Luppo Cake Bite

 Oh no, not again!

The Attraction

I didn't pay this any mind really, but the little lady was interested for some reason. She normally doesn't pickup any Choco Pies, so I was surprised when she brought this snack to my attention. Who am I to turn down a new chocolate snack? I have a feeling this might be a disaster. How exciting!

The Review:
This whole thing dates back to one of my early reviews of Moon Pies. I really loved it, but then as I would go through the Asian markets, I would come across seemingly the Asian knockoffs called Choco Pies. If you read through the Wiki on it, then there was some drama between two large snack producing companies over the name "Choco Pie".

These look familiar

Well, to sum up that chapter, I think Moon Pies are tastier than Choco Pies, however in NYC, Choco Pies seem vastly easier to come across than Moon Pies. If you can't have the real thing, Choco Pies aren't a bad substitute.

Fast forward to this Luppo Cake Bite (cough, another Moon Pie clone, cough) and you are all caught up. What's different already about this snack is unlike the original and it predecessor, these treats are not individually wrapped. They sit in a plastic tray neatly separated, a la Mallomars. 

Doesn't look too exciting

I didn't expect much as I've had several variations of Choco Pies before and the lack of individual wrapping made me think it was all in the name of a cheapo product. Not much put in, not much comes out....or so I thought.

I pluck a lucky "bite" out and take a casual nibble. "Hmm...this seems familiar, but something is a little different.", I thought to myself. I take another bite to see if I can hone in on the different twist.

"Coconut?"

Despite no mention on the packaging, these "cake bites" have a slight coconut flavor to them. It's not in your face or coated with coconut shavings or anything, but there's a definite coconut flavor in there. Aside from that little twist, it's what you have come to expect from a Choco Pie; a nice layer of chocolate coating on the outside, with a marshmallow cream filling on the inside. A bit of a bounce when you bite in from the filling. All wonderful, yet hardly earth-shattering things.

That was a little different

As I took a few more bites, I had to ask myself; "Coconut good, coconut bad, or coconut weird?"

It's not bad and it's not really weird tasting either. I guess that could only mean one thing.

The Sweet:
Slight coconut flavor brings a unique twist on a familiar tasting and looking snack.

The Bitter:
Not the most original idea

Conclusion:
I thought I had seen the last of these Moon Pie / Choco Pie clones. Realistically, how many similiar products can you have of snack that doesn't involve flavor variations? Yet Luppo Cake Bites boldly steps into the already crowded chocolate "pie" arena and differentiate itself with a subtle and tasty twist.

As for me, I think I'm done with these chocolate pies. How many more can a person eat? Well, then again, maybe I should learn by now that one should never say never.

Video of the Week

Not to be confused with this parkour

Yes, parkour was (is) still a thing. It's still impressive no matter how much time has passed. Even more so when you hit the longest and scariest looking parkour course in China. I got winded pressing the play button on the video, so I can appreciate this guy's athleticism.

Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

 PB and C? Even if it's bad, it's never that bad

Yes, I know. I've been away for awhile. There's been some changes going on in my non-snack life that's been taking up much of my time, but alas, like two star-crossed lovers, snacks and I will always find a way to make it work, but enough about me. On to the snacks....

The Attraction

The company I work for is still generous enough to offer it's employee snacks throughout the week. The catch being that the snacks they offer are of the healthier variety. A small price to pay for comped snacks, I say. Well, it also depends what kind of snacks we are talking about. One can only consume so many dried apricots before finding a small queue forming at the restroom stalls.

In this case, they try to find something "healthier", but not mind-numbingly bland. In this week's case, thy name be Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate. (That sounds about as healthy as a reduced fat pork rinds)

The Review:
I've had a few Kind snack bars in my day. Almost always because that's what my office offers, but I'm happy to say that they have almost all have been great. I have nothing but high hopes between my past experience with their products and with the headliners on listed on marque in bright orange letters, "Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate". In a perfect world, I would have opted to not have the "dark" kind of chocolate in there, but one does have to try to make these products sound somewhat healthy.

It's like Richard Simmons came in and threw a bunch of healthy
stuff over Paula Dean's Rice Krispy Treats

I undress this sexy sounding bar to reveal a darker looking Rice Krispy Treat with bits of oats, seeds and dark chocolate mixed in. To me it's like watching Margo Robbie in The Legend of Tarzan. You can put all these things and try to ugly up Margot Robbie, but its still Margo Robbie. The core will always shine through, but will the taste follow the appearance?

I think they are on to something

I take a nibble of the bar, (so the photo I take of the bar after doesn't look like a bear attacked it) and find that the oats, seeds and miscellaneous healthy items in the bar doesn't distract from the delicious peanut better and chocolate flavor. I swear, if you were to change the wrapping on this thing, you would have no idea that this product was geared for a more health conscious crowd.

The bar isn't too sweet or too much anything. It doesn't overpower you with the pb flavor and the dark chocolate actually helps keep the sweetness reigned in. I also enjoy that the bar isn't to dry or crunchy because overall I just prefer chewy bars like these.

Then all of sudden in dawns on me.....this doesn't taste delicious in spite of all those healthier ingredients....it takes good because of it! (mind blown)

The Sweet:
Taste good and better for you than the status quo.

The Bitter:
Costlier than your typical Rice Krispy Treat

Conclusion:
Frankly, I might have to stop reviewing Kind products. I have yet to encounter one of their items that I haven't enjoyed. Even if the initial offering and listing of ingredients don't turn me on, I give it a try and always end up liking it. Now, I can't vouch for how "healthy" they are cause they just taste too good to me to be totally convinced that it's all good for you, but it's got to be better for you than the conventional commercial candy bars and sugary snacks on the market.

Maybe that says all in the end; Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate is so delicious that you begin to even doubt how healthy it is because it's so tasty.

Video of the Week

I wonder if I can retrofit the robot that
does my floors to do my windows?

What have I been up to you may ask? Well, I'll get into that on my next post, but as of late, when I have to time to surf, I've been obsessing with these "Cool Stuff you can get on Amazon" videos. Some are ridiculous, but some are actually cool. Now, will I ever buy them? Probably not, but maybe I just have a weird thing for watching infomercials.

Chocolates Exoticos de Colombia (Coconut, Coffee Bean, Goldenberry)

 The Colombian trifecta of chocolate!

The Attraction

As a fellow co-worker returns from yet another exotic vacation, she was kind enough to share some of her spoils of her trip. In this case, her trip was to Columbia and the spoils being chocolate!

The Review:
The packaging had me intrigued cause it was so exotic and interesting looking, although upon looking at the various flavors, I was a little less sure. Of the three flavors I had (coconut, coffee bean and goldenberry) I was most interested in coconut the most. In addition to not being a fan of dark chocolate in general, I am also not a coffee person, so that may spell for a bad combination for that flavor. As for goldenberry...I just had no clue what a goldenberry is. I'm guessing maybe something like a raisin? If so, that could be the winner of the bunch. Who doesn't love Raisinets?

There's coconut in there somewhere

First up, coconut or "Coco" as the packaging suggests. I open the bag and smell the hint of dark chocolate. I go ahead and pop one in my mouth and sure enough, the bitterness of the coated dark chocolate candy hits first. Then after several chews, there is a change in texture. Something almost fruit like. I guess it's the coconut, although flavor-wise, there is no indication that is what I'm chewing on. The coconut is almost nougat-like in texture, but the coconut flavor I was so anticipating was a no-show. OK, maybe coffee bean can avenge this lackluster first act.

Coffee bean for those that can't

get their caffeine fix fast enough

I repeat the steps with the coffee bean flavor and in this case, I was greeted with the grit and bitterness of coffee bean. Perhaps if I were a coffee fan I may have felt differently, but the flavor combinations were too harsh for my standards. First the bitterness of the dark chocolate only to be followed by the super bitterness of pieces of coffee bean was too much for me. What I will say is that I think it was a good idea to have bits of coffee bean vs a whole bean to help try to mellow out the bitterness flavor combination. I did really like the contrast texture-wise of the coffee bean and chocolate. It was similiar to having bits of Oreo in a chocolate ball (minus the pleasant Oreo flavor).

..and goldenberry. Cause that's what we all need.

More snacks made with goldenberry

Lastly, it now was all riding on the goldenberry flavor to potentially redeem his snack siblings. I repeat the process a third time, but this time to my surprise....the goldenberry was tart.....very tart. So, not bitter like the coffee bean and lost in the dark chocolate flavor like the coconut, but rather tart. Super tart. Dare I say almost lemon like tartness, but with none of it's charm. It would seem that goldenberry too was not in for a good day.

The Sweet:
The dark chocolate tries it's best to save the day.

The Bitter:
With the exception of the coconut flavor, the ingredients are so strong that it's difficult to consume.

Conclusion:
It was already an ominous start with all three snacks being made of dark chocolate, but little did I know that was probably the best part of these items. Of the three, coconut was the best, but when I say best, I mean the least nastiest. I wouldn't plunk down any money to purchase anymore of these. Well, lets take it a step further and say if they were free again, I would not even take more in that scenario. Surprisingly, coffee bean was next least nastiest. All in all, it was a trifecta of terror. They were all so strong in flavor, I literally forgot that these were considered a "candy".

I see how the brand was trying to offer snackers a "taste of Columbia" by creating snacks that highlights the country's natural riches. Unfortunately, none of these three items does a good job of capturing snacks from Columbia that I would love to have more of. It's actually quite the contrary.

Video of the Week

Super Hero Dad for the win

I've seen some videos in my day, but this one was pretty amazing. Here is a seemingly regular Dad working on his scooter. Next thing you know something is happening out of frame and his children is in the middle of the action. He doesn't miss a beat and does what we would all hope to be able to do if ever needed.

Odwalla Chocolate Chip Peanut

You guys are here again?

The Attraction

Recently, I reviewed Odwalla's Berries GoMega and then compared it against Kind's Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar. I received some grief about that as some readers felt that it was not a fair comparison because I wasn't comparing like products. Yes, they are both "healthier" snacks, but one is fruit based and the other, chocolate based. OK people, you win. Let's do it again, but this time let's see if Odwalla can step up their snack game and make something I would want to eat on purpose.

The Review:
There are two ways that I could have conducted this test; either review a fruit based product of Kind's or a chocolate based snack of Odwalla's. After some debating (not really), I thought I would go the chocolate route (what a surprise). Actually, I think it was the better way to go as I had some serious doubt as to if Odwalla would be able to produce a snack that I would recommend, even if chocolate was a primary ingredient. If they could not make chocolate and peanut taste good, I don't think they would be able to make anything that would.

Hmm...Could this be better?

I unwrap the chocolate chip peanut bar and take a peer inside. Much like their Berries GoMega, the bar itself looked like it was compressed with oats, bran and other things that are good for you. Granted the physical appearance isn't quite as sexy as the Kind bar, but in the end, this review is really about how the Odwalla bar stands on it's own, not how it compares to other similar products.

I take a bite from the bar and I notice the texture isn't as mealy as their other bar. It's not that the Berries GoMega was dry, but the texture seems different. This go around, the bar was more reminiscent of a drier brownie or cake. When I sink my teeth into a chocolate chip on the same chew, it dawns on me that this bar taste like a chocolate chip cookie. OK, not like the world's most decadent, rich or moist cookie, but like a chocolate chip cookie with maybe a third of the chocolate chips a cookie would have. The peanuts aren't as prominent as I'm accustomed to (perhaps because they are actually peanuts, not peanut butter), but you will harldy notice as you polish off the rest of the bar.

This was a little different

The Sweet:
Comparable in flavor to some "non-healthy" snacks.

The Bitter:
Not a replacement for some of the more high end / decadent snacks.

Conclusion:
Even though I got some grief for comparing two very different types of healthy snacks, I'm glad I did. Odwalla got a chance to redeem itself with their Chocolate Chip Peanut bar and redeem it did. If you are looking to keep on the "healthier" snack side of the pool, this bar is a reminder that although all healthy snack options are not created equal, going to a healthier snack option doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence for your taste buds. In the case of Odwalla's Chocolate Chip Peanut, it actually means a reprieve.

Video of the Week

"It's always about porn"

VR is getting more and more exposure these days. From gaming to business applications, it seems like there are new and interesting ways to incorporate VR into the fold. Conan O'Brien recently headed over to You Tube's VR Lab to see exactly how far they have taken VR. The results are somewhere between funny and like being in a giant video game.

Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

Can this possibly be "good" for you?

The Attraction

After my last review of Odwalla Berries GoMega, I received some emails questioning what was a good healthy snack bar since in my assessment was less than stellar about the Odwalla bar. I didn't have an answer off-hand, but I thought it was fine time to start testing a few so I can recommend some to try as opposed to just give you ones to avoid.

The Review:
I've seen these Kind bars around for a bit. I can't say I was necessarily excited at the idea of trying another "health" bar, but I also think we can't just eat milk chocolate bar and potato chips everyday (although I would probably try). I will say that just by the looks of the transparent wrapper, it looks more appetizing already than some other bars in this "healthy"arena. This bar was not a compressed bar, but it does advertise a bunch of almonds, peanuts and chocolate! However far looks can get you, this was a good start, but as in life, it can only get you so far for so long. Let's see what lies beneath the surface, shall we?

If only all healthy things looked this good

After liberating the Kind bar from the wrapper, it's difficult not to take a second and admire the overall beauty of this bar; from the glistening shine off the assorted nuts to the drizzle of dark chocolate across the bar. As if that wasn't enough, the whole underside is coated in dark chocolate. If looks could kill, I would be in for some serious trouble.

I finally take a bite and it's...every bit as tasty as it looks. Dare I say the abundance of nuts and chocolate in some regards can stand right up there against your perennial snack bar favorites. Think a nuttier Snickers bar. In fact, it's so nutty, it reminds me of another nutty chocolate bar, the Nuggle. Forget about tasty for a "healthy" snack, it's just plain tasty. I will say that although it advertises peanut butter, I don't really detect any. It could be that the bar itself is so full of nuts that it gets lost in the shuffle, but frankly, I forgot about it because I was so surprised at how good it tasted.

I could get used to this!

The Sweet:
Deliciously comparable to many commercially available chocolate snack bars

The Bitter:
Exactly how "healthy" is this?

Conclusion:
I get it, I'm not exactly comparing apples to apples here if I'm putting this up against the Odwalla bar. Most people in the world would probably prefer dark chocolate and nuts vs. compressed oats and cranberries (duh, really?), but let's just let this snack stand on it's own. I can't vouch for how "healthy" this particular Kind bar is, but compared to a standard Snickers bar I would hope it's better for you. In fact, maybe that should be the approach here; maybe in the future when you have a hankering for a "guilty" chocolate snack, instead of reaching for the standard candy store variety, reach for one of these.

Are you going to turn into a supermodel from eating these instead of the customary assortment of chocolate goodies? Not likely, but if you can shave off a few calories along with a few grams of sugar and get some protein in the process as well, what's the harm? Your taste buds certainly won't be upset with this compromise.

Video of the Week

Hope you packed a lunch

Over the course of time, I've come to accept that some people work at their own pace; some a little faster, some a little slower. However in this case, I can't tell if this woman is working at this pace deliberately or she is just a super methodical mover. Whatever it may be, I don't think she would last very long as a bank teller in NYC. Either she would get constantly get yelled at by customers and quit or tons of customers would catch heart attacks from their blood pressure boiling over waiting. (Have you seen how we react to just slow walkers on the street?) 

Hazelnut Elite

Does that say elite?

The Attraction

I was strolling in my supermarket recently when I ended up in the Kosher aisle. In that area, there was a whole section dedicated to kosher snacks. Kosher or not, if a snack sounds interesting, I'm in. Enter the kosher snack known as Hazelnut Elite!  

The Review:
I'm not a super crazy fan of hazelnuts, but I'm also not a hater. I enjoy a good chocolate with some nuts inside, be it hazelnut or otherwise. When I saw this in the kosher aisle, I dreamed of potentially uncovering the secret delicious snack that Jews have never spoken about to the rest of the gentile world. Yes, I have a very active imagination and am an optimistic snack consumer.

How bad can any chocolate and nut combination be? Nuts go together with chocolate like Benny and the Jets, Jack and Diane, Frankie and Johnny. Even when its bad, it's never that bad.

You can see the caramel oozing out

I go ahead and liberate the chocolate bar from it's wrapper. Even looking at the picture now is making me drool a little. There's some caramel that found its way to the outside of the bar which gives me a bit of a hint as to what's to come. Caramel, nut and chocolate? Sounds like this could be like a Snickers bar...and who doesn't enjoy a Snickers bar every now and again?

I take a bite and immediately the flavor and texture is reminiscent of a Milky Way bar, Caramel, nougat and a hint of hazelnut....wait, what?! Did I say a "hint of hazelnut"? It's name is freaking "Hazelnut Elite"! How could there only be a hint of hazelnut?! I take another bite out of disbelief and sure enough, there is the smallest amount of hazelnut in there, but it's 90% nougat. The caramel seems to be towards the side of the chocolate bar and there are no pieces of hazelnut to be found.

To give you an idea, imagine you had a whole hazelnut. You then take said hazelnut and chop it with a knife. You now have hazelnut pieces, like this. See the pieces left on the knife? Flick off the large pieces and the dust you have left on the knife seems to be the amount of hazelnut in this snack.

Ironically, this phenomenon seems all to familiar, isn't that right Ms. Holly Original!

Look at all those hazelnuts!
(there hardly are any)

The Sweet:
Milky Way-like familiarity

The Bitter:
Where are the hazelnuts?

Conclusion:
If I've said it once, I've said it a dozen times; its all about setting expectations. If I tried to set you up with someone and you asked me how they look and I said, "They have a good personality.", then you would know exactly what you were in for and would adjust your expectations accordingly. Now if you had asked me the same question and I said, "They are stunning, a model, super hot!", your expectations would be very different.

In the case of Hazelnut Elite (even just based on the name alone), I was expecting a beauty queen to come my way. Instead what I got was the person with the good personality. Mind you, there's nothing wrong with a person with a good personality, but it wasn't "sold" to me that way.

In the end, it just feels like a bait and switch to me.

Video of the Week

There goes what's left of my reproductive years

If you were like me and were around the first time NES came out, then you remember all the hours of fun you had hanging at your bud's house not doing homework and playing video games. Now over 30 years later Nintendo is releasing a small, classic edition of the iconic gaming system. Good thing I grew out of that phase of my life. Now I can spurn work and play video games instead of skipping homework and playing video games.

Royce Baton Cookies Coconut

What is a "baton cookie" exactly?

The Attraction

This week I was invited to the opening of the new Toto showroom in NYC. In case you aren't familiar with Toto, they are the Japanese manufacturers of cool toilets, washlets, sinks and faucets. In addition to having a showroom full of cool bathroom stuff, they also had some Japanese treats for visitors to enjoy...one being these Royce Baton Cookies. 

The Review:
I didn't really think anything was special about these cookies when I first saw them laid out on a plate inside a mock bathroom in the Toto showroom, but then two of my colleagues ran over and said,  "Royce!? These must be good!" Apparently after some research, it turned out that Royce is a pretty well known and respected confectionery originally from Hokkaido, Japan.

OK, so now I really have to try one.

I open an individually sealed cookie and immediately catch a whiff of the coconut portion of the baton cookie. It's pretty coconut smelling. Personally, I have a very complicated relationship with coconuts; I enjoy the flavor and bits of  coconut here and there, but I've never been a fan of any cake or pastry that highlights a lot of coconut shavings. It was just too coconut-ty for me...so when I smelled the coconut from the cookie...I was a bit apprehensive.

My under carriage hides a chocolate delight 

As I slide the cookie out of it's plastic wrapper, I notice the chocolate coating on the bottom of the cookie. That is a good sign as I previously had some Royce chocolate and it was very smooth. I had no doubt that the chocolate on these cookies would be equally as good.

I take a bite and as I go several chews into the snack, I realize how clever Royce was to dip the underside in it's delicious chocolate. It serves as the gateway flavor to the cookie itself, but more importantly it helps the snacker gently ease into the coconut flavor within the cookie itself. The Baton Cookie strikes a nice balance between the chocolate side and the coconut essence throughout the rest of the snack, but even with that....it redlines my coconut meter.

"Oh, don't forget my coconut flavor, baby!"

The Sweet:
Royce chocolate is tasty!

The Bitter:
...but you still got to like coconut

Conclusion:
There's no doubt that Royce put some care and thought into these cookies. They are well made and the chocolate that is partnered with the coconut is very smooth and delicious, but for me, it's still more coconut than I care for.

If you are a fan of Almond Joy or Mounds (both contain shredded coconut), this might be right up your alley, but as the guy that avoids those mini bars in a mixed Halloween bag like the plague, my love for Royce Baton Cookies Coconut was never meant to be.

Video of the Week

Can you transform the poop that just

formed in my pants into something cool?

In the future when these things try take over the world and wipe us off the face of the earth, we now have another kind of robot that we can use to protect us and save human kind....but it would help tremendously if they could transform a little faster and actually do something useful other than change from one thing to another.

Chips Ahoy Thins

 
Something old, something new,
something borrowed, something blue...3 out of 4 ain't bad

The Attraction

Since I was so infatuated with the Oreo's version of these "Thins", I wanted to see if all "Thin" versions make everything better

The Review:
Yes, I've reviewed a few Chips Ahoy products in my day, such as this and this and I have also reviewed a "Thin" product like this before, but will the "Thin" theory still ring true on a non-Oreo branded product, like a Chips Ahoy Thins? Lets find out

As I peel back the package of cookies, I can immediately see the "thin" version of these treats sitting in the familiar cookie tray. It must be said, that I prefer, by a substantial amount, the chewy version of these snacks. Well, actually, I prefer a chewy version of almost any snack vs. a drier, crispier version. That's just my preference, but I will suspend this preference, for you, my snacking public.

It's pretty obvious when I take a cookie out, that these thinner cookies are about half that of the original variety. In my mind, I can see the machine in the factory that squirts the dough onto the pan do so at half the time they would with the original version. I don't know why exactly that would come to mind. Maybe too many episodes of Unwrapped.

Maybe if I stare at this long enough,
I can convince myself these are good for me

Anyway, I bring a cookie up to my mouth and take a bite. As expected, there is a crispy crunch and the familiar Chips Ahoy flavor comes marching through my mouth like parade down Main Street. The "Thins" version of these cookies certainly didn't impact the flavor, but much like the affect it had on the Oreos, the thinning of these cookies somehow makes them better.

It streamlines the flavor profile and makes the bulkier original seem cumbersome and excessive. These thins are able to deliver the flavor you want in a far more efficient and laser-like focus to your taste-buds. It's amazing what halving a cookie can do to a snacking experience.

Half the size, half the calories, twice the consumption!

The Sweet:
Crisp, familiar flavor, but in a new, sleek cookie model

The Bitter:
They aren't chewy (OK, I still have a bias towards chewy cookies)

Conclusion:
As I write this, I can't help but think that perhaps the folks at Nabisco are marketing geniuses; perhaps a few years back, they were trying to make a "lite" version of these cookies for the more health conscious crowd, but being that much of the public doesn't care for "lite" versions of snacks, they decided to do a paradigm shift and calls these "Thins" not as in you "Thins", but as in the cookies are "Thins". Along the way they found out that you can still have the same great flavor you crave in an Oreo or in this case a chocolate chip cookie, but do so with half the size (and half the calories) and half the ingredients, but charge the same amount. It's brilliant!

Now, that's just a conspiracy theory, but I think a plausible one at that. Even with that said, whatever the origins or original intent was for these products, it is undeniable that they somehow improved upon a classic.

Video of the Week

One day...one day...

After taking some time off from working out, I started up again a few weeks ago. Now, granted I feel and look better, but I can't help but wonder after watching this video, how much more working out I would need to do to do the things this guy, Simon Ata, does in his video. It's a mix of strength body-weight moves, gymnastics and break dancing. Maybe, just maybe, eventually I will be able to do the body-weight and gymnastics stuff....and that's just a firm maybe...the break dancing part however requires rhythm and that's just something all the time in the world wouldn't help, just like this guy. 



Galletas Puig Delicias Maria y Chocolate

This almost looks religious to me for some reason

The Attraction

What's better than free souvenir snacks from a foreign land? 

The Review:
In this week's case, a coworker brought back goodies from the land of Venezuela. The snack name translates to, "Maria and Chocolate Delights". How can anyone not love a snack with a name like that? The question I had immediately is what the heck is a "Maria"? More on that later...

I open the package to find something that looks like 2 giant chocolate coins. Well, at least one side of it. As you flip it over, you can see that the other side is a cookie or biscuit. I will say this, they are not cheap based on the size of this cookie. They are roughly the circumference of a top of a soda-pop can...and there are 2 of these in the package. (internal chubby fat kid giggles, which in turn triggers external chubby adult to giggle)

I pray to the chocolate gods

I take a bite and there is a nice resistance in the chew. The biscuit isn't too dry or crumbly and the chocolate isn't too sweet or overwhelming. It somehow strikes the right balance where each side makes an appearance, but doesn't overstay their welcome, unlike your cousins from out West with the baby that won't stop crying. It manages to do this sweet flavor dance in your mouth where you don't feel like it's too much or too little of either side. It leaves a clean finish without that overly chocolaty aftertaste.

After a few more bites, I decide to do some research and find out that "Maria" is the name of Galletas Puig's biscuit product sans chocolate. Oh, now it all makes sense! Maria y Chocolate! 

Let's flip for it. Call it, chocolate or biscuit?

The Sweet:
Generous sized cookie / biscuit with just the right amount of both

The Bitter:
Stop me if you've heard this one before, but I'm pretty sure this is covered snack ground

Conclusion:
These are good cookies. I can't knock them for that, however they somehow seem very familiar. Like I've seen other variations of this milk biscuit / chocolate combo before. Was it these Petit Ecolier cookies or was it the Digestive Cookies with Chocolate? I can't recall if the flavor hit just the right balance like these Maria y Chocolate cookies, but what I will say is if you can't get the others in your area, these are worth a try. Do they carry the guilt and the fun reputation of other snacks? Probably not and even though that's part of the excitement of consuming snacks, taste is critical too. That is something Maria y Chocolate gets just right.

Video of the Week

Maybe I'll just wait for the next one...

On any given workday, one of the things that annoy me is how crowded the subway can be on my commute to and from work. Well, "crowed" is relative in my case and I also take for granted that I'm in a temperature controlled modern train that was made within the last 50 years. All options the folks in Mumbai don't have. Oh, and by the way, if you are a woman and don't like to get groped on the way to said job, you have to pile into a designated car just for women.....suddenly I feel a lot better about my commute now. 





Tom's Holly Original

I sure hope the nougat won't be too hard

The Attraction

It was from Denmark and I wasn't planning on going there anytime soon.

The Review:
One of the many amazing things about summer besides outdoor fun and shedding our jackets all together is free snacks from co-workers that go on vacation! In this case, I had a coworker that went to Denmark and brought back a snack pack of these Holly Original candy bars.

I have never heard of this chocolate bar previously, but upon looking at the picture on the wrapper, it looks like this "Holly Original" resembles something between a Milky Way and a Snickers. Both candy bars that I respect. When I say respect, I mean candy bars that I have consumed many times over in my life. One deviation I can already see is that in lieu of the peanuts that are found in a Snickers, Holly Original uses hazelnuts. What is it with Europe and hazelnuts?

Suddenly, I feel hungry.

I peel back the wrapper to reveal a smooth, milk chocolate coating. In my hand, it felt light, so I had a feeling that the nougat would be on the airy side versus a denser filling. I take a bite and as I suspected, the nougat yielded without much effort, however to my surprise, I taste hazelnut, but my bites have yet to encounter the crunch of any. As I look closer at the bar after my initial bite, I can see a layer of hazelnut between the nougat filling and the top layer of milk chocolate. Aside from the hazelnut flavor, it is very similiar to a Milky Way. Perhaps a shade lighter nougat is used in this bar.

"OK, I get this is a snack-size, the hazelnut could be at the end of the bar", I think to myself. I take my final bite and brace for a hazelnut crunch that never comes. What I do get is the slightest chip of hazelnut that might be the equivalent of what small piece of nut that gets lost in your mouth after eating an actual hazelnut. You know, that piece that hides between your teeth and gums? Or better yet, that piece that makes an appearance when you are brushing your teeth at night. Yes, people, that wimpy piece.

There is a hazelnut top layer,

but where are the actual hazelnuts?

The Sweet:
If you like a Milky Way, you are in luck.

The Bitter:
Where are the hazelnuts?

Conclusion:
The big hook for me with these "Holly Originals" were supposed to be the hazelnut variation, however, there were very little actual hazelnuts to be found in this bar. The picture on the wrapper was outright deceptive! However, I did enjoy the hazelnut flavor with the nougat filling.

Here's the thing; it's all about managing expectations. I really had no idea what to expect with this snack, but by simply looking at the picture on the wrapper, it set my expectations for something this snack could not deliver, ergo it essentially shot itself in the foot.

Don't promise a woman you will bring her roses and show up with flowers that only SMELL like roses. Those are two very different things. You should try it sometime and see the reaction you get. It'll probably look a lot like my reaction to this candy bar.

Video of the Week

This is only the beginning

Jenna Marbles, of Youtube fame, decided to film a video of her putting on 100 layers of makeup. At first it was passable, then it turns slightly club kid-ish, then eventually downright scary. I don't know why, but I watched every minute of this video. Then I went to go watch the paint dry.

Strauss Crembo Vanilla / Mocha

More exciting than a carton of eggs

The Attraction

An ice cream substitute for people that can't eat ice cream? This sounds too interesting to not review. 

The Review:
My pal Grace comes through again. She somehow comes across these "Crembos" by Strauss. Upon some more research, these aren't just your run of the mill chocolate snacks. These are known and marketed to people who specifically follow a kosher diet. More info here.

In a nutshell, that means you cannot mix meat and dairy within several hours of each other. Enter Crembo. In lieu of having ice cream or another dairy-based sweet treat that would not align with kosher eating habits, the good people at Strauss came up with Crembo, but how does it do that? Let's find out.

I crack open the carton that the Crembos come in. Grace was kind enough to split a pack of the Vanilla and Mocha cartons with me so I can sample each flavor. Already the packaging is intriguing. Why a carton? We'll get back to that shortly.
 

It's as light as a foiled wrapped cloud

I pull out a vanilla Crembo first and I notice how light the snack is. Hmm, the mystery deepens. I carefully unwrap it and find a chocolate coated..something before me. It looks like a chocolate covered marshmallow on a cookie, but lighter feeling. I'm dying of anticipation in terms of what on earth this thing must taste like and what awaits me inside this chocolate fortress.

I finally indulge and take a bite from the top. Chocolate splinters and cracks identical to when you have a chocolate coated ice cream bar. Crembo has certainly mastered that part of the ice cream eating experience.

Not sure what to make of this just yet

As I break through, there is a sticky cream on the other side of the shell. It's of a marshmallow-like texture and flavor, but lighter and fluffier. Not as dense as a regular marshmallow....but boy is it sweet. My taste buds go into overload from the sweetness, but I eventually make way to the wafer base the Crembo sits upon. Thankfully the wafer helps ground some of that sweetness from the creme filling. Talk about a sugar rush!

This looks good, but is it?

The Sweet:
Physically light and great crispy chocolate shell.

The Bitter:
It's a little sweet. When I say a little, I mean a lot. Particularly the vanilla-flavored Crembo.

Conclusion:
I get it. There is no easy substitute for ice cream that doesn't involve dairy, so you try your best to find a proxy. Strauss comes close with Crembo, but where it falters is not in the texture of the marshmallow filling, but rather the sweetness of it. It does a great job in almost every other way; the light fluffy filling, the crispy chocolate shell, the reserved cookie base the snack rests upon, but all that goes out the window when your sweetness-o-meter goes off the charts.

Crembo's Mocha offering is far more tempered in it's sweetness and gives a mild interpretation of "mocha", which is the way I prefer it, but still doesn't resonate enough to make me dream of Crembos dancing in my head on a hot summer's day.

Video of the Week

I hate to see what she looks like when she's really mad

If you are like me and are bored when the band takes the field during halftime, well be bored no more. This band chick rocks out in her own way as much as one can rock out to mid evil sounding music. I think at the end she throws in a weird impersonation of The Rock to boot. 

Oreo S'mores

Oreos, what are you trying to do to me!?

The Attraction

Oreos new flavor + Me = going home with new Oreos

The Review:
Oreos and I have a love / hate relationship. I love to eat 'em, but hate what they do to my midsection. Even at that, when an iconic cookie like this comes out with new flavors, you have to stand up and take notice. Yes, yes, I have been a sucker for many of Oreos new iterations of it's cookie. Whether it be Red Velvet, a "Thin" version or good ole' Peanut Butter, I have been there for Oreo every step of the way. Minus the occasional misstep, Oreo's cookie game has been on point. Will they keep on keeping on or will they take a slip? Let's find out.

In case you don't know me, I can be cheap when it comes to snacks sometimes. I've had my eye on these for awhile, but I waited until these were on sale. As luck would have it, I got these essentially for a 2 for 1 price, but then I happened to have been abstaining from sweets for a month due to a co-worker roping me in...etc, etc....so basically I've been staring at these in my pantry for a month waiting for the clock to tick down. I was pretty psyched to sample these.

You can see a hint of that creme swirl

I peel open the package and the sweetness of these cookies come pouring out. I couldn't quite pinpoint the smell other than it being sweet. I bet it was the smell of graham crackers from the cookie shell. I also then immediately noticed how the creme filling was a swirl as opposed to most other one flavored cookie sandwiches they offer. I guess that would make sense as they need to emulate the flavor of marshmallows and chocolate. Visually, it's a clever thing to do. It makes these Oreo S'mores feel much more like a "S'more".

Better view of the creme concoction

I pick out a lucky Oreo and take a bite. I can tell quickly that the cookie shell is the same graham flavor composition used in the Red Velvet Oreo. It tastes as good as I remembered. Next, the white creme slides in and even though it's supposed to be marshmallow-flavored, it's the same creme filling you find in a Oreo. Not a bad thing, but interesting to note.

This is what a cookie trying to look sexy looks like

When the chocolate creme kicks in, it definitely throws a nice monkey wrench in the works. As a consequence of it's presence, even though it adds another dimension to the cookie, it also adds a richness to it as well. Don't get me wrong, it tastes great, but it makes you oh so aware that you are eating a cookie...and not a "it'll do your body good" one either. You might hit your cookie max at 3-4, if you are like me. It also doesn't taste like a s'more, but it does taste good.

The Sweet:
All the textural things you love about Oreo, but now in S'mores flavor!

The Bitter:
A bit more rich than the standard Oreo

Conclusion:
You have to hand it to the folks at Oreo; they are brilliant. They invest the time to make other flavors and then figure out how they can leverage those new flavors to make other flavors. Somehow they are able to do this while maintaining what makes an Oreo an Oreo, yet still bring something fun and interesting to the table. Oreo S'mores are no exception.

At this point, it's almost like when you find "the" suit or dress. You know, the one that fits just right and makes you feel like a million bucks? Then you look around some more and find out that they offer the same outfit in other colors or patterns you love. Did you ever really stand a chance to not buy in? Ring me up, I'm sold...but I'll have to put it on lay-away.

Video of the Week 

"How about you get your own damn slippers, Dave?"

Yes, the folks over at Boston Dynamics are at it again, As if this robot wasn't scary enough, they have created a robot pet that can do cool/scary things like climb stairs, right itself when it falls over, and get you a beer. I'm perfectly fine to get my own beer if it means I won't wake up in the middle of the night with my throat in its jaws. These robots remind me of something...oh, I remember now.