Jim's Chocolate Mission

January 30th: TABASCO® Spicy Chocolate-McIlhenny & Company

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000Z

Kcal 537 Fat 30.8g Fat(sats) 15.4g Carbs 53.8g (per 100.0g)

Before I kick off this review I have to say a big thank you to my friend Liz from Foodstufffinds (See HERE). Liz aka @Cinabar on Twitter, was kind enough to send me this chocolate today as a Christmas gift last December. With the ridiculous amount of chocolate sent my way last December, I've only just got the time to sit down and write a proper review on it - considering the proposition I felt it was one that deserved some full attention.

According to Wiki 'TABASCO® sauce is made from tabasco peppers (Capsicum frutescens var. tabasco), vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor'. Indeed, TABASCO® sauce is something that I frequently use as an ingredient and as a condiment to add a bit of spice to food ... savoury food that is :D It isn't something that I think any of us would naturally have assoiciated with chocolate, however the US company 'The Chocolate Traveller Inc' obviously had other ideas.

The chocolate came packaged in a tin bearing the traditional McIlhenny & Company Tabasco sauce branding and contained eight segmented 'spicy dark chocolate wedges' within. The chocolate had a relatively sweet cocoa smell that reminded me of hot chocolate powder and showed no indications of containing anything untoward. The experience however really started upon tasting the chocolate, and the TABASCO® content was certainly not withdrawn or lacking. To speak firstly of the quality of the dark chocolate, it wasn't anything remarkable, though it was step up from my expectations and had a richer, earthy cocoa taste than the expected mass consumer friendly unsweetened milk chocolate I had predicted. To be honest all thoughts regarding the quality of the chocolate were rendered an after thought once the TABASCO® influence came in to play, which was around the time of mid-melt. At this point a pleasant heat sensation was created in the mouth, and the taste took on a more bitter peppery focus that lasted until the end melt and for a little duration after. Consultation with my fellow taste testers revealed that they were split right down the middle on whether it enhanced or spoilt the chocolate.

Overall if you posed me the simple question of whether this chocolate was a thumbs-up or thumbs-down I would give you the very unhelpful answer that it was a thumbs-in-the-middle :D Frankly I was pretty ambivalent towards it. It was fine for what it was, though I'm not sure it was as flavoursome or subtle as say something like the Lindt Excellence Chilli. One thing I can 100% confirm though is that it was a chocolate that was very interesting to try and it created a great deal of talkability amongst us all that tasted it. For that reason I would categorise this chocolate with a lot of the Japanese Kit Kats I try. Just like flavours such as the Wasabi, Green Tea etc they aren't always the best tasting, but they are always a good bit of fun to see what they are like, and how a brand has attempted to integrate them into chocolate. I would give this TABASCO® Spicy Chocolate a recommendation, but on it's novelty factor rather than it's chocolate quality.

7.3 out of 10

January 25th: Midweek Mini Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly

2012-01-25T07:00:00.004Z

Our 'Midweek Mini' today comes courtesy of our pals at Cadbury UK and their new 'Bubbly' chocolates. I first heard of these new bars about two weeks ago (See HERE), and it didn't take me long to track them down in my local Tesco supermarket on sale for their RRP £1.42 each. Described as 'Milk chocolate with an aerated milk/white chocolate centre', I have to say I found the prospect of these so called 'New' chocolates rather unexciting. Given the presence of the blocked Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly bar and Cadbury Wispa already on our UK shelves, I found it somewhat surprising Cadbury chose these Bubbly variants as their first NPDs for 2012.

Kcal 530 Fat 29.9g Fat(sats) 18.5g Carbs 56.9g (per 100.0g)
Kcal 530 Fat 29.8g Fat(sats) 18.1g Carbs 59.3g (per 100.0g)

I wont be handing out any prizes for guessing which was my favoured one of the two, as anyone whose read JCM prior would have been aware of my dislike for Cadbury's white chocolate. Well what can I say to spruce this review up a little!? Unfortunately I'm stumped - these bars were exactly as I expected. Creamy, sweet Dairy Milk goodness, with one of the bars containing a very unnecessary center of sugar laden 'white chocolate'. Admittedly the white chocolate coloured center did look rather cool with the 'Bubble' effect, however it did nothing for me taste wise and negatively effected my enjoyment of the Dairy Milk chocolate. Would I buy them again? No probably not. Would I be disgruntled if someone bought me one? Not at all.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly - 8.1 out of 10
Cadbury Dairy Milk Bubbly White - 7.7 out of 10

January 23rd: Kit Kat Strawberry Cheesecake / Yatsuhashi

2012-01-23T07:00:00.004Z

We started the year looking at two of the latest flavours to be gracing the ever expanding Japanese world of Kit Kats with the Wasabi & Black Honey flavours (See HERE). Well since this time I've been trying out yet another two flavours which you will see reviews for below today. Please do remember, if any of these take your fancy, you can try them out for yourselves by heading over to J-List and paying my friend Peter a visit. Please be warned that some of the content on that site isn't suitable for younger viewers ;) (J-List HERE)

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Kit Kat Strawberry Cheesecake (Yokohama Edition)Kcal 69 Fat 4.1g Carbs 7.6g (per 12.3g Mini Kit Kat)

I'm guessing there is a portion of you reading today wondering what the 'Yokohama' and 'Kyoto' Editions mean tagged on the end of the names. Well folks these are not only Kit Kats from Japan, but they are Kit Kats that can only be found in certain regions of Japan - that's got to make them even cooler right!? Well entertaining us from the Yokohama region, this Strawberry Cheese flavour was admittedly one I wasn't looking forward to trying that much. Fearing being confronted by an overly sugary artificial strawberry confection taste I was happily surprised by what I got here. The white chocolate lacked the cheese factor of the cheesecake billing, though it creamy milk focus that far less sugar focused than expected. Amongst the wafer, a light, thin layer of creme established a subtler hint of strawberry than I expected, but all things considered less was probably more given how badly strawberry confectionery can be done. The culmination of these with the wafer made for a taste I would more accurately describe as Strawberries and Cream, whatever these were nice enough and I have made my way through a fair load of the twelve pack I was sent.

7.6 out of 10

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Kit Kat Yatsuhashi (Kyoto Edition)
Kcal 69 Fat 4.0g Carbs 7.7g (per 12.3g Mini Kit Kat)

Hailing from the Kyoto region, this Yatsuhashi Kit Kats had me straight away consulting my favourite online resource (Wikipedia :D ). According to Wiki Yatsuhashi is 'a Japanese confectionery sold mainly as a souvenir sweet (miyagegashi). It is one of the best known meibutsu (famous regional products) of Kyoto. It is made from glutinous rice flour (上新粉 jōshinko?), sugar and cinnamon' .... ahh this all makes sense now! These had all the promise of being rather good and I'm glad to report they were. Like our Strawberry Cheesecake friend above, this flavour was also a white chocolate Kit Kat at heart, though they were lightly brown coloured with 'cinnamon specs' - an interesting look it has to be said. Taste wise these reminded me of sweet chai tea with a glorious undercurrent of cinnamon flavours nicely complimenting a base taste of sweet milk. A whole Kit Kat Chunky size version of these would probably be a struggle to eat given the sweetness, though in this mini format these were a real winner. Well worth checking out if you like the cinnamon flavoured confections.

8.3 out of 10

January 19th: Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter

2012-01-19T07:00:00.003Z

Kcal 260 Fat 15.2g Carbs 26.2g

Anyone who doubted me saving the best until last obviously doesn't know how things work round here :D This was one of the first ever bars I reviewed on ChocolateMission way waaaaaay back in February 2009 - See HERE. At the time I had no idea that the bar would then go on to be axed for the release of the Kit Kat Chunky Caramel - a decision which many of us today still bemoan :D

'Crispy wafer finger with a creamed peanut topping, covered in milk chocolate' - this not only sounded the business, but the familiar peanut scents smelt just as lovely as I remembered. With all indicators pointing towards things staying true from the old Peanut Butter Chunky it came as no surprise that the memories came flooding back when I took my first bite. The sweet milky chocolate, the malty wafer and the salty peanut topping made for a progressive and beautifully contrasting flavour journey. As ever I still thought the peanut butter lacked the quality of Reese's without the more textured mouth feel and nut intensity. Reese's comparisons aside this was still an extremely satisfying chocolate bar and I savored the taste from the first block to the third.

Overall this is my Kit Kat Chunky Champion of the week. I always think a product should be judged on whether you would buy it again, and this Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter is a bar I can see myself buying frequently. That coming from a guy who has reviewed 1000+ chocolate bars in his time should indicate how highly I rate this bar. I don't like changing previous scores but having been in the situation where we have been denied it for the past two years, I think this was a perfect case of not knowing what you have until it's gone. I will be very surprised (and disappointed) if this flavour doesn't win.

8.8 out of 10

Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 18th: Kit Kat Chunky Double Choc

2012-01-18T07:00:00.003Z

Kcal 256 Fat 14.8g Carbs 28.0g

Our penultimate review this weeks has me taking me a look at another flavour that has never been present here in the UK. Looking elsewhere online I have managed to track this bar down to Australia - See HERE, where it appears to have once made up the triple variant Chunky range over there. Interestingly enough, a quick look at the Australian Nestle website revealed that it has obviously been axed, as it no longer appears listed as part of the range - See HERE.

Described as a 'crisp wafer finger with a chocolate flavour topping, covered in milk chocolate', this flavour didn't sound the most exciting out of the four. That said I was impressed by the look of the bar with it's plentiful chocolate topping, which looked appetizing above the wafer. What did it taste like!? Well this bar did exactly what it said on the tin. The milky sweet chocolate flavours were far more dominant over the wafer and the taste had an intensified chocolate focus. The extra chocolateyness meant the malt and biscuit elements generated by the wafer less of a input in the end taste which wasn't to my own preference.

Overall although I would classify this 'Double Choc' variety as the least exciting, I still wouldn't classify it as a poor chocolate bar. Without doubt this is the 'safest' flavour out of the selection. I can't see anyone disliking it, though neither can I see it having a great fan base due. I would be surprised if it turned out to be the Chunky Champion.

8.1 out of 10

Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 17th: Kit Kat Chunky Orange

2012-01-17T07:00:00.004Z

Kcal 247 Fat 12.5g Carbs 30.2g

Day Two, and becuase it's a Tuesday I've decided to throw my least favourite of the selection in to the mix (I don't like Tuesdays :D). Today the Kit Kat Chunky Orange takes it's stab at the JCM rating system. As far as I'm aware this is a bar that is new to the Chunky format, and has only previously appeared in it's two finger form - See HERE. I was interested to see how the bar would do in this 48.0g form - Just for your information all of the new four bars weigh in at 48.0g.

Out of the four this the strongest smelling of the selection, the orange scents radiated from the foil confines as soon as the seal was broken. The bar came described as a 'crispy wafer finger with orange flavoured milk chocolate' - this literally was the two finger orange Kit Kat in a grandeur form. Split in to the three blocks, this was a bar that I felt like I'd had enough of by the second. The orange flavours within the milk chocolate were desperately sugary - more so than the white chocolate. Post consuming the third block I felt that horrible throat burning sensation beginning to stir at the back of my mouth.

Overall I can see chocolate orange fans being happy enough with this bar, but I think the average consumer will be happy enough leaving this flavour to the two-finger format. I would be surprised if this 'Orange' variant took the Chunky Champion crown.

7.8 out of 10

Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 16th: Kit Kat Chunky White Choc

2012-01-16T07:00:00.003Z

Kcal 250 Fat 13.0g Carbs 29.1g

It's Day One of the Kit Kat Chunky Champion Week and today we are taking a looking at the 'White Choc' offering. Long time JCM readers will be aware that this is a bar I have previously reviewed from Germany - See HERE. That was a review I wrote nearly three years (WOW!!) and where I concluded by saying how I was 'bemused why this bar is not available in the UK'. Well now you all have the opportunity to vote it in to the everyday Chunky range, and having tasted it once again I wouldn't be one to be disappointed if it was.

As I commented so wisely in April 2009 (haha!), the white chocolate coating to this bar wasn't white chocolate in it's finest form, but it's sweet, milky flavours provided a pleasant mellow contrast to the usual milk chocolate. A full bar of this sugary white chocolate wouldn't be such a desirable prospect, but the malty, biscuit flavours of the wafer counterbalanced the searing sweetness just enough to make for a moreish tasty bar of chocolate.

Overall my score of this 'White Choc' Chunky stays consistent from three years ago. In my opinion this has one has got a good chance of becoming a permanent fixture to the Kit Kat Chunky range.

8.5 out of 10

Remember the JCM Kit Kat Chunky Week Competition - Follow me on Twitter & Retweet my reviews!

January 14th: Kit Kat Chunky Champion Week

2012-01-14T07:00:00.003Z

So much for a hiatus eh!? Presenting DAY 1 of Kit Kat Chunky Week here on JCM. Indeed I've come out of blogging hibernation to give the JCM verdict on Nestle's latest Kit Kat Chunky Champion competition which will all be kicking off January 23rd 2012.

" ... consumers will be asked to vote for their favourite from four new flavours, with the eventual winner being added to the Kit-Kat line-up permanently. One voter a day will win £100 ..." ... full details HERE

Starting next week Monday I will be doing mini reviews of the four flavours in contention - White Choc, Double Choc, Peanut Butter & Orange. Not only are you guys getting reviews, but I'm also running a competition to win your own full set of the four contenders stated above.

To enter simply follow me on Twitter (@Chocmission) & then retweet one of my tweets this week.

See you Monday for our first Kit Kat Chunky Champion Contender! Here's a cheeky sneak peek to whet the appetite ;-)

JIM

January 12th: Midweek Mini Snickers 3x Chocolate

2012-01-12T07:00:00.004Z

Kcal 210 Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 28.0g (per 45.0g bar)

This weeks 'Midweek Mini' is another new bar from the States and our friends at Mars. This Snickers 3x Chocolate was another that I spotted in Cybele's Candy Tease post back in November (See HERE). Similar to the Mars Triple Choc limited edition we got here in the UK in 2011 (See HERE), this Snickers bar came with the proposition of the golden caramel being swapped for a 'chocolate caramel' alternative. Add in the usual milk chocolate coating and chocolate nougat and you have yourself the new Snickers 3x Chocolate.

The package came devised in to two separate 45.0g bars that were nice to eat across separate sittings. I thought the wrapper looked good - I can't recall the blue being used before for a Snickers bar. When it came to bar aromas, all the usual gorgeous Snickers peanut scents were on offer, it was only the much darker coloured caramel that gave away the bar was a slightly different animal to the norm. So what did the chocolate caramel add to the experience? Well it had much the same effect as it did in the Mars Triple Choc UK bar. The chocolate intensity and emphasis was increased a notch, however the usual butterscotch and salty peanut contrast was of course lacking.

Overall this was a tasty chocolate bar, but just as I expected it didn't have the classic caramel version beat. Like so many limited editions (I'm assuming this is a limited edition btw!) It's one of those bars you will buy once, enjoy, yet just revert back to the original when the time comes again when you fancy a Snickers.

8.6 out of 10

January 9th: Kellogg's Pop Tarts Frosted Chocolate Chip

2012-01-09T07:00:00.005Z

Kcal 210 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs 36.0g

It may be a whole new year but the same generous site sponsors continue to support the ChocolateMission. Throughout 2011, American Soda were my chief supplier of American goodies, and they took it upon themselves to make it their business that I try every Pop Tart flavour currently Stateside (See older Pop Tart reviews HERE). Continuing my mini ChocolateMission side project on today, I tried out the Kellogg's Pop Tarts Frosted Chocolate Chip flavour. Although the box proclaimed that these were a 'good source of 8 vitamins & minerals', I somewhat doubted these were as good for me as my usual bran based cereal :D

American Soda sent these to me in an 8 count box that split the contents into 4 foil wrapped packages with two in each. Aesthetically the Pop Tarts looked nice, and I was pleased to see that the 'Frosting' was sparingly placed on top and not fully coated. Having had it's session in the toaster, my kitchen was filled with nice smelling, sweet chocolatey aromas. One thing of note was the caution that had to be taken removing the toaster pastry from the toaster itself. The piping hot inner chocolate filling was oozing out the small puddle holes on the top of the pastry - I guess this was to establish the chocolate chip effect'. FYI, I'm describing these from a 'toasted' perspective, as this was by far my favoured method of consumption rather than from room temperature or frozen. Speaking firstly of the outer pastry, I found it to be a far nicer than a lot of the chocolate flavoured pastry Pop Tarts I had tried previously. This plain pastry had more of a biscuity taste and wasn't as sugary or sweet tasting as say the stuff used on the UK's Chocotastic (See HERE) or the US's Ice Cream Fudge (See HERE). The filling was also pretty tasty in comparison to other more disappointing chocolate focused Pop Tart flavours. It wasn't chocolate of any great quality, though on reflection it did generate a chocolatey flavour hit, and it was noticeably more fluid and not sticky and dry like others I've had. As far these providing a nutritious and filling breakfast I can't say these ticked those boxes. My chocolate hunger pans were at least satisfied to a reasonable degree though.

Overall these probably rank among the better Pop Tart flavours I've tried but I wouldn't be able to say with any confidence that they are worthy of replacing your everyday breakfast. What I did like about these was that they weren't overcomplicated like some of the other attempted flavours that Pop Tarts have tried doing. As far as delivering on their promise to provide a credible chocolate flavour hit these are a success. As I said above, this isn't chocolate in any grandeur from, but if you are after a chocolatey breakfast option you wont be left disappointed. I'm sure there are better Pop Tart flavours out there, but if you are the kind who wants to keep things simple and veer away from the 'Triple, double, cherry topped, cream flavoured Chocolate Trifle' flavour :D then these are worthy of looking at.

7.5 out of 10

Midweek Mini: 3 Musketeers Coconut

2012-01-05T19:44:00.003Z

Midweek Mini - what the blazes!?? This is my new way of keeping you guys in the swing of the latest market offerings. 'Midweek Mini's will be short, snappy, straight to the point, but will include the standard photo excellence *ahem* and of course the all important JCM jurisdiction graphs and scores. Enjoy.

Kcal 180 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 32.0g

It was with great excitement last year that I read about Mars' intention to bring out this coconut flavored version of one of my all time favourite mass confection bars the 3 Musketeers (read via Candyblog HERE). By the time I had managed to source one over here in the UK, my anticipation was pretty high so it's with regret that I have to inform you that my expectations were sadly nowhere near exceeded.

In regards to presentation, the bar showed promise; the delightful coconutty scents of the chocolate in particular smelt delightful. Unfortunately the taste was the let down, as these promising coconut aromas did not translate into a favourable coconut flavour experience. The outer chocolate delivered it's standard sweet, milky Mars taste, however a very sugary, artifical and ultimately rather sickly coconut element dominated the usual malty nougat flavours of the nougat. Despite the bar being significantly smaller that it's sibling milk chocolate version, I definitely couldn't have eaten more than the 42.0g on offer due to monotone chemically derived coconut flavouring.

Overall I felt this was a disappointing attempt at a coconut variant from Mars and I would have welcomed them using a natural source of coconut flavouring rather than the artificial means they used here. Worth trying the once, but probably not a bar I would buy again.

7.0 out of 10

January 2nd: Kit Kat Wasabi / Black Honey (Japan)

2012-01-02T07:00:00.001Z

Happy 2012 everybody!!! This blog may be on it's knees for a while with the new reduced posting schedule (See note below!!!), but don't worry I have a cracker of a review lined up for you today.

Just before Christmas time, my pals over @J-List sent me some of the latest Japenese Kit Kat flavours that are doing the rounds right now in the Far East. Below are my thoughts on two of that Peter sent over, we have a nice bit of variety with the dangerous sounding Wasabi flavour, to the milder sounding Black Honey option. FYI both of these came in beautifully presented boxs that contained twelve of these Miniature Kit Kats in each. Personally I find the Miniature size just about right to have as little treat with afternoon/after dinner cup of coffee.

You can buy these HERE!!!
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KIT KAT WASABI
Kcal Fat Fat(sats) Carbs

You know what Wasabi is right!? (If not See HERE). In a nutshell, Wasabi is an extremelly strong Japanese condiment that is made using Japanese horseradishes, and is comonlly used as a way of flavouring savoury dishes such as sushi etc. The Japanese being the Japanese with all their wonderful creativity *ahem*, have recently seen fit to place the stuff in one of the world's leading confectionary snacks our beloved Kit Kat - why you ask!??? Well I'm sure the Japanese would flip that very question back on you ... why not!? I approached these with a high level of caution expecting a 'blow the back the back of my pants off' (haha!!) type experience. Frankly I needn't have done so, these were not as expected at all. Indeed upon tasting them I gathered underlying grassy, herby mustard undertones admist the creamy, sweet white chocolate, though the 'heat' and spice elements were a real let down. I wanted (and fully prepared for!!) a big time heat surge but what I got was a mild, minor warmth at best. To be honest I felt underwhelmed by these given the proposition that could have been.

6.8 out of 10

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BLACK HONEY

Kcal Fat Fat(sats) Carbs

Times and posting structures change but my philosophys will stay the same - best until last!? You bet!! This was one of the flavours that when I opened my box from J-List I had no clue to what it actually was. A brief bit of research on the internet led me to understand that this was a Japanese Black Honey flavor (Kuromitsu literally means “black honey”), something confirmed by the on-pack image. With it's white chocolate pairing I was somewhat expecting this to be too sweet for my taste, however I have to say this was one of the best Kit Kats I've tasted in a long time from Japan. Much as the name portrayed the taste was largelly akin to Mayple Syrup, and had a lovely slight burnt sugar taste to it. This paired with the creamy white chocolate made for a honey and sweet yogurt type experience that I found delightful in this mini format. This flavour wouldn't work in say the 'Chunky' or 'Four-Finger' format, though consumed as a sweet side-bite it was nigh on perfect. I would buy these again.

8.3 out of 10

December 31st: Three Years ......

2011-12-31T07:00:00.031Z

Three Years and it's time for a break folks!!

Indeed after three long (chocolate filled) years I'm going to have to unfortunately change the general running of this site. At the back end of 2011 you may have noticed that my updating of the site was become less frequent. Apologies for not being clear but there were many things going on at the time - without giving you my life story I have got myself a new job, new flat etc. All these changes are happening right now so I will have to dedicate a great amount of time adjusting to these new demands.

So I guess you are asking how this effects the site?

Well for the time being the site will:

* Have one post a week (minimum)
* Be running with comments disabled (due to the amount of spam being received)

During peak holiday times e.g. Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas etc the site will no doubt be a lot more active, but for the time being you will notice things will be scaled back.

Thank you for all the support - I hope you continue to read the site and don't forget you can get hold of me via Twitter @ChocMission. The Jim's ChocolateMission beast isn't dead ... just hibernating :D

JIM

December 29th: 'Bits n Bobs' Hungarian Chocolate Collection

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000Z

Before things get underway today I must express a big thank you to JCM reader/contributor Thea who sent over these wonderful chocolates from Hungary for me to try. These today are my first ever Hungarian chocolate reviews so please bare with me as my knowledge on the brands and chocolates involved ranges from clueless to non-existent :D Thea was so kind to send a right old variety.

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.
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Stuhmer ChocolatesIf their brand logo is anything to go by Stuhmer chocolate has to be one of the oldest brands in the world hailing all the way back to 1868. A little research via my friend google revealed that: (warning history lesson inbound!!).

'The biggest chocolate factory of Hungary was founded in 1868 by a confectioner named Frigyes Stuhmer ... In 1883 he built a steam-working chocolate factory with this the mass-production of chocolate was estabilished in Hungary ... The secret of his success was the fact that the Stuhmer company was able to produce products for a wide range of consumers at a lower price, but this cheaper products were also made with such a great care that they became well-know in a very short time ... After his death in 1890 his successors managed the factory, which became obsolete and much less competitive to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1907 dr. Geza Stuhmer, St¨1hmer's younger son took over the governance of the plant and started rescuing it.'

Nowadays the brand appears to be much refined in terms of range, with other more mass targeted brands (more on them later!) taking the lionshare of the market. Stuhmer does however still have a few bars in market, and it appears that they try to differentiate their chocolate through some wonderfully vintage styled packaging. Both the bars below were presented beautifully - see what I made of the chocolate:Stuhmer Tejcsokolade
Kcal 560 Fat 36.2g Carbs 51.2g (per 100.0g)

This milk chocolate was a 33.0% recipe that contained no more than six standard ingredients. Taste wise it reminded me a lot of Moser Roth German chocolate in that it had a smooth milky, sweet cocoa flavour delivery. It wasn't quite as definable, rich or full bodied as Lindt's extra creamy milk chocolate, but it was getting there and satisfied me enough to keep reaching back for another block. Texturally it came across a little chalky and lazy in pace to melt, however these were by no means experience ruining. Overall a fair standard milk chocolate.

7.5 out of 10

Stuhmer Etcsokolade
Kcal 486 Fat 32.9g Carbs 40.1g (per 100.0g)

This was I guess the more adventurous out of the two Stuhmer bars I tried and was billed as 'dark chocolate with candied orange peel'. Like the milk chocolate above, the melt and pace of the chocolate texture wise was a little dry and unspectacular, though like the milk chocolate it was decent enough when it came to the bar taste. The 70.0% dark chocolate was underpowered in terms of taste for it's strength but the non-bitter cocoa flavours were a decent enough back setting for the orange peel which brought pleasant sweet fruit bursts very so often. Again it was nowhere near the standards of Lindt's Orange Intense chocolate, but it was fair nonetheless.

7.1 out of 10

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Boci Sargabarackos-KekszesBoci Sargabarackos-Kekszes
Kcal 541 Fat 31.6g Carbs 56.5g (per 100.0g)

It probably would have been easier hacking in to Microsoft's mainframe than it was finding out any information about this Nestle owned brand Boci. After much internet trawling I finally came across this:

'...in 1992, The Wall Street Journal Europe reported that Nestle promptly acquired three factories and invested 20 million Swiss francs (US$ 13.4 million) in Hungary. One of the factories Nestlé acquired produced a highly popular local chocolate called Boci (little cow). Nestlé sought to capitalize on the strength of the Boci name, and decided to create a more premium chocolate by replacing the smoky taste of Boci with the taste of Swiss milk chocolate. When Nestlé launched the new Boci chocolate, complete with a redesign of the communist-era packaging and a premium price tag, sales plunged. Boci and other Hungarian brands suffered from an anti-communist backlash as consumers were eager to get their hands on the new Western products.' .... oh dear Nestle :D

Thankfully I did my research after I tasted the bar, so my opinions weren't swayed with expectations of a more premium smoky taste. What I experienced was a product that reminded me of Milka chocolate, with everything from the style of packaging and taste pretty closely aligned to the German alternative. Taste wise, the chocolate had a mild set of milky, cocoa flavours that were livened up no end by the enhancing 'apricot and biscuit' pieces on offer here. The fruit and biscuit influences were very well integrated here, creating true and real tasting apricot flavour licks and a delightful crumbly biscuit interplay to the texture. As a fan of Milka chocolate this was a chocolate I enjoyed and I would suggest this would a similar experience for like minded people.

7.7 out of 10

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Tibi Premium 70%Tibi Premium 70%
Kcal 599 Fat 40.5g Carbs 41.8g (per 100.0g)

Last and well .. least :D we have this Tibi Premium 70% chocolate. Again acquiring information on Tibi wasn't the easiest, though I did manage to come across this basic background information:

'The production of Tibi chocolate began in 1941, in Vágóhíd street, Budapest. Tibi was named after the grandson of the founder and thus it started its successful history in 1942. Tibi chocolate is available in 100.0g packages, with 16 different kinds of tibi chocolate available according to your taste. It is a range that is supplemented in the different periods of the year with seasonal products as well.'

Sound familiar!? Indeed yet another Milka style brand. Described as 'Fine dark chocolate', I was unconvinced by the packaging, which appeared to be trying to have it's feet in two camps, promoting a mass consumer brand, but with a premium style dark chocolate - it didn't work for me. This confusion as to what it wanted to be became even more apparent upon taste testing, as the strongly billed 70.0% cocoa bar frankly tasted sweeter than any dark chocolate I think I've had previously. To my surprise the non-bitter initial cocoa flavours became increasingly diluted as a strong brown sugar note developed along with the development of the melt. This wasn't a poor tasting chocolate by any means, but for a 70.0% bar suggest a 'fine dark chocolate' experience it was really nothing of the sort.

6.5 out of 10

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Well that's all the Hungarian chocolates I have for you today folks. Thanks again to Thea for making this possible and sending me across these chocolates. They may not have been the highest scoring chocolates ever featured on the site, but they were immensely enjoyable to research and taste.

December 25th: Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T07:00:00.002Z

Happy Christmas everybody!!! I hope you all have a great day filled with chocolatey treats.

JIM

December 21st: Bits n Bobs - Jim's Christmas 2011 Guide Part # 3

2011-12-21T07:00:00.003Z

We are down to the last few days before Christmas now! Here are my final few tips on what you should be treating everyone to this year.

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.

ONLINE - There is still time to get your orders in. Check out the reviews and then get them in quick folks!!!

Hotel Chocolat - Reviews HERE

J-List - Reviews HERE

Heavenly Cakes - Reviews HERE

American Soda - Reviews HERE

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HIGHSTREET - If you are going really last minute (that's the fun way to do it!!) then you might be interested in these Hightstreet options.

Marks & Spencer (£0.75 per item) - M&S have several little bits and pieces in their range this year. Below you will see chocolate coins (and bills!!), an aerated chocolate Santa and even a caramel filled chocolate Santa. Admittedly the chocolate isn't the best quality going but all these are good as stocking fillers.

Milka (£4.00) - I've unfortunately missed out on the Milka seasonal limited editions this Christmas (Booo!!), but I've still got time to send you in the direction of their Milka Minis Collection. It features some of their best flavours including the 'Cream', 'Hazelnut', 'Milk' and even the almighty 'Daim' variety. A box full of these would be a welcome addition to anyone's Christmas haul. Milka reviews HERE

Galaxy (£3.00) - There's plenty of Galaxy offerings out there this Christmas but if I had to pick one I would go for a box of these Galaxy Promises. They come in 'Truffle' or 'Caramel' varieties - I would suggest the latter but that's just my own personal preference. As each are individually wrapped these could be used for decorative purposes e.g. in cards, stockings etc.
Galaxy Promises Review HERE

American Foods - If you are lucky enough to live near one of the American food importer stores you might want to consider putting together a package of your dear ones favourite American foodstuffs. Take a look at the package I put together for someone this year!
(American Soda are based in Greater Manchester HERE)
..... and if all else fails ... Cadbury & Nestle - If you are really at the peril of budget/time constraints then why not just plump for these classics. The Nestle Smarties milk chocolate Penguin, Nestle Milkybar Cow and Cadbury Wishes Star - all available for £1.99 each or likely on a 2 for £3.00 in a supermarket near you. Affordable, easily accessible and tasty. A safe last resort.

December 19th: Last Orders - Ladies and Gentlemen !

2011-12-19T07:00:00.002Z

I'm sure you are all like me and are counting down the days until the big time Christmas Festivities. I thought I would use the time today to showcase some of the delightful stuff sent my way by some of the site sponsors. The time for ordering from these guys is drawing in to close, so be sure to get those last cheeky ones in .... we wouldn't want anyone to go without a present now would we :D

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.

Hotel Chocolat - These Stylish, ribbon-tied Christmas crackers will be present at the JCM family Christmas Dinner this year. Yes even Hotel Chocolat aren't adverse to god awful jokes and silly hats :D At least you know the chocolate will be good :D Order HERE

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J-List - These guys have been sending me crazy things all year round, and just in time for Christmas they have restocked their stocks of local Kit Kat flavours. One of the these is the Kit Kat Green Matcha (Review HERE), a surprisingly tasty green tea flavoured incarnation of our favourite wafer snack. If you are looking for a confection gift that is a little different from normal I would head to J-List. Order HERE

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AmericanSoda - If Western treats and snacks are more your thing then you will want to be heading to our friends over at AmericanSoda. These guys have all manner of different American foodstuffs including all your favourite Reese's, Hershey's etc Just recently they sent me some of the latest Taste of Nature Cookie Dough Bite flavours (Past Reviews HERE) that I took round a mates house for watching a film. Both these packs got gobbled in minutes - addictive doesn't quite do them justice (especially the Cinnamon Bun flavour!!). Order HERE

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Heavenly Cakes - Last but by no means least I better not forget Heavenly Cakes. @BettyBakes is still working hard cooking up batches of all the cakes I've shown you in the last few weeks (See HERE). Need I remind you that they have some other absolutely gorgeous cakes (Marathon Flapjack pictured!!) .... no probably not! Heavenly Cakes have you covered for cakes this year folks! Order HERE

December 17th: Bits n Bobs - Jim's Christmas 2011 Guide Part # 2

2011-12-17T07:00:00.002Z

Hi All,

I think you all probably know the drill by now for my Christmas Guides. Below you will find mini reviews of some of the Festive offerings we have this year. Not all of them come recommended, but hopefully I can give you a good steer as to what is about on the market this year ....

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.
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Heavenly Cakes Cinnamon Shortbread

Lets face it, the Christmas cakes from Heavenly this year have been ... well .. Heavenly!! Everything from the Christmas Crimbo Crumble (See HERE) to the Midnight Mint Brownie (See HERE) - it's all been excellent and the scores have been high across the board. One of their Christmas cakes that might have been overlooked however, is their Cinnamon Shortbread. With all the hype and excitement of the new Crimbo and Chocolate Christmas Cake slices, I'm sure a number of you will have overlooked this plainer biscuity offering. Indeed, the Cinnamon Shortbread may be a little less 'Showy' that the other cakes this year, but believe me it's every bit as tasty. Alongside a warm mug of milky tea this was quite simply a divine, crumbly butter biscuit that with it's slightly spiced cinnamon flavour edge created both a warming and comforting Christmassy feel when consumed. This is one of the cakes that is well worth adding to an order to take you over the £20.00 mark for that free delivery offer.

8.2 out of 10

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Mr Kipling Chocolate & Orange Whirls
Kcal 138 Fat 8.1g Fat(sats) 3.2g Carbs 14.9g (per Whirl)

Mr Kipling may be hanging on to the pinny-tails of one @BettyBakes, but lets face it, this old man is catering for much larger mass market audience than our Betty. What with all the increased competition from the likes of Burton's and McVitie's flooding the shelves with festive options, Mr K hasn't exactly been shy himself this Christmas and has supplied us all with several Christmas themed cakes and slices. Indeed, alongside the Frosty Fancies (See HERE), we have this year got ourselves these Chocolate & Orange Whirls - 'chocolate shortcake fancies filled with orange flavoured buttercream and chocolate sauce'. On the eyes and ears they looked and sounded a lovely prospect so I was pleased when they also tasted pretty lovely too. The weakest part of these was definitely the shortcake due to it's dry texture, but even was fast forgotten upon revelation of the chocolate sauce and orange buttercream layers. Combined these brought rich chocolatey, sweet smooth fondant orange flavours to the party and made for a a reassuringly unique and satisfying taste. I hope these don't get lost in the crowd too much this year, I hope they return next as my safe cheap cake offering.

8.0 out of 10

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Hotel Chocolat Petits Cheesecakes

The 'Old Man' went a bit photo happy with this one here, but I'm sure not many of you will be complaining about that :D New to the Hotel Chocolat range this Christmas time, this four pack of chocolates cost £6.50 and they came beautifully presented in a very twee looking box. Comprising of Mango & Peach (Superb), Caramel (Superb), Chocolate (Very Good) and Raspberry (Very Good) cheesecake offerings this was a mini box providing both variety and sensational tasting chocolates. Hotel Chocolat have a fantastic pedigree when it comes to their fruity chocs, and things were no different here with the Mango & Peach white chocolate proving to a firm favourite with my Mother. The Caramel Cheesecake was the pick of the bunch for me - I'm sure that will surprise none of you :D In truth all four of the chocolates in the pack were spot on flavour wise and could be seen as 'star attractions' in any given box of chocolates. Stocking filler a-go-go!!!

8.8 out of 10

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McVitie's Temptations Digestive Mint Slice
Kcal 152 Fat 7.7g Fat(sats) 3.9g Carbs 19.1g

After reviewing my first lot of McVitie's Temptations offerings in my first Christmas Guide I couldn't help but feel the need to try another variety from the range when confronted with the opportunity. This chance came about when I was confronted by a huge display in my local Tesco, which had the entirety of the new Temptations range on a BOGOF/£1.00 introductory offer - it was time to fill my boots. As aforementioned last week it was refreshing to see a manufacture this time of year produce some new product development without feeling the need to slap a picture of Santa/Rudolph on the front :D No, these Digestive Mint Slices just came in individual plastic wrappers and in sensible sized 32.0g servings. Taste wise I think these have the potential to split folk down the middle. The chocolate was certainly nothing to write home about, but the raisin enhanced flapjack base was pretty tasty and had a pleasant butter noted oatyness to it. What I think might split people down the middle was the subtle hint of mint present throughout. It enhanced the dull chocolate nicely, though I thought it was a little unnatural paired with the raisins. All in all these were fair, but with all the tasty treats around this Christmas time I probably wont be buying these again soon.

7.0 out of 10

December 14th: Hotel Chocolat Classic Christmas H-Box Selection (2011)

2011-12-14T07:00:00.002Z

Over the past three years I've been treated to many Hotel Chocolat Christmas themed selections including:

*Hotel Chocolat Sparkling Stars Caramels (See HERE),
*Hotel Chocolat The H-Box Christmas Selection Without Alcohol (See HERE)
*Hotel Chocolat The Sleekster Classic Christmas Selection (See HERE)

Well quelle surprise they have updated and refreshed their Classic Christmas Selection for 2011. Below you will see what I made of all the new flavours.

Before I give you my verdict on some of the new chocolates in the collection this year, it's only right that I inform you of some of the 'old school' favourites that retained their places. Above there you can see (from left-to-right) Simple Milk Truffle, House Praline, Rum Ingot, Caramel Chocolate Baubel, Mulled Wine, Champagne Truffle and a Salted Caramel Dome. I suggest if you want to see remind yourself of how they all faired, you check out the older reviews I posted above.

Gingerbread Truffle - The dark chocolate shell was a good match for the inner ginger filling and the melt transition was perfect. The mouth feel of this dome shaped piece was super soft, yet had a little grip to it which meant the spicy flavours were longer sustained. Very Good.

Zesty Marzipan Star - This was a stunning chocolate and one notable for it's dexterous flavours and textures. The crisp outer dark chocolate contained a beautiful, cool, juicy orange ganache that topped a small under layer of firm, delicious almond marzipan. Superb.

Christmas Mess - This Christmas variation of one of my all time favourite chocolates was better than the normal HC Eton Mess for just one simple reason .... it was much bigger :D I needn't say more. Superb (times a million!!).

Cherry Florentine - You will have seen several reviews before where I have expressed my love for HC's Florentine chocolates. This one here was every bit as good as it has been previously, just with a touch of cherry fruit to give it a sweet, real tasting red berry taste. Very Good.

Ginger Cheesecake - This piece also features in the smaller Cheesecake Dessert pack so I was well versed what to expect here. It again presented itself as sensational piece, with the sugary, gooey ginger layer at the bottom contrasting perfectly with the sour cream notes of the firm cream ganache ontop. Wrapped in thick dark chocolate this was only ever getting one rating. Superb.

Star Anise - I adore aniseed so I can't tell you how much I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately I was left feeling extremely underwhelmed as the booze element overwhelmed the very subtle licorice undertones. This should have been so much better than it was. Poor.

Overall it wont come as any surprise to you folks that Hotel Chocolat have maintained this as a simply fantastic selection box offering. I genuinely think you are going to be hard pressed to find another collection where the range of flavours and different truffle types are as variable as they are here. By and large, the range in the quality of the chocolates is very narrow - a good 90.0% of them being either very good or superb. In terms of the retained pieces from previous years, I think they chose right keeping some of the plainer chocolates for the less adventurous, whilst also keeping the more unique offerings such as the Mulled Wine and Rum Ingot in the mix. For the third year running I feel entirely comfortable recommending this selection. There is something there for everyone, whether it be a highly intricate Zesty Marzipan Star or just a simple Caramel Bauble. A double JCM thumbs up from me.

8.6 out of 10

December 12th: Heavenly Cakes Christmas Chocolate Cake

2011-12-12T07:00:00.002Z

Rounding off the Christmas reviews for Heavenly Cakes this year we have the last of their new festive offerings, the Christmas Chocolate Cake. This cake is one that @BettyBakes (Heavenly's 'in-character Twitter feed) has been lauding about for months now - even on their website (See HERE) Heavenly see fit to dub it their 'Festive crowning glory'. Promising a 'fudgy choc base, mincemeat, marzipan, Belgian milk choc & a marzipan snowflake on top' this certainly sounded like a cake with potential to trouble the upper levels of the JCM scoring chart.

I received these cakes in the traditional Heavenly Cakes 'single serve' format, however chose on both occasions to split it in half to share with another taste tester. On the face of things, I thought this was easily the nicest looking of all four of the new Heavenly Cakes Christmas varieties on offer this year. The layering system between the chocolate cake, chocolate coating and marzipan decoration was very evident and their arrangement made for a cake that looked both appetising and interesting. Aroma wise the presence of the Christmas spices was made very apparent upon the breaking open the cellophane packet - as Homer Simpson would say MMMMMM CHRISTMAS :D

As I mentioned above, I took two fellow taste testers along for the ride today and boy were they grateful. Namely my Mother and a work colleague were these very people and their conclusions about this cake matched that very much of my own. Now I'm probably reading too much into this but if you look at the name of the product it is the word 'Christmas' that precedes 'Chocolate Cake' - thus indicating to us that this was supposed to be a Chrismassy flavoured chocolate cake base and not the other way around. Well anyway this is exactly what we got here - the chocolate cake base had this delightful moistness to it and had parts of greater viscocity where the raisin fruits were portioned. Taste wise the cake was a dream and had a scintilating flavour journey that was rooted in rich, buttery cocoa wheatyness, but enhanced every so often by hints of cinnamon, sweet fruits, nuts and sugar. For most this would just be enough, however Heavenly Cakes always ensure they give that little bit extra to ensure they are a cut above. Indeed, topping this gorgeous cake were delicious layers of fudgy chocolate and marzipan. Both of these brought their desired cream and nut flavours, and they did so with unique smooth melting, soft textures. Altogether this was a Christmas Chocolate Cake dream.

Overall all I can say is 'WOW what a cake!' Those were the words uttered by my work colleague who was having their first ever Heavenly Cakes experience, and I don't think they could have summed it up better. This was simply just another stunning offering from the HC guys and it was a cake that ticked almost every box from what I wanted from a Christmas season cake. It was rich, chocolatey, spicecy and just wholly warming and satisfying for this time of year. Eaten as snack or as a dessert in itself, this would no doubt be warmly met by any chocolate fanatic Christmas cake lover. I could spend all day telling you just how excellent I thought this cake was, but I would rather you just try some yourself - I'm sure 99.0% of you will be in full agreement of just how special it is. I did my usual trick of saving the best until last but don't worry there is still plenty of time for you to get an order in (See HERE). If you do I am extremely confident there will be no regrets.

9.1 out of 10

December 10th: Bits n Bobs - Jim's Christmas 2011 Guide Part #1

2011-12-10T07:00:00.002Z

Hi All,

It's that time again when I run down my recommendations for Christmas. Today I bring you Part #1 featuring Elizabeth Shaw, McVitie's, Heavenly Cakes and Hotel Chocolat to name a few. These reviews will be short, sharp and concise. Any questions, thoughts and opinions are welcome - just drop off a comment.

Just to clarify, not everything featured will get a JCM score or recommendation. This guide is here to give my own personal opinion on what's 'hot' and what it is 'not'. I hope you enjoy the post.

N.B. Please contact me via Twitter if needs be @ChocMission - please do not attempt to leave comments on this post.
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Mint - Kcal 504 Fat 31.6g Fat(sats) 19.9g Carbs 48.6g (per 100.0g)
Butterscotch - Kcal 524 Fat 28.8g Fat(sats) 18.1g Carbs 60.1g (per 100.0g)

Elizabeth Shaw is one of those brands that we always seeing pop-up around Christmas time here in the UK. One would normally associate the brand with it's widespread Mint Crisp Mini Chocolates, but last week I found these new bars on shelf in my local Sainsbury's priced at £1.89 each which made them a more affordable option compared to the bigger 'Mini Chocolate' packs. The chocolate wrappers were nicely presented but I was disappointed that each bar had no decoration patterns or branding. The dark chocolate mint bar was the nicer of the two given with it's better contrasting semi-sweet to sugary mint honeycomb focus. For me the milk chocolate and butterscotch was just a little overpowering on the sugar front with the honeycomb pieces in that one more coming across like balls of clustered sugar rather than the desired floral noted honey taste. I wouldn't buy either again but if you wish to try them for yourselves before buying the bigger packs then they could be of use.

Dark Chocolate Mint - 7.6 out of 10
Milk Chocolate Butterscotch - 6.9 out of 10
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Heavenly Cakes Midnight Mint Cake- Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???
This isn't a review but more a recommendation and a 'heads-up' that Heavenly Cakes have their seasonal Midnight Mint Cake back in-stock on their site (See HERE). You may recall this was a cake of their's that I reviewed last year (See HERE). I commented that this 'milk chocolate brownie base, topped with a layer of mint fondant and Belgian dark chocolate' was 'the best Christmas themed cake' I ate that year, so suffice to say it is well worth your attention again this year. Achieving a score of 9.0 is no mean feat here on JCM and I can confirm that this years batch is every bit as good as the last. Fans of dark chocolate mints will fall in love with this cake, I'm 100.0% sure of that.
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Hotel Chocolat Yule Log Hazelnut & Ginger - Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

Was it likely there was ever going to be a JCM Christmas Guide without a Hotel Chocolat product featuring!?? No obviously not :D For the third year running (Yes, I know I've been doing this to long!!), my pals at HC sent me a 'Yule Log', with this years flavour being their ginger and hazelnut variety. With the past experiences in fresh memory (See HERE & HERE) this was one that was welcomed with sheer delight when the grand unveiling of our Christmas sampling package took place. Suffice to say this wasn't one that let us down and it was met with an even grander seal of approval than the logs that had come before. The base praline gianduja was utterly indulgent, and had a rich cocoa nuttyness that was in a real standout class of it's own. The woddy nut focus of the base was further compounded by the whole hazelnuts pieces that littered the top of the entire log. The more savoury flavour focus beautifully contrasted with the sweet, syrupy ginger slithers, which with their softer jelly like texture created an intriguing mix up of textures. A portion of this tucked alongside a dark coffee is an experience worth investing in.

8.6 out of 10

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Cake Bars - Kcal 141 Fat 7.1g Fat(sats) 3.6g Carbs 18.1g (per Bar)
Biscuits - Kcal 50 Fat 2.9g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 5.6g (per Biscuit)

Whereas it seems the rest of the market are content with slapping a picture of Santa/Rudloph on the front of their packs and calling their products 'Winter/Christmas Editions', McVitie's appear to have chosen a slightly different strategy. Indeed it seems that McVitie's are happy just pushing their 'Temptations' product line, a range that started out as just biscuits, but have now followed up with some cake type offerings. I purchased the two products you see today at Tesco (£1.00 of course), where on a aisle end they had all types of different 'Temptations' varieties. The white chocolate with inner milk chocolate biscuits turned out to be just as nice as than the previous Praline variety I had tried (See HERE), and the light milky flavours went nicely with the buttery biscuit base. Whilst the biscuits were the nicer lighter option of the two, the Cake Bars provided a more substantial snack and they tasted pretty good to boot. The base cake and outer chocolate components established a Galaxy like creamy sweetness, though it was the 'creamy topping' layer that gave me greatest pleasure. This element was heavily vanilla noted in taste and brought a highly desired moistness alongside the chewy chocolate caramel. Neither of these will fill you with Christmas cheer, but bravo McVitie's for breaking the mould and not jumping of the bandwagon.

White Chocolate Truffle Biscuits - 7.3 out of 10
Chocolatey Cake Bars - 7.7 out of 10

December 7th: Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection

2011-12-07T07:00:00.003Z

If you thought Artisan du Chocolat were content with showcasing just the one Christmas 2011 offering this year on JCM you better think again because today we have this 'O Magic Collection' giving our tried and and tested rating system a run for it's money. Yes indeed, following on from my review last week of their 'Christmas Chocolate Pudding' truffles (See HERE), this 'limited edition twenty piece box of dark, milk and white chocolate O discs filled with seasonal coulis' was also sent my way from Artisan. With the 'Old Man' on photo duty, and my Mother providing her "expert opinion" :D we today embarked upon our latest Artisan du Chocolat festive experience.

As described above this was a box of chocolates that contained twenty disc shaped chocolates weighing 130.0g and retailing online for £15.00 (See HERE). Last week we were all falling over ourselves lauding Artisan with praise for the quality of their presentation. I hope you will agree that once again this level of appreciation should be merited to them again with this 'O Magic Collection' as it was every bit as beautiful. If you look at the Old Man's photography you will be able to see the level of care they went to once again here. The outer box was wonderfully decorative in it's detail and the chocolates had some of the most intricate pattern and design work I've ever seen on any chocolates before. Just look and admire.

Within this special collection, Artisan were offered five different flavours: apple and cider, red current, Champagne, whisky and cherries and spiced wine. Contained within various different chocolate types depending on their suitability e.g. red current with white chocolate, these flavours were all well matched and I think the total package was much better for having white, milk and dark options rather than just designating all to just the one type. As you can see in the photos the discs were thin in stature and broke with a distinct snap sound that reassured me of the fresh ingredients. The extremely smooth melt of the chocolate and cool sensation of the coulis created a luxurious mouth feel which only further substantiated the sense this was a premium chocolate product. Thankfully this was all matched by the flavours offered by the majority of the different flavours, with the only partial disappointment coming in the form of the underpowered whisky offering. That flavour aside, the fruit flavours were terrific and created sweet, real tasting, tarty/zingy fruit experiences that contrasted perfectly with their sweet milk and white chocolates shells. For such thin, elegant chocolates we were all surprised at the volume of flavour each delivered - perhaps we shouldn't have been given past experiences. If we had to pick-out a stand out flavour, the champagne offering came in for particular praise from my Mother who instantly expressed her delight with a resounding 'wow'.

Overall this Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection has to go down as one of the best things I have tried whilst doing all my reviews for Christmas 2011. Everything about the total package, from the way it was presented, to the taste of the actual chocolates again just felt like it was done with a touch of class. This box of chocolates successfully managed to give me that feeling that I was lucky to be reviewing these for the site, and that every chocolate I was sampling from the box was an exciting and potentially delicious prospect. Speaking as someone who tries their fair share of chocolate (understatement of the century) this has to be regarded as no mean feat. Artisan du Chocolat O Magic Collection offers a festive themed flavour experience that I would recommend to anyone who appreciates good quality chocolate. The bonus of it all is that the package is presented in a near perfect form. A purchase of these for yourself or a significant other wouldn't be a decision resulting in regret.

8.5 out of 10

December 5th: Hotel Chocolat Desserts Selection

2011-12-05T07:00:00.009Z

Today we have these two new Hotel Chocolat 'Desserts' Selections, which are mini collections featuring four truffles styled on popular and seasonal flavours. Both of these sell online for £6.50 and can be bought instore or on the Hotel Chocolat website HERE.

I'm not entirely convinced that words are even needed today - well done to the 'Old Man', this I would say is his finest work to date ...
Hotel Chocolat say: "Discover our irresistible twist on classic petit fours – as treats at elevenses, for a touch of afternoon tea elegance, or for relaxed after dinner nibbling. With stunning chocolate recreations of silky soft Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu, Crème Brûlée and fruity Strawberry Trifle"

Strawberry Trifle - A delicious, tarty berry truffle with real tasting fruit flavours and a creamy finish. Very Good.

Tiramisu - Disappointing as a Tiramisu flavour as it lacked rum or coffee flavour notes. There were tones of mascarpone amongst the creamy chocolate at least. Standard.

Chocolate Mousse - Part of me believed this plain option was unnecessary for a four-pack of chocolates, but the chocolatey flavours were rich and bold making for a sensational, pure chocolate indulgence truffle. Superb.

Creme Brulee - Multi-layered/textured and with a compelling creamy, butterscotch taste that captured the Creme Brulee dessert amazingly. Superb

8.5 out of 10

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Hotel Chocolat say: "Discover our irresistible twist on classic petit fours – as treats at elevenses, for a touch of afternoon tea elegance, or for relaxed after dinner nibbling. Contains: Caramel Pecan Pie, Christmas Mess, Chocolate Souffle, Apple Strudel"

Chocolate Souffle - Is this really a Christmas/Winter flavour!? Whatever, this dark chocolate truffle had the creamiest milky centre ever and it tempered the strong earthy cocoa tones brilliantly. Very Good.

Caramel Pecan Pie - This had a wonderful variety of flavours that took you from a taste of savoury, salty nuts, to sweet sugary caramel. Just lovely. Superb.

Christmas Mess - Hotel Chocolat's Eton Mess is one of my favourites so I never doubted I was going to love this. With the simple replacement of cranberries for the strawberries this was just as brilliant. A creamy, fruity truffle of utter class. Superb.

Apple Strudel - The delightful apple flavours were evident from the first few seconds of the melt, and the taste had a progressively creamy edge. The dried fruit pieces were an outstanding finale. Superb.

8.7 out of 10

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Overall these were both excellent mini-truffle packs that I believe delivered on Hotel Chocolat's usual exceptional standards. Quite how they managed to pack such flavoursome and variable taste bites of some of these desserts in to such small pieces is a mystery to me, but without exception they execution all to a Very Good standard. Would I buy for someone for Christmas? Sure I would! Exceptional stocking-filler potential here I think.

December 3rd: American Soda - Wonka Exceptionals 2011

2011-12-03T07:00:00.003Z

Stuck for present ideas for someone this year? One option you could consider is putting together an American themed chocolate and snacks package like the one above from AmericanSoda (See HERE). I'll be using this very collection for a Secret Santa scheme I'm participating in this year - fingers crossed they like it!!!

As you will see above, my Secret Santa package features one of the latest Wonka Exceptionals bars. A few weeks ago AmericanSoda gave the opportunity to try the two newest flavours, the Fantabulous Fudge Bar and the Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar. Below are my thoughts on them both.

Wonka Exceptionals Fantabulous Fudge Bar
Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats)7.5g Carbs 21.0g (4 pieces - 40.0g)

'Milk chocolate filled with chocolate fudge' - One of the things that surprised about this Wonka range (produced by Nestle) when I first tried it last year (See HERE) was just how tasty the chocolate was. Indeed for a chocolate that must be targetted at a younger demographic, I would of thought a few corners would have been cut in terms of the actual product delivery. To my delight I found much differently, and this was the case yet again with these latest offerings. This Fantabulous bar was simple in construct - a blocked milk chocolate bar with a gooey softer inner substance within each piece. The chocolate was sweet and sugary, yet it had a clean, crisp delivery of it's milk flavours - uncomplicated by pleasant nonetheless. The gooey centres didn't do much in the way of differentiated flavour progression, though they did seem to be incremental to the chocolatey flavour volume and provided a bit of interest for the mouth feel. It was very moreish and I found it easy but satisfying to eat the four block suggested serving portion.

8.0 out of 10

Wonka Exceptionals Triple Dazzle Caramel Bar
Kcal 200 Fat 12.0g Fat(sats)7.0g Carbs 21.0g (4 pieces - 40.0g)

'Milk chocolate filled with caramel' - I never like reviewing milk chocolate caramel bars now because as you can see looking at my ChocolateMission Leaderboard I have some firm favourites already in place. Well it wasn't like I could turn down free chocolate so this Wonka Tripple Dazzle got a shot at the JCM rating system and I'm glad now it did. Just as described above the milk chocolate was surprisingly good. Just like the fudge centres above the caramel was portioned at the heart of each block and texturally matched it for softness and smoothness. Taste wise the caramel exceeded expectations with it's heavy sweet butterscotch tones highlighted immensely by just the most subtle touch of salt. It's unbelievable how much better a caramel can taste with just that little simple ingredient. Again this was a very moreish bar, and one that I found easily edible in the two suggested portions. This gets a JCM thumbs up.

8.2 out of 10

Overall these new flavours are well worth taking a look at if you enjoyed the previous Wonka offerings. Out of the two the Triple Dazzle Caramel was just about my favourite, though the Fantabulous Fudge certainly surpassed my preconceptions. If you are UK based and want a 'safe' set of chocolates to gift that aren't available in this country normally then these new Wonka editions are certainly worthy of a look at.

*Apologies but no comments again weekend as I'm away on business with no access to the site. Please feel free to contact me on Twitter @ChocMission

November 30th: Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Crumble

2011-11-30T07:00:00.003Z

I loved this cake even before I opened it's packet :D I thought I was the only person left on this planet who was sad enough to still use the word 'Chrimbo' (I used it in the office last week and was shot a number of funny looks). Seemingly @BettyBakes saw fit to dub one of her creations this year the 'Crimbo Crumble' so I can't be as out of touch as I first thought :D ... enough with the rambling and on to the cake!! Step up to the ChocolateMission plate Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Crumble ...

@BettyBakes and co sent me a few single servings of this 2011 Christmas creation and it came packaged in the usual cellophane packet, cardboard sleeve packaging. Take a peak at the score chart and you will see that the presentation of the cake let itself down. Indeed this was THE STICKIEST cake ever reviewed on ChocolateMission. It stuck to packet, it stuck to my plate and most certainly stuck to my fingers. It was unavoidable feeling messy eating this cake, lucky enough this was to be the only drawback involved here. Aroma wise it smelt great with the sugary spice smells putting me straight away in the Christmas mindset.

As I said above, the stickiness of the cake was the only drawback so I've already given away the game away that it tasted great. Comprising of a 'Shortbread base with mincemeat covered with crumble & icing drizzle' this was indeed a total delight on all the senses. The shortbread base initiated things providing a crumbly butter biscuit led taste that melted in the mouth like a dream to uncover the soft chewy layers of fruit and spice above. The mincemeat placed on top was well proportioned to the additional crumble and icing toppings and was neither over dominant or underplayed in the grand taste. It was sweet, fruity and had strong tones of nutmeg and cinnamon coming through with terrific balance against the sugary sweet icing and partially salted crumble mix. This was a cake bursting with Christmassy flavours and left me feeling 100.0% satisfied alongside my mid-afternoon coffee.

Overall this Christmas Crimbo Cake can go down as a total home-run as a seasonal cake from Heavenly. Once I got over the fact that my hands, kitchen and camera were all covered in a mixture of sticky mincemeat, glitter and broken off bits of icing it was all plain sailing from there - this cake made me truly feel like Christmas was on its way with sensational mixture of spicy sweet flavour elements - this was Crimbo in optimal cake form. If you like cakes like Mince Pies or Mr Kipling's Christmas Bakewells then this Heavenly Cakes Christmas Crimbo Cake will be right up your street. My challenge to the Heavenly Cakes guys next year is to find a way of delivering this same experience, but within a form that makes the cake a little more glamorous looking and without the necessity for so much finger licking :D Ignoring that I still feel happy as pie giving a big time JCM recommendation.

8.5 out of 10