Wonka Exceptionals: Scrumdiddlyumptious Chocolate Bar

What pulled me to this bar was the use of the word (well, I guess it's sort of a word) "Scrumdiddlyumptious." A co-worker and I have actually had conversations about how the word "scrumptious" is not being used enough, and...well this was pretty close.

The Wonka Scrumdiddlyumptious bar is part of the Wonka line, and is a milk chocolate bar with toffee pieces, crispy cookie, and peanut bits.



First, regardless of taste, I liked how they molded this bar. As you can see, it's got a really whimsical mold. The pieces come in a variety of sizes to break off, and there is the standout W in the center. It looks good -- but how does it taste?



The chocolate is very smooth and very sweet. There are strong dairy notes; you can definitely taste the milk in the bar. But the chocolate is still very, very sweet. My throat was burning after only a couple of squares.

While the mix-ins are plentiful, they're not uniform. So some squares have oodles of "crunches" and some have next to none. The toffee bits were my favorite because they added a little buttery, salty hint. The cookies in question just seemed plain and blah. There's nothing really wrong with them, but they're certainly nothing exciting. The peanuts were crunchy and added a nice nut flavor.



I gotta give Wonka points for the cool name, and for having an interesting ingredients list. Tastewise, it was decent but it didn't really rock my world. I won't be pulling on an Oompa Loompa suit and trying to sneak into the factory for free bars just yet, but it was a nice enough option.

Check out both Cybele's review here, and Jim's review here.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

PRICE:
$2.18

CALORIES:
170 per 1/3 bar.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Contains peanuts. Made on equipment shared with tree nuts and wheat.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
wonka.com

Wonka Exceptionals Fruit Jellies: Red Apple

Nestlé has really gone all out in the last few months pumping some new life into the Wonka line of products. Why they didn't go this far when the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came out a few years ago (which would have been a natural tie-in) is beyond me, but in any event they are doing it now.

I opted to start with the Exceptional Fruit Jellies because they just seemed different -- and you just don't see a lot of red apple flavored candy.



As you can see above, this candy has a lot of packaging. While it is very colorful and fun looking...well damn, there is just a lot! There's a sturdy cardboard sleeve that houses another cardboard box, and then inside of that box the candies are sealed in a foil packet. Why so much? These candies are not that delicate. Is there some sort of Oompa-Loompa packaging don who demands so much be used or Willy sleeps with the fishes? Does Al Gore know about this?! I mean, I love the purple -- can anything bad really come out of a purple box? It is cool packaging, but c'mon, there's like 40 pounds of it...

OK, regardless of Wonka's obvious hatred for trees, how about the candy that you get to after the oodles of packaging?

Each candy is the size of a sugar cube, each square is sugared, soft, and brightly colored. The box has a slight apple scent to it (What? Doesn't everyone smell their candy boxes?), but the individual candies are pretty much without any smell at all.



The chew is soft. It's not as as firm as a gummy type product, but it is softer and less sticky then most jelly/gel candies.

I both chewed them and simply let them dissolve in my mouth. I found I liked the flavor and texture more if I let them dissolve.



So how was the flavor?

Really good! It's not overly sweet, despite the outer coating of sugar. The apple flavor reminded me a lot of apple juice, rather than the "green" sour apple that most apple candy tends to be flavored with. They are quite juicy, and it is entirely easy to eat a handful or two and wonder where they went. I really liked these little cubes.

Cybele reviewed not only this flavor but the grapefruit and goji berry as well. Be sure to check out her review here.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

PRICE:
$2.96

CALORIES:
130 calories per 14 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Made with 25% real fruit juice. Fat free, sodium free.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
nestleusa.com

Giant Chew Nerds-And A Cool Contest From Wonka!

Nerds are one of those candies that remind me of my childhood.
My brother and I LOVED them. Strawberry was both of our favorite and there was sometimes tense negations that went into who got the strawberry side of the box.

As an adult I can't remember the last time I had a box of Nerds. When I got the email from the nice PR people at Wonka I jumped at the chance to try the Giant Chewy Nerds.

Giant Chewy Nerds are jelly beans that have a bumpy Nerds shell. They come in 5 flavors:

Lemon.
The lemon is tart but not as sour as say a Lemonhead. I liked how the sour of the shell and the sweet center of the bean went together. It was a nice contrast.

Orange.
The Nerd shell reminded me of old school Orange Tic-Tacs and powdered orange drink.

Grape.
This reminded me exactly for grape soda. I don't drink grape soda all that often but this had me craving a can.

Green Apple.
Strawberry may be my childhood favorite but it has some competition from the green apple. Oh, it's a completely artificial green apple but that's what liked about it.

Strawberry.
Still the one I love the most! sour, sweet and perfect.

The jelly beans themselves don't have much of a flavor beyond "sweet" but I think that's a good thing because it let's all the focus be on the Nerd coating. I liked this new twist on an old favorite- so much that I have actually finished two bags worth!

Remember I also said that there was a contest. Well Wonka is doing is a contest for kids involving Raven-Symone (us old folk probably remember her best as Olivia from the Cosby Show)
Here's some more info from Wonka!

The Willy Wonka Candy Factory (July 21, 2008) – Emerging from his iconic candy factory today, confectioner extraordinaire Willy Wonka called on candy lovers from coast-to-coast to help his Oompa Loompas overcome a most-amusing situation – their complete loss for lyrics to sing about Wonka’s newest creation, Giant Chewy NERDS® candy.

“My normally melodious assistants have a candy chorus confusion,” he mused. “They tasted my new Giant Chewy NERDS, with their bumpy, crunchy NERDS shell and chewy, jelly bean center, and their tongues are tied. They’re singing complete gobbledygook!”

In order to help the Oompa Loompas regain their rhymes, Willy Wonka has launched a nationwide search for a new song to describe Giant Chewy NERDS. Now through September 21, 2008, tweens and teens can visit WONKA.com to submit a video of themselves singing their original lyrics about bumpy, crunchy, tantalizingly tangy new Giant Chewy NERDS. Music and images are provided on WONKA.com to help get the creative juices flowing. Aspiring lyricists can also submit an entry at the Wonkalicious Lounge events, which will be taking place at malls across the country this summer.

The lucky winner of the Loss for Lyrics video contest will be flown to Los Angeles to professionally record his or her song with the assistance of recording artist and actress, Raven-Symoné. One of Hollywood’s most talented young stars, Raven-Symoné is best known for her Emmy nominated comedy series, Disney Channel’s “That’s So Raven.” She was last seen on the big screen starring in Disney’s “College Road Trip” opposite Martin Lawrence and was an executive producer on the film. She starred on four Disney Channel Original movies and won a Young Artist Award for her performance as ‘Olivia’ on “The Cosby Show”. She recently completed her fourth solo album entitled “Raven-Symoné” and will go on tour this July. Willy Wonka has posted complete contest details on his web site, www.wonka.com .

In addition to creating a video, consumers can view all submissions and rate their favorites. Consumers who rate a video will be entered into a sweepstakes to win weekly WONKA prizes including Giant Chewy NERDS candy, a t-shirt and a plush toy; one grand prize sweepstakes winner will be selected to win a year’s supply of Wonka candy.

Many will enter, few will win. No purchase necessary for contest or sweepstakes. Contest ends 11:59 p.m., ET, 9/21/08. Rating sweepstakes runs 7/21/08 through 9/28/08. Open to residents of the 50 US & DC, between 8-18 years of age for Contest and under 18 years of age for Rating Sweepstakes. Void where prohibited. Subject to entry details, prize description, and full rules at wonka.com

PURCHASED FROM:
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