Review: Ritter Sport Choco Duo

This offering from Ritter Sport should – at least theoretically - have a wide appeal, as it promises two chocolates in one!

The wrapper is done in an attractive two tone layout of which the blue is really stunning. The bar itself is quite simply gorgeous looking with brown milk chocolate underneath a top of white chocolate. The white chocolate nuance could be a more “clean” white, though this is perhaps a minor point. Appearance: 9 out of 10.

The aroma is hard to evaluate due to the composite nature of the bar. The combined aroma does not come across too well, in my mind. It is, however, possible to separate the two types of chocolate. The milk chocolate has a pleasant, if not spectacular, aroma of milk and sweetness. The white chocolate, on the other hand, entirely lacks the aroma profile of white chocolate and vanilla. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

The snap is good though the chocolate itself is surprisingly firm which means that the melt takes a little time to kick in. The texture is very waxy and unpleasant being quite sticky, sticking to gums and mouth. Texture: 6, 5 out of 10.

I find the combined flavour to be puzzling as neither flavour of white or milk chocolate take charge, resulting in a somewhat a confusing taste impression. Separate tasting yielded as follows: White chocolate lacks in character and vanilla and is rather mediocre. I found the milk chocolate to be substandard with a somewhat bitter and unpleasant peppery aftertaste. I think this bar borders on being too sweet, though perhaps it will be acceptable to many consumers. Flavour: 5, 5 out of 10.

I think many Ritter Sport fans will be less pleased with this particular bar as it lacks the hallmark Ritter characteristic: the filling. This particular combination of milk and white chocolate – it seems to me – does not deliver, but becomes somewhat confusing, sweet and waxy.

Average: 6, 9 out of 10 (rounded figure)

Review: Nestlé Lion Bar

This Lion bar takes me back to when I was a kid. I recall being around 8 or 10 years old, when seeing an ad for this bar in a football magazine. It looked darn delicious and I just had to have it. It probably was the first bar I bought because of an ad. I don’t recall if I liked it or not back then – though I probably did. When I saw it at the store the other day I just had to get a few to sample.

I find the wrapper to bombastic to be really attractive. The bar has some appeal though I did not find it overly attractive to behold. A more shiny milk chocolate would make it a great looking bar. Alternatively the bar might be decorated, say some white chocolate stripes, to improve appearance somewhat. The contours of both bar and crispy cereals look nice. Appearance: 6, 5 out of 10.

The bar has a surprisingly nice aroma of milk chocolate and coconut. No coconut is listed in the declaration, so perhaps the coconut aroma stems from condensed milk used in the making of this bar. Aroma: 7, 5 out of 10.

The first reaction I got when biting into this bar was that it had a somewhat odd mouth feel and texture. It is hard to bite into, there is crunch and there is chewy toffee. In the mouth it simply does not work out as it is too tough and chewy to my taste. Texture: 6 out of 10

I found the flavour to be uninteresting and lacking in character. There are flavours of toffee and vanilla and the sweetness is nicely balanced – that is – it is not too sweet. Perhaps this is a bar that many may like, though to my mind, it is simply not sufficiently interesting. Flavour: 6 out of 10.

Average 6, 5

Review: Anthon Berg Marzipan Bar

This dark chocolate coated Marzipan Bar from Anthon Berg is a Danish classic and quite popular, as the Anthon Berg brand is often associated with good quality chocolate.

In keeping with this image the wrapper is visually quite aesthetic. The chocolate coating has a non-glossy dark brown colour and a cross-section view of the marzipan reveals an elegant look. The bar has few imperfections on the bottom and sides. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

Aroma is nice and sweet with no bitter tones. Both chocolate and marzipan aromas are discernable. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

The snap is fair, though could be crispier. The marzipan texture is somewhat coarse. Texture: 7 out of 10.

I find the chocolate flavour quite good and it is impressive that is has enough character to stand out given that it is only a thin covering and “only” 54% chocolate. However, the marzipan itself has an artificial flavour, probably due to inclusion of apricot kernels which unfortunately quickly dominates the flavour to the worse. In my opinion the taste of apricot kernels is not as sophisticated as that of almonds and is “wrong” in a marzipan bar such as this one. On the positive side the bar is not too sweet - sometimes an issue with marzipan bars. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 4 (rounded figure)

Review: Marabou Premium 70% cocoa sea salt pecan

I must admit I have a soft spot for pecans. To me they are walnuts - just better. Also, pecans tend to evoke in me romantic images of the American south and southern cooking - well yes, pecan nut pie! Such associations might have a broad appeal for many to try out this offering from the Marabou Premium series.

The appearance of the case is attractive and just like the Marabou premium 86% the inside foil has cocoa beans on it. The chocolate, however, is not shiny, and has white specs. I am not sure if those white spots are due to the pecans or whether the appearance is due to incorrect storage at the store. I did, however, get it from the same store as the Marabou Premium 86% which had a nice shine to it. Also, it was not too old, so this cannot be the explanation. When breaking into the chocolate nice tiny specks of pecans are visible. Appearance gets 6 out of 10. If the appearance I experienced is due to incorrect storage, indeed, this bar would probably score 1, 5 – 2 points more, had it been optimally presented.
I then picked up another of these bars - just to make sure - and I'm a little disappointed to report that the appearance was exactly the same.

The bar has reasonable not to sweet cocoa aroma with some bitterness. I could not, however, detect any scent of nuts. Aroma: 7 out of 10

The snap of the chocolate is good and the caramelized pecans and salt add some crispiness, though in my opinion the pecans are chopped too finely. This may be due to the fact that this is a relative thin bar. The melt is good. Texture: 8 out of 10.

The flavour is mild and sweet and not overly dark. I found it hard to detect any pecan flavour. The salt blends in quite nicely and adds complexity to the flavour. The salt really complements this chocolate well and adds complexity to the flavour. This part is really well done and is probably the strongest part of this bar. Whilst there is a tiny amount of fruit (mostly due to the salt) much more fruit would have been excellent for this chocolate. Thus I find that this chocolate leaves something to be desired in terms of flavour. I also have an issue with the amount of pecans. According to the declaration this bar contains 10, 5% caramelized pecans (=Pecans, sugar, salt). I guesstimate a total of 5 or 6 grams (at most) of finely chopped pecans (100g bar) and I find that this is too modest an amount to really impact the flavour of the bar as a whole. Also, it means that this bar as a whole is somewhat sweeter than a pure 70% chocolate as by my reckoning it will contain a little more sugar.
Flavour: 7, 5 out of 10.

I do think, however, that this chocolate could easily become popular with whatever target group, Marabou aimed it at (whether that target group is very large is of course another matter).
I am not sure why fat reduced cocoa is used for this bar, as well as other bars in the Marabou Premium range. Is it to save on ingredients or is there some other reason? Also, I am not sure why this bar includes butter fat, especially in view of the fact that this is a “dark” chocolate (I put dark in quotations mark, as I don’t think dairy products have any place in a dark chocolate). Is that too, to save on production? Why would you reduce natural cocoa fats and then add butter fat?
If I were to hazard a guess, my immediate thought was that fat reduction saves on ingredients (cocoa butter is one of the most expensive if not the most expensive fats around). However, the resulting lack of fat might leave an inferior melt and texture, hence the substitution with much cheaper butter fat.

I should be the first to admit that I’m no expert on the subject and so I invite more competent explanations.

Average: 7, 125 out of 10

Review: Ritter Sport Marzipan

Marzipan is an almond sugar paste, which, when properly done, tastes sublime. That is, of course, if you like almond and nuts. It has been used in confectionary at least since the middle ages and Germany has a particular strong tradition for using it, such as in Stollen, a rich and luxurious German Christmas log (idea for developing a stollen Ritter Sport?!).

In sum the marzipan-chocolate combination is a classic – and rightly so.

Interestingly, however, this marzipan bar is not one of the top 3 best selling Ritter flavours in Germany (1. Whole Hazelnuts 2. Praline 3. Alpine Milk Chocolate).

Surprisingly, it tops the UK list (1. Marzipan 2. Whole Hazelnuts 3. Peppermint). I say surprisingly because I was convinced - admittedly on no solid basis whatsoever - that marzipan was a continental thing.

I do not know how Ritter's marzipan flavour ranks here in Denmark, though I would on the same entirely unsubstantiated grounds as above, estimate it as one of the more popular flavours.

This offering from Ritter Sport has an attractive wrapper, although there is an issue of content overweight as I described in the review of the Caramel & Nuts, also from the Ritter range. The dark chocolate has an appealing and shiny dark brown/ black colour. Also, the marzipan filling, visible in a cross section view, stands out as quite attractive. The chocolate on the underside of the bar has some minor imperfections (caveties). Appearance: 8 out of 10.

Nice, if quite overpowering aroma of marzipan. The aroma of dark chocolate is not very much present. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

The snap, when breaking of a piece, is quite good. Also in the mouth the chocolate snaps in a very attractive manner. The snap is very well done indeed. The marzipan blends in naturally, but perhaps a softer texture would be nice. The melt is OK but could perhaps be somewhat improved. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.

The flavour is not too sweet which is good, as this can become a problem when combining chocolate and marzipan (which by its nature is quite rich). However, the dark chocolate (50%) lacks character and distinctive flavour. The marzipan is quite overpowering in its flavour and comes across as somewhat artificial, as if aroma/flavour has been added too generously. The result is an unpleasant bitter finish, which unfortunately, at least for me, ruins the flavour of this bar. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

The strength of this bar is clearly its aroma and snap. However, judging solely on the basis of flavour I would score it much lower than the present average.

In sum, I was somewhat disappointed by this bar as the marzipan-chocolate combination has great potential.

Average 7,5

Review: Marabou Non Stop

This Marabou is a “Non Stop” studded milk chocolate that comes in a 200g bar. I do not exactly know what Non Stops are, though from the wrapper it appears as something like Smarties. The wrapper states this is a “Milk chocolate with chocolates in a crispy sugar shell”

The wrapper looks OK if a little on the bombastic side. However, opening the wrapper red, yellow and green specks of sugar shell chocolates are revealed. These greatly detract from the aesthetics of the bar. In addition there are empty cavities in the chocolate. Appearance: 6, 5 out of 10.

The aroma is pleasant sweet milk chocolate with a hint of caramel and perhaps some aroma additives too. The aroma is surprisingly nice when compared to the Marabou Digestive (review here). It is for some reason somewhat similar to the Ritter Sport Caramel & Nuts. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

The chocolate itself seemed surprisingly hard for a milk chocolate. The “non-stops” gave it a crunch, though as in a sugary crunch – not in added texture such as nuts or “biscuit balls” as in the Marabou Digestive. Also, the melt of this bar was unpleasant as it stuck to teeth and gums and did not melt softly. I sum I did not find the texture of this bar to be very good. Texture: 6 out of 10.

The flavour is bland and very sweet and leaves a burn in the neck. It has no intensity and it is hard to identify a clear chocolate flavour. There is an unpleasant bitter aftertaste after a little while lingering on the palate. Flavour 6 out of 10.

I have a hard time imagining that this bar could become a big hit. The idea of Smarties-like chocolates in a bar may appeal to a good number of consumers. I doubt, however, that many will rebuy this one after tasting it. Of course I could be way of the mark here and so I am prepared to be corrected!

Average: 6, 625 out of 10

Review: Organic white chocolate (Irma)

Time for my first review of a white chocolate. This one is organic and Fairtrade from the Danish supermarket Irma and comes in a 100g bar. It is produced in Germany with cocoa beans from Bolivia and/or The Dominican Republic. Since it is a private label and I was unable to find out more details about it.

The wrapping appears attractive. The chocolate itself, however, is not “snow white” which somewhat detracts from its appearance. That is, the colour – a very pale caramel - is not unattractive in and off itself. Nevertheless many consumers will probably expect something else from a white chocolate bar. I assume that the darker colour comes from the use of muscovado and cane sugar rather than regular sugar. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

I found the aroma to be quite excellent as the aromas of white chocolate and muscovado sugar blends into an enticing mix. Very nice indeed. Aroma: 9 out of 10.

Despite being a white chocolate it has a real snap to it when breaking pieces of it, although it is not, of course, comparable to the snap of dark chocolate. There is a little less snap when actually biting into it. But probably one cannot achieve a much better snap for a white chocolate. The melt of the chocolate is good too. My impression is, however, that this bar is slightly more firm than other white chocolates and therefore melts a little slower. I did not find, however that this was unpleasant. It does, however, stick somewhat more to mouth and teeth. Whether this firmness is due to the muscovado sugar I can only guess at but this would be my assumption. Texture 8, 5 out of 10.

Flavour: The flavour of the white chocolate is quite distinctive and pleasant without being too sweet which can sometimes be an issue with white chocolate. There are nice notes of vanilla and spices, the latter probably stemming from the use of muscovado sugar. The complex flavours of the muscovado goes really well with the flavour of the white chocolate making for very good taste. Flavour: 8, 5 out of 10.

A few additional notes:

While I find every aspect of this bar quite good I find it less suitable for baking and cooking. This is due in part to the colour (if you go for a snow white appearance) and in part as it does not melt into a thick fluid chocolate that can be used for, say, covering. Rather, it becomes a semisoft mass. When used in chunks for baking it can work, but the chunks do no seem to melt into the dough but remain more or less intact. You may use it for white chocolate mousse, but this will require that a little milk (or cream) is used when melting the chocolate. I assume this is due, again, to the use of muscovado. In terms of flavour I think the muscovado clearly compensates for the lack of melt.
For cooking/baking I would, however, recommend another good chocolate. For enjoying as is, however, this is quite good and I have no qualms recommending it. It would be nice, though, had the packet stated the percentage of cocoa butter used in the making. Also it would be nice had the package stated that this chocolate is less good for cooking baking.

Average 8,5 out of 10.

Review: Ritter Sport Caramel & Nuts

I finally got around to reviewing the Ritter Sport “Caramel & Nuts” bar, which is one of the highest scoring from the Ritter range over at Jim’s Chocolate Mission.

The package is attractive and I quite like the font type “Ritter” is set with. It brings association to things alpine - quite appropriate for a German brand. My only issue with the design is the overweight of contents being concentrated on the right hand side which make the top and left hand side appear rather “blank”. This design template is employed for several varieties such “Praline” and “Neapolitan wafer”.
Whereas the packaging is attractive the filling appears somewhat dull – visually speaking – in a cross section. To be fair, however, it is probably not an easy task to produce an attractive looking filling in a bar such as this one. I give the appearance 7 out of 10.

The aroma is pleasant dairy chocolate with a hint of nuts which I rate 8 of 10.

The flavour is very sweet, neutral and somewhat lacks character. The first flavour to kick in is the milk chocolate. The hazelnut flavour came in relatively late. However, the caramel flavour did not come across very distinctively. The aftertaste is quite sweet and the caramel leaves a “burn” in the neck. Flavour = 7/10.

It is a shame that the nuts are chopped quite finely and thus not providing sufficient contrast in texture, as the idea of caramel and nuts is very good. The rice flakes (rice crispies?) also add too little in terms of crunch and contrast. The melt of the chocolate is nice but perhaps one might also hope for some more snap from the milk chocolate covering to provide a more exciting contrast in terms of texture. Texture: 7 out of 10.

I think, nevertheless, this could easily become a quite popular bar which will appeal to many consumers, as it is sweet, rich and melts quite nicely.

Average 7. 25 out of 10