I tried 24 kinds of M&M candies and found only a few flavors beat the original treat

First impression: I'm curious about who set the market for these. Who keeps asking for white-chocolate anything? I don't get it, and I don't like it.

If Mars ruins the near-perfect peanut M&M with this chocolate impersonator, I will be upset. 

Review: These had an odd taste and I didn't enjoy these at all. 

How did Mars ruin a peanut M&M? They're so good that it just doesn't seem possible. If you like white chocolate, you may enjoy these, but it's hard for me to say. 

For me, the worst part is that these look like a regular peanut M&M, like some sort of wolf in candy coating. 

First impression: I really don't have very high hopes for these. Don't get me wrong, mint and chocolate can be great, but that's why I'm nervous.

If these were that amazing, I think they'd be famous by now and right up there with the York Peppermint Patty. 

Ultimately, these candies smell extremely minty, but I don't buy it.  

Review: These reminded me of the candies you get when you pay the check at some restaurants.

You think they're going to be mints, but then they're actually a minty sort of chocolate that leaves you thinking, "This isn't the worst thing, but I could've gone without trying it." 

First impression: Man, I just don't know about this flavor. It has the same weird appeal as sticking your hand into a dark, rocky crevice. I know nothing good can come of it, but there's still a bizarre pull to try it.

Orange isn't my favorite flavor but, more than that, these are made with white chocolate, which I already mentioned my passionate dislike for. 

Review: These were really good and tasted like an orange ice pop ... until I got to the white chocolate. The texture of these is a bit odd, too, which threw me off. 

Still, they weren't my least favorite since I think these have a genuinely interesting flavor and I support taking chances like this.

First impression: Unfortunately, I have a hazelnut allergy, so I had a guest tester try the hazelnut M&Ms for me and relay their thoughts. I'm ready for them to be blown away, though, because these sound pretty tasty. 

First impression from Guest Taster: "I'm thinking these will be sweet, rich, and nutty, like hazelnut spread in a small chocolate shell. They should have a luscious texture in the center, kind of like the peanut-butter M&Ms. I'm excited to try these." 

Review from Guest Taster: "I didn't like these as much as I thought I would. For starters, the filling is nothing like the mainstream hazelnut spreads that I'm used to – it's way too sweet, and not nearly as luscious as it should be. Also, I got no hazelnut notes whatsoever. These taste nothing like hazelnut, and just like too much sugar."

First impression: The concept of these sounds pretty great since I like fudge brownies and I love M&Ms — but why would I need both at once? 

Review: These are good, but not extraordinary. Because these are so chocolaty, I couldn't see myself "accidentally" eating a whole big bag, which is honestly something I want in an M&M.

Eating these feels like the equivalent of trying to speed read a Charles Dickens novel — not ideal, just too dense.

I think these would be better in an ice-cream sundae to help break up the heaviness a bit.

First impression: M&Ms come in white. Cool. Don't let it fool you, though. This is basically just two of the five classic M&M colors with white added.

Review: If you grab a handful of these at a Fourth of July party in the dark, you won't know what color they are because they taste the same as the regular M&Ms, so who cares.

Besides, I'm not feeling very patriotic lately so I can't really put these too high on the list. 

First impression: Pretty much the same as with the other red, white, and blue mix, except I love peanuts. 

Review: I will leave my thoughts on this for the later entry on the classic peanut M&Ms. Stay tuned.

Just know that these did not earn any favor for their patriotic coloring. 

First impression: I was skeptical, but then I opened up the bag and got a whiff. These M&Ms smelled almost like maple syrup — as if someone was tapping a tree in front of me.

This flavor won the Flavor Vote in 2019, meaning fans chose this variety out of a few others to become part of Mars' typical lineup. Let's see if my taste buds align with the masses. 

Review: I liked these, but there was just too much going on.

The toffee smell was more potent than the toffee taste, and that only took away from the peanut.

It was like trying to listen to the unmixed version of your favorite album or watching a movie that hasn't been color corrected. They're nice and you see where they're going, but they're not there yet. 

First impression: I'm just not sure about this one. I'm really not sold on the mint aspect, and if there's a lot of it in the chocolate, I don't think it'll be for me.

Crisps and M&M Minis are great, but I just don't know if that can carry this bar. 

Review: I actually enjoyed this bar a whole lot more than the regular mint candies.

The crisped rice was delicious, and it cut the flavor well. This tasted sort of like somebody melted down a bunch of mint chocolate chip ice cream and then just collected the chips.

Do with that what you will. 

First impression: I like dark chocolate, but it's not my favorite. Maybe it's just because I was raised by a woman who would sometimes buy cacao beans and just snack on those. Milk chocolate was a treat, so I always gravitate toward it.

With that said, I respect the classy direction that Mars is taking here, and have decently high expectations. 

Review: I think for true fans of dark chocolate, these are a great choice.

The chocolate itself was decent quality, which was a pleasant surprise. For me, though, these were too heavy to eat too many at a time. 

First impression: A few years ago, I remember being really excited to try these before a movie.

I snuck them into the theater and was so unimpressed by them that I almost went out and bought a different candy from the concessions stand. 

That's not to say they were bad, but this could be such a good flavor with the right caramel, and Mars kind of missed the mark. 

Review: This might be a "hot take," but I don't really think chocolate is the best complement to caramel. They're both too savory, and I prefer a contrast.

With that said, these are decent, but the flavors overpower each other. I can't enjoy the caramel or chocolate as much as I'd like. 

First impression: These are the original, milk-chocolate candy but smaller. On the one hand, they're so small and cute.

On the other, why would I want less M&M in every bite when I could have more? 

Review: It's satisfying to eat a bunch of these at once, but they also scatter pretty easily.

After reaching an age where keeping a clean house is important to me, that's annoying. These are fun to eat when they cross my path, but not my favorite. 

First impression: The dark chocolate could improve an already excellent combination, or it could overpower things the way it does for the regular cacao.

I also want to know why this bag of dark-chocolate M&Ms is 49% cacao and the other is 50%. Did the peanuts force a percentage of the cacao out? Or is this some sort of magic recipe? 

Review: These were very good, but I'm comparing them to the original peanut M&Ms, and they weren't better than those. 

First Impression: Personally, I'm afraid that this combination of chocolate and Minis may compromise the integrity of the M&M.

Milk chocolate is excellent — but, on its own, an M&M achieves a balance that I don't want to mess with. 

Review: Delicious, but it doesn't have the full impact of an M&M.

It just tastes like great chocolate to me with a little bit of crunch from the Minis. If you want a chocolate bar, I recommend this. If you're craving an M&M, have something else. 

First impression: I think I'm going to like this one. As far as I'm concerned, there has never been a bad chocolate and almond combination.

I also think the Minis are going to nicely tie all of the flavors and textures together. 

Review: It's delicious, but I'd like some more almonds — this bar just had a few slivers. I felt a little bit cheated in that respect.

It was like watching most Philip Seymour Hoffman movies. The guy was so good, why couldn't Paul Thomas Anderson have given him like two more scenes? 

First impression: I think crunchy candy bars are highly underrated and believe these will be, too.

It's going to be interesting to see how the crunch works with the shell. I could see there being too much somehow.

Also, how does Mars do it? Is it just more puffed or crisped rice? 

Review: These are really fun to eat, and they kind of taste like the chocolate rice-cereal treats.

Even though these are great, they're more fun to eat than they are to taste. There are just too many crunchy bits for me to rank them higher. 

First impression: How funny would it be if I'd never tried M&Ms before? 

Review: This is just a great candy, and I can eat the whole bag before realizing that I opened it.

The way the milk chocolate works with the candy shell is superb — the crunch is part of the experience. It's a complete classic that launched an empire. 

First impression: I feel I always enjoy the crisp rice, and this candy bar seems like a good place for the Minis.

Review: This bar was excellent. The Minis really added just a little extra crunch to the rice, which was even better than crispy M&Ms.

Also, can I just say that M&M's milk chocolate is severely underrated? I think it ranks up there with Ghirardelli and Hershey's.

First impression: Unlike the mint-flavored M&Ms, I could see these being a well-kept secret.

Almonds just feel more expensive than peanuts, and I could imagine how Mars wouldn't want people to get hooked. 

Anyway, I'm a big fan of almonds, and I'm a big fan of M&Ms. 

Review: These are excellent, and they reminded me of one of my favorite coconut-almond candy bars. Maybe almond M&Ms would be better with a touch of coconut. 

That aside, the chocolate-covered almond with a nice, candy shell is a great combination, and you can't go wrong if you come across these.

They also just taste high-class. For some reason, eating them makes me feel like I'm in a knockoff pistachio commercial.

First impression: I think the peanuts are going to be really good in this chocolate because I already know that peanuts are really delicious in chocolate. 

Review: This was pretty darn delicious. There was more peanut here than there was almond in the almond bar, which I enjoyed.

That said, the peanut-to-M&M ratio isn't as ideal as if I were to just eat peanut M&Ms. 

First impression: I've never wanted less candy, so I'm excited about these. 

Review: I still like the classic peanut M&M a little better since it has the perfect amount of peanut and chocolate.

Some of these candies just have too much peanut. 

First impression: Pretzel and chocolate is a great combination, and there's something to be said about the classics. 

I remember liking these every time I've had them, but I also know that pretzel is kind of hard to get right when it comes to snacks.

Review: This is how you nail a pretzel in candy. The pretzel bit is a tiny bit dry but the chocolate moistens it up. These have the perfect ratio of sweet and salty. 

First impression: This is my go-to when I buy M&Ms. I'm not sure if it's because having a peanut makes me feel healthier, or more full, or if I just like the taste better.

Review: It's almost an obsession to keep popping these in my mouth. The shell works great with the peanut because it adds an extra crunch.

The peanuts themselves seem to be unseasoned, which I never thought I'd prefer, but it really helps highlight the incredible candy and chocolate flavors. 

First impression: Peanut butter and chocolate? A combination that can't lose — unless you're a dog who can't eat the latter.

I love everything peanut butter so I have incredibly high expectations for this one.

Review: There's just a little dollop — the perfect amount — of peanut butter in each M&M.

First, you get hit with the chocolate, and you go, "Oh, that's good."

Next, you get hit with the peanut butter, and you go, "Oh, that's really good."

Then, you're left saying, "Man, that was great. I'd like another." And repeat. 

I can't believe this flavor isn't more popular and that I haven't seen these in more grocery stores and vending machines. 

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