Candy Review: M&M’s Premiums

Friday, July 18, 2008 - by Jamie

The new M&M’s Premiums line has arrived, and as soon as you see a box you’ll realize that these are no ordinary M&M’s. These M&M’s are something special. From presentation to taste, M&M’s Premiums are quite impressive, hitting the mark in both style and substance.

The presentation is fantastic, starting with the outer packaging. The typical M&M’s bag has been swapped out for a sleek, upscale-looking box that is resealable on the outside as well as on the inside, as both the outer carton and the plastic inner pack of M&M’s come with resealable tabs to keep the candy locked in and fresh.

It’s a small but wonderful innovation, as it allows buyers to carry, share, and store the M&M’s without worrying that they’ll spill. You can also pour out a handful for a friend and then save the rest for later without having to resort to the old school M&M’s pack method of rolling the bag as tight as you can and shoving it in your pocket, which is nice.

The M&M’s themselves are also quite striking: with pearly shells of soft mint green, royal blue, shimmering copper, raspberry red, and a dazzling lavender, the M&M’s provide a lovely visual that I’m sure will be quite popular for parties, gifts, and holidays. Their decorative quality is fancier than your typical holiday-themed M&M, which makes them appropriate candy decor for weddings and other formal events as well. They really are quite lovely. Almost too pretty to eat.

Almost. But come on, now. A pretty candy shell isn’t going to stop me from shoveling M&M’s into my mouth in the least dainty way possible. I can’t help it, man! I’m a Candy Addict!

Speaking of the pretty candy shell, there is something you should know about the M&M’s Premiums line. The fabled hard candy shell that coats the M&M’s we know and love is not present in these candies. Sacrilege, you cry! M&M’s without a hard candy shell!? How did this happen? How can this be?!

DON’T PANIC.

Believe it or not, you might not miss the original candy shell as much as you think. In the Premiums line, the candy shell provides a different texture than the cracked-sugar taste of an original M&M – here, the shells are softer, giving the candies a creamier, smoother texture. With the multi-layered flavors that comprise each Premium M&M, the softer shell allows for a more flavorful candy experience – where the original shell provides that fantastic textural sensation and sugary snap we all love, the Premium shell melts into the rest of the candy, creating a richer texture overall.

There are currently five different flavors of M&M’s Premiums: Chocolate Almond, Mocha, Raspberry Almond, Mint, and Triple Chocolate.

Chocolate Almond: Peanut M&M’s are one of my favorite candies on the face of the earth, so I was especially excited to try the Chocolate Almond Premiums. Coated in a shell of brilliant royal blue, the Chocolate Almond Premiums are quite pleasing to the eye – and even more pleasing to the mouth. The almond center of each M&M tasted nice and fresh, with a sharp roasted flavor that contrasts nicely with the sweet, smooth milk chocolate that coats each nut. They are similar to Peanut M&M’s in size and texture, but the almond center gives the candy a richer, deeper flavor, and the thinner shell allows for a more chocolaty, denser chew than one would find in the originals. I still prefer the Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M’s, but the Chocolate Almond Premiums are a welcome alternative.

Mocha: The Mocha Premiums are exceptionally good – the coffee flavor is strong without being overpowering, which allows the creaminess of the milk chocolate to blend nicely with the snap of the coffee, creating a smooth, rich taste akin to a Starbucks Mocha Frappucino. I was incredibly surprised at how much I loved the Mocha Premiums. And an added bonus – their outer shell is a lovely shade of copper, which is about as close to resurrecting my beloved tan M&M’s as I’m going to get.

Raspberry Almond: I was hesitant to try the Raspberry Almond, after my disappointing experience with Razzberry M&M’s last winter, but the issues I had with the Razzberry M&M’s seem to have been dealt with here: the raspberry flavor of the Premiums is much more natural than that of the Razzberry predecessor, and the roasted flavor of the almonds balances out the sweetness of the chocolate and the raspberry coating. I have to admit that these were still my least favorite of the bunch, but perhaps they would make a good addition to a trail mix – kept cold, of course!

Mint: The softness of the Premium shell lends itself especially well to the Mint variety, as the dark chocolate shell melts right into the minty, white chocolate center. The smoothness of both the white and the dark chocolate are complemented perfectly by just the right amount of mint, giving the M&M’s a soft, creamy texture similar to peppermint patties and a taste reminiscent of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Out of the five Premiums, the Mint has the best potential for use in baking. I can easily see them used as a delicious addition to brownies, cookies, and even as a topping on ice cream sundaes.

Triple Chocolate: My absolute favorite M&M’s in the new Premium line have to be the Triple Chocolate Premiums. As the name implies, three types of chocolate make up these delicious little treats: the shimmering purple shell, made from a layer of dark chocolate, encompasses a thin layer of white chocolate, which, in turn, surrounds a creamy milk chocolate center. I was extremely impressed by these M&M’s – I didn’t expect to be able to taste all three chocolates as they melted away in my mouth – particularly the white chocolate layer, which is subtle at first but strengthens as the milk and dark chocolates begin to blend together, providing an unexpected, creamy sweetness. It’s exactly what the line should be: they still taste like M&M’s, only amped up to a higher level, with a more complex flavor brought on by a quality blend of three premium chocolates.

The Triple Chocolate M&M’s Premiums are so good that I am proud to present them with the CandyAddict.com Awesomely Addictive Award:

M&M’s Premiums may not be the M&M’s we’re all used to, but trust me, they are truly a welcome edition to the M&M’s family. They’re lovely on the outside and even better beneath the shell.

• M&M’s Premiums Website