Review: Revisting Marabou Premium 86%

A reader asked med to do a re-review of the Marabou 86% (Premium series), as she believed the score should be somewhat higher. Having revisited this bar, however, did not lead to any major changes in my perception of this bar.

 I will not cover what I already said of this chocolate. I still think that aroma and snap are both nice.

The major problem area, in my opinion is the flavour. The initial sweetness I described in my original review is still there, but it disappears faster than I remember. The remaining flavour is so bitter and chemical tasting that it’s simply not a pleasure to eat. Perhaps you will say that bitterness is characteristic of such high content cocoa bars. That’s true enough – to a certain extent. First of all I have had nice 80+% bars that I am quite happy to munch into. Second of all, this bar has no fruit or complexity in the flavour. I found that flavour improved a little a day after opening, but not enough that I would buy it again.

If anything I would score the flavour a full point lower than the 7/10 I had assigned it in the originalreview.

This would result in am average score of 7 out of 10.

After having done a retest of this bar I have a hard time imagining what the target group is for this bar. Perhaps people who thin that 86% chocolate is acceptable on a diet? I don’t know. But I do not think you get very good value for your money with this bar.

Toms extra mint

As with the Tom’s Orange offering I reviewed here last week, this chocolate is produced by Ghanaian cocoa in special trays, a process that supposedly adds extra flavour dimensions as well as being better on the environment. This offering, entitled “Mint & Caramel” is described as a “Dark chocolate with caramel, cornflakes and peppermint oil” and contains a minimum of 60% cocoa.
The box is OK looking and well represents the proposition of a mint flavoured chocolate. The chocolate has a nice shine, though I feel the appearance is somewhat ruined by the orange specks (cornflakes?) on the surface. In cross section view it is somewhat better looking with white specks (caramel?) inside. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

There is a good, perhaps too overpowering, whiff of peppermint, though there is too little chocolate aroma and no discernible scent of caramel. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

The bar has a real nice snap to it. There is a little crunch from the cornflakes and/or caramel. But as this is so finely ground,. It makes little sense to have these crunchy elements in, as the chocolate has a nice the crunch in and off itself. Texture: 8 out of 10.

The chocolate flavour is quite neutral. A nice balance has been achieved in terms of sweetness, not too sweet and not too bitter. Unfortunately there is no fruit in the chocolate flavour. There is a good taste of mint. Certainly a good balance is struck so that the mint flavour is not too overpowering. Still, the peppermint lingers a long time in the mouth in form of aftertaste. Also, there is a bitter aftertaste from the chocolate. The caramel flavour is not very pronounced. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

Average: 7, 375 out of 10

Review. Ritter Sport Yoghurt

Ritter Sport has quite a good number of different offerings and this offering is a another to combine yoghurt and chocolate. I reviewed the yoghurt and strawberry offering here, and today’s review will be of the plain yoghurt offering. The wrapper describes it as a “Filled milk chocolate with skimmed yogurt cream (45%)”, with cocoa contents of about 30%.

The wrapper is nice looking and gives a good indication of the bar. Also, the chocolate has a nice light brown colour and it looks good in a cross section view. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

The aroma is sweet and full of milk chocolate, though not much by way of yoghurt in the aroma. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

The snap is fairly good for a milk chocolate, and as such provides some contrast to the filling. The yoghurt filling is a bit too dense which ruins the texture which is a shame as the dense texture makes the chocolate stick to the teeth. Texture: 7 out of 10.

Flavour wise there is a nice twang from the yoghurt filling, but other than that it is nothing much special about this offering. Still, if you like milk chocolate and yoghurt you might very well find this offerings nice. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

Average: 7, 25 out of 10.

Other reviews

Jim's´chocolate mission review

Food Junk's review

Chocablog's review

Review: MilkyWay Crispy Rolls

I suppose this is a “light” snack that can come in handy be if you are in the mood for a small and quick little something. It is described as “Wafers filled with milk cream (47%) and covered with milk chocolate (30%)”. Still, weghing in at a measley 25g I am not sure if these are going to satisfy many. Unless of course they are supposed to be sold bundled up.

The wrapper is not the prettiest I have seen and might be designed with a little more visual appeal. However, the two rolls inside look decent. Appearance: 7 out of 10.

In my opinion the aroma leaves much to be desired. There is a little aroma of dairy but it seemes a little of as if it has gone a little sour. Aroma: 5, 5 out of 10.

The filling melts away immediately after the crunch is gone, which leaves you somewhat unsatisfied. Texture: 6, 5 out of 10.

The flavour is sweet with hints of sourness and malt (wafer?) and a little milk chocolate. However, the flavours disappear so quickly and the flavour is very onedimensional, not offering much excitement. It is not really a bad bar, though it needs much improvement to make it something a litlle more special, that folks would want to buy, if you ask me. Flavour: 6, 5 out of 10.

Average: 6, 375 out of 10.

Other reviews of MilkyWay Crispy Rolls:

Jim's Chocolate Mission review

Chocablog's review

Candyblog's review

ZOMG's review

Review: Tom's Extra Orange

I am not really sure which target group this offering from Danish Tom’s Confectionary group is aimed at. This particular 100g bar is part of a series called Tom’s Extra, a series that include a wide range of flavoured chocolates as well as chocolate on its own. The box states that the chocolate is of a high quality and that the cocoa beans have been fermented in special trays that are 10 cm in height which develops the flavour and adds extra flavour dimensions. In addition, according to the box, this method is better on the environment.

This particular offering from the series is made with Ghanaian cocoa beans and is described as a “Dark chocolate with cornflakes and orange oil”. It contains a minimum of 60% cocoa.

The cardboard box looks OK and well signals its contents. The chocolate itself appears quite elegant with a shiny dark brown colour. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

The aroma is not very powerful. (as can often be the case with orange flavoured bars) It has notes of rubber, orange and dark chocolate. The rubber, is not so pleasant and I miss a more distinctive aroma. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

The chocolate has a very good snap, and a good crunch from the cornflakes crisps. This is clearly the best executed part of the bar. It has a nice and slow melt with good texture. Texture: 8 out of 10.

Initially the chocolate is sweet, with a tiny bit of fruit. The chocolate then develops a bitter aftertaste which is really unpleasant and surprising considering it has such a “low” cocoa content and that it uses orange oil rather than orange peel. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10

Average: 7, 125

Review: Snickers limited edition Maximus

Peanuts and chocolate is a great combination and this Snickers limited particular promises to step it up a notch wit the words “Maximum load of peanuts and caramel” appearing on the wrapper. It is described as a “Milk chocolate (35%) with a centre of caramel (38%) and roasted peanuts (26%)”.

The wrapper is nicelooking and gives a good indication of the bar’s content. I for one like it better than the original Snickers’ wrapper. The bar itself looks OK but is a little dull in appearance. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

The bar has aromas of roasted hazelnuts. Also, there are some burnt note which are not so pleasant. And there are aromas of some sort of vegetable fat which I am not able to define more precisely, but this aroma too is not entirely pleasant. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

The texture is chewy and tough and very dense, in my opinion far too dense. There is a little crunch from the peanuts but on the whole there is too far between those peanuts that have not been too finely chopped. Here I would have liked much more crunch to cut the otherwise very dense texture. Texture: 6, 5 out of 10.

The bar is not particularly sweet. It does, however, have a rather strange bitterness and burntness to it, as if some of the ingredients are not top notch. The caramel and the peanuts lack in flavour as does the milk chocolate covering the caramel and peanuts. Flavour: 6 out of 10.

Overall I was disappointed with this bar and did not feel it lived up to the expectations set up for it. I consider the original Snickers proposition superior to this one.

Average: 6, 625 out of 10.

Other reviews

Jim's chocolate mission review

Exquisite candy's review

Foodstuff finds' review

Lotochoc's review

Gone fishin...Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all! I will be back after Easter with more reviews. Next week will feature a review of the Snickers Maximus limited edition as well as an offering from MilkyWay.

Review: Änglamark Organic Milk Chocolate

I have previously reviewed Änglamark's dark chocolate bar here. This review is of the milk chocolate variety. As with the dark chocolate bar, Änglamark is the organic private label of COOP one Scandinavia’ largest super market chains, and is produced by S. P. A. Leccio in Italy. Since this manufacturer delivers to big supermarket chains it should be available in several countries under various labels.

It is simply described as an “Organic milk chocolate” with a minimum 32% cocoa contents and comes in a 100g bar. In addition to being organic it is also Fairtrade certified, containing
72, 48% Fairtrade ingredients.

The box looks quite nice and the chocolate itself has a clean and attractive appearance. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

The aroma is nice and sweet of dairy and cocoa and the cocoa is clearly discernible. This is nice as it it is not always the case with milk chocolate. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

The bar has quite a good snap for a milk chocolate and a very nice creamy and smooth texture. Texture: 8 out of 10.

This bar has a pleasant and sweet flavour with notes of caramel and vanilla and perhaps the only minor drawback is the sweetness. While this bar certainly lacks the complexity of high end chocolates, it is clearly a quite nice no frills bar. And thus is a decent and cheaper alternative. Flavour wise it should have e a broad appeal. Also, this chocolate can be used for cooking as it melts to a nice shiny liquid. In other words this is a versatile bar. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

Average: 8 out of 10.

Other reviews:

Bitten by chocolate's review