Peanut M&Ms Taste Test

The first time I saw a commercial for these three new Peanut M&M’s was on April Fools’ Day. So naturally, I thought they were a joke. Once I found out that they weren’t, I couldn’t help but be excited because peanut M&Ms are probably my favorite candy (I’m not too terribly fond of regular M&Ms), and they are rarely given any special or new flavors. I also greatly appreciated that you could buy these in the average snack size, versus buying a huge bag, which most of the special/seasonal M&M flavors come in. I thought I would share how I thought these candies tasted and choose a favorite!

I found the three flavors at Walgreens on sale for 60 cents each. The package tells you to vote for your favorite and that you could win $100,000 plus “The title of official M&Ms Taste Tester.” While that sounds intriguing, if you read the fine print below, it also says “Taste Tester Title is Honorary (No Official Duties)”, so that doesn’t sound as exciting as it sounds. Hopefully they would at least send the winner a few new seasonal flavors to try before they come out. 

From seeing the commercial I was most excited to try the “Honey Nut” flavor, but thought the “Chili Nut” could be the most fun. The Honey Nut seemed like it would be the most subtle and complimentary with the peanut, but I am fond of the spicy chocolate combinations I have had as well. One especially fun touch was that on each package, there is a graphic of the Yellow M&M dealing with the different elements each flavor brings. 

I tried three of each flavor to begin with when doing my initial taste test and also had a bit of water in between each. Here’s how the experience went for my taste buds!

Honey Nut

This pack featured the Yellow M&M licking honey from a honey stick. When the package is opened, out falls three colors; black, bright yellow, and golden yellow. I think this was a clever touch, since those are the colors of a bee, which goes nicely with the honey theme. As I tasted the M&M, I didn’t find too much flavor initially. It mostly tasted like a regular Peanut M&M. As I got closer to swallowing it though, I started to taste the sweetness of honey. While it wasn’t an overwhelmingly unique taste, it was simple and tasty. For this one, the more you eat of them, the more you begin to taste the honey. I found the overall taste to be pleasant and if you like regular Peanut M&Ms, I think this one would be the safest bet.

Coffee Nut

The three colors in this pack were cream, dark brown, and a caramel brown. Again, matching the theme well. The graphic of the Yellow M&M on the bag was him looking a bit jittery with a cup of coffee. When I popped the M&M into my mouth and started to chew, the flavor was instantly there. It really did taste like coffee. For me though, I didn’t necessarily love the mixture of peanut and coffee, but the distinct flavor was definitely there. I think this one would make me get a stomachache the fastest because of that strong taste. This one was the most noticeably flavorful of the three, and coffee lovers would probably like the taste a lot.

Chili Nut

The graphic on this package featured the Yellow M&M sweating and holding a red chili pepper away from him. The candy coating came in bright red, dark red, and orange to go along with the pepper theme. I saved this one for last because of the chili flavor, and didn’t know just how strong it would be or if it would overwhelm the taste buds. With the first one in my mouth, I began to chew and tasted nothing different, but when I swallowed there was a definite heat that came on my throat. The more I chewed and ate them, the more I liked it. The chili flavor brightly comes through with every swallow and leaves a tingly burn in your throat. I really liked it! This flavor would not be for everyone, but I wanted to eat more of this one the most.

So overall, my favorite was the Chili Nut M&M. I would definitely buy that one again and hope to before they potentially disappear. I would also buy the Honey Nut again, even though it is the most similar to the original Peanut M&M. I personally would not buy the Coffee Nut again, but would certainly take a few if I was offered them. 

My mom also tried them and said she found them to be well done and very flavorful. Her favorite was “hands down” the Chili Nut though. A friend of mine also tried them and seemed to lean towards the Coffee Nut. So I really think it is a matter of what flavors you personally like and how much you enjoy Peanut M&Ms. After trying the three flavors, my brain tried to think of other potential peanut M&M flavors and my mind came up with “Maple Nut” and “Banana Nut” and maybe a merger of the Crispy M&Ms and Peanut M&Ms (“Crispy Nut”?). They could also combine Peanut Butter M&Ms with Peanut M&Ms to make a double peanut butter combination (“Double Nut”?). 

 I really like this idea and hope M&Ms try something similar to this again!