Product Review: Hershey's Special Dark Pieces

Hershey's recently launched a new line called Pieces. They are described as "candy in a crunchy shell." The brands they included in the Pieces line are Reese's, Almond Joy, York and Special Dark.

Photo credit: www.totallytarget.com

I wasn't really interested in it, but I had a $2 off coupon, and the candy was just $2.99 so I decided to try it to see if it was worth my buck.

What I am really curious about is the fact that Hershey's discontinued the Kissables line which was very similar to the Pieces products, and yet created this "new" line. The only difference was the shape - Kissables were shaped like the traditional Hershey's Kisses chocolate, but was candy coated. I actually liked it. Oh well. Some good things never last.

Photo Credit: sugarstand.com

After trying the Hershey's Special Dark Variety, here are my two cents worth.


What I liked:

- The Dark variety. We all know that dark chocolate contains more cocoa, flavonoids, and other supposedly healthy stuff. Yeah! The perfect excuse to stuff my mouth with more chocolate!
- Reasonably priced. The 297g pack costs $2.99 which is ok compared to M&Ms.
- The chocolate center is smooth. It's not silky like Dove or Godiva, but regular Hershey's standards.
- Just 180 calories for 50 pieces. Wow.


What I didn't like:

- The colors are bleak and ominous. Red, brown and maroon. Come on. They're not even shiny and pretty like M&M's shells. They probably couldn't have it in rainbow colors cause the M&M's lawyers would be at their tails in no time.
- The shells are thicker than M&Ms. And these shells are made of sugar so it made the candy sweeter than I would have preferred.


The verdict:

The Hershey's Special Dark Pieces are excellent, especially if you like the Hershey's line of chocolate. It adds crunch to the same old flavor we love. But I would still stick with M&M's cause I prefer their thin candy coating. Hershey's tried (and failed?) the crunchy shell avenue before, just a proof that the M&M's brand is still top dog at the candy coating division.

Would I recommend it to a friend? Sure, if I know that they like Hershey's. Would I buy it again? I would consider it if they make a Milk Chocolate version. And only if I have a $2 off coupon.