Not as SMART as they once were! (Nestle Smarties)

Member Name: Wee_Jackie_163

Product:	Nestle Smarties
Date:	07/07/09 (69 review reads)
Rating:

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Any regular readers of my reviews will be well aware that I am something of a chocoholic. This fact is rather unfortunate, in terms of both my pocket money and my dentist bills. Oops.

I have always been a fan of sweets, chocolate and all those things that taste great but are bad for you. I remember some of the sweeties from my childhood with nostalgia and something akin to a deep affection, but what I have found is that many of them just don't taste as good as I remember, as if some vital ingredient is missing from today's recipe.

Nestle Smarties are no exception.

Not only is the packaging wholeheartedly disappointing, but the sweeties themselves seem to be lacking something vital nowadays.

The tube itself is no longer a cylinder-shaped heavy cardboard effort. It also is lacking the plastic cap with which my sister and I used to take great enjoyment in 'racing' our lids by popping them from the top of the empty Smarties tube and making them fly across the room, much to the annoyance of my mother. I remember that said plastic lids got accidentally sucked up the hoover on one occasion, to the extent that said hoover got broken, and our backsides got duly smacked. I can almost still feel the stinging sensation as I type this. Needless to say, this 'game' of ours was subsequently banned from the house.

The tube nowadays is not as sturdy. Made of thinner card, it is hexagonal in shape and the 'lid' is simply a piece of the same card that pops up, revealing a 'hole' from which your smarties can be shaken out from the tube. A truly rubbish and uninspiring design!

The sweets themselves, on first glance, are exactly as I remember them. Little coloured discs, within which there is a yummy milk chocolate centre, which is covered in a crispy coloured shell.

Upon taking a closer look though, the colours of the sweets seem to be a bit 'washed out' looking and are definitely not as bright as I remember. This is probably due to the awareness in our society today with regards to artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives and all that jazz. Shame really, because the overall taste (and appearance) of these sweets is compromised as a result.

The taste, while I am on the subject, is not as satisfying as I remember. The orange smarties in particular, always tasted of orange, and whilst in today's offerings there is an underlying hint to this flavour, they are by no means as strong-tasting or as evident as they used to be.

I distinctly remember keeping all the orange-coloured Smarties to the end of my tube as a youngster. Doing the same practice with a tube from today seems almost pointless as the orange taste is not as noticeable, and therefore the enjoyment gained from eating an orange smartie by itself is hardly worthwhile.

Oh well, another sweetie from my childhood that hasn't lived up to its newer (and healthier) image.

Nestle Smarties will provide 457 Calories and 17.2g of fat per 100g. The nutritional information on the side of the cardboard tube makes no reference to allergies or whether the products are suitable for vegetarians.

There is, however the bold and somewhat smug statement "No artificial Colours or Flavours". I think this, dear dooyooers is definitely where our problem lies.

I for one would happily welcome a few added flavours and colours to make these a more enjoyable snack, but that's probably just me.

Nestle Smarties are available from all good Supermarkets and stockists of chocolate and confectionary items. I bought my tube in my local Grocery store for the sum of 52 pence. They are also available in multi-packs.

I will give Nestle Smarties only three stars because I did sort of enjoy them, but I would not rush out to buy them again, and standards are lacking when compared to the way they used to taste and look.

Summary: Do Smarties REALLY have the answer...?!?