I’m not impressed
I’d like to start this post by saying I’ve been waiting for the Elvis version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for, oh, at least a year now. I read about them online when they were just a twinkle in Lisa Marie’s eye, but now that they’re finally here, I have to say they’re just ok.
I am not sure if I am reacting to the “Big Cup” size, since that in and of itself is pretty overwhelming. Maybe it’s because I am seemingly sort of a purist when it comes to my Cups. I am not a fan of the miniature size either. I like my Cups as god made them—flat, round discs with a pie-like crimped chocolate crust, with a snappy crunch on the outside, creamy and smooth peanut butter crack on the inside. I want more than a single bite, but a bite that’s more than a mouthful is a waste. And Big Cups definitely tread into the excessive arena.
OK, so the real part I was excited about was the banana. I loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches as a kid. And though I believe Elvis’ take on this childhood treat often involved bacon, pork rinds, pickled pig ears or some such salty pork product, he did manage to elevate this humble snack to ambrosia status. With this in mind, the banana was the expected, super-artificial banana flavoring I was hoping it wasn’t, though it was not offensive. It just didn’t add much to the overall flavor of the candy. It was creamy and offered a smooth counterpart to the chalky texture of the Reese’s peanut butter, but really just couldn’t hold its own in flavor.
I don’t know whether or not the free 7-11 Slurpee chasers that we drank with the Cups actually helped our assessment or not. I think maybe the sugar-induced high helped. But here’s what I have to report back to the marketing team back at Reese’s:
-Two out of four people flat out refused to try the Elvis Big Cups
-The two people that tried the Elvis Big Cups found them not repulsive and oddly compelling, but not likely to cross our palettes again
To be fair, my overall attitude toward the Elvis Peanut Butter Cups does possibly have to do with my general disdain for the candy industry and its obsession to reinvent the wheel rather than stick to the tried and true candies of yore. Like how many versions of a Kit Kat bar or M&Ms can one be expected to embrace? Mint? Caramel? Dark Chocolate? Krispie? The varieties are mind boggling and often do not hold a candle to the original.
Anyway, maybe I am being too critical. Maybe I am unfairly judging the Elvis Cup against the original? Go to Walgreens and tell me what you think. But hurry, they’re only available for a limited time.
4 Comments
- Miranda replied:
I choose not to eat anything that features a picture of Bloated Elvis.
July 15th, 2007 at 10:28 pm. Permalink.
- MJ replied:
I’ll be impressed when they come out with the breakfast Reese’s cup. A concoction of peanut butter, Mrs. Buttersworth syrup, chocolate, Boo Berry cereal and a krispycreme donut sealed within a giant Reese’s cup. The “Butterchococreamybooworth Cup”
July 16th, 2007 at 3:18 pm. Permalink.
- Rozanne replied:
Not only am I not impressed, I’m repulsed. Banana flavoring is the worst, IMHO. I don’t really like real bananas, either, so that may be part of my issue with the Elvis Big Cup.
I predict that Reese’s is going to take a bath with this thing.
July 16th, 2007 at 4:47 pm. Permalink.
- Rozanne replied:
P.S. Have you ever read the book Candyfreak? If not, I recommend it very highly. Super hilarious.
Anyway, there’s a chapter in it called “Mistakes Were Made” about all the poorly thought out candy bars that are no longer with us (and some that are). If Candyfreak II ever comes out, I’m sure the author will be adding the Big Cup to the Mistakes Were Made chapter.
July 16th, 2007 at 4:50 pm. Permalink.
