Company: Masterfoods (Mars Inc.)
Product Size: 1.69 oz.
Number of Servings: 1
Calories per Serving: 240
Product Name Analysis:
The name "Dark Chocolate M&M's" is all business. Everybody knows what M&M's are, and the big hoopla over the health benefits of dark chocolate explain why these candies hit the market this year.
Packaging Analysis:
The packaging for this product is extremely effective. The background is a pleasant shade of medium-purple with darker purple dots. The darker dots suggest the darker chocolate used in the product. The classic M&M's symbol is printed across the front on a slight diagonal, and behind it is a picture of a pile of M&M's. The fabulous and famous Ms. Green M&M leans against the logo and looks at the consumer in a seductive way, her white-gloved left hand resting on the top of her sexy white Go-Go boot. Because of the combination of elements, the packaging manages to be adult and innocent at the same time.
Visual Analysis:
Well, they look just like M&M's, except they have the word "dark" printed under each "m." Of the 18 I dumped from the package (saving more than half for somebody else to eat), two were red, two orange, two brown, three blue, three yellow, and six green. On a few of them, the writing was hard to read, and two of them were actually quite deformed in shape. Looks like Mars co. quality control isn't perfect! What makes the candies so enticing, I think, is the way that they gleam-of course the childish notion that there is something inherently different about a blue coated candy vs. a red coated candy.
Flavor Analysis:
The first flavor I get is the sweetness of the shell, followed by a slightly bitter burst of dark chocolate flavor. These are not as cloying as a lot of other commercial candies I've tried, although they are still rather sweet, and they are quite addictive. The aftertaste is pleasantly dark chocolate-y. Although the traditional M&M's still hold a youthful appeal to me, I think that these are a better product.
Mouthfeel:
The mouthfeel is the same as traditional M&M's. The candy shell shatters between your teeth and leaves sugary shrapnel on your tongue. Because of the shell, it is almost impossible to tell whether or not the chocolate is smooth or gritty. However, after letting a candy dissolve in my mouth, I found that he chocolate is fairly smooth, although it leaves a strangely dry feeling in my mouth.
Summary:
Although I tend not to purchase candy from huge conglomerates, I can imagine picking these up from time to time at the movie theater or just for the fun of it.
Mars Chocolate Candies and Chocolate Bars (U.S.)
- 3 Musketeers
- 3 Musketeers Bar
- Beyond Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Butter Pecan Pleasure Ice Cream
- Caramel Pecan Perfection Ice Cream
- Chocolate and Brownie Affair Ice Cream
- Chocolate and Cherry Courtship Ice Cream
- Chocolate Walnut Oasis Cookies
- Chocolate Walnut Rendezvous Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Large Tablet Bar
- Dark Chocolate Miniatures
- Dark Chocolate Singles
- Give in to Mint Ice Cream
- Irresistably Raspberry Ice Cream
- Milk Chocolate with Almonds Ice Cream Bar
- Milk Chocolate with Almonds Large Tablet Bar
- Milk Chocolate with Caramel Miniatures
- Milk Chocolate Large Tablet Bar
- Milk Chocolate Miniatures
- Milk Chocolate Moment Cookies
- Milk Chocolate Singles
- Milk Chocolate with Vanilla Ice Cream Bar
- Mint Chocolate Serenade Cookies
- Original Dove Chocolate with Vanilla Ice Cream Bar
- Rich Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds
- Smooth Milk Chocolate Covered Almonds
- Toffee Chocolate Thrill Cookies
- Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Bar
- Unconditional Chocolate Ice Cream
- Vanilla with a Chocolate Soul Ice Cream
- Chocolate Bars
- Chocolate Hearts
- Chocolate-Stribboned Pecan Brittle
- Ethel-M Creme Liqueurs
- Famous Almond Butter Krisps
- Pecan Caramel Raptures
- Satin Cremes Collection
- Silk Truffles
- Succulent Cherry Cordials
- Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- M&M's Granola Bars
- Peanut Butter Granola Bars
- Snickers Granola Bars
- Almond Candies
- Character Ice Cream Cake
- Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Crispy Candies
- Dark Chocolate Candies
- Ice Cream Cones with M&M's Minis
- Milk Chocolate Candies
- Mint Ice Cream
- Peanut Butter Candies
- Peanut Candies
- Vanilla Fudge Ice Cream
- Midnight Bar
- Milk Chocolate Covered Caramels
- Milky Way Bar
- Chewy Chocolate Peanut Marathon Energy Bar
- Multi-Grain Crunch Marathon Energy Bar
- Snickers Almond Bar
- Snickers Bar
- Snickers Crunch Bar
- Caramel Cookie Bars
- Ice Cream Bars
- Ice Cream Tubs
- Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
*Limited Edition
Chocolate Bar Reviews:
- Cadbury
- Fry's Chocolate Cream
- Mars
- Bounty Dark
- European Milky Way
- Galaxy Caramel
- Topic
- Nestlé
- European Drifter
- Toffee Crisp