Whittaker's Chocolate

I'm always eager to try new types of chocolate bars.  I'm not a major chocolate-o-holic, and usually don't opt for chocolate desserts, but a little piece of quality chocolate in the morning alongside my coffee always hits the spot.  Or in the afternoon, for a little pick-me-up.  So, on a recent flight to Sydney, when I saw a new brand of chocolate onboard my various Air New Zealand flights, I was happy to drive in.

The brand was Whittaker's, a New Zealand based company.  The company was founded in 1896 by J.H. Whittaker, when he moved to New Zealand.  Business took off, was passed down through the generations, etc, etc.  Still a family run company.

But you don't care about the history.  You care about the chocolate.  Whittaker's has several product lines, including standard bars (dubbed "Blocks"), fancier bars (the "artisan collection"), and then a bunch of other shapes: slabs, mini-slabs, chunks, squares, pips, and "sante".  The also make chocolate milk, ice cream, toffee, and "k-bars", a kind of toffee based confection.

Our flight had the sante bars, so that is the only product I tried.  I wasn't impressed.  They claim to be the premium chocolate maker not only of New Zealand, but of all of Australasia.  I hoped this isn't the best the region has to offer.

Since then, I've had the chance to try many other styles, as co-workers often bring it to the office as a "local" treat, picking ridiculous flavors.  These have been really fun, and actually much better.

Sante

"There is simply nothing like the snap of one of our pure chocolate sante bars.  Long, thin, and elegant, Sante means health - in a happy way.  These certainly make you feel happy".

Sante bars are just thin, um, bars of chocolate.

They come in 4 varieties: creamy milk, dark, dark peppermint, and dark ghana.  I tried the two that our flight offered.

I did like the Sante form factor, a thin bar, with a nice snap to it.  I'm not quite sure why I liked the form so much, maybe just because it was something different?  But, it worked.

35% Cocoa Creamy Milk Chocolate Bar.

I started with the milk chocolate, a 35% bar.

The chocolate was very nicely creamy.  So far, so good.  Nice form, good creaminess.

But ... the flavor was a bit odd.  There was a strange aftertaste to it, it reminded me of decaf coffee, in that way that decaf coffee sometimes has a bad funk to it.

I couldn't get past the aftertaste, which is sad, as it really was nice and creamy.

50% Cocoa Dark Chocolate Bar.

I moved on to the dark chocolate, only a 50%.

It was ... sweet.  It reminded me of a Hershey Special Dark.  Dark chocolate shouldn't be sweet like this.  It just wasn't at all what I was looking for, but the finish was smooth.

Slabs

"Our slabs have long been one of our most loved products. It started with the peanut slab, made from “good, honest chocolate” as we like to say. Now there are 10 different slabs to choose from, each one better than any other. Honest."

Next up, Slabs.  As you might expect, these are, well, thick, heavy, um, slabs?

Hokey Pokey Slab.

"A single serve slab made from 33% cocoa, 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk chocolate with a hint of caramel and filled with the classic kiwi taste of crunchy honeycomb ‘hokey pokey’ pieces."

Wow, can you get *any* more New Zealand than this?  Classic New Zealand brand of chocolate, filled with the most unique New Zealand sweet?

I enjoyed this bar.  The chocolate was the same decent creamy Whittaker's milk chocolate, as expected.  The hokey pokey bits were sweet crunchy pops.  They added a fun texture and additional sweetness.

Blocks

"These generously sized blocks are designed to share with fellow chocolate lovers. But they’ll have to be quick, obviously."

And Blocks.  Yup, um, blocks of chocolate.  You know, "to share", easy to break off. 

Jelly Tip.

"The classic Kiwi ice-cream flavour reinvented in chocolate with our 28% cocoa sweet vanilla white chocolate on top, flowing raspberry jelly in the middle and 33% cocoa, smooth 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk chocolate with a hint of caramel underneath, in our generous 250g block."

I need to admit that I clearly lack proper kiwi knowledge.  As I had no idea what "Jelly Tip" was.  I guess, an ice cream flavor?  Just when I thought I was figuring out New Zealand and Australian sweets ...

I needed to learn more.

"Whittaker’s has reinvented another Kiwi classic by teaming up with Tip Top to create the satisfyingly good Jelly Tip Block with Milk Chocolate. Whittaker’s has been making some of New Zealand’s favourite chocolates since 1896. Similarly Tip Top has also been making some of New Zealand’s favourite ice creams since 1936, so for these two iconic companies to come together to produce one super delicious treat. It is simply a match made in heaven! 

The Jelly Tip Block gets its name from Tip Top’s Jelly Tip ice cream, with its delicious raspberry jelly tip, creamy vanilla ice cream centre and crisp chocolate shell. Whittaker’s have done their own take on the iconic Jelly Tip with the Jelly Tip Block. A sweet oozing jelly tip centre is covered in a rich milk chocolate base and creamy vanilla white chocolate top. One bite and you’ll wonder why nobody thought about this delicious chocolate combination sooner! 

Raspberry flavoured jelly in white & milk chocolate, Whittaker’s Jelly Tip Block will surely satisfy!"

I must try this ice cream at some point.  But for now, the chocolate.

This was a fun bar.  The white chocolate creamy, smooth, and sweet.  And then, a fruity inside, with a hint of chocolate in the mix too.

Not what I reach for when I want *chocolate*, but a nice sweet, slightly fruity, alternative.