Today's Review: Starbucks Fudge Hot Chocolate

I've been somewhat disappointed with the Christmas drink offerings this year, but I always like to hold out hope. So to Starbucks I went, tempted with the idea of their fudge hot chocolate. Because why not? It's a fudge flavoured hot chocolate, didn't seem there was anything too extravagant that could go wrong. Turns out this isn't just a fudge hot chocolate, it's also topped with fudge flavoured cream, as well as the golden chocolate curls.

The cream is great, a lovely instant hit of fudge flavour, and the golden curls add a little crunch and a nice hint of chocolate. Underneath the flavours aren't quite as intense, but there's a distinct fudge taste that runs throughout a pretty great, creamy hot chocolate. I'm glad it wasn't the other way, with a fudge overload, but it would have been nice for the main drink to have a bit more flavour. Still, this is a simple but effective twist on the hot chocolate, and definitely my favourite festive drink of the year so far. Check it out.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Haribo Pick 'N' Mix Machine

At the base of the stairs it called me. The sound of children's laughter, followed by that classic theme. "Kids and grown ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo." Yes! I'm a grown up, and I love it so! This monstrosity of a vending machine drew me in from the start, and I was sold when I saw what was on offer. It's a pick 'n' mix machine, whereby you pay £3, choose up to five sweets from the selection, and watch as tiny conveyor belts fill up the cup before your eyes. £3 was a little steep for a pick 'n' mix cup, but look at that selection! Terrific Turtles! Crocodiles! You can't get bags of them easily around here. Also, there were some rhubarb & custard flavoured pencil things that looked utterly amazing, so I tapped my phone and watched this thing go to work. Did I mention that it takes Apple Pay? This is truly the machine of the future.

At least it would be if it worked. You know those rhubarb & custard sweets I was aching for? Turns out that specific conveyor belt didn't work, so I only got the other four selection in my cup. Of course, I only knew this after I'd paid. My friend also got a cup, which was utterly devoid of jelly cherries due to a blockage, and his cup was only three quarters full at the end. It seems like this thing requires a lot of maintenance, the concept is good, but maybe it's just a bit too ridiculous to function. 

Oh, and also the sweets are stale. It turns out leaving unwrapped Haribo sitting on conveyor belts in a not entirely airtight vending machine means they're not the freshest when they're eventually chosen to fall into a cardboard cup. I mean, I ate them, but they were very dry and firm. This is a flashy vending machine with a lot of flaws, designed to reel in kids and suckers. I was one of those suckers, but let this be a warning to the rest of you. Don't get drawn in by the happy music, just go and buy a bag of Starmix instead.

My rating: 1/5

Today's Review: Asda Coconut & Vanilla Popcorn

Just when I thought the fancy popcorn fad was coming to an end, Asda have brought out this delightfully sweet sounding flavour. I'm not sure I've had coconut popcorn before, especially as I only just recently started to like coconut, so I was pretty excited about how this would turn out. Even if the coconut didn't work out, I'd be able to rely on the vanilla, right?

This stuff is fairly coconutty. It's a nice, sweet, bold flavour, that is a pretty good fit with the popcorn. The flavouring, however, has a bit of an odd texture, lending a sort of chalkiness to the kernels that hangs around after eating. It detracts from the coconut flavour a bit, but thankfully there's a nice undertone of vanilla that provides a mellow sweetness, and in the end it works out pretty well. The texture didn't ruin this as much as I thought it would, and underneath there are some good quality kernels with a satisfying crunch. A unique popcorn flavour that can be picked up for a pretty reasonable price.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: Pop Tarts Brown Sugar Cinnamon

It's nice to find American Pop Tarts during random supermarket visits, I picked these up in a Co-Op I stopped off in to get some milk. To be fair, they sound and look pretty brown and unappealing, but my new found love for cinnamon drew me to these. 

These are actually pretty damn good. They're pretty uniformly brown in colour, so they're not exactly the best looking, but the insides boast a sticky, slightly gritty sweet filling that has a darkly sweet taste. Like molasses, with a hint of cinnamon heat. It's not quite as decadent as the other colourful Pop Tarts varieties out there, but they're pretty tasty, with just the right amount of cinnamon. I'll be picking these up again (if I see them around.)

My rating: 5/5

Today's Review: Nix And Kix Mango & Ginger

I picked it up when I read "mango", I stuck it in my basket when I saw "cayenne". Yes, this is a juice drink with cayenne chilli pepper mixed in, that was weird enough for me to want to crack this open straight away. The is one of a range of Nix And Kix drinks. The "nix" refers to no refined sugar or artificial nastiness, while the "kix" is obviously the chilli. But does this weird combination work?

I was worried the spice would be a bit much here, but the predominant flavour is the mango, a natural tasting, fruity juice that's very refreshing. The ginger is at a nice level, providing a bit of warmth that helps to bring out the sweetness of the fruit juice. As for the cayenne, it mostly hangs around in the after taste, which isn't a bad thing at all. The sweetness comes in at first, followed by a nice sharp kick that provides a decent amount of heat at the back of the throat. It is maybe a little too much what with the ginger adding some spice as well, but on the whole this is a refreshing juice drink with an interesting kick. I'll be sure to grab the other flavours when I see them, this is a very nice bottle.

My rating: 4/5

Today's Review: KFC Celebrations Krushem

What's Christmas without a box of Celebrations? Awful, that's what. But think about those who have trouble chewing, what are they to do? Well, KFC has the answer, by introducing a new Krushem that has not one chocolate mixed into it, but five. It's like a box of Celebrations chucked into a milkshake. Featuring Galaxy, Galaxy Caramel, Maltesers, Mars and Twix, this is one I couldn't wait to get my hands on.

I'll start by saying that this is a bit of a mess. That doesn't make it bad, sometimes a bit of mess is a good thing. There's a lot going on in here, so many elements at work together that it's somewhat hard to differentiate. I mean, I don't shove one of each Celebration in my mouth at a time, and from tasting this Krushem I can see why. The shake itself is nice and chocolatey, with a hint of caramel, while the chunks are plentiful and varied. I never thought I'd say this, but I think there are too many pieces, I had to pause between every mouthful to chomp down on some fairly firm bits of chocolate, biscuit and whatever else came up through the straw. So yes, this isn't bad by any means, but it is very busy, and all the flavours that would be great on their own just kind of mix into one. So while it's a great idea on paper, the execution isn't fantastic. A good festive offering to try out while it's around though.

My rating: 3/5

Today's Review: Cadbury 5 Star

It's a little odd that despite Britain being the home of Cadbury, there are bars that turn up in other countries that I've never seen before. This was particularly evident in the Australian bars I used to see lining the shelves at Cyber Candy, but this 5 Star I found in the local pound shop is a particularly odd one, as they're made in Ireland to be sold in Egypt. It's a combination of Cadbury chocolate, caramel, biscuit and a smooth chocolate centre.

In essence, this is a lot like a Boost bar, which would explain why it's not sold alongside them here. Perhaps the gold wrapper and star rating system sells better over in Egypt. But yes, this tastes a lot like a Boost, but, dare I say, nicer? The focus with the Boost is on that glucose element, and I guess that subconsciously rubs off on me, as I can pick up that glucose throughout. It's a little noticeable here, but the smooth chocolate innards win out in the end, making this a creamier, tastier version of the Boost. The caramel, biscuit, and both elements of chocolate have a great balance, and make a very tasty bar overall. Hopefully I can make it back to the shop and pick up a few more before they go out of stock, it's pretty great.

My rating: 5/5