Candy Hunting - New Summer Products, Part 5

Malteser

Malteser Malted Milk Balls are Hershey's new, second brand of malted milk balls which have been sold on their website for a few months and are now just appearing in stores. Naturally, it seems a bit odd for Hershey's to introduce another malted milk ball since Whoppers are already popular. But wait, there's more! Mars started selling Maltesers, which are malted milk balls, in 1937 and are now sold in a number of countries outside of the US. Hershey's introduced a product with the same name, color, and composition as a Mars product 77 years later... Obviously, Mars is now suing Hershey's. I do not expect Hershey's Malteser Malted Milk Balls to be around for long. 

Place found: Walgreen's
Price: $0.67 (on sale)

Werther's Original Caramel Strawberry Filled Hard Candies

Place found: Walgreen's
Price: $2.79

Werther's Original Dulce de Leche

Place found: Walgreen's
Price: $2.79

Hammond's Crackle Crunch

Place purchased: Kitchens 

Price: $3

Number of reviewers: 5

Appearance - 7.0

The Hammond's Crackle Crunch bar consists of "milk chocolate with raspberry popping candy." The 64 g bar is segmented into six pieces, each with dark pink popping candy scattered throughout. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.4

The popping candies have a strong raspberry flavor which pairs well with the milk chocolate. I should also point out that I love raspberry flavored chocolate, so this is a definite winner for me. 

C: Very milk chocolaty and the raspberry comes through as very artificial. 
J: Raspberry flavor is very subtle but good. Chocolate is good.
L: Good milk chocolate. Raspberry is subtle, almost refreshing. 
S: Actual flavor isn't anything exceptional, but this is a cool concept. 

Texture - 8.1

The chocolate bar is crunchy from the popping candies. The popping effect does not happen until most of the chocolate has been ingested and the popping candies are left.

C: Mostly just crunchy. Takes a little bit to get the pop rocks, but it's pretty cool when they start popping. 
J: The popping is very subtle. Nothing like a pop rock. The popping is also delayed. 
L: Who doesn't like crunchies? Be careful, though, they can hurt. 
S: Tingly in my mouth - so cool! I like the crunchy texture, too.

Aftertaste - 7.6

The aftertaste has a more subtle raspberry flavor than when initially eating the bar. 

C: Some pop rocks linger and the chocolate leaves a heavy mouth coating. 
J: Chocolate with popping continuing as the flavor fades. 
S: Sweet. 

Overall - 7.8

Overall, I think the Hammond's Crackle Crunch bar is fantastic. The raspberry flavor works perfectly with the milk chocolate. Also, the popping candies add a delightful textural experience not found in many chocolate bars. 

J: Great flavor and idea, and while popping is subtle, it's probably best it is that way. 

Milka Vanilla Cream

Place purchased: Gene's Sausage Shop, Chicago

Number of reviewers: 4

Appearance - 4.5

The Milka Vanilla Cream bar consists of a chocolaty coating (the chocolate contains hazelnut paste, so it is not technically chocolate) with a layered filling. The bottom layer is white with black specks, while the top layer is bright yellow and runny. The combination of the solid white layer and liquid yellow layer reminds me of an egg with a broken yolk, which is definitely not something I associate with vanilla.  

D: Really turned off by the yellow color. 
E: Yellow filling is strange and reminiscent of raw egg yolk. 
J: The highlighter yellow goo in the middle is not appetizing at all. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.3

Luckily, the Milka bar tastes much better than it looks. The bar is very sweet and has a strong vanilla flavor that completely overpowers the flavor of the chocolate. It tastes very similar to vanilla frosting or vanilla cake. 

D: Good vanilla flavor. 
E: Tastes like vanilla cake batter. Not very chocolaty.  
J: I really like the smell, flavor, and taste. It is reminiscent of cookie dough/cake batter. 

Texture - 6.5

Like all Milka bars, the chocolate is very soft, to the point where it is almost pliable, since hazelnut paste is incorporated into the chocolate. The white filling has the same texture as the exterior, while the yellow filling is very fluid and coats the mouth.  

D: Too soft in general. Chocolate gets a bit grainy at the end. 
E: Creamy, kind of falls apart. 
J: A little too mushy for my liking. 

Aftertaste - 7.0

The aftertaste is sweet. The chocolate flavor does not appear in the aftertaste, either. 

E: Vanilla and sweet. 
J: Tastes more like cake. 

Overall - 6.9

I enjoyed the sweet vanilla flavor of the Milka Vanilla Cream bar. Though, the appearance could be greatly improved by removing the yellow slime layer and increasing the amount of the white speckled filling. 

E: If you can get over the weird appearance, it is kind of tasty. 

Hammond's Whoopie Pie

Place purchased: Free sample from the Sweets & Snacks Expo

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 7.3

The Whoopie Pie bar has a small amount of white "sweet sugar frosting" filling that oozes out of its dark chocolate shell when the piece is snapped in two. 

J: Runny filling was unexpected. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.7

The flavors starts out as dark chocolate, then the filling takes over with a sweet marshmallow flavor. However, this is only true for the bites containing filling. About half of each piece is solid dark chocolate. 

C: Nice dark chocolate flavor, but the more I eat it becomes a little off, like too sweet. Creamy when get to center. 

J: Filling hides bitterness of dark chocolate, but once that fades it is bitter. 

Texture - 6.7

The dark chocolate has a good bite to it. Though, the filling is very gooey, which makes eating a piece in multiple bites a bit messy. 

C: The filling is very runny, chocolate a little hard. 

Aftertaste - 5.3

The filling is completely lost in the aftertaste, leaving just the flavor of bitter dark chocolate. 

C: Dark chocolate, bitter. 

J: Bitter chocolate. 

Overall - 6.3 

Overall, the Whoopie Pie bar filling was sweet and had a marshmallow flavor, reminiscent of the filling in an actual whoopie pie. Yet, the filling was too fluid and scarce in comparison to the bold dark chocolate. 

Ghirardelli Mint Cookie

Place purchased: Target 

Price: $1.77 (on clearance)

Number of reviewers: 4

Appearance - 7.8

The 98 g bar is sectioned into eight large pieces. Each piece has a center that looks like a chocolate cookie encased in milk chocolate. 

J: Reminiscent of a Thin Mint box.

Flavor and Taste - 8.3

The milk chocolate coating has a sweet, milky chocolate flavor, while the center tastes like a dark chocolate cookie. The amount of mint flavor in the bar is perfect; it is neither overbearing nor dominated by the flavor of the chocolate. 

C: A mix between Andes mint and Thin Mint cookie. The mint is nice and not too overpowering. 
E: Better than I expected! Reminiscent of a Thin Mint, but encased in more chocolate. Yum.  
J: Great chocolate! 

Texture - 8.0

The milk chocolate and filling are very smooth and soft when initially bitten into. When chewing, the center has a crispy and crunchy texture similar to a Thin Mint cookie. 

C: Nice and creamy outside with just the right amount of cookie crunch on the inside.
E: Outer chocolate is very creamy and minty. Center has a subtle crunch.
J: Smooth. Crunchy, Thin Mint inside. 

Aftertaste - 8.0

The aftertaste is first balanced between mint and sweet chocolate, then turns to a light, refreshing mint.

C: Chocolaty, minty cool.
E: Minty and fatty.
J: Chocolate and mint aftertaste.

Overall - 8.1

The Ghirardelli Mint Cookie bar is essentially eight Thin Mint cookies covered with milk chocolate in a chocolate bar shape, and is therefore phenomenal. I highly recommend purchasing this chocolate bar. 

E: A winner! Tasty, rich, and yet fresh. 

Vosges Super Dark Coconut Ash & Banana

Place purchased: Cost Plus World Market 

Price: $6.99

Number of reviewers: 5

Appearance - 6.4

The Vosges Super Dark bar is divided into large squares. While the bar contains "Sri Lankan coconut, charcoal coconut ash, and Hawaiian banana," there are no visible pieces within the bar. 

L: The package looks like dirt in my food.

Flavor and Taste - 6.4

The dark chocolate bar smells of coconut. However, it only tastes like very dark chocolate. 

C: Very complex. I don't really get coconut until the end and get a little banana but not overpowering.
J: Very bitter, not much else flavor. 
L: Interesting flavor, maybe a little too harsh.
S: Burnt, bitter, almost no banana. 

Texture - 5.6

The incorporation of coconut ash into the chocolate results in a very grainy texture. It feels almost like sand was mixed into the chocolate. 

C: Good texture, maybe a little dry. 
J: Grainy and gritty. Falls apart. 
L: Chalky and drying.
S: Grainy, like eating actual ash.

Aftertaste - 6.2

The coconut and banana flavor come out in the aftertaste. The bitterness from the dark chocolate also lingers awhile. 

C: Creamy, chocolate, pleasant. 
J: Slight coconut aftertaste develops. 
L: Finally get a little banana then. 
S: Bitter.

Overall - 6.3

Overall, the Vosges Super Dark Coconut Ash & Banana bar was alright. However, it could be greatly improved by the addition of more coconut and banana to improve the flavor and the complete elimination of coconut ash so the bar does not feel gritty. 

Candy Hunting - New Summer Products, Part 4

Peeps Pops

Available in Vanilla Creme, Party Cake, and Sour Watermelon flavors. 
Place found: Target 
Price: $2.49

New Lindt 'Hello My Name Is' bars

Dark Chocolate Cookie and Salted Caramel (review)
Place found: Target 
Price: $2.79 for 100 g, $0.99 for 39 g

Lindt Lindor Citrus Truffles 

A Target Exclusive
Price: $3.99