Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Hershey’s Kisses Air Delight

Hershey's Kisses Air DelightHershey’s has come out with dozens of varieties of Kisses over the past ten years or so. They’ve filled them with Peanut Butter, Cherry Cordial, Caramel and Coconut while others were flavored like Candy Corn and Mint. The new Hershey’s Kisses Air Delight are the first I can think of that are less than other Kisses. They’re not filled with chocolate, they’re filled with little air bubbles.

Aerated chocolate is nothing new, it’s actually quite popular in other countries like the United Kingdom where the Cadbury Wispa is popular and Japan where the Nestle Aero bar comes at least a half a dozen seasonal varieties. (Hershey’s says that aerated chocolate is a $500 million dollar market segment worldwide.) The new Air Delight line is a first for Hershey’s though. In addition to the new Kisses, there’s also a bar version which weighs the same as a regular bar (1.44 ounces) but has almost 20% more volume.

Hershey's Kisses Air Delight

The Kisses are molded, but look like virtually all other non-classic Kisses. The foil wrapper is silver with brown dots on it. The little flag says Air Delight. They do actually feel lighter than a regular Kiss. The bite is soft or if you’re not a chewer, they do melt much quicker. The flavor isn’t quite the regular Hershey’s milk chocolate twang, but there are some sour notes in there. It’s not quite fudgy, but a little salty and milky. I have to say that just a half a dozen were very satisfying and they go nicely with other snacks like pretzels, nuts or Cheez-its. It’s rather smooth, but I wouldn’t call it rich. The melt is like a chocolate frosting - a little on the sugary side and not enough chocolate and certainly not enough cocoa butter. But it’s candy.

So the chocolate is lighter, because they put air bubbles in there, diluting the chocolate. The same “classic bag” of solid Kisses is 12 ounces. The Kisses Air Delight is 9.4 ounces. A standard portion size (200 calories) is 9 pieces (40 grams). For Air Delight it’s 11 pieces (41 grams). So each Air Delight Kiss is approximately 3.64 grams, while a classic Hershey’s Kiss is 4.44 grams, or approximately 18% lighter.

I like the idea of having an American version of a style of confection that seems to be available everywhere else. The addition of air does make the melt more pronounced and heighten the flavors. It’s also a darn clever way of giving consumer less for the same money. But sometimes we, apparently, want less for our money. The fact that chocolate can hold such a texture is a bit of a marvel, but like many molecular gastronomy novelties, just because you can do something doesn’t mean that it’s good. I’ve had my fair share of aerated chocolate products over the years and find that I’m not particularly enamored of them - but since Hershey’s pointed out that there’s a half a billion dollar market out there for the stuff, I guess it’d be silly of them not to try.

Hershey’s marketing information promises that this will be their largest Hershey’s Kisses Brand introduction in 5 years (I’m guessing the last was the now defunct Kissables) and the largest Hershey’s launch in 10 years. What that means for consumers is a greater likelihood that you’ll actually be able to find them in stores, if you’re looking for them. The Kisses Air Delight are supposed to be on shelves in early June 2011.

Related Candies

  1. Nestle Aero 70% Dark
  2. Vanilla Beans KitKat & Bitter Orange Aero
  3. Candy Corn Kisses
  4. Kisses Coconut Creme
  5. The Mint Kisses: Chocolate Mint & Candy Cane
  6. Elite Aerated & Lotte Airs
  7. Dairy Milk Bubbly


Name: Kisses Air Delight
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: Samples from Sweets & Snacks Expo
Price: $4.29 retail
Size: 9.4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 142
Categories: Candy, Hershey's, Aerated, Chocolate, Kosher, 7-Worth It, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:55 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewHershey'sAeratedChocolateKosher7-Worth ItUnited States

Comments
  1. sdswcu's avatar

    The official launch date is Friday June 3rd, so they should be in the stores by the weekend.

    Comment by sdswcu on 5/31/11 at 4:48 pm #
  2. Well count me as a fan of aerated chocolate! I adore the Mint Aero bars. I know that I am getting less chocolate, but I like the melt in aerated chocolate. At least with Aero bars, it’s kinda “carbonated” feeling. I have been looking forward to these ever since I saw the post months ago!

    Since I know that you have tried Aero, any preference?

    Comment by rkor on 5/31/11 at 6:16 pm #
  3. Love aero, you just put it on your tongue and let it melt so you can ‘taste the bubbles’.

    This advert suggests ‘why’ there is air bubbles:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnTcNWoq0kg

    Comment by Scarlet on 6/03/11 at 3:37 am #
  4. I found these today in my local Target (and paid full price!)....I love the Aero bar and these are not as good. I’m a little disappointed because I don’t think you get as much of the cool texture. I can’t decide if it’s because of the size or not.

    Comment by Kate on 6/04/11 at 8:57 pm #
  5. sdswcu's avatar

    I finally ate 1 yesterday and liked it better than the Kisses sample I’d had a few weeks ago. I’ve never had an Aero Bar so have nothing to compare it to. I liked it but I’ll take a Skor any day over most anything else.

    Comment by sdswcu on 6/05/11 at 10:08 am #
  6. sdswcu's avatar

    Just ate another bar and have to say I may actually prefer it to the regular Hershey bar just on mouth feel, because they taste similar.

    Comment by sdswcu on 6/05/11 at 12:46 pm #
  7. Try a couple of squares from the Air Delight bar.  It’s just the right amount and melts in your mouth in a very pleasant way.

    Comment by Susan Smith on 6/07/11 at 12:46 pm #
  8. I have tried the kisses and I am not impressed with the bubbles. They don’t have the same feel as Aero which I find much more pleasant and feeling like they were made on purpose. These bubbles just feel like poorly made chocolate.

    Comment by rkor on 6/07/11 at 4:39 pm #
  9. sdswcu's avatar

    I wasn’t impressed with the Kisses either, that’s why I was so surprised that the bar is so different and so much better.

    Comment by sdswcu on 6/07/11 at 5:30 pm #
  10. I will give the bars a try, on a cooler day when the texture can last longer. Any idea where to find them in a Target?

    Comment by rkor on 6/07/11 at 7:03 pm #
  11. i just had one of the Air Delight Hershey bars. didn’t like it.
    Used to be able to eat the Hershey chocolate but it seems to have too much of the sour/vomity taste.

    Comment by whotony on 6/07/11 at 7:06 pm #
  12. sdswcu's avatar

    They should be on the front end check out lanes at Target. I know they’re already out at Walmart.

    Comment by sdswcu on 6/08/11 at 10:15 am #
  13. So,I’ve tried the bar too. I still don’t like it as much as Aero. The chocolate doesn’t taste as good and the melting texture isn’t as good. But at least the texture doesn’t feel like poorly made chocolate.

    Comment by rkor on 6/12/11 at 2:56 pm #
  14. I saw the Air Delights bar yesterday & tried one. I love it! Wasn’t there an aerated chocolate bar in the mainstream USA candies way back in the 70s or 80s? I can’t remember the name, but this bar reminds me of that. I’m a huge Hershey’s fan & this did not disappoint. It had the same flavor of their regular milk chocolate bars, but lighter and softer. I’d love to see your review of the bar as opposed to the Kisses.

    Comment by Jenn T. on 6/30/11 at 6:53 am #
  15. Honestly? These suck. I’ve tried the bar and the kiss and they’re both quite gross. With Aero you can actually feel the bubbles but with these you might as well be eating plain old crappy hershey’s.

    Comment by Emily on 7/09/11 at 7:04 pm #
  16. I love the air delight bar, I live near the Canada border and remember getting something similar every time we went to Canada when I was a kid, can’t remember the name but probably the Aero bar.  The Hershey’s is just perfect, the good Hershey chocolate taste but light and fluffy texture.  I was on a chocolate candy bar “burn out” where nothing was really exciting anymore, and these have gotten me out of that rut, looking forward to my break time every day with the Air Delight bar.

    Comment by Linda on 7/22/11 at 6:44 am #
  17. I loved the Aero bar… coolest chocolate texture ever! I was buying several at a time at a local newsstand (in New York) back in the late 90’s, I believe it was, but then they stopped carrying them and I could never find them anywhere else, except occasionally in specialty candy shops. So when I came across Air Delight Kisses, it was an immediate must-buy.

    I just started my first bag, and I like them… as others have mentioned, they’re “meltier” than the Aero, and even though they have a similar bubbly texture, you can’t really “feel” the bubbles the same way you can in an Aero bar (probably the small size of each kiss is a factor). However, since aerated chocalte is rare in the U.S., it’s a good start… now here’s hoping that this becomes a trend and other companies jump on the bandwagon!

    Comment by Adam on 8/18/11 at 1:00 pm #
  18. I lived in Europe and fell in love with the original and mint versions of the Aero( which was sold in a Canadian run store on a NATO base), so I was SUPER excited to try the Hershey version.  Sadly, it is nowhere near as good! I would rather Nestle release the Aero stateside!

    Comment by Miranda on 9/07/11 at 5:00 pm #
  19. The bars are much better than the kisses.  I’ve always loved Aero and Wispa, but I honestly think that Hershey has outdone them.  The lighter feel weakens Cadbury’s creamy taste, but it actually helps Hershey’s by making it not so sweet or concentrated.  I highly recommend that you review the bar—Target sells them quite cheap.  It has become one of my favorite Hershey products.

    Comment by Jonathan Gill on 9/19/11 at 9:23 pm #
  20. Now let’s think about this from a business stand point.

    Goal: Maximize profits

    Means to reach goal: Sell less product for the same price.

    Solution(Phase 1): Pump (free) air into product to displace said product thus reducing product used to return a profit.

    Solution(Phase 2): Make half product seem “cool” and “vogue” so nitwits will spend their hard earned cash on half a product.

    Conclusion: Hershey’s (and all to follow) has apparently found the golden recipe. Sell you what you can get for free…. “air”.

    I’m sorry… but if I’m not go pay for a product… I want the full deal. My clients wouldn’t like it to much if we filled their home foundations full of air pockets and sold them on the idea of them “walking on air”. They pay for the full deal.

    Comment by Corky on 12/19/11 at 11:12 am #
  21. I have to whole-heartedly agree with Corky.  It is all a marketing scheme by Hershey to sell you less of a product at the same price as before so they can make more profit.  It is the real milk chocolate kiss for me or none at all.  Your dollar speaks, buy only what is real and not some marketing gimmick.

    Comment by Paullubbock on 2/16/12 at 12:41 pm #
  22. Well said Corky!

    Comment by Terry on 4/20/12 at 8:30 am #
  23. I agree with Corky.

    Comment by Jokey on 6/23/12 at 9:22 am #
  24. Like the way of the world, get less pay more. Congrates Hershey you sink with the best.

    Comment by sue on 9/16/12 at 6:27 pm #
  25. Can you make the hershey’s air delight in DARK CHOCOLATE? if not why not? would very much like to try that version.

    Comment by sharon ashworth on 11/09/12 at 5:26 am #
  26. I live in the USA but travel frequently.  I am also a lover of chocolate. I was returning home from Africa a couple of years ago.  I had to pass through DeGaulle Airport in Paris.  As I was walking from one gate to another, I had a few minutes to visit one of the shops.  I grabbed a giant Nestle chocolate bar without nuts.  When I broke off a piece, I was nearly stunned at the difference in the taste. It was more intensely sweet that the same bars in the USA.

    Was I imagining things in the middle of a 14 hour flight? Or was the Nestle chocolate bar made with enough different ingredients that the bar was sweeter? More sugar and less corn syrup? 

    Thanks in advance for viewing this note.
    Robert M Yuna

    Comment by Robert Yuna on 11/30/15 at 6:36 am #
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