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Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coconut. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2016
The Original Lees' Macaroon review
My mother-in-law was recently at a highland games here in Canada but came across a table selling Scotish goodies and was good enough pick me up some for review. Check out the video below and see what you think.
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If you are not subscribed yet head over to the youtube page and sign up for new reviews twice weekly!
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Very Merry MunchPak
This recently arrived on my doorstep. Check out my review of the MunchPak Subscription service.
And now for the snacks themselves...
Pretty cool right. Find out more about MunchPak at their website - http://munchpak.com/
And now for the snacks themselves...
Pretty cool right. Find out more about MunchPak at their website - http://munchpak.com/
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Quality Street review
Merry Christmas all. So here we have the big'un for the season. This is my massive two part review of the entire box of Quality Street chocolates. enjoy.
part 1
part 2
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Quality Street -5 / 5
The take aways from me specifically are try the - Strawberry Delight, Fudge, Orange Cream, and The Purple One for the best of the best. I hope you enjoyed this massive review. I don't know that I'll normally do such an extensive look at a box of chocolates but I felt like this one was a special case.Feel free to let me know what you think.
For more on Nestle's Quality Street please visit - http://products.nestle.ca/en/brands/chocolates/quality-street.aspx
part 1
part 2
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Quality Street -5 / 5
The take aways from me specifically are try the - Strawberry Delight, Fudge, Orange Cream, and The Purple One for the best of the best. I hope you enjoyed this massive review. I don't know that I'll normally do such an extensive look at a box of chocolates but I felt like this one was a special case.Feel free to let me know what you think.
For more on Nestle's Quality Street please visit - http://products.nestle.ca/en/brands/chocolates/quality-street.aspx
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Bounty review
Its time for more coconut here on the Candy Aisle with this review of Bounty.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Bounty - 3 / 5
For more on Bounty please check out the Mars chocolate page, although it is admittedly pretty utilitarian. OR you could just browse over to our Reviews Page for more fun reviews. And remember to keep it locked right here for more reviews twice a week!
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Bounty - 3 / 5
For more on Bounty please check out the Mars chocolate page, although it is admittedly pretty utilitarian. OR you could just browse over to our Reviews Page for more fun reviews. And remember to keep it locked right here for more reviews twice a week!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
M&Ms Ads - Becoming Superstars
When last we talked about the M&Ms the little candy coated super-stars we're headed full tilt into the new Millennium. While other companies we're floundering to maintain clean cut mascots in a world full of cynical and way too smart kids the M&Ms managed to ride a tide of good will bolstered by smart mature humor and a constantly evolving sensibility that kept them fresh. Maybe what worked so well for them was that they stopped being aimed specifically at kids. The M&M characters left their pure cartoon roots with the introduction of the mixed media CG versions of the characters, and Mars stopped even making commercials without them. They reached a mass awareness that few mascots have ever achieved and kept on pushing, to become, and stay, the biggest of mega-stars in the candy world.
To be honest, figuring out how this all went down is pretty confusing so |I'm going to assume I will be getting some of this wrong. Lets be clear: I am not a historian. This is a light fun pop survey of the modern M&M characters as seen through their advertizing. There are other places on the web, or in print if you're looking for cold hard facts. Like Yellow, we're just here to have a good time :)
So as we got into the early 00s foreign markets expanded, the brand grew, and ads specifically targeted at non-western markets began to hit. This change alone makes sifting the chaff on the internet pretty complicated especially since some of the campaigns and ads were used in different countries at different times, or under different circumstances. Anyhow, suffice it to say the opening of foreign markets and ad campaigns, makes it extremely messy.
Lets take a step back though and have a look at some ads. As the century ended, the M&Ms were interacting with celebs in new mixed media adverts, and establishing the core dynamic of the Red Yellow relationship that we all know and love.
The candies declaring themselves the Spokescandies of the new Millennium at end of '97, and I missed one ad they featured in one that I had to share. I love this one, and wanted to make sure I posted it.
Its great to see Dick Clark still young (youngish) and its nice that he was comfortable making fun of his age.
With the launch of Crispy M&Ms in '99 there were more than a few ads featuring the new character and flavor.
Oh Puddy. You always entertain me :D
And Red, you're always pulling fast ones...
As I said Red and Yellow especially we're developing the classic Laurel and Hardy playing off each other riffs, and the public loved it. Here are a few other turn of the century ads that feature the M&Ms just being their own funny selves.
That is a little disturbing. funny but disturbing. This next one just features Red, but its pretty cute.
And finally here's an ad from '99 that I think shows where all the ads were headed in the early '00s.
This is a really great one. The airport ad is awesome because it showcases Red and Yellow doing their thing. It's got them bickering lovingly, being funny interacting with our world. They even break the fourth wall directly, they acknowledge that they are in fact candy, and it all wraps up with a solid tag at the end. This is the shape of the ads to come.
Getting into the 2000s for real-sies now they launched a fun campaign at the start of the year.
This is great on a number of levels, but I think the most important thing to note is the solo color offering. This is one of the first time solo colors were offered for a promotion. AND this wasn't a promotion tied into a holiday like Easter or Xmas where they gave us specially colored (or flavored) editions of the candy. This was just for the heck of it.
Another fun thing came up in the year 2000. And the next very serious ad addresses it perfectly.
That's right. Plain has changed, and in 2000 M&Ms re-branded their classic candy as Milk Chocolate. Such an obvious thing, but remember back when M&Ms started it was really a different world.
One more cute one on this, because I as I've mentioned before I smile for Patrick Warburton and always want him to succeed.
2000 also saw the release of two new M&M video games: The Lost Formula and Mini Madness.
In 2001 M&Ms started a long and strange journey trying out a lot of weird and sometimes very interesting flavors. For this outing they tried their hand at Dulce de Leche in some 5 Hispanic countries. Although it was a valiant attempt and actually sounds pretty good there wasn't much interest apparently and the product line was discontinued by '03.
In 2002 the ads continued, only got a bit more sophisticated. The Laurel and Hardy routine that Red and Yellow we're perfecting still had to be tempered. As much as I like the Airport commercial above its also VERY 90s. Here's the kind of standard ad that typified the early 2000s. Even though it only has Red you can see that it shows a literal and quirky take on the candy. More importantly it's just plain funny.
Love that Bradley Whitford (and this ad is during the height of his run on The West Wing).
2002 also saw the return and update of a previous successful ad campaign. The Global Color Vote was essentially the same trick they'd pulled in '95 but this time it was between Pink, Purple, or Aqua as the new color.
Here's a French ad featuring some cheerleaders?!
After Purple won the contest, it became an M&M color for a limited time. I'm not sure why they didn't keep it around or give us a new mascot like they did when Blue made the scene but they did feature a nifty contest looking for the bag full of Purple M&Ms to win a prize.
In 2004 the M&Ms launched another cool color campaign, only this one was all about the missing color! The hunt was on to find Grey M&Ms this time and it all started with this funny ad.
Here's one that maybe explains it a bit better.
And I always loved this bloodhound one though. Great stuff.
One of the interesting things about M&Ms getting so popular in the 2000s is that they started doing huge tie in marketing promotions. M&Ms had a number of movie tie ins over the years 2004 saw the start of the cross media tie ins, And not just with The Wizard of Oz. No instead I mean this beauty below inspired by the Addams Family to promote another limited run on Dark Chocolate M&Ms.
That's not all from '04 though. M&Ms also got big, and I don't mean regular big, I mean OGRE sized!
I actually think this tie in with Shrek 2 is a great one. M&Ms and Shrek are a really perfectly paired brand. But since M&Ms were in the midst of experiments in size and shape 2004 saw the first appearance of the most radical change yet, the M-Azing chocolate bar!
It sounds like the M-Azing bar was only moderately successful. The bar apparently stuck around in some form or another straight through until today and was finally re-branded and re-launched in 2013 as the new M&M chocolate bar. A bit more on that in the next post.
Aside from featuring in the new M-Azing bar, the M&M Minis we're also going strong in '04. I posted a few ads from this era of the Minis in my last blog post on this subject but here is another one to show you where the Mini advertizing was at the time.
At first I thought it seemed like a very 90s ad but then I realized that the M&M minis were being targeted at kids, while regular M&Ms were targeted at everyone.
Speaking of mass marketing the following year M&Ms teamed up with another film franchise that had probably the biggest mass market appeal possible. Watch the ad below to see the M&Ms join the Dark Side...
Watching this I have to wonder why Mars never just out and out put out a Dark Chocolate M&M on a permanent basis. I know they've got a few specialties at all times these days, but its weird that they kept bringing it back as a limited run.
2005 also saw the launch of Mega M&Ms. I'm guessing that the Ogre sized M&Ms went over so well that they decided to continue the line.
I know that ad didn't have the M&M characters in it but its pretty funny..
If the Chocolate M-Pire tie in wasn't the breaking point then it had to be the M&M tie ins for '06. These guys weren't just well known spokes-candies, they were true celebrities unto themselves. In 2006 Red and Yellow made a mark adjacent to Joan Rivers at the Academy Awards pre-show. To me this is huge.
Think about the number of eyeballs on that broadcast. Think about the fact that there are people who care about this from really all over the world. Its pretty serious stuff. I mean as serious as you can get for entertainers who aren't actually stars on the big screen.
They may be super-commercialized.... but can you blame them? I mean they are commercial characters. 2006 also saw ties ins for Pirates 3, and Shrek 3.
Pirates 3 in saw the launch of limited time white chocolate M&Ms, and Shrek the Third saw the return of Ogre sized M&Ms again, as well as this vacation contest.
I'm going to jump ahead a bit now, in 2008 M&Ms finally hit on a weird urban myth for their gain. At Valentines they launched a limited run of all green M&Ms. Green you ask? yes. I'm not sure how well known the rumor is now, but I totally remember as a kid hearing that green M&Ms we're for sexy time...
These also came at Christmas time that year. As good a time as any for an aphrodisiac (weather its true or not).
The summer of 2008 saw another side product launched from M&Ms. The M&M ice cream bar.
Its true...
That's pretty funny :)
New limited time flavors also emerged in 2008. Wild Cherry hit the scene alongside Mint Crisp M&Ms as a promotion tied into Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
The biggest promotion of 2008 though came with the launch of mymms.com. Now there was finally a chance to change things up, and get your face, or whatever you wanted printed onto your M&Ms. Very exciting stuff.
After this commercial Mars took a different tack making a bunch of pretty funny commercials letting regular people become an M&M.
That ones probably my favorite, but there are some other great ones.
ha, contacts...
Gross but funny.
ha, earholes...
Good stuff all around.
Before I finally wrap this very long blog post up I'll mention one more 2008 M&Ms item. The launch of Premiums. Ms Green finally got something all her own here and it turned out quite well.
5 flavors of premiums were launched. I know I ate a few of them. They had a 'high end' vibe to them and I suppose they were pretty decadent.
Of course we know that Mint has been around since this time in on again off again limited runs, but this is where I first had it. A few more of the flavors were Rasberry Almond, which is actually a current limited run flavor, and Triple Chocolate. Both sound great to me.
I've had these and they do taste great.
mmm... so delicious sounding.
When we come back to this topic, I'll pick up from 2008 and we can watch some more ads together. These crazy M&Ms just became superstars right under your noses... pretty impressive. Thanks all, later :)
To be honest, figuring out how this all went down is pretty confusing so |I'm going to assume I will be getting some of this wrong. Lets be clear: I am not a historian. This is a light fun pop survey of the modern M&M characters as seen through their advertizing. There are other places on the web, or in print if you're looking for cold hard facts. Like Yellow, we're just here to have a good time :)
So as we got into the early 00s foreign markets expanded, the brand grew, and ads specifically targeted at non-western markets began to hit. This change alone makes sifting the chaff on the internet pretty complicated especially since some of the campaigns and ads were used in different countries at different times, or under different circumstances. Anyhow, suffice it to say the opening of foreign markets and ad campaigns, makes it extremely messy.
Lets take a step back though and have a look at some ads. As the century ended, the M&Ms were interacting with celebs in new mixed media adverts, and establishing the core dynamic of the Red Yellow relationship that we all know and love.
The candies declaring themselves the Spokescandies of the new Millennium at end of '97, and I missed one ad they featured in one that I had to share. I love this one, and wanted to make sure I posted it.
Its great to see Dick Clark still young (youngish) and its nice that he was comfortable making fun of his age.
With the launch of Crispy M&Ms in '99 there were more than a few ads featuring the new character and flavor.
Oh Puddy. You always entertain me :D
And Red, you're always pulling fast ones...
As I said Red and Yellow especially we're developing the classic Laurel and Hardy playing off each other riffs, and the public loved it. Here are a few other turn of the century ads that feature the M&Ms just being their own funny selves.
That is a little disturbing. funny but disturbing. This next one just features Red, but its pretty cute.
And finally here's an ad from '99 that I think shows where all the ads were headed in the early '00s.
This is a really great one. The airport ad is awesome because it showcases Red and Yellow doing their thing. It's got them bickering lovingly, being funny interacting with our world. They even break the fourth wall directly, they acknowledge that they are in fact candy, and it all wraps up with a solid tag at the end. This is the shape of the ads to come.
Getting into the 2000s for real-sies now they launched a fun campaign at the start of the year.
This is great on a number of levels, but I think the most important thing to note is the solo color offering. This is one of the first time solo colors were offered for a promotion. AND this wasn't a promotion tied into a holiday like Easter or Xmas where they gave us specially colored (or flavored) editions of the candy. This was just for the heck of it.
Another fun thing came up in the year 2000. And the next very serious ad addresses it perfectly.
That's right. Plain has changed, and in 2000 M&Ms re-branded their classic candy as Milk Chocolate. Such an obvious thing, but remember back when M&Ms started it was really a different world.
One more cute one on this, because I as I've mentioned before I smile for Patrick Warburton and always want him to succeed.
2000 also saw the release of two new M&M video games: The Lost Formula and Mini Madness.
In 2001 M&Ms started a long and strange journey trying out a lot of weird and sometimes very interesting flavors. For this outing they tried their hand at Dulce de Leche in some 5 Hispanic countries. Although it was a valiant attempt and actually sounds pretty good there wasn't much interest apparently and the product line was discontinued by '03.
In 2002 the ads continued, only got a bit more sophisticated. The Laurel and Hardy routine that Red and Yellow we're perfecting still had to be tempered. As much as I like the Airport commercial above its also VERY 90s. Here's the kind of standard ad that typified the early 2000s. Even though it only has Red you can see that it shows a literal and quirky take on the candy. More importantly it's just plain funny.
Love that Bradley Whitford (and this ad is during the height of his run on The West Wing).
2002 also saw the return and update of a previous successful ad campaign. The Global Color Vote was essentially the same trick they'd pulled in '95 but this time it was between Pink, Purple, or Aqua as the new color.
Here's a French ad featuring some cheerleaders?!
After Purple won the contest, it became an M&M color for a limited time. I'm not sure why they didn't keep it around or give us a new mascot like they did when Blue made the scene but they did feature a nifty contest looking for the bag full of Purple M&Ms to win a prize.
In 2004 the M&Ms launched another cool color campaign, only this one was all about the missing color! The hunt was on to find Grey M&Ms this time and it all started with this funny ad.
Here's one that maybe explains it a bit better.
And I always loved this bloodhound one though. Great stuff.
One of the interesting things about M&Ms getting so popular in the 2000s is that they started doing huge tie in marketing promotions. M&Ms had a number of movie tie ins over the years 2004 saw the start of the cross media tie ins, And not just with The Wizard of Oz. No instead I mean this beauty below inspired by the Addams Family to promote another limited run on Dark Chocolate M&Ms.
That's not all from '04 though. M&Ms also got big, and I don't mean regular big, I mean OGRE sized!
I actually think this tie in with Shrek 2 is a great one. M&Ms and Shrek are a really perfectly paired brand. But since M&Ms were in the midst of experiments in size and shape 2004 saw the first appearance of the most radical change yet, the M-Azing chocolate bar!
It sounds like the M-Azing bar was only moderately successful. The bar apparently stuck around in some form or another straight through until today and was finally re-branded and re-launched in 2013 as the new M&M chocolate bar. A bit more on that in the next post.
Aside from featuring in the new M-Azing bar, the M&M Minis we're also going strong in '04. I posted a few ads from this era of the Minis in my last blog post on this subject but here is another one to show you where the Mini advertizing was at the time.
At first I thought it seemed like a very 90s ad but then I realized that the M&M minis were being targeted at kids, while regular M&Ms were targeted at everyone.
Speaking of mass marketing the following year M&Ms teamed up with another film franchise that had probably the biggest mass market appeal possible. Watch the ad below to see the M&Ms join the Dark Side...
Watching this I have to wonder why Mars never just out and out put out a Dark Chocolate M&M on a permanent basis. I know they've got a few specialties at all times these days, but its weird that they kept bringing it back as a limited run.
2005 also saw the launch of Mega M&Ms. I'm guessing that the Ogre sized M&Ms went over so well that they decided to continue the line.
I know that ad didn't have the M&M characters in it but its pretty funny..
If the Chocolate M-Pire tie in wasn't the breaking point then it had to be the M&M tie ins for '06. These guys weren't just well known spokes-candies, they were true celebrities unto themselves. In 2006 Red and Yellow made a mark adjacent to Joan Rivers at the Academy Awards pre-show. To me this is huge.
Think about the number of eyeballs on that broadcast. Think about the fact that there are people who care about this from really all over the world. Its pretty serious stuff. I mean as serious as you can get for entertainers who aren't actually stars on the big screen.
They may be super-commercialized.... but can you blame them? I mean they are commercial characters. 2006 also saw ties ins for Pirates 3, and Shrek 3.
Pirates 3 in saw the launch of limited time white chocolate M&Ms, and Shrek the Third saw the return of Ogre sized M&Ms again, as well as this vacation contest.
I'm going to jump ahead a bit now, in 2008 M&Ms finally hit on a weird urban myth for their gain. At Valentines they launched a limited run of all green M&Ms. Green you ask? yes. I'm not sure how well known the rumor is now, but I totally remember as a kid hearing that green M&Ms we're for sexy time...
These also came at Christmas time that year. As good a time as any for an aphrodisiac (weather its true or not).
The summer of 2008 saw another side product launched from M&Ms. The M&M ice cream bar.
Its true...
That's pretty funny :)
New limited time flavors also emerged in 2008. Wild Cherry hit the scene alongside Mint Crisp M&Ms as a promotion tied into Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.
The biggest promotion of 2008 though came with the launch of mymms.com. Now there was finally a chance to change things up, and get your face, or whatever you wanted printed onto your M&Ms. Very exciting stuff.
After this commercial Mars took a different tack making a bunch of pretty funny commercials letting regular people become an M&M.
That ones probably my favorite, but there are some other great ones.
ha, contacts...
Gross but funny.
ha, earholes...
Good stuff all around.
Before I finally wrap this very long blog post up I'll mention one more 2008 M&Ms item. The launch of Premiums. Ms Green finally got something all her own here and it turned out quite well.
5 flavors of premiums were launched. I know I ate a few of them. They had a 'high end' vibe to them and I suppose they were pretty decadent.
Of course we know that Mint has been around since this time in on again off again limited runs, but this is where I first had it. A few more of the flavors were Rasberry Almond, which is actually a current limited run flavor, and Triple Chocolate. Both sound great to me.
I've had these and they do taste great.
mmm... so delicious sounding.
When we come back to this topic, I'll pick up from 2008 and we can watch some more ads together. These crazy M&Ms just became superstars right under your noses... pretty impressive. Thanks all, later :)
Friday, July 26, 2013
Almond Joy review
Its Friday and that means regular domestic review time. Well more or less domestic... In fact lets all just imagine that todays review bar has whisked us away to your favorite sandy shore. Lets eat some Almond Joy!
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Almond Joy - 3 / 5
For more on AJ, check out their website - Very Nice :)
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Almond Joy - 3 / 5
For more on AJ, check out their website - Very Nice :)
Friday, May 31, 2013
Ferrero Garden coconut review
And again we come back with another entry into the Ferrero pantheon. Today we're having a look at the Ferrero Garden coconut.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Ferrero Garden coconut - 4 / 5
For more on Ferrero please visit them online at , http://www.ferrero.com/ and as always for more from us here please check out our Reviews Page.
And don't forget to check out our reviews for the Ferrero Rocher, and the Ferrero Rond Noir specifically!
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Ferrero Garden coconut - 4 / 5
For more on Ferrero please visit them online at , http://www.ferrero.com/ and as always for more from us here please check out our Reviews Page.
And don't forget to check out our reviews for the Ferrero Rocher, and the Ferrero Rond Noir specifically!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
The Big Bar Line Up - Hershey
Hershey's entry into the Big Bar markets are simple and mostly consist of variations on a theme. Almond, and Cookies feature a lot. Why we don't see hazelnuts, or peanuts is a bit of a mystery, but Hershey does as Hershey will... Lets have a look at what they've got to offer.
Here the standard Milk Chocolate bar has some slightly redesigned packaging to fit it more clearly into the overall product line up. While I appreciate the idea, I have to say its a bad one. The Hershey packaging is iconic. Its simple and people love it. Messing with that just worries me deep in my bones.
Hershey Almond is another classic of course.
Variations on a theme here with Dark, Almond and Toffee, and Almond and Coconut.
Of course Hershey's other long running bar is the Cookies 'n' Creme. This is one that I really just hate the packaging on. In fact I've always hated the packaging. If you've got one bar to change up the look for, please make it this one. While the chocolate bar itself isn't terrible, I just find the look totally unappealing.
Finally we get one I actually would like to try.
Cookies are great, Mint is great, Mint Cookies are great, so this one is probably a winner.
And surprisingly that's all I was able to find for Hershey in the big bar section of the candy aisle. Surprisingly over on the Hershey's website they don't even list this many products... I know they've also got the Symphony Line, but I haven't seen that since I moved back to Canada from the States. Maybe they don't have that here. Anyhow, the whole thing is very interesting, and perhaps a little suspicious.
I will end with this note. Of all the reviews I've done for Walking the Candy Aisle over the year and change that it's been running my video review for the Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar has generated more views and comments than any other post or review. People love it, they hate it, they love to hate on it and want to defend it. A lot of Europeans claim that it tastes like throw up (for real). And that may be because of the chemical added to their base chocolate that Euro chocolatiers omit. Either way the entire Hershey's line up is pretty devisive.
Let me know what you think below, and stay tuned for another look on the various Big Bars in the candy aisle soon.
Here the standard Milk Chocolate bar has some slightly redesigned packaging to fit it more clearly into the overall product line up. While I appreciate the idea, I have to say its a bad one. The Hershey packaging is iconic. Its simple and people love it. Messing with that just worries me deep in my bones.
Hershey Almond is another classic of course.
Of course Hershey's other long running bar is the Cookies 'n' Creme. This is one that I really just hate the packaging on. In fact I've always hated the packaging. If you've got one bar to change up the look for, please make it this one. While the chocolate bar itself isn't terrible, I just find the look totally unappealing.
Finally we get one I actually would like to try.
Cookies are great, Mint is great, Mint Cookies are great, so this one is probably a winner.
And surprisingly that's all I was able to find for Hershey in the big bar section of the candy aisle. Surprisingly over on the Hershey's website they don't even list this many products... I know they've also got the Symphony Line, but I haven't seen that since I moved back to Canada from the States. Maybe they don't have that here. Anyhow, the whole thing is very interesting, and perhaps a little suspicious.
I will end with this note. Of all the reviews I've done for Walking the Candy Aisle over the year and change that it's been running my video review for the Hershey's Milk Chocolate bar has generated more views and comments than any other post or review. People love it, they hate it, they love to hate on it and want to defend it. A lot of Europeans claim that it tastes like throw up (for real). And that may be because of the chemical added to their base chocolate that Euro chocolatiers omit. Either way the entire Hershey's line up is pretty devisive.
Let me know what you think below, and stay tuned for another look on the various Big Bars in the candy aisle soon.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
The Big Bar Line Up - Cadbury Dairy Milk
One of the major areas in the candy aisle that I've neglected since starting the blog has been the big bar section. You know the area I mean, that area beside the regular day to day chocolate bars that features the large size, sometimes premium always more expensive chocolate bars. I've never been the kind of person to go in for those chocolate bars. And mostly I think that has to do with price. Despite running a blog on the topic, I usually buy my chocolate on the spur of the moment. Buying the big bars just seems like too much forethought. My chocolate cravings are immediate, and I don't want to have a huge bar... if I did I might eat it all at once. Also and maybe more importantly I'm not fancy. While I know the space has changed over the last few years these big bars at least traditionally came from the premium retailers. They were always a better quality chocolate that demanded more attention. I am much more of an impulse driven, spur of the moment quick fix kind of consumer.
BUT there are a ton of great looking chocolate bars out there in the big bar section. Over a few posts I'd like to share some pics and minor thughts with you on some of these big bars. At least you can get a sense for what the lineup looks like here in Canada. Today I'm going to kick things off with Cadbury, other than Lindt there are more Cadbury bars in this big bar section than any other, and its predominantly highlighted by the Dairy Milk line.
Now I've tried to compile a complete list, but I might very well have missed something so just let me know in the comments if you've see anything else in your neck of the woods :)
Of course the classic Cadbury Diary milk kicks things off.
This along with the Fruit and Nut variety are (I believe) the only Big Bars from its line up to make it into the smaller more handheld size.
I've never been a fan of fruit and nut. It just seems like the fruitcake of chocolate bars...
Surprisingly they don't feature a straight up peanut and chocolate mix. Not to say I don't like caramelized peanut. but it seems like a classic has been passed over...
I am a huge cashew fan and they simply don't get enough love in the chocolate world, so this is really nice to see. I wonder what the thought is about cashew on its own... seems like that should work. Too bad we don't have one to try out.
Here are two more classic flavors paired with Cadbury's excellent Dairy Milk chocolate. I am a fan of Mint in most any form, but Toffee can be pretty hit or miss.
Note the "new" label on the package. How it took them so long to come out with this is beyond me. The only thing I can think is that Hershey's Cookies N Cream has so dominated the market that they didn't see the value in their own brand. That said, I am very happy to see this hitting shelves here.
Here's an interesting one. Other than M&Ms, is there even another Pretzel chocolate on the market??? I sure can't think of one. Pretzels and peanut butter do go well together, but I have to say this feels weird to me. Like its something I'd want to work well, but just wouldn't.
This seems like a clear jump onto the Nestle bandwagon following the Aero bars lead. I have to say although its clearly copying, I would like to try it. Aeros are honestly some of Nestle's best bars and I'd love to see that form in with Cadbury quality chocolate to back it up.
Well here are the Premium bars I guess. Cadbury is a pretty accessible brand but you still can't get away with Dark Chocolate being much of anything but a specialty. I'm sure these are great, but like I said before, I'm not fancy, and I am clearly much more interested in milk chocolate than dark.
That's all I've got on Cadbury, but after taking a closer look at these bars I think I'll have to make the investment in a few to try out. If only for the sake of the blog :) I think I'd like to try the Caramelized Peanut, the Cashew and Hazelnut, and the Cookie Crunch most. According to Cadbury's UK website they have a number of flavors available overseas that we do not have here, including a Toffee Popcorn which would be pretty interesting... Let me know if you've got any favorites from this line up below. I'll be back next time with a look at another Big Bar line up.
BUT there are a ton of great looking chocolate bars out there in the big bar section. Over a few posts I'd like to share some pics and minor thughts with you on some of these big bars. At least you can get a sense for what the lineup looks like here in Canada. Today I'm going to kick things off with Cadbury, other than Lindt there are more Cadbury bars in this big bar section than any other, and its predominantly highlighted by the Dairy Milk line.
Now I've tried to compile a complete list, but I might very well have missed something so just let me know in the comments if you've see anything else in your neck of the woods :)
Of course the classic Cadbury Diary milk kicks things off.
This along with the Fruit and Nut variety are (I believe) the only Big Bars from its line up to make it into the smaller more handheld size.
I've never been a fan of fruit and nut. It just seems like the fruitcake of chocolate bars...
Surprisingly they don't feature a straight up peanut and chocolate mix. Not to say I don't like caramelized peanut. but it seems like a classic has been passed over...
I am a huge cashew fan and they simply don't get enough love in the chocolate world, so this is really nice to see. I wonder what the thought is about cashew on its own... seems like that should work. Too bad we don't have one to try out.
Here are two more classic flavors paired with Cadbury's excellent Dairy Milk chocolate. I am a fan of Mint in most any form, but Toffee can be pretty hit or miss.
Note the "new" label on the package. How it took them so long to come out with this is beyond me. The only thing I can think is that Hershey's Cookies N Cream has so dominated the market that they didn't see the value in their own brand. That said, I am very happy to see this hitting shelves here.
Here's an interesting one. Other than M&Ms, is there even another Pretzel chocolate on the market??? I sure can't think of one. Pretzels and peanut butter do go well together, but I have to say this feels weird to me. Like its something I'd want to work well, but just wouldn't.
This seems like a clear jump onto the Nestle bandwagon following the Aero bars lead. I have to say although its clearly copying, I would like to try it. Aeros are honestly some of Nestle's best bars and I'd love to see that form in with Cadbury quality chocolate to back it up.
Well here are the Premium bars I guess. Cadbury is a pretty accessible brand but you still can't get away with Dark Chocolate being much of anything but a specialty. I'm sure these are great, but like I said before, I'm not fancy, and I am clearly much more interested in milk chocolate than dark.
That's all I've got on Cadbury, but after taking a closer look at these bars I think I'll have to make the investment in a few to try out. If only for the sake of the blog :) I think I'd like to try the Caramelized Peanut, the Cashew and Hazelnut, and the Cookie Crunch most. According to Cadbury's UK website they have a number of flavors available overseas that we do not have here, including a Toffee Popcorn which would be pretty interesting... Let me know if you've got any favorites from this line up below. I'll be back next time with a look at another Big Bar line up.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
M&M's Coconut - video review
Another awesome review for you today, please enjoy this look at M&M's Coconut.
For more please check out the written review, or all of our reviews over on the review page.
For more please check out the written review, or all of our reviews over on the review page.
Friday, November 23, 2012
M&M's Coconut review
Here we find ourselves once again looking at some M&Ms. Today we've got a really fun review for you, its time to check out Coconut M&M's.
What?! Coconut?! Yes in fact these do exist. They may have been talked about in hushed tones across the candy world for the past while, but now you can see them for yourself. For some reason the idea of Coconut M&Ms seems totally outlandish to a lot of people. While this started out as a limited edition flavor its turned permanent in the US, Canada and a few other places. That said many people have still never actually seen these in stores. While they may sound mythical they are in fact real, so lets have a look :)
Starting with the packaging, I have to say I'm impressed. White, with the little ball patterning on the background, and the use of the Green M&M as the mascott all strike me as very coconutty (is that a word?). Anyhow, I like the fun look, it reminds me of a bottle of Malibu (coconut flavored rum), which of course always makes me happy. I like how little miss Green M&M has the flower in her hair, or shell... whatever. And if you look up close at the actual M&Ms on the package you get a little preview of the fun designs on the candy shells. I see palm trees, flowers and more. Very fun all around. Lets break into these shall we?
The M&Ms themselves are slightly larger than you'll find in regular plain M&Ms. This is typical for specialty M&Ms though. They come in Green, White, and Brown colors, all of which continue the coconut theme nicely. Overall I'm very impressed so far.
Now comes the one real question here. When you bite into a coconut M&M will you find a white chocolate inside, or a white coconut inside??? This is of specific concern to me as I've personally always shied away from chocolate and coconut mixtures because of the coconut texture. Its just never been to my taste. Will we find the same shredded coconut texture inside here?
Actually no. Not at all. The inside of the Coconut M&M looks disappointingly, just like a regular milk chocolate M&M. But it taste very coconutty! I think I would've liked it if the inside was white, but I'm glad it doesn't have the coconut texture. Now I'm not sure exactly how they did it but it tastes like it has been infused with coconut flavoring, juice, water, or whatnot. I sure don't see any specks of coconut in there, but I can definitely taste them.
This is actually pretty great. Its got the taste of chocolate and coconut but none of the texture. This suits me perfectly. The chocolate is just as good as you'd expect from M&Ms, and the overall impression is totally solid. I've got to give them props for this one. They've made a fan out of me, and I'll certainly recommend them.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Coconut M&Ms - 4 / 5
M&Ms is a Mars product. Please find out more about them at http://www.mms.com/us/about/products/coconut/
What?! Coconut?! Yes in fact these do exist. They may have been talked about in hushed tones across the candy world for the past while, but now you can see them for yourself. For some reason the idea of Coconut M&Ms seems totally outlandish to a lot of people. While this started out as a limited edition flavor its turned permanent in the US, Canada and a few other places. That said many people have still never actually seen these in stores. While they may sound mythical they are in fact real, so lets have a look :)
Starting with the packaging, I have to say I'm impressed. White, with the little ball patterning on the background, and the use of the Green M&M as the mascott all strike me as very coconutty (is that a word?). Anyhow, I like the fun look, it reminds me of a bottle of Malibu (coconut flavored rum), which of course always makes me happy. I like how little miss Green M&M has the flower in her hair, or shell... whatever. And if you look up close at the actual M&Ms on the package you get a little preview of the fun designs on the candy shells. I see palm trees, flowers and more. Very fun all around. Lets break into these shall we?
The M&Ms themselves are slightly larger than you'll find in regular plain M&Ms. This is typical for specialty M&Ms though. They come in Green, White, and Brown colors, all of which continue the coconut theme nicely. Overall I'm very impressed so far.
Now comes the one real question here. When you bite into a coconut M&M will you find a white chocolate inside, or a white coconut inside??? This is of specific concern to me as I've personally always shied away from chocolate and coconut mixtures because of the coconut texture. Its just never been to my taste. Will we find the same shredded coconut texture inside here?
Actually no. Not at all. The inside of the Coconut M&M looks disappointingly, just like a regular milk chocolate M&M. But it taste very coconutty! I think I would've liked it if the inside was white, but I'm glad it doesn't have the coconut texture. Now I'm not sure exactly how they did it but it tastes like it has been infused with coconut flavoring, juice, water, or whatnot. I sure don't see any specks of coconut in there, but I can definitely taste them.
This is actually pretty great. Its got the taste of chocolate and coconut but none of the texture. This suits me perfectly. The chocolate is just as good as you'd expect from M&Ms, and the overall impression is totally solid. I've got to give them props for this one. They've made a fan out of me, and I'll certainly recommend them.
Walking the Candy Aisle rates Coconut M&Ms - 4 / 5
M&Ms is a Mars product. Please find out more about them at http://www.mms.com/us/about/products/coconut/
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