Oh, it's on. Hersheypark 2008.

Here's the first of several picture posts that I'll be sending during our stay in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Here you see me posing with my buddy, Mr. Kitter. Today, we saw him scare the hell out of two teenage girls who thought he was fake cause he was acting like he was a statue. I bet they don't see too many girls running for their lives screaming and at the top of their lungs in Chocolate World. Tomorrow, I'm gonna see if I can get him to moonwalk or do the robot or something.

Today we also went to a chocolate tasting where "Erma" demonstrated the proper way to enjoy five different types of chocolate. We also got to break open a cacao bean and try the nibs. I drank half a bottle of water trying to wash out the bitter taste!

As usual during one of our trips to Chocolate World, Valerie and I rode on the factory tour ride just to get free chocolate. Last year they were giving out free Take Five bars. This year we got to sample Hershey Bliss Meltaways (3 times!). Here, you can see Kit Kats on the assembly line.


Until tomorrow, adios.

hubbs toggi (greece)

Here's a new one for you. I'm really not sure who makes this bar, but it seems to be imported from Greece to Canada by a company called "Hubbs Importing". From the looks of it, this chocolate bar is going to be tasting a lot like a chocolate covered Monogatari's without the extra fruit flavor. The packaging is nothing special but is labeled with "Fine European Chocolate Wafers". At $1.35 for the bar, I'm not exactly how "fine" this chocolate can be.

Opening up the package revealed two sticks of chocolate covered wafers, looking no different than the similar Little Debbie snacks. Biting into them was no different either. There was nothing special about them. The chocolate was smooth but I don't think it was any better than a standard Nestle chocolate bar. On this one I'll have to recommend that you pass on this unless you're really looking to try every chocolate bar out there.

Hubbs Toggi (Greece)
Size: 50g Calories: 270 Fat: 16g Carbohydrates: 30g

More News on FDA Chocolate Takeover...

For those of you who read my last post and helped out by signing the petition against the FDA's approval of the definition change of chocolate, here's another article from the LA Times.

ritter sport - cappuccino (Germany)

This is one I've been wanting to try for a while. Believe it or not, it was the super simple packaging that drew me to it. As I wrote in my last post, I've always been a fan of simplicity in package design. The blue logo contasted well against the white square and metallic gold ink. I was quite excited to rip it open and try it.

The chocolate itself was divided into 16 squares, each bearing the Ritter Sport logo. I broke off a square and bit into the chocolate. The smooth milky chocolate melted in my mouth as the cappuccino filling gushed from between the chocolate shell. Together they created a heavenly bliss which I don't believe has been matched by any other coffee flavored chocolate that I've ever happened upon.

I will definitely be buying Ritter Sport bars in the future as they have now tickled my tastebuds. This one fails to receive a perfect score only because it's quite possibly the most unhealthy bar I've eaten! I'm running a race this Saturday and should really be slimming down, but I just can't stop eating this chocolate delight!

Ritter Sport - Cappuccino (Germany)
Size: 100g Calories: 660 Fat: 45g Carbohydrates: 60g

don't mess with our chocolate!

Apparently, some lobbyists are attempting to "change the definition" of chocolate by allowing inferior non-dairy product to pass off as the real thing. Read the post, then click on the link above to help do your part to save our chocolate. Thanks!

The rules currently state (basically) that chocolate must contain cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Other things can be in there, like milk fat and milk solids to make milk chocolate and a small amount of milk fat can be added to dark chocolate as well. The new proposal would allow products that contain NO COCOA BUTTER to be call chocolate.

Here's a passage directly from the "Don't Mess with Our Chocolate" website...

We love it just the way it is; made with 100% cocoa butter and real milk, rather than some concocted blend of fats and other substitutes. The following lists the primary reasons why we oppose their petition and why this is not in the best interest of the consumer:
1). Without proper labeling, consumers will find it difficult and confusing to differentiate the current gold standard of real chocolate vs. this new concoction, which has substitute ingredients. This will amount to economic fraud to the consumer as the product will become cheaper with inferior ingredients.
2). None of what is being proposed benefits the consumer, nor was any consumer research submitted to support such changes.
3). Their proposed formula will contain large quantities of bad Trans fats, which are not good for your health.
4). They are meddling with everything that we love about chocolate.
5). Cocoa butter is unique; vegetable fats can only masquerade as cocoa butter.
6). The eating properties, flavor and mouth feel will all be different.
7). All manufacturers, even those who do not want to support this, will be forced to convert to the new concoction due to the economic advantages associated with the new formula and their wanting to remain effectively competitive within the category. The net effect will be a total downgrade in the eating enjoyment and quality for chocolate.

ferrero duplo (Puerto Rico)

See? Even Buddy Christ thinks you would enjoy the Ferrero Duplo. But in all honesty, what makes this hazelnut treat any better than any of the other Ferrero offerings? Nothing really. This is another twist on the chocolate/hazelnut/wafer combination. Hey, if it works for them, why screw with it?

Anyways, this one looked like a giant Lego block, with three bumps protruding from a rectangular base. There were strips of chocolate on top of the entire bar. The packaging was simply white with red lettering and bore a picture of the contained goodies.

I broke off a piece and enjoyed such goodness. The hazelnut cream was about as creamy and delicious as possible. The pieces of hazelnut that were swimming in the filling were tiny and soft and provided a perfect compliment. The wafers were extremely light and the chocolate was super-milky. This was almost a perfect score, though I personally don't like nuts in my chocolate. Nice job Ferrero.

Ferrero Duplo (Puerto Rico)
Size: 26g Calories: 150 Fat: 10g Carbohydrates: 13g

nestle lion (England)

Here's another one from the foreign section of the supermarket. I've actually had this bar before while I was on a cruise several years ago. I remember it being quite tasty, but not so much that I was inclined to search for an online retailer. Naw mean?

The packaging is just okay from a graphic artist's point of view. I've definitely seen better from Nestle. It actually looks quite dated and lacks the flare of new packages. The bar itself was quite good, and was made with a mixture of caramel, filled wafers, crisp cereal and milk chocolate. It taste like a conglomeration of Milky Ways, Nestle Crunches and Kit Kats. One would think this would be heaven. However, there's just too much going on here and while there are a lot of good flavors, but none of them is distinct.

Nestle Lion (England)
Size: 55g Calories: 269 Fat: 12g Carbohydrates: 35g

olza prince polo (Poland)

Here's a new one. I'll give you a little background info on this bar from its wiki...

Prince Polo is a Polish chocolate bar. It is sold in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary under the name Siesta, and is popular in Iceland (as Prins Póló), where for many years it was one of the few chocolate bars available. It has long been Poland's top-selling candy brand, but in recent years the similar Princessa brand (manufactured by Nestle) has achieved similar popularity.

Prince Polo was introduced in the early 1950s, during the early years of the Polish People's Republic, by Olza SA in Cieszyn. It is a chocolate-covered wafer, with four layers of wafer joined by three layers of chocolate-flavored filling; it was easily identifiable by its metallic gold-colored wrapper.

I found this bar in the foreign foods section of our local supermarket. The picture on the metallic green wrapper made me wonder if this is a monogatari (see previous post) mint flavored chocolate. The bar felt very light in weight and I was quite eager to rip into it.

As I took my first bite, I realized that I couldn't really place the flavor, but enjoyed the treat nevertheless. It definitely wasn't mint, but reminded of a peanut-like flavor. The wafer was very thin, light and crispy and the chocolate was fresh and left a slightly bitter aftertaste. Apparently this is the most popular chocolate bar in Poland and I can understand why. Though this one might be a bit harder to get your hands on, I would recommend you to try it if possible. It's not my nearly my favorite, but it's not too shabby either.

Olza Prince Polo (Poland)
Size: 38g Calories: 200 Fat: ? Carbohydrate: ?

Choxie Warm Spiced Caramels (USA)

Saturday, we were doing our weekly shopping at Target. As usual, I was scouring the candy aisles, looking for my weekly treat. I decided on a tin of Choxie Warm Spiced Caramels. I was quite intrigued by the the few words written on the lid. It read, "caramels infused with exotic signature spices, encased in milk chocolate". I couldn't help but buy it.

I didn't expect there to be many chocolates inside, after all the tin only held 1.5 oz of goodies. There seemed to be only about 30 pieces inside. And, true to Choxie's reputation, this was an expensive treat... $2.50 for 1.5 ounces? Ouch! Anyhow, I popped the first one into my mouth curiously excited. The chocolate was smooth, the caramel was soft and gooey (just the way I like it) and... Oh! What was this? Spices! It tasted like I was munching on a gingerbread cookie wrapped in caramel and chocolate... and I liked it! I went ahead and popped about five more in my mouth, one after another.

I had many compliments but only a few complaints. I wished the container and the chocolate itself was a bit bigger. Eating a piece left me yearning for more and feeling quite unsatisfied. I didn't quite like the fact that there were only 30 pieces in the tin and a normal person would need three pieces to feel even somewhat satisfied. Finally, the price. It always seems to be an issue when it comes to the price of Choxie. I can't ever argue the quality of the chocolate, but the price needs some serious re-evaluating. Until next time

Choxie Warm Spiced Caramels (USA)
Size: 43g Calories: 180 Fat: 9g Carbohydrates: 25g

le patissier takagi brandy & orange kit kat (Japan)

I bought this box from Jason over in Japan. It's a special edition Kit Kat made with flavors and ingredients hand selected by Le Patissier Takagi aka Iron Chef Takagi. This package of Kit Kats was unlike any I have ever seen before. As you can see from the picture at the above left, the box comes in a spectacular rice paper wrapper and is sealed with a Le Patissier Takagi emblem. The wrapper is patterned with Kit Kat logos and stripes made of the words "Le Patissier Takagi". However, the beautiful packaging doesn't stop there. Peeling off the outer wrapper reveals a glossy embossed boxed, sparkling with gold foil letters and a somewhat holographic heart-shaped sticker. For all the Kit Kats I have seen in my life, never before have I witnessed such beauty.
Taking my first bite into the this marvel was something out of a dream. What was I eating? This didn't taste like a standard Kit Kat! The chocolate was extremely creamy, like a Lindt truffle. And there was something else... The wafer was extremely delicate and light. The finger itself was about three quarters of the normal height of a regular kitter, but about one and a half times wider. Looking inside the chocolate covered finger, I could see the wafer and a thin layer of white, brandy and orange flavored cream directly above it. The brandy flavor never really came out, but it didn't hurt the overall taste at all. The orange was not overwhelming and complimented the smooth chocolate well.

I was very impressed with this chocolate and understand very well why this box of chocolates cost me almost $30.00. Perhaps if I liked the orange-chocolate combination better to begin with, I would have given this a perfect 10. My advice for those who like these flavors... Go buy a box!

Le Patissier Takagi Brandy & Orange Kit Kat (Japan)
Size: 18g Calories: 100 Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 10.5g

williams-sonoma chocolate cooking class...

Today, Val and I went for a chocolate cooking class at Williams-Sonoma. The head chef was a former Procter & Gamble chemist. She was very informative and reminded me a lot of a female Alton Brown. On today's menu was a Chocolate Sorbet, a Mocha Cake with Spiced Caramel Sauce, a Warm Molten Cake and finally a Chocolate-Banana Croissant Panini, the latter being my favorite. Everything was quite delicious except for the mocha cake which I found to be quite salty.

The head chef (Maral Apelian Banks) explained to us the differences in the type of chocolates that you use for cooking and baking. Let me pass on a tip that she gave us. Try not to use domestic chocolates in baking because they are usually coated in wax and oil for shipping and the flavor is not usually as pure as European and other imported chocolates. Above, you see me holding a 10 pound bar of Guittard Bittersweet Chocolate. Wow. And I thought that the 5 pound Hershey bar was big!

This morning I picked up a few new chocolates that I'll be reviewing in the upcoming days, including a new brownie flavored Hershey bar. It should be interesting. Until tomorrow...

hershey reese's easter fudge egg (USA)

I know that I've fallen behind since I last posted, but fear not - I have several new items to post. Tonight I'm going to write about the Reese's Easter Fudge Eggs that Val and I ate while we were watching Zodiac on Tuesday night. Yes, I'm one of those people that brings food into the movie. But just to make it a little better, I had a small popcorn and medium drink as well. Okay, so Tuesday nights are Free Popcorn Night. But still... The medium drink was $7.00. Heh...

Let's see. the Easter Fudge Eggs are basically Fudge cups in the shape of Easter eggs, only they aren't really eggs. Rather, they look like oblong domed cups sans ridges. So much for specialty packaging. Anyways, we bit into these chocolate treats and were quite surprised about their taste. While obviously lacking the yumminess of the peanut butter, the fudge was a nice substitute.

I guess you can say that the fudge and chocolate combination, while very tasty, was a little too much on the taste buds. I really liked the combination but I don't think it was properly executed. Nice try Hershey, maybe next time.

Hershey's Reese's Easter Fudge Eggs
Size: 1.2oz Calories: 180 Fat: 10g Carbohydrates: 18g

glico almond crush pocky (Japan)

For those of you who have never had Pocky, let me explain them to you. Pocky is an extremely popular Japanese treat that has spawned (A) as many flavors as Kit Kat and (B) many many copycats. Summed up, Pocky are biscuit sticks covered in some form of chocolate coating. In this case it's chocolate with "almond crush". I am usually a big fan of the many flavors of Pocky, but this one was just a bit too much for me. I think Glico added just a few too many almonds in this flavor. And while I should have expected it with a name like "Almond Crush", I just couldn't get into it.

MuD: Too nutty for me, but the biscuit and chocolate were gold. I give it a high "7". Perhaps if there were more chocolate to drown out the amount of almonds, it would have received a higher rating.

Val: It was creamy chocolate with a bunch of almonds in it. It has a very nutty taste. I think the almond taste outweighs the chocolate flavor but it's not like the chocolate taste is lacking. It's a candy for nut lovers. I give it an "8".

Look for more Pocky flavors in the future. We'll definitely review them.

Glico Almond Crush Pocky
Size: 20.5g Calories: 110 Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 11g

choxie chocolate flakey truffles (USA)

God this new camera can't take macros. I should stick to my dSLR... I apologize for the picture. If I have time, I'll shoot another one.

Although Choxie has magnificently packaged goodies in their product line, and their selection of flavors is usually originally large, Val and I don't usually buy them because they cost too damn much! From a graphic artist's point of view I've always loved their "retro" "60's" "simplistic" packaging. They leave the quality of the chocolate itself to do the advertising.

You're going to laugh at me, but I found this package of Choxie underneath our refrigerator while searching for a cat toy that had traveled underneath. Though at least a year old, it looked to be in good shape, and still bore the red "Target Clearance" sticker upon it... According to me, it was still edible. So I ate it.

Let me just tell you up front that this package of Choxie truffles retails for $2.00. Boy was I surprised to open up the box and find a measly TWO pieces inside. Mind you, they looked like two very delicious pieces of chocolate, but still - a dollar each? I would be better off going to Godiva!

So, I finally bit into the truffle. Oh shat. This was heaven! This might actually be worth a dollar per piece. The chocolate truffles were extremely smooth and creamy and the chocolate flakes added to its delightfulness. Could this be the first "10" that I give out? Thinking it through, there wouldn't be a thing that I would do to this chocolate except possibly lower its price! Well kids, you've heard it from me. Go out and buy your own and try it for yourself. You won't regret it.

Choxie Chocolate Flakey Truffles (USA)
Size: 24g Calories: 140 Fat: 9g Carbohydrates: 13g

nestle banana aero bar (Japan)

Sorry for the lack of updates. Val was a bridesmaid in a wedding this weekend and most of Friday night and all of Saturday was taken up. Let me just tell you thought that they had an amazing chocolate fountain at the Viennese (sp?) dessert table. The chocolate tasted as if they had used freshly melted Hershey Kisses for the filling. On another note, I'm expecting a large order of Kit Kats to arrive from Japan. In the meanwhile, I have Banana Aero bars to review. Mmm. I don't even have to taste them and know that they are going to be insane.

I could barely read anything written on the package of the Japanese packaging, but let me tell you, I loved it! For one, the entire box was covered in yellow and orange air bubbles as well as flying bananas. Top that off with a talking poodle on ice skates and I believe we have a winner! The box had a perforation on top and inside were ten single-serving bite-sized Aero bars.

Biting in the (small) piece of chocolate was heaven! Now, let me tell you that bananas are one of my favorite fruits / flavors and I've tried many different banana flavored chocolates and candies before. None of them, not even the banana flavored Kit Kat has come close to the real flavor of a banana as this Aero bar. The Nestle chocolate, combined with the aerated banana flavored middle makes for quite a delicious treat. They really don't get much better than this!

Nestle Banana Aero Bar
Size: 5g Calories: 28 Fat: 1.7g Carbohydrates: 2.9g

ferrero noggy (Puerto Rico)

One of my friends brought this back for me on a recent visit to Puerto Rico. Really, how many hazelnut-based chocolate candies can Ferrero come up with? I think I remember reading something about this a while back on Candyblog. Seriously though, a dozen chocolate / hazelnut candy combinations is enough, isn't it? Anyhow, let's get on with this review.

Unlike most Ferrero package designs, this one didn't really impress me. Maybe it's just me, but the design of the package usually "adds" to the virtual flavor of the chocolate by enhancing the entire experience. Upon opening the wrapper, five individually wrapped Whopper-sized spheres rolled out onto my desktop. The milky chocolate looked a bit cheap, like what you would expect from a bag of chocolate eggs during Easter. A few specks of hazelnut scattered the surface of the chocolate. The chocolate smelled quite sweet and nothing what I would normally expect from a Ferrero chocolate. Ahh... Now I understood why the chocolate looked and smelled differently. It wasn't chocolate at all, but a chocolate candy coating, a la M&M's or Smarties. The inside was filled with pieces of compressed chocolate and hazelnuts.

I think the Noggy doesn't really live up to the chocolate quality that I've come to expect from Ferrero products. The chocolate tasted cheap, the candy shell ruined the flavors contained inside and I think there the ratio of nuts to chocolate was too high. While this one may be a novelty to eat every now and again, I would recommend others spend their money on a Rocher.

Ferrero Noggy
Size: 21g Calories: 110 Fat: 6g Carbohydrates: 13g

dark apple cider chocolate bar (USA)

After two years of waiting, today was the day of the bi-annual A. Panza and Sons Ice Cream Trade Show. I took a few pictures while I was there and ate way too many frozen products than I would care to share, but you'll hear about all of that tomorrow.

Today's entry is about Hebert's Dark Apple Cider Chocolate Bar. Now, a couple of weeks ago, Justin did a review on another Hebert's bar, the Dark Bananas Foster. As you can recall, he wasn't too impressed with the bar and asked for a wake up call when the flavor improved. I'll go into this review unbiased.

Upon first opening the bar, I could smell the overwhelming aroma of dark chocolate. Not a bad thing at all. However, I didn't smell anything that even closely resembled the apple cider. The bar was broken down into 10 sections and had even diagonal lines running across it. My first bite was one of awe. Whereas the Bananas Foster bar came up short, this one hit the flavor right on the money. The chocolate was delicious and the apple cider filling, though a tad on the sweet side, was en pointe. This is a bar I could see myself buying again. Good job on this one Mr. Hebert.

Hebert's Dark Apple Cider Chocolate Bar

Size: 64g Calories: 290 Fat: 15g Carbohydrates: 43g

dark chocolate 100 grand bars (USA)

Happy Valentine's Day to my other two readers out there. Here's another Target limited edition we picked up while shopping on Sunday. I'm a pretty big fan of 100 Grands, being that they are essentially made of the best parts of Nestle Crunch and Milky Way bars. Yeah, yeah, I know I'm always talking about the packaging and really, who cares? But... Aside from all the nonsense advertising usually on the package, I like the really classy gold ends with black Avant Garde lettering. It really screams, "limited edition". Hehe.

There really isn't much to say about this bar. If you've had a 100 Grand bar before, then you know what this taste like. Substitute the milk chocolate coating with Hershey's ever-so-slightly bitter dark chocolate and you get this special edition bar. The only problem here is that the overwhelming sweetness of the caramel kills any ounce of flavor that the dark chocolate may have given this bar. So in essence, you don't need to run out and buy a bag of these so called "limited edition" bars. Buy the originals. You aren't missing much.

white chocolate kit kat (Japan)

The White Chocolate Kit Kat is a staple to the Kit Kat world, but Nestle Japan puts a little bit of a twist on it. In addition to the regular ingredients, I believe that they have added honey to it as well, though one would never know from the taste. I've always been a fan of Nestle Kit Kats over Hershey's ones, and this is one of the reasons.

Grr. My computer crashed and I had to retype this next section from memory.

Anyhow, let's get on with it. I pulled out the first of the two packs and unwrapped the two-fingered delight. There was a an aroma of white chocolate that must be personally witnessed to understand. The chocolate itself was the standard issue white Nestle chocolate - white and not too sweet. The wafer was fresh and crisp. Delicious. Muy delicious. I would recommend this bar to all chocolate aficionados as well as anyone looking for a wonderful tea biscuit replacement.