ChocolateMission

May 22nd: Faygo Chocolate Cream Pie Soda

2013-05-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 0 Fat 0.0g Carbs 0.0g (diet soda)

Last week we received a curious package from an anonymous reader asking us to request this Chocolate Cream Pie flavoured soda. There is probably a good argument that you shouldn't be drinking unheard of drinks from strangers that arrive in the post :-) but we are a little more adventurous than that at ChocolateMission so we thought we would give this Faygo branded bottle a try. A little research on the internet revealed the following regarding Faygo:

'Faygo Beverages, Inc. is a soft drink company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The beverages produced by the company, branded as Faygo or Faygo Pop, are distributed in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and Central Southern regions of the United States. Aswell available in southern Canada. Faygo Beverages, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Beverage Corporation, which also owns Shasta' .... thanks WIKI

Following a sufficient chilling period in the ChocolateMission HQ fridge we shared the largish 591ml bottle out between three of us. Aesthetically the liquid looked no different to your average cola with its dark coloured complexion, aroma wise we were left unimpressed by the chemically sweet smells on offer.

Fearing the worst but hoping for the best we commenced the taste test and were pleasantly surprised by our findings. The taste had a strong vanilla flavour base and had underlying elements of coffee and chocolatey syrup. It wasn't exactly the most sophisticated of flavour experiences but it was unique and not like any other sodas we had tried before. Add in to the mix that it was refreshing, easy to drink and on the whole pleasant enough then by our estimation its a drink worth trying if you are a soda fan that gets the opportunity.

7.2 out of 10

n.b. In case your wondering we did survive this 'soda from strangers' experience :-) its a full 48 hours since we drank the stuff

May 20th: Mars Mix

2013-05-20T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 190 Fat 9.0g (per bag)

We've had some fantastic new products developed this year here in the UK confectionery market - Cadbury Dairy Milk Creations, Unilever's ice cream chocolates, the Kit Kat Chunky competition 2013 and the likes of Hotel Chocolat up to their usual tricks with their seasonal lines. What is the response from Mars UK? These all NEW Mars Mix would seem to be the answer.

We found this 40.0g bag of Mars Mix sitting on shelf in Tesco priced at £0.60. For a bag smaller than your average chocolate bar we weren't impressed with the price, but in the name of covering everything for you guys we purchased a few bags to take back to the office. Aesthetically the product didn't look a all differentiated from any standard Mars branded product, a black, plastic packet material with red and gold lettering - we didn't expect anything different.

Described on pack as ' 'milk chocolate with assorted centres' we were wondering how these were going to differ from the Mars Planets (Review from 2008 - HERE) that have been on the UK market for what seems like forever now. Opening the packet we greeted with small sized milk chocolate covered ball pieces that carried the usual sweet milk chocolate aromas of your everyday Mars bar. Taking handfuls at a time we carried out our taste test and much to our delight we were greeted with some very familiar sweet milk chocolate, buttery caramel and malty nougat flavours - Yummy!! To say we didn't enjoy these would be a lie ... we mostly did!

Overall these Mars Mix were great - thumbs up for the taste test!! BUT ... and yes of course there is BUT .... (get ready for the rant...) ... how on earth can Mars substantiate that these are by any means NEW!? They've simply taken out the crispy pieces from the Mars Planets bags ... replaced the word 'Planets' with 'Mix' and slapped on a NEW sticker to entice people in. Thats not impressive - thats lazy innovation!! If someone hands you a bag of these of these don't despair - enjoy them by all means! Just dont go out your way to buy them if you want something different from the norm. A highly disappointing response to a market that is rife with some great new products.

7.1 out of 10

May 17th: Hotel Chocolat Summer H-Box Selection 2013

2013-05-17T07:00:00.000+01:00

Summer has arrived at Hotel Chocolat and this year they have decided to give their whole selection box range a bit of a spruce up. In the next few weeks we will be looking at how they have adapted some of their ever present selection box offerings but today we want to show you their Summer season H-box offering - if you fancy following along the reviews with your own taste testing then make sure you cash in on our exclusive 10% discount code of CMISSIONSUM10 - whilst we encourage you use it we do at the same time want to maintain that we are independently reviewing these selection boxes and we promise you we are still giving you honest reviews. We hope you find the code useful whether it be for yourself, family or friends.

Described as an 'irresistible collection of classic summer chocolates - perfect for a touch of summer hedonism' we were delighted to see the box contained a mixture of some of their summer classics and some all new pieces.

Our excitement grew further when we saw the chocolates up and close - all of them looked wonderfully crafted with the Raspberry Pannacotta and Caramel Cheesecake particularly capturing our attention aesthetically.

The first four chocolates we tried were these (left-->right) Coffee and Walnut Torte, Trillionaires Shortbread and Sour Cherry Truffle. All three were very competent truffles each offering their promised flavour themes very competently. The Trillionaires Shortbread was a particular favourite with its mixture of caramel, biscuit and praline - worthy of a Superb rating. The other two were similarly enjoyed but their dark chocolate exteriors instantly made them more of a niche option amongst the tasting panel - both worthy of a Good rating.

The second pieces you see above are the Caramel Cheesecake, Raspberry Pannacotta and Berrythyme truffle. We've already mentioned how beautiful the first two looked - suffice to say they backed it up taste wise and were instant favourites. The Caramel Cheesecake was just sensational - milk chocolate encasing a mixture of sour cream and sweet caramel - Superb. Both fruity pieces were also lapped up by the white chocolate fans. The herby finish of the Berrythyme - Good - wasn't to everyones liking however the Raspberry Pannacotta was lauded all round for its 'amazing combination of gorgeous raspberry and vanilla cream' - Very Good.

Next up the (left-->right, back -->front) the Blueberry Cheesecake, Eton Mess, Custard Tart and Chocolate Trifle. Despite the Eton Mess receiving a minor makeover it was still as Superb as always with its strawberry mousse, meringue, strawberry and white chocolate mix still as tremendously balanced as ever. The Chocolate Trifle - Standard - was the most basic piece in the selection though when you are talking Hotel Chocolat chocolate you know that isn't so much of a bad thing. The Custard Tart - Very Good - and Blueberry Cheesecake - Very Good - both proved to be stunning additions to the Hotel Chocolat Summer Selection this year. The nutmeg finish of the creamy Custard Tart and real fruit flavours of the Blueberry Cheesecake received warm praise all round.

Overall we are sure if you have taken the time to read our detailed descriptions above you would have gathered we thought very highly of this selection. Hotel Chocolat have a great knack of perfectly balancing their collections with milk, white and dark chocolate offerings. Combine in some very competent Summer flavour themes and you will quickly come to understand why we have rated it so highly. Should you be purchasing this Hotel Chocolat Summer H-Box Selection we would recommend securing yourself the Trillionaires Shortbread and Eton Mess pieces as soon as possible. We would love to know what you think of this yourself - contact us @Chocmission.

8.7 out of 10

May 15th: Bartons Chocolate Range

2013-05-15T07:00:00.001+01:00

Phew!!!! What a busy day its been here at ChocolateMission HQ! The reason its been so hectic today is because this morning we were the very grateful recipients of an entire new range of chocolates being stocked by our pals at AmericanSoda. They have just started importing goodies from a brand called Bartons.

The Bartons brand proposition promises the 'fusion of the best chocolate creations from Europe and America'. As a concept we thought this was pretty unique and it generated a good degree of interest amongst the team.

Here is what we made of the products we tried from their range today:

Bartons Million Dollar Bars
Milk - Kcal 280 Fat 16.0g Fat(sats) 10.0g Carbs 35.0g (per 57.0g bar)
Dark - Kcal 290 Fat 20.0g Fat(sats) 12.0g Carbs 34.0g (per 57.0g bar)

The wrappers for these bars were absolutely superb. The 'million dollar' theme was very well presented with the paper and foil duo giving them both a cool look and lovely freshness. Neither bar communicated a cocoa % level, though our expert palates would hazard a guess at 20-25% for the milk chocolate and then perhaps 40-50% cocoa for the dark chocolate. Truth be told we felt comfortable giving these both the same rating of 7.5 as they essentially represented their chocolate types to an unspectacular yet very fair standard. The milk chocolate was obviously the sweeter of the two with a predominantly milky sweet undertone complimented nicely by a very minor note of vanilla. The dark chocolate was what we describe as mass-consumer friendly i.e. noticeably unsweetened, but certainly never bitter or overly rich. Life changing!? ... no ....Pleasant enough!? ... certainly and packaged awesomely.

7.5 out of 10

Bartons Peppermint Bark
Kcal 200 Fat 22.0g Fat(sats) 17.0g Carbs 49.0g (per 76.0g)

This Bartons Peppermint Bark bar came in for some serious love from the ChocolateMission team! Peppermint Bark is a phenomenon synonymous with American culture and for our money this is one of the better interpretations we've had the chance to lay hands on here in the UK. Combining 'crunched peppermint with creamy vanilla and dark chocolate' the plentiful 76.0g bar was broken apart and shared between three of us. First impressions were all very positive - it looked colourful and well preserved in its foil wrapper and the minty smells greeting us were every bit as welcoming. Taste wise Bartons certainly didn't let us either! This Peppermint Bark was nothing short of delicious delivering an initial dark chocolate flavour hit that was sweetened with an amazingly fresh, creamy, minty taste that could be long savored. Secretly I think the taste panel were disappointed we decided to share this one :-) we've already requested a few more from AmericanSoda - we highly recommend it for you mint chocolate fans.

8.7 out of 10

Bartons New Yorker Chocolate Classics

In addition to both the Million Dollar Bars and Peppermint Bark we have also been busy tasting the delights on offer in the Bartons New Yorker Chocolate Classics selection. This collection of 'New York's finest chocolates' promised 'Caramel Pecan, Almond Butter Toffee, Caramel Nocturne, Vanilla Butter Creme, Chocolate Fudge and Caramel Apple' pieces. These all came contained in a nice looking tin that held all the chocolates inside within a plastic tray. We normally go in to uber massive detail when it comes to selection boxes however the team thought it might not be that appropriate for this particular collection as the message across all the chocolates was pretty consistent with Standard to Good ratings felt appropriate for all. Given the 'Classics' proposition some of the team did single out the Vanilla Butter Cremes and Caramel Pecan pieces as the standouts and they were the first ones to that the team lay siege to. Further investigation of the mix however revealed that the almond Almond Butter Toffee and Caramel Nocturne were just as capable and they were hardly far behind performing their own 'disappearing act'. Overall the consensus was much the same as the Million Dollar Bars - the chocolates weren't anything out of this world but they were certainly a good enough standard to justify a look at with the unique American Classics proposition on offer. The well presented tin packaging makes this a very good option if you are after an American themed gift.

7.5 out of 10

May 13th: Ritter Sport Summer Editions 2013

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000+01:00

Its summer and that of course means several important things - warm weather, holidays, The Ashes, ice-cream and of course .... Ritter Sport's Summer Edition chocolates!!

Ritter never let us down when it comes to their summer range and this year things are no different. As is always the case they have kept the most popular flavour from the previous year and then brought out another two new flavours to keep things interesting.

Making a return this year we have the Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos - thats Ritter Sport White Chocolate Coconut for us English speaking folk. Last year the Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos recieved a rather outstanding 8.6 out of 10 - we are sure glad this was the one they chose to keep! It was certainly our favoured of the three.

As mentioned above two new flavours have entered the scene this year ....

Ritter Sport Himbeer-Cranberry Joghurt (Ritter Sport Raspberry-Cranberry Yoghurt)
Kcal 566 Fat 37.0g Fat(sats) 23.0g Carbs 53.0g (per 100.0g)

This was thought to be the least exciting of all three flavours this year given we had seen plenty of yoghurt flavoured fruit combinations before. The combination of the milk chocolate and red berry filling however was enough to convince us otherwise though and it went down just as well as the others. The milk chocolate was a good choice for pairing with the sweet and sour fruity flavours of both the cranberry and the raspberry and the underlying tarty yoghurt was just the right balance of creamyness to supplement and not dominate. There were some remarks that the texture wasn't quite optimum due to it not being totally smooth, but those small criticisms aside it was given thumbs. This flavour wasn't anything totally new on the innovation front but it will go down in Ritter history as a good, solid summer chocolate option.

7.6 out of 10

Ritter Sport Erdbeer Vanille-Waffel (Ritter Sport Neapolitan)
Kcal 555 Fat 36.0g Fat(sats) 21.0g Carbs 51.0g (per 100.0g)

What a great idea huh!? Ritter Sport Neapolitan - combining strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and wafer in to one awesome summer variety. We thought this sounded excellent and boy was it good!! Out the wrapper it looked amazing - intricate layering of outer milk chocolate and inner layers of strawberry and vanilla cream with the waffle looked aesthetically spectacular. The aromas were instantly relatable to childhood memories of the Neapolitan ice cream tub - we couldn't contain our excitement at trying it. Thankfully it didn't let us down and created the nostalgia fueled ice-cream like experience we all desired. Creamy milk chocolate, biscuity wafer and sweet vanilla fruited strawberry made for a taste that had flavour progression and interest a plenty. This was the variety that had all of our samples eaten first - yes all of these ones were finished before the white chocolate coconut bars! If you fancy a trip down memory lane or just want a fantastic summer themed chocolate this is one you should seriously think of getting hold of. Highly recommened by the team @Chocmission.

8.7 out of 10

May 10th: Glico Pocky Crush Matcha Cookie Crunch

2013-05-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 71 Fat 3.3g Carbs 9.2g (per 14.1g pack - 4 Sticks)

Here at ChocolateMission we often astounded by some of the site traffic statistics when we look at our reviews on Glico Pocky sticks (See archive HERE). They are by far some of our more popular reviews and attract lots of visits from people outside of their place of origin (Japan!!). Luckily for us we have great links with JList - the worlds biggest exporter of all things from the Far East (snacks, food, manga comics ... you name it, they have it! See HERE). Today we thought we would give you our run down of these Glico Pocky Crush Matcha Cookie Crunch - try saying that without pausing :-)

As I'm sure you are all aware Glico Pocky come in many different formats with multiple different sub brands. These Matcha Cookie Crunch are the latest addition to the Pocky Crush range - these are a line of snacks that the standard Pocky sticks and fill them with an inner filling of light mousse creme. The Matcha Cookie Crunch flavour we tried today came described as 'crunchy chocolate sticks filled with a Matcha green tea flavoured mousse'. The variant was obvious by the colouring of the packaging - bright green, vibrant and altogether very smartly put together. As usual with Japanese products, Glico certainly didn't fail giving the product a real premium special feel and the sticks looked very cool themselves with the knobbly, green speckled cookie pieces catching the eye.

Aroma wise there really wasn't that much to suggest the green tea element to these and this carried through to the taste, which on reflection really wasn' t that strongly flavoured with a green tea influence. To some of you that may sound a rather advantageous thing - after all the more focus on the chocolate the better right!? Well the chocolatey flavours of these Pocky wasn't something we could question. The sticks provided a nice golden biscuit taste but it was the creamy milky chocolate that came through strongly as soon as the soft melt developed to leave the crunchy cocoa flavour packed knobbly pieces. Inside the mousse was subtle in terms of flavour enhancement though there was a minor, mild green tea, leafy bitterness detectable when full attention was given. A pack of four was adequate to cure a small hunger pang though those looking for something more substantial might be left underwhelmed.

Overall these weren't quite the green tea flavour experience we were demanding but the quality of the product in isolation from that criticism was still high. In terms of aesthetic presentation and delivery of a delicious chocolate biscuit snack these ticked all the boxes as most Pocky always do. If it is the Matcha green tea element about these that is really attracting you to them though you are probably better off looking elsewhere to really get your moneys worth for a more full on green tea experience. A situation where we could see these being a good option is if you are after a green tea themed snack as more of a novelty item rather than one that truly focuses on delivery a green tea flavour insight. Remember you can get these Glico Pocky and many more Japanese themed snacks at Jlist.

7.8 out of 10

May 8th: Zotter Pink Coconut & Trout

2013-05-08T07:00:00.000+01:00

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

Before you all start rubbing your eyes in disbelief, or start booking opticians appointments, I can confirm that that what you read is correct. Indeed, the title of this review today really is Zotter Pink Coconut & Trout :D After many a Zotter review many of you readers have often joked and in some cases actually requested that I try a Zotter chocolate bar that contains fish. I'm sure the majority of you were half kidding, though as you guys should have learnt, nothing is out of the remit of Mr Zotter when it comes to crafting his chocolate bars. This Zotter Pink Coconut & Trout came described as 'Raspberry-Coconut chocolate filled with coconut chocolate and fish gummi', and contained 0.4% Trout within it's ingrdients listing. My mate Wikipedia tells me that 'Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish' ...(See HERE), what on earth had I let myself in for?

This bar came part of the standard Zotter Handscooped range in a 70.0g single piece bar. Although somewhat unappealing in proposition, I can hand out some plaudits for the quality of presentation, as both the wrapper and bar were impeccably crafted. The cartoon on the front of the wrapper was fun and indicative of the bizarre fish and coconut contents, whilst the chocolate looked appetising on the eye with it's pink exterior colouration hiding the darker coloured coconut and trout layers below. When it came to the aromas offered by the chocolate, I was somewhat fearful that a fishy smell might make its way across my senses, though I was instead greeted by a sounder array of red fruit scents that had a rather quizzical, soft savouriness to them.

As one might have suspected, when it came to the taste test, this bar delivered one hell of a flavour experience. All myths of the Trout influence being gimmicky and non-present in the taste were well and truly hit on the head from the very first piece I tried. Starting out with a description of the outer raspberry-coconut chocolate, the flavour journey started off wonderfully, with the first few seconds of the melt shaped to a creamy, sweet coconutty hinted taste that just just minor hints of real tasting raspberry flavour licks. This outer chocolate outer confection melted liked a dream and exposed a softer, crumblier layer below that at first just seemed to concentrate the initial coconut influence. Unfortunately it was at this point that the Trout made it's way on to the scene. Anyone who was thinking that the Trout would somehow not just taste of fish, but of something different altogether would unfortunately have been in for a surprise - the Trout really just did bring a fishy, sushi like influence to sweet taste generated by the other layers. These fish flavours lasted the rest of the duration of the taste and detracted from all other flavours influences to leave a really rather horrible aftertaste in my mouth. From the first piece I tasted I was highly unmotivated to go back for more - I ended up having to force myself to try it again on other occasions for the sake of this review.

Overall I'm sure this will come as little surprise to you all that I didn't enjoy a fish flavoured chocolate, though one feels whenever the name Zotter is around these things are always worth a try at least once. As you will have determined from my description above this was a rather classy coconut and raspberry outfit until the fish element reared it's head and frankly undid all the good that had been created before. Zotter's white chocolate isn't something I have touched on before on this site, but this first experience would go a long way to suggest that they definitely have potential in this area, and I will be making a point of trying some more of their more sensible offerings in the not to distant future. My conclusions on this Zotter Pink Coconut & Trout bar however cannot be determined as particularly positive - the Trout fish element just comes across as a hindrance to the rest of the product, and definitely non-enhancing in every way I can think of. Possibly worth trying for the experience, but not a chocolate I would recommend on taste.

5.8 out of 10

May Bank Holiday Special - Cadbury Crispello Sharing Bag

2013-05-06T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 55 Fat 3.6g Fat(sats) 1.8g Carbs 5.1g (per piece)

Apologies if our 'May Bank Holiday Special' is somewhat unspectacular but we thought you would all be out enjoying the glorious UK sunshine so just a short update today!!

In what has to be the most the most obvious product extension of the year the Cadbury Crispello (original review HERE) has extended itself into a 'sharing' format with the launch of these new Cadbury Crispello Sharing Bags.

To be honest were hoping that the next Crispello extension would be the launch of the Vanilla centre flavour as per the European Milka range - See HERE but we should have guessed that the Double Choc sharing bag would have come first.

True innovation may be lacking here but the Cadbury Crispello certainly suits this format and we polished off the bags we got sent from the Cadbury PR in matter of minutes rather than hours.

You know what you are getting here - enjoy the Bank Holiday and be sure to check back Wednesday for the lasted ChocolateMission review.

May 3rd: Cinnamon Bun & Cupcake Bites

2013-05-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

Our friends over at YankeePop have been treating us once again to some of their favourite American goodies and today we got the chance to further our expertise in the area of Cookie Dough Bites. This range from Taste of Nature Inc is one we have reviewed extensively down the years - make sure you take a look in the ChocolateMission archives as we covered most of the Cookie Dough Bites flavours.

Two of their newer variants which before today we hadn't got around to reviewing were these Cinnamon Bun and Cupcake Bites, both of which came in 88.0g boxes containing cellophane packets of the mini-bites within. The flavours were each well presented, the Cupcake bites perhaps the more appealing aesthetically with their multi-coloured sprinkles, but the Cinnamon Bites the more compelling in terms of aromas with their alluring fresh bakery like scents.

Cinnamon Bun Bites
Kcal 180 Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 8.0g Carbs 27.0g (per 40.0g)

The smells emanating from the packet set expectations of these pretty high so the tasting panel were holding out high hopes for these 'bite size cinnamon bun bites in a white chocolatey coating'. Tasting them the only way we knew how, we each poured handfuls out and took liberty wolfing them down on mass. Flavour wise there was no one on the panel that thought much of the 'white chocolatey' coatings. To be honest their lack luster presence in the taste was hardly a disaster as it just allowed the cinnamon cookie dough to really come to the fore with the moderately spiced, milky sugary flavours offering a realistic enough Cinnamon Bun like taste. We've commented on flavours in the range tasting too similar before now but these certainly offered something a little different to the rest.

7.5 out of 10

Cupcake Bites
Kcal 200 Fat 9.0g Fat(sats) 9.0g Carbs 27.0g (per 40.0g)

One thing we haven't mentioned yet about both of these were the levels of saturated fat contained in both. It's been a common feature throughout the range that they have been high - just worth a look out for if you take notice of this sort of thing! Anyway, next up were these 'bite size cupcake morsels coated with sprinkles and white frosting'. Trying these second out of the two we really weren't expecting much from the white coloured coating but in actual fact this time around they turned out to be the star of the show. The frosting flavoured outer bits this time contributed way more to the total taste and created an experience highly reminiscent of the Oreo Birthday cookies we reviewed last year. Flavour wise they were expectantly sweet and sugary, yet at the same time they had this nice buttery cakey taste to them making them tremendously moreish.

7.5 out of 10

Overall both of these were some of the better Taste of Nature Cookie Dough Bites variants we have tried and we were impressed with how they delivered on their intended flavours. The Cinnamon Bun bites perhaps promised more out of the two, however when it came to the taste the panel were split in terms of which they enjoyed the most. As unhelpful as that sounds it really is going to be down to personal preference which you prefer - let us know which you thought were the superior @Chocmission - whilst your at it don't forget to give @Yankee_Pop a follow either.

May 1st: McVitie's Jaffa Cakes Mini Muffins

2013-05-01T07:00:00.002+01:00

Kcal 96 Fat 4.5g Fat(sats) 0.9g Carbs 13.4g (per mini muffin)

This weeks mid-week mini review really is that! We wanted to keep this short and sweet because we want to hear your views on this - @Chocmission is the place for that of course!! .... introducing the NEW Mcvitie's Jaffa Cakes Mini Muffins! These mini sized Jaffa Cake themed muffins have replaced the long standing (and much adored!!) larger sized McVitie's Jaffa Cake Muffin (Review HERE).

We first heard about this downsize initiative in The Grocer magazine last month. Little did we know that when they said 'McVitie's shrink Jaffa Cakes Muffin to mini size' that actually did mean you were going to get less bang for your buck. We remember seeing the original 88.0g muffin on sale for £1.00 - sometimes even cheaper!

Well to our surprise it was the same £1.00 price point that our local supermarket was asking us to pay for these significantly smaller 2 x 25.0g mini muffins!!! We aren't going to deny for one second that the dark chocolate topped, golden sponged, orange jam filled treats weren't still delicious ... they were! But can we honestly say we are impressed that McVitie's asking us all to pay a similar amount for a snack only just over half the size? The same issue is consistent with the equivalent Galaxy muffins that they have all seen fit to downsize.

They could argue that the mini size brings convenience benefits but our response to that would be that they the package they come in isn't that smaller than the original. They could also say they are acting responsibly in regards to kids health, making their child inclined products a more appropriate size!? Our view is that these would both be credible arguments had the pricing been reflective of this - let us know your thoughts folks ... @Chocmission

7.2 out of 10

April 29th: Moon Pie

2013-04-29T07:00:00.000+01:00

Moon Pie Chocolate - Kcal 300 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 55.0g
Moon Pie Banana - Kcal 300 Fat 7.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 55.0g

It was with great excitement that we last week received our latest sampling package from our friends @Americansoda. Prior to receiving it we were foretold we would be getting one of their newest ranges - the cult American classic Moon Pies. Moon Pies have been around for decades - if you believe Wikipedia the 1930s!! Here in the UK the majority of people are probably aware of the name Moon Pie, though should you ask them what one actually is, they might not be so informed. To fill any gaps that might exist amongst readers we can inform you they are pastry snacks consisting of 'two round graham cracker cookies, with marshmallow filling, dipped in a flavored coating'.

We today got the chance to try both these Chocolate and Banana varieties which came in 76.0g packages. Despite their flimsy nature the wrappers looked attractive with the Moon Pie branding and on-pack pictures not failing to further increase our anticipation. Out the packs we were delighted to have received both variants in top condition and rapidly set about a quick photography session whilst we prepared some hot chocolate to consume them with.

As the Moon Pies were so large we cut them up, shared them round and got dunking :-) It was agreed all round that pairing these with hot chocolate was a grand idea. It was noted that had they been consumed on their own they might have been a little on the dry side what with the moisture sucking qualities of both the wafer and marshmallow properties. Luckily we thought ahead, and subsequently we tried them in their best possible conditions. Taste wise there really wasn't that much difference between the two despite their obvious colourful disparity. The coatings each supplied subtle differentiation with their intended chocolate and banana flavourings evident in both aromas and initial flavours. The majority of the taste however was occupied by the inner wafer and marshmallow components that collectively combined to create a traditional British Teacake (See Me) type experience. To a man (and woman!) these were both very much enjoyed - the only regret among the team was that none of us managed to sneak one aside before they all got gobbled.

Overall we expected good things from these Moon Pies and its with great delight to report we weren't left disappointed. We did try to pick a favourite from the two but we ultimately failed so we have awarded a single, very commendable rating for both! As we said in our taste description above, these were very similar to British Teacakes - just on a more epic American Supersize scale. Eaten on their own they might not be at their strongest, but paired with anything like ice-cream, custard, hot chocolate ... heck anything you can think of ... they are a wonderful snack. With American Twinkies now sadly departed many of you may be looking for a new alternative! We suggest you fill ya boots with these Moon Pies.

8.0 out of 10

You can buy Moon Pies from AmericanSoda - See Here

April 26th: Walls Cornetto, Mini Milk & Magnum Chocolates

2013-04-26T07:00:00.000+01:00

Ice cream themed chocolates that aren't actually ice creams .... huh!? .... our thoughts exactly! Unilever UK have have teamed up with Kinnerton Confectionery and has licensed some of their best known ice cream brands for a new range of ambient chocolate treats.

These were an Asda supermarket exclusive for a few weeks, hence the lack of speed with our write-up. Luckily Hannah from the The Review Addict came to our rescue and kindly sent us them to review. Be sure to check out her view on them HERE.

This new Walls confectionery line-up consists of Cornetto, Mini Milk and Magnum themed chocolates. Each of us in the team had our favourite so we dished them out among ourselves to capture opinion. Here are our views:

Cornetto Vanilla Chocolate Cones - wafer cones with a vanilla filling and chocolate topping
Kcal 110

This was essentially a smaller version of a traditional Cornetto but with the usual vanilla ice cream replaced with a lighter, wispier vanilla truffle centre. This was perceived a little odd at first but after a few bites attention was more drawn by the nice combination of textures it presented with the crispy wafer and crunchy nut pieces also adding interest. Taste wise a decent enough chocolatey flavour hit was delivered with the layer of chocolate placed on top, and YES mostly importantly the bottom of the cone did have the solid chunk of milk chocolate to finish it all off.

7.5 out of 10

Mini Milk Chocolate Lollipops - milk and white chocoalte lollipops on sticks
Kcal 90 Fat 6.0g Fat(sats) 3.5g Carbs 8.0g (per 16.0g lollypop)

Surely there isn't a single person out there who doesn't like a good Mini Milk :-) Mini Milk ice creams were a staple of our childhood so we were delighted to seem them as one of the chosen brands Unilever decided to choose for the range. How did they translate from ice cream to confectionery!? Well not as well as one would have hoped I'm afraid - both the vanilla and chocolate flavours were overly sugary for our mature taste. Thats not to say kids (who these are really aimed at) wont enjoy them and with 30% of their RDA of calcium they aren't the worst little treat to give to them either!

5.5 out of 10

Magnum Chocolates - vanilla centred milk chocolates
Kcal 181 Fat 11.6g Fat(sats) 7.0g Carbs 16.5g (per 33.0g pack)

As the keenest Magnum ice cream lover in the team these were the ones I chose to gravitate towards (Jim) and as a fan of the range I'm pleased to say these weren't a bad representation. The real surprise for me was the quality of the milk chocolate on offer - it wasn't exactly Hotel Chocolat or Artisan du Chocolat quality but it was decent enough and provided a sweet, creamy milk chocolate taste that was satisfactory of expectations. The vanilla flavoured centres reminded me of the Cadbury Bliss bar of old i.e. not exactly anything remarkable, but again adequate at the least with it's creamier, vanilla hinted flavours.

7.6 out of 10

Overall these new Walls chocolates weren't as accomplished as their ice cream equivalents however they exceeded our pretty limited expectations. On that basis we would encourage you to give them a try, especially if you are a fan of the Cornetto and Magnum brands. Thanks again to Hannah for sending these to us - much appreciated.

April 24th: Artisan du Chocolat Floral Couture Dragees

2013-04-24T07:00:00.000+01:00

Spring time brings many a new product to our door but without doubt one of the packages that got us most excited was the latest from Artisan du Chocolat. These guys frankly know what they are doing - its been a very long time since they disappointed last, heck we can't even recall an instance where they have let us down!? Well today we got to try one of their latest Spring themed collections - their Floral Couture Dragees.

Managing to get the ChocolateMission team discussing a product being 'different from anything they've tried before' is quite an accomplishment. We've been reviewing for nearly five years so generating a that conversation was a tick in the box fot Artisan from the get go. The five flavours on offer all intrigued and caused excitement: Rose, Neroli, Jasmine, Orchid and Jasmine flavoured candied almonds - what on earth was in store for us!?

The packaging and presentation was another area that the new range didn't fail to spark interest. Each of the different flavours came presented in 250.0g old school looking sweet jar containers and in very appealing, unique pastel coloured candied shells. To sample all of these we had a mass tasting session whereby we all tried the five different flavours in tandem.

General comments to be made about all five were that each flavour had a distinct set of aromas and represented their floral inspired flavours in an appealing manner. The chocolate involved in every variant was also perceived as high quality and the combination of the 70% dark chocolate and 35% milk chocolate was highly regarded all round for the cocoa intensive creamy flavours. There was a preconceived fear that the candied shells could take away from the prestige of the chocolate and floral flavours, however this was not the case as they merely provided a pleasant crunchy outer shell and affected the sweetness of the taste very little.

In regards to the floral flavour themes nearly every person on the tasting panel had a different favourite - that sort of indicates that they were all pretty damn lovely. My personal favourite (Jim here!) was the Lavender flavour as it was one that reminded me slightly of retro Parma violet sweets, yet inclusive within a high quality chocolate taste - simply wonderful. Other favourites amongst the panel were the Rose flavour for it's Turkish Delight like qualities and the Neroli for its subtle orange fruit hints. Heck they were all so nice it would silly not to mention the Jasmine and Orchid as being just as flavoursome and enjoyable.

Overall we were thoroughly impressed with this new Artisan du Chocolate Floral Couture Dragees and would highly recommend them to all chocolate lovers looking for a unique, Spring themed proposition. We would suggest they make a perfect gift but that would be a lie as the temptation for you to try them yourself once you purchase them will likely be a little too much for you to resist. The flavour that I would personally recommend would be the Lavender, though I'm sure all of the other four would satisfy just as much should you like the sound of one of them more. Thumbs firmly up again for Artisan du Chocolat - an inspired, delicious Spring collection.

8.7 out of 10

April 22nd: Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations (UK 2013)

2013-04-22T07:00:00.000+01:00

You would have thought that post Easter everything in the confectionery market would be a little quieter but as we've come to realise here at ChocolateMission it is traditionally this period just after when all the big companies release new products. Not failing to buck this trend, Kraft/Mondelez/Cadbury UK (whatever you want to call them) have seen fit to nick some ideas from their colleagues 'Daaaaaaaaaan UNDA' - with their Marvellous Creations range!

This is a range we've tried previously - see our review of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations Jelly & Crunchie Bits HERE. Today we got the chance to try the UK interpretation of Marvellous Creations, these new Jelly Popping Candy Shells and Cookie Nut Crunch variations. Aside from the obvious flavour differentials, these bars looked no different in packaging or presentation to the Australian bars. They frankly looked fun, a little different and a nice breath of fresh air from the more refined standard Cadbury Dairy Milk range we are used to.

FYI these bars are going to be available very soon in both 200.0g (£2.49) and 47.0g (£0.59) sizes. Here is what we made of them ....

Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy Shells
Kcal 505 Fat 26.5g Fat(sats) 16.5g Carbs 60.0g (per 100.0g)

This flavour incorporated jelly pieces, sugar-coated candy pieces and popping candy into the usual Dairy Milk fair. We wont bore you with a taste description of the Dairy Milk chocolate, neither will we let Jim harp on about it his utter hatred of popping candy :-) To be fair to him though the added three ingredients were a little overkill, and it was the popping candy that was the least enhancive out of them all. Flavour and texture wise both the fruity jelly pieces and crunchy candy brought a nice bit of differentiation to the Dairy Milk experience. The popping candy however was ultimately less welcome, somewhat spoiling the pleasurable smooth melt of the chocolate and not adding anything to the taste. This wasn't a bad chocolate but it was our least favoured of the two UK bars and it would frankly just been better if they had stuck to the Australian recipe for this one.

7.4 out of 10

Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations Cookie Nut Crunch
Kcal 525 Fat 29.0g Fat(sats) 17.0g Carbs 58.0g (per 100.0g)

Well we sort of gave the game away above telling you which we preferred huh!? Oh well ... yeah we liked this one more :-) This Cookie Nut Crunch comprises biscuit chunks, crunchy nut caramel and roasted nuts into the Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate and was impressive for both it's textural and taste qualities. The added three ingredients again made for a busy combination of mad flavours, but unlike the above all three elements combined together nicely making a better overall experience. The crunchy, chunky nature of all three meant that not every bite included biscuit, nut or caramel but that was felt to be a good thing as it meant you never knew what you were going to get. The taste panel particularly liked the nuts and caramel additions, though it was felt that the biscuit pieces could of been a little more flavoursome as they were often lost in the viscous, creamy taste of the milk chocolate on offer. This bar wasn't anything totally amazing but it was one we would buy again out of the two.

8.4 out of 10

Marvellous Creations?? Perhaps a little bit overstated but certainly worth a try if Cadbury chocolate is your thing. Let us know what you make of them on Twitter @Chocmission

April 19th: McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestives

2013-04-19T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 83 Fat 4.0g Fat(sats) 2.1g Carbs(sugars) 5.2g (per biscuit)

We normally save biscuit reviews for smaller 'Bits n Bobs' features but these new McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestives have created such an impression on us we just had to give them their own feature. We all buy a lot of chocolate biscuits for the office and take it in turns to stock up the tea area biscuit supplies. Rich Tea, Custard Creams and Hobnobs all feature very commonly though in the last two weeks one single biscuit has been talk of the office - the new McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestives.

These new biscuits are available in 300.0g packs and should be retailing with an RRP of £1.35 (there are loads of half price deals going on at the moment!! Try Tesco folks!!). They come packaged in dark blue wrappers and each biscuit is sized equally that to their single chocolate siblings. On the pack they came described as 'chocolate flavoured digestive biscuits with chocolate chips, half coated in milk chocolate'. On the eye they did look very cool, with the usual biscuit a darker shade of brown given due its chocolate flavouring.

As I said these have gone down supremely well at ChocolateMission HQ and I would estimate that no fewer than 10 packs to have been gnoshed in just over a week! The tea-dunkers, the non-tea-dunkers, the all-in-one-goers ... just everyone who has tried them has absolutely loved them. The combination of the butter, wheat base with added chocolate chips, and the further chocolatey goodness from the coating has proved to be a real winner. The salt lick of the biscuit has been cited for making them dangerously moreish, though the double wave of chocolate should be noted as a gimmick very much delivered on and it does give them a satisfying subsequent taste.

Overall we have little hesitancy awarding these a double thumbs and a big ChocolateMission recommendation. We've all bought much more expensive chocolate biscuits previously and have left disappointed. The word 'disappointed' really shouldn't belong anywhere in this review though, these McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestives deliver big time, and we would strongly suggest you give them a try next time you see them in one of the supermarkets. Biscuits rarely get their own little feature here on ChocolateMission so you should probably get a sense of just how much we thought of these given the post today. McVitie's Doulbe Chocolate Digestives are a new favourite.

8.5 out of 10

April 17th: Ritter Sport Kokos

2013-04-17T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 584 Fat 41.0g Carbs 48.0g (per 100.0g)

In addition to all the seasonal bars they release, Ritter Sport also produce their 'Sorte Des Jahres' - for the non-German speaking amongst us that translates roughly as 'Flavour of the Year'. In 2010 this was the Ritter Sport Milchcreme Mandel (Almond Milk Cream) - See HERE, in 2011 it was the Ritter Sport Weiss + Crisp (White + Crisp) - See HERE. We are delighted to bring you the news that the 2013 bar sees the return of a flavour that Ritter had in their standard range around 5 years ago, the Ritter Sport Kokos (pic of the original bar - HERE). Kokos is of course 'Coconut', and the bar came described as 'Alpine milk chocolate with a coconut milk cream filling' - excuse us while we salivate!!

As you can see from our photo above the Ritter Sport Kokos comes as an addition to the 100.0g line-up and with the not overly prolific Sorte Des Jahres branding at the top left of the wrapper. The choice of colour for the wrapper wasn't too far departed from the Almond Milk Cream from 2010, though if you do take the time to look back at the previous Kokos you will see that it was near enough the colour of the wrapper that the bar came presented in days of old. Aesthetically the chocolate looked gorgeous, with the white, fluffy creme centre appearing plentifully portioned and very eye-catching in contrast with the darker chocolate.

The ChocolateMission testing panel all agreed that if the chocolate tasted as good as it smelt, then the bar was really going to be something special. Luckily the gorgeous coconut scents translated through flavour wise and the bar was indeed every bit as good as hoped. The outer milk chocolate was instantly recogeniseable as Ritter with it's smooth melting, crisp, clean, sweet milky taste delivering a good chocolate flavour hit before the introduction of the filling to the party. What can we say about the coconut milk cream then!?? Well it was absolutely stunning! It was smooth as silk, yet had small bits of crunchy coconut that made for a highly interesting mouth feel as the melt developed. During this luxurious melt, the flavours on offer were just sensational with epic amounts of creamy sweet, milky nuttiness engulfing the senses and delighting with every wave of genuine coconut deliciousness.

Overall the title of 'Flavour of the Year' couldn't be any more appropriate! If this is to be the best flavour that Ritter Sport release in 2013 then so be it! We aren't going to be disappointed with that as this one is good there is plenty of scope still left for many more capable flavours to impress to a high standard. In terms of this Ritter Sport Kokos, it stands head-and-shoulders above a lot of chocolates we have tried this year and that includes all brands, not just Ritter Sport. The milk chocolate and coconut combination is simply sensational and even a step forward from the Ritter Sport Weisse Kokos (White Coconut - See HERE) bar that we got as a summer limited edition last year. We can only hope that Ritter take the decision to keep this on as a permanent return to their 100.0g range once 2014 comes. If not there are going to be a lot of upset folk here at ChocolateMission HQ, and we suspect round the rest of the globe.

9.0 out of 10

The new Kit Kat UK limited edition is .........

2013-04-15T07:00:00.000+01:00

What could possibly be better than a four finger Kit Kat??? Why a FIVE finger Kit Kat of course ....

..... oh dear folks! We are all for us getting more bang for our buck but if this is the best Nestle UK can come up with for a UK limited edition then they need to go back to think tank.

You can buy these 57.0g five finger bars in most UK Stores right now.

April 12th: Linton Park Cafe Cabernet 2011

2013-04-12T07:00:00.000+01:00

Origin: South Africa
Year: 2011
Alc/vol 13.5%

A few weeks ago we were approached by a PR company who offered us the chance to review a red wine they said was notorious for its pairing with dark chocolate. We insisted that here at ChocolateMission we wouldn't ever classify ourselves as wine experts, however we were assured that our expertise in chocolate would more than make up for our amateur wine tasting palettes Who were we to argue!? Under the usual ChocolateMission agreement that we could say we wanted, we soon received a rather cool package through the post that contained a 750ml bottle of Linton Park Cafe Cabernet 2011 and a small bar of 70% cocoa dark chocolate.

Out of the box the bottle looked nice and we liked the simplicity of the labelling - this was obviously no cheap bottle of wine. The copious lighting used for our photography may suggest otherwise. but the wine itself was a rich, dark coloured red and left a lasting impression on the glass when swirled around (we hear thats a good thing haha!!). Aroma wise the wine offered strong notes of wood, red fruits and roasted coffee. As suggested we paired this wine with the dark chocolate that accompanied it, each taking a glassful of the wine and a few blocks of the 70% unbranded chocolate for testing.

Given our usual field of reviewing one would have suspected that it would have been the chocolate that left the ChocolateMission reviewers coming back for more. Surprisingly this wasn't the case - the chocolate was frankly rather average - a pretty standard dark chocolate offering that would pale in comparison to the higher quality 70% offerings we have reviewed previously. Instead it was the wine that left a strong, positive impression on the review panel - it only took a glass or two before wine tasting expertise skills were discovered :-) Enthusiastically, the panel lauded the wine for it's 'strong, bold, mature red fruit character' and the majority loved the coffee notes that came through strongly as suggested by the aromas. The team weren't quite sure whether the cocoa flavours they could detect derived from the wine or the chocolate they were pairing it with, but nonetheless it was perceived as a high quality wine full of character.

Overall like we said at the very start of the review we aren't wine experts here at ChocolateMission so you can this review however seriously you wish. Ultimately this was a wine that was enjoyed by the majority of the panel that tasted it so from an amateur wine tasting point of view we can give it a ChocolateMission thumbs up. We unanimously agreed we would buy this wine again should a night in with a decent bottle of wine be the order of the evening. We will however be choosing our own chocolate next time though :-)

8.6 out of 10

April 10th Bits n Bobs - April 2013 Chocolate Bars, Cereal Bars and Biscuits

2013-04-10T07:00:00.000+01:00

There have been several new products recently that have hit the shelves of our UK supermarkets - here are some of the ones we have laid hands on in the last few weeks from the likes of Kellogg's, Fox's and Cadbury.

Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Crunchy Oat Granola Choc Chip
Kcal 187 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 1.5g Carbs 26.0g (per 40.0g - 2 bars)

Breakfast and granola bars seem to be all the rage here in the UK at present. We've had launches from Weetabix, Nature Valley and Hovis all in the last year trying to capitalise on this latest trend to handy breakfast snacks. Kellogg's being the kings of the UK breakfast table of course wouldn't be one to miss out on all of this - thus we have the emergence of these new Crunchy Oat Granola Nutri-Grain bars. The range is essentially a copycat of the Nature Valley granola bars, with this variety in particular being billed simply as an 'oat and chocolate cereal bar'. Each pack consists of two 20.0g bars that looked total clones of their Nature Valley equivalents. This in mind we took due diligence to taste side-by-side and overall preferences did lie with the non-Kellogg's offering. In comparison these Nutri-Grain bars had a slightly more synthetic flavour delivery to them. The chocolate flavour establishment was plentiful, however it was overly sweet and sugary and non-cocoa offering. The cereal base was more than passable but the grander chocolate experience offered by the Nature Valley made them the superior of the two. Not bad, but there are better already on the market.

7.0 out of 10

Fox's Velvety Chocolate Fudge
Kcal 132 Fat 8.0g Fat(sats) 5.0g Carbs 13.0g

We can't say these a new product we had been looking forward to trying as we had no idea that they were actually coming out! Nope, instead we found these on shelf in Tesco on an introductory £1.00 offer that we simply couldn't refuse. With that said, had it not been for the very bright yellow 'offer/discount/deal' sticker we may well have missed these altogether. We think the packaging is awful - beige and dull would be an accurate recall of what one taste tester said. Despite the shortcomings in the wrappers, there was way more positivity in regards to the actual bars and eventual taste test. Aesthetically they looked like Fox's Echo range with the chocolate having such a mega shiny surface it almost blinded us reflecting light when we did the photography :-) This chocolate was frankly about as average as they come, though it did the job nicely enough and nicely let the other bar components do the talking. To our delight we found the inner fudge element was wonderful - it had a distinctive fudge like dry texture and established sweet, buttery toffee flavours from the outset. This fudge layer was set upon a crunchy biscuit base - lacking a little in flavour and substantiality with the more prolific fudge, but as with the chocolate a nice enough addition to the mix. We liked these bars - don't let the unexciting packaging see them pass you by!

7.1 out of 10

Cadbury Fabulous Praline Fingers
Kcal 70 Fat 4.0g Fat(sats) 2.0g Carbs 7.0g (per 2 fingers)

Its a hard job all this chocolate reviewing ya know :-) Endless tea breaks at ChocolateMission HQ we end up trying out all the new latest chocolate biscuits so we can inform you all which of them you should be looking out for. Not all of what we try makes it onto the site, though when we come across products like these Cadbury Fabulous Fingers Praline we simply wouldn't be doing our jobs properly if we didn't tell you all how good they are. Back in November 2011 Cadbury first introduced the 'Fabulous' Fingers and they managed to get a very notable score of 7.9 out of 10 on the ChocolateMission rating system. Until recently the 'Fabulous' range had not been added to - that was until these Praline flavoured ones came out of course. You will be able to find these in most of the UK supermarkets (seen in Tesco/Sainsbury's already!) at a price just a touch above the original Cadbury Fingers range. If you desire a minor touch of nutty hazelnut to your normal inner biscuit then these are certainly worth you investing those few extra pennies. The praline experience isn't earth shattering by any means, but small woody note of nut does enhance the milk and white chocolate layers enough to make it a worthwhile, noticeable addition. Don't expect praline granduer, but for sure worth trying if you are a fan of nutty chocolate biscuits or just want a change up from the norm.

7.8 out of 10

April 8th: Lindt Lindor Caramel

2013-04-08T07:00:00.000+01:00

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

This time of year is always very busy with product launches though it has to be said the announcement of this one in particular really caught the attention of the ChocolateMission team. What got us so excited you ask!? Well it was this latest addition to the Lindt Lindor range - the Lindt Lindor Caramel. These will soon be available UK-wide, though we were generously offered the chance of a sneaky peak thanks to one of Lindt's PR agencies.

The Lindt Lindor Caramel will soon be available in their 200.0g 'Cornet' style boxes. Those lucky enough to live near a Lindt shop will also be able to try them as part of the in store pick-a-mix selections. One thing you may all want to note is that the colour of the boxes these come in is very similar to the colour currently used for the assorted Lint Lindor selection. Its fair to say that any unaware individual would likely not even notice these were now available - keep your eyes peeled folks!!

Given our love for nearly all Lindt Lindor truffles and the promise of a 'ultimate in chocolate indulgence' experience by the accompanying PR blurb we were incredibly excited to try these. Thankfully we are delighted to say that following our taste test we didn't feel let down despite our sky high expectations. As one would expect the milk chocolate outer coatings were incredibly tasty, with Lindt's extra creamy milk chocolate doing its usual phenomenal job of providing a delicious concoction of sweet cocoa and crisp dairy milk richness. The smooth melt of the chocolate was only superseded by the epically soft truffle centre that melted with the standard Lindor butter like dexterity. Upon commencement of this truffle filling melt our mouths were treated to strong buttery sweet toffee flavour notes. Moreish doesn't even begin to describe these.

Overall the word delicious almost feels like we are underplaying how terrific we thought these tasted. We enjoyed these Lindt Lindor Caramel so much the only question we were left pondering was to why Lindt left it so long to make them!? Lindt have traditionally done chocolate and caramel combinations very well and these new Lindor certainly haven't persuaded us any differently. The synergy of the super creamy milk chocolate and fantastic caramel truffle centres is really something to behold and makes them as moreish as any of the other flavours currently in the Lindor range. It goes without saying we strongly recommend you give them a try, just make sure you dont mistakenly dismiss them as the assorted selection with their similar presentation.

8.4 out of 10

April 5th: BeyondDark Drops of Pure Pleasure

2013-04-05T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 189 Fat 14.7g Fat(sats) 9.1g Carbs 10.9g (per bag)

Is chocolate good for us?? This is a debate that has been going back and forth for years. For every article we read on chocolate being linked with obesity (See HERE), there is a contradictory one that talks about chocolate having health benefits (See HERE) - confused much!? Well these guys aren't! BeyondDark are a newly established company hailing from Shrewsbury, UK and they are firmly of the belief that chocolate is very much 'good for us'.

BeyondDark claim research indicates that the flavinol antioxidants found in their chocolate has 'abundant levels of natural compounds that may help: maintain a healthy heart, reduce blood pressure, improve blood flow, reduce bad cholesterol, maintain healthy supple skin, stay healthy and protect your brain'. If you wish to read further into their research you can do by visiting their website HERE. If you do take the time to read the site you will notice the text below that states 'please remember to enjoy BeyondDark as part of a balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables' - a very understated bit of text on the website :D

So what did I think about BeyondDark's chocolate? Well I found this 30.0g bag in my local Sainsbury's priced at £1.00. Sat within the likes of the Cadbury Dark Milk and Galaxy bars this was obviously a price premium offering and it did look expensive compared to some of the competitors just mentioned. After reading my way through all the on-pack blurb, I took my first look at the drops contained inside. As you can see in my photo above a very fine white dust lined the outer portions of each drop. This fine dust at first created a rough, dry sensation on the tongue, however as the melt developed this was overcome by a more preferable soft smooth melting action. In terms of taste this chocolate came across as underwhelming for a 70.0% offering and was actually nearly as sweet tasting as some of the stronger milk chocolates I've tried recently. The main driver of these sweet flavours was the forever underlying strong vanilla input. This sweetness generated a smooth flowing taste, however it proved rather overbearing on the cocoa which severely limited flavour depth. The 35.0g bag was a sufficent snack size but felt a little underwhelming for a dark chocolate offering.

Overall ignoring the health benefits for one minute, BeyondDark did very little to convince that their chocolate was one I should be buying for it's taste credentials. At the heart of matters here we had a fair standard dark chocolate. It was neither great nor bad, it was just a bit of a 'run of the mill' offering that didn't manage to quite convince me that I needed to buy their chocolate again anytime soon soon. Lets go back to the 'health debate' ... :D ... if you want my two cents I think it's not the greatest idea for a company to position their chocolate brand on being health advantageous. Lets be honest - no one buys chocolate on the basis that they are going to be doing their health any good! Chocolate like all things should just be eaten in moderation, and enjoyed on the basis that it is a special treat and for indulgent situations. Trying to position it as something that is health advantageous is not only highly debateable, but also flirting with the prospect of making chocolate a lot less special.

7.1 out of 10

April 3rd: Cadbury Picnic Cookie Crunch

2013-04-03T07:00:00.000+01:00

Kcal 220 Fat 10.8g Fat(sats) 4.0g Carbs 27.4g

With all the new Cadbury products being launched here in the UK I seem to have taken my eye off the ball in regards to what they are doing overseas. Luckily my guys and girls @CybercandyLtd came to my rescue earlier this week and sent me a whole load of the latest chocs and treats hailing from the outer shores and beyond. The first I'm going to show you today is this all new limited edition Cadbury Picnic Cookie Crunch. This is a bar from all the way 'Daaaaaaaaaaan Unnnda' (Sorry I love saying that!!) and is the latest addition to the people in purple's product range.

The Cadbury Picnic Cookie Crunch I tried came in a 46.0g size - I'm aware there is a larger sized duo version available on the Cybercandy site for those with larger appetites :-) The bar came described as 'a unique combination of chocolate biscuit pieces, peanuts, wafer and caramel covered in milk chocolate' - basically imagine your standard UK Cadbury Picnic sans the raisins and con some chocolate cookie bits! The packaging and presentation was all rather standard with the usual red secondary colour replaced with a brown theme which I thought reflected the flavour variation nicely.

The one thing I really love about these Cadbury Picnic bars from abroad is how much cooler they look than our UK Cadbury Picnic. Our British one looks a little clumsy and as if it is just all the odds and sods left around the factory thrown together in one bar willy-nilly. As I hope my photo reflects, these Aussie Cadbury Picnics look anything but that. All of the constituents are nicely layered in the bar and I think this definitely helps the taste development as you go from sweet milky chocolate, chewy, buttery caramel, crisp wafer and then lastly the crunchy, salty peanuts. In this particular bar the cookie pieces also added a further crunchy element to the outer chocolate and at some points there was a definite Oreo cookie type influence on the taste which was another welcome addition.

Overall limited editions from abroad can often be a little hit or miss but this is one that definitely falls in the 'hits' section. The usual Cadbury Picnic Australian bar is actually a little different to our UK one in that it doesn't have raisins in the first place, so to comment on there absence here would be misleading. Essentially with this bar you get cookie pieces instead of rice cereal which by my reckoning is a good swap. The cookie bits make the taste a little more chocolatey and succeed in adding a further layer of interest to the overall experience. Another point worth making is that limited editions are usually an excuse for companies to shrink the size of their bars, but it was nice to see that this Cadbury Picnic Cookie Crunch stayed consistent from the main product at a wholly satisfying 46.0g. This bar gets a thumbs up from me - totally worth considering if Cadbury Picnics float your boat.

8.7 out of 10

Easter Monday ....fill ya boots

2013-04-01T07:00:00.000+01:00

We hope you are all enjoying this wonderful Easter bank holiday! The ChocolateMission team wanted to give you all a heads-up that little fellas like our friend Buttons the Bunny should be discounted quite considerably over at Hotel Chocolat as of today! If you aren't already drowning in chocolatey Easter treats this would be a good time to go 'fill ya boots' so to say. Enjoy the rest of your Easter holidays - normal reviews will resume here on ChocolateMission midweek!

ChocolateMission Team

Happy Easter 2013 from ChocolateMission!!

2013-03-29T07:00:00.000Z

Hi All we wanted to take the time here at ChocolateMission to wish you all a very Happy Easter. How ever you choose to celebrate Easter we hope you all get some lovely chocolatey treats to enjoy.

This year the ChocolateMission team are getting stuck into these Artisan du Chocolat Golden Lace Creme Brulee eggs! The team got sent these just yesterday from our contact at Artisan - they were obviously pleased with the glowing reviews we gave their Creme de la Creme and Mallow eggs earlier this month. What can we say!? When the products are that good its not exactly much of a challenge.

Anyway, whilst we get our lips around these creme brulee flavour enhanced milk chocolate eggs (assorted coloured mini chocolate eggs inside!!) you can let us know what you are chowing down on via the @Chocmission twitter feed. We would love to hear about all your Easter chocolate hauls.

We will be back April 3rd with an all new chocolate review!

Best Wishes

ChocolateMission Team

March 28th: Hotel Chocolat Eggs-tra Eggs-tra

2013-03-28T07:00:00.000Z

It's like old times this - posts everyday of the week :-)

You have probably read enough from us lot already this week so we will keep these short and snappy! If you order today from Hotel Chocolat (use our discount code HERE!!) you should be ok to recieve your chocolates just in time for the Easter festivities! Here are some of the smaller egg shaped goodies we got sent in our sampling package this year!!

Hotel Chocolat Honey and Almond Egglets Selector

We have tried ALOT of egg shaped chocolates this Easter :-) but these were a real standout for the ChocolateMission team. These Hotel Chocolat Honey and Almond eggs contain a filling comprised of light almond praline with honey and white chocolate. This combination of sweet honey and nutty praline creamyness provides a wonderful synergy of ingredients. We would advise you obviously have to be nut lovers for full appreciate, though this was no issue for us and our selector tray was emptied within a matter of minutes of opening.

8.6 out of 10

Hotel Chocolat Classic Egglet Selection

This mini collection contained Salted Caramel, Pecan Praline, Vanilla Truffle and Hazelnut Praline filled eggs. These classic flavours have all featured in ChocolateMission reviews in the past. Suffice to say all continued to meet the high levels of class they did before. The salted sweetness of the caramel filled milk chocolate eggs was a standout, though the woody nut Hazelnut Praline eggs weren't exactly a distant second choice for the ChocolateMission team.

8.5 out of 10

Hotel Chocolat Salt and Pepper Praline Egglets Selector

Some of the team approached these Salt and Pepper flavoured milk chocolate eggs with some scepticism, however they ended up going down rather well (or rather easily is another way to look at it haha!!). The team loved the way the salt enhanced the creamyness of the chocolate and despite our initial concerns the pepper seemed equally well placed offering a small hint of spiceyness to the smooth inner nutty truffle flavour delivery. More for the adventurous chocolate lover but a flavour combination well worthy of your time.

8.4 out 10

Hotel Chocolat Champagne Egglet Selection

I (Jim) would love to claim first hand experience with these Champagne eggs, however Mummy ChocolateMission latched on to these as soon as she saw them. This selection contains eggs filled with Classic Champagne, Pink Champagne with a hint of strawberry and Champagne Bellini with a little peach fillings. Being a lover of all things flavoured Peach she said the latter of the eggs mentioned was her favourite as the sweet fruit flavours softened the tarter alcohol notes. Suffice to say these will please the Champagne lovers out there.

8.3 out of 10