Oops.
The only plausible solution to this problem is a Chocolatepalooza. Here we go!
Lotte Vessel in the Fog Milk Chocolate
What makes a chocolate like a vessel in the fog? Is it that the flavour creeps up on you like pirates on a river about to attack so that they can steal your pantaloons to make hats with? Or is it more like the anticipation of standing in the mist at the bow of a cruise boat, wondering what island delight will be before you when the sky clears?
Apparently, a micro-grind vessel in the fog translates to Japan’s version of an Aero bar. I was given this bar quite some time ago by the ever-inspiring Helen of Grab Your Fork, whom I’m currently lulling into a false sense of security by letting her constantly beat me at Words With Friends. Just you wait, Helen. I’ll strike when you least expect it.
Oh, and the chocolate? Quite pleasant. This Lotte Milk Chocolate was certainly sweet but had nice strong notes of double cream, and the added benefit of novelty air bubbles. Thanks Helen!
Balance Sugarfree Dark Chocolate with Pistachios
I was initially disappointed in this Balance Sugarfree Dark Chocolate with Pistachios. I found it watery and insipid in flavour, with the cold-sensation muted sweetness that is often the hallmark of malitol-sweetened chocolates. However, over time the flavour began to remind me of the 150g block of pistachio torrone that I ate while sitting in the main square of Siena, and that’s never a bad thing.
Meiji Black Chocolate
This Meiji Black Chocolate was given to me by Fiona, back before she moved to Sydney and thus deprived me of our frequent coffee dates. However, seeing as the chocolate was far richer in flavour and more tasty than I was expecting, I forgive her for moving. (Almost.) Thanks Fiona!
Oxfam Australia Fairtrade Belgian Dark Chocolate
This Oxfam Australia Fairtrade Belgian Dark Chocolate was one of the goodies in my Christmas pillowcase-stocking, along with a Scratchie I won five dollars on, a delicate Christmas ornament, two adorable little dipping-sauce bowls, an even more adorable notebook that is also a quaintly illustrated version of Snow White, and much more.
I’ve totally already spent the five dollars from the Scratchie on lemon and ginger tea. I’m extravagant like that.
My overwhelming reaction to this Oxfam Chocolate (54% cacao content) was that it’s incredibly sweet, but also quite rich and enticing. The following is, I kid you not, a direct copy-paste from my tasting notes:
walnut and sugar… oooh agave, caramel, something woodsy.
another bite… SWEEEEEEET vanilla, turtle. what? ignore that. caster sugar but also burnt toast edge… texture slightly grainy. YUM but suuuuuper sweet. jellybeans.
If someone is able to explain “turtle” to me, I’ll be forever grateful.
Question Time: Would you mind if I interspersed Chocolatepalooza posts like this with my more detailed reviews of single chocolates? Which of these chocolates would you most like to try?
{ 75 comments… read them below or add one }
Chocolatepalooza away Ms Hannah! We get more chocolate for our buck that way! SOunds like you’ve been having an awesome time in Melbourne. Seriously envious, I so need a Melbourne fix.
Thanks darling! I’m having the most magnificent time; I don’t want to leave! You should definitely schedule in a Melbourne fix soon… so many restaurants and cafes, so little time!
I did like this Chocolatepalooza mish-mash, it was fun and bite-sized! Too bad about the pistachio bar. It’s pretty hard to mess up something with pistachios in it but somehow they managed, huh?
Thanks Alayna! Hurrah for Chocolatepaloozas! You know, I actually have found that it’s pretty hard for people to do pistachio well. So often pistachio desserts just end up tasting like almonds instead of pistachios…
Pleasantly surprised to see the Oxfam brand being used. I hope they are compensated adequately.
Vessel – I guess they are indicating that the chocolate will float like a vessel because of the air bubbles, fog is irrelevant I think, just makes it more romantic?
Oooh, I like your take on the vessel meaning! Floating boat air bubbles… got it
I like my chocolate dark so the Black Chocolate sounds the best.
Don’t you wish Wonkaland really existed? I’d love a river of chocolate and marshmallowy mushroom thingos
I’d love giant gummy bears that I could kick whilst wearing a dastardly expression on my face!
And sour gummy worms that you truly could pick off the ground and eat!
I always liked the sound of the sugar grass
And the Oompa Loompas, because singing and dancing sporadically in public is something I constantly have to restrain myself from doing. Except I often fail, as at the Japanese restaurant the other night…
P.S. Dark chocolate = best.
I definitely wouldn’t mind more chocolatepalooza posts…not one bit! TURTLES! Were you, perhaps referring to these? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_(chocolate)
Yay, thank you Sarah!
Ah, I like your attempt at justifying and explaining my bonkers turtle reference! Though now I simply have to wonder why *those* treats are called turtles.
I think the chocolate with bubble-holes is a gross idea… I’ve only tried it once, and I was so sadly disappointed. This bar’s so much cooler if only for the name, and the ship, and the oddly translated sentence in the corner.
I have so much chocolate that I had hoped to review, beginning in, oh I dunno, August?
Oh well:)
I love funny Japanese English. I have a couple of shirts with hilarious [mis]translations on them, and they make me giggle everytime. (“Head goes wrong with noise”, “We have meny forets”.)
I”m so far behind it’s not even funny. On everything. I have chocolate tasting notes out the wazoo, restaurant reviews from June. recipes from last year…
Oh well, exactly
I would love repeats of posts like this
Seriously love. (Although I think it deserves note that I like your usual approach to chocolate reviews too!).
I’ve been wanting to try the Oxfam chocolate for some time, but any time I’m at the Oxfam shop in Perth I buy Alter Eco chocolate instead. Now I have motivation to actually buy their own brand
Aw, Kari! You always take such considerate care of me
Rest assured the usual approach will remain a common occurrence too 
I must say, I do like Alter Eco (probably better…), particularly because it offers darker chocolate and quinoa and cocoa nib deliciousness. I shall have to investigate if Oxfam offers flavoured chocolate too!
I absolutely love your “tasting notes” – hilarious! And so true to how our brain works as we experience something new.
Thanks Rach
I figured “turtle” meant chocolate-and-nuts-and-caramel, like turtle cheesecake or turtle candies. Do you have those down under?
I’d like to try the turtley one or the sugar-free one, myself!
Alas, nope, we can excuse my insanity in that way, as we don’t have turtle confectionary down here. Although maybe my subconscious was remembering a long-forgotten taste from my time at UVA? Yes, I feel better now. Thanks love.
Oh I saw the Oxfam stuff and wondered if it was any good – now I will totally go get me some turtle tasty chocolate treats
Keep in mind it’s really quite a sweet dark chocolate, turtle or no, so don’t be expecting anything super dark?
I’m trying to get Viper on the ‘dark choc train,’ so this might be good for him…. yeah super dark and not sweet is my preference but Viper is a wuss.
This could definitely be a good “gateway” chocolate then
Or, maybe you just can’t read your own writing and it wasn’t “turtle” at all. Now, what could it be? Tummy? Hmm … I give up. Keine ahnung.
beats me too!
Ah, but it was typing, not writing. And while I do, at times, make so many typos that the words are incomprehensible, this was most certainly “turtle”, because I remember thinking “what?!” and then writing “what?!” as soon as I saw the picture of the turtle in my mind.
I’m a lost cause.
You will never be a lost cause Hannah. Some of your blog friends have referred to turtle chocolate. Time for a brief commercial me thinks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0GEMuj4I5Q
OH MY HEAVENS IN A HANDBAG. That is the most creepy and hilarious ad I’ve seen in a very long time. Bahahaha!
oh hannah your tasting notes are always so entertaining and your photos are enticing even though I know I am far more likely to eat the supermarket brands – great idea to do a chocolatepalooza because as we all know it is far easier to eat chocolate than to blog about it
Teehee, you do make a good point there! And thank you! The Oxfam one is sweet yet rich enough to be very easy eating; I reckon if you found it somewhere you wouldn’t end up having to foist it on E
I’m really intrigued by the dark Meiji!! Because Meiji makes so many fun and delicious treats like the gummy bears covered in chocolate and all. haha! Turtle. I love that word for some reason; hence, you used it just to make me laugh. I also like to say it with the voice of the turtle guy on “master of disguise”. Have you watched that silly movie?
Ah, that must have been why I used the word turtle! Of course! My subconscious just wanted to make you happy
Alas, no, I haven’t heard of Master of Disguise. But I did see a bit of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I was growing up. So 80s! 
I’m rather fond of the Oxfam one for cooking, actually – I like to be fair-trade when I can, and it makes a pretty good chocolate mud cake. But it isn’t always practical (or cost-effective) to use it, of course. But I did use it for my Quaker godmother’s wedding cupcakes – it seemed in line with her beliefs – and it worked very well.
That’s wonderful, Catherine! Conscientious, delicious, and from-the-heart wedding cupcakes sounds perfect to me
I wouldn’t mind at all, and absolutely identify with the glut of reviews – at one stage during GoneChocco I had no less than 60 awaiting publication!
If by “awaiting publication” you mean you’d already written them up, then I’m in awe. I write this blog by the skin of my teeth, every time! Oh to have scheduled posts to calm me down sometimes…
an interesting collection of chocolates you have there Miss Hannah!
Reminds me of my recipe drafts.
I totally don’t mind when you review chocs in bulk. Just keep them coming!
Teehee, thank you Kath! It’s lovely that you don’t find these boring, even though you don’t eat much chocolate yourself!
This is eye-only satisfaction, but it *is* satisfaction.
A little food porn never hurt anyone
Hehe.
Wow! What variety. I think I’d most like to try the first one with the air bubbles. It’s very photogenic. I probably could do without a block of sugar-free because what’s the point – if you’re going to eat chocolate you may as well fully indulge.
Amen, sister. Particularly when sugarfree chocolates so often taste insipid, and therefore somewhat contravene the entire point of having chocolate for its happy-making delicious qualities…
The Lotte bubbly chocolate was certainly fun!
For the turtle flavor alone, I want to try the oxfam chocolate
No really, it sounds and looks fantastic!
Ah, I like a woman who’s adventurous like this
Chocolatepalooza sounds great – I love being able to compare all the different ones at once. I would probably choose the Meiji Black Chocolate but then again the Lotte had bubbles, and I love bubbles.
Yay! Thanks Lisa! Oh gosh, when you said you liked bubbles I started thinking of that fish in Finding Nemo
My husband just got me into Words With Friends. Link up with me. Are we FB friends?
I’m not sure! We’ll have to find each other, but be warned, I can’t play much at the moment. Don’t have an iPhone and my laptop is on the verge of death. So slow!
that first chocolate bar looks really delicious, I’ve never seen ir before but I can’t wait to find it and eat it
Good luck!
What if we answer that we want to try them ALL?
Then I’d say you’re a woman after my own heart. But we knew that already
I’m totally for posts with more chocolate.
And for me, I would love the Lotte ‘Vessel in the fog’ chocolate, as I used to be crazy about aero bars and the bubbles! That and the name is just too cool. Who names their chocolate like that? Really?
Hurrah!
I know, it’s such an awesome name! Gotta love the Japanese. If only they’d make a chestnut chocolate and sell it over here….
I’m a sucker for the sugar-free angle so I’d predictably go for that. Although the Vessel in the Fog label (I live in the foggy Venetian plains)had me wavering.
My Chrissie stash (very thin this year) included some dark chocolate dipped ginger sticks from Pierre Marcolini in Belgium. Arrrgh! This is what I am sending you in your imaginary Xmas box from Italy!
Oh, please don’t go for the sugarfree one here! It wasn’t nice enough, I swear. Avoid! For me!
Bahahaha! Evil imaginary Xmas box! You’re so naughty
This chocopalooza is so thorough I feel like I know them all so well. I’d love more of these review interludes:)
Hurrah, thank you! I’m sure there’ll be more after these positive responses
I love this post
I was going to do something similar soonish because I love chocolate and trying them from all over the place ~ I already have a few chocolates that you might like to try ~ have you had Sees candies before?
I’d love to see your chocolate post! I don’t think I have tried Sees, although have heard a lot about them. I don’t tend to eat truffle chocolate very often, you see
Btw the sugar free would be the best
less damage is done lol
You’re so much better off eating a smaller amount of a proper chocolate in that case, though! The sugarfree one isn’t worth it.
You know, if this was the fifties, and we were all different people, your chocolate reaction-notes could’ve totally been beat poetry, and seriously challenged this male-dominated genre. (*cough* former BA Student *cough*)
Am always amazed at how many different creators of chocolate there are in the world when I read your blog. I’ve been away from the computer for a while so I’m looking forward to catching up on it all
As a *cough* former BA English/Sociology Honours Student interested in gender equality and literature and poetry *cough* your comment fills me with absolute glee and not a small amount of glowing secret pride.
Wheeee! You honestly have no idea how much it thrills me that you’re planning to catch up on my blog! Can’t wait for our upcoming comment interactions!
Lotte!! That is Korean! xD
And I love Meiji chocolate.
Oh really? I’m so embarrassed, I thought it was Japanese too!
Turtles aren’t common here (malheuresment), but The Curious Chocolatier in Canberra has a bar (can’t remember the name) that is totally turtle. Very delicious. What a great selection of chocolates you had there- I’d never stumbled over any of them of course.
Ah, the caramel milk chocolate with pecans, I’m guessing? I love how many people have decided that I must be referring to the American turtle confectionary and that I am therefore quite sane, but the honest truth is that I saw an actual turtle in my mind’s eye while eating that chocolate. Help!
The chocolates were from Japan, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra respectively, so you’ve got hope on at least three counts!
mmmm u know what? maybe create a separate page called “choclatepalooza” that gives your best chocolate suggestions to your readers! i would love to see that hehehe since there are so many varieties here. like that sugar free dark chocolate one, i would love to try that since i constantly crave chocolate and i’m on a sugar free cleanse!
Oh gosh, people have asked me that before and I’ve always meant to, but it’s such a huge undertaking! If only there were more hours in the day… maybe one day I’ll get some “best of” lists up
I’ve never had chocolate with novelty air bubbles before, so I want to try that one.
Also, yay! Blogging straight from your chocolate tasting notes! I love that!
Teehee, thank you Theresa! I’m still not game to post my tasting notes in their entirety, but one day I might have lost enough of my dignity to do so
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