M&Ms, the iconic candy-coated chocolate has been in the news a lot lately: a month after the candy's new and less sexy characters prompted a conservative backlash, the Mars-owned candy brand is teasing fans with a new flavor.
Introduced in 1941 in the red, yellow, green, brown, orange, and violet colors, M&M's are still most commonly associated with the original chocolate interior and peanut varieties. But the company has, over the years, experimented with a wide range of both temporary and permanent new flavors — some were seasonal offerings for holidays like Halloween or Christmas while some like the caramel version have become beloved shelf mainstays.
M&M has tried a lot of flavors, according to a list posted by Taquitos.com. At various times the company has offered birthday cake, chili nut, coconut, coffee nut, crispy s’mores, crunch espresso, crunchy mint, crunchy raspberry, English toffee peanut, fudge brownie, hazelnut spread, honey nut, café mocha, caramel, holiday mint, chocolate pecan pie, mint chocolate, orange vanilla cream, triple chocolate, candy corn, peppermint, pumpkin pie, jalapeno peanut, pretzel, strawberry nut, Thai coconut peanut, white chocolate, wild cherry, and more at various times.
What Is The Latest M&M Flavor?
Meant to come out in time for Easter, the Milk Chocolate Honey Graham M&M's feature a "crisp rice center covered in honey graham flavored milk chocolate." The outside has the familiar candy coating in golden brown, yellow, and brown colors and is meant to resemble the S'Mores cookie in flavor (although without the marshmallow.)
While the company hasn't confirmed whether this latest offering is a mainstay or a limited edition (quite often, a particular edition's popularity is used to determine whether to keep it around long-term), the Milk Chocolate Honey Graham M&M's have already started appearing in retailers like Walgreens (WBA) and Walmart (WMT). Some reports claim that they will be available everywhere that M&Ms are sold post-Valentine's Day.
M&Ms Had a 'Woke' Controversy, No Really
No stranger to news coverage, M&Ms recently found itself at the center of a press firestorm after making changes to the anthropomorphic chocolate characters that have become a core part of its brand.
The changes, which the company made public last month, are very slight: one of the visibly female M&Ms is no longer striking a "flirty" pose and wearing sneakers instead of high heels while the boot-like shoes worn by the Orange M&M now have tied instead of untied laces.
M&M's/TheStreet
The move prompted a predictable response from conservative media outlets; Fox host Tucker Carlson's claimed that "M&M's will not be satisfied until every last cartoon character is deeply unappealing and totally androgynous."
Some Wild M&M Flavors From The Past
But in reality, M&Ms has been experimenting with different flavors and concepts for as long as the company has been around — new and seasonal flavors, in particular, have become a way to generate new hype around a product that has been around for almost 80 years.
Over the years, M&Ms has experimented with a number of different temporary and permanent flavors. Caramel, crispy, and almond varieties have by now become ubiquitous while some die-hard candy fans still pine after discontinued seasonal options like the Orange Vanilla Cream and Carrot Cake M&M's.
The Spicy Chili Nut M&Ms of 2016, meanwhile, still often makes worst-of flavor rankings compiled by fans.
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