|
We created our international snack blog a few years back as a place to highlight our exploration of the best snacks from around the world. We’ve explored many different cultures and flavors as we collected these foreign snacks to offer for sale here in our International Snack Store. We know we are not the only company exploring snacks from around the world and recently another group with an affinity for great snacks reached out to us and provided a few samples for our team to review. This is how we discovered the self-proclaimed "Troublemakers of Taste", also known as the Belgian Boys.  Personally I’ve spent time near Belgium in Holland. This meant I was familiar with the three snacks they sent, which includes their Choco Stix, Mini Stroopwafels, and Mini Choco Stroopwafels. What I wasn’t familiar with was their brand. Once the package arrived we immediately wanted to become more familiar with the Belgian Boys. Their product packaging is stunning and perfectly presented. As we began our preliminary research we encountered additional great design work. Their website is fun, playful, and stylish. The also tell a story of the guys on the box, Chubby & Skinny. Now we could do a whole article on why we love the product presentation and back-story, but this blog is about snacks. So on with the taste test!  The first item our team decided to try was Belgian Boys Mini Choco Stroopwafels. Why did we start here? Because who can resist a chocolate covered stoopwafel? If you are not familiar with a stroopwafel, it’s two layers of waffle-ish dough with a thin layer of caramel syrup in the middle. This is a common snack in both Belgium and Holland. So how does the Belgian Boys rendition of this snack stack up against others? It surpasses them! This unique treat is phenomenal. The real Belgian Callebaut chocolate coating is divine and the stroopwafel inside is perfect. There is a soft crunch and the firm caramel center is the ideal consistency.  The next snack we tried was the Belgian Boys Mini Stroopwafel. Not surprisingly, it’s the same snack as above minus the chocolate coating. Of course we loved it, but we did miss the chocolate. It’s a classic and truly enjoyable. Something we didn’t mention above was their size. Being mini and individually wrapped made them easy to eat and easy to share. Everyone we gave one to was thankful and enjoyed them as well.  The last snack we sampled was the Belgian Boys Choco Stix. Another awesome snack! These crisp cookies are butter finger biscuits filled with a generous portion of Belgian Callebaut chocolate. Our sample package came with 3 packs of 6 biscuits. We really enjoyed this treat and think it’s an ideal pairing for our morning coffee. So the Troublemakers of Taste went 3 for 3! From the presentation, to the story, and the snacks themselves- everything was top-notch and surpassed our expectations. Something we didn’t mention yet was their price point, which we feel is very reasonable considering the quality of the items. Currently we do not offer the Belgian Boys snack line for sale in our international snack store. Right now we are focusing on traditional foreign snacks by brands people already know and love. We know the Belgium Boys will quickly captivate many so hopefully in the future we will include their snacks for sale. Until then you can buy their snacks directly from them at belgianboys.com.
Comments
Today our international snack blog is heading to the Netherlands or as you may know it, Holland. What is the difference between the country of Netherlands and Holland? Well, it’s pretty complicated and it could take up a whole blog of it’s own. So for now, we are moving on and leaving you hanging. So let’s take a look at this snack from the Netherlands.  The snack we are reviewing is produced by company called Droste Holland. The heritage of Droste dates way back to 1863 when Gerardus Droste decide to start a candy shop. His store offered hot cocoa as well as a variety of high-end chocolates. These luxury chocolates offered in his shop became known as "Pastilles Droste".
With such a polished presentation we had high expectations. Being we sample the best chocolate snacks from around the world that means this snack is undergoing serious scrutiny. Did it “wow” us? Well, not at first. Our initial reaction was that it’s too sweet, and not milky enough. The idea of a chocolate bite with both white and milk chocolate is exciting, but at first the Droste Pastilles just satisfied our craving. After our taste test something interesting happened. I personally kept revisiting this snack from the Netherlands. First it was with an evening glass of wine, the Droste Holland Milk/White Pastilles paired very well with wine. Then, the next day I found myself again reaching for this chocolate treat. By the time the pack was finished, I personally was a big fan. Will World of Snacks offer the Droste Holland Milk/White Pastilles when our international snack store is expanded to include items from the Netherlands? There is a strong chance that in the near future you will be able to buy this snack online in our store. If you are craving something sweet, than be sure to check out our selection of German Chocolate we just added. Each month this year we will add a new country and their snacks to our inventory. To be notified of our progress be sure to leave your details to the right. Keep on snacking world!
This is not our first sampling of Stroopwafels from Holland. In fact one of our very first snack reviews was for Daelmans Jumbo Dutch Caramel Wafers. That review was our first experience with a Stroopwafels so we had an idea on what to expect... or so we thought. When we opened the clear packaging on the Henri Willig Stroopwafels we were surprised by the weight of the individual pieces. Daelmans version was light, crunchy, and thin. Henri Willig's version was heavy, firm, and thick. Although these snacks are both from Holland they are very different from each other. Which is the better Stroopwafel? To be honest we really enjoyed them equally. The experience of the Henri Willig Stroopwafels seemed a little more mom & pop with the basic packaging and the fresh from the baker approach. Daelmans Jumbo Wafer was high-end but more main stream. No matter which is preferred we really enjoyed this Dutch snack. Will World of Snacks include Hollandase Stroopwafels Dutch Syrup Waffles as apart of our normal inventory when our online store launches? We are not sure. So far the snack items we have received from Holland has been limited. We will for sure offer one of the Stroopwafels but it may be on a limited run or during a promotional period.
For our next adventure in our journey across the globe through snacks we ventured to Holland. This product intrigued us from the start being there really is no US equivalent. After a little research we discovered that this strange looking waffle style cookie is called a stroopwafel. This type of snack dates back to the 18th century in Holland and is a traditional treat loved by many international snack enthusiasts. In fact the manufacture Daelmans has been in buiness since 1909. The founder of the company Hermanus Daelmans was a baker of fresh pastries and hand-made treats. Today the company is in many international markets and is still family-owned. Now the history is out of the way it's time to get down to the important part of our review, the taste! We served these after dinner with a few house guests to get a consensus. Everyone seemed to enjoy them although one younger guest said he wishes they were a tad bit more sweet. The texture is very waffle-like with a crisp crunch. The caramel center is thin and sweet but not overpowering. The packaging mentioned that Daelams Dutch Caramel Wafers are great with coffee however I went with a glass of cold milk and it made for an excellent pairing. We struggled to find something based in American that is similar and the nearest product mentioned in our intimate test group was Caramel deLites, the Girl Scout cookie, although the similarities other than caramel are limited. Overall with such a strong international following and unique taste and texture Dalemans Dutch Caramel Wafers have a strong probability in making in our standard inventory for our international store to be launched in the fall on World of Snacks. With the official product tag line "Holland's Tastiest Treat" we are not sure if we have much of a choice but to offer it! Buy Daelmans Stroopwafels in our international snack store.
|
