat 5.5g Fat(sats) 3.2g Carbs 33.2g (per pack)

A quick wonder through the JCM archives will show you that I'm generally not the biggest advocate of Paynes Poppets (See HERE). Considering their average score usually nets around 5.0 out of 10, I really wasn't expecting much from this new Strawberry Milkshake flavour - lucky that really :D I found this new flavour on sale in a local newsagents, innocently sitting next to the more commonly found toffee and mint flavours. In regards to packaging and presentation these came brandished in the new Poppets style which like I said in my last Paynes review of the Choc Chip Cookie flavour (See HERE), is certainly a step up from the old style showcased on the older packs you can see in some of my first ever reviews for the site. Unfortunately all positivity ends there, no doubt you've likely already peaked at the scoring chart - yes these really did taste that bad :D! Where do I start!? bland tasting, waxy milk chocolate and centers so chemically artificial and sugary that I almost spat my first mouthful out as I thought I had come across 'a bad one' - the following mouthfuls proved evidently not. The strawberry flavour implementation was one of the worst I have come across, these were frankly just disgusting. Avoid if you know what's good for you.

3.4 out of 10


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McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Double ChocolateKcal 181 Fat 6.2g Fat(sats) 2.6g Carbs 28.6g

Since the launch of the McVitie's Medley range back in 2010, we've seen a number of different variants come and go from the range:

McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Milk Chocolate & Raisin - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Digestive Milk Chocolate - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Peanut - See HERE
McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Caramel - See HERE

Well cometh' the year 2012, and cometh' the McVitie's Medley Hobnobs Double Chocolate. Indeed, the latest flavour to make it's way out of the McVitie's product lines is the Double Chocolate - 'dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate, cereal and biscuit chunks'. To get straight to the point this new variant was 'exactly what it said on the tin'. The larger 40.0g bar was a more fulfilling option than previous that had gone before, and the overall taste experience was more chocolatey rich. I suppose in that sense the proposition lived up to it's billing, though frankly I would jump at the chance to swap a bar of this for two normal chocolate Hobnobs. Those who were previously hating on the originals because of the raisins may wish to take another look. The rest of you might not have too much to get excited about.

7.7 out of 10


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Galaxy Cookie Crumble SlicesKcal 150 Fat 7.8g Fat(sats) 3.9g Carbs 18.3g (per slice)

Having looked at new products from Cadbury, Kellogg's and Paynes already, I'm glad to say that Mars haven't missed out on being part of Bit's n Bobs today. Indeed new for 2012 we have these new Galaxy Cookie Crumble Slices - I guess a bit of a mix-up/match-up with their Galaxy Cookie Crumble Chocolate (See HERE) getting the Twix Slice treatment. As with all the other cakey Mars treats, these have been produced by McVitie's and can be found in most UK supermarkets likely doing the rounds on the £1.00 deals. Presented nicely in a pack of 6 individually wrapped packets, the slices looked simple, but nice. The thick topping of Galaxy milk chocolate melted nicely into the cookie base that lay below and retained all of it's typical creamy, sweet Galaxy chocolate appeal. Sitting on the bottom, the cookie bases were similarly delicious. It was buttery, crumbly and had a hint of saltyness. Unlike the horrible Twix slice I really liked these and would buy them again.

8.2 out of 10


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Cadbury BiscBites Roacky Road CrunchKcal 125 Fat 5.5g Fat(sats) 2.9g Carbs 16.6g (per 7 biscuits)

Ladies and gentlemen well done for making it this far down :D Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to reward you with a review of a product of great quality, these were frankly just pants. Cadbury BiscBits Rocky Road Crunch - 'chocolate cherry and marshmallow flavoured biscuits covered with milk chocolate'. I'm sure you are thinking that all sounds dandy - I don't blame you, it had me thinking that to. These biscuits came in a 110.0g foil pouch that I bought for £1.00 in my local Tesco supermarket (that was an introductory reduced price deal of course). Suspicions immediately rose upon opening the pouch when a rather odd fruity smell emerged. Ignoring the warning signs I hoped for more from the taste and set about munching my way through the pack. After just a few biscuits I decided to set the pouch to one side where it remained untouched until it's ill fated trip to the bin. To sum this up short and sweet these tasted pretty horrible. The outer Cadbury chocolate had this horrible, fake tasting sugary sweet cherry twang and it overpowered the inner chocolate biscuit. These just tasted cheap and I guess I should have learnt from the Cadbury BiscBits Orange Crunch (See HERE) which were equally horrible. Lesson learnt folks!

5.4 out of 10

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