MOLASSES CHIPS
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Long thin strips with wavy chocolate coating.
CAPSULE REVIEW: A variation on the classic "honeycomb" confection, molasses chips are available in both milk and dark chocolate. The coating on these crunchy bars is almost thick enough to bite off and eat on its own, much as you might eat the filling of an Oreo separately from the cookie. Sees sells these in one pound boxes as well, and while they lack the variety of the Assorted Chocolates, on a taste-value-for-the-pound basis, it's an option well worth considering.
SCORE: 9

PENUCHE FUDGE
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Short rectangle (almost square) with three or four waves going diagonally across the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: The maple/brown sugar-like penuche fudge would perhaps better stand on its own without a milk chocolate coating, both in terms of taste and texture (the chocolate is creamy, where the penuche is crumbly/powdery). Yet there's enough of each that if you wait for the chocolate to melt in your mouth, you get the luscious penuche fudge as the aftertaste.
SCORE: 8.5

SCOTCHMALLOW
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: The largest cylindrical shape in the box (not counting the patties). Fairly smooth except for a single tell-tale wave on top in the center.
CAPSULE REVIEW: With a thick layer of caramel topped with a thick layer of marshmallow and a dark chocolate coating, the wondrous Scotchmallow should be the first piece you reach for in the box. Both marshmallow and caramel are firm enough to stand alone without being too hard, and there's enough of each that you can bite into the layers separately. Candy purists may claim there's no such thing as a perfect 10, but the Scotchmallow will melt the heart of the most hardened cynic.
SCORE: 10

ALMOND CLUSTER
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Chaotic jumble of nuts beneath chocolate. Slightly smaller overall than the milk chocolate cluster.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Almonds suspended in milk chocolate. That's it. Not bad, certainly, but folks, this is just one step above Raisinettes. Bring Assorted Chocolates to work, and these are almost certain to be the last ones left in the box. Sheer filler.
SCORE: 2.5

WALNUT RAISIN BUTTERCREAM
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Cylindrical candy (but slightly smaller than the Scotchmallow). Top has two small bumps connected with a V shape.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Beneath the dark chocolate exterior is a buttercream filling with some kind of finely ground nuts, probably walnuts, and raisins. One of the lesser pieces in the Assorted Chocolates menagerie.
SCORE: 5

WALNUT CLUSTER
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Chaotic jumble of nuts beneath chocolate. Distinguishable from the almond cluster by the slightly smaller nuts.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Walnuts suspended in milk chocolate. However high you may want to score this on execution, its gotta get slammed on low degree of difficulty. Another one bringing up the rear of the pack, and docked half a point for being walnuts.
SCORE: 2

DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTER
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Dark chocolate cylindrical candy (but smaller than the Scotchmallow). Top surface is more turbulent than other cylinders, with waves of chocolate near the edges as well as down the center.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Smooth chocolate buttercream bathed in dark chocolate. With this combination, the coating and filling tend to blend together -- not so good for those who like their flavors to subtly complement (rather than mimic) each other, but for hardcore chocoholics, this is the one to grab.
SCORE: 8.75

MOCHA
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Rectangular/oval candy covered with sprinkles.
CAPSULE REVIEW: A sublime fusion of coffee and chocolate flavors, though the appeal of sprinkles has always been lost on me (try eating a handful and you'll know what I mean; too often they have little flavor beyond a pasty aftertaste). But these go down smoothly. Surely one of the four or five best pieces in the box.
SCORE: 9.5

CHERRY WALNUT CREAM
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Small hemisphere with smooth surface. Slightly smaller than the other candy hemispheres.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Initial impressions would lead you to believe this was a chocolate covered cherry. And in fact, beneath its milk chocolate the filling does include cherries ´ but mixed with walnuts. Not a bad texture, but let's just say it won't make you forget the more traditional heavy syrup or vanilla cream cherries.
SCORE: 5.5

MARZIPAN

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: The smallest dark chocolate rectangle, with one primary chocolate wave going down the middle.
CAPSULE REVIEW: With so many wonderful things to put inside a piece of chocolate, God only know why anyone would intentionally fill it with honey almond paste. Yes ´ it's the dreaded marzipan! Sure, the taste isn't that bad, but the texture... You used to make fun of the kid who ate paste in school. Don't follow in his footsteps.
SCORE: 1

WALNUT SQUARE
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Rectangular with yellowish caramel top and white nuts.
CAPSULE REVIEW: When it comes to desirable candy ingredients, walnuts bring up the rear behind almonds, peanuts, and even cashews. So it's hardly a comfort to see that they're the focal point of this piece, and the dark chocolate makes the very faint acidic aftertaste of the walnuts more pronounced. With caramel and the coating on the bottom only, it looks like a half-finished candy bar. You're better off with a Snickers.
SCORE: 4

CHOCOLATE NUT CREAM
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Hemispherical candy with chocolate ripples all over the surface.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Like the Dark Chocolate Butter, except that this piece is milk chocolate with some walnut inside. On both counts, a slight step back from the DCB, but still a good piece.
SCORE: 7.5

RUM NOUGAT
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: One of the larger rectangular pieces. Milk chocolate with two distinctive ridges longways across the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: This one has a nougat center of walnuts and raisins mixed in with ´ you guessed it ´ rum flavoring. Though the walnut and raisin flavors blend well with the rum, I've always felt you shouldn't mix alcohol and chocolate. Good chewy texture. Interesting, but not quite a keeper.
SCORE: 6

BUTTERCHEW
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Dark chocolate square with two ridges (actually 4 little peaks) across the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Now we're in business! The vanilla brown sugar caramel is an ideal firmness relative to the chocolate. Start chewing and the coating comes off, filling your mouth with one rich flavor; as that subsides, the buttery goodness of the caramel kicks in. It's like a fireworks display where just as you think the embers are dying, they explode into something new.
SCORE: 9

VANILLA NUT CREAM
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Another milk chocolate hemisphere, but here there are one or two well-defined ridges going straight over the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Similar to the Chocolate Nut Cream, except the filling is vanilla (of the three similar candies in the box, this is probably the best mix of flavors). So close; why'd they have go and to put that walnut in there?
SCORE: 8

COCOANUT
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Milk chocolate rectangle with a fairly smooth surface.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Some people have a problem with cocoanut, but not I. Sure, it runs out of flavor before you finish chewing it, but then so does virtually every kind of gum´ and at least with cocoanut you feel right swallowing it. The problem with this piece is that it draws instant comparisons to Mounds or Almond Joy candy bars, and while the chocolate here is arguably superior, the filling isn't quite as juicy/chewy. Still, worthwhile as long as you have no aversion to cocoanut.
SCORE: 6.5

BROWN SUGAR NUT CREAM
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Halfway between the cylinders and the hemisphere, this has a small bulge on top that's a dead giveaway.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Dark chocolate outside with what appears to be brown sugar buttercream and, yet again, walnuts. Interesting mix of flavors, but I have the same reservations about this one as its Chocolate and Vanilla brethren.
SCORE: 7.5

MILK BORDEAUX
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Circular/cylindrical with sprinkles.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Milk chocolate with sprinkles on the outside as with the Mocha, but this has a smooth brown sugar buttercream. Not quite as exotic as the Mocha, but great nonetheless.
SCORE: 8.75

CARAMEL
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: A smaller, almost square, milk chocolate rectangle with one primary ripple down the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Milk chocolate on top of caramel with almonds. Ingredients not entirely alien to the "candy bar" universe, though these are each individually a cut above in quality. Good chewy texture and you get triple whammy taste as first the chocolate, then the caramel, dissolves before the almonds finally come to the fore. I'm not a big fan of nuts in candy, but this is about as close to getting it right as you're likely to find.
SCORE: 7.5

DARK NOUGAT
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Large dark chocolate rectangle with two ridges going longways across the top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: Probably the chewiest piece in the box. The honey nougat includes almonds and cocoanut, so your jaw gets a workout long after the honey/vanilla flavor subsides. O.K., but a little too busy for me.
SCORE: 6.5

ALMOND SQUARE
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Caramel with deep brown almonds on top (more orange-brown color than the Walnut Square's yellow-brown), ).
CAPSULE REVIEW: Consisting of almonds, caramel, and milk chocolate on the bottom, this is almost like a topless Mars bar. The Almond Square is slightly more palatable taste-wise than the Walnut, but a little more chunky and inconsistent -- even crunchy -- in terms of texture.
SCORE:4.5

CALIFORNIA BRITTLE
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: The largest, shortest square in the box. Many short-peaked waves on top.
CAPSULE REVIEW: This slab of hard toffee is bathed in a milk chocolate coating. But it's a rather thin coating and there are almonds mixed into the toffee. Rich buttery flavor. Very good, but suffers in comparison to the Molasses Chips.
SCORE: 8

ALMOND CLUSTER
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Chaotic jumble of nuts beneath chocolate.
Distinguishable from the walnut cluster by the dark chocolate and slightly larger nuts (two pieces pictured).
CAPSULE REVIEW: Almonds suspended in dark chocolate. What, these again? At least this box gives you a choice between milk and dark. The trick is to let the chocolate dissolve and then start chewing the almonds. But that's not much of a trick.
SCORE: 2.5

CARAMEL PATTIE
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Thin, flat discs (usually a pair).
CAPSULE REVIEW: Looking at these, I know just what you're thinking: "Ugh! Mint." But don't be so quick to judge these little wafers. The caramel and chocolate are both delicious, though because their surface area is greater than that of the squares, the flavors mix together more quickly and therefore are not quite as strong. Given an extra half a point for not being a mint.
SCORE: 7.75