Candy Bar Lab

This is a limited edition bar that, to be honest, is more about the marketing than the actual product. It was made to promote the upcoming release of the new Indiana Jones movie. But to Mars credit, instead of just printing some Indiana Jones graphics on a regular Snickers bar package, they at least tried something new to match the theme of the movie. This change… to add coconut and chai flavoring.

Now, I understand going with coconut, but I was a little confused why they would add chai. In my ignorance, I thought chai meant “tea-flavored”. So I looked it up on Wikipedia and it turns out “chai spices” refers to a mixture of warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, etc. Well that made a little more sense to me, but I was still a little skeptical how that would taste in a Snickers.

Structure
The center is a layer of nougat topped with a layer of caramel and peanuts; all enrobed in milk chocolate.

Texture
Texturally, it’s identical to a standard Snickers, which means it’s really good. There’s chewy nougat and caramel with crunchy peanuts. All of the textures are perfectly balanced.

Taste
When I first bit in, it tasted exactly like a regular Snickers. It took a second or two for the coconut aftertaste to hit. It’s very subtle, but tastes pretty good actually. After a few more bites, I started noticing cinnamon coming through. All the flavors actually went together surprisingly well. Though it’s good they didn’t add too much of these exotic flavors - it would have detracted from the inherent greatness of a Snickers too much.

Verdict
The coconut and cinnamon flavors are an interesting change of pace from a regular Snickers. This is a limited edition bar that while I liked it, I’m glad it’s not a permanent offering. I recommend to go out and pick one up - it’s worth tasting for yourself.

This is a limited edition Snickers bar that has peanut butter. I’ll be honest… even before I try this out, I’m about 99% sure it’s going to be awesome based on that description alone. I know I’m probably biased; but seriously, this sounds like a can’t miss combination of flavors to me.

Before we get to the tasting though, what’s the deal with the name “Nut ‘n butter Crunch”? Why couldn’t they have just chosen “Peanut Butter Crunch”? That sounds like a tasty name to me. What is “Nut ‘n butter” anyway? Whatever, I’ll let it slide if this bar turns out to be as good as I expect it to be.

Structure
The center is peanut butter nougat with peanuts mixed throughout - all enrobed in a milk chocolate shell.

Texture
This is a nice, heavy bar. It’s chewy and satisfying just like the commercials promise. In general, it’s very similar to a regular Snickers bar, though it’s a bit drier.

Taste
There’s something very distinctive about the Snickers taste. Even when they mix up the ingredients, it still comes across as uniquely Snickers. Where this deviates from tradition though is the subtle peanut butter flavor. It’s also a little saltier than usual, which is completely fine by me (I love sweet and salty together). The whole bar is nicely balanced. It doesn’t come across as a primarily peanut butter product like a Reese’s, but the peanut butter is definitely noticeable.

Verdict
Snickers Nut ‘n butter Crunch is a definite winner. I’m only disappointed that it’s a limited edition bar. If you see one in the store, definitely pick it up and give it a try.

This limited edition bar is essentially a plain old Snickers with the addition of some chemicals that are supposed to “charge” you up. These boosters include caffeine, taurine, and B vitamins. Now, I understand the addition of caffeine to generate this effect - it’s a psychoactive stimulant. On the other hand, I’m disappointed they decided to add taurine. Despite being found in a bunch of energy drinks, it actually does nothing to boost energy. It was popularized by Red Bull (they like it because the word is derived from taurus - the Latin word for bull). Mars is using taurine for the marketing angle only.

In the end, if Charged tastes like a regular Snickers, but delivers a kick of caffeine, it’s a success. My concern however, is that caffeine has a notoriously bitter taste.

Structure
The center is a layer of nougat topped with a layer of caramel and peanuts; all enrobed in milk chocolate. Caffeine, taurine and B vitamines are presumably incorporated into the caramel (though I can’t confirm this).

Texture
Texturally, it’s identical to a standard Snickers, which means it’s really good. There’s chewy nougat and caramel with crunchy peanuts. All of the textures are perfectly balanced.

Taste
I was curious to see if my discerning palate would be able to catch a hint of the bitterness from the caffeine. Well, it turns out the bitterness isn’t subtle at all. A couple seconds after my first bite (which tasted great - like a regular Snickers), the aftertaste poked through. It was like the taste of chewing aspirin. I know because I could legally drink before I could swallow pills and so I chewed more than my fair share of pills growing up. Anyway, it’s not a good thing. It’s very bitter and takes about 10 seconds to go away. A real disappointment. Though, I will say that the positives of being a delicious Snickers outweighed the negatives of the aftertaste to the extent that I did finish the whole bar.

Verdict
I don’t know why anyone would choose to eat this over a regular Snickers. The benefit of a minor caffeine jolt isn’t worth the downside of the bad, bitter aftertaste. There are a number of good tasting protein bars (including Snickers brand ones) that are healthier and provide real energy - not just a kick.