Candy Bar Lab

One of my coworkers was nice enough to bring this back from a recent trip to Qatar. The manufacturer, Gandour, started out in Lebanon, but I think most of their products are made in China and Malaysia at this point. At least that’s what I gathered from 3 minutes of internet research.

Structure
From the packaging, this is a “Wafer, Caramel and Cereal Centre in a Milky Chocolate Sensation.” I’m guessing that “Milky Chocolate Sensation” is marketing speak for “Fake Milk Chocolate”…

Texture
There’s a nice crunch from the cereal and wafer with some chewiness from the caramel. Overall, it’s a nice balance of textures, though the chocolate is a bit waxy.

Taste
Really bland. There’s absolutely no chocolate or caramel flavor. All I could taste was sugar and vanilla.

Verdict
This should be a good candy bar. It has really nice texture and a classic flavor combination, but it just doesn’t have quality ingredients.

I learned via the internets (specifically JBox.com) that in Japan there are many odd varieties of flavored Kit Kats. So I was super excited to finally get my hands on one (Thanks Thanny) to try out for myself.

The first thing I noticed on the packaging was “Muscat of Alexandria” in large English print right below the Kit Kat logo. That seemed pretty odd, but I figured it probably had something to do with the pictures of green grapes. Sure enough, Muscat of Alexandria is an ancient vine of grape used in wine and raisin production. These are the things you find out writing (and reading) a candy bar blog I guess.

Structure
The package contains two individually wrapped bars. Each bar is two segments of grape flavored, molded white chocolate filled with wafers.

I really like that they added green coloring to the white chocolate.

Texture
The texture is exactly like a regular sized Kit Kat bar. The light crispy wafer and white chocolate coating work well together.

Taste
The grape flavor is subtle, but definitely noticeable - like weak grape bubble gum. The white chocolate helps to balance the slight citric acid flavor that immediately hits your tongue. Overall, it reminded me a little bit of the Choxie Lime Bar.

Verdict
I enjoyed the Muscat of Alexandria Kit Kat a lot. With one caveat though. I don’t think this is a candy bar I could eat all the time. It’s slightly odd and I enjoyed it because it’s unique. Green grape and white chocolate isn’t going to replace peanut butter and milk chocolate as a classic flavor combination, but it’s something you should try if you ever get a chance.

The bright, bold packaging really stands out on the Kvikk Lunsj (Norwegian for “Quick Lunch”). With it’s three horizontal stripes, it dawned on me that it looks like a country flag. I wouldn’t have a clue off the top of my head which one, but after some quick research, I figured out that it does in fact look just like the flag of Bolivia.

As for the actual candy bar, it’s apparently quite popular in Norway. The average citizen there consumes nine per year.

Structure
A molded milk chocolate bar with four long segments - each with a wafer center. A Marabou Stork (the Freia mascot) is imprinted four times on each segment.

Texture
The chocolate coating is thick and well tempered. It’s VERY smooth and thoroughly coats your mouth as it melts. Overall, Freia milk chocolate is thick, creamy, and very satisfying. The inner wafer isn’t quite as crispy as its Kit Kat cousin, but it does provide a nice complement to the chocolate coating nonetheless.

Taste
The milk chocolate is again the star. It has a distinct milky flavor that I can now attribute as unique to Freia products in the same way I can pick out Nestle or Hershey’s chocolate. The wafer is mostly tasteless, but I appreciate that it is not overly sweet. This allows the chocolate taste to shine on it’s own.

Verdict
This bar easily gets a thumbs up from me. It’s basically a Kit Kat (a bar I already like), except with better chocolate. The fact that it has cool packaging is a bonus.