Well we love Bundaberg Gingerbeer.  We love Whittakers Creamy Milk Chocolate. So this new release sounded promising.

Limited Edition for the time being.
Whittakers is from New Zealand
Bundaberg from Tasmania Australia
Bought at Pak n Save for $4.49 for a 250g block.
Ghanian Cocoa Bean
Cocoa Solids 33%
Milk Powder 30%
Sugars per 25g serving size 9.5g

We had a bottle of Bundaberg on hand to compare.

The aroma is the creamy milk chocolate that we love, no hint of ginger yet.
Breaking off a row is easy, and we open up a square to taste the caramel, the ginger fragrance arrives.
Eating just the caramel it tastes like sweetened fresh ginger and has a good strong hit. Comparing it to the Bundaberg drink, we find the drink sweeter, but definitely similar in taste.  We like that the caramel is gingery and not too sweet.
Eaten with the chocolate, you can taste both the chocolate and the good ginger hit.  
The aftertaste is ginger with some chocolate.

We like that this is a decent ginger hit.  Like the Bundaberg drink, the ginger is strong.  If you like ginger beer or ginger in your baking, we think you will like this one.  It was nice.

Today we reviewed and ranked 8 caramel chocolates you can buy from a New Zealand supermarket.  We made sure it was the runny caramel type, not caramel chunks or the dulce de leche thicker caramel filling.  There is a mixture of milk and dark chocolates.

From left to right in the photo, we reviewed:
Cadbury Old Gold Caramel
Hersheys Kisses Caramel
Lindt Caramel Squares Dark with Sea Salt Caramel
Whittakers Dark Salted Caramel
Lindt Caramel Squares Milk Chocolate
Whittakers Creamy Caramel
Nestle Rolo
Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramello

How did we rank them?
Find out at the end of the reviews.

Cadbury Dairy Milk and Old Gold Caramels 180 g blocks 

Cadbury Old Gold Caramel  
Bought at Pak n Save for $2.99
Caramel 30%
Cocoa Solids 47%
Sugars per 25g serving size is 12.7g
Fairly easy to break off a row with a good snap.  It has a faint chocolate aroma.
Tasting the caramel by itself, we found the caramel had a nice flavor.  Eating it with the chocolate, we found we were mainly tasting the chocolate and had to hunt for the caramel taste. There was not much melt in the mouth. The aftertaste had a hint of dark chocolate bitterness.
We do like the flavor of Cadbury caramello, they use the same caramel it seems for both the milk and dark chocolate.  We weren't really fans of the dark chocolate and it drowned out the caramel.
​

Both bought at New World for $5.09 each

Whittakers Dark Salted Caramel
Caramel 36%
Cocoa Solids 62%
Sugars per 25g single serve is 9.2g

The caramel by itself is salty sweetness with a slight caramel taste.  There is a slight melt in the mouth when tasting it with the dark chocolate, and the taste is a slight bitter dark chocolate with a salty overlay.  We don't taste the caramel flavor.  
The aftertaste is dark chocolate with a hint of salt.
This is not as nice as its milk chocolate counterpart.  The caramel flavor is overpowered by the dark chocolate and you are just getting the saltiness.  The caramel flavor itself is not as nice as the milk chocolate version either.

Whittakers Creamy Caramel
Caramel 36%
Cocoa Solids 33%
Milk Powder 30%
Sugars per 25g serving size 8.9g

This has an aroma of cocoa and milk.  The caramel by itself has a nice butterscotchy flavor.  It is easy to break off a row.  When you eat it all together, it melts in the mouth and you can take creamy chocolate with a touch of butterscotch.  The aftertaste is sweetness.
This is a nice caramel block.  The chocolate is nice and the caramel is yummy, and there is a nice balance of yummy flavors when you eat it all together.  

Bought at New World for $5.99 each

Lindt Milk Chocolate Caramel Squares
Caramel 30%
Cocoa Solids 30%
Milk Solids 20%
Sugars per 16g serving size is 8.3g

The aroma is milky and slightly cocoa.
The caramel by itself is quite thick and sweet. It does have a caramel flavor.
Eating it all together, it slightly melts in the mouth and there is a sweetness taste with hints of chocolate and caramel.   The aftertaste is sweetness. 
These are nice.  The flavors for us were diluted by the sweetness overall.
We liked eating  the squares, taking bites like little biscuits.

Lindt Dark Chocolate Squares with Sea Salt Caramel
Caramel 30%
Cocoa Solids 47%
Sugars per 16g serving size 7.6g
The aroma is dark chocolate.
The caramel itself is runny, a nice caramel flavor with a slight saltiness.
Eating it all together, it slightly melts in the mouth. It gives a good chocolate hit mixed in with the salted caramel flavor.  The balance of chocolate, caramel flavors and sweetness are really good.  
These are super yummy.  We would usually lean towards milk chocolate over dark, but these are so good, so flavorsome. This has jumped into our top 3 chocolates of all time!

Bought from New World at $4.49
Caramel 37%
Cocoa Solids 28%
Milk Solids 26%
Sugars per 28g serving size is 15.6g

The aroma is sweetness.  The caramel by itself is sweetness with a hint of caramel flavor.  Together there is a slight melt in the mouth.  It is sweet with some chocolate flavor and a slight caramel taste.  The aftertaste is sweetness.
These are a nice gift.  We like the idea of chocolate kisses and the packaging is great.  They are a bit overly sweet for our tastes.

Bought at New World for $3.09
Caramel 25%
Cocoa Solids 22%
Milk Solids 25%
Sugars per 28.5g serving size is 16.2g

It is easy to break off a double row.  It has a milky, slight caramel fragrance.  
The caramel itself tastes of sweetness with a hint of caramel.  There is a slight melt in the mouth eating it all together.  It is sweet and has a nice chocolate flavour, but the caramel taste didn't punch through.  
This is very sweet, but the chocolate does have a nice flavor.  It was okay.

We have started our exploration adventure into the Bean to Bar & Chocolatiers that aren't available in the supermarket.  These are smaller, craft chocolate makers, that are scattered around  the cities and towns in New Zealand.
Today we are trying 3 craft chocolate bars from Baron Hasselhoff's.

Why did the we choose Baron Hasselhoff's first?  The Name!!
How great is the name Baron Hasselhoff?!!
Of course we did have imaginings of David Hasselhoff running slow motion on the beach and driving Kit with a very large curling moustache.  (For the odd person  who don't know who 'The Hoff' is.  This is a reference to an actor who starred in Baywatch and Knight Rider as well the awesome SpongeBob Movie).

Baron Hasselhoff's Emporium is located in Wellington and we bought our chocolate from their website: www.baronhasselhoffs.com 
They are currently offering free shipping on orders over $30.

Their Video and Story on their website about Baron Hasselhoff is very funny, most notably, (though not mentioned): Baron Hasselhoff wears roman sandals and socks.

On the back of each bar we bought, is a little story of Baron Hasselhoff's adventures and how each of these chocolate bars came about.  
We bought:  
Baron Hasselhoff's Hazelnut & Malt Bar
Baron Hasselhoff's Drunkin' Donuts
Baron Hasselhoff's Le Breakfast Bar
​They are packaged in cardboard with a biodegradable and compostable foil inner.

This third place is debatable. Big Bruce had to be called in as Joni and Johanan disagreed where this should be placed. For Joni, this was second, but Big Bruce and Johanan said this is because she is the alcoholic of the family.

Baron Hasselhoff's Drunkin' Donuts states it is a cinnamon donut & rum dark chocolate bar.  The Cacao content is 65% and it is Fair Trade, Organic, Peru-Piura Cacao.
The ingredients do have listed, Donuts, Cinnamon, and Rum.
Sugar content per 17.5g serving size is: 8.4g
Cost: $12.50 for a 70g bar.

According to the story on the back, Baron Hasselhoff came up with this recipe when he had to escape jail by spiking the guard's donuts with Venezuelan rum.

There is a snappy break, and it smells like cocoa.   It takes a bit to melt in the mouth, and the taste is rummy, fruity and sweetish chocolate. It is a nice balance of these flavors. There is a small sugar possibly donut, crunch.  We had to hunt for the cinnamon, but there is a hint of it.  The taste disappears quite fast, but there is a slight rum and cinnamon aftertaste. 

We liked it...... Joni liked it better.

Second: Baron Hasselhoff's Hazelnut & Malt Bar

The story on the back states the cacao is from the Conacado Cooperative in the Dominican Republic with notes of red fruit and chocolate brownie, South Island hazelnuts and dehydrated malt powder.  It is a limited edition bar crafted by Chocolatier Grainne Kerr as a leaving gift.

Cacao content: 47%
There is no nutritional information on this bar.
Cost: $13 for 70g bar.

It smells like cocoa.  It is easy to break off a couple of rows and it melts easily in the mouth.
There is not an instant hit, but rather a growing taste of a nice chocolate flavor with honey overtones.  We didn't really taste the hazelnut.  The aftertaste is the same and lingers awhile.

This was a pleasant bar, with a nice flavor.  I don't think we would buy it again, but we are glad we tried it and we liked it.  Joni would just like to state she would buy Drunkin' Donuts again.

First:  Baron Hasselhoff's Le Breakfast Bar

The bar states it is Coffee & Croissant Dark Milk Chocolate.
It has an 'Outstanding NZ 2021 Food Producer, Life & Leisure', Silver Award on the front.

The story on the back says the recipe came about as the Baron's answer to rescue a French town from their getting nothing done.  Apparently they were sitting in cafes all day long.  As the Chocolate Gazette are very fond of Tweed Caps, we were particularly anxious to read about the beret factory being completely deserted.

The Cacao is Fair Trade, Organic cacao from the Domican Republic.
Cacao content is: 50%
Sugar content per serving size of 17.5g is: 9.8g
The ingredients does have listed, coffee beans and croissants.
Cost: $12.50 for a 70g bar.

There is a nice snap as you break off a row.  Its smells of coffee.
It slightly melts in the mouth, and there is a slight crunch as you chew and taste real coffee beans surrounded by a faint chocolate flavor.  We do not taste croissant, but the texture of the chocolate is nice.  The aftertaste lingers a little and is of coffee beans.

This bar is YUM!!  If you love coffee and chocolate, you will love this.  We like how the coffee beans are ground up for easy eating, and it is so full of real coffee flavor.
This has jumped into Joni's top 5 of all time. (Currently rated third).

Our little adventure into Baron Hasselhoff's Chocolate was just so fun and yummy. There is so much more on the website to explore.  We will be doing a Chocolate Adventure trip down to the lower North Island, and this is marked down as one of the places to visit.
We are looking forward to seeing more of Baron Hasselhoff's chocolate in the future.

Lindt 100g Excellence block range, do a Sea Salt Caramel 47%, and a Caramel & Sea Salt 70%.  They also do a Raspberry Intense 47% as well as a Raspberry & Hazelnut 70%.
What are they like?  How does the 47% and 70% versions compare?  

Prices: Bought from New World. 
47% were 2 for $7.
70% were $4.99
​100g Blocks
​

FINAL THOUGHTS
We both thought the 47% caramel version was nicer than the 70%.
Johanan was out voted on the raspberry, so his verdict is disqualified.  
Bruce and Joni both thought the raspberries were really nice.  The favorite was the intense raspberry. 

Lindt Chocolate do a great job of getting the cocoa, sugar and  the added flavors balance right. 
Also you don't have to go hunting for their stated ingredients.  If it says raspberry on the packet, you are going to get raspberry, or salt or caramel.  They are not scrimpy with the yummy bits. The backs of the 70% blocks with all the yummy bits showing looked so good too.

Joni would definitely buy the Intense Raspberry again, and the Sea Salt Caramel 47% was nice as well.
3 out of the 4 get ticks from us..... well not from Johanan, but he got out voted on his strange raspberry and chocolate aversion.

We have started with a big chocolate hit! 
Today we reviewed and rated, ten different Milk Chocolates you can buy from a supermarket in New Zealand, .....now 12
Always been curious about the no sugar and vegan options?  We have included them as well.
We tasted and reviewed chocolate blocks as well as  Hersheys milk chocolate kisses.  

CHOCOLATE REVIEWED: (in photo, left to right, top to bottom)

• Woolworths Belgian Milk Chocolate
• Equal Europian Milk Chocolate
• Guylian Belgian Chocolate Milk, no added sugar, sweetened with Stevia
• Cadbury Dairy Milk
• Whittakers Creamy Milk
• Well Naturally Milk Chocolate, no added sugar, sweetened with Stevia
• Sweet William Original Chocolate, Vegan, dairy free
• Green & Blacks Milk Chocolate, Organic
• Lindts Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate
• Hersheys Milk Chocolate Kisses

RECENT ADDITIONS
Frey Supreme Milk Extra Fine
Lindt Milk Chocolate, no sugar added 


REVIEWERS: Joni & Johanan, the chocolate lovers.  We agreed on all but one. So we called in Bruce, the savory lover for the final decider. 

Reviews ranked from our least favorite to our most favorite.

TWELVETH: Sweet William Original Chocolate - Vegan - Dairy Free - Made in Australia

This was the only vegan branded, dairy free milk chocolate we could find at the supermarket.
Bought at Pak n Save at the normal price of $3.69 for a 100g block.
Foil wrapper with no inner packaging.
Cocoa Solids: 36%
Sugars: per 25g serving size, there is 10.2g sugars

A row was not too hard to break off, and there is a decent sized chunk per square.  There was a very faint cocoa fragrance.
The Sweet William chocolate doesn't really melt in the mouth.  
The taste of soy overpowered the taste of cocoa and the after taste was only sweet soy.  To us there was not enough chocolate flavor.  It was the only vegan, dairy free version we could find at the supermarkets we visited, but we are not soy milk fans.  It was the only block that didn't get eaten entirely.

ELEVENTH:  Well Naturally Milk Chocolate - no sugar added - sweetened with Stevia - made in Austrailia
​

Bought at Pak n Save on extra low price for $4.99 for a 90g block.
This packaging is  a foil wrapper with no inner wrapping.
Cocoa Solids: 34%
Milk Solids: 24%
Sugars in a serving size of 13g is 1.2g.  The sugars are naturally derived from ingredients.

It was medium hard to break off a couple of rows.
The fragrance is milky and the taste is also milky with a mild cocoa taste.  There was a slight melt in the mouth.  There was no aftertaste, the taste disappeared fast.
This was a no sugar alternative but compared with the Guylian block, which is also stevia sweetened, it was more expensive and not as tasty.

TENTH: Woolworths Belgian Milk Chocolate - Made in Belgium

Bought at Countdown on Great Price at $2.50 for a 190g block.
Cocoa Solids: 32%
Milk Solids: 14%
Sugars per serving size of 19g is 10.5g.
This block has a paper wrapping with a foil inner.
It not too hard to break off a row.
There is a faint smell of cocoa, but the aroma is mostly sugary.  There is not much melt in the mouth and it has a sweet taste with not much of a cocoa flavor.  You are left with an aftertaste of sweetness.
This chocolate is cheap in price, but it wouldn't be one we'd buy again. It was a little forgettable.
​

NINTH:  Hershey Kisses Creamy Milk Chocolate - Made in the USA
​

Bought at Pak n Save at the normal price of $4.59 for a 118g pouch containing 25 kisses.
The kisses are individually wrapped in gold foil with a paper tag.
Cocoa Solids: 28%
Milk Solids: 26%
Sugars per serving size of 27g is 14.5g.
These have a milky aroma and there is a slight melt in the mouth.  There is a slight cocoa taste, but it is mostly sweetness you get from it.  The sweetness carries through in the aftertaste, but the cocoa taste disappears. 
These are a pretty gift.  The taste is a bit average, but the idea of giving someone chocolate kisses is quite lovely.
EIGHTH:  Guylian Belgian Milk Chocolate - No added sugars - Sweetened from Stevia

Bought at Countdown for the normal price of $3.99 for a 100g block.
Cocoa Solids: 49%
Milk Solids: 28%
Sugars per serving size of 25g is 2.6g
Cardboard packaging with individually paper wrapped, mini bars inside.
There is a good cocoa aroma to this chocolate.  It takes a while to melt in the mouth, but it does.  This was the bar that had differing opinions.  
Johanan thought the cocoa taste was not that strong, whereas Joni thought it had a decent cocoa taste.  The cocoa in the aftertaste disappears, but a sweetness lingers.
The packaging is nice.  We like the individual bars. This chocolate also helps support 2 projects, which is great.
 Joni thought this was better than the next chocolate listed, but was out voted.

SEVENTH: Equal European Milk Chocolate - Made in Portugal - No sugar - Sweetened with Stevia
​

Bought from Countdown for the normal price of $4 for a 85g block.
Cocoa Solids: 32%
Milk Solids: 23%
Sugars per serving size of 14.2g is 1.5g.
Packaged in a foil wrapper with no inner packaging.
It is easy to break off a row.  It has a fairly good cocoa aroma to it, and a slight melt in the mouth.
The taste has a decent cocoa taste for milk chocolate, but there is some form of crystalizing, grainy feel, in the texture.  The cocoa disappears in the aftertaste, but there is a slight sweetness.
Johanan thought, out of the three chocolates that were sweetened with stevia, this was the best.  Joni liked the Guylian better, but Bruce agreed with Johanan.
For a chocolate with no sugar added, this is not bad.  There was that odd texture though.

SIXTH: Lindt Milk Chocolate no sugar added

This block is sweetened with Maltitol.
Bought from New World for $7.39 for 100g block.
Cocoa Solids: 35%
Milk Solids 23%
Sugars per serving size of 25g is 2.3g
Packaged in cardboard with a foil inner.
It is easy to break off a row.  There is only a faint smell of cocoa.
It really is melt in the mouth creamy.  The taste is sweet with a slight chocolate taste.  
The niceness of this block comes from the creamy texture, maybe more so than the flavor.  The chocolate flavor is there, but it is mild.  The aftertaste is faint cocoa with a sweetness that is not a sugar sweetness, a sugar sweetness is nicer.
The was only a pip ahead of the Stevia sweetend chocolates, mainly because of the creamy, melt in the mouth  texture of this chocolate.  It is a pleasant chocolate.

​
​FIFTH: Frey Supreme Milk Extra Fine - Made in Switzerland

Bought from Countdown for $3.09 for 100g block.
Cocoa Solids: 31%
Milk Solids:  25%
Sugars per serving size of 20g: 9.9g
Packaged in cardboard with a foil inner.
Very easy to break off a row.  It has a slight milky fragrance.
This chocolate states it has a touch of ground hazelnuts, and as it melts in the mouth that is taste you get.  It is very sweet with a slight chocolate flavour.  That hint of hazelnut is really nice.  That is what makes this chocolate yummy.  We quite liked this new brand.  It is being sold exclusively in the Countdown supermarkets here in NZ.
​
FOURTH: Cadbury Dairy Milk - Made in Australia

Bought from Pak n Save at the Extra Low price of $2.99 for a 180 block.
Cocoa Solids: 27%
Milk Solids: 24%
Sugars per serving size of 25g is 14g.
Packaged in a plastic wrap with no inner.
Medium hardness to break off a row.  The fragrance is a blend of sugar, milk and a hint of cocoa.
There wasn't much melt in the mouth.  There is a pleasant taste, sweetness with some cocoa flavor.  The aftertaste is just sweetness.
Most people would have tasted Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.  It does have a nice milky sweet flavor, with a bit of cocoa.  It is a bit overly sweet though, which is why it is not in our top 3.

THIRD: Green & Blacks Organic Milk Chocolate - Fair trade - Made in Australia
​

Bought at Pak n Save at the Extra Low price of $2.99 for a 90g block.
Cocoa Solids: 37%
Milk Solids: 25%
Sugars per serving size of 25g, 11.4g.
Paper packaging with a foil inner.

Easy to break off a double row, and it has a faint cocoa smell.  There is a slight melt in the mouth.
This block has a distinctive chocolate taste.  There is something distinctive to the chocolate flavor, a slight tanginess.  There is a nice cocoa aftertaste that lingers a little.
This is a nice tasting chocolate with a decent chocolate hit for a milk block.  It is great that this is also organic and fair trade, at an affordable price.

SECOND: Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate - Manufactured in France
​

Bought at Countdown on special, 2 for $7, for a 100g block
Cocoa Solids: 30%
Milk Solids: 20%
Sugars per serving size of 20g is 10g.
Cardboard packaging with foil inner.
It is easy to break off a row.  It smells sweet.
It does melt in the mouth, and is nice and creamy.  The taste is creamy with a nice  balance of cocoa and sweetness.  The aftertaste is sweetness with some cocoa that does fade away nicely.
This chocolate has a nice flavor and is not overly sweet.  It is lovely and creamy and both of our top 2 chocolates blocks we feel, have got the right balance of cocoa and sugar.
We like this one a lot.

FIRST:  Whittakers Creamy Milk Chocolate - Made in New Zealand
​

Bought at Pak n Save on Extra Low price of $4.49
Cocoa Solids: 33%
Milk Solids: 30%
Sugars per serving size of 25g is 11.2g.
Packaged in a paper wrapper with a foil inner.
It is hard to break off a single row, easier to break off a double row.
The aroma is cocoa and sugar.
There is a melt in the mouth, not as much as the Lindt milk chocolate.  The taste is sweet and chocolately, almost like a baked chocolate cake flavor.  There is a faint chocolate and sweet aftertaste that lingers a little before fading away.
Why was this our favourite?  The flavor is really yummy and we liked it just a bit more than the Lindt flavor.  Both this and Lindt had a nice balance of cocoa and sugar, not overly sweet.  The Whittakers block is also a decent size, and the chunks give you a good mouthful.  Since the tasting Whittakers have said there is going to be a price rise, but the block is going to stay the same size.

So there you have it!  Our review of ten milk chocolates you can buy at a NZ supermarket.  We were pleasantly surprised by the Stevia sweetened chocolates, and if they had more of a cocoa and creamy hit,  they may have ranked higher.  
Here is a recap of our rankings, first to eleventh:

1. Whittakers Creamy Milk
2. Lindt Excellence Extra Creamy Milk
3. Green & Blacks Organic Milk Chocolate
4. Cadbury Dairy Milk
5. Frey Supreme Milk Extra Fine
6. Lindt Milk Chocolate no sugar added
7. Equal European Milk Chocolate sweetened with Stevia
8. Guylian Belgian Milk Chocolate sweetened with Stevia
9. Hersheys Kisses Creamy Milk Chocolate
10. Woolworths Belgian Milk Chocolate
11. Well Naturally Creamy Milk sweetened with Stevia
12. Sweet William Vegan chocolate