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Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Go Max Go Twilight Candy Bar
The package is odd and incongruous. It’s lavender and has a simple and rather small name emblazoned on the middle of it, but most of the package is taken up with explaining what’s not inside: dairy free, vegan, no trans fat, no hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, nothing artificial. At over $2 per bar it is at least a beefy size (hah, I used a meat to describe a vegan bar) clocking in at 2.1 ounces.
Yes, that’s a whole lot of mock products there. Mock caramel (because real caramel contains butter and/or cream), faux nougat (because real nougat contains egg whites) and of course the rice milk mockolate (it’s possible to make real rice-milk chocolate without palm oils).
The bar looks, well, rather like a dud. The coating doesn’t have the bloom problem that my Mahalo did, but it’s also not shiny or crisp like real chocolate. Just kind of chalky looking with no sheen. It doesn’t smell like much either, just a little sweet and a little malty (which isn’t a bad thing in my book).
The construction of the bar is similar to Milky Way - a nougat layer on the bottom, caramel then covered in chocolate. The caramel has some stringy pull to it, but not in the same silky way that a good dairy caramel does. This one is a little grainy (not a dealbreaker) with a well rounded saltiness, but severely lacking in the toasted sugar notes. Instead it tastes like brown rice, toasty but in a “toasted wheat bread” way, not a “sugar shell on a creme brulee” way. (But to be honest, the Milky Way caramel isn’t all that either.) The nougat is fluffy and has a hint of malt to it. It’s fine, but I’ll admit that this fluffed sugar nougat that American candy bars have isn’t really my favorite thing. The chocolate-flavored shell melts to a point, but not into anything creamy. It doesn’t impart anything chocolatey to the party. In a way this bar succeeds because it’s just as throat-searingly sweet as a Milky Way. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t want to finish it. I think the vegan versions of the caramel and nougat are good enough for those who can’t eat the real stuff, but a good quality dark chocolate could have saved this bar. Related Candies
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2010 by Cybele May Please do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop Studios &
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SUPERB 
YUMMY 
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TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
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INEDIBLE 
SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
how long did it take you to let the candy bars melt, get mashed and mangled, before taking the pix? by the way…..dark chocolate is as boring as your blog.
The “sheen” that you’re craving is confectioner’s wax, which is not vegan. Essentially shellac, it is made from bugs. Still craving it?
Susan - I bought the bars on January 8th around lunchtime at Whole Foods on Fairfax & 3rd Street in Los Angeles. I photographed them on January 9th. I actually thought this bar looked pretty good.
For the record, sweet readers, Susan’s comment was from an email domain registered to the manufacturer of the candy bar. (I was unsure at first, but this tweet confirmed that it was an actual member of the company) Similar comments by Susan were left on all the GoMaxGo products I reviewed.
Abby - You are incorrect. The confectioners glaze you mention is used on panned candies, not enrobed candies.
Cocoa butter, a vegan product, has a unique crystalline structure that can be achieved through careful heating and cooling. Vegan chocolate that contains only cocoa beans and sugar will have an exquisite high gloss if handled correctly.
I know what shellac is, I know what honey is. Reality does not jar me.
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