Tirol Chocolate – Strawberry Trio Mix

It’s all probably in my head, but I’ve always felt like Japanese candies and chocolates have a very distinct style for strawberry flavoured items. I’d wager that anyone who grew up in an Asian household has a general idea of what I’m referring to – that distinct sweet smelling, vaguely berry smelling/tasting flavour that comes in an equally distinct pink colour. I’m generally not crazy about super artificial smells or flavours, but something about the unmistakable artificial Japanese strawberry flavour hits me like a nostalgia train, and I just can’t turn it down. I’m expecting no less from today’s assortment of Tirol, which is supposed to be three different takes on the strawberry flavour.

The assortment is supposed to emulate strawberry confiture, strawberry shortcake and strawberry mousse. Having had all three of this in real life, it will make this review easier to compare to the inspiration for the flavour. Tirol makes an effort to also emulate the texture of whatever it is they are paying homage to, so it’ll be interesting to see how they execute on these three very different textural experiences. I feel like I mention this ever time, but I just adore the packaging on these chocolates. It has a cute yarn like design on it, and has a little image of what the chocolate is supposed to emulate on the back of it as well. Yet again, props to their art department. After opening the bag, I am struck by a nostalgia minivan, and instantly feel like a kid again, getting ready to chow down on some strawberry flavoured chocolates.

Let’s start with the confiture. Confiture is just another word for preserve, or jam. In one of their more staple varieties, strawberry jam is sometimes a mainstay flavour. The main difference is that version has a milk chocolate shell, whereas this one has a strawberry flavoured chocolate on the outside. I can tell this without having put it in my mouth yet, because of the colour of the chocolate and the strong smell of sweet, artificial strawberries.

The chocolate shell on this was a bit brittle and kinda fell apart on me as I was trying to split it in half, but I think it was because the filling took up most of the space. As you can see below, the strawberry jam filling is quite substantial when compared to the size of the chocolate. It’s also like the chocolate’s only purpose is not to add to the experience, but merely contain all that jam. Upon tasting this, it is very similar to the strawberry jam flavour I mentioned before, but unlike the typical milk chocolate version, this one doesn’t have that super sweet milk chocolate detracting from the flavour. With this, the chocolate is very similar in flavour to the jam so it compliments it better, and really delivers that strawberry punch. The texture is kind of like a softer version of a fruit jelly, that is soft enough you don’t even need to chew it. In fact, I’d guess that you could probably just let this thing sit on your tongue and let that jam flavour wash over you like a strawberry dream. It does end up a bit on the sweet side, but in terms of overall flavour, I think it captures the essence of strawberry jam quite well.

This next one is strawberry shortcake. If it wasn’t for the little pictures on the wrapper indicating what the flavour is supposed to be, I’m not sure I would be able to tell without opening them. They all smell the same, which is not a bad thing. That fake strawberry smell is kind of intoxicating. If I met a girl who smelled like this, I would be instantly entranced. Based solely on how this piece looks and smells, I’m guessing it’s going to be a biscuity, crumbly texture.

Upon closer inspection, this appears to be the case. This one fell apart real fast, mostly because of the crumbly nature of it. The inside had biscuit pieces that supposedly simulate the shortcake, and there were even a few pieces of freeze dried strawberries to simulate….well the strawberries. The flavour of this one was less sweet than the jam, and was less concentrated. While not as sweet or flavourful as the original one, this is more balanced and the texture makes for a nice crunch. This one is a lighter on the palate, and I could see someone popping a bunch of these consecutively, whereas the jam piece can be a bit too rich for that. I actually prefer when the biscuits are spread out with multiple, smaller pieces than the typical single biscuit in the middle. But that’s just my preference. This piece also spoke to me on a personal level, because it reminded me so much of a strawberry Pocky. That’s not a flavour or experience you ever really forget if you had it as a kid, like I did. Them memories.

The final piece is strawberry mousse. My experience with marshmallows in chocolate is generally satisfactory at best. I’m just not a huge fan of it. Already, I’m going into this expecting very little. Let’s see how that turns out. The chocolate shell on this one looks a little lighter than the strawberry jam flavour, but not as light as the shortcake. Again, that smell is intoxicating. I’m sure there are a dozen perfumes and scents made to smell like this. I guess now would also be the time to say that I’m generally not a huge fan of mousse. This is mostly because I don’t tend to find very good mousse available for purchase. I’ve had really good mousse yes, but I’m guessing the time and effort needed to make it don’t justify the price it sells for, hence not much in the way of options. So far, this piece has the deck stacked against it.

The inside of the piece looks like it has three layers – the inner marshmallow, an outer white chocolate and the very outer strawberry shell. The taste of this is very light in both flavour and texture. Thanks to the marshmallow, there isn’t much in the way of texture at all. It’s quite soft, and could almost serve as an “appetizer” chocolate of this variety. This is the kind of flavour you would have to get you into the mood for strawberry, before diving into the richer flavours like the jam. A similar story with the flavour here – it’s quite light compared to the other two in this variety. It’s almost….refreshing in some strange way. I don’t dislike this flavour, but as expected, I’m not crazy about it on it’s own. As part of this variety though, I can see how it works well to balance the jam flavour.

I would buy this mix again, if not for any other reason than to relive my childhood. The flavours of this variety were refreshingly new, yet nostalgic at the same time. The strawberry shortcake flavour especially, brought me back to a simpler time. That alone is worth the price tag of about $4 CAD for a bag of 7 pieces. As individual flavours, I don’t feel any of them stand well alone, but together they work great. Strawberry shortcake was my favourite, followed by the jam and the mousse flavour. If you’re not crazy about marshmallows or fruit jelly textures or looking to try something new, I’m sure a pack of strawberry Pocky could probably give you just as much nostalgia. Also, has anyone ever wondered what it would be like to live in a castle that was made of chocolate and cookies? Like a gingerbread house? What if I was a gingerbread person? Would cannibalism be frowned upon or encouraged? So many questions.