Review: White Toblerone

This is another white chocolate that I looked forward to dig into. It is described as “Swiss white chocolate with honey (3%) and Almond nougat 10%” Cocoa(butter) contents not given.

Graphically the box clearly indicates that we are dealing with a white chocolate, though the nougat/honey part is not graphically represented. And I think it could be. The chocolate itself has a nice smooth white colour. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

The aroma is nice with white chocolate and citrusy notes (acid) and “cake” notes (probably stemming from the honey). Aroma: 7, 5 out of 10.

Toblerone’s classic triangular shape gives a very compact piece of chocolate. In my opinion it is too chunky and massive a texture. The almond nougat is very finely ground, and adds, in my opinion, too little in terms of texture. The compact nature of this offering ensures that crunch is not sorely missed. The chocolate is very waxy and therefore its melt and mouth feel isn’t the best in my opinion. Texture: 7 out of 10.

This bar strikes a good balance, not being too sweet and has a pleasant aftertaste of honey. However, the white chocolate itself is unfortunately not very exciting. It is too milky. Nevertheless the honey does good job in adding a bit of depth, flavour wise. In my opinion the honey is indeed this bar’s strong point, though in my opinion a better executed white chocolate flavour might turn this into an excellent proposition indeed. Aroma: 7, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 375 out of 10

Other reviews

Jim's chocolate mission review

Review: Nestlé Die Weisse, Finest Swiss Chocolate (white)

As I have stated several times on this blog, I am a sucker for white chocolate and I was hoping that Nestlé might have produced a decent offering. The bar, named “Die Weisse”, is described as the “Finest Swiss Chocolate” (cocoa contents not given). The bar comes in a 100g size and so I suspect the target group is people looking for a quick sugar fix. In other words, this is not a family or “sharing” size bar as, say, the Marabou 200g bars.

The wrapper looks OK, and certainly gives a good idea of both the bar and its famous Swiss origins. The chocolate has an excellent white/yellowish colour and appears looks very smooth. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10

I have to admit I did not like the aroma of this one. It smells very buttery with only a hint of cocoa butter (which is otherwise fairly characteristic) and vanilla in the aroma. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

The texture is quite soft and has no real snap (even for a white chocolate). The mouth feel is much too greasy and sticky, and in my world it could and should be be more elegant. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

The flavour is quite sweet but perhaps passable. However, the flavour is real flat and there is very little flavour besides sweetness. It is as if Nestlé has produced a white chocolate that does not really have the character of white chocolate. While this may be pleasing to many consumers I for one was disappointed. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

Average: 6, 375 out of 10.

Other reviews:

Jim’s Chocolate Mission review

World in Chocolate’s review

Review: Nestlé Princessa Coconut Maxi

This offering was along with it sister bar (see review next week) was sent to me by a TCR reader for review. The bar is produced by Nestlé Poland and if Google Translate and I have done a decent job of deciphering the text it is described as “Waffles with fluffy coconut cream covered in white chocolate”. The wrapper indicates that the white chocolate makes up a total of 34, 3%.

As a fan of both coconut and white chocolate I was quite excited to dig into this offering. Also, I like the fact that this bar offers a unique proposition of wafer, coconut cream and white chocolate (or perhaps better. a little used combo as I found a similar bar reviewed over at JCM). In fact, I found the idea this proposition so alluring it made me wonder why there is no Bounty with white chocolate.

Unwrapping it, however, made me worry. The white chocolate covering looked too thin (the wafer is visible through the covering) to give this bar enough substance. To my mind the Nestlé Chunky series has proven beyond any doubt that a thick chocolate layer is the way to go. The problem here as compared the chunky series, is the greater surface of the wafer. At any rate, the thin layer of white chocolate appears not to be of the best quality as the colour is not entirely “snow white” (or perhaps foreign fats have been added). The wrapper looks OK and in spite of the light blue used which is a bit confusing, it succeeds to give a good idea of what the offering is about. Appearance: 6 out of 10.

Immediately after unwrapping I was met by a powerful sent of coconut/palm oil which I was more familiar with from a summer day on the beach than from a chocolate bar. This is way too much and it entirely owerpowers the aroma from the chocolate. Aroma: 5 out of 10.

The wafer is crisp, though it is too light which means it is gone too quickly and leaves you a little unsatisfied. The cream and white chocolate vanishes equally quickly and there is simply too little substance in this one. Texture: 6 out of 10.

The flavour is sweet and waffery with notes of coconut. There is little characteristic of white chocolate and in a blind test I would probably have guessed it to be white frosting and not chocolate. Unfortunately, there really is not much good to be said about the flavour which lacks a leading star whether it be the chocolate or the coconut. Flavour: 5,5 out of 10.

I feel there is great potential with this combination, though there is much that has to be done better. I feel the weak spots are texture and flavour. With a Chunky style texture and more characteristic coconut flavour I think you can get an offering worthwhile to get into.

Average: 5, 625

Review: KitKat Chunky White Chocolate

This offering is supposedly the same as the “plain” Chunky KitKat with milk chocolate except that it is covered with white chocolate. I for one like the “chunky” texture much better than the regular as I think the more substantial chocolate layer (and wafer) better supports the texture of the wafer/chocolate proposition.

My only concern here was the quality of the white chocolate. With many such propositions, such as the Lion bar I reviewed here, the white chocolate is replaced with white "frosting" and indeed “white chocolate” did not appear on the wrapper. In contrast, the wrapper of this one describes it as a “Crisp wafer in white chocolate”, unambiguously stating that this is the real McCoy. I am happy to report that white chocolate is indeed an ingredient in this offering and though it may not be of the highest it much to be preferred over white “frosting”.

The wrapper is OK looking and gives a good idea of the proposition. The white chocolate appears quite decent and the whole thing looks nice in cross section too. Appearance: 8 out of 10.

The aroma is very sweet and very buttery (both of dairy as well as cocoa butter) as well as a hint of vanilla. I think the aroma is slghtly overdone in this bar. Aroma: 6 out of 10.

The texture is very well done. It has a nice chunky crisp to it with an initially substantial wafer coated with a thick layer chocolate. While the crisp of the wafer is quite quickly gone the thick covering melt at a nice and slow pace providing it with a quite nice overall texture which is technically quite well executed. Texture: 8 out of 10.

Flavour wise this is quite sweet as should be expected of a white chocolate and a generously thick one at that. There is a clear taste of wafer with just a touch of malt/honey notes, though the flavour as such is rather uncomplex and unspectacular. I am glad that this bar has real white chocolate in it, and though it is not of the finest quality, it is much to bepreddered over white covering. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

I think this bar delivers exactly what it should do, namely deliver a those with a sweet tooth with a nice and uncomplicated sweet/snack. I consider this bar superior to the Milk Choclate Chunky KitKat and I think it should have a broad appeal and thus good potential for becoming quite popular. However, it seems that many consumers top choice is not that of white chocolate which may stand in the way of this bar.

Average: 7, 25 out of 10.

Review: Ritter Sport White with Whole Hazelnuts

According, to Ritter, over at Jim’s Chocolate Mission, this offering is the third most selling in the Ritter range, worldwide. This was a surprise to me considering that many are not particularly fond of white chocolate. However, being a fan of both white chocolate and whole roasted nuts, I was quite excited to try this offering. The thing about white chocolate, however, is that it can easily become too waxy and sickening, not only due to its (naturally) higher fat and sugar contents, but also because manufacturers often add foreign fats. It is in other words white chocolate is a delicate balance, which is not so easy to pull off.

As with the Milk with whole hazelnuts form the Ritter range I am not too fond of the ”photo” wrapper, but it does give a good idea of what the contents is like. I also think the presentation loses a bit from the fact that hazelnuts are coming through and white chocolate appears somewhat waxy instead of clean and shiny. Appearance: 7 out of 10.

The aroma is nice of sweet white chocolate and roasted hazelnuts, though I cannot detect much in way of vanilla. Aroma: 8 out of 10.

Both rice crispies, added for extra crunch, and the whole hazelnuts provide good texture. However, perhaps the whopping 23% of roasted hazelnuts is too much as the chocolate becomes very fragmented when biting into which, by way of mouth feel, is less than ideal. While the chocolate itself has a good melt, if a bit waxy, the whole nuts and rice crispies detract from in that they provide an uneven breakdown and mouth feel, though perhaps this is a minor point. Texture: 7 out of 10.

Turning to flavour I was struck by two things. First the chocolate is not too sweet, which is good. Second it does not have much characteristic of white chocolate, which leaves the white chocolate lover in me unsatisfied. I would also like to see a more distinct flavour, although I should add that the chocolate, as such, is not bad tasting. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

Average: 7, 25 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: 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: 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.