Friday, May 31, 2013

Ferrero Garden coconut review

And again we come back with another entry into the Ferrero pantheon. Today we're having a look at the Ferrero Garden coconut.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Ferrero Garden coconut - 4 / 5

For more on Ferrero please visit them online at , http://www.ferrero.com/ and as always for more from us here please check out our Reviews Page.

And don't forget to check out our reviews for the Ferrero Rocher, and the Ferrero Rond Noir specifically!

Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Big Bar Line Up - Lindt

Today we're continuing our look at some of the Big Bars you'll find in your local supermarket. These are the "premium" chocolate bars that you'll see beside the everyday chocolate bars. Here in Canada Lindt is undoubtedly the best represented company in the Big Bar section. There are A LOT of Lindt chocolates here, and that is probably because they really don't have any standard size chocolate bars. Besides their copious entries into the seasonal chocolate realm if you want to eat some Lindt chocolate going into the Big Bar area of your store will be the only way to do it.

So with that said let's have a look at what Lindt has to offer. And we'l start with the standard straightforward Swiss Classic line.


These three bars under the Classic branding form what I'd say is the core for Lindt's line up. Milk chocolate, milk chocolate with hazelnuts, and white chocolate. Its simple direct packaging and I like it, but there is one fun alternative available as well.


Here we have the Lindt standard dark chocolate packaging, and this is my absolute favorite package in their line. It looks like something I might find a golden ticket inside. Just elegant, and sophisticated. Almost like a bank note, or some prestigious certificate. Nice job on this al around.


The milk chocolate, and milk chocolate with hazelnuts also both come in a 300 gram size. Another good idea. I like the fact that this also makes no bones about the nuts. These are whole roasted hazelnuts; this is serious business.

Next we'll move onto the Lindt main flavor line. These bard fall under the Excellence brand and will certainly have some of most people favorites. I'll say there are so many here that at the least you can't look at them and not be fascinated to try some of them. I mean we've probably all tried Mint chocolate, but how many of us have delved into chili chocolates?


So here we start with the simplest of bars. Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate, as well as Milk and Dark Almond, and Crunchy Caramel. Note the packaging, including color and font differences between the Milk and Dark Roasted Almond varieties. And I have to say I love the way the splash the crunchy caramel behind the bar on the label. Very appealing. Very eye-catching.

Now we've got the "Intense" flavors...


Other than the mint these flavors all heavily feature a sour or tart element. And Mint is intense in its own way.I'm interested that they don't have a Lemon or Lime in here, I bet they would do well among the Cranberry and Orange.


Here are a few other very interesting flavors. I'm definitely a fan of the Sea Salt. No I haven't tried it before, but its one of those things that I bet would be great. Like remember when there wasn't such a thing as Sea Salt (or Salt and Pepper) flavored chips? When they were first introduced I know I thought it was crazy... but then once I tried it, everything came crashing into focus. Of course its a great idea. And I suspect balancing the sweet chocolate with a salt would work too.White chocolate with Strawberry is also a great idea. Strawberry goes great with chocolate and is hardly ever featured in bars.


Now here's a case where I should have read the back of the packaging. I haven't confirmed it but I have to assume that these chocolate are actually from Ecuador and Madagascar. What that means specifically to the taste.. well I don't know. They both have rich soil and are known for Coffee and other delicious treats Although I didn't think there was too much industry on Madagascar I would suppose they've got good crops of cocoa. I'm not sure... do you think people out there, I mean the connoisseurs would have a particular favorite country? I'm certainly not educated enough on this stuf to know.

Moving down the Excellence line we finally come to the selection of Dark Chocolate. Well the stand alone dark chocolate at least.


Doesn't 90% seem like overkill on the Dark Chocolate? I know my mom eats a square of dark chocolate everyday for her... is it heart or blood pressure... anyhow there are people out there who must want this or they wouldn't make 4 different skus for it. Still, I feel so out of the loop on the Dark Chocolate train that I'll have to just say this seems like an awful lot, but I suppose they wouldn't keep it around if it didn't sell.

Lindt's next biggest line up is their Creation brand.


Everyone loves Chocolate Mousse right? I have actually had the milk chocolate version of this bar, and I have to say, it is absolutely fantastic! Interestingly the Milk Chocolate Mousse also comes in an alternate packaging under the Petit Desserts brand. My guess is that this was an old brand name since it was the only iteration in the line up.


Two more entries into the Creation line round out the selection.


I like that these two exist. Creme Brule is a great dessert that doesn't get enough press. People even know Flan more than Creme Brule and I'd put it up against that garbage anyday. Even most Dulce Leche or Tiramisu cakes really.

Moving on to the last few imprints from Lindt we come to the 150 gram Les Grandes line.


Here we find Almond as well has Hazelnut Milk, and Hazelnut Dark. These are Grandes not only because of their size, but also the amount of nuts. So this is where you go if you find your Swiss Classic is a little too light on the nuts for your tastes. These bars seem like they're for serious chocolate and nut fanatics.

Onto the Passion line up.


Now these two have me a little baffled. They are complicated blends, especially the Nougat Latte Macchiato and to me at least the packaging suggests that this is for a different audience than the other bars, but why exactly? I mean did Lindt want something more... Starbucks friendly? more earthy? More refined? We all know they've got great chocolate, it seems to me this branding is all about marketing. That said, I wonder if the look might throw some people off. Actually seeing the bar is a bit weird for Lindt, and the colors are sure to rub the average supermarket consumer wrong. Maybe it really is designed for the coffee shop... that's all I can think of here.

Finally we come to the last entry into Lindt's extensive line up of big bars, and it is of course the bar form of Lindt's most popular confection the Lindor.


I'd be interested in seeing some of the other Lindors transformed into bars as well, but for now this will have to suffice.

So this is pretty good stuff.all around. As you can see Lindt is VERY busy in the aisle with their big bar line up. Looking on the Lindt USA website I see that there are a few selections listed there that I did not see in the aisle, including: Sweet Dark Chocolate, A Touch of Vanilla, Toffee Crunch, a Dark Coconut bar, a Dark Strawberry, an actual Cocoa Nut bar, a 99% Dark Chocolate bar and more...

Could this be a case of over-saturation?  It seems like a lot to me, but hey I suppose they wouldn't keep it up if they didn't keep selling.

I'll be back soon with another look at the Big Bar Line Ups.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Yorkie review

Today we get manly with a review of Yorkie.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Yorkie - 2 / 5

Yorkie is of course a Nestle product and as such can be found online at the illustriously boring corporate website. yay! Stay tuned next Tuesday for another review on some select British chocolate and candy. Standard reviews are still posting on Fridays.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Ghiradelli Squares Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao review

Today we once again come back to Ghiradelli with a look at Ghiradelli Squares Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Ghiradelli Squares Dark Chocolate 60% Cacao review - 3 / 5

Like I said,  I'm don't consider myself a huge expert on straight up dark chocolate. Let me know what you think about this chocolate though.

Ghiradelli is a Lindt & Spruguli product please check them out online at http://www.ghirardelli.com/ For more from the Candy Aisle please check out our reviews of the Ghiradelli Squares Caramel, and Dark Chocolate with Mint, or all of our reviews over on the Reviews Page.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

The Big Bar Line Up - Hershey

Hershey's entry into the Big Bar markets are simple and mostly consist of variations on a theme. Almond, and Cookies feature a lot. Why we don't see hazelnuts, or peanuts is a bit of a mystery, but Hershey does as Hershey will... Lets have a look at what they've got to offer.


Here the standard Milk Chocolate bar has some slightly redesigned packaging to fit it more clearly into the overall product line up. While I appreciate the idea, I have to say its a bad one. The Hershey packaging is iconic. Its simple and people love it. Messing with that just worries me deep in my bones.


Hershey Almond is another classic of course.

Variations on a theme here with Dark, Almond and Toffee, and Almond and Coconut.


Of course Hershey's other long running bar is the Cookies 'n' Creme. This is one that I really just hate the packaging on. In fact I've always hated the packaging. If you've got one bar to change up the look for, please make it this one. While the chocolate bar itself isn't terrible, I just find the look totally unappealing.

Finally we get one I actually would like to try.


Cookies are great, Mint is great, Mint Cookies are great, so this one is probably a winner.

And surprisingly that's all I was able to find for Hershey in the big bar section of the candy aisle. Surprisingly over on the Hershey's website they don't even list this many products... I know they've also got the Symphony Line, but I haven't seen that since I moved back to Canada from the States. Maybe they don't have that here. Anyhow, the whole thing is very interesting, and perhaps a little suspicious.

I will end with this note. Of all the reviews I've done for Walking the Candy Aisle over the year and change that it's been running my video review for the Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar has generated more views and comments than any other post or review. People love it, they hate it, they love to hate on it and want to defend it. A lot of Europeans claim that it tastes like throw up (for real). And that may be because of the chemical added to their base chocolate that Euro chocolatiers omit. Either way the entire Hershey's line up is pretty devisive.

Let me know what you think below, and stay tuned for another look on the various Big Bars in the candy aisle soon.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Picnic review

Today we continue our look at a slew of UK candy with a review of Cadbury's Picnic.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Picnic - 4 / 5

For more on Cadbury and Picnic please visit the Cadbury UK website http://www.cadbury.co.uk/. And remember we'll be back on Friday with another reguk;r review before coming in again next Tuesday with more UK candy.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Ritter Sport Espresso review

I'm very excited because today we've got a new entry into our reviews! We're looking for the first time at a Ritter product, with this review of Ritter Sport Espresso.


Walking the Candy Aisle rates Ritter Sport Espresso - 4 / 5

For more on Ritter Sport please check out their website - http://www.ritter-sport.com/

For more from us here, please visit the Reviews Page, or surf on over to YouTube and please Subscribe.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Big Bar Line Up - Cadbury Dairy Milk

One of the major areas in the candy aisle that I've neglected since starting the blog has been the big bar section. You know the area I mean, that area beside the regular day to day chocolate bars that features the large size, sometimes premium always more expensive chocolate bars. I've never been the kind of person to go in for those chocolate bars. And mostly I think that has to do with price. Despite running a blog on the topic, I usually buy my chocolate on the spur of the moment. Buying the big bars just seems like too much forethought. My chocolate cravings are immediate, and I don't want to have a huge bar... if I did I might eat it all at once. Also and maybe more importantly I'm not fancy. While I know the space has changed over the last few years these big bars at least traditionally came from the premium retailers. They were always a better quality chocolate that demanded more attention. I am much more of an impulse driven, spur of the moment quick fix kind of consumer.

BUT there are a ton of great looking chocolate bars out there in the big bar section. Over a few posts I'd like to share some pics and minor thughts with you on some of these big bars. At least you can get a sense for what the lineup looks like here in Canada. Today I'm going to kick things off with Cadbury, other than Lindt there are more Cadbury bars in this big bar section than any other, and its predominantly highlighted by the Dairy Milk line.


Now I've tried to compile a complete list, but I might very well have missed something so just let me know in the comments if you've see anything else in your neck of the woods :)

Of course the classic Cadbury Diary milk kicks things off.


This along with the Fruit and Nut variety are (I believe) the only Big Bars from its line up to make it into the smaller more handheld size.


I've never been a fan of fruit and nut. It just seems like the fruitcake of chocolate bars...


Surprisingly they don't feature a straight up peanut and chocolate mix. Not to say I don't like caramelized peanut. but it seems like a classic has been passed over...


I am a huge cashew fan and they simply don't get enough love in the  chocolate world, so this is really nice to see. I wonder what the thought is about cashew on its own... seems like that should work. Too bad we don't have one to try out.


Here are two more classic flavors paired with Cadbury's excellent Dairy Milk chocolate. I am a fan of Mint in most any form, but Toffee can be pretty hit or miss.


Note the "new" label on the package. How it took them so long to come out with this is beyond me. The only thing I can think is that Hershey's Cookies N Cream has so dominated the market that they didn't see the value in their own brand. That said, I am very happy to see this hitting shelves here.


Here's an interesting one. Other than M&Ms, is there even another Pretzel chocolate on the market??? I sure can't think of one. Pretzels and peanut butter do go well together, but I have to say this feels weird to me. Like its something I'd want to work well, but just wouldn't.


This seems like a clear jump onto the Nestle bandwagon following the Aero bars lead. I have to say although its clearly copying, I would like to try it. Aeros are honestly some of Nestle's best bars and I'd love to see that form in with Cadbury quality chocolate to back it up.


Well here are the Premium bars I guess. Cadbury is a pretty accessible brand but you still can't get away with Dark Chocolate being much of anything but a specialty. I'm sure these are great, but like I said before, I'm not fancy, and I am clearly much more interested in milk chocolate than dark.

That's all I've got on Cadbury, but after taking a closer look at these bars I think I'll have to make the investment in a few to try out. If only for the sake of the blog :) I think I'd like to try the Caramelized Peanut, the Cashew and Hazelnut, and the Cookie Crunch most. According to Cadbury's UK website they have a number of flavors available overseas that we do not have here, including a Toffee Popcorn which would be pretty interesting... Let me know if you've got any favorites from this line up below. I'll be back next time with a look at another Big Bar line up.