Business
10 Discontinued Chocolate Bars We Miss Part 2
Here we are again with another installment in the Chocolate Bars We Miss series, and if you didn’t think we’d be able to find more, you would have surely been wrong, as there are quite a few tasty candy bars out there on the old timeline that we all wish we could have one more taste of.
10. Mint Crisp
Who doesn’t love a nice sweet treat that has the slight taste of mint? There are probably a few that feel that peppermint should be reserved for toothpaste and sugar free gum, but many love the taste of mint added to chocolate and yes, even ice cream. After all, the slight, yet powerful taste of mint present in a dessert is actually really good for the digestion. Had a really heavy meal? Well, that’s nothing a mint candy or chocolate can’t solve and in no time at all. The wonderful people over at Cadbury offered the Dairy Milk Mint Crisp for a time, and it was hugely successful. We more than understand that not everyone likes mint flavored chocolate, but that didn’t really affect sales here. It makes us wonder why certain products get discontinued, even when they did well on the market. A paradox, if you will and one we still search an answer for. For some, the taste of mint brings along with it, the essence of freshness, and sometimes that essence is all that’s needed to take a sweet treat like chocolate from being gsimply good, to being great. In this case, many felt that this was definitely a fresh idea, and with the nifty easy reclose packaging, it was something that could have been enjoyed sensibly, a little at a time.
9. Fuse
The word fuse just conjures up images of fused elements or ingredients to achieve ultimate levels of taste explosions. For years, chefs and creators of food products have been fusing one ingredient with the next in hopes of creating something so delicious, it could make them billionaires seemingly overnight. In some cases, the fusing of ingredients worked famously, and although they didn’t become billionaires before the sun came up, they did really well regardless. But of course all that toiling in the kitchen, lab or assembly line didn’t always pay off, as is the case with many creations found on the market. Case in point, the Fuse bar here. It simply fused nuts, chocolate and a few other ingredients, but here the combination didn’t exactly catch on all that much with most. But, it wasn’t given a fair run, as many remember this bar and wish for its return to market shelves. Sometimes, a creation needs to be given the time necessary to get enough of an influential buzz … something that the Fuse bar wasn’t exactly given. Did Cadbury drop the ball with this one? You be the judge. We definitely don’t think so, and with sales as high as they undoubtedly were with this product, neither did the general public it seems.
8. Cadbury’s Tiffin
Sometimes what makes an epic chocolate bar is all in the combination of flavors. Like the aforementioned Fuse, it’s here that the mad scientists responsible for the creation of such treats really either make it or break it, so to speak. With the oddly named Tiffin, the combination was a medley of familiar ingredients often found with chocolate, but rarely found together in one bar. The Tiffin from Cadbury combined both nuts and the wonder that are raisins. Now, chocolate covered raisins are indeed a crowd pleaser, but not all who love chocolate adore the combination of chocolate and dried grapes when it’s time to get their munch on. And to each his or her own, of course. Nuts are a tad more successful overall, while raisins are a little more rare. But here Cadbury decided to throw a party and both nuts and raisins were invited and the end result was a pretty delicious treat worthy of any and all praise. Although it saw its end in 2003, many still wish to have this back, and maybe one day it will make its return, but until then, keep dreaming, friends.
7. Treasures
Now if ever there was a perfect name for a sweet treat, perhaps this one here would have to take the proverbial cake. These sweet and succulent treasures were in fact just that, as they were definitely delicious. These were released in the seventies and in the era of bell bottom jeans and the inception of heavy metal from Britain, these chocolate treats fit right into the mix perfectly. They weren’t bars at all, but squares and each and every single square promised an assortment of flavors, which kept consumers guessing. This is an added feature that can only promote more sales, as having fun while you eat has proven to be a good selling point in the past, especially when talking about sweet treats such as these. They were produced by Nielsen, a company that has a rich history. It was founded in 1893 by William Neilson. Since then the company has grown to epic proportions and has many smaller companies under its belt. It is actually owned by the Canadian conglomerate, Saputo and oversees Canadian operations for companies like Cadbury, Haagen Dazs and many others. But chocolates and sweets aren’t all this company is famous for, as they also produce incredible amounts of cheese, hence the Saputo brand, which is a leader in cheese production and distribution the world over. Unfortunately Treasures didn’t survive the seventies, just like bell bottom jeans, but maybe they’ll make a resurgence in the years to come, as things always come back in fashion if given enough time.
6. Cadbury’s Time Out
Everybody can use a little time out every now and again. After all, life can get pretty stressful, especially at work. Sometimes, there’s nothing like a good break to recharge the batteries and get ready to face the toil of yet another two or three hours of hard work. Kit Kat chocolates already have the market in that department, as they are definitely the candy bar of choice of many while on their “break,“ so to speak, but the Cadbury Time Out bar was definitely running along the same lines. But the big question is … was the market big enough to support two chocolate bars that promoted taking a much needed rest from work? See, the Kit Kat bar markets directly to that demographic, as we all know from their very popular and enchanting jingle. And although it is a very delicious bar, a little brainwashing certainly went a long way in making that bar as popular as it is today. Nothing wrong with that, as it’s a huge selling tactic for many products that are mass produced and released to the world. Which reminds me … you’re getting sleepy … you want to read Babbletop every day …. That said, the time out didn’t exactly do all that well with such a giant already taking space on the market, especially since that product promised an epic break from your day at work. But many do miss it and yes, they even preferred it to the Kit Kat bar. The two didn’t have the same taste or consistence, and all we’re getting at here is the similarity in their similar sales angles, but still, sometimes that’s enough to throw a consumer off, which is what happened here.
5. Kit Kat Senses
And speaking of Kit Kat, the brand has definitely released its fair share of flavors over the long years since its inception, and a lot of them have done pretty well, no matter how odd the flavor pairings may have seemed. The company can definitely brag that it has the most flavor combinations sold worldwide than any other candy bar around, and that’s a pretty bold statement, so kudos to them. But a lot of their products haven’t done all that well, especially in North America, but that’s to be expected, as North Americans are pretty afraid of losing touch with the status quo, with good reason of course. Now this particular flavor or rather offering by Kit Kat was interesting and really aptly named. Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes once said that “…the culinary arts are the only art form where the five senses are used …“ and we’d have to agree with his assessment … smell, touch, sound, sight and of course taste. So we absolutely understand what the good people at Kit Kat were going for with this one. The only problem here is that the chocolate bar known as the Kit Kat Senses was almost a direct copy of an already existing bar, that coincidentally already had a pretty good market value and was doing quite well … of course we’re speaking of the Kinder Bueno. The recipe is almost exactly the same thing with a few minor changes. So if there are any of you out there that miss the Senses bar, just go ahead and pick up a Bueno at your local corner store; it’s pretty much the same thing after all.
4. Cadbury’s Amazin’ Raisin
We’ve already mentioned that there are some people out there that positively love themselves some chocolate covered raisins. Glosetts seems to have the market on that little recipe and for good reason … they’ve been around since time out of mind. Very rarely has another company tried their hand at that, other than small time companies selling out of bins at your local grocery store. So yeah, we’d have to say that Glosetts pretty much have the upper hand in sales there. But at one time, Cadbury launched an actual bar that contained raisins throughout, and here lovers of the combination were able to enjoy the taste they loved in bar form and not as individual raisins covered in milk chocolate; a pretty good idea if you ask us, but at the same time, it didn’t really catch on and the bar kind of fell off the face of the planet. Our sympathies go out to all of you who love raisins and chocolate, and this one hits home for us too, as we’re part of the same camp. Let’s say it together, loud and proud: PLEASE BRING THIS ONE BACK!
3. Snaps
As far as chips are concerned, many around the world seem to be in love with Pringles, as they should be. Pringles are indeed awesome, and they tend to be a bit crispier than your average chip and a little less oily to boot, which all in all is a pretty good thing at the end of the day. Even Lays Stacks are pretty popular and some even prefer the Lays stacked chips to the Pringles we all know and love, and to that we say: “Bet ya can’t eat just one.“ But enough of the old word play and we’ll get to the brass tacks and fill you in on what we all came here for today, which was the recollection of chocolate bars that are no longer with us, and Cadbury Snaps definitely make this list of ours. Hence the whole foray into the world of stacked chip brands. This chocolate was actually very similar to those chips, if you remember. If you don’t, well feast your eyes on these; just don’t get too attached, as they don’t exist anymore. Sorry! They were thin and actually pretty crispy, very reminiscent of a chip, eh? They even came in a few interesting flavors … caramel, orange, mint and of course hazelnut, which is always a winner. Nutella anyone? These too were pretty popular, but once again, not enough to keep producing them.
2. Astros
The treats on this list can be compared to the temporary McDonald’s items we often see appear on the menu. Just like the McRib, these chocolates were in our lives for only a short time, and when they went away, we were likely never to see them again. It’s been a long time since McDonald’s gave us the McRib, but with these chocolaty treats in this series of lists we’ve got for you, the end pretty much meant the end, except for a few exceptions that was. As we mentioned, many signed petitions online to get their favorite treats back, but unfortunately that wouldn’t work every time out. These tasty little morsels of chocolaty biscuit goodness were launched in 1997, and while The Spice Girls and The Backstreet Boys were taking up the airwaves and telling the millions to “Show Them The Meaning Of Being Lonely,“ and to “Tell Them What They Wanted,“ the world was responding with a loud chorus of: “Astros, Astros!“ To say that these were successful would be an understatement, which makes the fact that they’ve all but disappeared all that much more unbelievable. What’s more unbelievable is that they are still available somewhere on this planet and you won’t guess where. If you guessed South Africa, you win the prize … a lifetime supply of Astros! Not really, but you can book a plane to the beautiful continent just across the Atlantic, due south of course. The morsels of chocolate were airy and light, but what they made up for in density, they sure didn’t lack in taste. These were some pretty tasty pieces of chocolate and many would want them back. An extra run for The Spice Girls, we’re not so sure about.
1. Texan
Now what could sound heartier than a morsel of food named The Texan? Probably nothing on earth, as when you think of Texan cuisine, you think of ribs, BBQ, Tex-Mex cuisine and chili. All these are hearty meals that’ll stick to your ribs any day of the week and put hair on the old chest to boot, as your favorite uncle is quite fond of saying. So why not name a chocolate bar after the great state found in the Southern States? A good a name as any. Actually, it’s a great name when we think about it. They were produced by Nestle and the slogan of “Sure is a mighty chew“ was really appropriate considering the tasty punch these bars offered. They contained Nougat, toffee and of course chocolate. But just as quickly as they were introduced, they were taken away, and when they were re-introduced back in 2005, they were once again ripped out of the public’s hands, and a chorus of chagrin definitely ensued and justifiably so, we might add. How cruel could they be?