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In another life I would be a professional chocolate taster; in another life I would also have a model’s figure…
While I was in Australia I got an email from a workmate which said
“a package of chocolate has arrived for you from Norway. What do you want me to do with it?” (the ruin of an international surprise is the customs form!!).
I promised that if she locked it up in her cabinet I would share the chocolate with her when I got back. That was before I realised how much I was going to have to share 🙂 There was a wonderful selection to sample (here is the package minus a bar – a Stratos which was a malted chocolate and which was devoured before I thought to get my camera out!) …
So for 5 days now we’ve cut a bar in half and evaluated the chocolate. So far the nicest has been the Cuba – lovely texture and smooth taste. The bar with the coolest wrapper (the Nero) was disappointing as I discovered it was chocolate coated licorice and I hate licorice – my friend was pleased as she got that entire bar!
The tasting continues this week as we have 1 bar left and 4 blocks (each block is big enough to be consumed over a couple of days – at least that’s the plan for now….)
This is so much fun! First getting the chocolates from England and now Irony supplying Norske sjokolade. I *love* this game!
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Aussie Emjay's Blog 
How fun!!!
Heaps of delicious fun! 🙂
All are nostalgic packages for me.
I like nostalgia and memories. Thank you for visiting Toukou.
Fantabulousity of epic proportions! The words “box of chocolate for you” completely counterbalances any disappointment at lack of surprise, in my humble opinion.
LOL – I get super excited when I see the word “chocolate”…. many years ago my children had birthday presents for me and when I held one of them saying “I wonder what this is” my little daughter said “it’s a box of chocolates” ! My older boys were pissed off with her, accusing her of spoiling the surprise. She responded (quite reasonably) “I didn’t tell her what *sort* they were” !! So true – the surprise is still in seeing what the chocolate is.
And even when you unwrap them, you still get the surprise of taking a bite and seeing what’s inside! It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
OMGosh…..I need to get on that mailing list!!!
It’s a yummy list to be on! 🙂
I can send you some Cadbury if you like. Unfortunately it will take weeks and weeks. Both our postal systems seem to be as slow as possible. Emjay has my email if you want some, email me. I need to know if you are allergic to anything.
LOL looks like the Melkesjokolade didn’t quite make it in one peace. And when you are all done I tell you my favorites 😉
It was the only one which was slightly “damaged” but I’m sure the Melkesjokolade will still be really good no matter how many pieces it is in 🙂 – we might try it tomorrow I think. The Cuba is still my favourite so far.
Ooh, I love Cuba bars! I haven’t seen one in years, though there was this Scandinavian gift shop in Minneapolis that sold them for the price of your first-born child or a right arm, lol! I also like licorice, so if you get another Nero bar, send it on to me. Chocolate-covered licorice sounds good, though I can imagine it’s peculiar to a lot of people. My kids think my liking black licorice is a sign that I’m a freak, heh.
Customs list are a downer, especially at Christmas time. Whenever we got presents from the relatives in Japan, my mother would try to tear the customs list off before we saw it. She always forgot to throw it someplace where we wouldn’t see it however, so I can remember being quite disappointed when I saw that my maternal grandmother had sent yet another kimono or a package of seaweed and rice crackers.
I dont’ remember ever seeing any of these chocolates before but then I don’t think I’ve been in a Scandinavian gift shop (here or Australia) – I will be looking out for Cuba bars now – it has been the nicest so far.
LOL re the customs forms. When my mother sends me a package our Office mail person always pulls the customs form off so I can’t “cheat”… I tell people in the office to do that as I really love surprises – I’m still a kid on the inside. We had an aunt when I was growing up who always sent a big lump of material to each of us on birthdays and Christmas. It usually had a pattern with it and mum would have to pay someone in town to make the dress for us. I think the majority of these “presents” went to me and Min and the aunt had changed gift ideas by the time Jane came along – though Jane still got to wear those dresses LOL. There was nothing terribly exciting about opening half a bolt of material! 🙂
That is fun! I think I may like that liquorice cos well, I love it to begin with. We have “chocolate” liquorice but it’s the flavor of it…like cocoa in the mixture.
“Bullets” are very popular in Australia – at least with all the people I know who like licorice. They are horrible little logs of licorice covered in chocolate like an almond would be! Just nasty! Even opening the bag was a horrible experience to a non-licorice-lover as the odor would waft out! 🙂
Yum!
My daughter sent me some Cadbury chocolate-coated peanuts and fruit from Australia but they took so long to get here that the chocolate had deteriorated somewhat by the time they arrived.
However, the other day I bought some Cadbury creme eggs imported from the UK and they are perfect.
I sometimes miss Cadbury chocolate from home but I love Reese’s Pieces so I don’t feel too deprived.
Oh no what a shame!! My mother used to put chocolate in with anything else she was sending me – my “Red Cross” packages. It is much more difficult for her to shop and get to the post office now so they are very rare. The manservant will bring some back for me if he’s going to Australia and I ask but usually I say “don’t bring any – I’ll just eat it all and get fat” ….. he takes me seriously silly man LOL 🙂
I don’t like Reese’s – I’m not a big peanut butter fan and they tend to taste “gluggy” in my mouth. I dont’ mind the Ghirardelli (sp?) squares with caramel that they sell in CVS – it’s hard to pick up something from there without going down the chocolate aisle! 🙂
I can’t stand licorice candy. Love the tea, though. Are those mostly dark or milk? My boyfriend and I never fight over chocolate because I only like milk and he’s the opposite. 😉
So far the ones we’ve tried have been mostly (all?) milk. At home the manservant likes white chocolate and I don’t so we don’t argue that if it’s in the mix. It’s difficult to get me to share any nice milk chocolate though so if I’m offering it to him he knows it’s because I don’t like it LOL. I’ve never tried licorice tea but I can’t imagine that I’d like it much – I don’t like the smell of licorice or aniseed.
My mouth is watering! Years ago I worked for a company that had an Italian office. At Christmastime they sent over the best chocolates in the world. I was in heaven!
Oh how wonderful! I think Venchi is an Italian chocolate.
You just made me remember when I went to Italy once December, I brought back this massive bag of beautifully wrapped chocolates for people at work. Om…they got like 5 of them. I ate the rest.
LOL -geowoman! That’s what I used to do with the kids’ easter eggs! The easter bunny had every intention of leaving them x number of eggs each but they got x-minus. Some years I even had to make a few shopping trips because I’d eaten them all!!
I’m looking forward to a review of Smash!
If suitable I will combine it with my Bundy Rum to do the job properly.
LOL GOF! The Smash was a really interesting chocolate. The little “bits” in it were really salty but it was a surprisingly nice combination. At this stage I would put it second favourite (though I don’t think I’d be able to eat a lot of it in one sitting which could lower its overall ranking 🙂 ). I think it would work like peanuts in a bar and increase your thirst for the Bundy Rum.
Oh How nifty! I am not a huge chocolate fan, so not that appealing to me, but I think if I go back to RI in the winter, I shall have to send you some chocolate lobsters….from Sweenors…a very special treat…
Now that sounds wonderfully intriguing! 🙂
I am visiting an universe of tastes : I love also chocolate choosing dark selections containing a high percentage of cacao.
Hi Sergio! Dark chocolate is supposedly better for us but I prefer milk chocolate. I do enjoy dark chocolate with a nice red wine though 🙂
You are right it is good for health !
Yeah, Nero is just gross. Sorry, but I am sold on the British chocolate. Sod having a model’s figure. I remember one model (forget her name but she was once married to Mickey Rourke) who after becoming a plus size model (which is when her career took off actually) said, what a relief, she could eat pizza now. Can you imagine!
I am in awe of you eating an entire box of the eggs in one day – did you really?? You are made of tougher stuff than me! They are so rich – I still have 3 left. Was it a caramello that you enjoyed (Cadbury with caramel) ?
I would never make a model – enjoy food too much.
I ate Cadbury caramel chocolate this morning. I will have to send you some of that. It is so good it should be illegal. Ate some last night too.
Oh, yum! I hope you can send me some. My husband is running out of M&Ms.
LOL Margy! The manservant’s tastes run along the lines of your husbands.
Freia Melksjokolade *yay* It’s a fact what you can read on every Freia chocolate box: Et lite stykke Norge – what means – A little piece Norway. Simply one of the best!
We ate the Melksjokolade (such a long name!) this week – it was very smooth – went beautifully with coffee but the Cuba is still my favourite.
Sounds like sweet times. =)