Candy Review: Generation Max 3 Musketeers S’mores Brownie Bar

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - by Sera

Generation Max is a new line of products by Mars just released this year to provide a healthier candy alternative to kids. “How healthy can candy be?” you wonder. It all comes down to portion control, fat/sugar percentages and added vitamins/minerals. For example, each Generation Max item has less than 150 calories and no trans fat. They also sport less than 35% of total calories from fat, 10% from saturated fat and 35% from sugar. These treats, which feature Mars candy names and items like M&Ms, Snickers and 3 Musketeers, are meant to be sold in vending machines in schools.

I’ve seen many candy bars in my day and the Generation Max 3 Musketeers S’mores Brownie Bar (try saying that three times fast) has the busiest packaging design I’ve seen yet. It’s a bright healthy yellow color with colored silhouettes of people running, jumping… being active and having fun. The 3 Musketeers logo takes second billing to the new “Generation MAX” logo that is the largest image on the whole bar. The catchphrase “Keeps you going!” is clearly written underneath, giving us the impression that this isn’t just good tasting candy, but fuel for our body and fun activities.

I’m first interested by the image of the bar on the front, showing a cross section of the bar, which looks like a 3 Musketeers in the top part, but with a layer of brownie and marshmallow underneath. Or perhaps they replaced the fluffy nougat with marshmallow? The illustration isn’t clear on which it is, but that’s what tasting is for, isn’t it?

I’m struck by the size of the bar; it’s 1.26oz in size and clocking 140 calories, which is better than most granola bars can say for themselves. So it’s a sensibly portioned snack, just from the specs listed on the outside. It is also fortified with 20% DV of calcium, vitamin D, B6, B12, thiamine and riboflavin. Looks like hitting your daily requirements just got a tad easier.

The bar smells extremely chocolatey, just like a real 3 Musketeers – that nice full, robust chocolate smell with the hint of sweetness. The bar is attractive, with a nice ribbed design from the packaging. Once I took the bar out, it didn’t seem as small as it did inside the wrapper. The first bite was interesting; the top layer is indeed marshmallow and not nougat, and the bottom, the brownie layer, is very thick and dense. I even sense some crunchiness in it from rice crisps that are hiding in there.

The textures of this are very contrastive; the top portion you pass right through without a thought and then your teeth hit the brownie level and they’re stopped immediately and have to work hard to finally bite through. I know, I know, you’re wondering how it tastes. Well, it’s good, but not as good as I was hoping. You don’t even notice the marshmallow. The brownie part tastes like all those chocolate power bars I’d consume during long bike rides: dense with a subtle cocoa flavor and an aftertaste of cardboard. This certainly tastes like it’s made to be healthy.

All things considered, I’d probably choose this over most of the granola bars out there. It does deliver a nice chew and good chocolate flavor. But if I need to satisfy a chocolate craving, I certainly will head for a normal candy bar over this. I can see this serving its intended purpose well: a healthier option for kids in schools. Now that I think about it, heck, I’m even confused as to why this is associated with 3 Musketeers because nothing about it parallels the real thing. Another candy mystery has been born!

Other flavors in the Generation Max line include:

• Snickers Cookies
• Snickers Clusters
• M&M’S Cookies
• Twix Clusters
• 3 Musketeers Chocolate Brownie Bars
• 3 Musketeers Chocolate Strawberry Brownie Bars

• Mars Website
• “Mars Unveils Healthier Snacks” Article

Mars, health, smores, 3 Musketeers, brownie, chocolate