Lindt HELLO Chocolate Sticks

From time to time many chocolate companies come out with new products in the craziest varieties imaginable. However, most of these novelties cannot persuade me or I don't even dare trying them (my taste buds just don't agree with the combination of chocolate and chili).
Nevertheless a relatively new product range could actually surprise me. The Swiss chocolate company Lindt, who are known for their rather traditional and old-fashioned image, launched a new chocolate collection called HELLO which is supposed to target a much younger audience. The packaging has a modern design with each product "introducing" itself with the words "Hello my name is ... nice to sweet you". The appealing presentation as well as the interesting sounding flavours (of which there are currently 8 out) eventually made me want to try the products. 

You can get them in the regular 100g-size and also in stick-shaped bars (about 40g) which is a really practical size when you're not quite sure whether you're actually going to like a flavour. So far, I only bought the sticks but I'm pretty sure the bigger version tastes just the same.

Cookies & Cream:

milk chocolate surrounding a cream filling (36%) and small chocolate chip cookie pieces (8%)

Although this flavour is definitely quite delicious it is also not very exciting at the same time. I would prefer if the cream had more of a taste of its own as it is not much more than very sweet. Also, the cookie pieces could be a bit bigger which might balance out the sweetness of the filling.

Crunchy Nougat:

milk chocolate surrounding a hazelnut nougat filling (38%) with crunchy brittle (3%) and waffle pieces (3%)

This is the only flavour that I actually bought quite hesitantly. To be honest, I only got it to have tried them all ... which is admittedly a bit pathetic, now that I think about it. As I usually don't like nuts I of course didn't expect this to be a revelation for me. I have to say though that the nougat filling actually tasted quite okay. In addition, the crunchy brittle makes this bar a bit more interesting. I guess this could be quite an appealing flavour ... for someone who actually likes nuts (which I still don't).

Caramel Brownie:

milk chocolate surrounding a caramel brownie filling (13/28%) with dark chocolate cookie pieces (3%)

What is described as a "caramel brownie filling" is not much more than simple caramel with a slightly hazelnutty chocolate cream underneath that has some crunchy cookie bits in it. The caramel is very tasty and has a creamy and not too chewy consistency which is something I dislike about other chocolate bars like Mars or Twix. Nonetheless, the tasty caramel plus some chocolate cream with small crumbs in it don't make this a brownie yet. So if you're expecting something that is similar to a real brownie out of the oven, you'll certainly be a bit disappointed. For all that, it does actually taste good apart from the nutty aftertaste which is - again - no problem if you like nuts (d'uh).

Strawberry Cheesecake:

milk chocolate surrounding a strawberry cream cheese filling (45%) with small cookie crumbles (3%)

Similar to the Caramel Brownie flavour, what is sold as a cheesecake here doesn't actually taste much like the real thing. This is not supposed to mean that it's not delicious, though. The sweet cream tastes of fruity strawberries which might be due to the strawberry granulate in it. The small crumbles in it give the whole bar a bit more of an interesting texture. This flavour was no innovation for me as it strongly reminded me of the  "yogurette" bars which are quite popular in Germany.

Dark Chocolate Cookie:
dark chocolate surrounding a chocolate cream filling (35%) with dark chocolate cookie pieces (3,5%)

Chocolate overload! This is actually the first flavour that comes with dark chocolate instead of the "standard" milk chocolate which I definitely really like. The chocolate is not too bitter and melts absolutely tenderly in your mouth. The already intensive flavour is even more intensified through the chocolate filling and chocolate cookie crumbles. Overall, this might even be one of my favourite creations! The only downside to it might be that it does not only melt nicely in your mouth but also whilst holding it between your fingers ... I'd recommend having a tissue at hand ;)

Salted Caramel:
milk chocolate filled with liquid caramel (45%) and a hint of salt

hmmmm ... salted caramel ♥ As I'm a fan of the sweet & salty pairing (chocolate covered pretzels, for example) it was practically predetermined that I would be liking this flavour. I have to say that there is not such an amount of salt in it that'd make you want to chug pints of water afterwards but only a tiny bit of it. However, this slight hint of salt makes the caramel immediately so much more exciting than just simple melted sugar which can sometimes be nothing but sweet in my opinion. This is probably my favourite creation of them all so far! Admittedly, this bar is also  a little difficult to eat as the caramel is quite runny. You kind of have to go with a whole piece of the stick at once to avoid having some caramel dribbling down your chin ... but let's be honest: there could be far more worse things to put up with.

Coffee Blast:
milk chocolate surrounding coffee cream (15%) on top of milk cream (27%)

I admit that I was sort of hesitant to try this one at first. Normally, I'm not that into coffee-flavoured things that aren't actual coffee. Against my expectations, I was pleasantly surprised when I first tried this bar. The coffee and milk cream harmonize nicely and the coffee flavour doesn't taste too artificial. This might also be due to the little crumble pieces inside which taste pretty intensive and have a distinct coffee-like bitterness to them especially when you break them with your teeth.


Sweet Popcorn:
milk chocolate surrounding a chocolate filling with popcorn bits (38%)

This creation ranks second on my list, I'd say. The chocolate filling in this seems to be firmer compared to other flavours which seemingly intensifies the chocolate taste of the whole bar. However, you shouldn't expect "real" popcorn bits to be inside of the filling. Instead, there are small crunchy pieces inside that do nevertheless have a popcorn-like taste ... or just corn-taste actually. Having a look at the ingredients confirmed my assumption: The bits inside are in fact corn-popcorn-granulate. In spite of everything I really like this flavour and I think it is the most interesting/ inventive one so far.

When the collection first launched I remember that there had also been a flavour called Apple Crumble which was milk chocolate filled with an apple cream cheese filling and cookie pieces. As an avowed lover of nearly everything that has to do with apples this was my actual favourite creation! For some inexplicable reason they discontinued the flavour and took it off the market without a word. I don't understand why there wouldn't be enough people buying this delicacy *shakes head in disappointment*.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to trying new creations from the collection!
Have you already tried one of these? Do you have a favourite flavour? ☺