Review: Mars Bounty
July 28th, 2008Bounty Bars used to be sold in the U.S. - up until sometime in the 90’s. I guess they were losing the domestic coconut candy bar battle to Mounds, so now you’ll have to look internationally to find one. Someone was nice enough to bring me this particular bar back from Argentina.
The first thing I noticed was the packaging. I love it. It’s very tropical and has kind of a 50’s tiki thing going. Another subtle touch that I appreciated was that the Bounty logo is repeatedly imprinted into the chocolate on the bottom of the bar (sorry, I should have snapped a picture of it). Imprinted logos on molded bars is common, but I’m not sure if that detail can be found on any other enrobed bars.
Structure
Two segments of shredded, raw coconut enrobed in milk chocolate.
Texture
This has a pretty thick chocolate shell and a soft center. Together, I think these two qualities compliment each other well. However, I had a problem with the center. It was rather dry and grainy - not as good as I was hoping for.
Taste
Besides the chocolate and coconut, I noticed a lot of vanilla flavor. It’s a bit disappointing that none of these coconut bars use any toasted coconut. I imagine that it would provide a deeper, more complex flavor to the whole bar. As I’m writing this, I’m reminded of Samoas (Girl Scout Cookies), which is one of the great cookies of all time.
Verdict
Sadly, I didn’t enjoy this bar that much. I say this is sad because I WANTED to like it more. The packaging is so appealing and they have a cool factor because they’re retro in the U.S. now. All in all, I’d eat another one of these if you handed me one, but I’d reach for a Mounds (or better yet, an Almond Joy) next time instead.
Tags: coconut, milk chocolate
August 4th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Have you ever had an Apollo bar?
November 1st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Dry and grainy? Sounds like you got one that had been lying around for too long. Think you might’ve been the victim of bad luck on this one.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Just came back from Canada with 2 wrappers (alas the candy inside never made it inside the plane). This bar is/was better than Mounds or Almond Joy ever was. I would give my right reproductive organ to be able to buy this in the US again.
January 14th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
Wow, Robert, if you like them that much, I’ll have to give them another shot some time. Maybe when I’m in Canada next time, I’ll find one.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:24 am
A fresh Bounty bar is so chewy and delicious; Mounds seems weak and dry in comparison. The chocolate coating on Bounty is also far richer and smoother, IMO. There are stores in CA called Cost Plus Imports, which is where I find them. I put them in my husband’s Christmas stocking every year. Good news for Richard, up there,
April 25th, 2009 at 2:26 am
Cost Plus Imports is also known as World Market in other parts of the US. You can get them at World Markets too. I am going to buy some from Amazon and have them shipped to my father-in-law.
March 9th, 2010 at 7:47 am
Went to Jamaica several years ago and had one for the first time and was instantly hooked. Each year when we return, I stock up! After recently going on a cruise and purchasing a large bag of them, I was determined to get them here in the states. Online shopping has allowed me to have this delectable treat anytime I want. Now I don’t have to go all the way to Jamaica just to get one - but I’m sure I’ll still go
April 20th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
We have them on sale here in Australia, so easy to get over here. Yum
June 20th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
i have a collection of 3700 beltbuckles.while looking through the buckles i found a bounty buckle.