stories:
Supertaster
I Paid: $2.49 for a 2.82-ounce bar (prices may vary by region)
More Fake Diet Chocolate
An aerated candy bar
Candy bars very similar to the new Bubble Chocolate were launched here twice before, and failed in both instances. The first time was in the ’70s, with a bar called Choco-Lite, and the second was in the 1980s, when it was called Aero. (The Aero bar is big in the UK and Australia, though.) So what is this bar anyway, and why don’t Americans like it?
Bubble Chocolate is aerated, which means it’s in light, flaky layers (sort of like a chocolate croissant) that collapse into powdery dust on your tongue. I would guess that the bar failed in the past because, stateside, there’s a perception that weight equals value. Americans like big, meaty portions, and this thing is featherweight.
Nevertheless, it’s not a bad candy car. As the chocolate melts, it seems to coat your mouth, and the pronounced chocolate flavor asserts itself, so the product seems more substantial than it is.
This time around, Bubble Chocolate is trying to do what Mars did for 3 Musketeers: turn its Achilles heel (the candy bar tastes light and insubstantial) into a selling point for dieters (this light chocolate bar has fewer calories per bite!). Arguably a diet food, a large bar is 2.82 ounces and about 400 calories. But at least unlike the previously reviewed huffable chocolate, it’s meant to be eaten.
Bubble Chocolate is not from Nestle.
And I think you have the calories wrong. It's 200 calories per portion, not per bar.
Yes I am sure that it is not from Nestle. I was going to have it in my store but I heard that it was made in Belarus and I don't know anything about Belarus except that was part of the old Russain Soviet Union and I am not sure about food from there. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Also I think that I didn't want to be associated with something that was pretending to be a diet product. It is a chocolate afterall!
Aero bars are also big in Canada, and interestingly, I never thought of them as the "diet" version of a chocolate bar, nor does anyone else from what I've heard. They're just a nicely done chocolate bar with a very pleasant texture to them.
It is about time Nestle made a good tasting chocolate bar, maybe they will get the aerated chocolate bar to catch on here, heard that they make some of the finest chocolate products in Belarus.
Hi re vorpal's comment about diet bars, Bubble chocolate are claiming diet properties for their chocolate and the article also makes this claim. Bubble chocolate are using blogs to make diet claims that they cannot make on the box because oz for oz they have the same calories as any other chocolate. If you ever get your hands on some Nestle chocolate from Switzerland you really would taste some great chocolate.
You know I have read where Nestle and Hershey's and some of the large manufactures are building factories in eastern Europe. I guess Nestle figures they can get a better tasting aerated chocolate bar produced in Belarus more economically, I would imagine they would know about chocolate. This Bubble Chocolate has really gotten my attention did a search its all over the blogs. I think I will order some I could afford to lose about 20 Lbs; wish they could make aerated pasta!
Sarahskitchen, do not fear Belarusian chocolate! I am an American expat living in Belarus and I promise you that Belarusian chocolate is tasty stuff. No corn syrup or other odd ingredients. The two best known manufacturers are Spartak and Kommunarka. If you have a Russian-speaking community nearby, there are grocery stores where you can easily find and sample Spartak chocolates. Kommunarka chocolates are even better IMO, but not as easy to find in the US as Spartak. A little more about Belarusian chocolate -- baking chocolate is unknown in these parts, so I substitute regular bar chocolate in recipes (82% cocoa works well in place of baking chocolate, 74% stands in for semisweet, both readily available at most grocery stores). We also have multiple aerated chocolate products here in Belarus, including four varieties from Moscow-based Kraft.ru. (The Russians, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians also make some fine chocolates.) As for Bubble Chocolate, it's not from Nestle (makers of the Aero bars I loved when they were introduced in the US and still enjoy occasionally here). Google "bubble chocolate" for more info and their website. (Note -- I am not associated in any way with Bubble Chocolate or any other confectioner, I'm just an American chocolate lover who is very far from home.)
It looks like an Aero bar WOW!! I did not think that anything with sugar and milk can be consider diet food.
typetive, thanks for pointing out those oversights! They've been corrected in the story.
Deborah from CHOW
Beware those "sugar free" chocolates made with malitol or sorbitol- those have been known to cause intestinal distress when over indulging.
Unlike the Aero, which does indeed crumble into chocolate dust on the tongue, Choco-Lite was excellent - it had a nice, substantial bite that was enhanced by krispy rice. I was very sorry when this candy bar was discontinued.
I ordered Bubble Chocolate off the website. I have to say the taste and texture is simply delicious. It is simply wonderful, actually was amazed at how great it tasted. Carton looked great and is All Natural to boot.
I Have Seen The Lite, I Have Converted to Bubble Chocolate !
I have signed up on their FaceBook page
The "Bubble Chocolate City" is very cool.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BubbleC...
I loved Choco-Lite when I was a kid but I'm fairly certain it didn't have rice--I just remember the tiny bubble holes. I may have to try Bubble Chocolate out if it's similar to Choco-Lite.
I saw this Bubble Chocolate in the dollar store here (SW Ontario, Canada). It is nowhere near as good as Aero (btw, that part in the original story should be fixed as well; Aero is not just a British or Australian product: it's made in Canada, too). The Bubble Chocolate just tasted like crumbly wax to me. I ended up throwing it out.
I do love Aero and have lived in Canada for many years before moving to Baltimore. I truly missed my Aero bar because I can't find it anywhere near that sells Aero. In fact I would say out of 100 people maybe 2 have heard of Aero here.
I heard about Bubble Chocolate and have bought 2 cases so far off their website. I have to disagree with the previous post but Bubble Chocolate is a very good aerated bar. It is no Aero but has it own distinct flavor which I growing to love.
Rollover,
I think the British Import Store in Frederick, MD (14 N. Market St.) carries Aero. Call them to find out. You could also order it from importers online.