Wafer/Cookie
Leonidas was one of the treats from the UK that I haven’t heard of before. They’re not based in the UK either, as they’re a traditional Belgian chocolatier and are pretty widely distributed around the world. I feel this sampling of a few of their chocolate bars seems like a good indication of what kind of products I can expect from Leonidas. I was especially eager to try them, considering the experiences I’ve had from Belgium chocolatiers in the past have been less than noteworthy. I’m hoping these will change my mind!
White: I chose to sample this bar first since white chocolate is a pretty good indication of the quality and style of the chocolatier. I had high hopes right away, as the bar smells sweet, buttery and fatty from the real cocoa butter in here.
The bar itself is pristine and ivory colored. Gorgeous.
The flavor is extremely rich. The texture is very thick, buttery and smooth on the tongue. There’s a nice sweetness to it and it’s not too much. The chocolate is very creamy, milky and buttery as the aroma indicated. It has a good cocoa butter taste and it’s not polluted with lots of vanilla, which is how I like my white chocolate.
54% Nibs Bar: Leonidas calls this bar “dark”, even though I don’t consider a 54% cocoa solids to be a dark. I digress, as I don’t want to get into semantics here.
The bar is very deep in color, showing a rich brown with nice cool undertones. The back shows the nibbly texture which is lightly bumpy.
The chocolate smells of cocoa, vanilla, cream, cocoa, coffee and berries.
Breaking off a piece, the snap is very crisp because of the thinness of the bar. It also breaks easily and it’s mostly clean with only a few small air bubbles.
The flavor is extremely rich. The chocolate tastes, well, chocolatey, as opposed to being clouded by milk and sugar. There’s nice flavors of coffee, cream and vanilla which are very complimentary. The mouth feel is extremely slippery and rich. The nibs have a roasted flavor and provide a nice subtle crunchy texture. It’s not crispy, as the nibs are a little soft. The contrast is just lovely.
Feuilletine: It took me a moment to figure out how to describe how the wafers in this bar are different than the ones you find in, oh, say a Kitkat. These are denser and crunchier like waffle cones.
The back of the bar is quite bumpy and there’s lots of visible air bubbles. It doesn’t look like it was tempered well, as if it was a rush job. The break is also just ridden with bubbles, which makes me suspicious. But, there’s no sign of wafers in my break either, which I’m confused by. Where are they?
The flavor is lacking. I get sweetness, a little dairy tang, but there’s not a lot of chocolate flavor. The wafers are actually crumbles in the chocolate that are small and crunchy. You can really feel them when you chew. The deliver a very salty flavor that appears halfway through the taste as you eat a piece. It’s very odd.
Dark Orange: Beautiful dark and has a very bright, zesty, citrusy smell. It smells more like tangerine to me than orange. The break is nice and clean.
The flavor is first of the dark chocolate which is mildly sweet, very rich with nice deep cocoa flavors. Then the orange comes in, not too strong or overly artificial, it’s fresh and zesty and light and just kisses the chocolate. It’s really nice and smooth as the two flavors combine and melt together. A beautiful pairing and I wish I had more of this bar.
Aside from the Feuilletine bar, I was impressed with these. The chocolate had dignity and wasn’t too sugary like I find most Belgium chocolates are. I’ll have to make a special trip to go visit their new store in New York City to take a peek at their other offerings.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Leonidas Website
I’ve heard tales of the Mars Delight across the blogosphere. At first I couldn’t help but wonder, especially with the “Delight” in the name, if this was one of the many diet knock-off candy bars that exist (or existed, as many have gone instinct) on the market. Obviously I didn’t know much about the bar at all, so with one finally in hand, I was able to put my assumptions to the test.
The wrapper gives no hint as to what it’s made of. It just says “surprisingly crispy, deliciously smooth” at the bottom. Huh.
Opening the wrapper I see that it’s a long, thin bar that’s split into two sections like an Almond Joy and 100 Grand. I slide out one piece and I’m reminded of a Tobelrone in shape, it’s taller than it is wide. The chocolate is a medium brown color, suggesting the dairy content. The bar itself is beautiful, because the top is molded (instead of enrobed) and has beautiful, curvy, undulating ridges. Despite it’s size, it’s quite heavy.
The bar smells very sweet I get notes of the chocolate, dry milk powder and some caramel. I’m really excited for my first bite.
I bit down, soft…soft. soft….CRUNCH! Whoa, what was that about a surprising crispiness? Looking at the cross section I just bit into, there’s a very light, cylindrically shaped curly wafer stuck smack-dab in the center of this bar. The top is a caramel creme and the bottom a chocolate mousse. Cool! The flavors are nice as you get a very sweet milky presence from the milk chocolate and another sweet hit with a touch of salt from the caramel. I don’t get anything from the mousse at the bottom. The wafer is really all about the texture, as it tastes lightly of a waffle cone. All you pay attention to is how it’s “surprisingly crispy” and it’s really, really nice.
I enjoyed the noise this bar makes when you eat it. It’s fun to hear the crunch in your mouth when you chew the wafer interior. The only thing I didn’t like about this bar is I don’t feel satisfied after just one. Granted, that wouldn’t have been a problem if I had two of them, but I didn’t, and it really left me wanting more. Very, very badly.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Mars Delight Website
I’ve tried many Kit Kats in my candy blogging days, but none of them have been from the “Senses” line. The physical structure of the Kit Kat Senses differs from the many other strangely flavored varieties which have become commonly available all over the world. Now I don’t know about you, but for me, Kit Kats are all about the four, long, wafer filled bars. The Senses line adds more to the equation by creating one large single finger like a Kit Kat Chunky with five creme filled cavities on the top. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
This specific Kit Kat Senses had hazelnut creme filled cavities; an interesting twist on the format that Kinder Bueno uses, really, now that I look at it. In fact, it just seems to be a Nestle took that idea right off of Kinder and just re-named it as Kit Kat. Interesting.
The bar smells extremely hazelnutty, as if I just opened up a jar of Nutella.
The flavor is awesome. It’s a similar to a Manner Biscuit but with more chocolate. It tastes intensely of hazelnut, cream, cocoa and sweetness. In fact, I find that those flavors practically overpower the chocolate and I find myself missing it a little. It’s an amazing flavor overall though and an immensely satisfying.
The texture is great, as it takes the best part of Kit Kat and adds a contrasting element. You get the crispy wafers and then the thick, creamy texture of the hazelnut creme. Mmmmm.
I’m impressed with Kit Kat Senses! I thought perhaps it’d be too much of a good thing or mucking with perfection, but I stand corrected. They’re addicting. I highly recommend trying one if you ever see them.
Rating: Hoard
Links Kit Kat Senses
100 Grand, that’s such a rich name for a candy bar. Ha ha, get it? I remember always liking these bars, and I really remember coming to appreciate them fully in Fourth grade during a week at summer camp. It was the one food that I could stomach as I was wrought with anxiety from being away from home for such an extended period of time. 100 Grand was there for me when my parents weren’t.
The premise behind this bar is pretty simple: rice crispies and caramel covered in Nestle’s milk chocolate. Kinda like a different shaped and pumped up with caramel Crunch bar, really.
There’s many things that this bat has going for it. Firstly, I appreciate how the bar is two pieces, rather than one. It allows for a more slow and satisfying eating experience. Especially since I’m more apt to eat a single bar much faster in one fell swoop. The two pieces keep me front doing that.
The texture is extremely chewy. You really have to work this one. The first bite is immediately crispy from the rice and then you hit the very dense caramel. The flavor is mildly sweet. I get a little caramel flavor, a little chocolate and a little malt. Overall, I’m underwhelmed. It’s not as flavorful as I remembered.
A good example on how memory and circumstance can make a candy taste better. To be fair though, I still enjoyed it.
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links:
100 Grand Bar Website
I keep seeing these “Fully Loaded” bars and I’ve been wondering what they’re all about. The packages stick out like a sore thumb with a very eye-catching but overly crowded design. I kept putting off trying them simply because I was intimidated by the sized the regular bars. Then I noticed these small ones at my local Wawa, so I picked up a few taking it as a sign I should finally give them a go. The variety of the minis is the “milk chocolate with cookies & creme and chocolate chips”. Sounds tasty!
The chocolate is a little square, about 1/2 oz. The one side is “fully loaded” with the extras and the other is the chocolate with the company name and brand printed on it. Talk about pumping all the advertising space available!
First thing I notice is how hard this is to eat since the “loaded” pieces keep falling off. It smells sweet and I’m reminded of an Oreo cookie, even though it’s been a long time since I’ve had one. Some things you just don’t forget.
Flavor is terribly sweet, and along with the subtle notes of the milk chocolate that manages to peek though all the sugar, that’s really all I taste. The “fully loaded” part really end up being more about texture than flavor, it adds a really pleasant crunch to the sweet, smooth milk chocolate base.
I’d eat this again if it was given to me. I’m sort of curious to try the other varieties now. As soon as I see mini sizes of them….
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links:
Fully Loaded Website
