7 Different Dark Chocolate Aldi Chocolate Bars!

Choceur 70% Dark Chocolate Collection  - Aldi

Did you know that Aldi and Trader Joe's are related? YUP! They're sister companies owned by the same German family. For the most part, each store releases their own items catering to different niche markets and trending flavors, but once in a while both stores will release the same product, with different packaging and price points. (Like these pumpkin scone cookies I compared and reviewed.)

Years ago, I picked up THIS beautiful dark chocolate passport gift item from Trader Joe's, and I completely lost it over the gorgeous packaging. Flash forward to now, when I see Aldi trying to release their own dark chocolate themed gift pack for the holidays. It's no-where near as cute as the Trader Joe's one, but this has something the Trader Joe's version lacked. Variety.

The Trader Joe's bars were all dark chocolates from various locations around the world, but they were just dark chocolate. No toppings, not mix ins, no nothing. They were pretty, but by the third bar I was bored and my palette was exhausted. I don't think I ever finished reviewing the box set, mainly because...my tongue just didn't care. I was craving some flavor, and (hopefully) Aldi will deliver.

Meiji Marble Chocolate - Asian Food Market

Meiji Marble Chocolate - Asian Food Market

Meiji Marble, in a box? If you're unfamiliar with Meiji products, their candies are often sold in long skinny cardboard tubes with a matching cardboard cap. The only time I've ever seen Meiji Marble in a box, and not their signature tube, is when it's part of a mini-sampler, or a special flavor mix, but this looks pretty normal to me. I can't read much of the packaging, but from what I can see...this looks like normal marble chocolate. I guess we'll open it up and find out.

Strawberry Honey Tong Tong - H-Mart

Strawberry Honey Tong Tong - H-Mart

Tong Tong? I may love Korean snacks and watch K-dramas (THIS is my favorite), but I can't speak Korean, so even though there are plenty of context clues on the bag to let me know what this product actually is, I had to google "Tong Tong" to figure out what the product name means. 

According to the good ol' internet, it's a slang term for being "chubby." Which, if true, is freaking adorable. They named a junk food after what junk food does to you! I wish America would have fun with their product names like that. Then again "Honey Chubs" might not be as warmly received by the general public here in America... 

Candyology 101 Episode 33: Snickers vs. Milky Way, who's the better bar?

Which is your favorite?

On today's episode of Candyology 101 we decided to have a little debate, inspired by the upcoming election here in America.

I am a Milky Way fanatic. It's my favorite American candy bar and I love it to pieces. (Especially when it's frozen.) Cybele prefers Snickers, which is pretty much a Milky Way with peanuts tossed into the mix, and thinks they are the superior candy bar. I disagree. Peanuts ruin it! Which candy bar will come out on top? Will I win Cybele over to the peanut-free side? Tune in to find out, and be sure to share your preferred candy bar below!

Have you been liking Candyology101 so far? 

Please head on over to itunes and give us a little review to let us know how we're doing.

Meet the cast:

Cybele from Candy Blog

Maria (Me) from Sometimes Foodie

Listen to the player above, check us out on Stitcher, or you can download the MP3 file. If you want to subscribe to the show, it’s available on iTunes and via RSS.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

Like Sometimes Foodie's Facebook page to keep up with all my foodie adventures!

Dark Chocolate Mints - Trader Joe's

Dark Chocolate Mints - Trader Joe's

Remember how I said I went overboard buying stuff for the Trader Joe's podcast for Candyology 101? Well, I think I finally made my way through that stash! It took months...but I did it! (Small victories, right?) Back when we recorded I bought these mints for the first time, and I absolutely loved them, and I even talked about them on the show. I meant to review them but...I ate them all. So I bought another bag to review. Then promptly ate that entire bag as well. So here we are, I don't even know how many bags later, but I'm finally able to review them for you guys to spread the word about how awesome these mints are. (What can I say, I have no self control.)

Pine Tsubu Tsubu Kajitso Fruits Candy - Asian Food Market

Pine Tsubu Tsubu Kajitso Fruits Candy - Asian Food Market 

Oh. My. God. Look at this adorable packaging! Normally I have a story, or some kind of elaborate reason for buying a certain item to review, but for this particular bag of candy...it was simply too cute to leave on the shelf. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for cute stuff, and I'm extremely susceptible to adorable strawberry illustrations.) 

Hot Cocoa m&m's - Walmart (Exclusive)

Hot Cocoa m&m's - Walmart (Exclusive) 

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your 2016 is off to an amazing start! Sorry for the hiatus, if you follow my Twitter (that I'm trying to use more) you'll know that my car was involved in an accident right before the holidays and that my life has been pretty hectic getting all of that straightened out. I was able to buy a new used car a few days later to get back to work, and the second I got back into my old routine...I got sick. Really sick. My voice sounds oh so sexy right now, but I'm not going to let that stop me! The show blog must go on!

These Hot Cocoa m&m's were a Walmart exclusive, and they were the seasonal counterpart to the Target Exclusive Café Mocha m&m's. (Which I was a big fan of and reviewed HERE.) I was originally going to skip this seasonal sweet because, well...I thought it was a gimmick and nothing more. I mean, m&m's are already chocolate flavored, and hot cocoa is just a drinkable milk chocolate, so how are these going to taste any different than the normal candy? After talking to Cybele and seeing The Impulsive Buy's photos showing the layered candy inside, my curiosity got the best of me, and I grabbed a bag for myself.

Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Holidrizzle Popcorn - Target

Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Holidrizzle Popcorn - Target

On our most recent episode of Candyology 101, Cybele and I noticed that a lot of candy companies were releasing peppermint themed sweets this year, which is a bit of a throwback to a wintery classic, but there were also a bunch of new Hot Cocoa themed products. For me, hot cocoa flavored sweets are in the same realm as the Red Velvet Cake ones. It's a novelty. I mean, what is hot cocoa? It's chocolate, melted into milk, with marshmallows. How can you recreate that into a snack without it just tasting like normal milk chocolate?

Even though I was skeptical, I just couldn't pass this product by.

Project 7 Red Velvet Cupcake Gum - Target

Project 7 Red Velvet Cupcake Gum - Target

Do any of you watch Orange is The New Black? If you do, you might remember THIS scene where prison guard, and fad-dieter, O'Neill goes on a tirade about the popularity of Red Velvet Cake and how he personally feels like it's a scam.

You tell 'em O'Neill! I grew up watching cooking shows, so even though I know that Red Velvet Cake is indeed a real thing, and a Southern tradition, I can't help but agree with him. The sudden surge of products and popularity we are seeing is a total scam coasting on tons of food dye and all of the food companies out there are getting in on it. We have Oreos, yogurts, m&m's, and now? Chewing gum. Even Project 7 isn't immune to the trendiness of this red-hued wannabe. I love this company and their concept, but I hate the trendiness of all this red velvet cake nonsense, so let's see if trying this gum will make any difference in my velvet-y stance.

UK Food Review PART 1 - Swap with Food Review UK

I did a swap with Food Review UK, and here’s part 1 of my review videos!

Pumpkin Gnocchi - Aldi

Pumpkin Gnocchi - Aldi

More savory pumpkin treats! Thank the foodie gods! I love the crazy influx of pumpkin related goods each fall, but almost all of them are desserts. After a few years, all of these pumpkin spiced sweets are slowly killing me! Where's the variety?  Thankfully Aldi really delivered this year. I got pumpkin pasta sauce, 3 different kinds of ravioli, stuffing, croutons and gnocchi! How awesome is that?

The ravioli have been a bit hit or miss as far as savory fall dishes are concerned, but I have high hopes for these gnocchi!

Hello Halloween Pumpkin Marshmallows - H-Mart

Hello Halloween Pumpkin Marshmallows - H-Mart

I'm a total Scrooge when it comes to Christmas and winter-holidays, so I won't be reviewing anything "winter-y" until December. (When I kind of have to.) For me, November isn't about pre-gaming for Christmas, it's more about celebrating post-Halloween and scooping up tons of clearance snacks and goodies. 

These marshmallows were another item that were featured in my H-Mart Halloween Haul video, and not only are these adorable little orange puffs shaped like 3-D pumpkins, but they're pumpkin flavored! Not pumpkin spiced, but actual pumpkin! I had to give them their own in-depth review! 

Sweet Chili Chicken- Aldi

Sweet Chili Chicken- Aldi

Something savory?! Thank the foodie gods! For the last two weeks I've reviewed nothing but sweets and I was seriously starting to burn myself out. I need to get some savory snacks queued up before I end up ruining candy for myself forever.

Normally I make home cooked meals after a long day at work, but I've been more busy than usual. Between my day job, freelancing, recording, photo and video editing, review writing and having what little social-life a hermit like me can handle, I'm completely and utterly burnt out. Tonight I'm phoning it in and we're having a freezer meal. (It's gotta be better than ordering take-out, right?)

Blood Orange Sparkling Italian Soda - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Blood Orange Sparkling Italian Soda - Aldi: Cherry Hill, NJ

Two Aldi products in a row? Normally like to switch things up, but I wanted to share this with my mom and step dad (who are Neapolitan and Sicilian) so I had to hurry up and review this so we could drink it together.

(I'm trying my best to resist making Project Runway references, but I make no promises.)

More Taffy! (James Salt Water Taffy from Wildwood, NJ)

James Salt Water Taffy - Wildwood, NJ

I have been having a REALLY hard time writing this week. I've edited tons of photos, and started writing several different reviews, but I can't stay focused enough to finish any of them. Thankfully it's the weekend (well nearly the weekend) and I am going to sit down and force myself to do it. Even if it means drinking some coffee. (Which I very very rarely do.)

This may not be a fully fleshed out review, but I thought it'd be fun to try some different flavors of Salt Water Taffy that I picked up during my last day trip to the shore.

Fusia Frozen Shrimp & Avocado Rolls - Aldi

Fusia Frozen Shrimp & Avocado Rolls - Aldi

The frozen California rolls I reviewed last week were better than I expected, and I was able to eat all 15 pieces, so I figure I'd try the next flavor, Shrimp and Avocado.

Round 2! (*Ding*ding*)

Chimes Ginger Chews - Peppermint, Peanut Butter & Orange

Chimes Ginger Chews - Summer Fancy Food Show Samples

I bought that bag of Chimes classic ginger chews well before the Fancy Food Show, because I loved the packaging. So when I saw them at the Fancy Food Show, I had to stop by and tell them how much I loved their designs.

While I was at their table I grabbed a few samples of their other flavors to try, so here's a handy, dandy, little sampler review!

Chimes Ginger Chews - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

Chimes Ginger Chews - Marshall's - Marlton, NJ

One of the things Cybele and I mentioned on Candyology101 this year was trying to overcome our dislike of certain flavored sweets. She is trying to overcome her dislike of cherry, and I've been trying to warm up to ginger. So far, it's been going pretty well. I really liked Super Ginger, and I've been drinking more ginger-based beverages and sodas. I used to feel like the strong flavoring was similar to a cleaning product, but now I've come to really appreciate it's unique spiciness.

Since I'm trying more ginger products, and I'm a sucker for a pretty package, I couldn't resist picking these up when I was at Marshall's. (Where I still can't find any jeans that fit me and aren't flares. I swear, I will burn the women's clothing section to the ground.)

Warheads Sour Worms - Dollar Tree

Warheads Sour Worms - Dollar Tree

Remember these from our Candyology101 Treat or Trick section? It was a while ago, but I finally found them! Warheads were really popular when I was growing up in the 1990's, so I was excited to see what the brand was doing these days with their newer products.

I'm hoping that these are some kind of super sour gummy worm, but they look just like normal gummy worms sold by Trolli and every other candy company out there. Maybe they made these look like normal gummy worms so that you could easily swap the two out for pranks? I guess we'll find out! After all, looks can be deceiving. 

Swedish Fish Trident Layers Gum - Gift

Swedish Fish Trident Layers Gum - Gift

Okay, time to get back into the swing of things. I have a ton of posts related to the Summer Fancy Food Show coming up, but my brain (and legs) are basically pudding. It'll take me a day or two to recover and collect my thoughts. In the meantime, let's get back into the normal review routine.

This was one of the candy items I mentioned in the "Desperately Seeking" segment of Candyology101. I really wanted to try this chewing gum, and I had been looking for it everywhere, but I just couldn't find it. Right before I left for NY there was a pretty strong storm here in NJ (some argue it was a tornado) and a lot of people lost power. My bosses went out after the storm to grab some lighters and candles, and when they saw this gum, they bought it for me. (Thank you!)