Since I am conducting a test of the boxed chocolates you can get at your local store, today I am doing the small Russell Stover sampler. I am curious to see if differs from the Whitman’s Sampler at all, since they are made by the same manufacturer.

This box is a small same sized box as the Whitman’s sampler. This one has the design of a rose cluster on the cover. Again, beautiful and simple. No cute animals for me!

Opening the box, this one also has three pieces of chocolate. The shapes are different and they smell sweet with a hint of coconut.

The first piece, is a square covered with milk chocolate. The bite is dense, and inside it’s a smooth, thick, chewy caramel. The Whitman’s caramel was softer and less dense than this one. This one is robust and chewy, but also not sticky. The flavor is a nice mix of the sweet chocolate and the very buttery caramel. A nice combination.

The second piece s oblong and ark chocolate. It smells sweet with an accent of coffee. I take a bite and inside is a fluffy, rich, fudge center. Again I am reminded of the Whitman’s sampler, as these on takes oddly familiar even though this one is enrobed in a different chocolate. This one tastes like a chocolate chip chocolate ice cream. Sweet, creamy, with a nice dark chocolate flavor.

The third chocolate is cup shaped. very much like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup mini. The top has a texture to it to suggest there’s something crispy in this one. It smells powerfully of coconut. Sure enough, my first bite reveals a delicious solid with chocolate filled with coconut flakes. It’s very flavorful, the texture has a nice play of chewy and smooth. Very delicious.

I also want to mention that these are a little nostalgic for me, as I recall my Mom buying these for my and my sisters when we were littler. So there’s my review of the two most common boxed chocolate varieties from your local drugstore. They’re both slightly different while remaining somewhat the same, which is a terrible conclusion since it’s somewhat confusing. My point is, you really can’t go wrong with either the Russell Stover or the Whitman’s sampler as they were both delicious. Besides, it’s Valentine’s Day, it’s the thought that counts!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Russell Stover Website

Despite the fact that “candy season” is now over with the departure of Easter, there’s still new and yummy stuff to be found. The new Twix coconut is an excellent example. This limited edition candy is a fresh new take on a Twix bar and has that new, spring-like vibe to it. I was sent a sample from Twix for this bar, which is lucky for me since I haven’t been able to find it out and about yet.

This Twix immediately stands out from the other varieties out now, which are regular Twix and Twix Peanut Butter (no word on if Java or the very old Cookies n Cream will ever make a return). This coconut Twix has a pretty white wrapper giving it a fresh and tropical feel. The red lettering and green palms on it are a nice color balance and give it a nice splash of color.

Opening up the package, the bars smell like a normal Twix to me. The aroma of the sweet chocolate with a hint of the buttery caramel. There’s a slight hint of starch I pick up on, which must be the cookie part. 

I break off a piece and immediately the caramel is fresh and chewy. It strings away even as I pull the broken sections further apart. I bite the caramel to disconnect the pieces and was surprised to find I got the flavor of the coconut along with the caramel. It’s a taste of coconut oil, which is fresh and flavorful. Sadly, no actual flakes of coconut in here, which would have really made my day. The texture of the Twix is awesome, as your teeth sink into the fresh caramel first then hit the crunchy cookie bottom. The coconut flavor blends nicely in, but it gets a little lost for moments in the caramel and cookie, but it’s certainly the most powerful flavor in the bar and it’s the one that lingers on your palate afterward.

This Twix bar is tasty for sure, and a must for any coconut lover. I am seeing more and more coconut flavored stuff on the market these days, which I find exciting. I look forward to when they take it to the level of Almond Joy or Mounds, by adding real coconut in there. Regardless, if you’re looking for a neat twist on an original Twix I’d recommend this as it’s flavor, tasty and fun.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Twix Website

Despite this being my last Easter candy review, these were actually the first candy I bought for the Easter season. I found them in the same Rite Aid as the 3 Musketeers marshmallow, but on a different lunch break trip with a different friend. That day we had gone over to check out the Valentine’s Day candy sale, so while my friends was searching for deals, I was looking for what’s new and different. At the time, the only new thing I saw were these Dove Milk Chocolate Coconut Eggs. So even thought the price was kinda steep ($4.99) I bought some anyways so I could get a jump start on my Easter reviews. And as you can see I’ve procrastinated very well.

The green color scheme of this packaging is festive, and the bag is filled with green foil wrapped half egg candies. I love how the illustration of the candy on the bag looks like a coconut in a way, with it’s brown shell and white interior, except egg shaped of course. Each egg is only a “half”, so one side is flat. You can tell they’re molded chocolates by the shape of them. They have a pungent aroma of sweet coconut and chocolate. The effect is very, very sweet.

One thing you gotta give Dove, is that their chocolate is very smooth and velvety. These eggs melt in your mouth and have the richest texture. The chocolate is creamy and sweet, and you kinda get that throat burn from them. The coconut interior is hard to make out at first texture-wise, but the flavor is unmistakable. It’s milky and tropical, with coconut notes that are more authentic than not. Still, there’s something about it that feels a little “off”, and I think that’s because there’s no coconut flakes in them. I guess the whole candy industry are “no pulp” orange juice drinkers considering how they never add flakes into their coconut candies.

These were tasty, but still lacking what I desire in coconut Easter candy. I prefer the Russell Stover Coconut Eggs, but that’s just me. If you’re a big coconut fan, you should definitely try these before they disappear.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Dove Chocolate Website

I loooovvvvveeee Chuao Chocolatier and since I missed out on the few candy/food shows this year, I didn’t get to see what their new chocolate bar was this year. Well, my patience was rewarded when I walked into Wegmans the other day and saw this bar sitting on the shelf: the Chuao CoCo bar.

What goes into new CoCo bar isn’t exactly simple. According to the description, it’s dark chocolate with coconut, almond, cinnamon and coriander. This sounded like an intriguing mix of flavors and textures to me, so I was very excited to try this once I brought it home.

Tearing into this sweet treat as soon as I could, I was able to detect the The bar smells very strangely of the coconut with a edge of spice to it. You mainly smell the coriander, but the cinnamon gives a warmth to it. The chocolate’s color is a nice rich brown with a subtle sheen.

The flavors starts off sweet with notes of the coconut and cinnamon. Then the warmer notes of the coriander and almonds mix in. Then to top it all off, the rich notes of the dark chocolate with warm fruity notes enters and blends all the flavors on your tongue. The taste of this is awesome, but the texture is odd. It’s extremely gritty, as I get the coconut strips and bits of the almonds. It’s less like eating creamy chocolate and more like chewing a granola bar. I’m not sure I like that.

As delicious as this bar is, it’s really the texture that ruined it for me. But, if you don’t mind not having a super smooth chocolate bar, the flavor of this is excellent and unique.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Chuao Chocolatier Website

This was a gift from my sister who found it on one of her many culinary adventures in New York City. I’ve seen them around cyberspace and sometimes in Marshall’s candy aisle. I can’t tell you exactly why I haven’t picked them up myself, mainly it’s because I already had so much candy to deal with that I just didn’t bother. It’s good to know that something will eventually end up in my hands at some point, so I have many thanks to my sister for this review.

I love the packaging, it comes across as very tropical and fun to me. The greens really catch my eye, and the cartoon crocodile with the neon sunglasses. It makes me giggle.

The patties are flat, square, moist cakes of shredded coconut that are neon green the sides have been dipped in chocolate. It has this “stained glass” look with dark sides and a colored inside. it smells of coconut, with it’s fresh, tropical scent. I look at the ingredients and sadly he chocolate here is really mockolate.

The texture is very dense and moist, with the chew being thick and full of the coconut shavings. The flavor is first sweet from the chocolate, then the key limes flavor comes though with a lightly sour zesty note. You then taste the coconut with it’s sweet and nutty flavor, and it really marries the zesty lime and the sweet chocolate. It’s an interesting flavor, as the chocolate and the coconut remain center stage, yet the lime is a nice accent to it which really makes it taste unique.

So overall, they’re not too bad. They were tasty, but I wish it was real chocolate. If you’re a big tropical flavor/coconut fan, I recommend you give consider giving these a shot.

Rating: Might Eat Again