South Korea Candy Part 1

thanks to my good friend ptwnbrwn i've had the pleasure of sampling a slew of candies from south korea. i've been slacking lately on photographing but i finally got caught up, so i'm going to cover it all in two or three posts.

Delfi Top

at the risk of starting this post off on the wrong foot, this was my least favorite by far. the package says it has milk chocolate, caramel, rice crispies, wafer, and cream. based on that list and the way it looks i was expecting something like a Star Crunch cookie mixed with a wafer. really it's more like a flavorless Rice Krispie treat covered in greasy, bland chocolate. it's so bland. i can't stop thinking about it. the texture is rather disappointing as well, not crunchy enough, kind of mushy. like when you let wafers sit out for too long and they get kind of sponge-y. the crispies add a tiny bit of crunch, but not enough to appease me. there's some sticky goo on top, which i assume to be the caramel, but i really can't taste it. as for the "milk chocolate," i'm a bit skeptical that it's really chocolate. again, no flavor. the more i try it, the less gross it is, but it's just so bland that i have a hard time recommending it to anyone. Delfi also has a strawberry version, but i'm not sure it would be any better.

rating: 2

Chocotec Hazelnuts

first of all, let me say that i already like these without even tasting them, because they look like boobs. yes, boobs. breasts. that is hilarious. i'm not actually sure about the brand on this chocolate; the package only says Hazelnuts. there is a website on the back for Chocotec, but the site is in korean, so i can only assume that they are the distributors of this candy. although this one was a step up from the Top, it seems like several of the candies i received might have been a little old, or maybe that's just the way the chocolate is in korea. at any rate it was kind of greasy, a little chalky, and pretty crumbly. the flavor wasn't bad but when i bit into the first half i was disappointed that there were no actual hazelnuts. my piece doesn't look much like theirs on the package:

luckily when i ate the other half i crunched into a hazelnut. and it was good. i do think there should have been more hazelnut in it, but as a whole the candy wasn't bad. also i feel i should point out the packaging, it says "I send you this as my appreciation to your kindness. From the bottom of my heart." sweet. keep an eye out for a review of the Chocotec Strawberry, coming soon.

rating: 4

Arcor Bon O Bon Chocolate

this was interesting. i was excited about it, since it is wafers and chocolate cream, but what was interesting is that from the second that i opened it, it smelled like peanut butter. Arcor does makes a peanut butter Bon O Bon, but this is supposed to be the chocolate version. there's no mention of peanut butter anywhere on the packaging. the outer chocolate coating here is sort of waxy, but the wafer is pretty good - thin, light and flaky. the chocolate cream filling is where it really gets crazy. that's definitely where the peanut butter is coming into play. i can't say for sure because, again, the package is all in korean, but i'd bet my legos that there are some peanuts in here. the cream itself is very thick and pasty; it almost has a peanut buttery consistency. so far this is my favorite of the wafer-esque candies in this batch. while scouring the internets for info on Bon O Bons i came across a cute commercial from argentina:

rating: 6

Lotte ChocoWafer

more greasy chocolate, the same coating that Lotte puts on the ChocoPies, which i will snack on once in awhile. yet again i'm wondering whether we're dealing with mockolate here. i do love the packages from asia, but sometimes it gets frustrating when you can't read the ingredients. this wafer is rather bland and lifeless. i wish i could say something nice about it, because generally i enjoy all wafers, no matter what. so, in that respect i do enjoy this, but really it's just kind of boring. the wafers are crunchy, not chewy as in the Top, but that's probably the ChocoWafer's only saving grace. i'm glad i got to try it, but i probably won't go looking for more.

rating: 3

Crown KicKer

obviously my initial thought is that this is just like a KitKat. in fact, i thought that it was a KitKat, but that maybe in korea they call it KicKer. then i saw the Crown logo (not to be confused with the american Crown Candy), so i knew it wasn't the real thing. as far as taste it's pretty spot on. the chocolate coating is smooth, not the greasy stuff mentioned previously, the wafers are crunchy and flaky. overall it's an excellent wafer. i don't think it has as many layers as a KitKat, there are only two wafers whereas KitKat generally has four. i've got a review of the Crown MyChew coming up as well.

rating: 6

whew, that was a mouthful. it might seem like i was a bit harsh with some of these, but i just wanted them to be better i suppose. the next batch was much more satisfying so i'll be a lot kinder.

Trader Joe's Macadamia Popcorn Clusters

apparently tj's used to carry a chocolate drizzle caramel corn, and a cranberry variety, but this is all that they have at the store by my house. not a problem, this is great caramel corn. it's buttery, light and delicious. the caramel isn't too much, it's just the right amount of sweetness. the macadamias are great here too, they're so fatty and delicious but not too crunchy. fyi: macadamias contain the highest amount of monounsaturated fat (that's the good kind) of any nut. i like that.

rating: 8

La Mancha Ranch & Orchard Dark Chocolate Roasted Hazelnuts

these dark chocolate roasted hazelnuts are from a local farm here in oregon (more precisely, sweet home, OR), and while the cost might be a bit steep, they really are delicious. each hazelnut is perfectly toasted, never burnt or bitter. the dark chocolate is quite tasty and complements the hazelnuts wonderfully. the hazelnuts are organic, but the chocolate doesn't appear to be. it's a pretty standard chocolate: chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter and butter oil (with lecithin and pure vanilla). i'm sure this is something i could recreate in my own kitchen, but i don't mind supporting my local economy (and saving time and energy). i don't know whether these are available outside of oregon, but if you ever have the opportunity, you should definitely pick up a bag or two (also available in milk chocolate, i just prefer dark).

rating: 10

Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Delights

thank god for these little bits of hazelnut heaven. after the disappointing hazelnut Dagoba bar, this is just what i needed. these are really similar to Ferrero Rocher. there's a hazelnut in the middle, surrounded by some kind of hazelnut-chocolate paste, and then on top of that is a wafery coating (i guess that is the praline) dipped in chocolate and then more chopped hazelnuts. it is delicious. the only real difference here is that the outer shell on these seems to be a bit less fragile than the shell of the Ferrero Rocher, and also i think that the cream/paste inside is pastier than the Ferrero. theirs is more creamy like nutella. but these are so good, i've been waiting for them for awhile; it was worth it.

rating: 9

Dagoba Organic Chocolates: lavender blueberry, chai, hazelnut

we carry these Dagoba Organic Chocolate bars at work. they come in a lot of interesting flavors that i just noticed the other day, so i thought, "why not start my magnificent candy reviewing career off right? $2.69 organic chocolate bars it is." then after i bought them i thought, "wow, i wish i still had $8." but when i got home and tried them i thought, "these are great! but i still could use $8." i picked the three that seemed most appealing to me:

lavender blueberry dark chocolate (purple) - this one is really good. i'm a big fan of lavender in chocolate and other sweets (cupcakes!) and this was the right amount - not too overwhelming. the blueberry is a great companion flavor, plus there are actual dried blueberries in the chocolate, which makes for a great texture.

rating: 7

chai milk chocolate (blue) - the front lists this bar as containing crystallized ginger and chai essence. i definitely taste the ginger, which i was worried about because normally i hate ginger, but i've come to realize that i can tolerate it when it's combined with chocolate. i might even go so far as to say that i enjoy it in chocolate. there's also a hint of clove in here, i assume that comes from the chai, and the chocolate has a little grittiness to it, which i think comes from the cloves. i like it.

rating: 8

hazelnut milk chocolate (yellow) - i was slightly disappointed with this one, mainly because i expected it to be my favorite. i love hazelnuts, and these hazelnuts are toasted, which is even better. plus there are rice crisps in here. it should be delicious, but there were definitely not enough rice crisps, as i didn't even really experience a crunch. i feel that if there are rice crisps involved the crunch factor should be at least a 6, not to mention nuts which should bump it up to 7. this bar weighed in at a lowly 2 on the crunch factor scale. i think the chai might have had more crunch. also, there really isn't much of a hazelnut taste at all, very subtle compared to the flavors in the other two. i don't know, maybe i'm too picky but i have yet to find a hazelnut chocolate that really excites me. and still i get my hopes up every time. sigh.

rating: 3

so, that's what i have to say about that. although i thought they were a little spendy, when i think about it, it's a pretty big bar and it's organic, and it's really good, so i think it's worth it as a treat. also it's named after that planet in star wars (i am aware that the planet is spelled with an "h" at the end, and i am also aware that it's not named after that planet, but i still like to think of it as such) i'm definitely going to get more of these, and when i do you'll be the first to know.