For some people, the combination of coffee and chocolate is one of the worst ever invented. For others (like me), it's the combination of two of life's greatest pleasures - cocoa beans and coffee beans.
For Christmas 2022, square chocolate maker Ritter Sport launched a new limited edition flavour celebrating the two beans in one.
Named Crispy Coffee, this bar features a white chocolate, cornflake, and coffee paste base, with a dark chocolate cap. Cornflakes, chocolate and coffee sounds like the ideal breakfast to me, so is this bar a great way to start the day?
Packaging
The colour scheme for this bar is a light pinkish brown. The Ritter Sport logo sits in the centre of the square-shaped packaging, with stylised "Crispy Coffee" text at the bottom. To the left sits a "new" graphic while above this is a bright green graphic explaining that the cocoa used in this bar is 100% certified and sustainable. A graphic of a couple of segments sits at the top right.
The rear of the packaging features small white text on the light pinkish brown background, making it difficult to read. The ingredients and nutritional information is printed in English, Italian, and Danish.
Ritter Sport Crispy Coffee Chocolate Bar ingredients:
Sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whole milk powder, corn (4.5%), lactose, ground coffee (1.5%), butterfat, emulsifier (soya lecithin), salt, barley malt. Cocoa solids: 50% minimum (dark chocolate).
It's always disappointing to see sugar listed as the primary ingredient. here, it helps drive the sugar value of this bar to 51%.
The cocoa in this bar is Rainforest Alliance certified. Text at the bottom of the packaging explains that cocoa is sourced from long-term partnerships.
Ritter Sport Crispy Coffee Chocolate Bar Review
The packaging offers an easy peel opening mechanism that does a reasonable job at resealing, should you wish to save some chocolate until later.
Peeling it back reveals a rich aroma of coffee, with a dark chocolate background. The bar is cast in the usual 4 x 4 grid that Ritter Sport favours for its 100g bars, with their logo cast in each segment.
The dark chocolate seems to be cast in the mould first, as there's thin lines of dark chocolate running along the grooves between the segments, that correspond with nozzles on a production line. Tan white chocolate is dispensed on top, and then, when set, the bar is tipped upright.
I initially thought the dark chocolate was used as a thin coating around the tan white chocolate, but after cutting into a segment, it turns out the dark chocolate layer is the same depth as the outer marker, so around half each segment is dark chocolate. The lower half is then a combination of white chocolate, coffee paste and cornflake pieces.
Coffee is the central flavour here, with the dark chocolate lending a touch of intensity and depth, balancing the sweetness and creaminess of the white chocolate. The cornflakes feel unnecessary and almost distracting, but they add a playful textural twist.
Whereas in the Ritter Sport White Cinnamon Crisp Chocolate Bar I felt the cinnamon was perhaps too strong, here the coffee isn't strong enough. The creamy and dark chocolates are capable to supporting a more robust, more powerful, more intense coffee flavour. I crave a rush of espresso notes to round everything off.
Ritter Sport Crispy Coffee Chocolate Bar Review
RRP: £0.99 | Ritter Sport | Shop now
As a coffee and chocolate lover, I willed this bar to be a tasty treat, but it just lacks depth for me. A stronger coffee component, or trading out some of the cornflakes for coffee bean flecks, would help balance out the flavours. I like the combination of dark and white chocolate to create a caffè latte effect, but a punchier coffee would be more enjoyable.
Where to Buy Online
I bought my bar from Lidl. It since appears to have been discontinued, or is a seasonal line. There's a small quantity available on Amazon° and eBay° at the time of writing.
It might be available to import through the likes of Brands of Germany, where it may be named "Kaffee Knusper".
Should Ritter Sport make this a permanent addition to their range? Let me know in a comment below.
