Monday, April 5, 2010

Nestle Crunch - Even More Scrumptious

Nestle Crunch - Even More ScrumptiousOne of my favorite chocolate bars as a kid was the Nestle Crunch or Krackel. Both of them went downhill in the nineties (Hershey’s Krackel isn’t even a chocolate bar any longer) but the Nestle Crunch seems to be inching its way back to respectable. About two years ago Nestle released their “Now Even Richer” tweak, which improved the bar but it wasn’t hard when it was so waxy and flavorless before.

Nestle is going for it again with their Nestle Crunch Even More Scrumptious version. Since we’re in a crossover period where both the “Now Even Richer” and “Even More Scrumptious” version are on shelves, I picked up two for comparison.

Nestle Crunch - Even More Scrumptious

The bar’s shape and size is exactly the same. Same package design with the familiar red, white and blue colors that have been used for at least 50 years but of course updated from time to time. The mold has the bold CRUNCH lettering that lets you know what it is inside or out of the mylar. I prefer a bar with segments. While pretty molding is nice if you’re eating the whole bar yourself and don’t care about the sanitariness of biting right into it, I usually break my bar into pieces so I can share or portion. Though the ingredients on the old and new version are identical as is the nutrition information, flipping both bars over reveals the most significant difference:

Nestle Crunch - Current Formula & Even More Scrumptious

(Now Even Richer version on the left - Even More Scrumptious on the right)

Sometime in the mid-2000s (I think), Nestle started using these little BB shaped & sized crisped rice pieces. Not just in the Crunch bar but also in the 100 Grand Bar. I don’t like them. They lack the irregular air pockets that gives a Crunch bar its more rustic texture. But the big rice pieces are back, I took this as a good sign.

Nestle Crunch - Current Formula & Even More Scrumptious

(Now Even Richer version on the left - Even More Scrumptious on the right)

The color of the two bars is slightly different. It could be age, the new formula is obviously a fresher bar though both are within their freshness dates.

But what’s the difference in taste, how did they make it better without actually changing the ingredients or nutritional profile?

Well, it’s creamier. Not by much but the fact that the rice pieces are larger seems to make a difference as well. The bigger crunch makes the chocolate texture difference more noticeable. Is it really that much more scrumptious?, I’d say yes, there is some notable improvement in the creaminess and sweetness level of the chocolate. It still lacks a well-rounded chocolate flavor and texture. It’s far too sugar intense and not chocolatey enough for me, or even milky enough. It’s an entertaining enough piece of candy for the price, but not a satisfying bar of chocolate. It does earn the right to scootch up from at 6 out of 10 to a 7 out of 10. I hope the other holiday versions get this changeover, too.

(I think that’s Jenilee Harrison as the first bar-eater. What I got from this commercial is that it’s a candy bar that white people like.)

Related Candies

  1. Malley’s Chocolates
  2. Wilbur Milk Chocolate Crisp
  3. Nestle Milk Chocolate
  4. World’s Finest W.F. Crisp
  5. Nestle Crunch Crisp
  6. Nestle Crunch with Peanuts


Name: Nestle Crunch
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: Target (Eagle Rock)
Price: $.69
Size: 1.55 ounces
Calories per ounce: 142
Categories: Nestle, Chocolate, Cookie, Kosher, 7-Worth It, United States, Target

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:47 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewNestleChocolateCookie7-Worth ItUnited StatesTarget

Comments
  1. Dear Nestle:

    When a candy blog says ‘not a satisfying bar of chocolate’, you have failed. Isn’t that what you make? Companies chock full of MBA’s only care about incremental market share, and will only improve the taste of the product if it makes market sense.

    Comment by Mike on 4/05/10 at 11:24 pm #
  2. I loved rice puff chocolate when I was a kid. sure, the local brand tasted like cardboard, but it was inexpensive so that you got a full sized chocolate bar in the price of a candy bar.

    Now I’m wondering why no-one had developed a diet chocolate bar out of this, as the puffed rice contains about the same calories as the plastic wrapper the candy comes with. Add just enough chocolate to keep the bar together, and voila! a low-calorie candy bar!

    Comment by Emma on 4/06/10 at 7:48 am #
  3. Love crunch bars but it has been a lot time since i have had one. hmm taste test time grin

    Comment by nicole on 4/06/10 at 5:51 pm #
  4. that’s not jenilee harrison-her face was longer

    Comment by alyssa kaplan on 4/08/10 at 9:26 am #
  5. LIKE!! :D the one with caramel center tastes better!

    Comment by u8mypinkcookies on 4/16/10 at 6:32 am #
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