We can't keep our hands or our hearts off them and like to believe that after water, chocolates are next in the list of 'life-sustaining elements.' Our chocolate craze does come with some scientific backing, with studies showing that chocolates offer an opium like high! As luck would have it, when the dream opportunity for a chocolate taste test presented itself, we grabbed it and we grabbed it fast. As much as we wanted to gobble them all down, we followed a proper method, one that was in line with standard procedures of a taste test.
Selection Procedure1. Only milk chocolates were bought.
2. We made sure these brands were easily available nationwide.3. The chocolates were stored in a cool and dry place before the taste test.4. The storage temperature was consistent with minimal fluctuation.5. Well-known brands, both Indian and international, were bought.Contenders5 Star
Munch
Dairy Milk
Snickers
Twix
Bar One
Mars
Perk
Kit KatWhat we kept in mindWe made sure certain check-boxes were ticked proceeding with the taste test.1. We sat down with a clean palate, making sure there were no residual flavours.2. We used water as a palate cleanser in between tasting the different chocolate brands.3. The size of the chocolate was important as well. A piece too small won't offer the full flavour profile and nuance of the chocolate.4. We made sure all the chocolates were at room temperature at the time of the taste test. Chocolates should never be tasted cold because it prevents you from detecting the true flavour.5. We took a break between tasting different chocolate brands. The reason behind this is that the residual flavours can linger on and affect the taste of the subsequent chocolate.
Methodology We blind tasted nine chocolate bars and scored them on a scale of 1-10, where 10 was the highest. We rated them on the following parameters - Texture
The overall texture of the bar, the first impression. Was the texture smooth or gritty?Taste
Did the taste bend towards milky or chocolatey? Was it well balanced? Did one taste overpower the other? Sweetness
A sugary bar was given a low score. Likewise, a bar with balanced sweetness was given a high score.
Brand 1 - 5 Star
Score: 4/10'A smooth, caramel-y sugar fix' would be the best way to describe 5 Star. The caramel isn't overwhelming, which is a good thing, but the bar could do with less sugar. Surprisingly, we had never noticed this before, but the taste of milk overpowered that of the chocolate - a fact that was true for most chocolate bars we tried.
Brand 2 - MunchScore: 6/10The tagline of the bar says, 'Crunchiest ever. Wafer layers covered with delicious chocolayer.' Indeed, Munch proved to be a super crunchy bar with the right amount of sugar. However, most of us could only taste a subtle chocolate flavour over the thick layer of wafers, but maybe that was the intent of the chocolate bar.
Brand 3 - Dairy MilkScore: 3/10This classic milk chocolate has won over many hearts since 1905, but our love for Dairy Milk was marred by too much sugar. We found that the dense, thick chocolate slab refused to melt in our mouth and the excess sugar threw off the chocolate taste.
Brand 4 - SnickersScore: 5/10'A pile of nuts, chewy caramel and a slab of nougat, covered in chocolate.' Snickers promises a lot in a single bar and we're happy to report, it somewhat delivers. Here's what we found when we broke it down - the chocolate was smooth and buttery. There was a generous helping of nuts. The caramel was a tad too much and the bar could do with less sugar on the whole.
Brand 5 - TwixScore: 7/10A perfect blend of everything! A biscuit-type bar wrapped in caramel and chocolate, Twix has everything going for it. Well balanced - smooth, crisp and light with a thin layer of caramel, it was the second best chocolate bar of the day. Needless to say, we were mighty impressed.
Brand 6 - Bar OneScore: 5/10We all agreed this bar was smooth and not as sugary, but for some of us, that chocolate punch was missing. Also, the milky aftertaste didn't sit too well with us.
Brand 7 - MarsScore: 4/10Is there anything like too much caramel? Unfortunately, in this case, there is. Doused in caramel, we could hardly detect any other flavors in there. The sugary taste was way too overpowering.
Brand 8 - PerkScore: 4/10While Perk had the crunch factor going for it, it was devoid of any chocolate flavor. This milky bar was too sweet for us and a synthetic aftertaste left us with a sad face.
Brand 9 - Kit KatScore: 8/10"Perfect", we exclaimed, as we took the first bite. A clear winner, Kit Kat comes with a beautiful balance of chocolate and wafer. It isn't too sweet and we could prominently taste the chocolate. Happy and content, Kit Kat emerged the unanimous winner of them all.
Disclaimer
All reviews are strictly personal opinion of the authors. The same should not be construed as the opinion or policy of NDTV. Always do your own research on products and companies before using a product you choose. NDTV, its affiliates and its management does not claim responsibility for any of the products/ or companies discussed on this site.
Selection Procedure1. Only milk chocolates were bought.
2. We made sure these brands were easily available nationwide.3. The chocolates were stored in a cool and dry place before the taste test.4. The storage temperature was consistent with minimal fluctuation.5. Well-known brands, both Indian and international, were bought.Contenders5 Star
Munch
Dairy Milk
Snickers
Twix
Bar One
Mars
Perk
Kit KatWhat we kept in mindWe made sure certain check-boxes were ticked proceeding with the taste test.1. We sat down with a clean palate, making sure there were no residual flavours.2. We used water as a palate cleanser in between tasting the different chocolate brands.3. The size of the chocolate was important as well. A piece too small won't offer the full flavour profile and nuance of the chocolate.4. We made sure all the chocolates were at room temperature at the time of the taste test. Chocolates should never be tasted cold because it prevents you from detecting the true flavour.5. We took a break between tasting different chocolate brands. The reason behind this is that the residual flavours can linger on and affect the taste of the subsequent chocolate.
Methodology We blind tasted nine chocolate bars and scored them on a scale of 1-10, where 10 was the highest. We rated them on the following parameters - Texture
The overall texture of the bar, the first impression. Was the texture smooth or gritty?Taste
Did the taste bend towards milky or chocolatey? Was it well balanced? Did one taste overpower the other? Sweetness
A sugary bar was given a low score. Likewise, a bar with balanced sweetness was given a high score.
Brand 1 - 5 Star
Score: 4/10'A smooth, caramel-y sugar fix' would be the best way to describe 5 Star. The caramel isn't overwhelming, which is a good thing, but the bar could do with less sugar. Surprisingly, we had never noticed this before, but the taste of milk overpowered that of the chocolate - a fact that was true for most chocolate bars we tried.
Brand 2 - MunchScore: 6/10The tagline of the bar says, 'Crunchiest ever. Wafer layers covered with delicious chocolayer.' Indeed, Munch proved to be a super crunchy bar with the right amount of sugar. However, most of us could only taste a subtle chocolate flavour over the thick layer of wafers, but maybe that was the intent of the chocolate bar.
Brand 3 - Dairy MilkScore: 3/10This classic milk chocolate has won over many hearts since 1905, but our love for Dairy Milk was marred by too much sugar. We found that the dense, thick chocolate slab refused to melt in our mouth and the excess sugar threw off the chocolate taste.
Brand 4 - SnickersScore: 5/10'A pile of nuts, chewy caramel and a slab of nougat, covered in chocolate.' Snickers promises a lot in a single bar and we're happy to report, it somewhat delivers. Here's what we found when we broke it down - the chocolate was smooth and buttery. There was a generous helping of nuts. The caramel was a tad too much and the bar could do with less sugar on the whole.
Brand 5 - TwixScore: 7/10A perfect blend of everything! A biscuit-type bar wrapped in caramel and chocolate, Twix has everything going for it. Well balanced - smooth, crisp and light with a thin layer of caramel, it was the second best chocolate bar of the day. Needless to say, we were mighty impressed.
Brand 6 - Bar OneScore: 5/10We all agreed this bar was smooth and not as sugary, but for some of us, that chocolate punch was missing. Also, the milky aftertaste didn't sit too well with us.
Brand 7 - MarsScore: 4/10Is there anything like too much caramel? Unfortunately, in this case, there is. Doused in caramel, we could hardly detect any other flavors in there. The sugary taste was way too overpowering.
Brand 8 - PerkScore: 4/10While Perk had the crunch factor going for it, it was devoid of any chocolate flavor. This milky bar was too sweet for us and a synthetic aftertaste left us with a sad face.
Brand 9 - Kit KatScore: 8/10"Perfect", we exclaimed, as we took the first bite. A clear winner, Kit Kat comes with a beautiful balance of chocolate and wafer. It isn't too sweet and we could prominently taste the chocolate. Happy and content, Kit Kat emerged the unanimous winner of them all.
Disclaimer
All reviews are strictly personal opinion of the authors. The same should not be construed as the opinion or policy of NDTV. Always do your own research on products and companies before using a product you choose. NDTV, its affiliates and its management does not claim responsibility for any of the products/ or companies discussed on this site.
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