Elite's Gift-Basket Website

מתנות מתוקות ומעוצבות באתר של עלית

If you're looking for a candy filled

"gift basket" for

friends, family or employees

in honor of the upcoming

Rosh Hashanah holiday

Elite's new website

www.elite-gifts.co.il

may be the place to look

You can find fun, colorful

gift boxes

filled with all sorts of Elite treats

 for almost any occasion

Most of the packages cost 149 NIS

They have some with wine and gifts

that cost a bit more

I also saw smaller gifts

in the 19 to 90 NIS range

They even have greeting cards

with a chocolate finger added

that cost 14 NIS

Although the site is completely in Hebrew

they seem to have a lot of

photos that may

help you navigate and

choose the perfect gift for your needs

Disclaimer: No one is paying me for this post. All opinions are my own

Elite's Shushim Chocolate

עלית שושים שוקולד

Elite has a new chocolate filled Shush on the market that they're calling "Shushim Chocolate"

Shush is Elite's version of Osem's Bamba snack. In case you don’t know what Bamba is, it's a peanut butter-flavored puffed corn snack. I think it's the most popular kids snack here in Israel. I've heard that Bamba is often the first "solid food" for many Israeli kids.

Sometime ago, Osem introduced a nougat filled and a Chalva filled Bamba. So now Elite is trying to "compete" with those snacks and have introduced a chocolate cream filled Shush.

In my opinion, and based on countrywide sales, Bamba is just that much tastier and better than Elite's Shush, to start with. The texture of the puffed corn is slightly softer and the flavor of the peanut butter is just a bit better. I also think Osem is a little more "generous" with the amount of peanut butter they put on their puffed corn. So even before you add the cream fillings I'd say Osem started off with a better "base".

The chocolate cream filling of the Shush snack was fine. I didn’t hate it or love it. It tasted like a "run of the mill" Elite chocolate spread.  Still, I actually much preferred the softer and lighter nougat cream in Osem's Bamba treat.

It's possible that had I never tasted Osem's nougat filled Bamba I would be giving Elite's Shushim a much better review. I just can't help but compare them. To me, side by side, Osem's nougat filled Bamba was simply tastier.

Both bags have the same amount of snack in them 60 grams. Osem's version cost 4.79 NIS whereas Elite's Shushim Chocolate cost 3.49 NIS. I think that's still more than a little snack pack should cost but, if you're going to be buying one or the other, and your kids aren't specifically "addicted" to Osem's Bamba, I think you can totally save the 1.30 NIS per bag and buy Elite's Shushim instead.

 Bottom Line: I like the sweet and salty contrast you get from mixing peanut butter and chocolate and I don’t think that Elite did a "bad job" per se with their new Chocolate filled Shushim but personally I still prefer the product I think they were trying to compete with; Osem's nougat filled Bamba.

60 gram bag 3.49 NIS

Kosher Parve Mehadrin

הרב פנחס כהן  

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Telma's Mixflakes Plus Cereal

תלמה מיקספלקס פלוס

Telma who recently gave us Vanilla Flavored Cornflakes now has a new line of cereals based on their popular Mixflakes cereal. There are three flavors in this new Mixflakes Plus line.

1. Whole Wheat & Rice Flakes with Granola Clusters & Nut Mix
2. Whole Wheat & Rice Flakes with Granola Clusters & Tropical Fruit
3. Whole Wheat & Rice Flakes with Granola Clusters Nuts & Raisins

I tasted the Whole Wheat & Rice Flakes with Granola Clusters & Nut Mix.

Omri Casspi Telma Cereal "presenter"

It seemed to me that it was more of a granola and nuts with a touch of Telma's Mixflakes added in. I guess this is a good example of "truth in advertising" because the "tag-line" in the commercials (staring Israel's NBA player Omri Casspi) that are running on TV for these cereals basically says "we exaggerated with the add ins"! Yeah, they sort of did :). There is a tremendous amount of granola (67% to be exact), and a nice amount of nuts. As a whole I'd say there were way more granola and nuts than flakes.

I liked the clusters of granola and I like that there was a lot of them, but there was a lot more granola aside from just the clusters. The small little bits of granola made eating the cereal dry, without a spoon, a little messy. Still, I thought it was tasty when I ate the cereal dry, as a snack.

The granola held up fairly well when I added milk, similar to how most granolas I have tasted with milk. The whole wheat flakes did go soggy quite quickly but there were so few of them that I didn’t really mind.    

The nut mix is a combination of thinly sliced almonds, halved hazelnuts and roughly chopped pecans. I thought they added a nice crunchy texture and I enjoyed having the nuts in the mix, both when I tasted it dry and when I added milk.

This cereal, like all the Mixflakes cereals, is geared toward adults. It was sweet but not overly so. I enjoyed the sweetness and didn’t think they overdid it.

Bottom Line: I thought Telma's Mixflakes Plus with Granola Clusters & Nut Mix Cereal was tasty, very satisfying and filling, but to me it seemed to be more of a granola and nuts mix than a classic flakes based cereal. Their suggestion on the box to shake it before pouring into a bowl was actually a good idea this way you get a nice amount of all the nuts and granola bits in your portion.

400 gram box 21.99

(I thought that's a bit expensive for a Telma cereal they were on sale at Rami Levi and Mega Bul two for 30.00 NIS)

Kosher Dairy Beth Din London approved by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel

אבקת חלב נוכרי

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Loacker's Rose Of The Dolomites

After recently reviewing the Loacker Snack Pack Wafers I was sort of pleasantly surprised to read about another new Loacker product called "Rose Of The Dolomites". At this point any and all Loacker products interest me and I look forward to trying them, this was no exception.

לואקר ורד הדולומיטים

Being that Loacker's Rose Of The Dolomites are more of a Chocolate Bon-Bon than a wafer it makes perfect sense that they would début them now; just in time for Rosh Hashanah. So many people will be looking for a small gift to bring along to the holiday meal as a way to wish their host a Happy Sweet New Year.



Source

When I opened the individually wrapped Loacker Rose Of The Dolomites I didn't think it looked like a "classic" rose. A quick Google search taught me about the roses that grow in the Dolomites mountain range of north-eastern Italy (and the ancient legend surrounding them). The photos I found of these Dolomites Roses do resemble the Loacker treats.      

I thought the milk-chocolate coated roses were luxurious and tasty. They're filled with a wonderfully creamy hazelnut filling that has a generous amount of roasted hazelnut bits mixed in. I especially liked the very thin wafer at the bottom of the rose which added just a touch of crispiness. It’s a wonderful extra texture that I really enjoyed.

This delicate and elegant chocolate hazelnut treat absolutely lived up to the quality that Loacker is known for.

A few days after I tasted the milk-chocolate coated roses I found out that they are also available in a 60% cocoa solids dark-chocolate coating version. Aside from the dark-chocolate coating everything else about these bon-bons are exactly the same as the original. Given that I much prefer dark-chocolate to milk-chocolate I was thrilled to try them as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the rich, deep, quality dark-chocolate coating on these Loacker Rose Of The Dolomites treats. I liked the stark contrast between the richer dark-chocolate and the lighter hazelnut cream filling. Again the roasted hazelnuts and thin wafer added the perfect amount of texture. For me the dark-chocolate coating took this bon-bon to the next level.      

Loacker's Rose Of The Dolomites are all natural. They have no artificial food coloring, no trans fats and no preservatives. 

Bottom Line: Whether you're looking for chocolates or flowers to take along as a small hostess gift this coming Rosh Hashanah, you kind of get the best of both options with either of these Loacker Rose Of The Dolomites bon-bons, since they are actually a pretty flower and a delicious chocolate treat all in one :)   

Box of 14 individually wrapped chocolates- 175 grams in all - 25.00 NIS

Kosher Dairy

חלבית (לאוכלי אבקת חלב נוכרי) (ללא חשש חדש, אפיית ישראל, בהשגחת הרב ישועה חדאד, מילאנו) ובאישור הרבנות הראשית לישראל

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

This weeks Haveil Havalim Blog Carnival is now up on  

Just Call Me Chaviva's Blog

Palmolive Pomegranate Dish Soap

As I mentioned earlier in the week in my review of

St.Dalfour's Raspberry & Pomegranate Fruit Spread

Rosh Hashanah is less than a month away

I'm seeing more and more press releases for

Rosh Hashanah related products

Some are not even food items

for example

Palmolive

has a new limited edition

Pomegranate Dish Soap

פלמוליב סבון כלים רימון - לראש השנה 

I haven’t tried it but I'm guessing

that it may have some benefits for your skin

given what I mentioned a while back in my review of

Shavit's Pomegranate-Seed Oil Natural Shampoo

that pomegranate is very popular in

anti ageing toiletries, cosmetics and skin care products

Then again this

Palmolive Pomegranate Dish Soap

may just be a gimmick and

have no benefits to your

skin or your dishes at all

Still, it may be nice to have and use over the

 

Rosh Hashanah holiday and all the dishes

the big family meals produce



A friend who tried this new

 Palmolive

Pomegranate Dish Soap

 told me she really

 loved the aroma that it left in her
 
kitchen after she finished washing

all her dishes

she thought it

was extremely unique and pleasant  

 

I saw it "on sale" in a few stores for 9.00 NIS this week

Disclaimer:  No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

LU's Granenbiscuits Milk-Chocolate Coated Time Out Cookies

In my review of Milka's Choco Moo Cookies I mentioned how they reminded me of Chocolate Digestive Biscuits. Well, these new Time Out Cookies are actually much closer to the original chocolate coated digestive biscuits in that they are not made with white flour instead they have 17% whole wheat flour and 30% oatmeal.

עוגיות טיים אאוט

Each Time Out Cookie is 79 calories, which is by no means a low calorie cookie. Still, being that it's made of whole wheat and oatmeal it's somewhat more healthy and you may feel a bit more "satisfied" after eating these Time Out Cookies than you would feel after eating a cookie made of white flour. In that way they are better for you than the Milka cookies. On the other hand, these Time Out Cookies also have plenty of sugar and a bottom layer of milk-chocolate. I'm guessing that’s what hikes up the calorie count. 

The press release claimed these cookies are "homemade style". I completely disagree. Although I thought they were OK, in my opinion they seemed very "commercial" and not "homemade style" in any way.

  

These Time Out Cookies are thinner than the Milka Choco Moo Cookies. I found them to be very crispy with a buttery taste; even though they don’t actually have butter in them, instead they are made with vegetable oil, so maybe what I really mean is that they were somewhat "oily".

The milk-chocolate layer on the bottom is OK but, I much preferred the milk-chocolate on Milka's cookie.

I liked that each 2 cookies are "individually" wrapped; it makes it very convenient to take them as a snack when you're on the go. You also get the extra benefit of protecting the rest of the box from going stale, always a good thing in my book. 

Bottom Line: for a whole wheat and oatmeal mass produced cookie, I thought these Time Out Cookies were OK. I think there are people that will really enjoy them. I personally didn’t love them or hate them. I do think the fact that they are made with whole wheat and oatmeal is a good thing but they are still 158 calories per packet.

195 gram Box – 6 packets of 2 cookies - 11.90 NIS

Kosher Dairy triangle K D

לאוכלי אבקת חלב נוכרי, אפייה ישראל, ללא חשש חדש, השגחת הרב אריה רלב"ג ארה"ב ובאישור הרבנות הראשית לישראל

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.

Carmit Ego's Dark-Chocolate Coated Pretzels & Milk-Chocolate Coated Grissini

A few months before I started this blog Carmit, under their Ego line of products, was the first (and as far as I know still the only ones) to make a line of chocolate coated pretzels here in Israel. Their first two products were milk-chocolate coated pretzels and white-chocolate covered pretzels. Being the dark-chocolate fan that I am I was waiting and hoping that they will expand the line to include a bittersweet-chocolate pretzel as well. Low and behold, the other day I found just that; dark-chocolate coated pretzels, on the store shelf, along with milk-chocolate coated mini grissini (mini breadsticks)

          כרמית אגו בייגלה מצופה שוקולד מריר וגריסיני מצופה שוקולד חלב

A few days later I saw a press release about the new products that also mentioned a new chocolate coated cookie but I didn’t see that in the supermarket. If I find/taste the cookie I will either add an update to this post or, if I think it warrants it, I will give it its own review in a separate post.

I got my first disappointment when I opened the package to find that all the chocolate coated pretzels must have melted and then "re-hardened" to form a large lumped together mess. The chocolate had obvious sighs of chocolate bloom (whitish spots on dark chocolate). The blooming indicates that sugar and/or fat have separated due to poor storage. At some point the chocolate underwent a change in temperature, causing the chocolate to soften and re-harden. Although that's not an indication that the chocolate has gone bad, it still makes the chocolate and in this case, the coated pretzels, very unappealing to me.

As I mentioned in my reviews of Loacker's Wafer Snacks and Lindt's Double Milk Chocolate Bar, summer in Israel is simply the wrong time of the year to début anything chocolate or chocolate coated. I think Carmit should have waited just a few more months to release these chocolate coated pretzels. Or taken a cue from Elite's summer/refrigerator chocolate and made a product that can or should be refrigerated.

My second disappointment was with the lack of salt on the pretzels. If they are going for the sweet/salty trend, I thought they needed just a touch more salt to give the proper sweet to salty contrast.  

Finally, I was slightly disappointed, yet not surprised, when I realized that the dark-chocolate coating was a dairy dark-chocolate. I guess they add dairy to the chocolate because they think it needs it to improve the taste, but there are high quality dark chocolates on the market which are non-dairy that they could have used. Then again nothing about the chocolate coating on any of these Ego products resembles a high quality chocolate. So what did I expect from the dark-chocolate version?

I don’t have much to add about the Milk-Chocolate Coated Grissini other than the fact that I found them crispy yet very bland. I thought they needed a flavor of some sort or at least a richer/better quality chocolate coating.

Bottom Line :I was fairly disappointed with both these products. I'd say the Dark-Chocolate Coated Pretzels needed a bit more salt and the Milk-Chocolate Coated Grissini could have used some sort of flavor as well. In my opinion, they both needed a better quality chocolate. Lastly, I thought it was a mistake to début them during the hot Israeli summer.

120 gram bag 9.99 NIS

Kosher Dairy Badatz

 Update: Winner of 2012 Product of the Year Award Israel

Disclaimer: All items were purchased by me. No one is paying me for this review. All opinions are my own.