In 2015, Crispy M&M’s came back.

In 2018, Crispy M&M’s got weird.

This has got to be the strangest flavor vote for a main stream candy, for a product I don’t yet fully understand.

New… Crunchy M&M’s?

Like, are these Crispy M&M’s, or something new? Crispy and crunchy are basically the same thing.

…right?

The three flavors are also oddball choices. Crunchy espresso might be the only kind of espresso they don’t sell at Starbucks, crunchy mint is when you’re too lazy to spit your gum out before eating Cheetos, and the last time I had crunchy raspberries, I got food poisoning.

Not only is the selection odd, it’s also lazy. These are recycled flavors: multiple kinds of Mint M&M’s exist both seasonally and always, Raspberry M&M’s were discontinued in 2014 because we didn’t like them enough, and we just voted for Coffee Nut M&M’s two years ago. I don’t think any nuances between coffee and espresso will shine through all that carnauba wax, red 40, and a crisp candy shell.

What’s worse, the flavors don’t even let me do any cool M&M art like I normally do.

Crunchy Mint M&M’s

First things first is texture. I really don’t perceive any differences between these and Crispy M&M’s, though these Crunchy Mint M&M’s use cocoa rice crisps instead of normal rice crisp. The insides are a dark brown.

There’s a partial Girl Scouts’ Thin Mints quality to these candies which might have produced a knockout victory had this mint flavoring not been so poignant. It’s in the exact same vein as the Holiday Mint M&M’s. The only difference is these use a semisweet chocolate instead of milk, resulting in only a modest upgrade.

The mint is a bit overpowering to make these highly snackable.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Crunchy Raspberry M&M’s

The Crunchy Raspberry M&M’s are legitimately terrible. The raspberry is highly artificial in a medicinal way, finishing very bitter and clashing with the semisweet chocolate.

The use of rice crisps doesn’t help any. I flat out don’t understand these, and I couldn’t eat more than a few.

I’m sure there will be some weirdo raspberry fanatics that love these anyway. But the old Raspberry M&M’s were discontinued for a reason, and I think this new version is much worse.

Gross.

Rating: 3.5 out of 10

Crunchy Espresso M&M’s

Here we go again with another coffee-flavored M&M, and even I have to admit they are just as successful as the first.

Crunchy Espresso M&M’s combine chocolate and a strong coffee flavor in a highly satisfying ratio. This one also uses cocoa rice crisps, and the final product reminds me of cocoa creme-filled wafers or chocolate sugar wafers. Perhaps dipped in coffee.

These are excellent, though their lasting appeal is somewhat blocked by the Coffee Nut M&M’s.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Summary

Again, this flavor vote is a strange one.  I would normally default to the most unique flavor not currently offered, but I just can’t endorse those disgusting Raspberry M&M’s.

I guess it’s true that we can’t get enough coffee in this country, and I’d be surprised if the Crunchy Espresso don’t become the second coffee M&M to win a flavor vote in as many contests.

Can’t wait for the Crumbly Coffee M&M’s to win the 2020 Flavor Vote.

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