Kotas Reviews Candy Corn M&Ms

M&Ms were always sort of a stand in for "generic" candy. They were colorful, relatively inexpensive, had the usual array of urban legends associated with them, and they have a catchy slogan. You always knew what to expect from M&Ms and that was chocolate goodness wrapped in a candy shell, sometimes with a peanut accompaniment. Holiday specials were usually limited to different color mixes for the candy shell, while keeping the same old chocolate (and maybe peanut) insides intact.

Through the miracle of modern marketing, M&Ms is making the same leap that Nabisco has with a variety of interesting flavors and textures. We've had Mint M&Ms, White Chocolate M&Ms, Pretzel M&Ms, Crispy M&Ms, Peanut Butter M&Ms, Dark Chocolate M&Ms, Raspberry M&Ms, Almond M&Ms, and even  Pineapple M&Ms. Some of these have been available for a long time, some rotate in an out, and some are only available in selected markets. Which brings us to today's experiment.

He looks about as happy about the situation as I do.

Bask in the gleaming magnificence of marketing ambition. The packaging is pretty terrific actually. Familiar character? Check. Proper logo? Check. Unusual outfit for familiar character? Check. A picture of the damn product itself? Check. Semi-clever usage of an image of candy corn to replace the A in "Candy Corn"? You bet that's a Check. Mars certainly has presentation down pat. Let's rip open the bag and gorge on the innards!

Innards! Hideous piles of Innards!

The color palette chosen for this is pretty obvious: Candy corn is usually white, orange, and yellow, so naturally these would be too. The smell is almost but not quite exactly NOTHING like candy corn though. It actually reminds me more of the most artificial egg nog you've ever smelled than anything. The candies themselves are about twice the size of an ordinary M&M, so I would advise against gobbling them down by the handful. I would advise that for other reasons as well, but this seemed like an important safety tip for adventurous snackers. 

I guess this is kind of like candy corn. Maybe.

The flavor is most definitely White Chocolate laced with what aimed for "candy corn" and ended up with "egg nog" flavoring. I happen to enjoy candy corn (Brach's being my brand of preference), and this is So Very Much Not Candy Corn in flavor. Like, at all. I've never particularly liked white chocolate either, having always considered it the bastard offshoot of cacao extracted sweets. So of course I was predisposed to not like these candies, but coupled with the utter and complete failure of the candy corn flavor I would not recommend this even to white chocolate lovers, unless you happen to really really like artificial egg nog flavoring. 

On the FACE Rating System, this gets 2 frowny faces. I ate my allotted portion, but I do not think I will be eating any more of these. Save your money and just get regular M&Ms or, if you are a white chocolate lover, white chocolate M&Ms. Even die-hard candy corn enthusiasts would be better off just eating some regular candy corn.

Kotas Reviews the Spiced Pumpkin Pie Clif Bar

We are in the depths of pumpkin spice mania and just when I think it can't get any crazier, I am proven wrong. I mean, I have nothing against pumpkin spice but I'm not sure if I want my entire range of snackables and other assorted goodies to be saturated in the nutmeg and cinnamon tide. Today we question whether the world is even ready for one such product. I present to you, the Spiced Pumpkin Pie Clif Bar.

So, why is he climbing a snowy mountain? Because it is there!

Clif Bars are my go to breakfast these days. They are fortified with various nutrients, convenient to haul around, come in durable packaging, and don't mind being crushed under the weight of 40 pounds of trail gear when you get right down to it. One thing they aren't is particularly tasty. I am rather fond of them, but it is an acquired taste. I must admit I do like the packaging here, with the change to a "winter" theme. I suppose Pumpkin Pie spans both Fall and Winter, really, but it seemed a non-traditional aesthetic choice. Let's rip this bad boy open.

Stripes are totally in this year.

Well, it looks sort of like a mashed up slab of granola paste, and that is pretty much what a Clif Bar is. This one, however, has stripes of icing. Why? No idea, some of their bars do, and some do not. The scent is very heavily spiced, full of nutmeg and cinnamon and something pumpkin related, if not full on pumpkin. It smells an awful lot like potpourri, or a very sweet incense. The flavor reflects the scent accurately, though it is much less potpourri-ish and much more gingerbread-ish. Very heavily spiced, some pumpkin notes, mostly spice. It's not the worst thing I've ever eaten, but it is certainly not the best. It does kind of grow on you as you eat it though, and it's a nice change of pace if you tend to stick to your "usual" flavors like I do.

On the FACE Rating System, this gets 0 faces. I feel neither good nor bad about it, but I enjoy trying new things. The flavors are very strong, but it leans too heavily on the "Spice" portion  of the equation rather than taking a more balanced approach by including a heavier pumpkin element. Give it a whirl if you are curious, or just can't get enough pumpkin spice in your life. Pie lovers will have to look elsewhere though.