Monday, October 1, 2007

Reese’s Whipps

Reese's WhippsOh, disappointment.

I had high hopes for the Reese’s Whipps bar. The bar goes something like this: light and fluffy peanut butter flavored nougat wrapped in a layer of peanut butter then coated in mockolate. Okay, I’m not completely certain it is mockolate, as the ingredients include chocolate, but it’s so low on the list, I have my doubts. Especially since they don’t list it as part of the description of the bar and say that this element is “Made with Smooth Chocolate.” Whether it is or not is immaterial because it’s flaky and not that good.

The bar is hefty at 1.9 ounces, just a little smaller than a 3 Musketeers (2.12 ounces) and wrapped in that unmistakable Reese’s orange.

A little blue triangle in the corner heralds that this bar has 40% less fat*. That * leads to the disclaimer that it contains 9 grams of fat versus 15 grams of fat for the average leading chocolate candy brands. I really want to know what they consider the leading chocolate candy brands, which I’m guessing are M&Ms, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Hershey Bars. The bar itself has 230 calories. But I’ll rant about that more a bit later.

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The bar looks just like the wrapper promises. It smells lightly sweet and peanutty. The bite on the bar is soft, not stiff. The nougat inside has an immediate peanut butter flavor to it with a little salt and a kind of molasses darkness.

The peanut butter layer around that gives a little extra peanutty zazz to it. The mockolate adds nothing. It gives no chocolatey contribution to the thing, no creamy component, no milky, buttery texture. It merely contains the other two elements, that are actually pretty good. The only good thing about the glaze is that it’s used sparingly ... it’s ultra thin. You could probably shine a light through it.

Yes, with a good coating of real chocolate (like a 3 Musketeers), this could have been a standout bar.

But I guess my real disappointment is that they’ve grabbed a play from the book of 3 Musketeers and are calling it “lower in fat” without mentioning on the front that it contains pretty much the same number of calories as any other candy bar. I’ve made a little list of the size, calories and caloric density of the leading bars, arranged with the least dense at the top. Pay careful attention to the number of calories though, even if it’s not dense, it’s certainly big:

Candy Bar…..............size in grams….calories/cals per gram
York Peppermint Pattie…....39 grams…................140/3.59
3 Musketeers…..............60.4 grams…..............260/4.30
Reese’s Whipps…............53 grams…................230/4.34
M&Ms Peanut…...............49 grams…................220/4.49
Butterfinger…..............60 grams…................270/4.50
Snickers…..................58.7 grams…..............280/4.77
Reese’s Crispy Crunchy…....48 grams…................230/4.79
KitKat ......................43 grams…................210/4.88
Twix…......................57 grams…................280/4.91
Hersey’s Milk Chocolate…...60 grams…................300/5.00
M&Ms Milk Chocolate .........48 grams…................240/5.00
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups…51 grams…................260/5.10

It’s pretty clear that the York Peppermint Pattie is the candy to have if you want straight carbs (no fat, no protein). 3 Musketeers does pretty well as does the Whipps, but remember, if there’s no fat and no protein it’s all sugars. While I find sugar to be wonderful, straight sugar doesn’t really provide much long-lasting satisfaction if you’re looking for a snack that’s a treat.

That chart means nothing if you don’t actually like the candy bar though. And this bar proves that Hershey’s does not need the FDA to change the definition of chocolate, they’re free to make a substandard product and try to sell it to us. Yeah, I’m probably been pretty harsh, but this could have been a really good bar.

Shopping Jen found these at WalMart already and has a review posted here. I also saw these this weekend at Walgreen’s (at two for a dollar!), so they’re in the wild now.

Related Candies

  1. Factory Fresh Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  2. What Made Hershey’s Want to Change Chocolate?
  3. Reese’s Crispy Crunchy Bar
  4. Head-to-Head: Butterfinger vs. 5th Avenue
Name: Reese's Whipps
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Hershey's
Place Purchased: samples from All Candy Expo
Price: $.75 retail
Size: 1.9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 121
Categories: Mockolate, Peanuts, Nougat, United States, Hershey's, Reese's, Kosher

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:54 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Completely agree with your review (which isn’t suprising grin) as I just had a nip of one to balance my blood sugars.  I had already had carbs but needed a straight small shot of sugar.  “Benign” is accurate. There is nothing exciting about this bar but for the anticipation of HOPING while opening, that it might (PLEASE!) be as good as you think it will be.  HA!  The chocolate is so lacking, and absent is the dense, creamy flavor I like in a reese’s cup.  Now, I am just eating celerly with a dab of peanut butter - and that is so much better. wink

    Comment by elzie on 10/01/07 at 7:29 am #
  2. I was sooo excited and couldn’t wait to try these.  So when I saw them in CVS I grabbed 2 bars.  I agree I was VERY disappointed and ended up throwing them out.  I’d rather have a PB cup or better yet wait for the Dark Chocolate PB Cup.  NOw you are talking!

    Comment by KL on 10/01/07 at 7:39 am #
  3. My thoughts *exactly*. :/

    Comment by Sera on 10/01/07 at 7:42 am #
  4. You love See’s so I trust your opinion more than shopping Jen.  LOL

    Comment by Randi on 10/01/07 at 8:47 am #
  5. Well, Shopping Jen loves See’s, too. But since I’m in New England, I only get it when my brother in Los Angeles sends me a box for Christmas. And my review blog is only a month old, so I haven’t had an opportunity to write about See’s yet.

    Thanks for the link, Cybele. There’s plenty of room in the world for every opinion, and no two people will like the same things. I’m sorry the Whipps didn’t please you. But that just leaves more for me! smile

    Comment by Shopping Jen on 10/01/07 at 8:56 am #
  6. I found these a week or so ago at our local CVS.  I really didn’t expect to like it very much but both me and my husband thought it was really good..after reading these reveiws perhaps there is something wrong with us!

    Comment by Mary on 10/01/07 at 9:01 am #
  7. I agree, these were horrible. I threw mine away too after one small bite. Yuck!

    Comment by Kate on 10/01/07 at 9:01 am #
  8. I tried this bar the other day and thought it was pretty good. In fact, I went out and got another one, and I rarely buy any candy. I agree completely about the chocolate-y coating though, it didn’t taste like chocolate at all and was crumbly.

    I really liked the taste and texture of the nougat filling, though. It was a little on the sweet side, but I would prefer this type of texture over a PB cup.

    If they would enrobe this with actual, good chocolate, I’d give this one a huge thumbs up.

    Comment by Carol on 10/01/07 at 9:30 am #
  9. I haven’t tried this yet.  I had one in my hand a couple weeks ago, but put it back when I turned in over and saw 230 calories.  It bothered me because I felt that they were really playing it as a ‘lighter’ choice, which I suppose it is with less fat, but still.. Anyway, it didn’t really appeal to me all that much anyway, so I grabbed a Reese’s Crispy Crunchy instead.. same calories and I already know I love it.

    Still, I think I’m going to grab one of these one day and try sticking it in the freezer.

    Comment by Alicia on 10/01/07 at 12:25 pm #
  10. Okay, sounds like I am going to have to try these myself. I love Reese’s peanut butter cups so I don’t know if that will mean I will like these or hate these.

    Comment by Restaurant Mom on 10/01/07 at 4:01 pm #
  11. Aww, I actually really enjoyed this bar.  I’m partial to picking off the chocolate coating of a 3 musketeers so I can just eat the nougat, though.

    Comment by Elise on 10/01/07 at 4:03 pm #
  12. I’ll have to check these out!  wink

    Comment by speedmaster on 10/02/07 at 2:55 am #
  13. I agree with you also, I tried these the other day when I found them in WalMart and was so disappointed!  I love reeces products so these excited me, but I tried it and wanted to throw the rest out, like some people say they did.  I couldn’t because I was starving and had picked it up as a snack so I finished it but it was not satisfying in the least :(

    Comment by Erika on 10/02/07 at 3:33 am #
  14. I really loved this bar! I thought the peanut butter nougat was so good, that I didn’t even notice the subpar chocolate.

    I picked them up at the Hershey store off Michigan Ave. in Chicago. I haven’t seen them at any drug stores in the area.

    Side note: The woman behind the counter at the Hershey store looked at me like I was crazy when I asked her if they would be getting the Candy Corn Hershey Kisses in any time soon.

    Comment by Hanna on 10/02/07 at 11:16 am #
  15. I too was highly disappointed. I felt like it was basically a 3 Musketeers with a hint of peanut butter.

    Comment by Katie on 10/02/07 at 3:03 pm #
  16. I haven’t typed up my review on them yet, but yeah, I agree competely.  Boring, bland, and not at all deserving of the Reese’s name.

    Comment by Rebecca on 10/03/07 at 2:34 am #
  17. The fake chocolate killed this for me.  I was really hoping I would dig these.

    Comment by Heidi on 10/03/07 at 4:34 am #
  18. This new bar sounded great but it was LOUSY!  I threw it away after 1 bite also. What a waste.

    Comment by Suzanne on 10/03/07 at 2:53 pm #
  19. Thanks for the warning. I was in Walgreens yesterday when I saw these and remembered this review. I trusted your opinion and walked right by them. wink

    Comment by Ryan on 10/05/07 at 12:27 am #
  20. Just gotta stick up for these.  I’m addicted to Reese’s Whipps and buy 4 or 5 whenever I see them to hoard.  If so many people dislike them, though, I fear for their future…

    Comment by Jeremy on 10/06/07 at 10:30 pm #
  21. I DISAGREE with these bad reviews. This is the best candy bar I’ve ever had. The only downside is the 230 calories. I also hoard when I see it at the store, and buy 4-5 at a time.

    The nougat is creamy and the chocolate is good, although I would never disagree with improving the bar by adding more chocolate.

    I hope this candy bar has a long life.

    Comment by kate goldman on 10/08/07 at 3:08 pm #
  22. I saw these the other day while grocery shopping and decided to try it, knowing you already gave it a poor review.  I figured since it was a Reese’s it had to be decent.  Your review was spot-on though, very disappointing.  Live and learn!

    Comment by Patrick on 10/18/07 at 1:06 pm #
  23. While I certainly wouldn’t throw one out, I was somewhat disappointed in these also. I tried them two different times and both times was underwhelmed. In the future, I’d rather just have a 3 Musketeers or a ‘real’ Reese’s than one of these I think.

    Comment by Carrie on 10/19/07 at 8:32 am #
  24. Aww, I was really looking forward to trying the Reese’s Whipps, too.  Fortunately, I looked at your review first for your opinion.  You’re right.  It sounds so delectable, like a fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth nougat blanketed in chocolate.  The nougat was passable, but the mockolate is bland and just plain disgusting.:(  If it were replaced with a creamier, real chocolate, I would probably love it, as I do most of the Reese’s line.smile

    Comment by Breigh on 10/29/07 at 12:56 pm #
  25. I first found Reese’s Whipps at Food For Less. They were on sale for 4 for a dollar so I said “what the hell” and pick up a few. I’m currently hooked. I bought a case of them at Costco.

    Comment by Joel on 11/07/07 at 11:38 am #
  26. I loved this new Reese’s offering. It eclipsed the peanut m&m as my favorite candy ever. I am sorry you can’t taste it’s divine creamy light peanut butter nougat. I like to put it in the fridge and bite the “chocolate” and peanut butter layer off and then slowly eat the nougat. It’s not too sweet and satisfies the candy urge.

    Comment by RaginFro on 11/13/07 at 11:01 pm #
  27. i disagree,

    the whipp is a great candy, imo, and i should know, i eat lots of candy so much so,im on this website looking at candy.

    i have not the time to compare nor contrast this to any number of products, however, again, i feel it is a tasty and importantly a different type of candy bar. perhaps its the noguat or even the texture, but i like it a lot.  send me the one you dont want, no razor blades, but ill eat them!

    Comment by jk on 11/24/07 at 10:10 am #
  28. Hershey candies in general are way TOO SWEET, including this one and even some new dark chocolate bars.

    They could put 30% less sugar, which would reduce Hershey’s cost of making these and make more people like me (who read label and sugar content on everything on shelves) more likely to buy it. Otherwise, I look elsewhere for candies or chocolates.

    Comment by singher on 12/03/07 at 10:59 am #
  29. I tried one of these this weekend, and was horrified.  It was an awful candy bar.  I should have just gotten a Snickers.  Grr.

    Smiles,
    Erin

    Comment by Erin on 2/11/08 at 6:33 am #
  30. I have to disagree.
    I absolutely loved the candy bar and would hate to see other people pass it up.

    Comment by egone on 3/08/08 at 9:25 am #
  31. I actually love these, I was surprised to see a low rating.  But as far as calories go, let’s face it, it’s hard to eat candy and worry about that issue so much?  LOL.

    Comment by Smidget on 6/13/08 at 1:50 pm #
  32. After having open heart surgery my Dr. finally gave me the O.K. to eat the Reeses Whipps. But I am having a hard time locating them without buying the assortment pack. Can you HELP.

    Comment by Ron Harkovich on 10/23/09 at 8:57 am #
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