Toffee Crisp (Nestle)

Reviewer: Ben Kirby
Purchased: Tesco Extra (Scunthorpe)

Well, a cereal created with the branding and flavours of a chocolate bar!  Not an original concept, but certainly the first one I've reviewed.  Certainly an appealing prospect, and something I seriously looked forward to.

The initial question I had was "do I even enjoy a Toffee Crisp?", I couldn't tell you the last time I had one, but I don't dislike them, I just don't favour them over other options.

So, is the cereal the same satisfying gooey/chocolatey/crunchy experience? Erm....no. 1 out of 3, and I don't think that one particular factor is a good thing to be honest.  Fact: the "crunchy" element is actually a detriment to the cereal.

Let's start at the beginning though.

You open the box, and the bag, ready to experience a chocolatey smell, not dissimilar to maybe the choco caramel Shreddies I've already reviewed, or even the chocolate Cheerios, or any other chocolate cereal really.  Alas, nothing but a strange cardboard-type fragrance.

Not a good start.

So, ok, not hitting one of my sense immediately doesn't mean that there's not going be a bad taste or anything really.  It just means it's not a fragrant cereal right?

Nope!  It means (in this case) the flavour was apparently the least important factor when creating this cereal.  Perhaps behind branding and pricing?

I seriously think that this cereal was put together to be bought due to it being a familiar looking box that would make you think "ooh, I bet they're good!".  Let's be fair, it's exactly what happened to me!

You pour them out into the bowl and you have 2 types of cereal, some hard (crunchy) chocolate bobble clusters, and some crispy  balls of what I expect is supposed to be a toffee flavour.

They look appealing, but the flavours just aren't there.  There's a sweet and almost creamy taste, but a cardboard-esque flavour the sits behind anything pleasant.  The chocolate bobbles are reminiscent of other "crunchy" chocolate cereals, but the taste of chocolate is at a minimum, and they really are incredibly hard or "crunchy", maybe too much so.  As for the "toffee" crispy balls, well, they're so smooth on the tongue that the contrast in texture alone is off-putting, and the lack of anything other than a creamy sweet flavour that barely resembles toffee is just the final nail in the coffin.

You might think "hey, Ben, wait! Maybe all the flavour washed into the milk!".  No. It didn't.  You're left with some semi-sweet milk, but it's not exactly noteworthy.  Just another addition to the list of disappointments.

Maybe my expectations were higher than they should be? Surely though, anyone who sees the bright package and is familiar with the brand, would have similar expectations?

It's not inedible, but it's not nice to eat.  It's just a big disappointment that (metaphorically speaking) leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Lack of flavour, horrible mixture of textures and what would appear to be more time spent on packaging than actual development, means that this is one to avoid.

1/5 

Don't be suckered in! If you like a Toffee Crisp, have one.  Avoid this abomination at all costs.

Have I been too harsh on this? Am I right? Join in! Leave a comment, let me know what you think!

- Ben