Review: Snickers (Mars)

The (pea)nuts, caramel and chocolate is a classic trio which is offered by many manufacturers, such as the Lion bar with peanuts, I reviewed earlier. Perhaps the most famous is Snickers form Mars. A variation on this theme is also done by Ritter Sport which I reviewed here. I think it is hard to find a really bad bar with this trio and I would certainly be hard pressed to name one, even if the quality can vary widely. In other words it is the sort of bar that most manufacturers do reasonably well.

With this in mind I was excited to revisit the Snickers bar from Mars, which I haven’t had for a long time. Snickers is described as a “Milk chocolate with soft nougat (14%) and caramel centre (27%) with fresh roasted peanuts”

I do not think the wrapper is particularly pretty and the image does not, in my view, do justice to the bar. The peanuts on the wrapper, however, do give a good idea of what is offered. The shape is that of a standard bar in this category. The milk chocolate has a somewhat darker colour than expected for a milk chocolate. Cross section view is OK, though no peanuts are visible. Appearance: 6, 5 out of 10.

The bar has a powerful aroma of roasted peanuts which is nice, though there is a clear burnt tone which is rather unpleasant. Neither chocolate covering (which is quite generous) nor caramel is discernible through the powerful aroma of roasted peanuts, which is very disappointing. Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

If the aroma let down, the texture of the bar certainly made up for it. Roasted peanuts provide good texture which is nicely complemented by soft and chewy caramel, also nice melt. Also, the melt is good, if a little slow. Texture: 8 out of 10.

The flavour is mild and sweet the caramel and peanuts coming clearly through. The chocolate, however, is not very distinct and this is really too bad. Here I think is a good opportunity for improvement. With the chocolate flavour so absent I cannot give this more than 6, 5 for flavour. Also, I was not able to taste any nougat (or hazelnuts for that matter – but perhaps it is “peanut nougat”?), which is otherwise quite powerful. Despite these shortcomings, one can readily appreciate that this bar is popular for what it does well, namely the mild and sweet flavour and soft chewy caramel.

Average: 6, 875 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: Fazer Dumle

Dumle, from Finnish Fazer, offers a timeless combination of caramel toffee covered with milk chocolate. Promising a mild and sweet experience this offering should have a broad appeal that should offend no one.

The first thing I noted is that the appearance is signalling a laid back, childish thing. And while this one may be intended for kids I think that it does not clearly signal what kind of candy this is. So even if grown ups might like these toffees they a) get no clear indication of what it is and b) might be put of by the childish appearance. Appearance: 7 out of 10.

The aroma is dominated by an artificial smelling essence of some sort which I found quite unpleasant and overpowering making it hard to identify more than hints of toffee and chocolate. Aroma: 5 out of 10.

Initially this toffee has a nice soft texture. But as the outer layer of chocolate melts away it becomes a cross between toffee and chewing gum. I did not like the chewing gum consistency and I don’t think a caramel toffee like this one should “end” in this manner. I think the texture could be much improved if it simply ended in a soft chewy consistency. Texture: 6 out of 10.

Taste wise I think the artificial aroma is much too overpowering, though the toffee has good sweetness. Otherwise I think that there is not much character in the flavour. While I realize that an offering such as this one in all probability aims to be sweet and mild I think a good opportunity for improvement would be to cut back on the aroma and put a little more love and care into the making of this toffee. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

Despite the above I have no doubt that this should be popular with kids and grown ups who like mild and sweet toffees.

Average 6, 25 out of 10.

Review: STORCK Toffifee

Toffifee is described as “A Hazelnut (10%) in caramel (41%) with creamy nougat (37%) and chocolate (12%)”. Such a combination is rich and full of potential provided enough love and care goes in the making. Unfortunately I do not think this is the case with this offering from German confectionary manufacturer, STORCK.

This particular packet came with 15 pieces (125g) which seems well proportioned in size. The appearance of the box seemed to convey the idea of the offering well, neither over- nor underselling it. The Toffifees themselves look OK if a little on the dull side and could use a little decoration or at any rate something that might liven them up a little. Perhaps some chopped hazelnuts, on top, for example, might look nice. Cross section view reveals nice look. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 10.

There is a strong aroma of hazelnuts, buttery caramel with notes of coffee. However, there is very little in terms of chocolate which is rather disappointing. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

The Toffifees mostly have a soft chewy texture, which is a little too soft in my opinion. The only crunch to break this soft, chewy texture comes from the hazelnut. Unfortunately this single (?) hazelnut a piece is not quite enough crunch. A good opportunity for improvement, I think, would be to add more nuts (or crunch). On the plus side the Toffifees have a nice melt. Texture: 6 out of 10.

Flavour wise the Toffifees deliver the taste of hazelnuts and toffee, though neither toffee nor hazelnuts flavour is very intense, which makes this a less satisfying experience than what might be expected from such a rich combination. Also disappointing is the lack of any distinctive chocolate flavour. While this offering certainly is not an unpleasant, the lack of intensity in flavour makes it a little dull. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

Average: 6, 875 out of 10.

Review: Milka Alpine Milk Chocolate

Several brands, besides Milka, have an Alpine milk offering. From holidays in Italy I know that products made with ingredients from the Alps are considered to be of particularly good quality. Thus Alpine Bressaola (dried beef) is at least twice as expensive as the ordinary variety. When it comes to chocolate, however, I have my doubts how many consumers are actually able to taste the difference. I certainly was not able to detect any particular “Alpine” flavour. I presume, therefore that products such as this one, is created due to consumer (or marketing) demand. In Denmark, however, Milka is not so easy to come by (perhaps for strategic reasons of the producer, Kraft). And for some reason the Ritter Sport Alpine milk is not carried by the supermarkets chains. And while I was able to locate the Ritter Sport Alpine in a local grocery shop it was not stored under such bad conditions that it would be unfair to review it. The Milka Alpine milk, however, which I also found this 100g bar in a local grocery shop (probably parallel import), was in good enough condition to review.

Presentation wise the purple wrapper and cow seems a little “childish” though perhaps this is the intended target group. The chocolate itself has a very light brown colour and is divided into squares with “Milka” imprinted. Appearance: 6, 5 out of 10.

When unwrapped I was met with a very sweet and buttery fragrance of dairy chocolate which, in my opinion, was much too sweet and buttery. I was not able detect any significant aroma of hazelnuts (declaration stated that hazelnut paste was used in the making of this bar). Aroma: 6, 5 out of 10.

Snap is actually a nice one, considering that this is a milk chocolate. On the other hand the melt could be better considering that this is a milk chocolate. Perhaps the added butterfat made the texture somewhat too waxy. Texture: 7 out of 10.

The flavour is very sweet and I was not able to note any special “Alpine” flavour profile. There is a bit of cocoa in the flavour profile and not much else in the flavour, not even hazelnuts and I’m at a loss to explain their presence in this offering. The sweetness simply overpowers everything. This confirms the suspicion that this bar is intended mostly for children, though this is nowhere stated. Flavour: 6, 5.

Average: 6, 75

Review: Bounty

Bounty is the chocofication of coconut enrobed in chocolate. To me – and I suspect to many consumers - the idea of coconut and chocolate is an enticing one. It is therefore surprising that only a few brands have such an offering in their range. Also, some of the manufacturers that did try their hands with this combination have not been hit by immediate success. Ritter Sport, for example, created a “cocos” bar, which did not sell well and was therefore discontinued. However, fans have requested it be brought back.

This classic offering from Mars, is coconut filling (dried coconut accounts for 21%) covered with milk chocolate (at least 25% cocoa solids). Presentation wise the blue/white wrapper looks OK and the light brown colour of the chocolate itself is decent, without being spectacular. The saving grace, however, is the cross section view, which is very nice with hite filling between milk chocolate. Appearance: 7 out of 10.

Surprisingly there is not much coconut fragrance when the bar is still unbroken. The aromas are those of coca and milk chocolate with no particular nice smell to it. When broken into the coconut comes somewhat better through. Aroma: 7 out of 10.

The bar has a nice texture in the form of good soft melt from both filling and chocolate. However, the chocolate feels waxy in the mouth which somewhat ruins the otherwise nice texture. Texture: 7 out of 10.

The chocolate is very sweet and appears to be of low quality and lacks chocolaty intensity, even when taking the genre into account. The coconut filling too lacks intensity and, at least to my liking, should have had a more intense coconut flavour. Flavour: 7 out of 10.

Despite the low scores, this bar is larger than the sum of its parts, as the proposition is nice. Mars has an excellent opportunity for improvement making this bar even better.

Average: 7 out of 10.

Review: Marabou Daim

The Marabou Daim bar is milk chocolate studded with bits of Daim for extra crunch. Daim is a crispy milk chocolate covered croquante bar that I have reviewed here. For Daim lovers this offering will probably hit the spot perfectly. Even for those less fond of Daim (as non-Scandinavians appear to be) but do like Marabou this offering will probably still be exciting as the Daim is much less dominating, adds good crunch as well as caramel flavour.

From a technical perspective this bar works much better than the Marabou non-stop on several levels (aesthetic, improved crunch and flavour) and I think therefore – with my Scandinavian bias – will appeal to a much larger group of chocolate lovers. In fact I would venture the guess that this is probably one of Marabou’s the top selling products in this line. At least I find this one the best I have tasted so far from Marabou.

The wrapper is too bombastic to my taste, though the chocolate looks OK. As with the other Marabou milk chocolates this one is not shiny. Appearance: 7, 5 out of 0.

The aroma is dominated by Daim (croquante/caramel) with added aromas of milk chocolate. Still, the aroma is somewhat artificial. Aroma 7, 5 out of 10

The texture of this one is a big improvement not only to the Daim bar, but also to such filled chocolate as the Marabou Nonstop, which I reviewed earlier here. The Daim provides good crunch, but still sticks to the teeth when the toffee turns chewy. The melt could have been better considering that this is a milk chocolate. Texture: 7, 5 out of 10

On the plus side, the flavour resulting from the combination of Daim with Marabou milk chocolate is much superior to the Daim stand alone. All things, however, are not dandy. There are hints of smoke or “burnt” caramel. Chocolate is very sweet and artificial tasting with no distinctive chocolate flavour. Using better quality chocolate this could indeed become very successful. Even as is I think many will love this bar and I have no doubts that is one of the top selling products in this series that many a consumer will buy again and again. Flavour: 7, 5 out of 10.

Average: 7, 5 out of 10.