Vosges African Red Tea & Tart Cherry Bar

Vosges was one of the first high-end chocolate brands that I tried. Since then, I've found other brands that I like more (and often cost less) but I'm always up for a new Vosges bar. They offer some unique combinations, and African Red Tea & Tart Cherry is something I haven't seen before.

It's been a few years since I've been to Las Vegas, but the Vosges boutique in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace is one of my favorite stops. There are always new truffles, sometimes assortments go on sale, and they usually have several chocolates to sample. Plus, the purple/white decor is pretty.

The chocolate was quite pretty! It was light in color (at 45% cocoa) with little black flecks in it (probably the tea). It smelled more bitter than it actually was and I'm guessing that was from the tea, because it had an earthy scent, too. The chocolate was soft, creamy, and milky (little to no bitterness). It had a slight stickiness and it was sweet, but never what I'd call too sweet.

The tea gave the bar a bit of a strange, gritty crunch. The cherry bits were tart indeed and went well with the sweet chocolate. They also added a soft, chewy texture to the mix. Speaking of chewing, the red tea bits were quite tart when chewed as well. Overall it was an interesting bar, but I probably wouldn't get it again.

B

Vosges website

Tirol Daigakuimo and Peach Nectar Chocolates

Here's a little 2-for-1 review of Peach Nectar and Daigakuimo Tirol Chocolates. I love a simple little treat, so I'm always up for new Tirol flavors (though I have my doubts about these Cheese & Pizza chocolates). These were both purchased from napaJapan, where incidentally, you can also purchase the Cheese & Pizza flavor. I'll leave that up to you.

First up is Daigakuimo, or candied sweet potatoes. Literally, it means university potato, and here's a recipe with a back story if you're interested.

The chocolate smelled a bit like potato with hints of butter and something floral. However, I didn't get much of that from the taste. It almost reminded me of strawberry chocolate, and it was sweet with a slight hint of citrus. The biscuit was the best part: very crunchy with a strong black sesame flavor.

Bites with biscuit and chocolate were the best, but the biscuit was too small. Overall, these were decent chocolates, but they lacked sweet potato flavor, and they didn't have that hint of slight savoriness that balances the sweetness in the actual dish. B

Next up is Peach Nectar. There is nothing like a ripe, in-season peach, and as such, my peach expectations are pretty high. Unfortunately, this Tirol didn't quite live up to my expectations.

I knew as soon as I smelled it that this Tirol was going to disappoint. It smelled a bit fake, and intensely sweet. Thankfully, the peach nectar tasted better than it smelled, and it reminded me of white peaches. The marshmallow center was nice, as well.

The problem ended up being the ridiculously sweet white chocolate coating. Not only was it cloying, it was a bit grainy, almost powdery, and just not very good. At least the nectar and marshmallow were good, and 2/3 ain't bad. C

Tirol Chocolate website (Japanese)

Babaevskiy 75% Cocoa

My world traveling coworker went to Russia this year, and she brought some Russian chocolate back for me to taste. Although I had some exposure to the Russian language in elementary school, it was only once a week and I don't remember any of it. However, through some Googling I was able to find the name (Russian and Romanized) of the brand as well as their website, but that was about all I could do.

The Babaevskiy (Бабаевский) bar has a stunning wrapper. My photo doesn't really capture the beauty of the gold, embossed letters and design. I almost didn't want to unwrap it because I can never seem to fold chocolate bar wrappers up the way they came. You'd think after 5+ years of candy blogging...

I am so glad I unwrapped it, because this bar was absolutely gorgeous. Breathtaking, at least compared to most chocolate bars. It was a rich, glossy brown with intricate patterns, and it seemed a shame to break it. The chocolate had a big, loud snap, and it was firm and slow melting.

The cocoa flavor was very mild with no distinct fruity notes. It wasn't too bitter, maybe just a bit of a roasted flavor. It didn't melt smoothly, but the texture was fine. Overall, it was good, but not remarkable. Just straightforward dark chocolate. Still, for the gorgeous design, I'd say this bar was a pretty awesome souvenir.

B

Babaevskiy website (Russian)

Hammond's Caramel Mocha

One of the best things about having this candy blog is that people in my life are sweet enough to bring me candy when they travel! This Hammond's Caramel Mocha bar came from my boss after her trip to Denver. It had a friend, called Pigs n' Taters (bacon and potato chips) but my husband finished that one before I could blog it. For the record, it was good.

Hammond's is a Denver company that has been around for quite a while. There are some other fun-sounding flavors on the Hammond's website: Whoopie Pie, Cookie Dough, Malted Milkshake - I was impressed! As flavors go, Caramel Mocha isn't too out there, but I appreciate a well-executed classic as much as funky innovation.

The chocolate had a rich, glossy look to it, and it smelled like coffee and very dark chocolate. Surprisingly, the coffee flavor wasn't that strong - good news for me. The chocolate had a big, crisp snap, but it didn't break along the perforations at all. This is a pet peeve of mine, especially in a caramel bar, because it makes a big sticky mess.

The caramel was extremely sticky and creamy (not at all runny). The caramel also didn't have much of a burnt sugar flavor, maybe because it seemed to carry the mocha aspect of this bar. The flavor conveyed the richness of a mocha, but the actual coffee flavor reminded me more of coffee grounds than liquid. Still, it went well with the bitter flavor of the cocoa. The bar was good, but not my favorite, and it was sticky as all get out.

B

Hammond's website

Furuta Matcha Chocolate

Furuta isn't one of my favorite Japanese candy and snack brands (though they do make a lot of fun themed candies), but I have a hard time resisting matcha chocolates. Long story short, these came home with me on my spring trip to Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I was in the area for a graduation ceremony (mine!) and that put me in a celebratory, buy-all-the-things mood.

It's hard to go wrong with matcha-filled chocolates, and adding black sesame paste makes me even happier. The green and gold wrappers were very pretty, and reminded me of Lindt with a Japanese twist. They looked nice in my candy dish, especially since my guests ended up enjoying them more than I did.

After unwrapping, I could smell the milk chocolate, and I didn't get a sense of the green tea filling. The thickness of the outer shellwas about right, and the chocolate itself was fairly standard: sticky, but not too sweet. The gooey, oozy matcha center had the consistency of liquid caramel, and the tea flavor was very mild and not too bitter. I didn't taste the black sesame at all.

While the filling was ere a little too sweet for me, these chocolates were still quite pleasant, if a little messy. I think these would please people unfamiliar with matcha. A few of my pro-matcha family members tried and liked them, but I didn't really test them on unsuspecting subjects. The composition reminded me of American chocolates I've had, so I wouldn't anticipate the recoil I sometimes get when I green chocolate to someone who hasn't seen it before.

B

Furuta website

Tirol Chocolates

Here's another bit of my recent napaJapan order. One of the reasons Tirol chocolates are so fun is that Tirol is always putting out new limited edition package designs and flavors. Sometimes, these limited edition Tirol chocolates are themed, and two of the Tirol in this review feature Kumamon, the mascot for Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan. You can probably guess which two.

Tirol chocolates mainly come in two sizes, and the ones pictured and reviewed here are the larger size. Many of those limited edition flavors I mentioned above only come in the larger size, and unfortunately, I have yet to see this size make it to import stores in the United States. On the bright side, it's relatively easy to find variety/mix packs of the smaller size in larger cities in the US and Canada. These packs usually have one or two rotating special flavors along with the classic Tirol flavors, so you're

First up is Jersey Milk Soft Serve. I had no idea what Jersey milk was, but according to Wikipedia, Jersey cattle are known for their high milkfat milk and their "genial disposition." They sure sound like nice cows! But having never tasted Jersey milk, I can't say whether or not these Tirol hit the mark. The chocolate smelled a bit like sweet cheese, and pieces of ice cream cone were visible in the white chocolate. Overall, the flavors were fairly plain. The chocolate tasted milky and lightly sweet, and it had a creamy, smooth melt. I really enjoyed the bits of cone, which had a fun crunch. B

I've never had Ikinari Dango, but they are rice dumplings made with sweet potato and sweet red bean. This Tirol has been released before, and you can check out Tasty Japan's review here. The chocolate had a somewhat starchy smell that reminded me of prepackaged manju. The chocolate and filling had a slightly grainy, vegetal texture. The chewy mochi center was more like bland jelly candy than actual mochi. Overall, the flavors were very mild, but this also meant that the chocolate wasn't too sweet. B

This Tirol was stamped with a P, perhaps for pie? I could smell the cheese and just a hint of strawberry. As you can see from the picture, this Tirol had several layers: white chocolate, an oozy, gooey strawberry gel, a soft, almost chewy cracker, and a strawberry chocolate bottom. The strawberry syrup almost tasted more like cherry hard candy to me (and was it ever sweet), but the cheese flavor in the background was nice. I have to give extra points for ambition. B+

Tirol Website

Mitarashi Dango Choco Ball

There are some Japanese sweets that are just hard to come by in other countries (unless there is a large Japanese population in the immediate area), and dango is one of them. Prepackaged dango from a store is okay, but you just can't beat the fresh stuff that you can buy at traditional sweet shops or festivals in Japan. Even making dango yourself can be a tricky venture, because you need to track down specific Japanese rice flours to get the texture just right.

Mitarashi dango are rice dumplings covered with a sweetened soy sauce glaze. The end result is a lovely mixture of sweet caramelized sugar and savory soy sauce. The closest analog to the sauce might be maple syrup, although the mitarashi sauce tends to be less sweet and more savory. Rather than being a spin on the usual Choco Ball, this variety is more of a nod to actual mitarashi dango: there is a chewy mochi-like center wrapped in flavored white chocolate. I purchased these from napaJapan right before it started to get too hot to ship chocolate.

The balls come out of Kyoro-chan's beak! Too cute.

After pulling open Kyoro-chan's beak, I was hit by a scent that reminded me of maple syrup. The white chocolate shell tasted just like it smelled, like a slightly more savory maple. It melted slowly, so when I chewed the candy, the coating stayed a bit crisp. It did taste like a very mild, sweet version of mitarashi sauce.

The chewy "mochi" center had a texture more like that of gummy candy than actual mochi. It was firm and bouncy and had almost no flavor (just a slight sweetness). Overall, the Mitarashi Dango Choco Balls were fun to eat and brought back nice memories of eating mitarashi dango. More than anything, though, these made me want the real thing.

B

Morinaga Website

Tirol Adriatic Sea Salt Vanilla

Normally, the only Tirol chocolates sold in Japanese import grocers are the ones that come in a long strip, but on a recent trip to Tensuke Market in Columbus, Ohio, I bought the last bag of Adriatic Sea Salt Vanilla Tirol chocolates. Never have I seen such a specific Tirol flavor.

The package promised slightly salty vanilla chocolate and a crispy biscuit, using salt from the Adriatic Sea. I was also surprised to see that the package proclaimed the use of "pleasantly cool" erythritol, a sugar alcohol that seems fairly innocuous as artificial sweeteners go (this is based on a little internet research, so take that with a grain of salt - or sugar, if you like). Normally, the only products I see touting the cooling effects of some artificial sweeteners are gums and mints, so it was nice of Tirol to be upfront about it.

The chocolate smelled buttery, and the white chocolate was very soft with a smooth melt. Everything about this Tirol was mild. The vanilla flavor was very subtle, the chocolate was only slightly salty (as promised), and the biscuit had a very soft, fine crunch to it. I didn't really feel any cooling effects, nor did I taste the sugar alcohol.

White chocolate can get unbearably sweet, but the combination of the sea salt and the dry biscuit kept the sweetness in check. This Tirol had a good balance of flavors, but it was a little bland. I wished the vanilla flavor had been stronger and more authentic.

B

Tirol website

Tirol Mix 9

It's time to emerge from blogtirement! It's been a little while, but before it got too hot to ship chocolate to my house, I purchased this 9-pack of Tirol chocolates from napaJapan. It's the standard assortment, though Tirol always rotates a few limited edition flavors in and out of these packs. If you bought this assortment now, you'd get Lemon Cookie instead of Caramel Bis.

Some of these flavors have been reviewed here before, including Milk, Hot Cake, and White & Cookie Crunch. Some of the never-before reviewed on this blog flavors in this assortment are classic Tirol chocolates, so most of them should be easy to find online or in Japanese import grocers.

One of the rotating flavors in this mix was Caramel Bis, which is a twist on the classic Bis. The dark chocolate and caramel chocolate layers reminded me of purin. The lighter caramel chocolate was sweet and creamy, and it mixed well with the darker, slightly bitter chocolate base. The center biscuit added a fun crunch, but as usual, not much flavor. The darker chocolate was a nice touch and it made this flavor stand out.

According to the Collection section of Tirol's website, Chocolate Almond has been through a few different wrappers before the cute one we see today was introduced in 1996. The tried and true combination of almond and chocolate is just what you'd expect. The chocolate smelled nice and nutty, and it a little sticky but melted smoothly. The almond had a crunchy caramelized coating and it imparted hints of cherry flavor.

According to the Tirol website, the Milk Nougat flavor was introduced in 1983 and the Swiss-inspired packaging hasn't changed since then. I tried to break this one in half for the second picture but the nougat was too hard! The piece only smelled of plain chocolate, but the nougat had a slightly nutty flavor. I liked the taste but wasn't crazy about the texture; the nougat was at first sticky like taffy, then crumbly, and finally it got stuck in my teeth.

Regular Bis is one of Tirol's standard flavors, and it's also one of my favorites. It's a simple combination of sweet milk chocolate and a crunchy, cracker-like biscuit. The biscuit was dry and pretty bland, but it added a nice crunch and balanced the sweetness of the milk chocolate.

Strawberry was a simple pink strawberry filling covered in milk chocolate. The filling was creamy, fluffy, and full of strawberry seeds. Despite a slightly soapy taste, the strawberry flavor wasn't bad. On the whole, it was quite sweet.

Finally, the iconic Coffee Nougat flavor. I love the contrast of the colorful lettering against the dark wrapper, but I like the packaging better than the flavor. It smelled mostly of chocolate and just barely of coffee. The nougat had a mild, lightly roasted coffee flavor, and it had the consistency of extremely thick, sticky caramel. This is another stick-to-your-teeth piece, and it's just not worth the potential tooth decay.

Overall, this collection was a B. The Caramel Bis was my favorite of the bunch, but though they may be classics, I just wasn't crazy about either nougat flavor.

Tirol website

AVI Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few months ago, vending machines were installed in my office building. Again. When I first started there 5 years ago, there were dubious vending machines in a forgotten corridor of the building. Rumor has it that they contained sandwiches, but I can't confirm that (even though I bought one once).

This time, no one was about to mess around with sandwiches. The new vending machines have chips and candy, and they're doing pretty well. My curiosity got the better of me yesterday, so I branched out and bought this 2 pack of AVI cookies. The package had no nutrition information, but it did have a very long list of ingredients.

The cookies had a surprisingly strong cocoa scent that reminded me of chocolate fudge. They were soft and chewy, and the little chocolate chips melted away into the bulk of the cookie, making it a bit richer. The cookie itself had a very fine, sugar-like grit to it that made it seem more like a brownie.

Even though it was a really sweet cookie, there was just a hint of saltiness to keep the sugar in check. It killed my chocolate craving, but the portion size was just too large. According to the AVI website, one cookie is 270 calories, and there are two cookies in the bag. Furthermore, as Rodzilla of Rodzilla Reviews pointed out, each cookie also has 3 grams of trans fat, which is more than I really want to get from a cookie (especially one that already has a decent amount of saturated fat). After the media blowout several years back, many companies minimized their usage of trans fats, and I can't remember the last time I saw a non-negligible quanitiy listed on a label (for example, I didn't even think to check these cookies for trans fat). I won't lie - the cookie was pretty good, but I wouldn't pick it again.

B-

AVI website

Boyer Butterscotch Smoothie Peanut Butter Cups

As a peanut butter lover, I'm always on the lookout for different types of peanut butter cups. Although the Boyer brand is new to me, the wrapper had the look of an old-timey candy, right down to the play money "rebate" offer. I'm not it's worth it to buy 50 packs of cups just for a $1 rebate, not to mention the postage to mail 50 cardboard pieces of play money is probably close to $1 itself, but I got a chuckle from it.

I said the Boyer brand was new to me, but that's just because I had no idea Boyer made the more famous Mallo Cup until going to their website for this review. Boyer has been around since the Great Depression. Though the brand has been sold a few times since then, the nostalgic look of the packaging hasn't changed much.

The cups had a lumpy look to them, offering a preview of the small nut pieces I would find inside. The coating was sweet and creamy, the nutty center was dense, and I liked the slight crunch from the small peanut chunks.

I didn't notice that these were butterscotch peanut butter cups until I tasted them. The butterscotch was a bit too sweet, but the warm, buttery flavor went well with the peanut butter. The cups were salty on the finish, and while they were different from the usual peanut butter cup, I found them too sweet to want to eat often.

B

Boyer Candies Website

Romney's Kendal Mint Cake

Here's a curious little confection that my boss brought back from England on her last visit. Traditionally, Kendal Mint Cake is intended for mountain climbers as a source of energy, and all it contains is sugar, glucose, water, and peppermint oil.

The two varieties here are made with white sugar and brown sugar, but there is also a chocolate-covered version. Both pack a seriously minty aroma, and pieces break apart like fudge.

The white sugar version, found in the blue package, had the slightly crunchy texture of fudge. It reminded me of the center of a peppermint patty (so it would probably be quite nice if coated in chocolate). The mint was cool and refreshing, but not too strong. Of course it was sweet, but there wasn't really much flavor to it. I suppose flavor isn't the biggest concern for mountaineers.

I much preferred the brown sugar version, simply for the added hint of molasses that brown sugar imparted. The mint was stronger in this version as well. The texture was a little firmer than that of the white, but still very much like fudge.

These mint cakes reminded me of the molded maple sugar candies found in areas known for maple syrup. While the peppermint oil was nice and refreshing, eating a piece of mint cake resulted in an immediate urge to go brush my teeth. The experience was interesting, but I think I'll leave this one for the mountaineers.

B

Kendal Mint Cake website

Nestle Yatsuhashi KitKat

Has it really been 2 months? Well, my spring hiatus is over, and I've got a backlog of reviews to get through. Even when I don't post, I'm taking pictures and documenting about 75% of the candy I eat, so if you're still reading, thank you very much, and you can expect more posts this summer.

The daughter of one of my sister's coworkers went to Japan for a school trip, and she bought some treats for my sister while she was there. My sweet sister was kind enough to share them with me, and I was especially excited to try the Kyoto edition Yatsuhashi KitKat. Yatsuhashi is a famous souvenir snack from Kyoto made of rice flour with cinnamon and sugar. It comes in raw and baked forms, and this KitKat draws from the baked version.


The bars smelled like cinnamon, but the first bite was intensely sweet. White chocolate KitKats are known to be overly sweet, but this one was intense. After getting past the sweetness, there was a strong, pleasant cinnamon flavor. Normally, the sweetness would put me off, but in this case, I was reminded of my favorite childhood cereal: Cinnamon Toast Crunch. It was uncanny.

The little brown flecks in the chocolate that you see in the picture seem to be bits of crunchy yatsuhashi, which were firmer than the wafers, making for a nice variety of textures. It was different from any other flavored KitKat I've tried, and with the white chocolate, I was also reminded of cinnamon ice cream. Sure, it was too sweet, but I'm cutting this one some slack for the nostalgia factor.

B

KitKat website

Salazon Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt, and Coffee

This bar might have the longest name I've ever seen. The title of this post was shortened to fit on one line, but the full name is Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt & Crushed Organic Coffee. It was part of a birthday gift from my sister, her husband, and their adorable son. Even though he was only about 6 months old at the time, I like to think he picked it out.

Before trying this bar, I was unfamiliar with the Salazon Chocolate Company. They seem to be very serious about sustainability, and this bar was USDA organic and certified sustainable by the Rainforest Alliance. According to the website, these bars are made in small batches in the United States, not to mention hand-sprinkled with sea salt. That's all great, but how does it taste? After all, Salazon's website also states that these bars are meant to be "energy food" rather than candy.


The unwrapped bar is striking, on both the top and bottom. The back was especially gorgeous. I love a textured bar, so seeing the little flakes of coffee was exciting. The coffee aroma was dominant in the scent, and the bar had a firm (almost hard) snap.

At first, the chocolate was very salty, but this gave way to a mild, bitter chocolate flavor. The chocolate didn't melt on the tongue right away, and combined with the crunchy coffee flakes, it made for a very crunchy bar. The flavors worked well together, but it was a bit dry for my tastes. I suppose that's why it's "energy food" rather than candy.

B

Salazon Chocolate Company website

Tirol Christmas House!!

Unfortunately, my little blogging hiatus has resulted in me posting a Christmas chocolate review in February. At least I managed to get my Christmas decorations down in January this year. Still, Tirol does tend to repromote flavors, so just file this one away just in case any of these come back in the future.


But how could I just skip something so cute? This is Tirol's Christmas House!!, and it was part of a Christmas present from a friend. I hope I captured the interactive nature of the box with all these pictures. The door on the side swings open to reveal Santa in the fireplace, which opens to allow the chocolates to slide out.

Three flavors were included in the pack: Gateau Chocolat, Strawberry Shortcake, and Cheesecake, each in their own shiny wrapping paper. Getting the chocolates out of the chimney involved a bit of shaking, capturing yet another part of the Christmas experience. So clever!


Cheesecake had a salty, slightly tart flavor that was reminiscent of cheese with a hint of lemon. The white chocolate was soft and a bit buttery. There was a crunchy biscuit inside, but it was only for texture and didn't seem to have any flavor. This was the blandest of the three flavors.


Strawberry Shortcake had a tart strawberry flavor with a slightly sour, yogurty flavor that was probably supposed to represent the cream on shortcake. It missed the mark. Just like Cheesecake, the biscuit in the center provided crunch without flavor.


Thankfully, there was one stand out flavor in this bunch: Gateau Chocolat. The chocolate coating was bitter and had a nice snap, and the crunchy chocolate biscuit in the middle actually seemed to add to the chocolate flavor. The best part was the layer of fudgey goo on top of the biscuit - it seemed almost like a ganache. I wish the whole box had been made up of this flavor. On it's own, it would be an A.

B

Tirol website