Candy Megapoll Round 2.2: Skor Bar vs. Skittles

[Rat Diva]

Lollipop lollipop

Paging @faithfool to the megapoll...

[Detroit Hoser]

Duh. Skor wins.

[Borborygmi]

Hey, your vote for Skor bars got in my vote against Skittles! No, YOUR vote against Skittles got in MY vote for Skor bars!

Skor bars vs. Skittles. Two great entries that megapoll great together.

[NAF1138]

I know people feel strongly about skor bars. I'm not one of them. This poll is pretty meh..

[Idle Thoughts]

Skor sucks.

[Jaglavak]

Skittles are crap.

[Kat]

Yes. Yes, they are.

[Management]

Wili it be Skor against Heath, at long last?

[NAF1138]

Ok, so thoughts on the skor bar.

I had a Skor bar today for the first time in... I can't remember how long. It was good! I'm not sure it is so good that it deserves the passion that it stirs in some people on this board, but it's better than any mass produced Hershey product should be. It MAY even be better than a Heath bar. If you like chocolate and don't like almonds it's definitely a better choice.

Is it better than regular English toffee? No. Not even close. But it's still good.

First things first. Size. A regular full sized Skor is exactly the right amount of candy for a single sitting. Even a little bigger and it would be too much, but as it is it very much satisfies your candy craving without being more than just a few bites. Full marks. It's also a pretty good looking bar.

Texture is similarly good. It has a solid snap but was still easily bitable. Something that can sometimes be a problem with toffee candy is that they make you think you will break your teeth biting them, no problem on this front with Skor.

Chocolate. In a toffee candy I look at the chocolate as a bit player, but an important one. Much like a background singer you don't want to notice it. It should do its job, fill out the flavor of the whole candy but not draw attention to itself. The chocolate does this job very well. It's good chocolate, but not outstanding. Simple milk chocolate rounding out the flavor and adding a little bit too extra sweet to complement the butteryness of the toffee. I could have stood for something a little darker, personally, to help cut the richness on the bottom of the flavor pallet too, but this isn't a fatal flaw.

The toffee itself. Unlike Heath bars (of which skor are explicitly a clone) Skor doesn't have a nutty almond flavor at all. This is why I was thinking a darker chocolate would be good, because in a a Heath bar that almond note gives you a bit of bass. But skor is all about butter. It is a very rich very buttery toffee. With a strong almost salty butter taste and even a slightly buttery mouth feel. It's not bad. It is also way less sweet than I was expecting, and that's a good thing because any more sugar with all that butter would be too much. You would end up in Clark Bar territory. It does stick in your teeth a bit, like toffee does, but seems to stick less than other toffee I have had.

It's a solidly good candy bar and, if offered, I would gladly eat it again. Probably better than a Heath bar, if not quite as complex. The flavor it had is just much more balanced. That said, it doesn't come close to other toffee candy I have had. But for a mass production candy, especially one from Hershey, it's pretty damn good.

[Detroit Hoser]

I pretty much agree with all of this - I don't think Skor necessarily should take the whole thing (although I don't know which entry should win at this point) but it's far, far better than most mass produced candy bars.

Nice review, Uncle NAF.

[Jaglavak]

Way to focus group, dude!

[KidVermicious]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Ok, so thoughts on the skor bar.

I had a Skor bar today for the first time in... I can't remember how long. It was good! I'm not sure it is so good that it deserves the passion that it stirs in some people on this board, but it's better than any mass produced Hershey product should be. It MAY even be better than a Heath bar. If you like chocolate and don't like almonds it's definitely a better choice.

Is it better than regular English toffee? No. Not even close. But it's still good.

First things first. Size. A regular full sized Skor is exactly the right amount of candy for a single sitting. Even a little bigger and it would be too much, but as it is it very much satisfies your candy craving without being more than just a few bites. Full marks. It's also a pretty good looking bar.

Texture is similarly good. It has a solid snap but was still easily bitable. Something that can sometimes be a problem with toffee candy is that they make you think you will break your teeth biting them, no problem on this front with Skor.

Chocolate. In a toffee candy I look at the chocolate as a bit player, but an important one. Much like a background singer you don't want to notice it. It should do its job, fill out the flavor of the whole candy but not draw attention to itself. The chocolate does this job very well. It's good chocolate, but not outstanding. Simple milk chocolate rounding out the flavor and adding a little bit too extra sweet to complement the butteryness of the toffee. I could have stood for something a little darker, personally, to help cut the richness on the bottom of the flavor pallet too, but this isn't a fatal flaw.

The toffee itself. Unlike Heath bars (of which skor are explicitly a clone) Skor doesn't have a nutty almond flavor at all. This is why I was thinking a darker chocolate would be good, because in a a Heath bar that almond note gives you a bit of bass. But skor is all about butter. It is a very rich very buttery toffee. With a strong almost salty butter taste and even a slightly buttery mouth feel. It's not bad. It is also way less sweet than I was expecting, and that's a good thing because any more sugar with all that butter would be too much. You would end up in Clark Bar territory. It does stick in your teeth a bit, like toffee does, but seems to stick less than other toffee I have had.

It's a solidly good candy bar and, if offered, I would gladly eat it again. Probably better than a Heath bar, if not quite as complex. The flavor it had is just much more balanced. That said, it doesn't come close to other toffee candy I have had. But for a mass production candy, especially one from Hershey, it's pretty damn good.

Uh, NAF? You are way too invested in this candy bar analysis.

[Pure]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Ok, so thoughts on the skor bar.

Yup, and that it why those of us with a refined palate prefer the sumptuous Skor bar over the plebeian Heath bar.

[Detroit Hoser]

Exactly. It's like the difference between a cheddar aged for ten years compared to Kraft slices. Kraft is good in a pinch but there's nothing special or refined about it.

[Borborygmi]

NAF's essay is so beautiful as to bring tears to the eye. The next Skor bar I have shall be in his honor.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by KidVermicious

Uh, NAF? You are way too invested in this candy bar analysis.

Yes. Yes I am.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by KidVermicious

Uh, NAF? You are way too invested in this candy bar analysis.

Dude, you should have seen him with the poetry poll!

I can't vote because I've never had a Skor bar. Not a big toffee fan, but I do use Heath bars in baking a few recipes I have.

I don't like Skittles, but can't vote against (or for) a candy I haven't tried. This principle may not remain consistent...

[Detroit Hoser]

If you lived closer I'd personally deliver to you a Skor bar and the appropriate wine with which it pairs.

Edit: That is to say, I drink wine with pretty much everything.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

Yes. Yes I am.

I hope it was worth the zit on your face.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

I hope it was worth the zit on your face.

...


I think it was.

Yeaaahhh. It was.

[joyfool]

It's the butteriness that kicks Heath's ass. And some folks, although I won't say who, claim the greatness of a Skor is magnified times 10 if you put it in the fridge. Just a suggestion if you decide this thing needs further analysis, NAF.

[Detroit Hoser]

I put mine in the freezer. I then break it into pieces and nibble off the chocolate. When it's frozen the chocolate comes off in largish pieces. Once the chocolate is mostly off (sometimes I have to lick off that which won't come off by being nibbled) I suck on the toffee part until it's gone.

[Jaglavak]

I'll be in my bunk.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by Detroit Hoser

If you lived closer I'd personally deliver to you a Skor bar and the appropriate wine with which it pairs.

Edit: That is to say, I drink wine with pretty much everything.

You're a good person and a good friend.

[Zeener Diode]

Originally Posted by Detroit Hoser

Kraft is good in a pinch

If you mean, "suitable for repelling mice or vermin", then yes.

[Detroit Hoser]

Well, yes. I mean "Kraft is good when you don't really need to taste the cheese at all."

[Kat]

When is that? I always need to taste the cheese. Mmmmm....cheeeeeeese.

[Detroit Hoser]

Seriously, cheese is serious delicious bidniz. I guess maybe in a Mexican dish with hot peppers and chorizo that's going to sear off every taste bud before you can get the melty, stringy cheese into your mouth it might not count as much but then that's probably going to be Monterey Jack, not aged cheddar. God, I love cheese.

I made grits for breakfast this morning for the express purpose of having a vehicle for extra sharp cheddar.