Candy Bar Lab

A lot of bars have been released under the Snickers brand - Cruncher, Almond, Peanut Butter, Hazelnut, Maximus, Xtreme, and more. You’d think sometime before last year, Mars would have thought to slap some dark chocolate on the world’s best selling bar. Maybe they were waiting for the American palette to come around on dark chocolate.

Whatever the reason for the delay, I could not have been more excited when I started seeing commercials for the Snickers Dark. But for reasons as inexplicable as Mar’s, I personally waited a while before trying out Snickers Dark. Considering classic Snickers has always been my favorite bar and that I prefer dark over milk chocolate, I had high expectations going in.

Strucure
The middle is a nougat layer topped with layer of peanuts and caramel. The core is completely enrobed with dark chocolate.

Texture
Classic Snickers bars are great because they have perfect balance between all of their components textures. Snickers dark is no exception with its chewy nougat, soft caramel, and crunchy peanuts. Interestingly, the dark chocolate is very soft. It doesn’t have the typical snap you may expect from other dark chocolates. This is a long-winded way of saying that Snickers Dark retains the exact same textures as its milk chocolate sibling.

Taste
The bitterness of the dark chocolate definitely alters how you perceive the rest of the ingredients. Most notably, the saltiness of the peanuts is accentuated. I was delighted to discover how long the chocolate flavor lasts, more so than milk chocolate in the regular version.

Verdict
In one of the least surprising conclusions you’ll ever read about on this blog, I’m giving this bar a big thumbs up. I was not able to personally decide if I like dark better than milk chocolate Snickers, but I’m certain that I love them both.

Aero bars have actually been around since the 30’s. Though as an American, they’re new to me. The name comes from the air bubbles that are pumped into the chocolate right before it solidifies, leaving a honeycomb-like structure.

I’m a huge fan of the packaging. Maybe I’m a little biased because the green and the bubbles remind me of the Candy Bar Lab logo, but the graphics made me want to eat this bar. Also, chocolate paired with mint is a classic flavor combination. Needless to say, I was excited to tear open the green foil and bite in.

Structure
The center is mint-flavored white chocolate tinted green and filled with bubbles of air. This is covered with mint-flavored dark chocolate - molded into a seven-segment bar.

Texture
The air pockets make this bar very light and easy to bite through. It crumbles a bit, which helps the chocolate melt on your tongue. Without the air pockets, this would just be a flavored chocolate bar. The bubbly center elevates it to something special.

Taste
No surprises here - it tastes like an Andes mint. I really like that the mint flavor is found in both the inside and the outside. You can’t miss it. As a side note, Mint Aero smells wonderful as soon as you open the packaging; easily the best smelling confection I’ve reviewed thus far. Then again… anyone surprised that mint smells good?

Verdict
I definitely recommend Mint Aero. It is tasty and refreshing. Most importantly, the texture is unique. The only problem is they’re a little hard to come by. But if you ever see one in the store, don’t miss the opportunity give it a try.