Simon Coll Chocolate is a brand I am unfamiliar with. I had never even heard of it before seeing it in a gourmet store that I stopped in on a whim while passing through Hollywood. It was a place friends had recommended to me for their hamburgers (I love hamburgers), but what I didn’t realize was this place was half deli counter and half gourmet store. I eagerly perused their stock while I waited for my order, and that’s where I found these Simon Cool chocolates.

Since I was hoping for a sampling, I grabbed only three of the available five flavors. They also had larger chocolate bars from their collection, but I figured in this case I didn’t want to go overboard with a chocolate I was unfamiliar with. The three flavors I chose were “Milk Chocolate”, “50% Chocolate” and “White Chocolate”. I was hoping to get a good idea of their range with these flavors.

“Milk Chocolate”, 32% cocoa solids, 20% milk: Surprisingly light in color for a milk chocolate. It’s creamy brown, almost beige in color. The smell is slightly creamy and sweet with a delicate flavor. It’s sweet at first, then you get some chocolate flavor. Then you get a big rush of creamy flavor of the milk. The end of the flavor is very chocolatey and sweet which gives a nice throat burn.

50% Chocolate: It’s not considered a dark or milk chocolate by any means (has no milk added to it, by the way). It’s a nice middle brown color, like I’d expect from a 50% chocolate. It has a subtle shine to it, and it’s very pretty. The aroma is wonderful, it’s chocolatey with notes of caramel and marshmallow. The flavor is very chocolatey as you get the richness of the chocolate flavors and can really taste the nuances. I get notes of cream, coffee, and a little almond in there. Absolutely lovely, The texture is nice and smooth too, really wonderful.

White Chocolate: It’s a creamy, off white color and it’s very smooth looking. It smells sweet and buttery. The flavor is very smooth and it’s slightly chocolatey since it is made with cocoa butter. Its has intense creamy notes which are very tasty. This bar is all about fat and sugar, and it’s absolutely delicious.

My overall impression of the Simon Coll Chocolates is a very favorable one. The chocolate was very good, had nice flavors and a great texture. I hope I can find more of it in the future so I can try it.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Simon Coll Webpage

I admit upon seeing this bar, I was confused as to what “Stracciatella” was. The wrapper shows an ice cream cone on it, so my first assumption is that it’s an ice cream flavor. Interested by all of this, I bought the bar and took it home to review.I cannot resist new things.

Also some poking around the internet, I found out that Stracciatella is the Italian version of our Chocolate Chip ice cream. Which is essentially vanilla ice cream with chocolate flecks in it. Simple, yet tasty. I break open the wrapper to examine it, and as always, Ritter Bars are beautifully pristine. I snap off a row of chocolates and I see the white cream interior, complete with chocolate flecks.

The chocolate has a nice layer of white cream flecked with chocolate bits in it. The flavor is milky at first, then there’s an accent with nice notes of the chocolate. The chocolate is rich, but not too sweet. The center is very creamy and tastes like vanilla and milk. I’m immediately reminded of ice cream. I can’t really taste the chocolate flecks, but the chocolate exterior more than makes up for that. The two parts together makes it a nice chocolate/vanilla flavor mix. Like a chocolate vanilla twist soft serve ice cream cone.

I found this bar extremely tasty, and it’s nice to have a bar with a more vanilla cream filling than a chocolate one. It feels more unique to me for some reason. Everyone I shared this bar with really enjoyed it too, so I know I am not alone in my opinion. If your flavor preference run more on the classical side, I’d give this one a try. It feels new, but with the flavors we all know and love.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links  Ritter Sport Website

One of the first times I ever heard about a Ritter Sport bar, was in regard to this specific one with the cornflakes added to it. I recall it’s bright yellow package and thinking about how the color matched the hue of cornflakes. I also recall thinking about what an interesting idea it was, to finally use a different type of cereal in a chocolate bar. Now that I think about it, the possibilities are endless. So naturally I’m confused as to why only one with crisped rice and cornflakes exist. I digress. I am excited about finally trying this bar after admiring for so much time.

The cornflakes have been crushed, so they’re not the full cornflake size. I was a bit worried about that, because if they were full size they wouldn’t fit well in the chocolate bar or my mouth. Plus I imagine that could possibly hurt!

The bar is incredibly crispy. Think of it as a Nestle Crunch bar on steroids. It’s not too chunky, but just enough to be addicting and satisfying. The milk chocolate is sweet and creamy. It doesn’t taste too tangy, unlike many European chocolate tend to taste like. Instead it’s just sweet and chocolatey. You don’t really taste the cornflakes at all, just a nice crunchy texture.

I really liked this bar! It’s familiar yet different at the same time. Id certainly go so far as to say this is one of my favorite Ritter Sport bars. The texture contrast of the smooth chocolate and the crispy corn flakes is incredible, and it makes eating this bar all the more fun. I look forward to when I will treat myself to another one.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Ritter Sport Website

I found this bag of Pumpkin Cheesecake Kitkats when I was out doing some shopping in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. There’s a ton of adorable little shops down there, and it’s my “to-go” place for much of my holiday shopping. While there, I came across these Kitkats. I’ve had many a Pumpkin Kitkat in my time, and I’m always game for trying them. I’m such a sucker for pumpkin anything. Despite being somewhat pricey due to the fact they’re imported, I snatched these up and excitedly took them home.

The package on these is so adorable. Halloween is long and gone, but I still can appreciate the rich brown and orange color scheme and the adorable Jack ‘O Lanterns with their happy grins. The one with the heart shaped eyes is especially cute. Inside the main bag there’s a bunch of smaller, individually wrapped two finger bars. A nice serving size as it’s not to big, not too small.

The Kitkat smells sweet and slight cream cheesy. The color is an pale golden yellow.

The flavor is very sweet and cream cheesy at first. It’s very delicate as there’s more white chocolate in there to cut the tang of the cheese. You do get a hint of pumpkin, which, I am happy to report, is more like the plain squash part of pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie. I like the real flavor of pumpkin a lot, so I’m happy this isn’t dragged down with a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg. The result is this nice blend of the flavors described that does taste like a delicate, Japanese cheesecake. It’s awesome!

I am really smitten with these. They’re be a treat I’d buy regularly if it wasn’t for the limited availability and the import price. Still, I am going to enjoy the rest of my bag to the fullest. These are a terrific little afternoon pick me up, and they’re also diving with coffee. I recommend these highly to any fan of pumpkin. Mixed with Kitkat, it’s a match made in heaven!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Kitkat Website (Japanese)

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