18 March 2024

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate (Aldi) By @Cinabar

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate



I have bought another novelty hot chocolate, and it doesn’t get more novelty than this; Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate. I found this in Aldi as part of their Dairyfine range, and it did make me smile. Here we have a white chocolate unicorn, filled with marshmallows and milk chocolate drops. The idea is that you drop in hot milk and have an amazing hot chocolate, which is really quite simple.

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate

So once home, I opened up the box, heated some milk in the microwave, and set up the TV, ready to show the latest episode of Dragon's Den. I put the unicorn in the mug, and it nearly filled it! This is a big chunk of chocolate. 

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate

I added the hot milk, and it soon melted from underneath and shrank into the mug. 

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate

The top melted too, and out popped the chocolate drops, and the marshmallows rose to the surface. The best part of this hot chocolate was that I then added a spoon to the mix and found that the whole thing dissolved and mixed super easily; this was not expected given how much chocolate there was.

The flavour was yummy; it is very sweet and very creamy, as a white hot chocolate should be. The addition of the chocolate drops was brilliant, as it enhanced the cocoa flavour and brought a bit of balance. The marshmallows were lovely too; they looked pretty and added a nice bit of sweetness to the drink. 

This Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate made me happy and was something I would buy again. It would make a lovely gift or treat in an Easter basket, even if it isn’t bunny-shaped. 

Sparkle The Melting Unicorn Hot Chocolate

17 March 2024

Chocolarder 72% Ashaninka Peruvian Rainforest chocolate [@Nli10]

 We first found this brand because of the insanely dark 100% variety we found on holiday once, but now it's showing up in a few more places it's worth dipping back in - especially as this version is likely to be a bigger hit with the masses.



This is purest chocolate, treating the raw product like an art form or an expensive wine.  At nearly £5 for a 70g bar you'll instantly know if this is something that's for you.  


The packaging is as considered as the journey it's take to get to you




and every step is like unboxing an expensive gadget - but necessary for the plastic-free safety of the bar inside. And oh what a bar!


This is certainly giftable chocolate if you know someone who appreciates the stronger and more sensual side of the snack.

The tasting notes are indeed spot on - this has a fruity richness that suggests hints of sweet treats that are not one of the two ingredients (cocoa, sugar).  The red fruit is the main flavour, tasting almost like a winter fruits pudding, with the sharp aftertaste of the cocoa providing the rest.  

Where as the 100% dark was the perfect accompaniment to a sweeter treat this is perfectly snackable as it is - but I rarely have more than a couple of bites at a time - enough to savour the flavour but not so much that you loose track of all the sensations.

I'll definitely return to the brand just to see how they've taken on other styles of chocolate.  A big hit for me.







16 March 2024

Play Brew Co Minty Breath Beer (The Wee Beer Shop @WeeBeerShop) By @SpectreUK

Play Brew Co Minty Breath Beer


It's Saint Patrick's Day on Sunday, and I fancy a stout to celebrate. I do have a bottle of Guinness in my beer fridge, but I guess most beer and stout lovers know what that tastes like. So, Cinabar found me this Minty Breath, Dark Chocolate and After Dinner Mint Stout to write about instead. I do love After Eight Mints, and generally receive a box in with my other Christmas presents.

At 5.7% in volume, Minty Breath was brewed in Middlesbrough, by Play Brew Company. Barley, oats, wheat, milk sugar, cocoa, hops, yeast and natural flavourings (I'm guessing mint) were added in the brewing. The back of the can suggests flavours of hops, mint, and dark chocolate. It being a heavy stout, there may be a crisp flavour of hops with sweetness of chocolate and malts, and a refreshing minty flavour.

On opening the can there was a smell of creamy sweet chocolaty goodness with a minty accompanying aroma. There was an underlying minty freshness to this deep dark stout. The mint tickled the crisp herbal hops to begin with. The mint doffed it's hat to the sweet roasted chocolate malt and slightly wheaty oatiness of the stout. The mint struggled to march through the roasted coffee at the back of the flavour. Yet march through the coffee the mint flavour did, and off merrily into the aftertaste.

I found this a rather flavoursome jovial stout. A pleasing bite, followed by a creamy chocolate sweetness, with a stout body, and that unfamiliar minty taste flowing straight through. Great stuff. I'll have to have another pint of this Minty Breath when I have some After Eight Mints around Christmas time.

15 March 2024

Mini Cheddars Cheesy Specials: Cheddar and Roasted Tomato (Tesco) By @Cinabar

Mini Cheddars Cheesy Specials: Cheddar and Roasted Tomato

Cheese and tomato is a classic combination and a favourite filling for when I do toasted sandwiches. I admit I’ve never actually roasted a tomato, but I’m sure the heat in the sandwich maker part counts as something similar. Today I’m trying the new Mini Cheddars Cheesy Specials: Cheddar and Roasted Tomato, which sounds like something that was just waiting to happen for a new product.

Inside the pack are small bags with decent portions of the biscuits. They are coated generously with a good sprinkle of seasoning. I gave one a try and found them to be tasty but quite mellow. The cheese flavour is good, but that is what Mini Cheddars always do best. The tomato just adds a little bit of mildness; there was a hint of the flavour and it brought with it a touch of sweetness, but as pleasant as they were, I don’t think the addition of the roasted tomato is going to cause a revolution. 

I will happily munch my way through the multipack of Mini Cheddars Cheesy Specials: Cheddar and Roasted Tomato, but I wouldn’t rush out to buy another bag. I’ll happily wait to see what the next limited edition is when it comes out. 

Mini Cheddars Cheesy Specials: Cheddar and Roasted Tomato

14 March 2024

Tyrell's black garlic & sour cream crisps from Waitrose [@NLi10]

 My partner brought home this big sharing bag of Tyrell's black garlic & sour cream crisps from Waitrose for alongside lunch


She's already had a decent amount before I got to the bag so this isn't a full portion


As you'd expect it's the good quality Tyrrells crisp with the strong flavours and ingredients that are the thing that you are supposed to be tasting.


Thing is - I just wasn't that keen!  I think the sour cream trend in crisps is not one that I'm on board with, and although I love garlic I just couldn't get behind this.



The crisps are great quality, and would go great with a salad or sandwich as a side.  But - for me - I just didn't enjoy them and only had a couple.  My partner however loved them and has said she'd buy them again (especially as she knows she'd get the whole bag to herself).

Guess it's just a taste dependant thing - good job there are loads of other flavours to try in the range.