Deluxe Loukoumi with Cocoa & Hazelnut

I reviewed another flavour of Loukoumi earlier this week here, that was a freebie I wasn't too impressed with but this is one I chose and paid for. 

Loukoumi is the Greek version of Turkish delight, they are very similar but the Greeks tend to flavour more to my tastes. 

I chose the Cocoa & Hazelnut flavoured, it was all packaged very neatly and looked like a deluxe product even though it managed to survive the beating my suitcase received on the way home either at Heraklion or Gatwick airport! 

Loukoumi as with Turkish delight is basically pure sugar - the ingredients here listed in order are 'sugar, Crokan (hazelnut, sugar, brandy) 4% cornstarch, cocoa 23%, glucose syrup and citric acid' so sugar, sugar and some brandy? I'm guessing Crokan is the name for the jelly type substance that is Loukoumi. 

They looked like some truffles I tried last year and once I'd peeled the plastic seal back I couldn't wait to try these - the cocoa smelt delicious and was very strong. Although they were just as coated in the cocoa as the previous were in sugar, they were a lot less messy and anyhow it's more normal to eat all the leftover cocoa than pure sugar right.... 

It was very hard to get a clear picture of the centre as that cocoa powder was so thick but biting into one I was very pleased with my choice! The centre, despite being I suppose a jelly, was thick and firmer than before with a beautiful hazelnut flavour that went so well with the actually decent tasting cocoa. This really reminded me of a just as tasty but less rich truffle. I found them smoother than a truffle actually as the jelly type stuff inside isn't grainy or gritty at all, just smooth, hazelnut flavoured thick, chewy jelly. 

I can honestly say this is the best snack I've eaten in a long time. I've even been googling but no one sells this brand in the UK. So they loose a point on the rating scale for that and that only. 

Rating 9/10 

Loy Koy Maki

I won't lie, I had no clue what this was until I ate it. Loy Koy Maki is ungoogleable apparently and was part of the little welcome pack we got in the hotel we stayed in but I did see identical boxes without the hotel logo on sold in every shop out there. I'm pretty sure it's Loukoumi, the Greek version of Turkish delight. 

I had 2 smallish sized pieces in my box both separately wrapped, I was going to try one but ripped both open and as it turns out that was a good choice! They were extremely messy - that white sugar dusting is all over my clothes, the table, the dog... And very soft and squidgy. 

I went for the smaller first as everyone knows you leave the biggest till last! Texture wise it was like Turkish Delight, with quite a soft jelly but still enough to give a little chew. The taste was a bit of a let down, it was sweet and nice enough but I couldn't tell you what flavour it's supposed to be. 

Then I had the second, the box clearly says this is honey mix nuts and there was definitely none of that in the first I tried so it looks like I got a bit of a mix up! This one had a firmer texture and was a lot thicker to chew through even the bites without any nuts. The flavour was a decent honey, not too strong but noticable and the nuts were crunchy and it all made for an interesting chew. 

That said, there was something not quite right with the honey nuts one, I can't quite put my finger on what, but I do prefer the unknown flavoured square. 

I understand this is a cheap, mass produced version of the authentic stuff and while I'm quite glad I didn't pay for this it has encouraged me to try the real deal now. 

Rating 6/10