Desserts Skittles

Place purchased: Walgreen's

Number of reviewers: 5

Appearance - 6.7

I am confused by the pink wrapper. I guess they ran out of other colors to use. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.7

Raspberry Sorbet
Tastes like cherry and raspberry. Medicinal. 

C: Berry flavor becomes more raspberry as it's chewed. 
J: Cherry, but not like a typical Skittle. Not anything special. 
S: Good. Tart, candied raspberry. 

Strawberry Milkshake
Tastes mostly like strawberry with a slight cream flavor. 

C: Strawberry/cream. Not very intense. 
J: Strawberry. 
L: Definitely not a milkshake. 
S: Really artificial, like flavored powder (like Fun Dip). 

Orange Crème
Tastes like a Creamsicle, of which I have never been a fan.

C: Orange/Creamsicle. 
J: Orange cream. Best flavor. 
L: Orange and creamy! 
S: Cream doesn't mix well with the orange flavor. 

Key Lime Pie
Tastes grassy at first, then like citrus/lemon. It does not taste like key lime pie. 

C: Not too strong flavor. Sweet. A little green/acidic. 
J: Limey. 
L: Not even remotely close to key lime pie (and I'm from FL). 
S: Doesn't taste like key lime pie at all. Just normal lime but more sweet. Disappointing. 

Blueberry Tart
Tastes like berry. Medicinal. 

C: Stronger than Key Lime Pie. Fruity, but not distinctive. 
J: Very low flavor. 
L: Blueberry with a weird second note. 
S: Delicious! Strong blueberry flavor. 

Texture - 7.0

These are chewy, like all Skittles. 

C: Chewy. A little gritty as I chewed it. 

Aftertaste - 6.6

The aftertaste for each of the flavors was a weaker version of the initial flavor. 

C: Not much, just a little taste of sugar. 
J: Lingering taste for all flavors. 

Overall - 6.6

These Skittles were good, yet the choices of dessert flavors could have been improved upon. Wrigley already makes Extra Dessert Delights gum, which has much more authentic dessert flavors than these Skittles. The Desserts Skittles would have been astronomically better if the flavors of the Dessert Delights gum had been used instead. Just think, an apple pie Skittle. 

J: Great, but nothing special. Flavors are not too impressive or different. Very fruity, not "dessert" enough. 

Peppermint Bark

Place purchased: Cost Plus World Market

Number of reviewers: 2

Appearance - 7.8

The peppermint bark chocolate bar has layers of dark chocolate, vanilla and mint flavored fake white chocolate, and peppermint candy pieces. 

C: I like the two layers of dark and white chocolate. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.3

It tastes like a mixture of white and milk chocolate at first, then it tastes like mint chocolate. The amount of peppermint is not overpowering. 

C: Nice mint flavor that is not too overpowering. 

Texture - 7.0

The bar is very soft, likely because the majority of the bar is made with "creamy vanilla" fake white chocolate. The candy pieces add a little crunch, but also end up falling off the bar when bitten into. 

C: I expected more crunch from the peppermint candy. Very creamy. 

Aftertaste - 7.5

There is a good minty aftertaste. 

C: I can still feel the menthol, but it's not too overpowering. 

Overall - 7.4

The flavor of this peppermint bark bar is very good; the right amount of mint was used. Though, the texture of the bar could have been improved by using real white chocolate rather than the fake stuff. 

Candy Cane Cream

Place purchased: Cost Plus World Market

Number of reviewers: 2

Appearance - 6.8

The dark chocolate bar is segmented with peppermint flavored filling.

Flavor and Taste - 6.3

The dark chocolate tastes good. However, the filling tastes overwhelmingly of menthol. It is like eating a chocolate coated cough drop.

C: Very pepperminty. Reminds me of Andes mints. 

Texture - 6.8

The texture of the chocolate is good, but the filling is very gooey. 

C: Creamy texture to the chocolate.

Aftertaste - 7.5

The menthol flavor is not nearly as strong as an aftertaste than when eating the bar. 

C: Menthol cooling sensation stays in my mouth for awhile. 

Overall - 6.6

The dark chocolate used for this chocolate bar is very good, however the menthol flavor of the filling was too strong. 

McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Bars, Part 1

As of right now, all McCormick chocolate bars are only available for purchase from the McCormick World of Flavors store in Baltimore, MD. My friend who bought these bars for me said that McCormick is planning on opening an online store soon.

Chili Cinnamon & Cocoa Bean

Place purchased: McCormick World of Flavors, Baltimore

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 6.3

The chocolate bar looks very plain. 

Flavor and Taste - 8.7

The chipotle imparts an umami taste to the chocolate. There are also large salt granules (I tried taking a picture of one, but my camera couldn't focus in on it) in the bar, despite salt not being listed in the ingredients and the nutrition facts claiming 0% sodium. 

C: Warm, rich. Makes me feel happy. Reminds me of cookies. Has umami and salty tastes. Really well balanced. 
S: Delicious, salty, a little heat at the end. 

Texture - 8.0

The chocolate is creamy, and the cocoa nibs give added texture. 

C: Nice creaminess, not too hard. 
S: Smooth. I liked the pieces in it. 

Aftertaste - 7.8

The aftertaste is mostly salty. There is also some heat from the chipotle powder. 

Overall - 8.0

The Chili Cinnamon & Cocoa Bean bar has a very complex and enjoyable flavor. McCormick's expertise in spices and flavors really shines through in this chocolate bar.  

54% Dark Chocolate

Place purchased: McCormick World of Flavors, Baltimore

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 4.7

The mold McCormick uses for their chocolate bars is very generic. Additionally, the entire bar is coated with a thin layer of bloom. 

S: Not very creative - looks more like a baking chocolate. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.8

The chocolate bar initially tastes like nothing. Not chocolaty, not sweet, not bitter... just nothing. After I chewed the chocolate awhile, the chocolate tasted like semi-sweet chocolate chips. 

C: Bitter, but not overly so.
S: Not bitter at all. Not very characteristic.  

Texture - 5.0

The chocolate is hard, crunchy, and dry. It is surprising that the 54% dark chocolate bar would be significantly drier than the 72% dark chocolate bar. 

C: Has a nice snap. Creamy texture when it melts. 
S: Crunchy. 

Aftertaste - 7.0

The aftertaste was slightly sweet. 

C: Tastes like chocolate. 
S: Sweet. 

Overall - 6.0

Overall, this chocolate bar was incredibly underwhelming. The texture of the chocolate was so dry that no flavor could be detected until it had been chewed for a short time. Also, the bar was coated in chocolate bloom. I understand McCormick making chocolate bars to showcase their spices, but this one was just poorly made dark chocolate. 

S: Ok, but not great. I really didn't like the texture. 

Shokomonk Dark Chocolate Peppermint

Place purchased: Plum Market, Ann Arbor

Number of reviewers: 4

Appearance - 6.4

The chocolate bar is segmented into several pieces, each imprinted with the Catholic monk that also appears on the wrapper. Inside the bar are small pieces of hazelnut. 

Flavor and Taste - 4.3

The chocolate bar is bitter and has a very strong menthol flavor. It tastes like they added concentrated menthol rather than peppermint oil, despite what appears in the ingredients list. Also, the hazelnuts add no flavor to the bar. 

C: Weird taste. Heavy menthol on front. 
L: Mint is medicinal.
S: Too bitter. Similar to baking chocolate. Needs more mint to cover the bad taste of the chocolate. 

Texture - 4.0

The chocolate is dry. Also, there are small crunchy hazelnut pieces throughout the chocolate bar. 

C: Oddly crunchy. Cocoa powder mouthfeel. 
L: Too drying. 
S: Hard and brittle. 

Aftertaste - 3.0

The aftertaste is very bitter and astringent.

C: Medicinal. Really bitter. 
L: Medicinal. 
S: Bitter flavor kind of stays in mouth. 

Overall - 3.8

This chocolate bar was very disappointing. If the bar contained less menthol or a more well rounded peppermint, it would have been much better.