Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Candy Tease: September 2009

While I usually think of September as the time to introduce new holiday themed candies, there’s a lot new everyday candy coming out. Most of the big news is in advance of NACS which is the National Association for Convenience Stores and Petroleum Retailing trade show. (Yes, they show a lot of candy and snack food at that convention.) The biggest news is that Mars has settled on some new products as a result of their years of limited editions. Some people are going to be very happy.

imageName: M&M’S(r) Coconut Chocolate Candies
Brand: Mars
Description: Last summer, the country indulged in limited edition M&M’S(r) Coconut Chocolate Candies. Now consumers’ taste buds can escape to a tropical paradise any time of the year. In December 2009, M&M’S(r) Coconut Chocolate Candies will join the permanent line-up for the M&M’S(r) Brand. Consumers can’t resist the coconut-flavored M&M’S(r) Brand milk chocolate coated in a white or brown candy shell.
Notes: It’s odd to see these rolled into the regular product line so quickly, they must have flown off store shelves. (I think the fact that it was the suggested item at Walgreen’s for a month might have had something to do with the wide sampling.)

imageName: M&M’S(r) Wildly Cherry Chocolate Candies
Brand: Mars
Description: In February 2008, consumers went wild for M&M’S(r) Wildly Cherry Chocolate Candies. Now fans won’t have to fret their favorite treat will go out of season - it will be a permanent addition to the offerings from Mars Snackfood in December 2009. M&M’S(r) Wildly Cherry Chocolate Candies feature smooth milk chocolate surrounded by a crisp candy shell with rich, delicious cherry flavor.
Notes: I tried these and thought they were okay. Honestly I think they’d be better as part of the M&Ms Premiums line because I wasn’t fond of the raspberry version there.

imageName: Jots (Halloween)
Brand: Brach’s (Farley’s & Sathers)
Description: Jots from Brach’s are colorful candy coated morsels of milk chocolate.
Notes: Jots come and go from Brach’s. I really don’t have any info, except for this photo which was featured in a holiday candy announcement around All Candy Expo. I wish I could find them in stores but other than the Candy Corn and Mellocremes, I’m not seeing much Brach’s in the stores in my area.

imageName: Color Me Candies
Brand: Russell Stover
Description: Delicious Russell Stover chocolate covered in a sweet candy coating. Available in eleven colors & color mixes. These large candy pieces are perfect snacks for parties, team outings or just snacks to keep around the house.
Notes: Another entrant into the single color candy covered lentil, Russell Stover has 11 colors competitively priced at $2.99 per 8 ounce bag, a fraction of the price of M&Ms Colors (which are $6.99 for 7 ounces). Right now they’re available on the Russell Stover website and probably their owned & operated stores. I’m waiting for Los Angeles to cool off before placing an order.

imageName: MILKY WAY(r) Simply Caramel
Brand: Mars
Description: With delicious caramel surrounded by real milk chocolate, the new MILKY WAY(r) Simply Caramel Bar gives consumers more of what they crave about the Milky Way(r) Brand—rich, creamy caramel.
Notes: I believe that these were tested in a seasonal mix of regular Milky Way, Milky Way Dark and then this Simply Caramel in miniatures. I never found them on shelves to try them myself, but I can only imagine what this bar would be like ... very, very sweet. Hopefully it will be chewier to set it apart from the current chocolate/caramel offerings like Caramello.

imageName: 3 MUSKETEERS(r) Truffle Crisp Bars
Brand: Mars
Description: The new 3 MUSKETEERS(r) Truffle Crisp Bars offer a unique twist on the brand consumers love—a lighter, crispier way to enjoy chocolate. At only 170 calories, this delicate treat features a whipped up chocolate truffle on a crisp layer.
Notes: This looks an awful lot like the Fling bar that was a product in Australia and was recently test marketed in California. (Reviews here.) If it is, I certainly appreciate the toned-down packaging & gender-neutral sales approach.  There’s no indication whether it will come in a dark chocolate version.

imageName: ICEE Gummy Candy
Brand: Koko’s Confectionery
Description: ICEE Gummy Candy is a new treat from Koko’s and is based on America’s favorite frozen carbonated beverage, ICEE. These sweet and chewy candies are shaped like iconic ICEE images such as the cup and bear. Flavors include cherry, blue raspberry, green apple, and lemon.
Notes: The flavor array is a little odd, in my mind it should have a cola flavor in there. Possibly even a cherry cola. I’m wondering if there’s anything that will give them that Icee note, like a burst of menthol like Sour Patch did with their Chillerz.

imageName: MEGA Candy Buttons
Brand: Stichler Products, Inc
Description: A gigantic twist on the classic candy. Paper strips are a full 5 inches wide and 14 inches long. Colorful candy dots are flavored orange, lemon, cherry and raspberry. (Kosher)
Notes: They’re supposed to come off the paper easier than the Necco dots, so that’s a plus. And some flavor might be nice, though I’m thinking the appeal of these is still that they’re pretty. I do appreciate candies that play with scale.

Name: ICEE Popping Candy
Brand: Koko’s Confectionery
Description: ICEE Popping Candy is a new treat from Koko’s and is based on America’s favorite frozen carbonated beverage, ICEE. Dip the ICEE cup shaped lollipop into the Popping candy to experience an explosion on crackle in your mouth! Flavors include cherry, blue raspberry, green apple, and lemon.
Notes: I’m quite sure how this came about, but I’m glad they didn’t stick a straw in it and have kids inhale popping candies.

imageName: TWIX(r) Java
Brand: Mars
Description: Coffee lovers can enhance their coffee breaks with a great TWIX(r) Brand twist featuring coffee-flavored caramel paired with irresistible chocolate cookie and covered in delicious TWIX(r) Brand chocolate. Back by popular demand to “bring the flavor back,” TWIX(r) Java Chocolate Cookie Bars are moving from a 2008 limited edition to a permanent offering.
Notes: I loved this when it first came out and have found that it’s really the only Twix bar I do like. I’m actually looking forward to the minis, as I find that’s usually the best balance of chocolate & crunch for my preferences.

All photos courtesy of their respective manufacturers.

Related Candies

  1. Brach’s Indulge Almonds: Coconut & Caramel
  2. Limited Edition M&Ms Coconut
  3. M&Ms Premiums
  4. Java Twix
  5. Head to Head: M&Ms vs Koppers Milkies
  6. Head to Head: Milky Way & Mars (Canada & UK)

POSTED BY Cybele AT 7:40 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyNew Product AnnouncementFeatured News

Comments
  1. ohhh man.  caramel milky way and those coconut M&M’s

    Comment by dawn on 9/29/09 at 12:16 pm #
  2. I would love to try the Milky Way Caramel bar.

    I wish that Mars would bring back the Cookies & Cream Twix bars. Those had been my favorite for years.

    Comment by Gigi on 9/29/09 at 12:37 pm #
  3. Synesthesia's avatar

    YES! java twix are a permanent fixture now!?! you totally made my day smile

    Comment by Synesthesia on 9/30/09 at 2:33 am #
  4. ruffy's avatar

    i did find the coconut m&ms; to be quite tasty, but as far as being promoted to permanent status, all i can say is:  WHAT ABOUT MINT CRISP???????

    Comment by ruffy on 9/30/09 at 11:18 am #
  5. Cybele's avatar

    Ruffy - I have to wonder if the crispy varieties are just harder to produce than a simple flavored chocolate version.

    Gigi - I get a lot of emails about that still. I have no idea why some companies continue to innovate new/novelty without looking back at previous products.

    Comment by Cybele on 9/30/09 at 11:26 am #
  6. Years and years ago I had an orange Twix when I was in England.  I’ve tried to find it again to no avail.  Maybe now that they’re adding a permanent coffee flavor, I can get them to do orange.

    Comment by Jules on 10/01/09 at 10:38 am #
  7. I remember buying a bag of miniature Milky Way chocolate covered caramels (not part of a mix) at Easter one year.  I ate them, so they must have been decent, but I never sought them out again.

    Comment by Jane on 10/02/09 at 12:19 pm #
  8. Twix Java as a permanent edition. Great, I’m going to gain about four hundred pounds. smile The only one I’m sad to see not make the cut was the Rocky Road Snickers bar. I liked the Java Twix better, but the rocky road was a very close second.

    Comment by Meghan on 10/11/09 at 8:48 pm #
  9. Speaking of new stuff…have the “crazy cores” skittles replaced the wild berry skittles for good?  I find the former where I once found my favorite wild berry… :(

    Comment by Amy on 10/12/09 at 1:28 pm #
  10. Ruffy - I agree!  I’ve heard they’re a permanent flavor in Australia, lucky bastards.

    Comment by Gwen on 10/13/09 at 11:52 am #
  11. I think the Milky Way Caramel might be exactly like our Canadian “Mars Caramel”.  I know Milky Ways are manufactured at the plant in Newmarket, Ontario, and then shipped to the US.  The same plant produces Mars bars for those of us north of the border.  Since our regular Mars bars are essentially the same as US Milky Way bars, it would make sense that the caramel version would follow suit.  The caramel is more chewy than liquid; tasty bar!

    Here’s a pic:
    http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:THMyKvoRM5C22M:http://www.cybercandy.co.uk/acatalog/3799.jpg

    Comment by Blush on 10/20/09 at 8:56 am #
  12. OMG Cherry M&Ms; are DEVINE! I cried when they disappeared from stores…CRYING no more!

    Comment by Heather on 11/01/09 at 6:48 am #
  13. The 3 Musketeers Truffle candy was exceedingly good. I was wondering if the crisp part was going to be like the cookie in Twix but it is totally different. Melt-in-your-mouth crisp and fluffy chocolate. Lovely.

    Comment by Yanina on 1/14/10 at 6:50 am #
  14. The 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisps are amazing! REAL chocolate on the outside(good chocolate too!), the whipped chocolate we all know from basic 3 Musketeers bars, but the crisp was the part I was worried about. I thought it might be a wafer/cookie type crisp, but it’s almost like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms. The 3 textures in this bar flow wonderfully. I just wish I would have bought more of them! Hope to see them more often and soon!

    Comment by Jennifer on 2/05/10 at 12:24 pm #
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