"limited edition" news and stories

Ahh, Twix. The pinnacle of snackitecture. I mean, a buttery cookie draped with caramel, then cloaked in milk chocolate? And then to have not one, but two bars in each package?! Frank Gehry himself could not have constructed a more impressive confectionery structure.

Now, I usually see no reason to mess with excellence, but those evil geniuses over at Mars have a history of riffing on perfection. Case in point: TwixPB. With peanut butter in lieu of caramel and a chocolate cookie base, it is a decadent, special occasion kind of Twick.

Given this example, I do not deign to question Mars' judgment. So when I found Twix Java (boasting coffee caramel and chocolate cookie covered in milk chocolate), I didn't recoil in horror. Instead, I chose to embrace their vision and put my faith in the Artificial Flavorteers.

Although Twix Java is by no means better than Twix original, it is successful in its own right. The coffee flavor is so bright (it tastes the way Sanka smells), it actually pairs well with the slapdash chocolate cookie and milk chocolate robe. Think of it as a Starbucks caramel mocha in candy bar form: A bastardization of many great things, but so trashily delicious, you just don't care.

Some say that Heath Ledger's chilling performance as The Joker is the best thing about The Dark Knight. But I dare say that the best thing about The Dark Knight is its promotional Special Edition Reese's Peanut Butter Bat.

Before I get to that, I must expound my philosophy: Reese's Special Edition Cups (which also include Halloween Reese's Peanut Butter Pumpkin and Easter Reese's Peanut Butter Egg) consistently trump traditional cups because they have a higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio. See, classic Cups are weighed down by the shell's chocolate crimping, which leaves us peanut butter lovers pining. But Special Edition Cups forgo the frills and pack as much PB as possible into a thin chocolate casing. In fact, if we're really getting down to brass tacks, Egg beats Pumpkin solely because Pumpkin has the little all-chocolate stem at the top.

Let it be known that I am a die hard Limited Edition Foods fan. I lived and died by Pepsi Kona, and I essentially redefine myself with each new incarnation of Kit Kat. That said, imagine my excitement when a friend of mine presented me with New Indiana Jones Mint Crisp M&Ms. (While they do not specifically say "Limited Edition", they do imply as much with "Get 'M' Before They're Lost!") One look at these puppies and you know you're in for an epicurean adventure of chilled-monkey-brains-buffet proportions, 'cause these M&Ms are all kinds of divergent from the original.

To wit:

• They are shades of green and white
• In place of the simple "M", some of the candies have mystical graphics (including a skull, a compass, a temple, and Indy's hat)
• They are chocolate-mint flavored
• Their core is a rice crisp

My father's college degree is in the History of Country Music (truly). I grew up with a lot of country, bluegrass, folk and other roots music playing in the house. Because of this early childhood conditioning, to this day I am a huge fan of old-timey music. However, I've never had much of a tolerance for currently popular Country music (although, Dolly Parton can do no wrong in my eyes).

So, when a PR person for the Fritos company offered to send me a couple of bags of Tim McGraw's new Spicy Jalapeño Fritos, I was skeptical. I was curious what the chips would taste like (being a lover of all things spicy) but had a scornful reaction that went something along the lines of,"What's a Country music star doing lending his name to chips? Jimmie Rodgers would never have done something like that!" It did nothing to elevate my opinion of current Country music.

However, after tasting the chips, I am forced to admit that they are darn tasty. They aren't actually all that spicy, but they capture the heat and greenness of a jalapeño pepper in a way that is addictive and delicious. And, they can't be that terrible for you, since the Frito was originally invented as a health food!

These chips are currently available in select areas around the country and will be for sale nationwide soon.

Way back in 2005, Cybele reviewed Orange Creme Hershey's Kisses at Candyblog. The orange-flavored white chocolate kisses didn't last too long at the time, but Hershey's has just re-released them, labeled as a "limited edition" offering for their year-long 100th anniversary celebration.

The original review noted - and I completely agree - that these chocolates taste a lot like orange creamsicles in the way that they blend orange and vanilla. The chocolate has a tempting orange scent and melts into your mouth smoothly and easily when you bite into one. Unfortunately, these kisses also have an almost overpowering sweetness to them that makes it difficult to eat any more than one at a time without having something to wash them down with.

The concept for these kisses is a good one. I'd try mixing these up with dark chocolate kisses (or other dark chocolates) for some variety and to subdue the sugar.

The bag makes no mention of how long the release will last, but I wouldn't be surprised if they stick around at least until Easter at the beginning of April.