Candy Bar Lab

I was really excited to try this bar out. The packaging describes it as milk chocolate, peanuts, and caramel. That sounds like an awesome, simple combination that’s different from any of the mainstream candy bar options in the US. The closest I could think of was the limited edition Snickers Xtreme, which I hadn’t tried.

Structure
The center is caramel with chopped peanuts and crispies (not mentioned on the packaging) mixed throughout. The whole bar is enrobed with milk chocolate.

Texture
The milk chocolate is soft and mostly imperceptible. The “caramel” center is dry and chewy. I put caramel in quotes because I’m not sure it was actually caramel. It was dense like a nougat. The peanut bits were soft and scarce. Disappointingly, there were more crispies than peanuts.

Taste
The chocolate was again an afterthought. The caramel center doesn’t have much depth of flavor - just sweetness and vanilla. The whole bar has a weird aftertaste that lingers for a few seconds after each bite. The peanuts don’t deliver any roasted peanut flavor. This is all a detailed way of saying I was disappointed in the flavor.

Verdict
This is a big pass for me. On paper, milk chocolate, caramel, peanuts and crispies should all go together very well, but the Starbar just doesn’t taste very good and the caramel center is too thick and grainy. I’d recommend a Snickers Cruncher if you’re looking for something similar.

I was able to find a few British bars at a local candy store, so this will be the first of a few I will soon write about. This candy bar from Cadbury is different from any of the mainstream American bars. It’s mainly comprised of honeycomb; a light, brittle confection. Its made by heating sugar to a hard crack or caramel stage then mixing it with sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and acid. This combination releases carbon dioxide (CO²), which forms bubbles. The sugar then hardens as the mixture cools to create the final product.

I first tried this bar on a trip to Bermuda a couple years ago. I’m curious to see how much I like it when I really put it through a taste testing.

Structure
A long, square honeycomb center enrobed in milk chocolate.

Texture
Crunchie is surprisingly easy to bite through; it’s very light and crispy. It breaks apart cleanly as soon as you bite in. The honeycomb melts quickly in your mouth and you can feel it dissolve when your tongue touches it. The negative is that the whole bar, including the chocolate, is really dry - almost powdery. I’m reminded of a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich I ate recently. I really think this needs something liquid (i.e. caramel or honey) or even waxy to counter the dryness.

Taste
You’ll mostly taste milk chocolate. The honeycomb releases an odd burnt flavor into your whole mouth as it breaks apart. I’m not sure if this is from the CO² in the manufacturing process or if it’s burnt sugar. Either way, it didn’t work for me.

Verdict
This is a beautiful looking bar that I appreciate for being different from what I’m used to. Ultimately, the texture is one-dimensional and it doesn’t taste that good. I don’t recommend Crunchie unless you’re curious to try something different.