After the year we've all had, who wouldn't want to hit the bar?

We've all had our share of worry and stress in 2020 and it could drive anyone to the bar. Well as long as it's not after 10PM as once again our local governor has reinstated that restriction. Since I don't drink (unless I'm trying out randomness because we have an included drink package on a cruise), my time at the bar is spent in the form of a chocolate bar.

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a couponer and bargain hunter so I love it when I get the chance to try and review products provided free in exchange for my honest opinion. (I'm legally obligated to add that part) Especially when they're edible! So when Lindt Lindor chocolate asked me, as a member of their Master Chocolatiers Unwrapped research panel, if I'd be willing to participate in a chocolate taste test opportunity I gladly said yes. 

I figured what might show up is a couple small samples or single chocolate bars from Lindt that would be the size you might get out of a vending machine. Instead, I get a small box that contains 3 different brands of large size chocolate bars. They are all milk chocolate (they did ask in the pre-survey whether I'd be willing to sample milk, white, or dark chocolate and I said umm yes) but one is Lindt, one is Cadbury, and one is Hershey's. As you can see by the XL printed on the wrapper of the Hershey's bar, I could be chocolate wasted for a month. Especially since my normal chocolate consumption is usually only during one certain week each month, am I right ladies? Though I wouldn't say no to a Reese's peanut butter cup or York Peppermint Pattie if Hershey's felt like being generous. Usually the way to my heart candy wise is via Jelly Belly, gummy candies/fruity Tootsie Rolls, or Sour Patch Kids. Just in case Jelly Belly, Haribo, Chuckles, or Sour Patch Kids might stumble upon my little corner of the blog world and feel so inclined to supply items for a taste test as well. ;)🙋

Full disclosure - I have tried all three of these brands in the past. And I promise, I really only ate 1-2 little squares off each bar when tasting and shared with the family.

I chose to try the Hershey's bar first.

And more for information's sake because who is really looking at the nutrition information if they're choosing to consume a candy bar?

Each bar was divided into sections with their brand name imprinted on each piece. No chance of doing an unwrapped blind sampling. Oops, there's my Psychology degree sneaking in again.

I appreciated that none of the bars had melted in any way and only one had a small break off of one square. Perhaps the most fun way of putting together a puzzle piece though. :)

For this chocolate taste test, I'll be judging on several criteria. Sight - how does the chocolate look? Does it look appetizing, shiny, or dull? Smell - your sense of smell and taste are very closely related which is why smelling something good cooking makes your mouth water. Science for the win! Does the smell remind me of something else a.k.a. a scent or sense memory? Texture - Does the chocolate break off easily? Does it feel soft or dense? Does it hold up when consumed or disintegrate quickly? And lastly of course is Taste. Is it creamy or bitter? Didn't know there was this much to think about when it came to chocolate did you?

For the Hershey's Milk Chocolate "XL" bar: 

Sight - the chocolate looked dull but appetizing.

Smell - smells like a childhood filled with Smores and fun size bars at Halloween. You can really pick up the scent of cocoa.

Texture - the chocolate rectangle did break fairly easily into individual blocks. Felt the softest of the three bars but not so soft that it melts away the second you ingest it. It lasts just long enough to give off the chocolate taste before easily breaking down. Easy to savor for a couple moments. 

Taste - Creamy. Releases the taste of chocolate as it lingers momentarily before breaking down. Light enough in chocolate flavor that you wouldn't mind eating a few pieces.

Next up is the Cadbury Dairy Milk Milk Chocolate bar. I've been to the United Kingdom where it's more like "Which Cadbury variety would you like?" rather than just "What kind of candy bar would you like?" I was a little interested to learn from the label though that Cadbury is now under the Hershey Company brand. I used to be obsessed with the Cadbury Chocolate Easter Eggs as a kid. 

This was the bar that had broken off one of the squares by the time I opened the wrapper. Can you tell where the broken piece was?

Sight - Dull, reminded me more of the brick of baker's chocolate. 

Smell - Took me back to the smell of Cadbury crème eggs.

Texture - Easy to break off the squares, felt more dense in my hand than Hershey's. The texture when eating however is what I didn't like. It turned gooey and felt like I was working through a piece of taffy to break down. I had to force myself not to give up and spit it out as it seemed to be coming together versus breaking down.

Taste - This bar definitely gave off more of a richer milk chocolate taste but it soon turned more chalky as it took so long to break down. Took some effort to break off a piece from the main section but easier if you wanted a little less than what broke off. Least likely of the trio to break evenly along the square lines.

And lastly, the Lindt "Classic Recipe" milk chocolate bar. Lindt is known for being more of a premium chocolate brand with a richer taste and richer price tag than a brand like Hershey's. 

Even the inside wrapping made it feel like I was opening a special present

However, it also added to the hassle of opening the bar to get to the chocolate. As I picked up the bar in one hand to unwrap the folds with the other, the long bar bent and cracked in sections. I pulled up on the foil and it came off in tiny separate strips rather than just folding back like you'd expect. Eventually, I tore through enough of the silver wrapper to unearth one snapped off section. Seems that Lindt is pricier because it includes a workout in order to get the candy bar open. Either that or I'm just less coordinated than I thought. 

Sight - This was the shiniest bar of the three options and also looked creamier. 

Smell - The smell reminded me of the little discs of melting chocolate you can purchase to make glazes and pour chocolate into molds. My mom used to make chocolate lollipops to fit the theme of whatever classroom party we had as kids and I remember her melting bowls worth of those little chocolate discs and pouring them into the shaped plastic molds.

Texture - Soft to the touch along the top but sturdy with no give when pressed upon. Easy to break along the scored lines around each rectangle. Took some time to start melting but revealed a true creamy texture as it broke down in my mouth.

Taste - More of a richer chocolate flavor. Creamier than Hershey's but in a much better way than Cadbury. Reminded me more of a premium chocolate piece that you want to savor and let dissolve slowly as you eat. The kind of chocolate that leaves you more satisfied with one or two bites versus a whole regular size bar.

One of the things I noticed about Lindt's questioning while completing their survey questions, is that they made sure to add the stipulation of "if price wasn't an issue." If I was only going by which bar was the cheapest price, Hershey's would win every time. However, without the price issue, I'd say the answer to which one reigns supreme is conditional. If I wanted some chocolate and was in the mood to snack, then Hershey's gets my vote as I'd eat at least half the regular size bar. Hershey's definitely gets my vote if I was using the chocolate for something like Smores or to top a sweet treat like cookies as that needs something that easily breaks down when bitten into. If I wanted something more indulgent that was more like a single moment to savor, then I'd choose Lindt eating only 1-2 pieces at a time. 

If I had to proverbially put my money where my mouth is and rank how I'd personally choose to spend my cash:

1) Hershey's (I prefer the taste without such richness as it gives me just enough of that chocolate taste to satisfy my craving)

2) Lindt (good but very rich in price and chocolate taste)

3) Cadbury (only because I had to put it on the list somewhere)

What happened to posting about cruising?

The latest on where we personally stand on cruise news: We used our FCC (full fare) from both the cancelled 15 day transatlantic and the deposit from the cancelled Canadian cruise tour from 2020 (both booked with Princess) to book a 16 day sailing in August 2021. And shockingly it still didn't cover the fare of this 16 day cruise! For ages, our sailing has shown as having our cabin category sold out which makes it difficult to price match. I'm guessing everyone with unexpected FCCs decided to splurge and book up the suites. Plus the longer cruises tend to have more passengers willing to splurge anyway. A couple weeks ago, it was noticed that Princess was listing all 2021 cruises over 7 days as "Not currently available for booking." 

This was their answer to the CDC's current stipulation that the cruises only sail for up to 7 days sailings which weeds out further destinations like transatlantic itineraries which normally take at least 14 days. Okay, sounds intelligent to prevent people from booking a long cruise you're not sure will be allowed to sail only to have to refund them weeks later. However, the latest claim is that Princess is waiting for further information from the CDC on certain points of their revised order and us with those cruises already booked should simply just be patient waiting to hear what's going to happen to our bookings. There's tons of possibilities from whether it's feasible to break up a long cruise into two back to back cruises to changing/omitting certain port options in your itinerary so it's only 7 days to cancelling your sailing altogether. However, since ours is so long mostly due to sea days, I am fully expecting to hear about the last option coming soon to an email inbox near me. My Princess Vacation Planner seems to be MIA and no, not in Miami, despite calling and emailing twice, except for a promotional email letting me know that as Elite cruisers with Princess, we can now book similar sailings for 2022. Personally, I'd like to know one way or the other about my 2021 booking before giving you any money for 2022. 

Now this morning, Carnival has announced that all of their US sailings of any length through the end of January have been cancelled. In addition, any US sailing from the ports of Baltimore, Charleston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Mobile, New Orleans, and San Diego through February 28th have been cancelled in order to focus on sailings from Miami and Port Canaveral after January followed by Galveston. In case anyone is in need of entertainment that reminds you of a trashy guilty pleasure reality show meets train wreck, Royal Caribbean has announced that you can sign up to be selected to participate as a volunteer in a simulated cruise so they can test out the CDC required protocols. Those interested should fill out the form and then are encouraged to join the "Volunteer of the Seas" Facebook group. I didn't fill out the form but did join the group. If you thought people went nuts for Oprah's Favorite Things...