A chocolate offer

[pigasus]

Dear Tom,

I have heard you say that American chocolate is the best in the world. What do you like about it? The graininess?

I will send you some chocolate from my homeland of Canada, which shares British chocolate roots.

A Canadian mars bar is more great than an American. Do you know Coffee Crisp? Dairy Milk? Special Crisp? Crispy Crunch? I will send them all.

Contact me immediately. These chocolate bars are on SHELVES in STORES, not UNDERWEAR DRAWERS.

[KickTheBobo]

I gotta say, Coffee Crisp kicks some serious ass. Why it isn't available in the lower 48 is beyond me. One thing baffles me though: in 'merica, they are "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" and in the Great White North they are "Reese Peanut Butter Cups". What's up with that?

Aero, though, is a poor excuse for a candy bar. The shit is half air!

[bruce]

I gotta say, Coffee Crisp kicks some serious ass. Why it isn't available in the lower 48 is beyond me.

Actually Bobo you can find it at a certain record chain in New England. they actually sell a lot of weird candy there.

[Laurie]

I think it's the odd plastic coating that makes American chocolate so damn appealing.

[Sarah]

One thing baffles me though: in 'merica, they are "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups" and in the Great White North they are "Reese Peanut Butter Cups". What's up with that?

I'll let you in on the secret, Bobo:  If Canada used the name "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups," everyone in the country would think the candy belonged to, was inspired by, or otherwise was connected to a friend of mine whose nickname is "Reese," and sales would plummet.

[bobby.]

I'd have to stick for Cadbury's here. 3 and a half glasses of milk in every bite!

But Reese's have begun to infiltrate some shops, at premium prices, and I do like them.

But these are the most beautiful things in the world:



I visited the factory once, in Switzerland. It was a buffet. I felt ill.

[Laurie]

Oooh man, those Lindt truffles are divine. It's like a chocolate explosion in my mouth! We used to have one at the shopping mall by my parents' house, but a RIVAL chocolate shop[pe] moved in next door to Lindt. I imagine there was some sort of price-slashing cutthroat competition of sorts between the two until the upstart shop -- whose name I was convinced was called the Fudge Factory but is in fact called Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, which is somehow worse -- reigned supreme and pushed Lindt out of business. Those fuckers. They aren't getting any of my business, I'll tell you that much.

[PhilH]

Are Aero bars exclusive to Canada as well?

[KickTheBobo]

no Aero, & no Turkish Delight (it's a political thing, I'm sure). No smarties, either (M&M's have the monopoly)

One thing I have noticed in the past ten years or so, in regards to candy technology, is that they seem to just be doing "remix" versions of the same old stuff, trying in vain to put a new spin on an old idea. Some examples:

"Reverse" Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (Peanut Butter shell, chocolate center)
White chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Mini M&M's
the M-Azing bar (chocolate with bits of m&m's embedded within)

It makes me long for the Golden Age of Candy/Bubblegum (oh how I am dating myself here, and being all VH1 Remember the 70s/80s-pathetic) when such amazing sweets were peddled such as:

the Watchamacalit bar "I mean...it's name!"
the Reggie Bar
Big League Chew
Hubba Bubba Bubblegum (the commercials were like a saturday morning mini-Deadwood)
Starburst (used to be HUGE, but seems to have wained in popularity)

and my vote for most UNDERRATED candy bar: the Skor bar.

[knifegirl]

and my vote for most UNDERRATED candy bar: the Skor bar.

Are we voting? I vote Charleston Chews (frozen and whacked), and Now and Laters.

[bruce]

Skor always looked like they were candy bars for the grown ups.

Charleston Chews are the way to go (frozen all the way), or even the little mini ones in the box.

[Andy]

skor bars are the shit.

I just saw coffee crisp on the shelves here in OK for the first time.  I'll have to give it a go.

[PhilH]

Coffee Crisp is amazing. I'm also a fan of Turkish Delight (or is it Delite?) bars, but I don't know why.

[pigasus]

Sorry chums, the most underrated chocolate bar is PEP. I love you PEP.

[KickTheBobo]

Skor always looked like they were candy bars for the grown ups.

Yes, there is something in the package design that evokes a weird "Every ad in your Dad's stack of 70s Playboys" feeling. I can almost smell the Old Spice!