Coffee Nut & Honey Nut M&M's

Products circa: 2016

Coffee Nut - A fun variation!  There's a slight coffee note in the chocolate… It’s almost like I forget I’m eating an M&M and not a chocolate covered espresso bean.

Honey Nut - It's hard to tell exactly what they did here.  Honey flavored snacks usually don’t taste like honey, do they?  They added a caramel-like flavor that makes the nuts taste more nutty, somehow.  This is what normal peanut M&Ms should taste like

Coca-Cola with Coffee

 

Product circa: 2021

A short-lived line of really interesting products from Coke.  A successor, in a way, to Coca-Cola Blak, this version boasted more coffee added to the formula than Blak.  There were also Vanilla and Caramel versions in addition to the original Dark Blend (black coffee).

I'm only going by memory for this entry.  I do remember Coke with Coffee tasting much more of coffee than Blak.  But like I said in my thoughts on Blak, I don't think more coffee made it a better product.  Coffee and Coke are flavors that don't necessarily marry well, but they did an impressive job trying.  I recall the Vanilla and Caramel versions being better than the black version, as taking the focus off of the coffee/Coke combination was beneficial. 

Coca-Cola Blak (ULTRA THROWBACK)

Product circa: 2006

Due to the time elapsed since this product's release, this post will concentrate on what the product was, and not how it tastes.  But to be clear: I have this bottle pictured, and I drank it around the year 2020.  Years ago, on a whim, having remembered this old product, I went on eBay and bought an unopened bottle.  As expected, the taste wasn't much, due to age.

If I'm not mistaken, Blak was Coke's first coffee-flavored product.  It was piloted in France, then released in North America, and it shows; it was a boutique product.  It was released in 4-packs, in small glass bottles wrapped in plastic which had a coffee-like design.  These were fairly expensive, as well.

The taste was not unlike its successor, Coca-Cola with Coffee.  It had a dark-roasted coffee flavor, which doesn't perfectly pair with the cola flavor, but it was fine.  In a prescient move that wasn't popular at the time, Coke switched half of Blak's sweetener with the sucralose and acesulfame potassium mixture that was getting popular at the time.  Did it make the product suffer?  Probably.

In the end, Blak is simply one of the more oddball entries in Coke's historical stable.  While not as storied as something like Pepsi Blue or New Coke, I consider it among them as one of the more memorable blips in the beverage industry history.

Caramel Cold Brew M&M's

 

Product circa: 2022

The chocolate is infused with coffee powder.  The first few bites will have you think you’re chewing on a chocolate-covered coffee bean.  Soon after, the caramel center takes over, and it’s very chewy, with a pleasing texture.  The coffee flavor stays until the end.  A perfectly executed snack, very satisfying.

Oreo Thins Tiramisu

 

Product circa: 2024

I love that they are issuing more flavors in the "Thin" format.  It's odd that these don't claim to be a limited time product.

Maybe it's for the best.  These aren't bad, but they barely ring the bell for tiramisu.  There might be a touch of coffee in there, but it's hard to tell.  Otherwise, it feels like a chocolate cookie with buttery brown sugar creme.  Not bad in the least.

Chili Nut & Coffee Nut M&M's

 

Products circa: 2016

These were part of a poll product for consumers to choose the next permanent M&M's variety.  Not pictured here is the third contestant of the contest - Honey Nut M&M's.

The Chili Nut is better than I thought.  I was prepared to say that only capsaicin was added to the chocolate, but I don't think that's right.  After a few candies, I believe I taste the savoriness of chili, that's not unlike Tabasco sauce (without the fermented flavor).

The Coffee Nut is trying to do a lot more than I expected.  I think they might have added vanilla to it, and even milk powder.  It's got more of a latte vibe than just coffee.  It's not bad, but not something I'd reach for.  Then again, I don't reach for M&M's ever.

Snickers Espresso, Sweet & Salty, and Fiery

Product circa: summer 2018

Glad to see Snickers getting into the "ephemeral trio" game!  They've been known to issue limited varieties before, but it's been a while.

Espresso: This is the most subtle of the three.  You can't actually taste the coffee, but whatever coffee flavoring that they do add to this product changes the flavor of the chocolate itself.  This is very nice, and a slightly different experience than the original product.  This goes to show why many different kinds of chocolate dessert recipes call for instant coffee as a flavor enhancer.

Sweet & Salty: I'm not sure what I expected here, but I liked this more that I thought I would.  On first bite you'll notice more salt than usual, which is confirmed on the product's sodium count on the label.  I guess I thought this product would simply contain more sodium, but in fact it has crunchy bits of salted toffee throughout.  It's quite pleasant.  If you're into salted caramel, you'll love this.

Fiery: The first bite or two will taste identical to the original product.  A few bites in, you'll notice a dull burn in your throat.  A few bites after that, you'll actually start to taste that chile was added to the flavor of this product.  It's really well executed.  This is probably the best spicy candy that I've ever tasted.

Overall, while none of these break the 3-NOM barrier, this trio is a great lesson in how to do balanced and nuanced variations of a classic.

Snickers Espresso:- Good

Snickers Sweet & Salty:- Good

Snickers Fiery:- Good

Original Snickers(for comparison):- Good

Ephemeral Crunchy M&M's

Products circa: summer 2018

M&M's have issued a poll product for no apparent reason.  Maybe they're trying to mimic some success had by Lay's as of recent?

These three flavors are new varieties of M&M's Crunchy version.  The rice-krispy part of these candies make them very pleasant and really easy to eat more and more.  Each flavor also comes with a corresponding change in the colors of the candy shells.  Fun!

The first is Crunchy Mint.  Nothing special here.  It's a refreshing peppermint flavor that you'd expect from any other mint-chocolate candy.  There's a cooling menthol in here as well, not unlike Junior Mint candies.

The second is Crunchy Raspberry.  The flavor here is actually quite good.  The raspberry is natural-tasting, and almost juicy.

The third is Crunchy Espresso.  Very nice.  The flavor is like instant coffee, and not in a bad way.  It could have been made a bit stronger though.

Overall, a very decent showing.

M&M's Crunchy Mint:- Good
M&M's Crunchy Raspberry:- Good
M&M's Crunch Espresso:- Good
Original M&M's Crunch(for comparison):- Good

Lays Cappuccino

Lays has another Do Us A Flavor contest, and this time the 4 contenders are selected from a hoard of submissions from the public, input via the Lays website about a year ago.  I love this kind of crowd-sourcing, especially because the outcome is a group of flavors that are a bit more wild than what the execs and R&D labs might have produced.

Of course, my hands went first and fastest to the strangest flavor of the lot: Cappuccino.  Most will probably grimace at having potato chips flavored like a treat that is most often paired with sugary desserts, and while I'm more intrigued than disgusted, I'm going in with a hefty amount of skepticism.  BTW, this isn't the first dessert-like potato chip on this site.

At opening the bag and taking the first bite, you'll encounter smells that transport you to the experience of walking into a coffee shop.  The seasoning on these chips is very simple: powdered instant coffee and cinnamon.  Cinnamon isn't exactly a traditional or common addition to cappuccino, but I understand that Lays needed to add a bit more dimension to these chips than just coffee.

How is it?  Intriguingly addictive, but not much more than that.  There is definitely sugar in the mix, but salt as well.  There's a bitter aftertaste from the cinnamon and coffee, which is a bit strange to experience while eating chips.  The flavor of the seasoning is pleasant, but not quite so when combined with potato.  You'll keep eating them out of interest more than pleasure.

"Sweet and salty" snacks are huge these days, but I'm not sure this one would satisfy either craving, let alone both.  The mere novelty and innovation here gives its score a bump, which is good, because the product needs it.


Lays Cappuccino:- Good
Original Lay's(for comparison): - Great