It seems to be a bit of a trend these days, with classic candy bars either pumping up one of their base ingredients, or simpler candy bars adding in an additional component. Variations on classic bars are nothing new – bars going white, peanut butter suddenly appearing, bits of rice cereal being stirred through, and so on. For the purposes of this review I had a look at two bars which had either added or increased their caramel value – the Crunch Bar with caramel and the Milky Way now with more caramel.
Crunch bars are an integral part of my childhood, since my Mom always had a Crunch bar in her purse (and probably still does). One of the things I like about it is that it is so thin – the snap of the Crunch bar really appeals to me, since I think it goes well with the crisped rice. It is still one of those bars I will reach for when I want a sugar hit but not full on diabetic shock.
In the past, other giant bars like the Kit Kat Chunky have been disappointing, so I wasn’t sure how this one would go. I took a bite of it and there was no mistaking the caramel taste – it isn’t just a token inclusion. The usual Crunch elements are there, too … but the whole thing got a bit of a “ehhh, not so great” reaction from me. I really missed the thin-ness of the original Crunch bar, and I didn’t think the caramel did a lot for this one. Nice, but not all that exciting or fabulous.
The Milky Way bar is an example of an already existing ingredient getting a bit of a boost. The classic Milky Way already has caramel, so the promise of “more caramel in every bite” was appealing. There was a definite, noticeable increase in the amount of caramel in there. In this case the addition didn’t really affect the flavor, it affected the texture. A Milky Way is already pretty high on the mouth-squish factor, and the added caramel kinda added to that. My mouth felt a bit glued together as I chewed through this confectionery quick sand! Again, nice, but not really something to write home about.
Both of these bars were nice, but the classic versions are nicer. There really is, for me anyway, an affection for the old basics and a belief that often when it comes to candy, there is no point messing with success.
Buy Crunch with Caramel Online:
- at Amazon.com
- in bulk at Candy Direct
Buy Milky Way Online:
- at Old Time Candy
- at Amazon.com
- in bulk at Candy Direct
yeah… i think a lot of the charm in a milky way is in the interplay between the stretchy caramel and the firm squishy nougat. messing with that balance is a sticky affair!
May 28th, 2008 at 1:33 pmlove the crunch w/ caramel… better than the plain Crunch! :D
June 16th, 2008 at 10:29 pmI tried a Milky Way w/more caramel today and was pretty disappointed. It was like getting a Caramello when you wanted a Milky Way.
December 1st, 2008 at 1:43 pm