Review: Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts

This offering is milk chocolate (min- 30% solid) studded with a whopping 23% whole hazelnuts is the most popular of the Ritter range worldwide. Not only that, it is also the most popular in Germany, home of Ritter Sport and it is runner up to the Ritter Marzipan Bar in the UK which I reviewed here earlier. I was therefore very much excited to review this bar.

Chocolate and nuts is a great tasting combination with the nuts providing excellent crunch and texture. And this combination is generally handled well by the chocolate manufacturers.

I’m not too fond of the “photo” style wrapper, although the chocolate itself, however, looks nice indeed, with a rich medium brown colour. Cross section view reveals whole nuts unevenly distributed (not a critique.) Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

The bar is very fragrant, smelling of dairy milk chocolate and hazelnuts and here I agree with Jim’s review, that the dairy, buttery, creamy and milky is being quite dominant. Aroma: 7, 5 out of 10.

Good crunch results from the hazelnuts and the melt from the chocolate is good,though it feels a bit waxy as if foreign fats have been added. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.

Mild and sweet flavour of milk chocolate sweetness, which is checked nicely by the nuts which also had a nice flavour. It is as if the chocolate has its own flavour profile either because of added fats and/or flavour enhancers. I do find the nuts are a bit bland and might benefit from a little salt, perhaps. Flavour: 7, 5 out of 10.

It is not hard to understand why this bar is so popular. Within it’s genre it seems very well done indeed. The milk chocolate is very mild and should not offend anybody and the hazelnuts add nice flavour and texture. Even if this is not my personal Ritter favourite (which I will review sometime in the future) I can certainly appreciate its position as the overall Ritter Sport leader.

Average: 7, 5 out of 10.

Review: Nestlé Lion with Peanuts

This proposition is – with the addition of peanuts - much similar to the original Lion bar, namely wafer and caramel coated with milk chocolate. Peanuts, caramel and chocolate really is a grateful combination to work with and many companies have a take on this, Snickers perhaps being the most famous.

The Achilles heel of this proposition is the Lion bar backbone, namely the wafer. If the wafer is crispy and has the right density it can be quite good. However, if it is dull it has the texture of cardboard ruining the entire experience. Also if it is too light the bar will suffer from not being sufficiently substantial.

The bar itself looks nice as is as well as in cross section, though I find the wrapper too bombastic to be really attractive. Appearance: 7, 5.

The aroma is nice with lots of peanuts which, however, overpowers, almost everything else, not least the cocoa which does not come through, which is somewhat disappointing. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

There is a nice and good crunch from the peanuts. However, the wafer is a little dull and thus becomes a little like cardboard. Here I think there is a good opportunity for improvement. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.

I find good flavours from peanuts and caramel, though both the wafer and milk chocolate are uninteresting. The wafer tastes too artificial for my liking and the milk chocolate simply isn’t sufficiently flavourful. Flavour: 7, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 375 out of 10.

Review: Nestlé White Lion

One might easily think that the White Lion bar is simply a variant of the regular covered with white chocolate (or “frosting”) instead of the usual milk chocolate. And on the composition and component level this is certainly true. However, once this bar enters your mouth it is an entirely different story. The major improvement is the soft caramel in this bar as opposed to the tough caramel in the regular Lion bar.

As with the original Lion bar and the Lion bar with peanuts, the basic idea is to add a layer of caramel to a wafer and coat it with chocolate. This challenge is to get the wafer to stay crisp. If this fails the result is a dull wafer with the texture of cardboard. Also one has to strike a good balance not making the wafer too light and not making it too substantial. A too light wafer will not provide good texture (as well as satisfying your chocolate hunger!) and if it’s too substantial will make the bar too compact.

So, how did the White Lion bar deal with these issues?

The wrapper is a little too bombastic for my taste, though the bar itself looks nice and a cross section view is also nice. Perhaps a little decoration, in the form of contrasting colours, for example, might add to the appeal of this bar. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

The aroma is that of artificial cake, as with the regular Lion, with a hint of coconut (though none is listed in the declaration). The aroma might come from the glucose or from the condensed milk used. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

The texture of the bar is nice, with soft, smooth as well as crunchy textures from the wafer. The wafer, however, comes close to cardboard because it is not crunchy enough. Still, the texture of this one is much better than the regular Lion which received a 6 out of 10 for texture. Now I’m thinking perhaps this bar was stored under less than ideal conditions and perhaps I should soon do a retest. I think a good balance was found on the weight of the wafer. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.

There is not much flavour in terms of chocolate and it entirely lacks the characteristics of good white chocolate. The white chocolate covering seems to me more like a “frosting”. The wafer has a wheaty and artificial taste. It is very sweet and has notes of caramel and glucose. I agree with Jim's review, over at Jim’s chocolate mission, that the flavour of this bar is somewhat lacking. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 125 out of 10.

Review: Anthon Berg Marzipan Bar with Nougat

This offering is similar to the Anthon Berg Marzipan Bar I reviewed earlier, except that it has a nougat stick inside the marzipan which is then covered by dark chocolate (54%).

Such a composition has the potential to deliver quite an exclusive bar. And no doubt this was indeed the aim of the manufacturers. Unfortunately, I think that the flavour does not deliver and is thus prone to disappoint the consumer expecting a little more from this bar.

One of the things leading the consumer to believe that this is a somewhat exclusive bar is the very elegant wrapper. This impression is strengthened when the bar is unwrapped revealing a dark brown chocolate covering, ornamented with elegant stripes in a lighter brown nuance. It is a shame that these stripes are inconsistent in thickness and distribution which detracts from the bar's appearance. Cross section view reveals a nice “stick” of nougat inside the marzipan. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

In contrast to the Anthon Berg Marzipan Bar, which had a nice and distinctive chocolate fragrance, this one has a more artificial fruity aroma overpowering the chocolate aroma as well as the scent of nuts and almonds. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

This bar has an excellent snap when biting into it which is very well done indeed. The marzipan used in this bar is probably the same as that used in the Anthon Berg Marzipan Bar, though here its coarseness is not as pronounced due to the presence of nougat. This results in a slightly better melt and texture. Texture: 8 out of 10.

The taste of the chocolate does not stand out as it did in the Marzipan Bar, though it is probably the same covering. This is because the nougat has a perplexing fruity taste reminiscent of jam, not allowing the chocolate to stand out clearly. Also, it lacks the intensive flavour of roasted hazelnuts, characteristic of good nougat, and it simply does not go well with the taste of apricot kernels used to flavour the marzipan. As I wrote in the review of the marzipan bar I think the use of apricot kernels ruins the more delicate flavour of almonds in the marzipan, even if it makes for a stronger flavour as well as a cheaper bar. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 25 out of 10.

Review: Marabou Premium 70% Cocoa Raspberry

In theory, at least, I think the combination of raspberry and chocolate is alluring. This is because hints of red fruit in the flavour profile of dark chocolate, is generally considered desirable in a dark chocolate.

In practice, however, it is probably very difficult to strike the right balance between dark chocolate and the acidity of fresh fruit. A related challenge in this kind of bar is probably that shelf life is considerably reduced if fresh fruits are used (rather than say dried or preserved). However, if ('sugared’) dried fruits are used much of the complexity in flavour disappears and the original advantage of red fruit hints with it.

How did the Marabou Premium with raspberry deal with these issues?

The box is nice and is designed in the same spirit as the other chocolates in the premium range. The chocolate has a nice shine to it and cross section view is also fair. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

However, the raspberry and chocolate aromas do not go well together in this particular offering, as it becomes much too fruity (according to declaration apple aroma is also employed). Aroma: 6, 5
out of 10.

The snap of this bar is not very pronounced and should be much more clean and crisp. The chocolate does not melt but lingers in the mouth for quite some time which is somewhat odd. Texture: 6 out of 10.

Initially an overly sweet flavour of what seems to me to be dried raspberries (declaration does not state whether raspberries are fresh or dried). At this stage I could also detect a hint of coconut. However, after the initial taste of raspberries comes a very unpleasant bitter taste, which somewhat ruins the entire experience. I am not sure of the source for this unpleasant taste. Flavour: 5 out of 10.

Average: 6, 375 out of 10.

Review: Daim

Daim is a very popular chocolaty bar throughout Scandinavia. Combining crunchy caramel and almonds (croquante) covered with milk chocolate, it has broad appeal. For some reason, however, it seems slightly less popular with non Scandinavian reviewers such as Jim’s chocolate mission and chocablog-

While there are many bars combining caramel and milk chocolate, this is a somewhat different proposition for several reasons. First, it is not a soft, chewy bar but a hard crunchy, I would say brittle, offering. Second, it is quite a thin bar, probably to support its hardness.

The wrapper is a little too bombastic to my taste to be really attractive. The bar itself is OK, even if not screaming EAT ME! Appearance: 6, 5 out of 10.

There are certainly nice aromas of caramel and milk chocolate in this bar. However, these are marred by some artificial aroma agent, I think. At any rate there is something smelling artificial ruining the aroma part. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

The caramel is quite hard and thus provide good, if somewhat brittle crunch shattering the croquante. The mouth feel and melt is less than perfect as it sticks to teeth. Texture: 6 out of 10.

This is a very sweet bar and has a slightly burned caramel flavour. The milk chocolate does not provide much in terms of flavour, but rather brining sweetness to the party. Also, It may have another function namely to check the “burnt” flavour. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

Review: Fazermints (Fazer)

Chocolate mints from Finish Fazer must be some of the oldest still around in this category. At least I remember the elegant silver package from my childhood and if my memory serves me correctly it was considered a prestigious chocolate that my parents bought in the duty free shops to give away as presents.

Producing a chocolate with a filling of mint is probably rather challenging. The peppermint cream quite often becomes too dominating and the whole thing tastes like toothpaste in your mouth. On the other hand, the combination might perhaps work out reasonably well, if the mint flavour is not too dominating. So were these Fazermints up for the challenge?

Both the package and the wrappers of the individual mints are nice looking. Also, the individual pieces are fair looking in a cross section view, if a bit small. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

Aroma wise there is a very strong scent of peppermint, though the aroma of sweet dark chocolate (47%) is clearly noticeable. Aroma: 7, 5 out of 10.

The crunch of the chocolate covering is fair, though the melt is somewhat lacking. Also, the mint cream is rather slow to melt in the mouth. The texture itself is nice and smooth. Texture: 7 out of 10.

The flavour of the mint cream is very overpowering and sweet, and becomes too much like toothpaste. The dark chocolate flavour is barely noticeable which is a drawback, not only considering that it makes up 53%, but also because it might have cut across the sweetness of the mint filling. Flavour: 6 out of 10.

I am not convinced that indeed chocolate and peppermint cream is such an obvious proposition as is for example chocolate and orange. I say this fully aware of the popularity of such chocolates as After Eight and Ritter Sport Peppermint, the latter being on the top 3 best sellers from the Ritter range in the UK.

I may be in the minority here and perhaps the combination might be executed better than these particular mints. I will review a few more mint chocolate and, as usual, report back.

Average: 7 out of 10.

Review: Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate

The Swiss always had a reputation for producing high quality chocolate and confectionary. In part this reputation stems from the fact that several of the pioneers of modern chocolate production were Swiss. Rodolphe Lindt, one of the original founders of Lindt & Sprüngli, is a case in point. Lindt invented the conche, a machine that helps producing smooth and flavourful chocolate that melts on the tongue and much superior to what was known at the time.

In addition, the prosperous Swiss banking industry probably provided investment funds for developing chocolate production. Also, in such a wealthy community (at least in the cities) luxury items such chocolate probably has a higher chance of success. Of course, much has changed since those early days of chocolate making.

Lindt & Sprüngli is still, however, widely considered a prestigious manufacturer of high quality chocolate and I would expect their Lindt Excellence 70% bar to be one of the top offerings in their range. And indeed this bar offers some nice features.

The box for one thing is elegant and this is matched by the appearance of the chocolate itself which has a rich dark brown colour and a nice glow to it. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

The aroma, however, is somewhat disappointing. It has aromas of cocoa, smoke and rubber, the latter being rather unpleasant. The aroma of the cocoa seems not to be that of a full bodied chocolate and in a blind test I would probably not have guessed that this was a 70% chocolate. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

The snap when breaking is fair if somewhat solid, though the mouth feel of the snap is much better. At first the texture is a bit dry but then improves to a nice melt. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10.

After the initial dryness, described above, comes a nice acidity and sweetness which is then supplemented by a nice if brief fruit. It is a shame that the fruit is not richer or at least more prolonged. The finish has a slightly unpleasant bitterness to it. Flavour: 8 out 10.

Average: 7, 375 out of 10.

Review: Maltesers

I found it a bit hard to evaluate this product, as I did not know what to expect. Also, I am not familiar with any similar product. Clearly, this is not chocolate in the strict sense though the Maltesers are described as "Chocolates with crisp, light honeycombed centres". Chocolate or not, according to Jim over at Jim’s Chocolate Mission, this was Mars’ top selling product in 2008!

Moving on to presentation I consider the wrapper too bombastic to be really attractive, though the Maltesers themselves are nice looking. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

I find very little character in terms of aroma which consists mostly of bread, salt and milk chocolate. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

The balls are very crispy and very light. At the end they become a bit chewy. However, they melt away extremely quickly not leaving much time for joy. They are really over before the fun begins. Texture: 5 out of 10.

However, the balls lack any distinctive flavour, the fluffy filling beneath the chocolate covering taste a little like bread with some salt. The milk chocolate (23%) is quite sweet and lacks distinctive character. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10

If Jim is right about this being Mars’ top selling product (at least at one point), the people at Mars must clearly be doing something right, though I would be hard pressed to guess what makes these balls so popular.

Perhaps the Maltesers’ lightness will appeal to some as a snack that does not make you too feel heavy after consuming a bag of these.

Average: 6, 25 out of 10.

Review: Marabou hjerter (hearts)

This box of “Heart shaped Milk chocolates with hazelnut cream filling” contains 20 chocolates (125g). This means that each chocolate weighs about six grams.

The chocolates come in an elegant red box and presentation is enhanced by the inlay paper covering the “hearts”, adding a somewhat sophisticated feel to it. The hearts themselves have a nice shine and very light brown/caramel in colour. Presentation/appearance 8 out of 10.

Aroma is strong hazelnut/nougat, very sweet and fatty. Very little discernible aroma in terms of cocoa. 6.5 out of 10.

The chocolate has a nice bite though there is no snap as such. This is quite well done. However, the texture after a little while becomes quite fatty which I find less pleasant. The melt is nice. Texture: 7 out of 10.

Flavour wise this is a very sweet chocolate and personally I find it too sweet. The good thing, though, is that the sweetness does not leave a burn in your neck, which is sometimes a problem. The hazelnut flavour clearly comes through, though it is not very intense which is somewhat disappointing. Equally disappointing is the lack of clear chocolate taste. With each piece being only about six gram I think the manufacturers should have gone for a more intense flavour. It is hard not to think that the sweetness is to compensate for the lack of flavour in these quite small pieces. Flavour: 6 out of 10.

Average 6.9

Review: Organic Dark Chocolate 70% (Irma)

I picked up this bar at Irma one of the nicer supermarkets in the Copenhagen area. As with their white chocolate, which I reviewed earlier, I was not able locate any production info other than it was produced in Germany, though I suspect that it might be produced at Ludwig Weinrich, who is known for producing the VIVANI organic series. At least some of the other bars in the Irma private label range state that they were produced there, such as the milk chocolate one.

In contrast to the white chocolate I am not too fond of this wrapper as I don’t find the brown and reddish colours very attractive. The bar itself looks Ok, but perhaps more shine would be desirable. Appearance: 7.5 out of 10.

The aroma is very nice, has good sweetness to it and the cocoa comes clearly and cleanly through. There are also hints of smoke. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

The bar has quite excellent snap both when breaking and biting into it. The melt is quite nice as well. Texture: 9 out of 10.

The flavour comes in several stages. Initially there is a good full bodied flavour of cocoa as well as sweetness. The sweetness continues and is then complemented by medium fruit which is quite nice indeed. Though fruit is present it does somewhat lack in acidity. Finally, a long aftertaste with pleasant bitterness which is quite an achievement. This chocolate contains muscovado sugar, though I was not able to taste that very distinctively. The wrapper also states that the chocolate contains cocoa powder and this makes me curious as to why this is done. Overall I find this to be a fairly well crafted chocolate.
Flavour: 8 out of 10.

Average: 8, 125 out of 10.