Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar

Our fourth & final post about Hershey's Flavors Of America series is the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar: Flavor Of New York. I had really high hopes for this candy bar. What's not to love about cherries, cheesecake & a crust of "crispy cookies" ?

The smell of Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake is delectable. It brings to mind vanilla & butter. I was not enthusiastic about the flavor, however. The candy bar tasted like a vanilla-cherry syrup drink you might get at an old fashioned malt shop drink, but not in an enjoyable way. There was just something off about the taste.

I also disliked the crispy cookie bits. They were decent sized & colored by beets (per the ingredient list), but added nothing to this product. Actual graham cracker pieces would have been a much tastier idea. Also of note: the wrapper does not say whether the bar is white chocolate or vanilla creme. Although I can definitely say the chocolate in this case does not taste like a Hershey's Cookies & Creme Bar.

Out of the three Hershey's Flavors Of America bars, the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake was the most tolerable flavor. Although that is not saying much because I didn't end up loving the Strawberry Kit Kats or the BBQ Payday, either. I wouldn't buy the Hershey's Cherry Cheesecake Bar again.

Shelf box at Walmarat

Look at this festive wrapper. Can't you just hear Sinatra belting out New York, New York ?

Did I take this picture in the dark, or did my camera flash decide to malfunction ? ¿Por que no los dos ? 

Only the crunchy bits are actually pink. The camera phone, my backup plan after the flash fiasco, gave this bar a pinkish tint. . 

Reese's Honey Roasted PB Cups

The third candy in my Hershey's Flavors Of America  reviews is Honey Roasted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Flavor Of Georgia. I did not buy or taste the Reese's cups. I simply took a picture of the wrapper. It just sounded overly sweet to me; one of my friends had the same reaction. If you have tried Honey Roasted Reese's, though, I would love to hear what you thought of it.

                       

Shelf box at Walmart

Texas BBQ Payday Bar

In our second post about Hershey's Flavors Of America collection, we have the Payday Peanut Caramel Bar: Flavor Of Texas BBQ. Looking at that barbecue bottle on the wrapper, I thought the candy bar would either be a surprise hit or absolutely disgusting.  If you're wondering what savory ingredients are in BBQ Payday, here they are: "contains 2% or less of: sea salt, tomato powder, brown sugar...molasses, spice, onion powder, garlic powder...citric acid, vinegar...paprika extract."

I like a good challenge. I'll happily order the strangest thing on a restaurant menu, after all. But boy was I grossed out when I took the Payday bar out of the wrapper. As you can see below, it's very...unpleasant to behold. Several gross comparisons come to mind, but let's just stick with "yucky" for now. 

Looks aside, the first bite of the peanut studded bar was not bad. If you ever made peanut butter & bbq chip sandwiches as a child, that's the flavor profile that hit me. The caramel was just the perfect amount of chewiness. I thought "Oh gosh, this is better than I expected. BBQ Payday would be delicious for a hike or a road trip." But then the second wave of flavor kicked in: an ungodly mix of ketchup, candy sweetness & spices. That horrible punch of ketchup & sweets really lingered in my mouth. I couldn't wait to grab some mouthwash. BBQ Payday went from hit to failure pretty quick. This would not be a repeat purchase for me. Thumbs down!

Shelf box at Walmart

The wrapper is actually pretty cool looking. I liked the Texas ranch themed art. 

This Payday bar needs a beauty makeover ASAP!

CA Strawberry Kit Kat

The other day, I came across an exciting display of Hershey's new Flavors Of America collection at Walmart: Strawberry Kit Kat: Flavor Of California; Honey Roasted Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Flavor Of Georgia; Cherry Cheesecake Hershey's Bar: Flavor Of New York; and Payday Peanut Caramel Bar: Flavor Of Texas BBQ. (Thrillist mentioned there are two other flavors, which I did not see on the shelf: Key Lime Pie & Orange Cream Pop Twizzlers: Flavor Of Florida & Coconut Almond Hershey's Kisses: Flavor Of Hawaii.) I'm going to make a separate post for each candy. 

Let's start with the Strawberry Kit Kat bars (which are produced by Hershey in the US vs Nestle in Japan). Now I was already aware that Nestle Japan makes several varieties of strawberry Kit, to the point that people often complain "Another variation of strawberry Kit Kat ? Boring!" But I was still excited to taste this new flavor of Kit Kat, since our U.S. flavors of it had been limited to white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate & chocolate mint for so long. 

I must confess up front that I generally do not like strawberry flavored candies. Upon opening the wrapper, I noticed the Kit Kat bar smelled like a strawberry candle & strawberry milk. Which I did not care for. The flavor of the strawberry creme coating was definitely strawberry candles & strawberry milk, too. I cannot see myself eating this flavor of Kit Kat again. If strawberry candies are generally delicious to you, though, I think you'll be pleased with Strawberry Kit Kat. I would definitely buy Strawberry Kit Kats as a gift for someone who fell into that category. 

On the positive side, I found the wafers to be crisper & tastier than the ones in milk chocolate Kit Kats, though I don't know if Hershey did that intentionally or not. 

Shelf box at Walmart

I do love the wrapper. It's fun, colorful & appetizing to look at!

It's a lovely shade of pink, don't you think ? 

I stashed the Kit Kats in a plastic freezer bag. You'd assume the strawberry scent wouldn't leak it out, right ? No such luck. The Kit Kats really perfumed up the counter after a short amount of time. Yuck!

Jolly Rancher Chews: Tropical Flavors

Since this is nostalgia day here at AMW: Raise your hand if you adored Jolly Ranchers as a kid. Remember swapping Jolly Rancher candies with your friends, to ensure everyone got their favorite flavors ? Good times, right ? Jolly Rancher is one of the few hard candies I've truly enjoyed eating, even as an adult.

Naturally I was thrilled to see there's a chewy tropical version of Jolly Ranchers available. The tropical flavors are pineapple (yellow), strawberry kiwi (pink), lemon lime (green) and tropical punch (red). There were thirteen pieces in the box. I would classify the tropical chews as a tastier version of Starburst Fruit Chews.

Lemon lime (green) = Has the same yummy lemony-lime taste as Gatorade Gatorgum. Too bad there's only one lemon lime piece in the whole box. Booo. Side note: Someone bring Gatorgum back, pretty please. 

Strawberry kiwi (pink) = Smells like a strawberry Starburst or Betty Crocker strawberry icing. Tastes like a watermelon scented candle. Yuck! I spit that flavor out immediately.

Pineapple (yellow) = Doesn't have much of a scent. Tastes like cheap pineapple soda. I'm on the fence between "it's okay" and "no more, I'm good."

Tropical punch (red) = Tastes like Hawaiian Punch. I'm not a fan of the drink, but in candy form it's very delicious!

Here are my suggestions for improving Tropical Flavor Jolly Rancher Chews:
- Ditch the strawberry flavor.
- Add more lemon lime pieces
- Tinker with the pineapple flavoring a little more
- Make the chews a little less sticky. I put four pieces onto a plate for a picture; they actually stuck to the plate within one minute of me setting them down. Also, the chews really glom onto your teeth.

Hershey's Raspberry Bliss

Last night, I bought a bag of Hershey's Raspberry Bliss candy. I might've said a bit too loudly "Eeep, there they are!...Are you kidding me, four dollars for one bag ?" Whoops. But hey, what do I care what random people at Walgreen's think, right ?

That aside, let's get to the taste. The bag smelled of artificial raspberry. Each piece was milk chocolate with a "raspberry meltaway center." The milk chocolate was smooth. The raspberry filling was thick, pink and tasted like raspberry Sweet Tarts. I do not like artificial raspberry or Sweet Tarts, so I was not pleased with the taste.

Thumbs down for Hershey's Raspberry Bliss.

Hershey's Kisses: Cherry Creme

Purchased at: Parker's (gas staion), Midland, Georgia

Last night, I bought Hershey's Cherry Creme Kisses. Each package had five milk chocolate kisses. The filling was soft, pink, slightly grainy and smelled like maraschino cherries. I found the cherry Kisses too sweet, although they're much tastier than the Cherry Cordial Kisses.

Hershey's Bliss: Milk Chocolate With Creme De Menthe

A friend of my mother mentioned she'd found Hershey's Bliss with a creme de menthe filling at CVS Pharmacy. I made a trip over to CVS today just to find the candy.

The Creme De Menthe Bliss were in an attractive brown and green package. There was a shiny silver star, gold ribbon writing that spelled out "Bliss" and a picture of a mint filled Bliss candy split in half. After seeing such a festive bag, I was inclined to expect a top notch candy.

The candies had a moderate, fairly nice mint smell. The milk chocolate smell was heavier than the mint, though. [I noticed the same problem with the mint milk chocolates in Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection.] The milk chocolate was smooth and creamy. The creme de menthe center gave me a pleasant taste for a second. Then it evolved into a toothpaste mint flavor. Bleh ! A peppermint center would have tasted much better.

Thumbs down for Hershey's Bliss: Milk Chocolate With a Creme De Menthe Meltaway Center.

*ETA: I see I'm not alone in my opinion of mint Bliss.

Gigi-Reviews

noticed the toothpaste taste, too. Take note, Hershey: toothpaste mint + chocolate = wrong.

Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection

Last night, I bought a bag of Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection at Super Wal-Mart. The bag contains three flavors: mint dark chocolate [dark green wrapper], mint white creme with candy bits [white wrapper], and mint milk chocolate [pale green wrapper].

The mint sweet chocolate candies were made of Hershey's Special Dark variety. In previous reviews, I had noted a strong dislike of Special Dark's powdered cocoa taste. However, I found the mint sweet chocolate quite delicious. Each one smelled like an Andes mint. The chocolate itself had a creamy texture. There was a nice balance between the chocolate and mint flavors. The aftertaste was very satisfying.

The white mint creme with candy bits were the second best of the bunch. Each candy was white, with red and green sprinkles. The addition of the sprinkles made for a less than attractive appearance. However, the smooth taste of white creme and the crunch of the sprinkles were a good pairing as fa as taste. The mint scent was lighter than that of the mint sweet chocolates, yet overpowered the taste of the white creme. This candy would have been better without the mint.

My least favorite in the bag was the mint milk chocolate. The mint smell was not as pleasing as the one in the mint sweet chocolates. The smell was heavier on the milk chocolate side. I found the milk chocolate and mint flavors clashed garishly; it was reminiscent of eating Wrigley's gum and a milk chocolate Hershey bar simultaneously. The aftertaste was horrible, too.

I would probably buy Hershey's Miniatures: Mint Collection again. Hopefully Hershey will replace the mint milk chocolate pieces with a more palatable flavor.

Hershey's Kisses: Hot Cocoa Creme

I was browsing the Dollar Tree this afternoon for candy. I spotted some three ounce bags of Hershey's Hot Cocoa Creme Kisses among the Christmas displays. My initial reaction was "Oh, I bet these will taste terrible. Hot cocoa flavor in a Kiss ?!"

When I opened the bag, the aroma was that of powdered cocoa mix. The outer shell had a smooth, creamy taste. The filling was gooey, with a pleasingly subtle cocoa taste. The aftertaste perfectly mimicked the feeling one had just drank a mug of cocoa.

Thumbs up for Hershey's Hot Cocoa Creme Kisses !

Reese's Dark Chocolate Bat Signal

I heard Reese's had a contest to win Batman memorabilia, with game pieces in specially marked packages. So I bought the Dark Chocolate Batman Reese's at Winn Dixie last weekend because of that contest.

Hershey has a Bat Signal shaped candy on the website. What I bought was not shaped like that at all. [The Batman candies are sold in packs of one instead of the usual 2 cups]. Depending on how you turned it, the candy either resembles (1) a chocolate version of Yoda's head or (2) the imprint of very tiny shoes that stepped in *ahem* animal by-products.

Oh, right, you want to know about the flavor ? The Reese's didn't taste like dark chocolate. It was darker in color, but no different in flavor, than a milk chocolate Reese's. [I bought a Batman milk chocolate Reese's for comparison] There was a faint texture difference between the two chocolates. But I think that difference was psychosomatic. I won't be buying dark chocolate Reese's again.

Hershey's Nuggets

I tasted Hershey's Nuggets: Special Dark Chocolate Truffles With Mint recently. I never understood why people said Hershey's chocolate tasted waxy until now. The outer shell is dark chocolate. It doesn't taste like Hershey's usual dark chocolate bar. The inner filling is the consistency of Play-Doh and has a cheap, obnoxious mint flavor [And I normally love mint candies]. This candy is similar in taste and appearance to Brach's Double Dutch Chocolatey Cremes I reviewed before : / If you're looking for outstanding candy, skip Hershey's and buy from See's Candies or River Street Sweets instead.

Reese's Crispy Crunch

"Milk chocolate, crispy peanut butter candy, creamy peanut butter and chopped peanuts"

Hershey's actually did a fantastic job with this candy. The ratio of peanuts and peanut butter to chocolate was perfectly balanced. The crispy peanut butter layer reminded me of a Butterfinger bar; I'm not a fan of those, so I wouldn't buy it again for that reason. But I think this one deserves a thumbs up ; )

Hershey's With Caramel and Hershey's With Brownie Morsels

Hershey's Creamy Milk Chocolate With Caramel

The milk chocolate in this bar does taste creamy. The bars are divided into big squares instead of the usual small rectangles. When I broke off a finger of chocolate, caramel dripped out. Don't let that fool you, though. The amount of caramel is minuscule. I wouldn't have said "Hey, I taste caramel" if you'd fed the bar to me blindfolded.

Hershey's Brownies 'N' Chocolate: Creamy Milk Chocolate With Brownie Morsels

Again, the chocolate was creamy. Where Hershey's failed was the most critical element : the promised brownie morsels. If you've tasted Hershey's Cookies 'N' Mint or Cookies 'N' Cream, you know about the yummy cookie bits inside those bars. Basically, Hershey's slapped something that looks like the cookie bits into this one, too. I seriously did not taste anything resembling brownie.

Reese's Big Cup With Mixed Nuts

This candy has a milk chocolate shell and a filling of peanut butter, peanuts, pecans, cashews and almonds. Or so Hershey's promises. There is too much peanut butter in proportion to the amount of chocolate coating. I was rather disappointed by the lack of cashews, pecans and almonds. I found one little almond piece amidst the huge amount of peanuts. The cashews and pecans were nowhere to be found.

Some of you are probably thinking "Crud, does this chick ever praise Hershey's products ?" Well, yes, I normally like Hershey's candies very much. Their Cacao Reserve bars are absolutely outstanding. [I tried those in December]. I actually think that is part of the problem. After trying the Cacao Reserve bars, I expect too much from a regular Hershey's product and end up disappointed by the taste.

Hershey's S'Mores

Hershey's S'Mores candy bar has, according to the package, "milk chocolate, marshmallow and graham cracker bits." The overall taste and appearance was that of an overstuffed Three Musketeers Bar. There just way too much marshmallow inside. And the marshmallow filling didn't taste like marshmallow of any kind : / It left a rather chemical aftertaste in my mouth. The bottom layer of graham cracker bits did not stand out. The pieces were mixed in with something else to form one layer. Bleh.

Two thumbs down for Hershey's S'Mores.

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate

I bought a bar of Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate on the trip back to Miami on Sunday. My first impression, after eating 4 squares, was that it did not taste any better or worse than the other dark chocolate bar by Hershey's. But the Dr. Pepper I was drinking probably masked the flavor difference.

I had two more squares of the bar today. I can really taste the difference between the older version and the Special version now. The Special bar left an unpleasant grainy taste, similar to that of poor quality powdered cocoa mixes. Hershey's lists it on their website as "The Dark Chocolate For Milk Chocolate Lovers," whatever that means.

Two thumbs down for Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate.