New year, new flavors! Beloved candy brand M&M’s is releasing three new flavors this 2019. According to SnackChatLive, these internationally inspired flavors are called Mexican Jalapeño Peanut, Thai Coconut Peanut, and English Toffee Peanut.
Brent Timm, the vlogger behind SnackChatLive, announced the upcoming release of the new flavors on his Instagram account last September. While Mars Incorporated — the company that makes M&M’s — has yet to announce the official launch date for the new flavors, Timm claimed that they will be available by winter or spring this year.
In a September interview with TODAY Food, Timm described what the new flavors taste like. “The Mexican Jalapeño M&M’s have the same classic crunch and milk chocolate flavor as traditional peanut M&M’s, but with a very mild jalapeño flavor that kicks in after a few bites,” Timm said. “They have a great, natural jalapeño taste, with just a subtle hint of spice. For all the snackers who are averse to spicy foods — don’t worry! — these spicy M&M’s won’t have you calling the fire department, or guzzling a glass of milk.”
In his vlog, Timm said that the jalapeño taste of the Mexican Jalapeño M&M’s is “very light and very subtle.” “Within the first two seconds of chewing, you’re gonna taste the jalapeno but you’re not actually gonna feel the spice for 15 to 20 seconds in, and even then, it’s super mild and kind of at the back of your taste buds,” Timm explained.
The Thai Coconut Peanut M&M’s, meanwhile, has the “perfect amount of coconut flavoring and that the combination of coconut and milk chocolate is a match made in heaven,” Timm told TODAY Food.
“It’s definitely more of a coconut oil taste than the coconut flavor you would find in a Mounds bar,” Timm added of the flavor in his vlog. “It’s just got the right amount of coconut flavor. Any more would be a little too much, and any less, I think the chocolate would really disguise it.”
Among the three new flavors, the English Toffee Peanut is Timm’s personal favorite. “The English Toffee Peanut M&M’s were my absolute favorite out of the three new flavors,” Timm told TODAY Food. “The toffee flavor was incredibly bold and robust, with a delicious coffee and caramel essence. Highly addicting!”
According to Timm, these three new flavors will be released as part of a new voting contest. Just last year, as pointed out by PopSugar, M&M’s let fans vote on a new Crunchy flavor. And among the three contenders — Crunchy Espresso, Crunchy Raspberry, and Crunchy Mint — it was the Crunchy Mint M&M’s that ended up winning the permanent spot.
While the Mexican Jalapeño Peanut M&M’s appears to be the most unconventional among the new flavors, Timm doesn’t think it’s enough for it to win the contest. “The jalapeño flavor will definitely raise some eyebrows, and attract the more adventurous snackers, but I don’t think they’ll have enough appeal to become a permanent flavor,” he said.