Those who brave the stores the day or two after Christmas are often rewarded with half-price (or– dare I type it?– quarter-price) tree trimmings, wrapping paper, and gift baskets. Then there’s the holiday candy aisle.
By the time I did my post-Christmas shopping this year, the candy aisle was already picked over. Either they’d sold a lot of candy or they’d packaged some of it up and sent it elsewhere. (How dare they, really? I’d hoped to snag some of my favorite Christmasy candies at 50% off retail, but those goodies were nowhere to be found. Meanies!)
Putting aside my bitter disappointment (one must find a way to go on, somehow), I did manage to find a promising bag labeled “Hershey’s Mininiatures” and “Mint”.
“A little something for everyone,” the bag tempted. Well, I’m certainly “one”. (One of what, I’ll leave others to decide, but that’s beside the point.) I consider myself a passable fan of mint chocolate, and I’m not a chocolate snob, either, so the “Hershey’s” part didn’t scare me off. I picked up a bag. Half-priced mint chocolates? That’s worth a try!
These miniatures are the same size as your typical Hershey’s mini– a great size for snacking, and you get a good number in this 10-ounce bag. The individual bars’ wrapping is foiled paper in emerald green (dark chocolate), pale mint green (milk chocolate), and white-and-silver (white crème). They would make an attractive display in a glass candy dish.
One thing about the packaging does catch my eye. There’s a phone number on each individual bar. “Nutritional Information 1-800-XXX-XXXX.” I suppose it’s there so you can call and make sure the candy doesn’t contain whatever common food ingredient you happen to be highly allergic to (in case you get it as a gift and don’t have access to the bag with the ingredients and nutritional facts), but it’s just a little too reminiscent of the Poison Control Center phone number you find on household cleaning agents and the like. “In case of mint overdose, call this number.”
Well, let’s get down to the taste-testing!
Hershey’s Mint White Crème with Candy Bits:
I began with the white crème because I expected to like it least. I believe that once upon a time I loved white chocolate, but I must’ve eaten too much of it, because it’s now one of those things I have to talk myself into eating. The thought of it isn’t especially appetizing. (So in other words, take my review with a grain of salt.)
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the “with Candy Bits” portion of the name, but I suppose I must have envisioned tiny, broken bits of peppermint. In any case, I was surprised when I opened that first wrapper. There are red and green ball-shaped candy sprinkles suspended in the semi-translucent white crème! Lots of them!
The aroma is very minty-sweet, and it has a taste to match– sweet (a bit too much so), minty, but a little boring. (Again, I’m admittedly not very fond of “white crème”.) Unless the candy bits are what give the bar its minty flavor (which I seriously doubt), they seem fairly pointless. All they add is a little color and a crunchiness that I didn’t really like (very different from a nutty or crisp rice crunch). Children may find them fun, though.
Apart from its appearance, this mini is not very exciting, but it’s not exactly bad, either.
2.5/5
Hershey’s Mint Milk Chocolate:
There are no surprises when you unwrap this chocoalte. If not for the ever-present minty aroma, this could be plain Hershey’s milk chocolate.
Yep. Chocolate and mint flavors– only the mint rather overpowers whatever chocolate flavor there is.
There’s not much more to say about this candy. It reminds me a little of Andes mints, but I remember Andes being better than this. There’s a very slightly bitter undertone that I could do without. I think I prefer regular Hershey’s milk chocolate to this, but maybe that’s just a sign that I’m not as much of a mint afficionado as I thought. Still, despite my complaints, it’s not bad.
3/5
Hershey’s Special Dark Mint Sweet Chocolate:
Again, the chocolate mini looks like a regular Hershey’s Special Dark mini– a deeper shade of brown than the milk chocolate. It smells minty, but “darker” (yeah, I know; how imaginative of me!) than the milk chocolate does.
There is a very slightly… almost burnt taste to this chocolate– but contrary to how that may sound, it’s not necessarily a negative. It has a more chocolatey flavor than the mint milk chocolate does. The mint isn’t nearly so overpowering in the dark chocolate.
If you like dark chocolate with a hint of mint, give this one a try. I think it may be my favorite of the three.
3.5/5
Overall, I’m a little disappointed. Maybe I had too high expectations for these chocolates. While none of them were exactly bad, I am not terribly impressed, either, and I probably wouldn’t buy them again. I’ll stick to Andes mints when I get a craving for mint-flavored chocolate and York Peppermint Patties or Junior Mints when I want a more powerful shot of minty sweetness.
They were pretty cheap (especially considering that I got them half-price), but I think I prefer regular Hershey’s chocolate (both their milk chocolate and Special Dark) to these holiday novelty candies.
Brand: Hershey
Weight: 10oz
Price: Regulary $2.50
Yum: You get three types of mint chocolates in one bag. They’re not awful (and a true mint lover might adore them). Pretty foil wrappers.
Yuck: Not as wow as I’d hoped. Mediocre flavors left me wishing they were plain chocolate. The crunchy sprinkles are unappealing.
| Packaging: |  (5.0 / 5) |
| Aroma: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Texture: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Appearance: |  (4.0 / 5) |
| Flavor: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Value: | (3.0 / 5) |
| Overall: | (3.0 / 5) |