Sometimes Foodie: What's cooler than being cool?

Caramel Cold Brew m&m's - Walmart

What makes a non-coffee product "cold brew,"-flavored vs. normal "coffee"-flavored?

Is it a more concentrated coffee flavor? Was actual cold brew involved at all? I doubt it.

I think this product is guilty of trend-chasing but, that doesn't mean that it sounds bad. Caramel and coffee go together like peanut butter and jelly! (Side note: it's nice to see brands releasing more grounded flavors. I love wacky stuff, but I have written 1800+ food reviews. Enough that you could read one of my posts every single day for 5 years. I have a pretty good gauge for what will work, vs. what won't, so wacky stuff can be fun, but after years of throwing away half eaten novelty items, it just feels wasteful. If I can tell I won't like it, I try not to buy it.)

Specialty flavors usually have a unique color palette, but these are the same red, yellow, orange, green, brown and blue as the year-round m&m's. Is this a permanent addition? If so, I feel like the line-up is getting cluttered, but maybe this will be worthy of it's spot. Let's see!

Popping a few into my mouth, I get the same Rolo-but-better experience, but this time there is a deep, almost chocolate syrup-like, coffee flavoring. As well as a distinct coffee after-taste. As suspected, this is definitely coffee flavored, but cold-brew? I feel like that was a bit of a flourish. It's good, similar to the Coffee Time syrup I reviewed all those years ago, but as a rarely-ever coffee drinker, I found the concentrated flavoring to be a bit much after just a handful of snacking.

Coffee lovers, your mileage may vary. If your go-to coffee order involves lots of syrup pumps, you'll adore this. Black coffee drinkers, or anyone who grinds their own beans and do fancy coffee-people-stuff, this definitely isn't for you.

Since it's so hot, what with it being summer and all, I keep most of my chocolate candies in the fridge, and these were no exception. Chilled, the caramel gets pretty hard, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone with delicate dental work, but being cold does make the "cold brew" flavor much more believable.

These are enjoyable, but I feel more than satisfied after a handful. I think I'll use the rest of my bag as a mix-in for cookies or brownies in baking. What about you? Do you drink more coffee than I do? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.