Tag: Candy

REVIEW: Now and Later WTF and Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF

Marvo 1 Comment

Now and Later WTF

If your taste buds like to play detective, there are two new mystery flavor candies from the Ferrara Candy Company — Now and Later WTF and Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF. In these instances, the WTF doesn’t mean what the acronym has usually stood for — the World Taekwondo Federation. Instead, it asks, What The Flavor?

Now and Later WTF Closeup

Now and Later WTF consists of mixed fruit chews. Every piece is white, which, of course, gives no clues to what the flavors could be. It tastes as if there are four of them in the bag.

One is definitely pineapple, which is quite tasty. It’s not overly sweet, but I knew it was the tropical fruit the moment I put it into my mouth. Another one is watermelon, but it’s not as potent as a Jolly Rancher. As for the others, it’s either passion fruit, kiwi, or a strawberry Fruit Roll-Up, my taste buds can’t decide.

My taste buds also can’t recall the last time they’ve had Now and Later candy. They don’t remember how tough they are. “Hard Starburst” is what I’m going to start calling Now and Later from now on.

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF

Unlike, the Now and Later, the Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF have color, which is a little disappointing. I wish they were transparent or white, making them look like albino snakes or gummy worm ghosts. But the colors do not give hints to what they may taste like. Also, unlike the Now and Later, the gummies are easier to eat.

Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers WTF Closeup

There seem to be three flavors. I’m positive one of them is peach because I love gummy peach rings and will never forget that taste. Another one, I think, is blue raspberry. And the last one, I believe, is lemon lime. Ugh. I’m a horrible flavor detective.

I’m a sucker for mystery products, but I’m a little disappointed by these. All the flavors, whatever some of them are, are tasty. But they all seem to be fruity varieties that have already been made. It would’ve been nice if there was at least one new or utterly wacky flavor (wasabi would’ve made me wail WTF).

I realize I should’ve started this review with a SPOILER ALERT because I might’ve ruined the mystery for all of you. It would be like me saying Avengers: Endgame involves [DELETED] going [DELETED], then they travel to [DELETED] in order to [DELETED], and then they figure out [DELETED]. Knowing that would’ve made you angry, like the Hulk in Endgame where he [DELETED] and ended up [DELETED].

A special thanks goes to TIB reader, and regular Spotted photo contributor, Robbie for sending me a bag of each candy.

Purchased Price: 2 for $4
Size: 5 oz. bags
Purchased at: Stripes (7-Eleven)
Rating: 6 out of 10 (Now and Later)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Trolli)
Nutrition Facts: Now and Later (7 pieces) – 120 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 26 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of protein. Trolli (8 pieces) – 100 calories, 0 grams of fat, 40 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 14 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers (2019)

Vin 4 Comments

Reese s Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers 2019

I love me some Reese’s, but it’s been on a bit of a cold streak with me lately.

I can’t say I’ve “loved” any of the Reese’s products I’ve reviewed recently, (Thins, Good Humor Bars, Whipped Topping) and it’s left me wondering if I even still “love” the iconic brand I grew up on.

Previous disappointments aside, I figured there was no way Reese’s Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers Cups could let me down, right?

Reese’s Chocolate Lovers

I was tentative about these. I ranted in my Reese’s Thins review about how pointless having more chocolate than peanut butter is, but I’m happy to report Reese’s Chocolate Lovers Cups blow them away.

I initially thought these were dark chocolate, but according to Hershey’s official site, they’re an “extra thick layer of extra-rich milk chocolate.” Some may taste a difference with the “extra rich” chocolate, but it tasted like a thicker Reese’s cup to me.

Reese s Chocolate Lovers Innards

The chocolate shell (I don’t know what else to call it) has a similar crispy bite to Reese’s Thins. Since they have more chocolate, the candy’s texture is harder than a standard peanut butter cup.

There’s still plenty of peanut butter, but since the ratio is off, I felt like it melted in my mouth quicker and left me with an intense chocolate aftertaste that set this apart from regular Reese’s Cups. The back of my tongue still had that lingering peanut butter residue, but everywhere else tasted like I ate a Hershey bar.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Lovers

I didn’t think there was any way I’d like Chocolate Lovers more than these, but here I am, admitting I liked Chocolate Lovers more than these. That’s not an indictment – they’re pretty damn good – I just thought they were the runner-up.

The idea of having the cup itself made of peanut butter is a great idea – in theory anyway.

Reese s Peanut Butter Lovers Innards

They could have called these “Reese’s Chocolate Haters Cups” because outside of the thin layer coating the bottom of the cup there’s hardly any chocolate. I certainly didn’t taste much of it. The outer peanut butter and what’s inside have contrasting textures but identical flavors. That was fun for a couple of bites, but then the novelty wore off.

Without the chocolate, these are really dry. The peanut butter caked my mouth to the point I wanted to chug a bottle of water after eating one cup. It’s the Nutter Butter effect. Try eating a few of those without a glass of milk. Your mouth will turn into the Sahara.

Still, I can’t complain too much because I love Reese’s peanut butter. Just gotta remember to keep a bottle of water nearby.

So yeah, these are both winners. If only Hershey’s could find a happy medium between Chocolate Lovers and Peanut Butter Lovers, we’d be in business folks.

Sarcasm aside, Reese’s Cups are a ten, so I’m judging these off of them. They’re both worth picking up, but you can’t top perfection.

Purchased Price: $1.39 each
Size: 1.5 oz.
Purchased at: Quick Check
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Chocolate Lovers)
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Peanut Butter Lovers)
Nutrition Facts: (1 package) Chocolate Lovers – 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 135 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein. Peanut Butter Lovers – 200 calories, 12 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 150 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, 19 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Kit Kat Cones

Meghan 10 Comments

Kit Kat Cones

What are Kit Kat Cones?

Entering into the frozen treat category just in time for the warmer weather, these Kit Kat-themed Drumsticks offer vanilla frozen dairy dessert with a chocolatey coating and a fudge core placed atop a crispy sugar cone.

Kit Kat Cones Back of Box

How are they?

Despite being as enjoyable as any other Drumstick flavor, I couldn’t help but feel a little let down by these. Although each component was good and made a tasty dessert when combined, none were able to capture the experience of eating an actual Kit Kat and translate it into a frozen dairy dessert form.

Kit Kat Cones Pristine

Putting aside the Kit Kat branding for a moment, it’s hard to find many other faults here. Between the vanilla ice cream, crisp chocolatey shell, and airy wafer bits, everything is really well balanced. Even the cones were crisp and fresh, and far exceeded my expectations. If I had to knock Nestle on anything else, it would be the fudge filling’s blandness. Although clearly present, it wasn’t flavorful enough to compete against everything else this treat has, and Nestle could have nixed it without compromising quality.

Kit Kat Cones Core

The main issue I have with these is that the box was the only aspect actually reminiscent of a real Kit Kat. The wafer bits stuck in the chocolatey coating weren’t prominent enough to simulate biting into a finger of the famous candy, and neither the sugar cone shell nor the chocolate coating tasted anything like the classic candy.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Kit Kat Cones Bite

Nestlé would have been better off by taking the lead from Snickers Ice Cream Bars and modeling the form of these after actual Kit Kat wafers. They would have been a lot more successful if they had layered vanilla ice cream in-between stacked wafer cookies and just covered the entire thing in milk chocolate.

Conclusion:

Although Nestle’s new Kit Kat Cones are a worthy entry into the Drumstick line, they aren’t similar enough to their candy inspiration to justify the branding behind them. Rather than buying these, I’d recommend eating regular Kit Kats out of the freezer.

Purchased Price: $3.00
Size: 4 cones pack
Purchased at: Kroger
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 cone) 280 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 105 milligrams of sodium, 42 grams of total carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 27 grams of sugars, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Hazelnut Spread M&M’s

Leonard 8 Comments

Hazelnut Spread M M s

What are Hazelnut Spread M&M’s?

M&M’s debuts its newest flavor which features a hazelnut spread center covered in milk chocolate all encased in a colorful candy shell. And yes it’s a riff on Nutella which is synonymous with hazelnut spread in most people’s minds. Look at the container on the package that Blue is holding! A clear jar. Verrrrrry interesting. Basically, these are bootleg Nutella M&M’s.

How are they?

These were announced way back in September which means a long time to get excited and build your anticipation for them. So how did they do? At first glance, they’re larger than standard M&M’s and breaking one opens reveals its two-toned interior. There’s the obvious chocolate layer and then the inner hazelnut portion, which is surprisingly light almost like a cookie butter color. It did seem to have speckles (maybe chocolate?) throughout though.

Hazelnut Spread M M s Closeup

Initially, they were disappointing because they tasted like regular M&M’s. However, as I ate more, the hazelnut flavor came through. They were sufficiently nutty! I can’t mention Nutella as much as I have without putting the real thing to the test, so I grabbed a jar from my cupboard and dug in to compare.

It dawned on me instantly what these really are. They aren’t fake Nutella M&M’s or even Hazelnut Spread ones; they’re just Hazelnut M&M’s. What’s a more accurate comparison? They’re unlicensed Ferrero Rocher in a different form. While Nutella is insanely creamy with the chocolate and hazelnut as one, these aren’t creamy in the slightest. Also, chewing the crunchy shell along with the unmarried chocolate and hazelnut components evoke that gold wrapped confection way more than Nutella spread.

Is there anything else you need to know?

These aren’t the first hazelnut M&M’s to come to market as the UK got a version way back in 2017 although it looks like those contained actual hazelnuts instead of the mixture inside these.

Conclusion:

These are a pretty good new take on M&M’s, which makes you wonder why it hasn’t been done before. Just don’t go in expecting the next coming of Nutella in a new portable form. These are more like smaller, cheaper Ferrero Rocher. If you like those, you’ll have no problem finishing a bag of these as quickly as I did.

Purchased Price: 99 cents
?Size: 1.35 oz. bag
?Purchased at: Wegmans
?Rating: 8 out of 10
?Nutrition Facts: (1 Bag) 190 calories, 10 grams of fat, 7 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 40 milligrams of sodium, 24 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 22 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Reese’s Thins Peanut Butter Cups

Vin 2 Comments

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups

What are Reese’s Thins?

New Reese’s Thins are not Hershey’s attempt at a “diet” food.

I was actually dumb enough to think that may have been the case for a second. A smarter person would have realized that these are simply thinner peanut butter cups.

How are they?

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Top

I’d find it a bit disingenuous to whine about any Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. They’re arguably the single greatest piece of candy on Earth, so you’d probably roll your eyes if I went on a long diatribe about how baffled I am by Reese’s Thins, right?

Well, just let me rant a little.

These shouldn’t exist.

Ok, that’s a tad dramatic, they’re still tasty enough, but Reese’s Thins are a just Cliff’s Notes of Reese’s Cups.

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Center

The ratio is off. Instead of that familiar gritty fluff of peanut butter, you just get a tiny layer sandwiched between overpowering chocolate. I don’t want chocolate to be the star of a Reese’s cup. Who eats Reese’s Cup and thinks, “I wish there was more chocolate?!”

The thinness makes these borderline crispy. I’d equate the texture to a frozen version of regular Cups.

Is there anything else you need to know?

Reese s Thins Peanut Butter Cups Wrappers

It’s not all boring. I couldn’t help but think these would actually be perfect in s’mores. I also appreciate the individual wrappers. They don’t have that oily wax paper dressing like regular Cups. Every Thin I ate was clean with no chunks coming off on the paper.

Conclusion:

You wouldn’t want a hamburger patty sliced like cold cuts would you? That’s my weird, probably nonsensical parallel here.

Why buy a bag of flat candy bars with a bit of peanut butter inside when you can get actual Reese’s Cups? Easter’s coming up, get a bag of those little foil wrapped Reese’s Cups if you want LESS Reese’s Cup –- at least they have the right peanut butter to chocolate ratio.

Purchased Price: $3.49 ($5.49 minus a $2 coupon attached to the display)
Size: 7.37 oz Bag
Purchased at: Rite Aid
Rating: 5 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (3 Thins) 170 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 60 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber, 18 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein.