Flavorful debate puts a lot on the palate
M&M’s flavours sold at Union Station pop-up sure to ignite debate
While it’s true that there is no accounting for taste, sometimes, irrationally, you just want others to like what you like.
Take the new flavours from M&M’s.
From April 22 to June 24, they’re offering Mexican jalapeno peanut, English toffee peanut and Thai coconut peanut in stores and at a pop-up at Union Station.
We tried them at the office and, sure enough, battle lines were drawn.
I enjoyed the Thai coconut peanut. It had a nice coconut taste that gave way to lemongrass and Thai curry flavour on the finish. But many found the coconut flavours off-putting and many just plain don’t like coconut. How can you not like coconut?
I found some kindred spirits who joined me on Team Coconut, and have the utmost respect for their obviously superior palates.
The jalapeno flavour was definitely a fan favourite. The sweetness of the chocolate and peanut gave way to a pop of jalapeno that lingered on the finish. Some wondered if they’d be able to eat a whole bag because the heat might become overpowering. While I’m a fan of chocolate and heat together, I felt the combination was just a bit obvious.
There was a very strong reaction to the English toffee. Many found it too sweet. The toffee was overpowering. One person suggested that since M&M’s already has a caramel flavour, toffee was perhaps a bit redundant. But nevertheless, some championed the toffee and I’m trying hard not to judge.
Many people agreed that the flavours were as billed, they weren’t manufactured or artificial tasting — they were true to what they purported to be.
M&M’s Flavour Vote first launched in the U.S. in 2016 and the program expanded to Canada in 2018.
Last year’s Flavour Vote focused on three crunchy flavours: crunchy raspberry, mint and espresso. Crunchy mint was the winner.
This year, M&M’s took an international approach to the Flavour Vote after finding trends that suggested Canadians want to try bolder, unexpected flavours. You can vote online at flavourvote.mms.com/homeor on social media using #VoteMexicanJalapeno, #VoteEnglishToffee and #VoteThaiCoconut.