#cocoa plus

[balancednotclean-blog]

Cocoa Plus High Protein Milk Chocolate Review

Some of you may remember my first review of Cocoa Plus’ high protein chocolate. I was really impressed with it. There was no graininess in the slightest and it had an impressive richness to it akin to a dark chocolate without there being any bitter notes.

So it’s safe to say that my hopes were high for the latest addition to their range - a milk protein chocolate bar! As every consumer of chocolate will know, milk chocolate includes milk solids as well as cocoa solids. It’s also common for it to be sweeter than its dark chocolate counterpart, but it isn’t as sweet as white chocolate due to cocoa solids still being present (rather than just cocoa butter).

This particular addition to the range has a cocoa content of 40%, which is pretty good for a milk chocolate bar (certainly higher than the likes of Cadbury and Galaxy), and means the bar will pack more of those compounds that scientists rave about in dark chocolate.

Breaking off a couple of squares happens with a snappy flourish. I’d say it’s slightly less of a firm snap than the darker variety, but that’s unsurprising considering how milk should be creamier.

Biting into these squares is as enjoyable as the original bars too - with each square being a generous but sensible size with a pleasing sloped shape, giving the centre of the square excellent bite.

Taste wise, I’d actually say it exceeded my expectations. It’s gloriously rich, perfectly smooth and as chocolatey as chocolate can be. There is no way I would have thought this was “protein chocolate” if I had been fed blind. A sweet milkiness complements the cocoa perfectly, very much reminding me of excellent Belgian chocolate and my long love of Hotel Chocolat.

Melting a couple of squares on porridge really lets the flavours shine. Mellow, hearty chocolate tones reminiscent of the best hot chocolate I ever had (on a ski trip in Italy when I was 12!) hit me all at once. I thought their original flavour was my favourite - but now I’m second guessing myself!

Clearly the pricing of these bars is higher than that of your average corner shop snack, but I truly think this is a league ahead - both in taste and nutrition. I was provided this milk chocolate free of charge to review - but I have and will continue to buy their products for gifts and my own consumption.

This is extremely well done - and gives me a lot of faith that perhaps one day, we’ll have a high protein white chocolate worth shouting about.

Nutritionally, per 100g, this is approximately 20 calories higher than their original darker chocolate (as well as their flavoured and crispy ranges). Well worth it in my opinion. Give it a try - you won’t regret it.

Taste Rating: 10 amazing taste.

Texture Rating: 9/10 would love to see these in the thicker mini bars.

Value Rating: 7.5/10 clearly more expensive than a typical milk chocolate bar, but equally I enjoy this far more. Plus… I do have 20% discount code! BALANCEDNOTCLEAN

Nutrition Rating: 7.5/10 Certainly higher protein and fibre than a traditional milk chocolate bar.

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Well worth a try!

[balancednotclean-blog]

Cocoa+: High Protein Easter Egg with Crispies Review

I think it is fitting for me to share a review for Cocoa+’s protein Easter Eggs with crispies in the evening of Easter Sunday.

I’ve previously shared a review for Cocoa+’s High Protein Chocolate and was very impressed by it. However, the question on our minds today is - should protein chocolate really be something we’re considering on Easter Sunday, arguably the day when ‘normal’ chocolate takes precedence?

Visually, it certainly looks the part. Although there are a few scuffs, the darker chocolate egg (the same colour as their original chocolate) has a raised, milkier middle with crispy pieces.

It’s a fairly small egg at 40g, but clearly it is designed to be eaten whole. It fits comfortable into the palm of my hand (like you can see in the photo at the start of this post). I think it’s quite cute!

Biting into the egg reveals a very thin chocolate shell. I was actually initially a little disappointed with the thickness, but the same, rich, deep chocolate comes through and satisfies you straight away. It also has a great snap and melts smoothly on your tongue.

And… the egg does get thicker as you go down! Winner!

My furious chomping revealed a much thicker lower half of the egg, which was very satisfying indeed. The crispies part actually snapped off cleanly from the rest of the egg at one point, so I got to savour that part of the egg individually. It’s slightly sweeter than the rest of the egg - but I thought the whey protein crispies were the real stars of this inclusion. I’d really like to see more of their products with these crispies in, in fact, as they add just that little bit extra to set apart the texture.

Overall, this egg was a pleasant, ovular surprise. Would I have them to entirely replace my chocolate intake on Easter Sunday and the surrounding period? No, probably not - but I’d definitely have them alongside or as treats at other times! The novelty shape is nice, in my opinion - filling it with proyo or fluff could be a good idea…

Here’s the nutritional information:

Taste Rating: 9 (Same creamy, intense flavour of the standard bars but in egg form. Also has the pleasant inclusion)

Texture Rating: 8/10 (Was going to boost the texture rating up a little from the original bar because of the crispies, but I think I prefer the more even thickness of the original bars)

Value Rating: 7/10 (Quite expensive for a small egg at £2.99 but does include whey isolate rather than concentrate so that will boost up the price. Plus, you can get an additional 20% off with my code BALANCEDNOTCLEAN ;) )

Nutrition Rating: 7.5/10 (Certainly higher protein and fibre than a traditional Easter egg, and gluten free despite the crispies which is a nice touch.)

Final Rating: 8/10

I think this is pretty tasty fare, and definitely competes on the taste front despite being higher protein. However, if Easter is a day for you where you just want lots of tasty food, opting for cheaper, traditional eggs may be your best bet.

However, I have seen lots of ‘foodie hampers’ on Instagram this year where these eggs and other snacks have been given to gym goers. I could definitely see these being a thoughtful gift for somebody interested in nutrition and fitness.

As for everyday consumption - I like both ‘normal’ chocolate and Cocoa Plus’ higher protein bars. Still got my fingers crossed that they’ll release white chocolate, but now I hope they’ll add crispies into their range more often too!

If you’re interested in buying the last of these eggs or just want to get their classic bars, you can get direct from them here. Remember you can use the code BALANCEDNOTCLEAN on their site for a further 20% off if you wish.

If you want to see other stockists, check out the codes section of my site.

[balancednotclean-blog]

Cocoa+ (Cocoa Plus) High Protein Chocolate (Hearts & Bar) Review

Protein chocolate... seriously?

That seems to be the case. Bars like Quest Bars (other providers are available... ;-) ) have become synonymous with the term ‘protein snack’ of late, but it appears that 2016 may be trying to shake that up.

Cocoa+, and their rather trendy slogan ‘It’s Good + More Good’ say they are providing quality chocolate with 17g of quality protein (from whey isolate, so it has all 9 essential amino acids) in each 70g bar. The little dinky, cute hearts were released in a bag for Valentine’s Day.

Now, I am a chocoholic. I take no chocolatey prisoners. Especially at Easter Time, which is looming around the corner (apparently these guys have got protein easter eggs?!). The only time I could probably say I have taken chocolate prisoners is when I temporarily store a chocolate Lindt bunny in its cell (my cupboard) before its execution (me eating it).

Needless to say, I know what good chocolate is.

Let’s review. [Plays Weakest Link music]...

The first good thing I noticed was how this bar has a good snap. I remember on a programme like Money Saving Tips or something on Channel Four that apparently that means it is high quality. All I really know is that it smells good, and I want to eat it.

As you can see I took a savage bite straight through the middle. Hello, chocolate. Each square is thick enough to give that gloriously delicious chomp-factor like Dairy Milk’s used to make me feel (before Mondelez ruined the recipe... booo....), but clearly this is dark chocolate so a direct taste comparison with Dairy Milk is unfair.

At 70% cocoa content, this guy is pretty rich - but the creaminess is evident, and I’m pretty impressed. I don’t see it replacing ‘normal’ chocolate when I really want it, but I get these guys’ message wholeheartedly - it’s good, tasty chocolate with a nice boost of protein. They’ve managed to not come across as ‘EAT CLEAN TRAIN DIRTY’ maniacs whilst providing a product that I think will appeal to a lot of folk, whether they’re fitness fans or just choco-conneisseurs. By the way, I do have a code at the end of this post because, spoiler alert, I like this stuff!

I did manage to resist chomping through quite so fast to actually savour a piece and let it melt - and that was a fairly rewarding experience. However, I then felt it necessary to upgrade my bar to next level combo magic.

Behold, Protein Chocolate with Peanut Butter:

MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Chocolate + Peanut Butter = Good + More Good? Definitely.

Anyway, back to an actual review... next, I’ll show you the cute little hearts they made.

The contrast between the blue packaging and the chocolate really does make it look as dark and soulless as my actual heart. Woah. (Just kidding).

I can faithfully report that these are also very tasty, but these appear to melt better. I wonder if that is because they are just so perfectly smooth, and just the right size to linger on my tongue whilst staying away from my gnashers? Maybe (actually, the macros show slightly different nutrition, so the ingredients are slightly different). Oh - I should also mention here that all of the chocolate - bar or heart - melts pretty well when warmed up, so if you’re a protein bar baker or chocolate drizzler that is an option too.

They came in a cute bag of 10 chocolates (56g total) - I think it was £2.99, like the bars themselves (although buying the 6 packs is cheaper per bar). So, from a price perspective, they’re inline with premium chocolate brands - but considering you get protein as well as that, I think it’s somewhat of an agreeable, tasty compromise between a protein bar and chocolatey treat. You can get a further 20% off any order using BALANCEDNOTCLEAN as your code at checkout (and as you all know by now, I only get codes for products I really like!).

So: that’s all for me on this Cocoa+ chocolate. They pleasantly surprised me. Protein chocolate originally had me enivisioning horrifically grainy, chalky rubbish that I wouldn’t like, but these people have really done a good job. My advised tasks for the people at Cocoa+? Make more (and make white chocolate too, if possible...!).

I’ll try and get hold of the Easter Eggs to review before Easter as well!

The Final Rating

Taste Rating: 9/10 (creamy, dark, intense but not bitter flavour)

Texture Rating: 8/10 (good snap and munch factor - can’t really say much else)

Value Rating: 7.5/10 (although an 8 with my 20% off discount code - BALANCEDNOTCLEAN - ;) )

Nutrition Rating: 8/10 (doesn’t promise mad claims, tastes good, delivers a decent amount of protein as advertised without being entirely protein - see below for nutrition)

How Well It Pairs With Peanut Butter Rating: 11/10 (won’t include this in my final rating, though, for fairness!)

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Nutrition:

Per 100g of the bar: 525kcal; 35.3g fat (21.3g saturated); 24.8g net carbs (21.4g sugar); 8.7g fibre; 27.1g protein

Per 5.2g chocolate heart: 27kcal; 1.8g fat (1.1g saturated); 1.2g net carbs (1.1g sugar); 0.4g fibre, 1.4g protein 

You can use the 20% discount code BALANCEDNOTCLEAN here.