You know how much we LOVE comparing Canadian chocolate bars against other country's -- check out our American vs. Canadian chocolate series if you didn't know. So when my hubby returned to his native land, I asked him to bring back some British versions of some popular chocolate bars found here. He kindly obliged which means more Tasting Labs! In our US vs Canada series, most of us consistently preferred Canadian versions to the American ones, proving that these chocolate companies really do their research when it comes to a nation's taste preferences. Would pitting British vs. Canadian chocolate bars yield similar results? Read on! The method: British and Canadian versions of Kit Kat were simply labelled A and B. My colleagues were asked to sample each and choose their preferred chocolate. (A was the Canadian Kit Kat (bottom pic) and B was British). Appearance: The two chocolates were identical except the Canadian Kit Kat was darker than the British version. This was the case with American version as well. In terms of taste, there was definitely a difference (see comments below). Another difference: The British Kit Kat had a Fairtrade stamp with a picture of a chocolate farmer from Ivory Coast on the back. The Canadian version had none. Also, the first three ingredients for British Kit Kat were sugar, dried whole milk, cocoa butter; Canadian Kit Kat -- sugar, milk ingredients , coca butter. Here's what my highly-esteemed colleagues had to say: Chocolate A (Canadian Kit Kat): - sweeter - tastier - wafery after taste, hint of Coffee Crisp (another fine Canadian chocolate bar) - richer - Kit Kat I know and love Chocolate B (British Kit Kat): - drier - creamier - artificial after taste - milkier - darker in colour - smokier flavour - not a fan In the end, our highly scientific study (not) revealed that five people preferred A - the Canadian version of the Kit Kat, while two (myself included) preferred the British version. I guess I'm a Britofile when it comes to chocolate and men. So what do you think? Are you surprised by the results? I personally thought more people would chose the British version. You always hear about how much better it is. We'll be doing more Tasting Labs comparing Canadian to British chocolate so be on the look out for those. Tasting Lab is a monthly feature. Related: Tasting Lab: American vs. Canadian Kit Kat

I'm not going to lie, I have one of the best spots in the office because I sit next to my good friend and illustrious foodie, Catherine Jheon. Why am I so obsequiously praising? Because she gets LOTS of chocolate, and I'm a chocoholic. Though her opinion is coveted, often times she passes the chocolate -- particularly the dark chocolate -- over to me for review, because, well, it is my specialty. And one fine morning (never too early for chocolate) my good fortune brought me a tidy loot bag of Nestle Noir . Noir was introduced to Canadians in 2008, and marked Nestle's foray into the elaborate world of fine dark chocolate. Why then the sudden "hello" from a 2008 product? Because Nestle Noir had undergone a 2010 makeover, showcasing how committed Nestle is to convincing dark chocolate snobs like myself, that they too know a thing or two about it. (You see, to be a dark chocolate lover is to perpetually seek out obscure, artisanal producers, who weave a mystical tale of how much finer their cocoa is than the others -- hard to compete when you're a large chocolate producer.) Nestle's big idea? Shape matters. Pasta people would agree, as would oenophiles (wine people), knowing their obsession with stemware, but chocolate? The 2010 incarnation of Nestle Noir is not an ordinary bar divided into flat-surface, domino-like squares, but a topographically enhanced relief of waves. "The wave shape hits certain areas of the oral surface improving the melt-in-your-mouth quality while while simultaneously reserving enough space in the mouth for the aroma to enrich the sensorial experience," says Janet T. Planet, Nestle innovation Manager. Eagerly tearing at the goody bag, I ingested half the bar of "Intense 70%", giving away the "Eclat Caramel", "Miel Amandes" and "Eclat Noir", because I am a purist, and those three flavours are all under 70%. In the next few days (ok one and a half), I polished off the "Intense" and the 80% "Sublime," leaving no trace of either. The experience? Different from what I'm used to, but certainly intriguing . The chocolate was much lighter and a tad sweeter than the dark, dense, waxy stuff I tend to stick to (it's an acquired taste), pointing to its instant mass appeal. The aroma was irresistible, clearly calculated by an army of chocolate alchemists that only a large company such as Nestle could afford, and the shape...well, the shape actually worked : chocolate made contact with all the right parts of my palate, extending its reach and hence...

Looking for yet another way to justify your chocolate habit? Well, I've found one, quite accidentally. While browsing around, I stumbled upon this unusual chocolate product: toothpaste . Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), it's not candy, it's actually toothpaste! Chocolate-flavoured toothpaste doesn't exactly sound appealing to me, but you might see cocoa powder making an appearance in your daily tooth brushing regimen soon. Research from Tulane University in New Orleans from 2007 (OK, I'm a little late finding this news), found that "an extract of cocoa powder that occurs naturally in chocolates, teas, and other products might be an effective natural alternative to fluoride in toothpaste." Anyone remember the gum in a toothpaste tube? It was super sugary, liquidy bubble gum. No worries if you haven't heard of it, toothpaste-themed candy products are still popular with candy manufacturers. Feast your eyes on this candy toothpaste from candywarehouse.com . Food Products appear Thursdays. Related: Soma Chocolate Maker, Toronto The Original Toll House Cookie