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Tidings Of Joy: How Sweet It Is

Rick Bonino Food Editor

I’m dreaming of some white chocolate. And some hot chocolate. Maybe a honey cola, even.

Those were among the sweet treats we recently fed to The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel to get their stomachs (and their nervous systems) prepared for this year’s Christmas caffeine-and-sugar season.

Swiss Miss Premiere instant cocoas were the big hit, wonderfully rich and creamy, considering that all you add is water. They come in 10-ounce canisters and in variety six-packs of Suisse Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle and either Chocolate English Toffee or Almond Mocha, depending on how new the packages are at your store.

Almost as impressive - and considerably richer - was another recently released goodie, Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme bars, with crunchy chocolate cookie bits buried in white chocolate. Fortunately for the cholesterol count, we sampled the mini “nuggets,” not the big bars. (Two’s our limit.)

The third new product, Thomas Kemper Honey Draft Cola (brewed with real tropical cola nuts but no added caffeine), got more middling reviews. The latest soft drink from the spinoff of the Kemper beer brewery was deemed too syrupy by some, not quite cola-like by others. Or is that co-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la?

Swiss Miss Premiere Cocoas

Price: $1.89 for six (1.25-ounce) single-serving envelopes.

Nutrition: 140 calories (19 percent fat calories); 220 milligrams sodium per serving.

Taste: *****

Value: ****

Comment: “Nice rich chocolate taste with a raspberry overtone (smell). Nummy.” - Mary Aegerter.

Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Nuggets

Price: $3.19 for 13-ounce package.

Nutrition: 200 calories (50 percent fat calories); 75 milligrams sodium in four pieces.

Taste: ****

Value: ***

Comment: “Excellent! Tastes like a cookie covered in white chocolate.” - Jarretta Manning.

Thomas Kemper Honey Draft Cola

Price: $4.24 for six (12-ounce) bottles.

Nutrition: 140 calories (no fat); 15 milligrams sodium per bottle.

Taste: ***

Value: **

Comment: “Cannot tell anything about it from the taste. Seems like it’s trying to be some sort of root beer creme soda. Doesn’t taste bad, just middle of the road.” - Paul Norris.

, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are bought at a retail store and prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not initially aware of a product’s brand name or price.

Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are bought at a retail store and prepared in a test kitchen according to package directions. Panelists are not initially aware of a product’s brand name or price.