Uncle Chipps-Krrnchy Trangles

Well well well, now you go to your local retail shop and you find some dull brown packing with uncle chipps logo on it, next thing you see is couple of triangles and Mango Pickle jar beside them. You’ll say whoa! That must’ve been achari masti. But wait! Its Uncle Chipp’s Krrnchy Trangles, tastes like a little mango pickle with minor sweetishness mixed placed ower nachos. Well that is exactly what ITC Bingo’s Mad Triangles Taste like! And well more teasing is when they say 40% free on a 46.2 gm pack, what do you mean? Someone would buy a 28-30 gm pack of chipps that’s a duplicate? Well if Mad triangles are in so much demand that they are unavailable every now and then, then Yes! It’s a good choice…

Price: Rs. 10/- 46.2 gm, More sizes/weight not spotted yet
Flavours available: Mango pickle
Verdict: If plagiarism can be a word used for food products, this is it… ITC’s Bingo Achari masti in a new Brand and Packaging!
Rating: Leave it on you, I won’t rate such products! */5
Ad: Not spotted yet

PS: I feel like they have taken the product out of market already, I feel that because unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the pack, and now even I don’t find a picture of it on google images,  moreover the nearby grocery don’t have  clue of this product anymore.

Parle Cafe Cuba Coffee Rush

Well, all the things we fantasised in our childhood, may come on the face sometimes in life! Like, me and my cousin brother used to put some Instant Coffee into a bottle, some sugar, chilled water… Would create some froth to it, and would ask our other siblings, “How about some Beer”? The frothy stuff made it look a little like that, and must be tasting really awesome too.

So here comes Parle Café Cuba, carbonated version of my fantasy beer… I don’t know why they named it Café Cuba, maybe because coffee has been a great product from those lands even before the 18^th century, but c’mon. The package I took was a 250ml can (Also available in pet bottles) with a great coffee colored tin with red stripe trailing to a star and wonderful write up about coffee “United by Coffee”. Thus, no doubt the packaging of this product is classy, real classy! (Well to mention I feel they are positioning it as rebellion to usual drinks and a revolution in coffee and there for Cuba, one of the reasons)

Coming to the product, by the sheer color and experience with some other chocolate drinks I expected this to be milky kind of thing and so, I was horrified to listen a shissss sound on opening the can, I thought something was terribly wrong with that piece. But then I realised it was water based drink… I didn’t drink it completely chilled but the carbonation experiment with coffee feels quite good and drinking chilled must be magical. Apart from being carbonated the one major thing that puts Parle Café Cuba is its coffee flavour that might attract soft drink, mango pulp, coke and other such beverage drinkers

Price: Rs 20/250ml Can (Pet Rs.18/250ml)
Flavours available: Coffee
Verdict: If the carbon is taken out then its just plain simple coffee and sugar drink worth Rs.5-8 max. Some might hate it and feel cheated for being water based but still for coffee lovers Parle Café Cuba Coffee Rush might be a new dimension to beverages
Rating: 3.5/5
Ad: Mainly a typography based ad, some good Cuban song in the background I suppose. The ad has not been seen too much on TVs neither do YouTube votes confirm its appeal too positive, but yes it does position the product as revolution. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9SQjPxzs0w

Britannia Good-Day Choco-chip cookies

To be fair and true till a certain age I hadn’t had cookies, if you know the difference between cookies and biscuits you might be getting exactly what I am saying. The difference is presumed limited to only language but I think it is beyond that to the process and presentation of the edible thing. In fact ‘Choco-chip’ cookies itself is a concept developed after the concept of biscuits or cookies and introduced to India much after that.

Talking about the product Britannia Good day is one of the most perfect Choco chip cookie I see in the market. The pure feel and thick crunch that stays long enough in your mouth and makes you want more. The packaging is real good but somehow I also feel they try to make the pack look larger than it really is, you might notice this statement in some more articles because well, I think this ‘making consumer think’ they are getting more what they are actually having is a trending thing. Still for the price, taste, feel and packaging it’s worth spending that money!

Price: Rs.20/-
Flavours available: Choco-chip, Choco-Nut
Verdict: If you think chocolates were made in Heaven  you might actually fly after eating Britannia’s Choco-chip cookies, a perfect blend of chocolate in home-baked like cookies
Rating: 5/5
Ad: The ad I found is called ‘Khushiyon ke Ghar’ the ad might be apt to its research and the big idea but for me serving a choco-chip cookie to a bride who is just entering the house, mmm… doesn’t happen mostly but maybe its inspired by the very first ad of cadbury’s perk which well worked like fire for them! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dxjPXaOE8M

Choco Stick

When you have Rs.5 in your pocket and you want to eat a lot of chocolate what do you do? Buy 5 small chocolates? Nope,  Choco Stick gives you an awesome Choco treat for just Rs.5. The package is shiny, chocolaty pack with lots of art and information. You don’t need to tear open the pack to know what’s inside, you will just know with a first look.

The taste justifies itself with the writing on pack “Gone Mad”. It made me so mad and obsessed that at one time my friends started scolding me for eating Choco stick all the time. Its brown roll of wafer completely filled with creamy chocolate. A mmm… experience!

There are a lot of Choco sticks in the market but, this is one of the best I have had in recent times. I underestimated its availability across India because I thought it was a local product but the international label of Garudafood tells me that availability should not be an issue.

The Mango flavor was introduced recently and I tasted it in the month of August 2013. Although I found it okay types, one of my friend whom I asked for the opinion said… “Prateek, mango that too in artificial flavor is either good in confectioneries or in soft-drinks, not as good tasting in this wafer roll” well thats it… The taste is good but not impressive, still love the chocolate one though!

Price: Rs.5/Stick
Flavours available: Chocolate and Mango
Verdict: An awesome chocolate with proper proportion of wafer and chocolate. Delightfully amazing.
Rating: 4.5/5
Ad: Though in India I have not seen any such ad but, after searching I found Garudafood’s similar product’s ad which shows Choco stick like a Cigar and the Child posing like a Mafia with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWgKJh7IX5Y&feature=share&list=PL66EFF15150DF04D9

Parry’s Coffy Bite

Many confectionaries came and got washed away by the consumers but this one stands still. One of the most selling confectionaries by Parry’s (now Lotte) I believe. Packaged in Coffee colour and copper brown coloured wrapper it surely indicates its Coffee presence and the aroma confirms it if you are near the packet.

It’s a perfect blend of coffee and sugared milk that lingers for long. Although coffee bite cannot replace coffee but it’s a delight to those who love to have the taste of coffee in their mouth for long.

One of the aftereffects of Coffy Bite’s success is the confectionary being copied like something. You’ll get the same product with similar name and packaging.

Price: Rs 0.50/unit
Flavours available: Coffee
Verdict: When I want coffee and I want it anywhere & anytime, Coffee Bite works for me
Rating: 3.5/5
Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVNsuwksRWw
It’s the one and only ad on first few search I found on the tube. The five years old ad communicates only children and doesn’t really try to tell much but shows irritating kids going rouge. A turndown indeed.

Nissin Cup Noodles

Whenever you’re late for home or staying up late at home/hostel what do you do? Maybe try to cook something. Well that’s for some extra-energetic high demand people who can’t survive without curry and roti. For people like me it’s really tiresome to be really tired and cook something. Your rescue partner is Nissan Cup Noodles. You just need plain hot water and a spoon, closing the lid with hot water does cook this thing in 3 minutes! (Unlike some false claimer other noodle companies)

The package is a hard plastic cup which allows you to easily carry it or eat even when you’re not sitting. The strong cup has a great utility even after eating for hostel dwellers like me.

The taste and variety of flavours is a lot better than any traditional 2 minute noodle. The presence of real vegetable really shows when you eat it (mix it well before you do). Although I don’t know how healthy it is but I can really tell it tastes so good that you might get addicted to it and for that I don’t have to tell you each and every flavour. I haven’t tasted the chicken once but the rest are just awesome!

Price: Rs 27/cup (80gms), Rs 20/minicup (50gms)
Flavours available: Spicy Vegetable, Tangy Chicken, Manchurian, Mast Masala, Pani Puri and Tomato
My Picks: Mast Masala, Pani Puri and Tomato
Verdict: These cups go handy and noodles tasty when you’re not in a position to cook something these noodles are one of the best options.
Rating: 4/5
Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw4UCM0WYZg&feature=related
There is no Indian Ad released till now for Nissin Cup Noodles as I see in their website. But here is the link for a Non-Indian Ad which features different Animals in them. Interestingly I feel these ads promote vegetarianism. Linked to this one ad are some more ads for Cup Noodles which are equally funny.

Picture Courtesy: stork.net.in

 

Kitkat Dark

The other day we were chatting about dark chocolates because we couldn’t see much in the neighborhood stores and hey! Here it is. Nestle Kitkat introduces itself in its real new Avatar with a wonderful dark brown cover and wrapped in a very different silver foil. Coming to the taste, this one will make you say “This is the real dark chocolate”

Although there are many different categories to dark chocolate depending on their proportion of cocoa, sugar and other contents, this one is a real thing for the Indian preference according to me. You don’t find much Dark Chocolate in Indian market and Dark Chocolate Wafer is a rarity. Inside you’ll find three sticks of wafers covered with thick dark chocolate over it.

Price: Rs 30/unit (27.5gms)
Flavours: Dark Chocolate
Verdict: This chocolate is a perfect delight for dark chocolate lovers and can be enjoyed every now and then with a justified price on label.
Rating: 4.5/5
Ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V8vHdbdgmE
There is no Indian Ad released till now for Kitkat Dark. But here is the link for a Non-Indian Ad which features Bats in them. Give me the creeps here but some might get the pun!

Candyman Toffichoo

“Strawberry Milk-shake ka mazaa kabhi bhi kahin bhi”
Strawberry milkshake tastes good, but this toffee… AWESOME! It does contain strawberry flavor which feels like mixed in condensed milk. Anytime distinct than any xyz confectioneries which are mainly available in chocolaty flavor. The packaging is attractive glossy and cool. The pricing of 2 toffees at Rs.1 really makes me eat and donate everyone at-least 10 of these per day.

Price: Rs 0.50
Flavours: Strawberry
Verdict: Though a little sticky, this awesomely tasting strawberry does make a sense while watching a movie or while sitting idle and thinking of eating a burger.
Rating: 4.5/5
Ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI9IiPZgK9w
Communicates the same promise it does “Strawberry milkshake anywhere-anytime”. The ad is funny but doesn’t create a great recall.

Appy Classic

Appy is a beverage made from Apples (real juicy apples as the co. claims). The black packaging makes it look different and royal. In terms of taste it gives a refreshing feeling to you with a deeper dive into the world of Apples with each sip. A quick observation was the pricing, especially the difference between 250 ml and 400 ml Pet bottles so in all you pay Rs. 4 for 150ml. Appy seems to be a King of good times for soft-drink lovers and definetly a cool drink to hang-out with!

Price: Rs. 10 (160ml Tetra pak), Rs. 14 (250ml Pet bottle), Rs. 18 (400 ml Pet bottle), Rs.40 (1 ltr Tetra Pak)
Flavours: Apple
Verdict: Appy tastes heavenly with real apple taste. Everyday becomes a Appy Budday with this golden drink.
Rating: 5/5
Ad: No Ads found. It has captured much of the market without advertising heavily!

Kurkure Puffcorn

Puffcorn is a flavoured salty-cheesy snack and an extension to Kurkure. Every piece shaped in a ‘v’ like shape this one looks good to see. When I say cheesy it really does melt in your mouth after first or second bite. The snack has similar property like normal popcorn i.e. its light and hence you end up eating the whole packet without any hesitation.

Price: Rs. 5 (weight unknown), Rs. 10 (38 gm pack)
Verdict: Puffcorn can be said to be a mix of kurkure and cheese balls. Kurkure Puffcorn is a great time-pass munchies.
Rating: 4/5
Ad: Quite boring and non-connecting to the Indian Audience http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0O5kwuRmtk