New 220g Cadbury Chocolate blocks are absolute rubbish
Despite better tasting European alternatives, Cadbury chocolate in Australia has somehow remained a chocolate institution.
Charging almost $5 for a 250g block, back in May they decided to stop producing decent chocolate and introduce smaller blocks and vegetable fat.
I’ve been holding off trying the now not-so-new blocks because I’ve practically grown up eating Top Deck. Back when the blocks were $2.50 or so in my childhood I’d scrape together every last cent of pocket money just to buy a block every once in a while.
Then I’d sit there greedily and wolf the entire thing down myself.
The only time I’d been defeated by a block of chocolate was when a friend got me a giant 1kg block of Cadbury milk chocolate, although I don’t think they do them anymore.
Today I found myself at Coles before heading out for a ride. I figured I could do with some sugar pick-me-up so I thought now would be as good a time as ever to try out the new blocks.
I’d been putting it off ever since the announcement dreading that it would make me never buy another Top Deck block again.
As I bit down on my first square and let the chocolate dissolve in my mouth, I realised somebody at Cadbury HQ had lost their goddamn mind.
Every Easter the chocolate market is saturated with cheap compound chocolate. It tastes grainy in your mouth as it dissolves and it’s more like chocolate butter then actual chocolate. Sadly this is what my TopDeck bar also tastes like now.
Infact the texture has been changed so much I noticed the white top bits of the bar were separating from the milk chocolate underside. Something I’d never seen before in the old recipe.
It’s like someone took a bottle of oil, added some melted chocolate syrup, mixed it up and re-set it. Yes it’s that bad.
And that’s just the taste, don’t get me started on the ‘where’s my 30g gone?’
Answering it’s critics, Cadbury stated back in may that
“Our research and consumer testing shows that adding a small amount of vegetable fat to our recipe makes the chocolate slightly softer to bite, whilst still maintaining the great taste of Australia’s favorite chocolate,” he said.
“This research shows that consumers are still happy with the taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate that includes vegetable fat.”
Mr Ellis said a change in the shape of the blocks also influenced how it tasted.
“The new-look Cadbury Dairy Milk milk chocolate blocks now feature wider chocolate squares. The change in chocolate square shape may provide some consumers with a different taste to the one they are used to because the new wider chocolate squares provide a more even distribution of chocolate taste throughout the mouth.
“The smaller squares from the former block tended to concentrate the delivery of the chocolate to a smaller area of the mouth.”
Newsflash: MY TASTEBUDS HAVE NO FREAKING EYES THEY CAN’T SEE THE SHAPE OF THE SQUARE!
The only thing that killed the taste of the chocolate is the vegetable fat, period. Taste distribution my arse. Let’s just cut to the chase, using vegetable oil instead of cocoa solids is cheaper and increases profits. That’s really all there is to it.
The blocks were retailing for around $2.50 which is a lot less then what they were before. Hopefully that’s due to demand sharply declining and not just because of the price difference in ingredients used.
Cadbury you’ve really stuffed this one up. If you’re going to play around with your flagship product at least offer an original alternative ala ‘new’ Vegemite. Forcing an inferior product on your customer base is just a surefire way to ensure you go out of business fast.
With Aldi offering a Belgian chocolate block for around $3.50 that tastes excellent I don’t see myself buying another block of Cadbury anything for a very, very long time.
August 8th, 2009 at 5:53 pm Chris(Quote)
Big ex-Cadbury fan here.
I bought my first and last *new* block of Cadbury Dairy Milk in June. The price was the same, yet 30grams less. And it didn’t taste the same.
A glass and a half-arsed effort from Cadbury. You can get better chocolate from Supermarkets and Department stores that are often just as good value.
August 8th, 2009 at 6:01 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
True that. I’m not particularly fond of the You’ll Love Coles brand of chocolate but even that is better then the grainy texture crap Cadbury has become.
August 8th, 2009 at 6:21 pm Chris(Quote)
Agree. I buy mostly Lindt chocolate now (as the gf loves it) and it is very reasonably priced for being a superior product.
August 8th, 2009 at 7:59 pm Citizen-D(Quote)
“A glass and a half-arsed effort from Cadbury.”
Got a good laugh from that.
August 9th, 2009 at 12:38 pm hippiesparx(Quote)
This explains why, at 50, I’m getting pimples.
I’m in the habit of munching a bit of chocolate in the evening before retiring and never had pimples before. I knew I didn’t like the new Cadbury’s but didn’t know why. I’ve always bought Cadbury’s rather than imports. More fool me. No more. But where is there a decent alternative to top deck?
August 9th, 2009 at 2:58 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Make sure you give your pillowcases a good wash out too, oils from your face can rub off overnight and then spread all over your face from your pillowcase as you sleep.
Sadly as far as I know nobody else produces a chocolate like topdeck. I’ve thought about combining two blocks of Choceur milk and white chocolate from Aldi but I need to find away to stick them together!
…if I could only find some edible sticky tape hmm.
August 10th, 2009 at 10:24 am Elbowgrease(Quote)
I dont eat cadbury anymore either. Lindt are my new choice.
Anyone notice that Kit Kats have been through a similar process and are now shithouse?
August 10th, 2009 at 12:03 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
I’ve never really had a passion for wafer choclate as much as the straight blocks. KitKat is owned by Nestle aren’t they?
I stopped buying Nestle when I saw them selling Aero blocks (120g?) for the same price as their normal blocks (200g?) although their double blend was nice.
Wouldn’t suprise me if they’ve gone the cheaper ingredients route either, I mean if Cadbury can get away with it and claim it’s all in our heads I don’t see why nestle can’t.
August 18th, 2009 at 9:07 pm Ed(Quote)
Cadbury fan of 30 years (2 family blocks per week) but refuse to eat the crap that now masquerades as chocolate.Changed over to Lindt.
August 21st, 2009 at 4:13 pm Nicolas(Quote)
I sent this link to Cadbury and this was the response I was given:
Dear Mr (removed),
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our New Look
products. We are pleased to inform you that based on your feedback and
that of hundreds of other Australians, we have decided to remove vegetable
fat and return to a cocoa butter only recipe for Cadbury’s entire moulded
block chocolate range, including our flagship Cadbury Dairy Milk brand and
product lines such as Old Gold and Dream.
The decision to remove vegetable fat and return to a cocoa butter only
recipe was based on your feedback and that of hundreds of other
Australians. At the time that we introduced vegetable fat, we genuinely
believed we were making the right decision, for the right reasons. However,
it is clear that we got it wrong. Now we’re putting things right by
returning to a cocoa only recipe as soon as we possibly can.
We sincerely hope the change back to a cocoa butter only recipe will help
restore your faith in Cadbury and our products. Cadbury Dairy Milk’s
quality is what’s made Cadbury one of Australia’s most trusted brands for
many years. Changing the recipe put that trust at risk and we hope that
returning to a cocoa butter only recipe is a change for the better.
Once again we thank you for your feedback. If you have any further
enquieries please do not hesitate to contact us on 1800 250 260.
Kind regards
CADBURY PTY LTD
…We will see I guess?
August 22nd, 2009 at 12:47 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Where the hell did they get this feedback from? What moronic Australians told them making their product taste like crap is what they wanted and where were they admist the universal public backlash?
I say Cadbury just made the whole thing up!
September 19th, 2009 at 9:25 pm bigals(Quote)
Like most people, my family and I loved Cadbury. I would have been one of their greatest stalwarts. I always said irrespective of price, give me a cadbury. Well not anymore after tasting the vegi oil crap chocolate, They’ve lost me. On the up side I lose weight!!!! As said above; what really concerns me is that we apparently may notice a change in flavour due to the shape change-which professor came up with this bull s. How much was he paid. Then again, the buck stops with Mr Cadbury- I’d love to see his bonus this year as it would appear the sales are probably going to head south when you consider the discounts going on….
September 27th, 2009 at 10:44 am Paulie Jay(Quote)
Cadbury aren’t the only ones mucking around with their chocolate. Nestle have now issued “new recipe” Polly Waffles that now contain an awful sugary brittle wafer. Also there is a new style Chokito has lost its rugged ugliness, and is obviously being manufactured with different equipment because looking at the bar after taking a bite you can see that they is far less of the good stuff (caramel, rice crispies etc) underneath the chocolate. “Improving” a product that no one has requested improvements be made can only mean one thing – cheaper production costs for bigger profits.
September 27th, 2009 at 11:38 pm murrayNE(Quote)
“A glass and a half-arsed effort from Cadbury.”
Give that man a hand. Exemplary
October 19th, 2009 at 4:42 pm Simon(Quote)
I’m beginning to suspect a cunning ploy here – bring in the smaller bars + add the dreaded fat, ride out the mass of complaints, then take the fat back out ‘due to consumer feedback’ but keep the smaller sized bars. Consumers happy, company happy.
(I’ve only tried the new version of Snack, and haven’t bought any of the new improved smaller choc bars since. My wife switched to Lindt and I’ve switched to dried apricots & almonds for my snacking.)
October 19th, 2009 at 6:49 pm Douglas(Quote)
Anyone had a Peppermint Pattie or a Coconut Rough latley , thin as buggery …… they used to be really thick, not now, they’re like a thin biscuit
December 19th, 2009 at 3:03 am johnny(Quote)
I can’t afford cadbury chocolate so I’ve switched to stale bread and crackers…
April 13th, 2010 at 11:34 pm Ronnie(Quote)
Very disappointed with Cadbury – why make the chocolate so thin!! Have now switched to Whittakes’s (their coconut block is so yummy)! Bye Bye Cadbury…
April 14th, 2010 at 2:06 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
Because apparently that's what Australian's want. Working families aren't worried about the economy, education, employment or the state of Australia… they're worried about the thickness of their chocolate blocks.
April 14th, 2010 at 1:24 pm Ronnie(Quote)
With the economy, education and employment issues not going so good we Australians do need some good vices…..
May 13th, 2010 at 1:22 am Jenni(Quote)
I too got the response from Cadbury in ’09 that they were changing back to their old recipe. The better part of a year later I have not yet found that to be true. The choc is still garbage. Gritty and grainy.
I am so sick of products being changed for the betterment of the balance sheet and not the consumer. They just don’t get it that they lose customers when they do this type of thing. Less customers, less profit.
May 13th, 2010 at 7:34 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Cadbury announced back in August 09 that they were dropping palm oil from their chocolate line. The fact that you can walk into a supermarket today and still buy palm oil Cadbury choclate speaks volumes about their commitment and passion of their flagship product.
Cadbury clearly don’t care about their once loyal customer base.
May 22nd, 2010 at 3:26 pm carol fitzgerald(Quote)
I agree with every one else but have noticed that now you have to READ EVERYTHING IN THE LIST OF INGREDIENTS BECAUSE SOME OF THEM STILL HAVE VEGETABLE FAT IN THEM EVEN HAVE THE HIDE TO SAY SAME GREAT TASTE.
Well they arn`t and the hazel nut is so different since they have taken out the WHOLE NUTS. Infact i did send an email to say some one may sue because there seems to be bits of shell left. have you ever tried to eat shell you almost break a tooth.
I dont think they can recover from this BIG MISTAKE.
August 30th, 2010 at 11:48 pm Luke-Marzy(Quote)
There’s no fucking nuts in my roasted almond…
Where the fuck are my nuts ?
August 31st, 2010 at 3:44 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
cue Cadbury issuing a press release advising that Australian families have told them they don’t want actual nuts in their roasted almond chocolate blocks.
Was it a once off mistake or have Cadbury gone off the deep end and removed all nuts from their range lol?
August 31st, 2010 at 1:52 pm Maroon(Quote)
I have had a good belly laugh reading this article and all the above comments…
now a warning to all you chocaholics out there…cut back while you can…you will thank me when you are old enough to start getting your blood cholesterol tested, discover it is too high, as is your weight and you are forced to start dieting.. against the will of your tastebuds and excercising against the will of your joints.
The combined complaints of all your extraneous body parts will drive you mad.
November 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 pm Kim Lyn(Quote)
Awesome write up, could have not said it better myself! Love the bit when you wrote – Newsflash: MY TASTEBUDS HAVE NO FREAKING EYES THEY CAN’T SEE THE SHAPE OF THE SQUARE! So utterly true.
February 20th, 2011 at 4:17 pm HenryJay(Quote)
I thought something had happened to me and that I’d gone off Cadbury chocolate naturally but they actually changed the recipe the idiots after I’ve pigged out happily on them for almost 30 years.
It’s been a year now since I’ve eat their new unimproved chocolate.
April 11th, 2011 at 10:48 pm Ross(Quote)
A Cadbury block of topdeck or black forest used to be a weekend must have for me, until they introduced vegetable fat and i made the switch to lindt or the coles stuff.
I’m not sure if the old recipe is back or not, because i’m also not paying $5 to lose 1/4 of the block either
April 11th, 2011 at 11:47 pm Cadburys Never Again(Quote)
Good to see all the bad feed back.
I personally went on a diet last March (2010) and spent several month doing research removing (Vegetable Fat) and Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil from my diet. That’s another story. But I still wanted my occasional treats.
Anyhow I kindly sent an email to Cadbury’s (Australia) in May 2010 asking weather they used Hydrogenated Vegetable oil there answer was yes.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil = (Vegetable Fat) = Trans Fat.
“As most vegetables that contain fats are liquid not solid.”
(Which increase cholesterol + Heart Attacks, Etc
Check out this web site for the possible Trans Fat Replacement.
Web Link: http://www.theheart.org/article/765927.do
Possibly the next replacement for cocoa butter.
Anyhow Today I noticed they changed to a different recipe which now contains (Cocoa Mass) ???? minus Vegetable Fat.
Regardless now I will never buy Cadbury’s again as they keep
messing with their products but so do a lot of other manufacturers. Keep your eyes open.
What annoys me is the info on there web site admitting to it
link below, But don’t inform you on the label until you read
the small text in ingredients.
When there’s a new cheaper Fat they will do it all over
again and not tell us they have lost my trust.
http://www.cadbury.co.nz/about-cadbury/frequently-asked-questions.aspx
I’m now 100% converted to Lindt.
(Which is how real chocolate is made.)
April 12th, 2011 at 1:03 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Whilst I’m sure the retail chocolate market is competitive, there’s simply no excuse for shrinking your product size and continually changing the recipe of a product that your market intimately know the taste of.
I’m sure Cadburys will be a case study in how to completely mess up your business model in the years to come.
April 20th, 2011 at 9:57 am bill mccoy(Quote)
l got a big block of Cadburys last night at safeways and pay $3.00 for it and it was not the same, it was 200g and not 240g and it was so thin and it did not tast the same to, l will not buy cadbury no more.
Cadburys was the best chocolate and l am 53 years old and l say bye bye to cadburys……………..
August 16th, 2011 at 9:11 pm Odette(Quote)
I am so disappointed with Cadbury!!! What blatant disregard they have with their customers. I’d be interested now to know how their ‘palm oil’ experiment went and how it improved the market for them. Who was the bright spark that OK’d that change to the product? Probably ended up with a bonus on top of it.
I used to insist my husband only bought me Cadbury chocolate now to add to his confusion I instead insist on no Cadbury chocolate at all. It has effected every one of their products, not just the blocks, but also the chocolate bars like Crunchie bars & Time outs. The chocolate is a sickly sweet product that covers them now.
I noted on TV the other day that Cadbury advertises “A glass and a half of smoothness”
What happened to “A glass and a half of rich full cream milk”?
Can anyone tell me why any company would change a product that is excellent to one that didn’t sell?
I’d be interested in the history of the dialogue that took place that led to the changes Cadbury in chocolate to what it is today. For your information it is still bad, something has been lost
March 14th, 2012 at 12:48 am Nicolas Connault(Quote)
I think the vegetable oil is a smoke screen. Chocolate quality is mostly a product of the churning process, something that is not indicated on packaging simply because most people aren’t aware of its importance.
Top quality chocolate is churned for several days, making it silky smooth, but costing far more than the kind of builder’s sand Cadbury’s
March 24th, 2012 at 6:42 pm Chris(Quote)
@ozsoapbox
About making something like Topdeck yourself you could always buy brown chocolate, melt it, freeze it and then pour melted white chocolate on the top (maybe best to let it cool down a little) then freeze it all.
Oh yeah and about Lindt chocolate I was at a shopping centre looking for chocolates to buy for Easter and then I spotted the Lindt stuff, I only buy it when it’s on special anyway because it’s a bit expensive for how much you get.
Anyway I looked at the ingredients on the back of the Lindt block and guess what I see… VEGETABLE FAT (oil or whatever)!!! No more lindt for me and I just bought a Topdeck because there was no veggie fat and oils in the ingredients however other Cadbury chocolates had it, they were the smaller blocks (probably the old ones and I think they’ve discontinued all the veggie fat stuff now).
I could make a request to the local chocolate place to make Topdeck style stuff but then again they’re a rip off and charge something like $1 or $2 PER PIECE not per block. I might as well make my own chocolate from my own cocoa beans but then again I’ll have to find out if that’s legal.
March 25th, 2012 at 10:50 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
At the rate I demolish a block of Top Deck, that’s a lot of work! I’d only go to that much effort if some severe cravings kicked in and I couldn’t get TopDeck anyway.
I haven’t had TopDeck (or any Cadbury’s) since leaving Australia now that I think about it. Kinda had to give up chocolate in Taiwan, save for the odd Snickers bar from 7-11. People are too busy eating stinky tofu so it’s like the concept of chocolate never really took off.
And these guys are still in business how?
March 25th, 2012 at 4:22 pm TaiwanTeacher(Quote)
Chocolate fanatics are encouraged to contact James Chocolates in Taichung. Everything is handmade to perfection.
April 26th, 2012 at 9:54 am Michael(Quote)
does anyone know where i can buy a 1kg block of Cadbury dairy milk chocolate from?? Its for my sister for her bday as a suprise because she is obsessed with it =]
April 26th, 2012 at 12:04 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
Probably best to contact Cadbury to see if they’re still making the 1kg blocks and who’s selling them.
I myself haven’t seen a 1kg block of Cadbury since the 1990s.