Pops Crunchy

parent co.: Cloetta

net wt.: 48g

quantity: 2-24g bars

country: sweden

description: chocolate covered pops with a salty twist

more crispies! Pops is something akin to a Crunch bar in the states, although much thicker. i actually think i prefer the size/shape of the Crunch bar as the crispies tend to be a bit more evenly distributed, and the ratio of chocolate to crispies is better. this was kind of a lot of chocolate, more than i can usually take, although there are two small bars in here which makes it easier to deal with. there isn't as much crunch as i would have expected in a crispy bar; the more i have bars with crispies in them, the more i think i prefer the cornflakes for their crunch factor. and i'm not sure about the "salty twist" mentioned in the description on the package, i don't really remember there being a distinctive salty flavor although it's been a few days since i ate this. i do tend to remember saltiness in candy though as i am a pretty big fan of it. not a bad bar but i think i still prefer a thinner, crispier crunchy bar. 

rating: 4

ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, cocoa mass, corn flour, rice flour, vegetable fat, wheat flour, salt, emulsifier (soya lecithin), flavourings (vanillin).
allergen information: may contain traces of nuts and peanuts.

Kex Choklad

parent co.: Cloetta

net wt.: 55g

quantity: 1 bar

country: sweden

description: filled wafers in milk chocolate

this is a pretty straight-forward wafer bar, more of the large, flat, kriss-krossy wafers than the skinny kit-kat wafers. i like it, although i think i actually prefer the small wafers since their crunch is a little more rambunctious. really this bar is pretty average; if you're craving a wafer it's worth going for but nothing to write home about (do i use that phrase a lot?). something i'm noticing about a lot of the sweets over here is that they are pretty much all made of exactly the same ingredients with a few different flavors or a nut thrown in here and there. i know that's to be said of all goodies in general but i just can't help but laugh every time i'm writing the ingredients and i barely have to change anything.

another good word learned last night: in nederlands, which i was informed is the proper name for the language spoken in the netherlands (not dutch), they call candy snoep. pronounced "snoop." awesome!

i've also been visiting the goodie stores here and they have a lot of pick-a-mix (bulk candy) which is very interesting and generally tasty. i don't really like reviewing bulk candies because i can't ever remember what the candies are called or say what's in them, but maybe i'll start to mention some once in awhile. like today i had blåögon, giant blue gummy eyes. they also had a sour version. i'm assuming they're blueberry-flavored but they were a bit off. a tad tangy, but not bad. i'd give them a 6. just because they're blue. 

rating: 5

ingredients: sugar, wheat flour, vegetable fat, skimmed milk powder, cocoa butter, whey powder, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, cocoa powder, emulsifier (soy lecithin), salt, raising agent (sodium bicarbonate), flavorings (vanillin).
allergen information: none

Corny BIG

parent co.: Schwaurtauer Werke

net wt.: 50g

quantity: 1 bar

country: germany

description: peanut-chocolate

this is really more of a granola bar (cereal bar), in my opinion. there is some chocolate on the bottom but the top layer is all oats, peanuts, cornflakes and such. quite good, actually and a wonderful name to boot. there isn't much more i can say about this although i would like to try some of the many other flavors: chocolate-orange, toffee, chocolate-banana, apple crumble, etc. you can see the selection here.

on an interesting side-note, i was talking with some other exchange students here and we were discussing the different terms for candy in the various english-speaking areas of the world; for example the british folk say 'sweets' while the new zealanders say 'lollies.' in the states i'd say the general term for most sugary snacks is simply 'candy', but in sweden they refer to them as 'goodies' (that might be my favorite). so anyways, a german acquaintance told me that in german the term for candy and sweets is 'süßigkeiten.' i suppose that's relevant since this is a german-made bar. and since i am a linguist i guess i find that interesting. perhaps i will post more words for candy in other languages, eh?

rating: 7

ingredients: roasted peanuts, milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, skimmed milk powder, butter fat, emulsifier [sunflower lecithin]), gucose-fructose syrup, roasted cereal flakes (oat-,  wheat-), flour (wheat-, rice-, maize-)glucose syrup, brown sugar, cornflakes (maize, sugar, salt, malted barley), coconut fat, sugar, honey, salt, malted barley, caramelized sugar syrup, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin). 

allergen information: may contain traces of almonds and hazelnuts.

Plopp Kärlek

parent co.: Cloetta

net wt.: 50g

quantity: 1 bar

country: sweden

description: milk chocolate filled with caramel with taste of raspberry jelly and raspberry bits in white truffle

this Plopp is weird. the original Plopp is just chocolate sections filled with gooey caramel, and while this bar claims that is has caramel (toffee) in it i really only taste the raspberry jelly and the white "truffle." the picture also seems to lack any visual indication of caramel, so i'm going to assume that they mean the caramel is raspberry-flavored and therefore it is really more just jelly filling than caramel. that truffle is in quotations up there because i'm not really sure what makes this white stuff truffle-y, it certainly isn't truffle in the traditional sense of ganache, so i guess it's just cream filling. regardless, i don't care for the white part; the raspberry part isn't bad but overall it's just not really my kind of candy. the filling is a little too sweet and the smooth, gooey texture of the jelly contrasts with the gritty texture of the truffle in a strange way so when they combine in your mouth it just feels like there's something chunky in the jelly. not great. and i generally really like raspberry chocolates so this one was a little disappointing. i also noticed that the ingredients include pineapple fibres and while i hate to sound like a crazy person i seriously think i can taste that acidic, tropical taste that they add to the filling. it kind of makes your mouth tingle, not necessarily in a bad way but not in a good way either.

the name simply translates to "plop" and kärlek is "love" so i guess anything pinkish is considered a good gift for your sweetie?

rating: 4

ingredients: sugar, glucose syrup, milk powder, cocoa butter, whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder, vegetable fat, cocoa mass, raspberry purée, apple, emulsifier (soy lecithin), salt, dextrose, flavorings (vanillin), pineapple fibres, citric acid, gelling agent, colour, stabilizer.

allergen information: may contain traces of nuts.

Japp

parent co.: Marabou/Kraft

net wt.: 30g

quantity: 2-15g bars

country: sweden

description: milk chocolate filled with soft chocolate mousse and caramel

this is so similar to a milky way (or maybe a 3 musketeers with caramel) i feel silly even saying anything about it. i will say that it tastes better, but that might just be because i'm in sweden and things are feeling all different-y. and better. the mousse inside is a bit fluffier than the milky way nougat, hence the parenthetical 3 musketeers remark. the caramel is gooey and i enjoy the fact that all of the chocolate over here is real chocolate (no mockolate coating, so far). i guess i don't have much more to say about this one, it's simple and good and the name translates to "yup".

rating: 6

ingredients (translated from swedish): sugar, glucose syrup, milk powder, vegetable fat, cocoa butter, sweetened condensed skim milk, cocoa mass, stabilizer (sorbitol), reduced-fat cocoa, malt extract from corn, invert sugar, egg white, emulsifier (soy lecithin), flavoring.

allergen information: contains milk, gluten, egg, soy. may contain traces of peanuts, almonds, other nuts and wheat.

Dubbel Nougat

parent co.: Marabou/Kraft

net wt.: 50g

quantity: 1 bar

country: sweden

description: hazelnut and almond nougat in two layers

that's a bad photo but i don't feel like taking another one. this bar threw me off, big time! it's really not nougat, the hazelnut layer is basically gianduja (although technically not since it's only 23% hazelnut paste) and the almond layer is like a chocolate-almond paste. there's nothing very nougat-y about it since i expect my nougat to be chewy in some fashion and this is really creamy, but it is so delicious! i took one bite and immediately ate the entire thing. definitely my favorite one so far, the hazelnut flavor pops out and pretty much takes over so you don't even really taste the almond. i would be interested to taste the two layers separately but i somehow doubt that the taste difference would be all that noticeable since the almond layer only has 9% almond in it. such a small amount compared to the hazelnut, no wonder it tastes so hazelnut-y. the common usage of hazelnuts (and crispies) in candy over here is one of the many things i love about sweden so far, since i clearly love hazelnut (check out that sidebar over there). other things include sheep, stray cats, weird birds and fungi, tube foods and ikea.

rating: 9

ingredients (translated from swedish): sugar, hazelnuts, vegetable fat, almonds, cocoa mass, whey powder, cocoa butter, skimmed milk powder, butterfat, emulsifier (soy lecithin), flavoring.

allergen information: contains milk, almond, hazelnut, soy. may contain traces of peanuts, egg and wheat.

Pigall

parent co.: Marabou/Kraft

net wt.: 20g

quantity: 2-10g bars

country: sweden

description: milk chocolate filled with hazelnut truffle

another Marabou bar (there was a sale at the ICA next to my place so there will be a few of them), this one is interesting - i can't really think of anything in the states to compare it to but the crispies are definitely good (i like how much they use them over here, rice is cheap perhaps?). i actually didn't place the hazelnut flavor until i read it in the ingredients, i kind of just thought it was a milky-chocolatey fluff filling. it's not a nougat really, it's reminiscent of a hazelnut version of the filling in the Starbar which is a tad bit more crumbly than traditional nougat but certainly not in a bad way. overall, a decent bar although i do like Starbar better. i'm always a fan of bars that come in twos so you can save one for later (yeah right).

rating: 6

ingredients (translated from swedish): sugar, vegetable fat, milk powder, cocoa butter, rice crisps [rice flour, glucose syrup, salt, malt extract from corn], cocoa mass, hazelnuts, reduced-fat cocoa, emulsifier (soy lecithin), butterfat, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, whey product, salt, flavor.

allergen information: contains milk, hazelnut, soy, gluten.

Starbar

parent co.: Marabou/Kraft

net wt.: 49g

quantity: 1 bar

country: sweden

description: milk chocolate filled with caramel and roasted peanut pieces - "peanutty caramel crumble"

this swedish bar reminds me of a mix between a snickers and a 100 grand, it's actually really good. the crispies give it a nice crunch while the peanuts add a good flavor to the nougat-y middle, which isn't quite as dense as the nougat in a snickers. the caramel is really soft, although mine was a little melty from being in my bag all day, but the chocolate also has a nice texture - not that crumbly falling apart chocolate we get a lot of in the states. this is actually produced by kraft nordic for sweden, denmark and finland, quite good.

rating: 7

ingredients (translated from swedish): caramel [glucose syrup, sugar, vegetable oil, glycerol, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, emulsifier, flavor], milk chocolate [milk, sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, vegetable fat, emulsifier, flavor], peanut, vegetable fat, sugar, glucose syrup, whey powder, wheat flour, rice flour, salt, corn syrup, malt extract.

allergen information: contains milk, peanut, wheat, gluten.

back in the saddle...again?

hej! well i am in sweden now and since i realize that i made one post and then got sidetracked with moving and all that jazz, i decided that i will start up again with these candy reviews, maybe tonight! sweden has tons of candy, much of it similar to what we have in the states, but also much very different. a lot of the different involves marzipan (which i don't care for), as well as coconut (also not a fan). but i'm going to do my best to remain impartial, and maybe take a few other tasters' opinions into account when thinking about quality. so until then...vi ses!

Wild Ophelia 44% Cacao Beef Jerky Milk Chocolate Bar

parent co.: Vosges/Wild Ophelia

net wt.: 2 oz.

quantity: 1 bar (4-.5 oz.sections)

country: united states

description: beef jerky, smoked paprika and deep milk chocolate deliver the power of the magical cacao bean

that's right, there is a beef jerky bar. and it is pretty much what you'd expect - salty, kind of beefy, overall weird but not at all bad. the chocolate is very smooth and creamy but the saltiness and the slightly salty, very beefy smell of the bar itself can be a little overpowering. it actually has a really pleasant aftertaste once the beefiness disappears. i think the hardest thing to get over is the initial smokiness; the package states that there is smoked paprika in there which probably lends to that smoky taste, but actual beef jerky is in the ingredients list (which has worcestershire sauce, soy sauce AND liquid smoke in it) so this is for reals. i do enjoy the salt-chocolate combo, and this chocolate actually has some caramel notes in it so it works, however i think it just takes some getting used to the beef aspect. i was actually very pleased to find this bar at the cost plus world market in town; this company, wild ophelia, makes wonderful and weird chocolate bars out of chicago. apparently it's an offshoot of vosges chocolate company who are well-known for their bacon chocolate bar, so i guess the jerky is the next step. wild ophelia has several other interesting flavors, one of which - southern hibiscus peach - will be the next review. so check it out, candy is back in style! also, found some swedish candy to intro the sweden scene - wait for it...

rating: 6

ingredients: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, dry whole milk powder, soy lecithin, vanilla), beef jerky (beef, water, organic soy sauce [water, organic soybeans, salt, organic alcohol], worcestershire sauce [distilled vinegar, water, molasses, corn syrup, salt, flavorings], liquid smoke, flavorings), salt, smoked paprika

allergen information: contains milk, soy

seriously, something should happen

i know i keep saying it but this time i mean it - more candy reviews to come!! soon! tomorrow i will be taking a trip to the special place in town where i can find unique and wondrous candies. then i will eat said candies and perhaps photograph them and then say a little blurb. all in preparation for the big haul: SWEDEN! that's right, in a little more than one month i will be living in sweden with no friends and not much idea of what to eat. so it will be candy - they have many interesting candies for me to experience, many of which have liqueur and weird things in them. so think about checking in here once in awhile. it might be fun. or gross. or a little bit of both. CANDY!