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Metro
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Supermarket own-brand chocolate bar crowned better than Cadbury, Tony's and M&S
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Is there a problem a chocolate can't solve? Whether it's a case of the Mondays or it's that time of the month, a little sweet treat can work wonders. Many of us will likely reach for the likes of Cadbury or Tony's Chocolonely when the cravings hit, but are these really the best? After several supermarket own-brand products recently beat out big name brands in Metro taste tests, we couldn't help but wonder how the retailers would fare when it came to chocolate. Following the recent craze for loaded chocolate bars like The Big Daddy from M&S and the viral Dubai chocolate (which don't come cheap), we put 13 bars to the test to see which are really worth your money. Interestingly, it was a supermarket product that came out on top, with several other supermarket options proving to be just as good as pricier options. Keep on reading to find out which ones we loved and which chocolate bars we wouldn't bother buying again… It's certainly a big chocolate bar and it's rammed full of filling. The flavour is overwhelmingly that of peanut butter, so if you aren't a fan, this won't be one for you. It's very much like an oversized Reese's Cup, in a slab format, so if you're expecting something more luxurious, this might not fit the bill. Very tasty and a little bit of this bar goes a long way — but sorry M&S, I'm not convinced it's worth the £7.50 price tag. Rating: 4/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer The Big Daddy is definitely too big for a quick snack. There's no breaking this bar of chocolate with your hands, unless you have a similar type of super strength as the Hulk. If I'm being honest, this felt a bit too sickly for me. The caramel is slightly overpowering and you can't taste too much pistachio, despite there being a lot crammed in the bar. A few bites was enough, but for the novelty aspect, definitely worth a try. Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewed by Jessica Hamilton, lifestyle reporter Twice the size of a regular chocolate bar, this extra-long number from M&S contains raisins, almond brittle and nibbed hazelnuts All the components are good, but the chunky nuts make it feel a bit too healthy for my taste. I prefered Tesco's biscuit and raisin bar, which might be smaller, but it's mightier. Rating: 3/5 Reviewied by Jess Austin, first-person and opinion editor Tiffins are an underrated baked good, but one of my favourites and this chocolate bar is a tiffin reincarnate. Unlike like a tiffin, where my sweet tooth keeps me to just one portion, I could eat the whole bar of this (Tesco biscuit and raisin) Rating: 5/5 Reviewed by Jess Austin, first-person and opinion editor Tesco's Crispies, Caramel and Almond loaded milk chocolate is a moreish triumph. You might think its crunchy almond and chewy caramel texture, paired with a salty aftertaste are too much for the senses, but it's the perfect blend of flavours. My only critiques would be that the pieces are quite big and the chocolate could be a little creamier. But it's got all the ingredients to pack a superb punch. Rating: 4.5/5 Reviewed by James Besanvalle, assistant opinion editor Those who love anything sweet and salty, with a bit of a crunch will love this chocolate bar. While the flavour of the chocolate itself doesn't quite live up to favourites like Cadbury, it's wonderfully creamy and there's plenty of filling, with pretzel pieces in each bite. A nice little salty kick comes through in every mouthful too. Rating: 4/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer This one is good, but doesn't quite measure up to the others from Tesco's range. The pieces of honeycomb and caramelised pecans are quite small, meaning they don't pack a lot of punch in terms of flavour. It's essentially just quite a sweet chocolate bar, with a little bit of crispiness. This is disappointing as I love pecans and think this combo had so much potential. Rating: 3/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer While the minimalist packaging and slender size makes it seem like it'd be super grown-up, it tastes similar to one of my childhood favourites, Caramac. The butterscotch flavour is nostalgic, and there is a hint of saltiness, but it's hard to detect much beyond the overpowering sweetness. Texture-wise it was also a miss, with no discernable nuts or difference between the filling and shell. Yes, I hate half the bar – but that's because I'm a gannet, not because I particularly enjoyed it. Rating: 2/5 Reviewed by Jessica Lindsay, assistant lifestyle editor We've already established I'm a fan of the sweet and salty combo, but I don't think it works quite as well with the white chocolate here as it has with other milk chocolate bars in this taste test. Perhaps because white chocolate doesn't have the same richness to it. For me, this bar was too sweet and too salty all at the same time. It was overwhelming and not in a pleasant way. I felt my face scrunch up on the first bite. What I did like about it though was the generous amount of pistachios inside, they gave it a lovely crunch. The chocolate is also super smooth and the bar looks sleek and expensive. Rating: 2/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer I LOVE Cadbury, Dairy Milk is always my go-to when I need a little chocolate pick-me-up, but the &More bars did not hit the spot for me. There are two different options to choose from; a Nutty Praline Crisp and the Caramel Nut Crunch, but neither wowed – especially as the products look nothing like the imagery on the packets. From the pictures, I'd been expecting chunky bars, filled with layers of filling, when in reality they're just regular-sized chocolate. The flavours were disappointing, with both tasting quite artificially sweet and cheap. This isn't the Cadbury chocolate we all know and love. For the praline one, I couldn't pick out any specific individual flavours from the fillings, unlike with others in the taste test. While the caramel nut crunch, didn't bring the crunch it promised, the nuts inside were pretty soft, and it was more chewy. Rating: 1/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer When they said this is an 'everything' bar, they weren't kidding. The milk chocolate is chocker block with caramel, pretzel, almond, nougat and sea salt. It's crunchy, chewy, sweet and salty all at once – a real feast for your taste buds. I did like this a lot and I'm a big fan of Tony's chocolate and the brand's ethos, but I'm not sure I could eat an entire bar, or very much of it in one sitting – there's just so much going on. Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer The Dubai chocolate craze has recently been usurped by the new Angel Hair chocolate, but we can't talk about filled chocolate bars without including at least one of these. Like the others, this contains pistachio cream and kadayif all wrapped in milk chocolate. I'm firmly of the opinion that Dubai chocolate is an acquired taste. I've tried a few different ones now and haven't been overly keen thus far, but I actually didn't mind this one. It manages to remain on the right side of being too sweet, with the pistachio cream bringing a little earthiness to the flavour to tamper it down. But it's the satisfying crisp from the kadayif (shredded filo pastry) that makes the whole thing interesting. With most of the Dubai-style chocolate costing £10 and over, this one is a steal for the price. Rating: 3.5/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer This isn't a regular chocolate bar, it's more of a sharing treat – almost a dessert. Stuffed with popcorn, tortilla chips and peanut praline, the milk chocolate slab is said to offer the best of the cinema at home. And it definitely does. The box says it serves eight… which really just means it'll serve me, eight times. This makes it a little dangerous to have in the house. I could easily see myself going back for a little bit more again and again until there was nothing left. More Trending If you eat it without refrigerating, it's akin to those chocolate shredded wheat nests we all used to make at Easter. If you refrigerate it as the box recommends, be careful, you're likely to break a tooth. I loved the idea of this and as the name suggests, it's really nice. The size is also impressive, but let's be real, at almost £18 it would need to be made of solid gold to justify the price, which is why I just can't give it full marks. Rating: 4/5 Reviewed by Courtney Pochin, specialist food writer Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ View More » MORE: 'Peak Greggs' is coming to UK — here's everything sausage roll fans should know MORE: Lidl is giving away free bakery items every day — including 'top tier' pastry MORE: From boxy blazers, to laidback barrel leg trousers – shop the Lioness look from £30 Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
USA Today
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Cinco de Mayo best tequilas: Our look at buttery blancos and cheap wonders
Cinco de Mayo best tequilas: Our look at buttery blancos and cheap wonders Cinco de Mayo is a wonderful excuse to get re-acquainted with tequila or, if the two of you are already intimately familiar, branch out into something new. I wasn't a tequila guy through my 20s (that's on you, hastily downed shots of Pepe Lopez which, naturally, did not stay down), but growing from cheap plastic bottles to properly crafted spirits changed that. While I'm still a relative newcomer to the field, working at FTW has given me the chance to expand my scope greatly -- particularly to brands and types I probably wouldn't have tried in the past. And there were a lot of those this year. Let's talk about the good (and a little bit about the mediocre) I drank over the last year and see if we can't help you figure out your boozing plans for the holiday. Here's FTW's Cinco de Mayo tequila guide, part two. CHECK OUT OUR CINCO DE MAYO TEQUILA GUIDE, PART 1 Looking for a non-traditional May 5 and want THC drinks and gummies instead? We've got you covered. If you're looking for a more traditional, buttery-good blanco: Lost Explorer The smell off the top is warm, buttery agave. It's delightful with just a little spicy sweetness that floats in toward the end. I'm sipping this one over two ice cubes, and while that may dull the flavor a bit it's also how I drink tequila so, here we are. The combination is exceptionally smooth and sweet. It's light agave up front, some butter and vanilla and lots of light dessert flavors. Toward the end, you get just a little bit of wintergreen and cinnamon, highlighting the roasted agave within. The headline across this is cooked agave, gentle but complex. There's just a little bit of spice that plays into that sweetness and weaves the braid of a proper spirit. It's a lovely combination and much smoother and more complex than I'd expect from a $45 tequila. It may not be as robust as some of the heavyweights in its field, but it gets 90 percent of the way there at a third -- or less -- of the price. It's immensely sippable with no mixer needed. It's sweet and tangy and has effectively zero burn. Instead, there's only some minor warmth and a spirit you could drink all night long. If you're looking for something dumb and wonderful: Chica-Chida peanut butter tequila From March's A- review: My first impression after cracking the bottle is... can a drink smell loud? You're immediately overwhelmed by a creamy, Reese's Cup style peanut butter aroma that fills the air. Behind it is a light, salty-spicy vibe you may not clock as tequila on first sniff. It's minorly boozy but more feels like... well, you know when health foods try to make a peanut butter cup analog but it's a bunch of ingredients that don't quite live up to the original? That. It smells like that. Holy moly, though, it is *easy* to drink. This 64 proof shot went down with barely an indication this is liquor. The peanut butter is generic salty sweet. True to form, it sticks a bit to the roof of your mouth after it's gone. It's a little strange, but it goes down easy. At least as easy as it is to rip a shot of Fireball, if not more so. It's never going to replace Rumple Minze as my go-to celebratory shot, but I can understand why people would order this. It's fairly strong but tastes roughly as boozy as Rumchata with a more pleasant aftertaste. I had low expectations coming into this. Chica-Chida soared over them like a half-shaved Italian high jumper with springs in his shoes. If you're looking for a cheap, solid tequila with an absolutely bat[expletive] backstory: Don Gato This is Danny McBride's tequila. Like all things Danny McBride, it's slightly obnoxious, overindulgent and of undeniable quality. From March's B+ blanco review: This is a bit spicier and more agave forward than the reposado out of the bottle. The smell is strong, but appealing. You get a little bit of that earthy spice, somewhere between cinnamon and mint, that comes out of properly aged agave. The opening sip backs this up. There's much more volume to this pour. The flavor is more defined, stronger. There's a gentle fruitiness and a little, almost creamy vanilla that's backed with just a minor spice. That cinnamon/wintergreen agave flavor kicks in toward the end to give you something to linger on, along with a lasting sweetness that sends you off happy. Like the reposado, there's no burn involved. You can drink this all day. I'm not getting the ethanol and sting of other celebrity tequilas. Where it shines is the price point; at less than $40 per bottle you're getting a blanco that offers a little extra complexity. It's similar to Lalo -- backed by a moderately known name (from different worlds) and offering a slightly buttery tequila at a good price. It might not bring as much to the table as a bottle of Gran Centenario, but at half the cost it doesn't have to. It's just a pretty dang solid tequila. If you're looking for an inexpensive, clean organic tequila: Tres Agaves blanco It pours clean and clear over ice. Moving the glass leaves a ring of slow-dripping spirit to gently cascade back toward the drink. It's very agave heavy off the top, leaving the unmistakable footprint of tequila to linger in your nostrils. The first sip stays on task. That agave is front and center before cooling off and giving way to the hallmark sweet and spice of a good tequila. There's some sweet vanilla, a little cream, some pepper and even a little bit of mint -- back to wintergreen maybe? -- that tie everything together. Together that creates a nice, cohesive dram that's easy to sip on its own. It's not especially complex, but you still get the moments toward the end that separate a good tequila from a cheap one. The finish sticks around, but the aftertaste is pleasant -- a balance of sweet and spice that leaves you coming back for more. At $25 to $35 per bottle, this is a spirit punching above its weight class. The "organic" side of things is nice, though not something I'm particularly interested in. The taste is even nicer, presenting a clean tequila that brings bright flavors without getting too far from the basics. If you're looking for a drier, fruitier blanco: Mijenta A pour over ice unleashes a wave of crisp agave. It's not as sweet as similar blancos, instead leaning into more of a briny citrus. Which sounds a little strange but is ultimately appealing. That sets it apart from Tres Agaves. Instead of sweet vanilla you get a heavier (but not hot) dose of pepper and citrus that backs it. That makes it a bit thicker than other blancos, a sipper that takes a little longer between breaks as you process it. The dessert flavors are minimal, making this more of a meal than, say, Tres Agaves or Suerte. If you're looking for a little spice and some chewy agave, this is your spot. While that's the description, it's not harsh in any way. Underneath the pepper and agave are hints of butter and vanilla that reward you for sitting with it a while. It may be a bit of a departure from the other blancos on this list, but it works. If you want a tequila that *tastes* loud: Casa Obsidian reposado Let's start with the most mature member of the group. Reposados are an easy sell for me because I'm down for pretty much anything barrel-aged. This pours with a lighter color than expected, but with enough stickiness down the side of the glass to remind you you're dealing with a high proof liquor. The smell off the top is buttery agave. A little sweet and with a little heat toward the end. There's an almost movie theater popcorn feel to it. The first sip is sweet, and then there's nothing for a while. Obsidian's reposado hits you up front, then takes a little break, then comes on strong at the end. Not with a burn but with some oaky vanilla and some cinnamon and clove and agave. Have you ever listened to The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band all the way through? A Day in the Life ends, and then there's nothing, and then there's that hidden, way-too-much noise tucked in at the end? That's Obsidian's reposado. Nice and melodic, then quiet, then AHHHHHHH. It's unusual. There's a little salt and swirling currents of sweet botanical flavors, but there's also a lingering harshness that doesn't sit right with me. If you're looking for a chewier, smoothly intense tequila: Wild Common Tequila Reposado You know what's weird? I spilled a bit of this and licked the affected drop off my finger. You know what I tasted? Peanuts. Not full Chica-Chida peanut butter, but a little salty, nutty extract at the very least. A pour into a rocks glass makes me feel like that was a mirage. Now I'm getting agave and citrus with a little vanilla and pepper. So, I'm working through a lot of thoughts before even taking a proper sip. And, yep, the sip itself has a bit of salt to it but no nuts. There's some familiarity involved, with cinnamon and pepper like you're making a Cincinnati-style chili (though, unfortunately, not much in terms of chocolate). Underneath that is the gentle current of cooked agave and vanilla. Together, they create a delightful push-and-pull between sugar and spice at the end of each sip. There's an earthy quality to that agave I may have mistaken for nuts up front. Either way, it's one element in a braid of flavor that cuts a wide path from the glass to your gut. There's a good amount happening here, but the finish is a long stretch of cinnamon upon which other flavors have built small dwellings. You hit them all on the way out, and it's a nice little trip. If you're looking for a lighter, ready-made cocktail: Superbird Look, Superbird wasn't my favorite, but I also don't like seltzers all that much. Here's what I thought of the tequila soda and why it shouldn't scare you away. Black Cherry tequila soda: C+ It pours a sparkling not-quite-clear. It smells like the artificial black cherry of my childhood -- the kind of off-brand, local-grocery-store soda that also brought us classics like Mountain Thunder and Dr. Taste. This sounds like a bug, but for someone with a deep sense of nostalgia and a dire inability to escape a terminal case of poor brain, I assure you it is a feature. The first sip is much more tequila forward than I expected. Superbird only clocks in at five percent alcohol, but unlike High Noon's vodka sodas or tequila sodas, the spirit here is front and center rather than hiding behind bubbles and fruit flavor. The black cherry kicks in like a shot of syrup added after the fact, ringing a simple cocktail with a little sweetness and just enough tart to cut into that. It's the finger on the scale, tilting the balance back from bland to something a bit more interesting. The tequila is mostly agave, a little peppery and dry. It's more of a tequila water than a seltzer or soda, which is less up my alley but not a problem. You smell the cherry more than you taste it, and it's more of a La Croix idea of fruit than anything you'd get from actual soda (and not the soda water at the base of the cocktail). The end result is a drier canned cocktail that leans heavily into the spirit rather than trying to cover it. That's gonna make it divisive. Personally, it's not my jam. But I can appreciate the approach. Interestingly, the Superbird tequila sunrise goes in the other direction -- but juicy flavors that can be a bit overpowering. If either of those make sense to you, you'll have more luck than I did. If you're looking for a more traditional, familiar and poundable cocktail: Suerte Margaritas It pours with a little more effervescence than you'd expect from a margarita, but that's a feature, not a bug in the world of canned cocktails. It smells strong. The first whiff off the top is buttery tequila blanco. Even though it's only seven percent ABV, it feels heavier. Fortunately, the first sip leans in a different direction. The tequila is prevalent, but not overwhelming. Instead, the headliner is crisp, tart lime. This isn't citric acid, which leaves a bready aftertaste behind. This is the real thing, which gives the impression of a fresh made cocktail. That tartness fights with the agave nectar a bit, releasing a sweet-and-sour braid that serves as the barge that floats the Suerte tequila along. That tequila is clean and tasty, a light rush of baked agave and minor hints of spice. By those powers combined, you get a refreshing, easy to sip canned cocktail that offers something poundable for someone looking for a quick pre-game drink and a little complexity for someone looking for something to drink over the course of a half hourIt loses a bit of its charm out of the can -- pouring it over ice allows the lime and tequila to shine a bit brighter. Sipping from that aluminum is more of a "B" experience. But with a little preparation this is an A- cocktail -- not quite elite, but pretty dang good.
