Milka Nussini: Cocos

Product name: Milka Nussini: Cocos
Purchase details: £0.80 for a 40g bar (monstersweets.co.uk)
Calories: 220 per bar
Country of origin: Poland

Following on from my review of Milka Nussini: Haselnuss, now is the turn of the Cocos variety which I deemed to be a more exciting prospect due to it containing white chocolate and coconut which are two of my favourite ingredients. (A glance at my review of Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos shows just how well these flavours can go together.)

The Monster Sweets website described this bar as ‘crunchy wafers sprinkled with coconut pieces, filled with a coconut cream and coated in delicious Milka white chocolate’. I realised that this product would be my first experience of Milka’s white chocolate and, whilst it didn’t have the strongest flavour in the world, it was nice enough. Like the milk chocolate on the Haselnuss bar, the coating seemed to be melting for no apparent reason but, whilst the layer of chocolate was still thin, it was the right colour for white chocolate and had a thicker layer on the base of the bar. The only downside about the appearance of the chocolate was that there was almost no differentiation between its colour and that of the wafer and so it was quite a plain-looking product.

The Nussini: Cocos was 3g heavier than the Haselnuss variety, but appearance-wise, it was the same size and shape. The coconut aroma wasn’t as strong as the hazelnut one had been but I did find it to be more pleasant. I also felt that the sweet white chocolate and coconut flavours worked well together and were a better match for the wafer than the Haselnuss variety had been. I think this may have been due to the wafers once again being like those that go with ice cream – although it did not appear to be listed on the ingredients, the chocolate seemed to have an enjoyable vanilla flavour to it which is obviously a common taste associated with ice cream. In fact, I found that the more I ate, the less I noticed the coconut flavour.

Texturally, the wafers were still fluffy but, thankfully, they were also not as dry. In addition, the texture was improved by the tiny flakes of coconut which added that little bit of extra crispiness to munch on. Even so, I would have liked a little bit more chocolate since this had an initially nice texture that almost immediately disappeared as the wafer took over.

If I’m honest, the impression I got of this bar was that it was pretty basic. However, I did still enjoy it and it was an improvement on the Haselnuss version. 

Appearance: 6.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 7/10

Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos

Product name: Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos
Purchase details: £1.55 for a 100g bar (monstersweets.co.uk)
Calories: 139 per four square portion (554 per bar)
Country of origin: Germany

Well, this is a sad review for me, since it marks the end of my Ritter Sport chocolate stash, as well as my first Monster Sweets order. Thankfully, though, my experience has ended very happily with Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos.

I adore white chocolate, and despite my recent bad experience with Vita Coco, I maintain that I also love coconut. What better, then, than a ‘white coconut’ chocolate bar?

I initially thought this product would simply be a block of white chocolate with artificial coconut flavouring mixed in there somewhere, but Ritter Sport's website soon taught me that the chocolate actually contained ‘delicate coconut flakes’ as well as flakes of rice.

The white chocolate itself was described as ‘creamy whipped cocoa butter with a strong milk and vanilla flavour’ and it was certainly a deep cream in colour. Divided into 16 squares, the rice flakes were visible throughout the bar, and were particularly noticeable on the base, which, I thought, resembled a differently-proportioned Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Squares bar.

The bar snapped softly, suggesting there was more filling than chocolate, and I was surprised to see that the inside almost looked aerated, although this turned out to be an illusion caused by the abundant and beautifully-smelling coconut flakes. (I would have awarded full marks for this divine aroma if it weren’t for the fact it could only be fully enjoyed when held right next to the nose!)

As promised, the chocolate itself was deliciously creamy with hints of vanilla (and not sickly!), but it was the coconut flakes that really made this bar what it was. The coconut was effectively the desiccated kind that is often used in baking, and it was evenly distributed throughout the bar, creating a bitty texture. Combined with the rice pieces for added crisp, this chocolate felt more like a white chocolate tray bake than a slab of chocolate. That’s not to say that the chocolate itself didn’t melt – it did, although this took place around the rough coconut. It really was fantastic.

I can’t actually put it into words just how much I enjoyed Ritter Sport Weisse Cocos. I usually like to take my time and savour my evening snacks as I see them as rewards for being good the rest of the day, but this bar didn’t last long at all. If you like white chocolate, you’ll like this. If you like coconut, you’ll like this. If you like them both? You just have to try it! 

Appearance: 8.5/10
Aroma: 9.5/10
Taste: 8.5/10
Texture: 9/10
Overall score: 8.88/10