Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Peanut M&Ms Intense 65% Cacao

M&Ms Intense 65% CacaoMy European candy blogging friends latched onto a new product last year, the Peanut M&Ms Intense 65% Cacao which are made in France but sold in quite a few European countries. When I had the opportunity to do a candy swap with Kristian at CandyBrain.de, this was on my wishlist of items.

I have to admit that the United States has the most diverse selection of M&MS, and we’ve even had Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms in stores before. So, I was mightily surprised to see that France got 65% cacao M&Ms before we did.

The bag is pretty big, with 9 ounces in a stand up gusset package. Instead of the zip top that many snack sized packages are getting the US, this on has a little sticker on the back you can peel off to use to hold it closed after you roll the top down.

Peanut M&Ms Intense 65% Cacao

The color variety for these is interesting. I looked at the ingredient panel to check if these were all natural, and it appears that it’s nearly so. I looked up all the colorings and found the following listed:

e100 is Turmeric, a yellow-orange dye (derived from plants)
e120 is Carmine, a red dye (derived from insects)
e132 is Indigo Carmine, a blue dye (derived from plants)
e133 is Brilliant Blue, a blue dye (synthetic)
e160e is Apocarotenal, a red-orange dye (derived from plants)
e162 is Beetroot Red, a purple dye (derived from plants)
e171 is Titanium dioxide, a white pigment (derived from minerals)

Here’s the weird thing about the coloring used on the shells. I could tell what some of the colors were without looking by the taste. The red one had a banana note and the orange one had a hint of curry.

Peanut M&Ms Intense 65% Cacao

The shell is quite the same as in the US version. It’s crunchy and not too thick but doesn’t crack easily. They smell nicely of cocoa and a hint of roasted peanuts. The chocolate inside is quite dark, with an immediate bitter note and a little bit of a dry undertone. It’s creamy and a little chalky but not in a grainy way. The peanuts however, were weird. I found most of mine were over-roasted, too dark, bitter and just plain ... well, not right. Maybe they’re not American peanuts, which I admit I’m quite acclimated to.

I wanted to like these more than I did, though I had no trouble eating them all. Of course the fact that they’re not available in the United States solves any issues I’d have if I did love them a little too much. Now ... maybe if they started putting Marcona almonds or Hazelnuts in there along with the dark chocolate ... then we might have something that would drive me to order from eBay regularly. I would be even better if the M&Ms World Stores would stock these international versions.

Some other reviews in the local territories:
CandyBrain (German)
Frau Shopping (German)
Grocery Gems (UK)
Foodstuff Finds (UK)

Related Candies

  1. Sugarfina: The Chocolates
  2. UNREAL #41 & #54 Candy Coated Chocolates
  3. Crispy M&Ms
  4. William diCarlo Perle di dolcezza
  5. M&Ms Premiums: Dark Chocolate
  6. Boston Baked Beans
  7. Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms


Name: Peanut M&Ms Intense 65% Cacao
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Mars
Place Purchased: candy swap with CandyBrain.de!
Price: unknown
Size: 9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 147
Categories: Candy, Mars, Chocolate, M&Ms, Peanuts, 7-Worth It, France

POSTED BY Cybele AT 3:33 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewMarsChocolateM&MsPeanuts7-Worth ItFrance

Comments
  1. I was just reading about Yellow #5, which is pretty nasty stuff and still widely used in the US. I hope natural colorings catch on here. Turmeric has actual health benefits, which would be a nice excuse to eat M&Ms;.

    Comment by Max Pinton on 11/12/13 at 8:21 pm #
  2. I would love to see these in the US.  I bought a bag in France on a trip with my daughter’s high school.  The kids like them as well.  I didn’t realize the coloring was natural, I thought the only benefit was the dark chocolate.  It would be great for companies to go back to a more natural, less processed product.

    Comment by Kimberly Dempsey on 6/20/14 at 2:27 pm #
  3. Thank you so much for reviewing these. I specifically sought them out when I went to France and I think they’re the best M&Ms; I’ve ever had.  I got my office mates hooked too.  When my parents visited France a couple of months after me, this is the only thing I specifically asked them to bring back.

    Comment by Stephanie on 7/30/14 at 6:50 am #
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