My pal from Surabaya, Indonesia was in town last weekend and among other things that he gifted me was a box of ASTOR chocolate wafer rolls. 😀 And I’m like hey, we have something similar – Julie’s Love Letters – which my Dad never fails to buy when CNY is near. So how do they compare? My Indonesian friend says ASTOR’s are his favorite and on the box, phrases such as “wonderful sensation”, “timeless favorite”, “sensational match between crumbly roll and intense chocolate” can’t help but get my expectations UP! 😀 So I’m pitting them against Julie’s  – a box of love letters I got from ValuDollar at 50cents.

The darker ones are Julie’s while the paler wafers are from ASTOR:

ASTOR offers a “crumbly roll”. And indeed, it’s softer compared to Julie’s ultra-crispy love letters. I’d probably not bring ASTOR’s out traveling or for a picnic as I fear that it’ll get all crumbly by the time I reach my destination. However, what struck me was that milky taste which I don’t get when eating Julie’s love letters. ASTOR uses milk powder while Julie’s has skimmed milk powder – is that why?

As for the rest of the ingredients, they are pretty similar. ASTOR’s includes cashew nut (not that I managed to taste that) while Julie’s has egg in it.

As for the chocolate in the middle, I’d say ASTOR is a little more generous:

Julie’s love letters are more hollow in the middle, making them great to use as straws, like in milkshakes! 😀

Overall, I think ASTOR might have a superior wafer roll. The luscious chocolate in the center makes it a winner in my opinion. Julie’s, however, is the taste I grew up with so I’m not going to say ‘no’ to a Julie’s love letter either. And I’m sure come CNY in a few months’ time, a tin of Julie’s will magically appear at home. 😀 If you’re traveling to Indonesia, you can look for a pack of ASTOR’s wafer rolls. I do wonder if they come in other flavors.

*Just Googled. Apparently ASTOR is available on Shopee.sg too!