Butterfinger Buzz is a limited edition King Size candy bar loaded with 80 mg of caffeine — the same as the majority of energy drinks on the market. I found them at my local video rental store when picking up my copy of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop to review, in hopes it would get me through a night of zombie-slaying while waggling my Wiimote.

I know what some of you are saying, though. Candy and Caffeine? Didn’t we try that with those horrible Vojo Energy Mints a while back?

Caffeinated candies are certainly nothing new, but finding good ones can prove to be hard work. Caffeine is a very bitter-tasting substance, and adding caffeine to things is never a good idea if you can’t balance the flavors properly to cover it up. Even Jolt Gum and Snickers Charged, two of the best caffeinated candies on the market, have a noticeable bitter bite when held in comparison to other gum’s or chocolate bars.

Butterfingers have always been my favorite candy, though. Nothing beats the smooth texture of its creamy chocolate coating that covers the crunchy core composed of a crispy combination of  compact peanut butter and sugar that crumbles in your mouth with every satisfying crunch. Take that Butterfinger B.B. slogan! “Crispety, Crunchety, Butterfinger BB’s!” ain’t got nothing on me!

Upon primary visual inspection, everything that I loved about the original seems to be intact with the Buzz. The only difference I was able to notice was that the core of the candy was a much darker orange color than its mother.

Now it’s time to test the taste and texture. Texture first, of course. You see, my absolute favorite thing about Butterfingers isn’t the way it tastes, but rather picking the crunchy substance out of your back teeth and sucking the chewed up chunks off of my finger. I know it sounds disgusting, but getting a huge chunk of leftover Butterfinger out of your molars is one of the most satisfying feelings I know.

A+! The Butterfinger Buzz manages to retain nearly the exact same texture as the original bar. And knowing that the Buzz is packed full of caffeine makes picking those slimy crisps out of my molars much more satisfying.

But does Butterfinger Buzz beat the bitter bite that’s plagued-caffeine cramped candies since the very beginning? While there is a slight bitter flavor detectable amongst the pure delight of peanut butter and chocolate, it is very, very subtle.

If you were to give it to a friend who didn’t know it was caffeinated, I doubt they would notice anything different about it at all. It has the same delicious flavor and texture as the original candy bar with the least noticeable bitter taste out of any caffeinated candies I’ve ever tried, especially caffeinated chocolates.

The only thing about the Butterfinger Buzz that really bothers me is the fact that it is only available as a limited edition candy. And I mean very limited. So limited in fact, that it should have been yanked from store shelves at the end of April, but supplies lasted long enough for the promotion to bleed into May. If you really want one of these you need to high-tail it to the nearest 7-Eleven or video store and see if you can’t secure your own bar. That or the internet.

Final Words:

The Butterfinger Buzz is easily the best caffeinated candy bar I’ve ever had. The bitter flavor added by the caffeine is hardly noticeable unless you are looking for it, it retains the same taste and texture that makes the original Butterfinger such a popular favorite, and it has the same amount of caffeine as most energy drinks on the market.

If you like Butterfingers and energy drinks, this is for you.

Pros

• 80 mg of caffeine…
• … That you can barely taste!
• Same taste and texture as the original

Cons

• It’s promo time is already over, good luck ever getting to taste this exquisite candy

Score: 9.0/10 (Amazing)

Taste: 9.75/10 (If you liked the original you’ll love this. Caffeine is barely noticeable)
Kick: 9.0/10 (Candy that kicks your ass into a higher gear than any other chocolate out there)
Value: 8.5/10 (Slightly more than a regular King Size, 80 mg more caffeine!)