Peter Paul Almond Joy

Product name: Peter Paul Almond Joy
Purchase details: £1.25 for a 45g pack of two pieces (monstersweets.co.uk)
Calories: 220 per pack
Country of origin: USA 

The Almond Joy bar is a concept similar to that of the UK’s Bounty. It was previously made by the Peter Paul Company and, although it is now manufactured by Hershey’s, it still bears the Peter Paul name on the wrapper.

Described as ‘milk chocolate, coconut and almonds’, the only difference between this bar and the Bounty appeared to be the addition of the two almonds that sat on top of each piece’s coconut base and beneath the chocolate coating. Whilst the nuts were a bit lopsided, the product was generally well-presented with a good shade of milk chocolate, and it had a rich coconut aroma that was very similar to Bounty’s.

I was initially disappointed by the coconut as it was quite grey in appearance. However, it provided a delicious flavour with a hint of creaminess. It was also very moist and bitty – like desiccated coconut in paste form. I thought the almonds were a great addition, both for the flavour and the crunch, with a slight woodiness being added to the sweet coconut experience.

Unfortunately, the chocolate couldn’t really be detected when combined with the other ingredients. I did try some on its own and found it didn’t even taste like chocolate and it had a strange, soft and slightly rough texture. However, I’m aware that this may have been a result of its contact with the coconut. 

Since I am a big coconut fan, I did really enjoy this Almond Joy. However, I’m not convinced it was as good as the Bounty due to its barely recognisable chocolate. That said, I felt that the almonds did add that little bit extra to the bar and so the overall experience was still a worthwhile one. 

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7.5/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 7.38/10