Chocolate University Online Blog
Yesterday (July 28) was National Milk Chocolate Day. Did you do anything special to celebrate?
 I spent a little time reviewing chocolate-related press releases and found something that had previously missed my attention… Hershey’s introduced an aerated chocolate bar called the Air Delight.
Other chocolate manufacturers have had aerated chocolate for some time. For example, I wrote about the 75th anniversary of the Nestle Aero bar last October. Overall, aerated chocolate accounts for about $500 million of annual global confection sales.
But this is new for Hershey’s. And it’s probably a good move too. With the popularity worldwide of aerated chocolate, and the Nestle Aero unavailable in the U.S., the market may be ready for this from Hershey’s. Of course time will tell.
To celebrate the introduction of the Air Delight chocolate bar, the company participated at the New Jersey Festival of Ballooning, taking attendees up in the Air Delight hot air balloon for a unique tasting experience!
Hershey’s spokesperson, Anna Lingeris is quoted as saying, “We couldn’t think of a better way to capture the essence of the new product than with a ‘light and airy’ hot air balloon ride while experiencing new aerated chocolate.” I think she’s right. The air balloon is a creative idea to bring attention to this new candy bar.
Hershey’s Air Delight chocolate is sold in grocery stores and other locations nationwide. They offer a 1.44 ounce single bar as well as 9.4 ounce bags of Kisses. The Kisses simultaneously offer you a way to enjoy the Air Delight in a smaller portion or to pig out on more than you intended.
So that’s it. The discovery of Hershey’s Air Delight was the highlight of National Milk Chocolate Day. Now I’ve got to go out and buy one!
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: aerated chocolate, bubbly chocolate, chocolate bars, grocery product, Hershey Company, Hershey's Kisses
Like most people, I crave a sweet treat at the end of a meal. In the summer, when food is generally on the lighter side, I like something sweet but not TOO sweet.
 After you‘ve eaten your grilled chicken breasts and pasta salad, try this pairing between Ghirardelli LUXE MILK™ Toffee and Round Hill Chardonnay.
The Milk Chocolate with Toffee has bold buttery and crunchy toffee bits that blend very well with the subtle chocolaty notes and intense creamy flavors of the milk chocolate. The Chardonnay adds more butter and toffee notes with hints of vanilla, apricot, and spice.
I bought both these items at my local grocery store. The 2009 Round Hill Chardonnay was a bargain at $6.49 (on their website it still sells for a reasonable $8.00). I liked the wine by itself, too!
Oh, one more thing. Just recently, a friend of mine asked me how to pronounce Ghirardelli as she had heard at least two different variations. Since I also have had that experience, I went to the ultimate authority. The Ghirardelli website.
According to the company, you should say Gear-ar-delly!
Now go and enjoy your Toffee Gear-ar-delly with the Round Hill Shar-doe-nay!
Categories: chocolate pairings, chocolate review
Tags: Ghirardelli, grocery product, milk chocolate, Round Hill, white wine, wine
 “Simply the finest chocolates on earth!”
Whatever happened to truth in advertising?
I review a lot of chocolate, and I’d be the first to emphasize that anything I report is a matter of subjective opinion and personal preference. That is, what I write is MY personal preference. Just because I like it, doesn’t mean everyone will like it. We all get that.
This time, however, you can take my review as gospel truth and just trust me…. YOU WILL NOT like Sweet Obsession™ chocolate.
Contrary to the tag line that is on the wrapper, this bar is simply the worst chocolate on earth. At a minimum, it’s one of the worst I have ever tasted.
The Sweet Obsession Milk Chocolate bar is boldly labeled as “Fine European Chocolate.” I’ve enjoyed fine European chocolate. This is not it. European chocolate makers should be embarrassed to see this phrase on these packages.
There were plenty of warning signs before I bought this bar. In other words, my my expectations were pretty low from the start.
1. The bar sells for $1.00 despite being a larger size (5.3 oz/150 g) than typical chocolate bars.
2. The ingredient statement declares that in addition to cocoa butter there is vegetable fat, and in addition to whole milk there is whey powder.
3. It is imported by a company (Global Brands, LLC) that is “committed to creating and supplying food products that will never cost more than $1.00 retail.” Ok, it really said supplying “extreme value foods,” but that makes it sound like a good thing.
It only took one small bite to confirm my suspicions. The chocolate was gritty, tasteless, and waxy. To punish myself even more, I tried the dark chocolate version and guess what? It was gritty, tasteless, and waxy – only in a darker color!
I bought these extreme value chocolates at the local Pick ‘n Save grocery store. Don’t get sucked in by the price. And don’t believe, even for a second, that Sweet Obsession makes the finest chocolates on earth!
Beware!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: dark chocolate, grocery product, milk chocolate, Sweet Obsession
Chips Ahoy is a popular cookie product that many of us grew up with. These cookies were a blessing for those of us who desire to eat chocolate chip cookies but lack the time to make them ourselves.
In 1963, Nabisco started manufacturing this wonderful product. With a genius slogan of “Betcha bite a chip,” this cookie product gained popularity all through out America, and the road to fame later spread all throughout the world. Through the years, Nabisco kept on producing Chips Ahoy varieties like reduced fat, snack packs, peanut butter flavored, chunkier chips, and more.
There is even a wide selection of Chips Ahoy versions produced in most parts of the world. China has their own Orange and Chips Ahoy variation while Russia has Limited Edition Banana and Orange Flavored Chips Ahoy. Canada’s versions consist of Rainbow Colored Chips Ahoy, White Fudge Chunky Chips, and Chips Ahoy Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Today, America’s favorite chocolate chip cookie just got even more chewy and gooey with its new variety. Just in time for National Fudge Day on June 16, 2011, Nabisco is releasing two new Chips Ahoy flavors that have a burst of soft and smooth fudge in the center. This fresh addition is called Chips Ahoy! Chewy Gooey Cookies. They are sold in two varieties – Chocofudge and Megafudge. Both flavors offer a rich, creamy and smooth chocolatey taste that can surely satisfy your cravings.
Chips Ahoy Chewy Gooey Chocofudge is made up of a real chocolate chip cookie that is packed with a layer of soft and creamy fudge. On the other hand, Chips Ahoy Chewy Gooey Megafudge is a brownie-like cookie sprinkled with bits of white chocolate chips with a layer of smooth and flavorful fudge.
Everyone can enjoy eating this treat in a number of ways. In addition to just eating them right out of the package, Chips Ahoy! Chewy Gooey Cookies can be served warm or cold. They can be eaten along with your favorite ice cream flavor to cool you down during the intense heat of summer. Or warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds to have a taste of warm, chunky, fudge-filled cookies that burst in your mouth.
These new varieties are expected to be available nationwide starting May, surely providing more chocolate-chip-cookie-eating-fun for your whole family!
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: Chips Ahoy, chocolate cookies, grocery product, Nabisco, National Fudge Day, world chocolate
“The Milk Chocolate Melts In Your Mouth – Not In Your Hand”
You can definitely guess where this slogan came from. M&M’s® milk chocolate candies are one of the most loved chocolate brands. With a splash of different colors such as green, yellow, blue, brown, violet and orange, M&M’s instantly became an all time favorite for the kids and even those who are still kids at heart.
M&M’s not only satisfy one’s craving for sweets but it has also become a very entertaining tool for fun interactive games. There are a number of virtual games spreading all over the Internet with the use of M&M’s as major characters. These cute M&M’s characters are navigated in a number of virtual adventures games.
Mars, a well-known company that has been manufacturing chocolates for more than 100 years is known as a leader in the chocolate industry. Mars Candy Factory was the one who produced M&M’s chocolate candies during 1941. M&M’s chocolate candies instantly became a fad in the 1940’s and 50’s. It won the heart of the people. The sweet taste of chocolate combined with a crunchy flavored coating immediately became a hit.
Now here’s the latest coming out of Hackettstown, New Jersey: Mars Chocolate North America announced that a few of its M&M’s candies are going solo.
The company stated that the M&M’s spokescandy crew that is characterized by the color green, orange, blue, yellow and red opted to go on their separate paths. However, the company is hopeful that the patrons of this sweet treat will help a lot in bringing them back through a new campaign called “Reunite ‘M”.
The contest will run until September 15, 2011. The consumers who participate have the chance to win huge amount of prizes that are valued at more than $1.5 million, including the $100,000 that will only be won by one lucky contestant.
The mechanics are easy. You just have to buy selected packages of M&M’s milk chocolate candies and look for all the five characters printed under the wrapper. You can click on this link to see the official rules of the game.
Mars Chocolate North America chief consumer officer Debra Sandler stated that “Our M&M’s spokescandy crew has literally been the face of our brand for many years, and we’re not taking the news of the separation lightly. We’ve initiated a full-fledged “Reunite ‘M’” campaign and we hope America will join forces to help us get them back together.”
For all the M&M’s milk chocolate lovers out there, you know what to do. Help reunite your favorite spokescandy treats together. Bringing them back together will provide them with a capacity to bond once again and strengthen their relationship.
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: chocolate candy, contests, grocery product, M&M's, Mars, milk chocolate
This is the last review in my consecutive series of store brand chocolate. Aldi stores in the US, and the equivalent in the UK called Lidl, have a few store brand chocolates to choose from.
Lidl’s own brand offers a selection of single-origin tasting squares that I think are really good. Right now, as a matter of fact, I am eating a dark chocolate with cocoa from Peru at 72%. The snap is crisp, the intense chocolate is rich, the texture smooth, and the fruity notes are outstanding.
The Aldi near me carries a luxury line of in-house brand chocolate called Choceur. They carry single origin bars, truffles, and nut clusters in milk, white and dark chocolate.
The 65% Madagascar is wonderful. I have had other Madagascar origin chocolate and the Choceur is faithful to that flavor profile. The chocolate is light, in color as well as taste, with citrus top notes and a hint of raisin at the end. There is a light spice throughout the smooth textured chocolate and a nice non-bitter finish. A pleasant chocolate at a bargain price.
Aldi is a store known for “knock off” products at a low cost compared to their name brand counterparts. In the US, there are over 1,000 stores coast to coast and around the globe they are in over a dozen countries. That’s the potential to move a lot of chocolate!
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: Aldi, Choceur, grocery product, Lidl, Madagascar, Peru, store brand
It’s Monday and time for another review of a store brand chocolate bar. This time I chose Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate.
Trader Joe’s started out as a small chain of convenience stores in the 1950s under the name of Pronto Markets. In 1967 they changed the name to Trader Joe’s.
I like the line up of chocolates under the Trader Joe’s label. They are made in the European style but have a price tag of American value.
The Swiss Milk chocolate bar I bought was only $1.99 for 100g. The bar was smooth and creamy, with a balanced chocolatey baseline highlighted by caramel flavor notes. The lingering finish was a very pleasant soft buttery taste.
This particular chocolate bar is certified Fair Trade to “help contribute to a better way of life for farmers and their families. This method of buying cocoa beans and sugar offers small-scale growers a fair price for their harvest.”
I give this store label chocolate both thumbs up; you get great taste at a great price. I keep a Trader Joe’s Swiss Milk Chocolate in my chocolate drawer as one of my “staples.”
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: chocolate bars, fair trade, grocery product, milk chocolate, Trader Joe's
Over 60,000 shoppers voted M&M’S Pretzel Chocolate Candies as the 2011 Product of the Year.
The food product category was Candy & Snacks, and the Mars Chocolate Company came out on top during a selection process that had consumers voting for their favorite innovative product. The products were chosen based on 4 key elements; appeal of innovation, usage, satisfaction, and purchase intent.
The M&M’S Pretzel achieved high marks across all elements but scored highest in satisfaction.
The Product of the Year award is hosted in 28 countries and is the world’s largest consumer-voted program of its kind.
According to the shoppers, the sweet and salty combination makes M&M’S Pretzel candies irresistible.
M&M’S have been around since 1941. There are permanent varieties of M&M’S as well as seasonal ones. You’ve got your milk chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate peanut, dark chocolate peanut, Almond, Peanut Butter, and Baking Bits. Whew!
But wait, there’s more! You’ve got personalized, minis, Halloween, Valentines, Easter, and don’t forget, Pretzel!
Ok, I think I’m done. And craving M&M’S for some reason!
Categories: chocolate in the news
Tags: chocolate candy, grocery product, M&M's, Mars, product of the year
Tesco stores are located all over London, England. When I visited my sister living there, we did a lot of chocolate shopping. Almost every store I shopped in offered a label of chocolate all their own. These chocolates were priced lower than the name brands sitting next to them on the shelf.
As promised in last Monday’s blog (I reviewed store brand Roundy’s Milk Chocolate), I am going to continue to review store brand chocolates.
In the U. K., you will see Plain Chocolate on the label to differentiate it from Milk Chocolate. In the U.S., Dark Chocolate replaces Plain Chocolate.
The Tesco Value Plain Chocolate is a 50% dark chocolate and that surprised me. I thought the “value” would indicate that they used the minimum amount of chocolate required so 50% was higher than I expected. Instead, the “value” emphasizes the low price.
The texture was slightly gritty. The flavor was somewhat bland but produced a balanced chocolaty taste throughout. No outstanding flavor notes to talk about, and there was no aftertaste.
Overall, the chocolate was mediocre; not a really good chocolate, but certainly better than no chocolate at all. 
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: dark chocolate, grocery product, plain chocolate, Tesco
Often “store brand” food items are thought of an economical and perhaps an inferior version of its name brand counterpart. While many times I think that ends up being true, I’m still open to give unknowns a try, especially if it costs me less. I do get disappointed but sometimes I also get surprised.
I plan on writing a flavor review of different store brand chocolate bars; some available only in the US and some available only overseas, each Monday for as many Mondays as I have chocolates. On this journey I know we’ll discover the good and the bad but either way we’ll have fun and eat chocolate. Isn’t that the meaning of life anyway?
Today I have a Roundy’s milk chocolate bar that looks an awful lot like a Hershey’s bar. Same brown wrapper, same size and same shape. Will it taste the same?
The sweetness level is similar, in other words, very sweet. The biggest difference is that the milky notes are definitely not the same as Hershey and in my opinion, much more pleasant. The chocolaty notes actually come through for a moment before the combination of sweet and milk take over. One more thing, the Roundy’s chocolate is smoother than the Hershey bar.
For a store brand low cost milk chocolate bar I rate the Roundy’s Milk Chocolate bar better tasting as well as an improvement over the basic Hershey Milk Chocolate. But, it is still very sweet, very cheap, and very unsatisfying for a hard core chocolate lover.
Next Monday, I’ll take a look at another low cost milk chocolate bar, this one with a British store brand label.
Categories: chocolate review
Tags: grocery product, milk chocolate, Roundy's, store brand
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