Breaking the M&M moratorium

The last time I had an M&M was, I swear, in the 1970s. See, I am and have always been, allergic to nuts.

So what, you say? Just avoid the peanut M&Ms and stick with the plain M&Ms. I have heard this a hundred times over the years.

Little known fact: regular M&Ms used to have peanuts listed as an ingredient. Not just the CYA "Produced in a facility that also processes nuts," but as an actual ingredient.

Every time I ate M&Ms as a kid, I got sick. Every time that happened, grownups thought I was faking it. Then I learned to read and showed the grownups the list of ingredients. Vindication.

Being a bit of a chocolate snob (if I'm going to ingest the calories, they'd better be great tasting calories) I have not felt the need to rethink my M&M moratorium until this week.

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I was thrilled to get our first product review assignment for All Thumbs. When told it was for M&Ms, I thought I'd grab a jumbo bag at the store, quite certain, now, that nuts had been removed from the planned ingredients* if, for no other reasons than the cost of nuts and the risk of lawsuits.

But the generous people at the Mars Company sent me a box. A BIG box. A GINORMOUS box that held a dozen candy boxes of 5 flavors EACH of their new Premium treats. For you mathematically challenged, that is 60 boxes of delights -- enough, say, for me to bring on a family reunion.

And I should also mention here that through BlogHer, the kind folks at the Mars Company are paying me a modest sum ($50 US) to enjoy this privilege. I love blogging.

***disclaimer***

First thing I noticed: these aren't your kids' M&Ms. These are gourmet delight for the senses.

They LOOK beautiful -- gorgeous colors that seem almost as though they are individually wrapped in tissue paper. Copper (Mocha), turquoise (Chocolate Almond), fuschia (Raspberry Almond), metallic jade (Mint Chocolate), and orchid (Triple Chocolate). Check them out (arranged by my nephew, Jake):


And they taste pretty dang good, too. There is no hard candy coating, like I remember. The M&Ms are still resistant to melting in your hand, but the coating is much more subtle, the chocolate experience more velvet-y.

We have three generations at our family reunion (going on as I munch type). I have collected statements from some of them, which, I admit was not difficult at all.

"Mmmmmm. Tastes like expensive chocolate." -- Debora, my cousin

"I love the Raspberry Almond. I'm sure they're gonna sell a million of these." -- Sam, her husband

"They're not crunchy but they're chewy. They hold up the M&Ms reputation." -- Jake, my nephew

"They should call them Fun and Fabulous because they ARE fun and fabulous" -- Sheri, my sister

"You expect it to be crunchy on the outside, but it's not. I have texture issues." -- Tom, her husband (our only Thumbs Down)

"I can't stop eating the Mocha ones. Get them away from me." -- Dennis, my uncle

"Let's try them in our S'mores tonight." -- my mom

"Can I have my own box?" -- Tessa, my own darling daughter

"For breakfast? Please??" -- her cousin, Ben

"They make me glad it's Cheat Night." -- Tami, my sister

"I bet they'd be good in cookies." -- Gino, her husband

"My favorites are the Mint Chocolates. Hand 'em over." -- Ken, my cousin

"Our sample wasn't quite big enough. Send more." -- Joyce, his wife

My favorite for looks is the purple Triple Chocolate (which is the only flavor that includes dark chocolate). And my favorite for taste is the rich, flavorful Mocha. I do wish, however, that there were more dark and less milk chocolate in all non-nut flavors. To me, milk chocolate = why bother?

My thumbs are up, save for the extra miles I must do on my bike ride tomorrow to compensate for my lack of will power tonight.

All three generations have given more Thumbs Up than I can count. You'll be hearing buzz about these fun and fabulous delights in the coming weeks, I'll bet.

I encourage you to give M&M Premiums a try when they become available. In the meantime, my pantry will be well-stocked for at least a couple more weeks, so stop on by.

Moratorium is officially over.

* I was correct in my assumption. The CYA statement, "Allergy information: may contain peanuts" is on the box. But I figure the lawyers put it on there, not the confectioners. And I'm doing fine, thanks.

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Click here for more buzz about M&M’s™ Premiums.
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