Hachez Cocoa D'Arriba Mango Chili

This candy bar combines many things I can't resist: very dark chocolate, mango, and chili peppers. I bought it along with 4 other chocolate bars when I had to restock, and had to break into this one first.

From the gold details on the package to the crisp silver foil, everything about this bar's design was elegant. Inside the wrapper, the bar was a gorgeous, glossy brown - a total feast for the eyes.


The lovely bar had a very crisp snap, but the 77% cocoa was a bit dry and chalky. The fruity flavor of the mango enhanced the fruity notes of the dark chocolate, but I think it would have benefited from a slightly lower cocoa percentage.

The chili was very mild, so those with lower spicy tolerance may not need to avoid this bar. The combination of slight heat and mango with the bitter chocolate reminded me a bit of curry powder, which was a unique touch. The finish had a nice, tart mango flavor, but the texture of the bar was just too dry for the mango - and I normally love dark chocolate.

B-

Hachez website

Ritter Sport Cappuccino

A few weeks ago, I house-sat for my parents when they were out of town. My parents know me pretty well, because they "paid" me in chocolate! Their two cats are so cute that I would do it for free, but I wasn't about to turn those candy bars down.

Part of my "payment" was this Ritter Sport Cappuccino bar. Although I've seen it many times in stores, I've never purchased it for myself or even tried it. I love drinking coffee, but I'm always a little wary of coffee flavored treats. Too many of them have the sour, bitter aftertaste of cold, old coffee and not enough of the bold, toasty richness of a fresh cup.


The chocolate had a mild coffee scent, and the milk chocolate coating was sweet and just a bit salty. The filling was smooth and cool on the tongue, and it had a creamy coffee flavor.

Thankfully, the coffee flavor wasn't too sour, and the sweetness of the chocolate balances the subtle bitterness from the cappuccino flavor. Overall, the bar was enjoyable and sweet without being cloying, and it was one of the better coffee flavored sweets I've tried.

B+

Ritter Sport website

Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Cornflakes

There's just something about Ritter Sport squares that makes them better than the average chocolate bar. I'm not sure if it's the square shape, the boldly basic packaging, or the plethora of flavors that appeals most to me, but I'm pretty hooked.

Although it's not a cereal I tend to reach for at the store, I do like Corn Flakes. They're quite versatile! One of my favorite comfort foods is cheesy potato casserole with corn flake topping - so healthy, right? But this is my first foray into chocolate with cornflakes!

Here's a bit of Halloween promotional fun from Ritter Sport: they are having a giveaway for fans who use their online application to send Halloween e-cards. Check out this entry at the Ritter Sport blog for details on how to use the application and enter to win a box of 84 Ritter Sport minis. Ritter will be giving one away every day until November 6!


The bar looked fresh and appetizing, and I especially loved the bumpy bottom texture from the cornflakes. It smelled mildly of cocoa, and the milk chocolate certainly was mild here. The cornflakes cut down on the creamy, sticky feeling of the chocolate (which suits me just fine).

While they didn't add much in the way of flavor (just a hint of vegetable sweetness), the texture the cornflakes brought to this bar was great! The crunch was different from that of puffed rice or wafers, and the cornflakes seemed very fresh (not stale or soggy). The bar was a little on the sweet side for my tastes, but if I'm ever in the mood for crunchy milk chocolate, I might pick this one up again!

B+

Ritter Sport website

Information on the Ritter promotion was sent by a PR representative, and Ritter Sport is hosting the giveaway - not me. It did not influence my review in any way, nor did I receive anything in exchange for blogging about this promotion. Luckily, I just happened to have a Ritter Sport square on deck for review!

Niederegger Lubeck Marzipan Classic

There's a lot of chocolate in my house these days, and I've been slowly working my way through it. Thanks to various colds and sinus issues, I haven't been in the mood for tasting much of anything, but my taste buds seem to be functioning again so I'll keep trying to stay on top of it.

This bar was part of a birthday present from my sister, so I'm not really sure where she got it. Marzipan is a new favorite of mine, discovered when I tried Ritter Sport Marzipan earlier this year. When marzipan pieces are included in chocolate or truffle boxes, they are always some of my favorites, but my exposure is still pretty limited.


The gorgeous gold wrapper caught my eye, as did the glossy bittersweet chocolate. The bar had a nice slightly bitter cocoa scent with a subtle, cherry-like hint of almond, which was a great start. The pieces snapped apart in a satisfying (though sometimes uneven) way, and the marzipan inside looked moist (in an appetizing way - some people are weird about that word).

The chocolate coating had a decent balance of bitter and sweet, and it did a good job of accenting the marzipan with a slight fruitiness. This marzipan had all the lovely cherry or amaretto notes I adore. The paste was slightly drier than in other marzipan chocolates I've tried, but I was able to put that aside because the flavor was really lovely.

A-

Niederegger website

Ritter Sport Marzipan

When I was younger, my father's job had him travelling overseas every few years, and one of the best things about that was the souvenirs he brought back. When he went to Germany, he brought back an assortment of mini Ritter Sport squares. Of course, these can be purchased in the United States, but that was my first exposure to them.

Since then, all kinds of different flavors have popped up, and I still run across the odd (not necessarily new) flavor, just waiting to be tasted. At a local Fresh Market (think Whole Foods but smaller), Ritter Sport Marzipan was on sale, and I couldn't resist. It came highly recommended by both the checkout clerk and the customer ahead of me in line.


The dark chocolate bar was absolutely gorgeous with just the right amount of gloss. A quick break released the wonderful aroma of almonds and cocoa, and from the first taste, I was hooked. The marzipan had a wonderfully gritty texture that reminded me of cookie dough (since they can serve a similar purpose), and the taste reminded me of amaretto liqueur.

Although the smooth, mild dark chocolate would have been okay on its own, it was a wonderful match for the marzipan. It was difficult to put this bar down, and it is close in the running to my beloved Butter Biscuit for my favorite Ritter Sport squares. One small issue I had was that the marzipan was soft and moist for the most part, but there were some dry spots scattered throughout the bar.

Check out the Ritter section at Candy Blog for several reviews, including Marzipan, and have a look at Chocablog's review of the Marzipan bar.

B+

Ritter Sport website

Kinder Überraschung (Surprise)

A friend of mine at work just got back from a European vacation. I was able to set aside my insane jealousy for a moment when she brought chocolate to share. Basically, this is a chocolate egg with a toy inside! Kinder eggs are especially neat to Americans because we can't be trusted with them here, choking hazard, you know. Somehow, I managed not to choke on this one.

The egg has some weight to it, obviously from the toy inside. It's also very satisfying to shake, but while I was shaking mine, it started to melt. Not good for photographs, so I put it down in my desk until I would have a chance to review properly.


The egg came home with me and after dinner, my husband and I decided to crack it. Well, it actually just fell apart when I unwrapped it, but it broke in half pretty evenly. I suspect the yellow plastic egg (with toy inside) is what I was supposed to choke on.


As the pictures show, the egg had a milk chocolate outer layer and a white chocolate inner layer. I wish it had just been milk chocolate, because the white chocolate layer made it too sweet. I wasn't in love with the chocolate, but since the chocolate is only part of the deal here, I'll let it slide. It's definitely for kids, but at least it tasted better than Palmer. It's nice when companies give kids a little credit.


I wasn't crazy about the toy, though. It was definitely fun to wonder which toy I would get. Too bad I got this one. All in all, though, it was a fun experience that Americans don't often get to enjoy. The chocolate was a B-, but the experience was an A!

B+

Magic Kinder Website