These Bavarian Milka Schoko-Drops came in a candy trade from a few months ago. Or has it been longer than that? I can’t remember, but I can assure you I did eat these fresh and didn’t leave them sitting around for so long before eating to review them. Candy can do no such thing in my neck of the woods.

The Schoko-Drops are pastilles; which are like large, flat Smarties or M&Ms and about the size of a nickel. They come in purple and white,which I find are interesting colors for candy as you don’t see them too often. Biting one in half, I find that they have a milk chocolate outside and a white chocolate inside. Interesting!

The taste is awesome. Firstly, they’re very sweet and make my throat burn. It’s very creamy and milky tasting, almost like a strong white chocolate but with more of a dry milk sweetness to it. The texture is very smooth and the overall flavor effect is very chocolatey. I wish I had more than this little box, as I’m immediately addicted. Yum!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Milka Website

Chocolate is, in my opinion, a powerful creative medium. It’s a food that can be molded, shaped, flavored and textured in any way you like. We leave this job to skilled chocolatiers to work their magic on it for us, creating chocolate bars of all shapes, sizes and flavors, along with bonbons, truffles, and desserts that make our imaginations and taste buds soar. More and more people are aware of their eating habits nowadays, and there’s a desire for chocolate bars to fit this market. These Organic Nectars’ Raw Cacao Bars are just that. I was contacted by them asking if I’d like some free samples to try, and I gladly accepted their offer as I have yet to try some chocolate bars that fit into such a specific niche. 

These chocolate bars are not only organic, but they’re also Kosher, Vegan, Raw and are dairy, soy, allergen, gluten, refined sugar free. Talk about a clean chocolate bar! The ingredients are simple, and the main difference I see is that no refined sugar. Which, changes how chocolate solidifies.

54% Cacao: The aroma is very fruity and sweet, with nice notes of blackberries, cream, caramel and a strong chocolatey note. The break is clean and the snap is crisp. The flavor is very mild and I taste coffee, cream, berries, forest, musk, mushrooms, caramel, vanilla and cocoa. The flavors mix and mingle as you chew, with a fruity crescendo at the end. The texture is gritty, probably because of the raw sugars, which has a different structural makeup than regular sugar does, so the chocolate forms differently. It’s a very tasty, rich, full chocolate for those of you who want another option.

Coconut Milk Chocolate: The chocolate smells creamy and earthy. The flavor is very caramel, creamy and earthy....I don’t get much chocolate or coconut flavor really. I was expecting flecks of coconut in here, but there isn’t. Very interesting. The texture is even more gritty than the 54%, and it gets dry and chalky at the finish. It stuck to my teeth and felt kinda icky, which is strange since milk chocolate is usually creamy and smooth. Which, made me curious and I looked at the ingredients of the bar, which read; ”organic raw cacao butter, organic raw cacao butter, organic palm nectar, organic coconut powder, organic Tahitian Mexican and Madagascar vanilla, non GMO sunflower lecithin”. Where’s the milk? Not even coconut milk? So how is this milk chocolate? So..confused.

Also note, I was informed that the batch of Coconut Milk Chocolate and Golden White Chocolate that I received used a less ground palm nectar sweetener, and the newer batches mimic the smoother texture that the 54% has.

Golden White Chocolate: Upon opening this one up I was very surprised: this is not quite golden, but more of caramel/tan color. Like natural deodorized white chocolate. I was told the color is due to the sweetener, as it’s a golden color. It smells sweet and lightly of cocoa. The flavor is sweet, just sweet, not really any notes of cacao powder. The texture is also strange like the coconut milk chocolate: it gets gritty and feels like I’m swallowing sand. Not a fan. I miss the creaminess of regular white chocolate.

These bars were interesting. I really enjoyed the 54%, as it had a “wild” vibe to it and the flavor and texture most resembled what I consider to be mainstream chocolate. The milk and the white chocolate? Not so much, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad, just not my thing. I’m sure if I was Vegan or a Celiac, these chocolate bars would be just the thing I’d want to satisfy a craving. Because, isn’t that the point of chocolate? It should exist so everyone can enjoy it, and I’m sure the Organic Nectars bars will bring delight to many.

Rating: 54%: Will Eat Again

Milk Chocolate Coconut and Golden White: Not Worth It

Links Organic Nectars Website

One of the gifts I received over the holidays were some treats from a chocolatier who had just opened up shop where my parents live in Upstate New York. My Mom discovered them at a Christmas open house and chatted with the chocolatier. Of course the fact that her daughter writes a candy blog (you know how Moms are!) was brought up, and I was immediately called to see which of the chocolates I’d like to try. I was more excited by the idea of trying anything that was offered, as it’s not often I get to try the work of a new chocolate business, but eventually settles on two things to try. 

Cashew Honey Discs: Dark chocolate discs with a topping of caramelized honey cashews. The chocolate has bloomed a little, which I’m not surprised by, as didn’t get these samples fresh and they contain no preservatives. Thankfully bloom doesn’t affect flavor! The chocolate has a nice snap to it when bitten into, and the flavor is very fruity and rich. The texture of the chocolate is more gritty than smooth. The nuts are wonderfully fresh and have a great sweet/salty/roasted flavor combination going which I felt went well with the dark chocolate base.

Peppermint Bark: The base pf the bark is an even slab of a white and dark chocolate mix. The pieces are 1/2 inch think, with the white on top and the dark on the bottom. Nice, large chunks of Starbrights peppermint candy is crushed and sprinkled on top. It’s pretty to look at, for sure. The dark chocolate suffers from the same as the cashew honey slabs, there texture at the snap is very gritty and uneven, a sign it might have not been properly tempered. The flavor is balanced between the peppermint and the chocolate and one ingredient doesn’t overpower the other. This chocolate is creamier on the tongue and is a real delight to eat, as it just tastes of pure Christmas with the wonderful balance of flavors. Yummy!

Despite my nit-pickiness, these chocolates were tasty and a good start for a beginning business. The uneven texture is easily corrected with practice and experimentation, and I look forward to picking up some more of Glimmerglass Chocolates’ work when I next visit my parents.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Wow, a Kitkat review for the correct season, imagine that! These are some of the many season Kitkat flavors that are available in Japan for the winter of 2009-2010. I am able to review them in such a timely manner because Jlist.com was so kind to give me these free samples. There were so many to choose from, it was hard to narrow it down to a handful so I didn’t come across as too greedy. I finally decided on these three flavors: Ohagi, Ginger Ale and Sweet Potato.

I chose these three flavors as they’re ones I’ve never had before, and I’m continually surprised how Nestle keeps finding new flavors to try out in the Kitkat form. January is “strawberry season” for candy in Japan, something I can’t explain really. So I decided to steer clear of one of the many new Strawberry Kitkats out there, as I’ve tried them for a few years and I have a hard time telling the difference.

Ohagi: So what is ohagi exactly? It’s a type of Japanese traditional confection, or wagashi, that is a piece of rice gluten filled with red bean pasted then covered in soy bean powder. Sounds off, I know, but I’ve had them and they’re extremely tasty. The Kitkat is milk chocolate based and it smells nutty, probably from the soybean powder. It has a nice milk chocolate flavor that’s really accented with a strong nuttiness and has a nice subtle note of coffee. It reminds me of gianduja and it’s surprisingly delicious. I want more of these, stat!

Ginger Ale: Opening up the bars I’m surprised to find that it really smells like ginger ale. The base is white chocolate, and the bars have a yellowish tinge to them. I sniff again and am impressed with how accurately it smells of spicy ginger and carbonation. It tastes of spicy lemon cola in a way. It’s not fake tasting at all, but you feel it’s “different”. The texture of the white chocolate makes it very creamy, and it comes across as a ginger ale float. This Kitkat is interesting and delicious but no something I would specifically crave.

Sweet Potato: Sweet Potatoes are an iconic winter food in Japan. They are traditionally sold by a big car that’s like an iron over, that has a piercing whistle on it that blows when the sweet potatoes are roasted and ready to eat. This Kitkat is white chocolate based too and has a sweet, earthy, white chocolate and potato smell. The flavor is a creamier, earthier white chocolate with a hint of potato in the aftertaste. I actually find it refreshing. It tastes ‘cleaner’ than I would have expected and the flavor of potato matches well. Yum!

Oh, I can’t beign to say how much fun these limited edition flavor Kitkats are. I always have a ball trying them, even if they aren’t something I like once I taste them. The problem is that they often make a really delicious flavor that will disappear shortly, so you have to go stock up on them or remember them fondly. I really recommend trying them for yourselves.

Rating: Ohagi: Hoard

Others: Will Eat Again

Links KitKat Breaktown

Oooo! Something new and festive for the holidays! I love it! I certainly didn’t see this one coming, and it wasn’t until I noticed them on the shelf at my usual grocery store that I had heard of their existence. I was excited to see them as much as I love the Candy Cane Kisses that Hershey’s makes for this time of year, the lack of real cocoa butter in them has me shunning them. These Dove Peppermint Bark pieces can hopefully fill the void. So I grabbed a bag and hoped for the best.

The wrappers are silver with dots of red and green on them, and therefore very festive. Inside each wrapper is a holiday tip from Martha, reminding me that I can string lights on trees in my year and use pears and chocolate for an easy dessert. You know, the type of things you’d “forget” considering you’ve celebrated the holiday season in some form your whole life. I only read the if I felt I needed a chuckle.

The candy is nicely constructed. It’s white chocolate on top, and the bottom is dark chocolate. It’s split maybe 2/3, but really is almost even. The white chocolate top has shards of peppermint candy cane in it. They’re sticky yet don’t get stuck to your teeth or cut your mouth.

The flavor is awesome. I was worried it’s taste more of dark chocolate than white chocolate, but it doesn’t. The peppermint is the main flavor, it’s light and refreshing, yet not overpowering. It’s delicious and really satisfying to eat with a hot drink.

Also be sure to visit Candyblog.net to see what Cybele thinks!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Dove Chocolate Website

The idea of custom chocolate bars isn’t one that’s particularly new. Ever since I’ve learned that I could melt chocolate as a kid I’ve experimented with such things in the kitchen when my mom wasn’t looking. Nowadays, I see “custom chocolate bars” in candy stores that you find in cheesy tourist areas like boardwalks. Still, just because this concept has been around, that doesn’t mean that it’s been done well. Chocri, a chocolate company from Germany that specializes in custom bars, does exactly that.

I was given a free press release to try these chocolate bars that Chocri makes, or should I say, lets me make based on my flavor whims. They plan to launch an US page come January, so if this is the sort of thing that appeals to you, you don’t have very long to wait. 

Now, first things first, let me mention the prices of these bars right away, because they aren’t exactly cheap. You pay for your creative license here as so to speak. Each bar I made here averaged at about $10, which isn’t really something to sniff at. Still, I feel you do get what you pay for, in quality and size of the product. 

The bars are large and very well packaged. The front of the boxed has an cellophane window so you can clearly see your chocolate work of art. I also forgot to name the bars. I was so excited to try and make them, that I completely overlooked the fact that I could name my chocolate creations. Oops, I will try again next time.

The construction of the bars are really nice, they’re molded on one side so you can see the chocolate sections. The additions are topped on the back side, so it look like the method of the chocolate making is they pour a mold and drop you addition on top. Depending on what you add to the chocolate this could make breaking sections off difficult you ave. had items that are on the large side.

To test the chocolate, I wanted to try one of each base: white, milk and dark. I brought my boyfriend over t the computer where I was building each of these bars, and encouraged hi to help me. As he has really good idea on flavor infusions and I wanted his imput.

White Chocolate with licorice pieces and nougat: This bar was a totally brainchild of mine. I’ve always been curious on what licorice and white chocolate tastes like together. The nougat was a totally shot in the dark, because it was the one item I chose to add that didn’t have a photo depicting exactly what it was. I was expecting Torrone, but instead the nougat is more like the center of a 3 Musketeers bar. No complaining here, I was just expecting something else. I was super excited to try this one. It smells sweet, and my first bite of the white chocolate was just heavenly. This is really ,really excellent white chocolate, and I’m super picky about what I call a good one. It’s super buttery and flavorful of the cocoa butter, and isn’t too sweet.  Te nougat melts really quickly, and add a chocolatey flavor to it. The licorice was a surprise, because it’s salted licorice. I was expecting sweet! The pieces of licorice aren’t too hard, as they soften as you chew the bar. Despite the fact that it’s salted, the licorice works really well with the white chocolate. I have to say, I’m a big fan of this.

Milk Chocolate with blueberries, cinnamon and rice crisps: The bar smells sweet and strongly of cinnamon. the break is extremely clean, and you can see they didn’t rush the cooling of the chocolate. The milk chocolate is really lovely on it’s own, it’s creamy, and sweet, with a nice chocolate flavor and hints of caramel. The cinnamon adds a nice warmth to the chocolate without being too overpowering, and the crisps are a wonderful texture addition. The blueberries add a nice fruitiness, they taste like raisins to me, and a dense chew. I am a big fan of this, and now I’m sad I can’t find a bar like this on the market. The boyfriend was really happy with how this one turned out, and I agree with him.

Dark Chocolate with sour cherries, cinnamon cornflakes (cinnamon toast crunch for us Americans) and mini banana sprinkles: A word of note here, I got the sprinkles to see how a “decorative” element in the chocolate worked. I have to say, pretty darn cute. Again, the break with this is clean, so you know they didn’t rush the molding process. The dark chocolate is smooth and fruity, with nice notes of red berries and a good undertone of coffee and chocolate. I was surprised to find that the banana sprinkles have a subtle banana flavor, and a very crunchy. The cinnamon cornflakes add a softer crunch and a subtle cinnamon flavor, but the dark chocolate still shines as the main event. This one was tasty, but I didn’t feel my choice of additions didn’t enhance the flavor, but were fun texture additions.

To sum things up, we both loved the bars, but if we ad t optic favorites, I’d go with the white chocolate and the boyfriends loves the milk. I was really pleased with how great the chocolate base of these bars tasted, and even if I had to order plain chocolate bars form them, I’d gladly do so.

Also check out what Candy Yum Yum, The Chocolate Review, and Candy Addict had to say.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Chocri Website (German for now)

I know, I know, what am I doing posting about a candy that was a limited edition during the summer, and in Japan no less. Well, lets just say as we creep deeper and deeper into winter, I can’t help but look back and wish it was summer! I hate the colder months and I miss the green trees and the warmer weather.

I remember getting these back in June as a birthday gift from a dear Japanese friend of mine. I got the box on route to a weekend in the Poconos with my boyfriend. We stopped for lunch at a local sandwich shop and I sat outside in the bright sun and opened this box. It was like uncovering a treasure and I pulled out these different Kitkats that my friend so kindly saved and mailed to me.

Espresso Kitkat: This has a white chocolate base. It smells sweet like cookies and creme, and strangely no coffee aroma. The flavor is definitely coffee, and the flavors are strong one they hit your tongue. The coffee is strong in flavor with compliments of cream from the white chocolate. You know what it’s like? It’s like eating coffee ice cream in Kitkat form.

Apple Vinegar: I know this may sound very strange as a flavor for a candy. In Japan vinegar is considered a health food, and many drink it for its supposed benefits. This Kitkat is also white chocolate based, and has a yellowish tint to it. It smells sour and fruity. The taste is like sour apple, it’s not vinegar per se, perhaps in the first second it touched you tongue you get the zing of the vinegar. It tastes like an apple jolly rancher, so while it wasn’t horrible, it didn’t impress me much.

Cherry: I’m not quite sure how this cherry Kitkat is different from the others. I think it’s the packaging. It’s very pink in color, like Pepto Bismal. It smells fruity and floral, of berries and cherry. It’s kinda artificial, with a hint of banana and cream in there. The flavor is not so much cherry, actually more tropical. I get notes of banana, pineapple, cherry and strawberry, oddly just like he aroma.

Tiramisu: A single finger, that’s more tall than wide. It’s white chocolate and smells sweet, creamy and of coffee. It tastes very strongly of coffee...like a real cappuccino or coffee ice cream. It’s sweeter than the Espresso one mentioned above. It has a really authentic coffee bitterness to it int the after taste and it’s quite nice.

Matcha Latte: Same format as the Tiramisu, and it’s also white chocolate based. It’s light green in color and smells sweet and very lightly grassy. The flavor is kinda odd. It’s doesn’t really taste like anything. No, wait, it does. It tastes like those bland rainbow sprinkles you get on top of ice cream. It’s slightly sweet, kinda starchy tasting.

Jasmine Tea: I was expecting this Kitkat to be white chocolate based, but wait, whaa? It’s milk chocolate? Ok, surprised! It smells sweet and milky at first, then the smell of jasmine hits you like a train. And wow, it’s extremely floral and authentic. The flavor is sweet and lightly chocolately, but the whole this is just seeped (get it? haha) in jasmine flavor. It’s very strong and leaves an odd aftertaste. It’s...kinda off putting actually and I’m not sure I really like it. It’s interesting, but not something I’d return to.

Kitkat Cookies Wholegrain: This is formatted as one medium sized finger as opposed to two mini ones. smells like a normal Kitkat,sweet, chocolatey and a little hint of cream. This Kitkat is all about texture. There’s a layer of crumbled cookies atop the wafers. It’s like one of the graham cracker crusts you can buy for cheesecake in the store. It doesn’t add flavor or anything, but a grainy crunch to the bar. It’s just like a normal tasting Kitkat but with that extra cookie grain to it.

So there you have it. They were tasty and I’m glad I tried them. I’m sure if you’re hardcore enough you may be able to find them on Ebay still.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Japanese Kitkat Site (Breaktown)

I saw these Attune Probiotic Chocolate bars in the store one day next to the greek yogurt I like to buy. “Chocolate in the refrigerated section?” I asked myself. I picked up one of the two different kinds I saw and examined the packages. Ah, these have probiotics in them, no wonder they need to be kept cool. I bought two of them for too much money (somewhere between $1.40 to $1.99 for each small bar, I forget exactly how much they were). I kept them in the fridge at home meaning to try them right away, but since they were away from my tasting pile, I kept forgetting about them.

There’s two kinds, a dark chocolate and a white chocolate variety. The package design is clean and attractive, and each bar is about 100 calories. Which is similar to a cup of yogurt, depending on the type you like to buy.

Dark Chocolate: I opened it up and it’s an attractive little bar of chocolate. It has a nice gloss and deep color. It has extremely hard snap and break, which I think is partly due to the fact it needs to be kept cold. The chocolate melts easily and smoothly in the mouth. It’s very chocolatey with notes of berries, caramel and coffee. It’s mild dark chocolate and not very acidic. It has a pleasant flavor and buttery texture.

White Chocolate Blueberry Vanilla: Unwrapped, the bar looks like it has tiny pieces of blueberries all chopped up in it. It’s flicked with blue and purple spots. It smells of plastic.

The snap is hard, and I was surprised to find tiny rice crisps in here when I looked at the cross-section. They add a nice crunch though.

The flavor is sweet. Really, really sweet. I’m reminded of that mockolate coating you find on those yogurt raisins people eat. I don’t get much blueberry or vanilla flavor, but instead more of a subtle berry flavor akin to mixed berry yogurt.

I’d recommend these if you’re trying to find a tasty way to get more probiotics in your diet. For me, I’m perfectly happy just eating yogurt or keifer, but if that’s not your thing I’d look for these. I thought they’re a good effort, but I prefer to keep my probiotics and chocolate separate.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Attune Website

I first saw this bar at the 2009 Fancy Food Show that I attended in New York City. I just squealed with delight as I saw this bar, as it’s always been a huge dream of mine to find a bar that paired white chocolate and chamomile tea. I know it probably sounds like an odd and strange request for a chocolate bar. I’m a avid tea lover, and the delicate herbal flavors of chamomile just seemed like a perfect pairing for white chocolate in my mind.

I tasted only a little sample at the show, and the Tea Room fellows told me that the bar would be sold in a gift basket for Wegmans for the holiday season. I was both excited and disappointed by this news, as it meant that I could get my hands on this chocolate since there’s a nice Wegmans in my neck of the woods. I was sad since that meant I’d have to wait at least until Thanksgiving for this.

That is, until a hit a nice stroke of luck and found this bar in a Cost Plus World Market when I was on a vacation in California. I squealed so loudly when I saw this bar it made my boyfriend jump a good foot and wonder what the fuss was about.

The chocolate bar comes wrapped in a light foil which is protected by a standard long box, similar to the ones that Amano uses but not anywhere near as stylish. The bar itself is molded thin, and it snaps easily when I broke off my first piece. The color is a nice creamy yellow color, like good standard white chocolate should look like. There’s no sign that there’s tea in here. No bits of the tea in the chocolate, which pleases me.

What’s interesting about this bar is that there’s a full cup of tea in it. Maybe I should have one of these each night, right? Ha ha.

The texture is very buttery and melts easily on the tongue because of it’s thin molding.

The flavor is mild and sweet. You taste the gentle flavors of the herbal chamomile, slightly grassy and a hint of lemon. Those flavors are beautifully complimented but the richness of the cocoa butter. Overall it’s very refreshing, creamy and buttery. I get a slight burn in my throat from the sweetness, but that’s something I enjoy in white chocolate.

I really enjoyed this bar, and I’d buy it often if I was able to find it. Until then, I just have to hope other companies start making this combination so it’s not so hard for me to find this indulgence.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links The Tea Room Website

One thing I was always interested in was this idea of Belgium chocolate and the stereotype that it’s especially “fancy” or “gourmet”. The misconception is that Belgium chocolate is a style of making chocolate as opposed to the fact that the country is naturally filled with talented chocolatiers (which, is true, but you get what I mean). There’s many chocolates that come with this Belgium-styled claim; Godiva, CafeTasse, Leonidas come right to mind. Galler is another one, and it wasn’t until I stumbled across these tins of “Cat Tongues” in Marshalls, one of their signature offerings, did I get a chance to finally try them.

I had no idea what a “Cat Tongue” was, but the interesting tin and the fact I hadn’t had any Galler before was reason enough for me to make the purchase. I bought a tin of each flavor: dark, milk, white. I saved the milk one as a gift and took the dark and the white for official blog tastings.

The The packaging is nice, as I was greeted with a long chain of individually wrapped Cat Tongues on the inside. All nicely folded up one another so nothing got squished. The illustration of the very European-styled Cat (I’m reminded of the art by Albert Uderzo in the Asterix comics and Peyo’s work on the Smurfs.)

Unwrapping a piece, you can see each are molded into the face of the Cat giving us the raspberry, as so to speak. The chocolate looks flawless and the praline center is barely visible though the white chocolate shell.

These did not have as much flavor as I hoped. Just picking up a piece to eat, the chocolate feels overly sweet and greasy. The praline center has a good hazelnut flavor but it’s not as strong as Nutella. The dark chocolate Cat Tongue had a nice snap to it and a nice dark gloss. The mild dark chocolate did mask some of the praline’s sweetness, but it was still on the bland side. The white chocolate was creamier and milkier, and had a more pronounced hazelnut flavor as there wasn’t much chocolate for the praline to compete with (or should I say sugar?). Both of them just didn’t do it for me and didn’t deliver an indulgent chocolate experience I was hoping for.

These didn’t really do it for me, but I did share them with friends and family with positive results. My Mom especially liked taking the white and dark ones and placing them back to back to nibble on with coffee. She was also gifted the milk chocolate ones (which means I didn’t get to taste them) and said they were quite enjoyable. I look forward to trying Galler’s other products, namely those adorable colored chocolate bars I see sometimes.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links Galler USA Website

I first heard of the new gourmet line offered by Whitman’s back at the All Candy Expo in 2005. It was at a time when everyday candy companies were starting to jump onto the gourmet and upscale chocolate bandwagon. Whitman’s, a branch of Russell Stover, was unveiling their new box of artisan gourmet chocolate bonbons, called Soho after the trendy, artsy, designer neighborhood in New York City. I admit, at first I didn’t pay much attention to them. I like Russell Stover chocolate as much as anyone, as I’d have them every now and again growing up. It wasn’t until my boyfriend showed up with these Soho chocolates in their bright red box, knowing full well that they were something I hadn’t tried yet. He figured it’d be an interesting thing to try, and boy, he didn’t know how right he was.

Firstly, I want to touch upon the fact that how a food looks can really be a treat. I have to give it to Whitman’s because, the design and look of these chocolate is quite attractive. The bright red box, the golden interior tray that holds and protects the bonbons, and the look of the bonbons themselves is really a treat to look at. Ah, eye candy. 

Sadly, that’s where the good things about these chocolates end.

There is no guide saying which flavor is which. There’s a brief blurb on the back of the box stating what the flavors are, but no indication otherwise.

To add to the frustration, there’s this overpowering fake perfume smell upon opening the box which permeates into all the chocolates, making it nearly impossible to distinguish by aroma alone.

Cacao Truffle: round with yellow, red and brown swirls: I figured staring off with the plainest of the bunch was the best idea. Wrong. The ganance center was dry, almost to the point where it was more like a crumbly nougat. It tasted mostly sweet, with that tainted perfume flavor from the whole box. 

Madagascar Vanilla Brulee: dark chocolate rectangle with ridges: I could only guess it was the vanilla as it, well, because it didn’t taste like anything else in the flavor line. Process of elimination. It was just sweet and didn’t really carry flavors that make me think vanilla...or dark chocolate. Unlike the Cacao truffle, the center here was more liquid, but not anything custardy like a brulee should be.

Raspberry Ganache: round dark chocolate with yellow swirls: Oh, this was the offender that made everything in the box smells like one generic thing. The flavor and aroma is so fake and powerful. It’s like a bad perfume. Ew.

Pear Praline: white dome with yellow streaks: It took me a moment to figure this one out, as it tasted of citrus at first, then turned so horribly bitter that I had to spit it out. It had to be the pear one as, again, process of taste of elimination tells me it couldn’t be anything else.

Sea Salt Caramel: milk chocolate square with red lines: Just by the look at this one I thought it would be the raspberry. Instead it’s a bland caramel that has no depth or intensity of flavor. As vacant as a California Valley Girl.

Pistachio Noughat: rectangle with red and yellow splashes: This one was confusing because it wasn’t a nougat, just a strange this-could0be-a-ganache-or-a-nougat-but-isn’t center with only little bits of pistachio mixed in. Again, no flavor and just sweet.

I had cut each piece in half so I could share them with the boy. Not only did I not finish my halves, but I also chucked the rest as to spare him the chocolate trauma. Sometimes I think some candy is meant just to look at. These are a good example.

Also check out Rosa at ZOMG Candy!’s impressions and CandyAddict’s review.

Rating: Inedible

Links Whitman’s Website

This one is certainly interesting. During all these years of trying different kinds of candy and chocolate, I’ve never seen such a thing. When I think about it, it seems like a logical thing to do, since ginseng is put into a lot of products nowadays. I’ve just...never seen it in chocolate until now.

It was actually my boyfriend who found this in an Korean market near where he lives (it’s a gorgeous store, I’m jealous it’s so close to him). It’s a pretty box, I really love the ample use of red. The thing is, the design of it doesn’t read as candy or chocolate to me. It might have something to do with the giant ginseng roots and the white chunks on it. Maybe it’s just me.

Inside the box are the chocolates, each an individually wrapped dice-shaped cube. The base is white chocolate, as the box shows and was confirmed by unwrappeing my first, and only, piece to try.

All I can say is, these taste of dirt. No sweetness, no grassyness, no chocolate. Dirt.

There is a “crunch” texture to it that I could glean from the few moments I had it in my mouth. I’m guessing it’s bits of ginseng root.

I immediately swallowed the bite I’d taken and threw the rest in the garbage. Some things are better kept there. Chocolate should never taste of dirt. Never.

Rating: Inedible

Continuing on with my reviews of all the Japanese Kit Kats I’ve acquired in the past couple of months. I’ve been following (and tasting!) the Japanese Kit Kats for a few years now (since 2006) and I have to say I’m impressed with the new and fun flavors they keep coming out with. When I began it felt like I was limited to green tea, red bean, strawberry and maybe soybean thrown in there. Now the flavors reach all over and I really can’t say what to expect next. I like that.

Sweet Potato:

I was immediately interested in this Kit Kat when I first laid eyes on it online. I think the only other Kit Kat that got me so excited were the Pumpkin ones that came out for the past two Halloween seasons. I love sweet potatoes, so I was horribly curious as to how they’re lend themselves to this candy.

First, the sweet potatoes shown on the box is a type of dish called daigakuimo where Japanese potato/yam chunks are fried, then covered in a sugar glaze and black sesame seeds. If you ever get the chance to try this, and you’ll often see it in bento boxes in Asian markets, I do recommend it.

Ok, back to Kit Kat. The fingers have a wonderful light orange creamy color. They smell sweet and very strong of vanilla and cream. I’m reminded of thick homemade custard or pudding. The flavor mimics the aroma perfectly, as it’s very creamy, sweet and heavy on vanilla and caramel flavors. I’m sad to report I get no official sweet potato flavor here. I could get really disappointed by this and let it drag my whole experience with this Kit Kat. Yet, I find myself enjoying it for that really rich custard taste, so much so that I don’t care if it’s supposed to be sweet potato. It’s tasty just as it is. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the packaging that lied to me, not the flavor elements of this one.

White and Yellow Peach:

This bag of minis are white chocolate based peach flavored Kit Kats. The packets inside are colored either pink or yellow, yet I haven’t been able to taste a difference between the two.They certainly look different from one another though. The pink one is a creamy white, and the yellow a light orange color. For some reason slices of cheddar and American cheese come to mind. They both smell very juicy and peachy. I take a bite of one then the other, and I repeat the process a few times to just say they taste basically the same. The flavor is sweet, lightly of peach which is very juicy and floral with a perfumey smell. The flavoring isn’t too strong, and just enough ti cut the sweetness of the white chocolate. 

Passion Fruit Kit Kat

This is an interesting little Kit Kat, as it was included as a bonus in a box of Nestle flavored coffee drinks. I’m guessing they’re some sort of Valentines Day release, as the packages are covered in hearts. This have a dark chocolate outside with a passion fruit creme between the wafers. The bitter dark chocolate compliments the intensely fruity, juicy tartness of the passion fruit. It’s nice with notes of pineapple, apple, cherry, plums, peaches. The bar is beautifully bright and fragrant and really, really tasty. I’m reminded on one of the old regional Tokyo Kit Kats that came out a few years ago that was also stellar.

Yuzu:

The bar is has a milk chocolate base, nice and looks like a normal Kit Kat. It’s the smell that tells you there’s something different about this one. It’s a very bright smell of citrus with a strong tart note, and a kiss of hazelnut. It tastes like a normal milk chocolate Kit Kat, and despite the added flavors, and the chocolate remains the main flavor in this. It’s supplemented by very nice tart citrus note, it’s neither orange nor lemon. I also get a hint of hazelnut there too, which I find confusing as there’s no hazelnut in this Kit Kat. Very interesting. I really like it and overall I’m reminded of the flavors of Manner Biscuits that my Mom is crazy for.

Two thumbs up Japan! Keep ‘em coming!

Rating: Sweet Potato:
Hoard

Others:
Will Buy Again

Links Kit Kat Japan Website

I’ve realized my love for Japanese Kit Kats has led me to acquire so many that I haven’t gotten around to reviewing them all! For shame! I will try and remedy this in the upcoming weeks, with a format similar to this post. I don’t feel like I need to go into too much detail on these, as we all know what Kit Kats are like. Am I right? I will go into the bits of these that are different from the Kit Kats you can get anywhere else, so I’ll mostly be commenting on the flavor of these beauties.

On with the reviews!

Kit Kat Hojicha Tea

Hoijicha is a type of roasted tea in Japan. It’s one of my favorites actually. The bar captures it perfectly, as the milk chocolate is light, creamy, sweet and carried the flavor of the tea well. The flavor of the tea, usually in chocolate, is too light and it swallowed up by the chocolate. Not so here. It’s got a wonderful roasted, tea-like, malty flavor that blends beautifully with the chocolate and gives it some really nice herbal and earthy flavors. It takes the milk chocolate and the Kit Kat to a whole new level for me, and it’s really tasty. I’m sad I only got one bag!

Kit Kat Watermelon Salt

I thought salting watermelons was a thing from the South, not in Japan. Whether or not this is a cultural nod to them or not, I found this combination one of the most unusual I’ve encountered yet.

This Kit Kat has nice milk chocolate base. The bar smells light, watery and fruity like melons. The aroma is a tad fake, only because the scent is more floral that real melons are.

The flavor is so beautifully and realistically watermelon. It’s awesome. You get that wonderfully fresh, juicy flavor of the watermelon combined with the creamy, sweet flavors of the milk chocolate. I know it sounds odd, but trust me, it’s really good. You don’t taste the salt until the finish and aftertaste. It’s not very pronounced, but it does give a nice edge to the bar. Yum!

Kit Kat Alexandria Grape

It’s a pale green in color with a white chocolate base. It smells very sweet and (what do you know!) lightly of green, muscat grapes. Fruity, bits of melon, and lightly tangy.

The flavor is....oddly grape. It’s floral, light, sweet, and has notes of cantaloupe and tang just like the in the aroma. The flavor ends on a nice, milky, white chocolate note: creamy, smooth, chocolatey, and lightly fruity. I’m weirded out and confused by the idea of this one, especially how the flavor turned out. It’s this strange medium between authentic and fake, and my taste buds don’t know what to make of it. If you’re a grape fan, I’m sure you can still get your hands on some if you want to.

Kit Kat McFlurry Caramel Macchiato

This flavor was particularly unique in my mind as it was a flavor based on a McDonald’s McFlurry. I don’t know much about the Macchiato, as I don’t eat at McD’s, much less get their McFlurries, so I can’t make any commentary here as it’d be totally unfounded. My guess is it’s pretty darned popular if Kit Kat goes and makes a flavor based off it it.

The base of this bar is white chocolate, with no special markings or colors. I was expecting it to have swirls of caramel on the surface, I have to admit. Instead, they’re smooth, pristine, white fingers. The Kit Kat smells very intensely of brown sugar and fake butter. Together they combine to make a caramel-like smell that’s slightly fake.

The flavor is mildly sweet and milky at first. It takes a few beats before that odd fake butter flavor to kick in. Thankfully it’s not as intense as the aroma suggests. I do taste a little coffee in there, but it’s very faint, so it’s more like a cappuccino. The bar but it does succeed in having a nice cream flavor that is reminiscent of a milkshake. It’s been ages since I’ve had one, but it’s a flavor you just don’t forget. It’s ok, I might eat this again. nothing stellar about this flavor, I’d rather have a coffee or a plain whit choc Kit Kat.

So there you have it. The great, the good and the “meh” of this round of Kit Kats. Have you had any of these flavors? If so, what did you think of them?

Rating: Hojicha and Watermelon Salt: Hoard

Grape and McFlurry: Will Buy Again

Links Kit Kat Japan (Breaktown) Website

This Kit Kat was a summer limited edition from Japan. Yes, I’m still quite late on the pickup. This edition is a mix of blueberry, strawberry and cranberry.

Opening the box, then one of the two two-finger packages inside, the Kit Kat immediately smells mostly of that of Japanese artificial strawberry flavor. It’s a sweet, jam-like, floral, frosting-like smell. I kinda with it was a perfume. The Kit Kat has a white chocolate base, and it’s pretty to look at since it’s pink with white stripes.

The flavor is very fruity yet delicate. I taste the blueberry and strawberry right away: jammy, sweet, and very floral with rose qualities. The wafers give a nice crispiness, as always. The cranberry shows at the end as a bit of tartness, which, in the overall scheme of things, is still very mild. Overall the bar has a great fruity flavor with a little vanilla taste from the wafers, which gives it a breakfast cereal type feel to it. Like berry berry kix, but more sweet.

This was a nice one to try, but not anything I’d go crazy for trying to hunt it down again. 

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Kit Kat Japan (Breaktown) Website