PRODUCT RETURN: McVitie's Orange Milk Chocolate Digestives

They went away and, as the pack indicates, they're back. To be honest, I didn't really see them the first time around so this point was kind of lost on me; however, the combination of chocolate and orange is one I've always loved so I couldn't resist giving them a go.

THOUGHTS

Packaging:

With all the many variants in the Digestives range integrated on the design front, this packaging shares the signature Digestives graphics with an image of orange segments to customise things just a little. Moreover, the packaging is bright and cheery with a plain orange design that naturally picks up on and communicates the key ingredient. That said, whilst the range's palette swap approach does produce designs that are logical and coherent, individual products do lose a punchy sense of character and, consequently, are relatively easy to gloss over.

Looking around the other side of the packaging and basic information is provided in a clear and concise manner. Indeed, I felt the light orange text boxes and blue text worked in well with the colours introduced in the principal design.

Biscuits:

Weighing in at around 15g with a diameter of 65mm the Digestive is of respectable weight and size. Indeed, in dunking terms, this biscuit proved that chocolate, orange and wholewheat biscuit is obviously strong stuff as it took over 30 seconds submerged in a fresh cuppa for this offering to structurally fail. Appearance-wise, this variant looked like a bog-standard milk chocolate digestive, which isn't a bad thing, and even the cross section didn't show evidence of the added ingredient. That said, the smell gave away the orange as an aroma reminiscent of Terry's Chocolate Orange was discernible.

Taking a bite, undunked, the orange did come through and it sat well alongside the milk chocolate, which provided lusciously creamy, cocoa-infused notes as I continued to chew it. The significant biscuit layer provided a great textural contrast as it gave the biscuit a bit of resistance. Moreover, I found the biscuit layer to be a welcome mellow component alongside the indulgent feel of the topping. 

On the other hand, when dunked the texture of the biscuit layer was obviously lost but those sweet, milky cocoa notes emerged with full force alongside a very prominent taste of orange creating a particularly indulgent feel. Personally, after eating them like this, I would probably switch out the milk chocolate for dark in order to temper the sweetness a bit and give the biscuit a more balanced taste profile. 

SUMMING UP

The packaging was logical in its use of colour and it was coherent with the larger Digestives range. However, on the shelf, this nicely integrated look did compromise the personality of individual brands making it easier for the eye to gloss over. The biscuits themselves looked like normal milk chocolate Digestives but there was a pleasant orange-chocolate aroma about them. Undunked, the plain wheat base provided a great contrast in textures whilst the orange was carried through nicely on a smooth wave of milky chocolate. Dunked, the biscuits proved incredibly sturdy as they held together for over 30 seconds in a freshly made cuppa. Taste-wise, the texture of the base was lost but sweeter, milker notes of chocolate hit the palette immediately alongside a prominent orange flavour to create a very indulgent feel. All in all, aa tasty addition to the range but one I would certainly like to see in a dark chocolate version.

GBD LINKS

McVitie's Brand Hub

McVitie's Digestive

McVitie's Double Chocolate Digestive

BRAND LINKS

McVitie's Website - Digestives Page

McVitie's Twitter

OLD FAVOURITE: Jaffa Cakes

Okay, for the uninitiated, these little round delights are officially cakes. In the famous 1991 Jaffa Cake court case, brought about by McVitie's not wanting costly VAT charges for luxury biscuits to be levied against its iconic offering, the law had to decide just what defines a cake of the chocolate-coated variety. Debating over several points, the decision eventually found in favour of McVitie's based on one crucial fact: cakes get harder when going stale, whilst biscuits get softer. 

Admittedly, the debate probably wrangles on in homes and offices and, until I see people dunking their Victoria Sponges and taking slices of Jaffa Cake, I'm certainly not convinced. That said, it doesn't really matter too much to me as I simply enjoy the fact that this snack, which so effectively weaned me on to the classic yet reliably tasty combination of chocolate and orange, is still as good as ever.

THOUGHTS

Packaging-wise, the pack's exterior employs the complementary colours of blue and orange for the background and brand name respectively to create strong visual contrast. Moreover, with highly saturated colour used, out of this contrast comes a vibrancy that implies notions of fun, energy and freshness. As for the soft radial bursts of lightness that accent the background, these work well to inject a bit of interest in to the design without convoluting it and compromising the strength of the colour principle at work. Whilst, the brand name occupies a conventional central positioning to give the design a sense of symmetry and, in turn, a feeling of reliability and trust - qualities befitting such a classic product. That said, the brand name does carve out an irregular line and employ playful text, styled after orange peel, to inject further energy and fun in to the presentation.

Secondary panels carry on over the colour scheme with basic product information provided neatly and succinctly. Moreover, by using the same colour principle as the primary panels, the light orange text box contrasts well with both its blue background and blue content giving clarity to each component. 

The wrapping inside is still a lovely touch. With the Jaffa Cakes coming in a transparent orange wrapping - picking up on the exterior's colour scheme - you get the distinct sense that all the product's elements very much sit as a cohesive whole.

As for the Jaffa Cakes themselves, well they still sport their classic look. A significant sponge base, baked nice and evenly, is adorned with a dark chocolate coating, which rises up in the centre to give accommodation to the orange filling. Taking a bite, the chocolate reveals itself to be paper thin yet of just enough substance to provide a pleasing undercurrent of bitter cocoa. As the chocolate crumbles in to the jelly-like filling the relatively significant plain sponge base lends a rather pleasing textural contrast to the whole affair. Though, of course, the filling remains the star of the show as it bursts onto the palette with a very well balanced sweet citrus tang that keeps these cakes as devilishly moreish as ever. 

SUMMING UP

As with all old favourites this iconic offering has stood the test of time because, above all else, it does the simple things very well. The packaging feels uncluttered and direct employing basic colour theory together with fun stylisation to generate an eye-catching presentation that carves out a distinct visual identity for the brand in the consumer's mind. Added touches such as the orange wrapping allow for successive moments in one's interaction with the product to sit as a cohesive whole. Moreover, the Jaffa Cakes themselves still look as distinctive as ever with a very strong silhouette from the side. Finally, in terms of taste, that wave of sweet, tangy orange is still the star of the show with the dark chocolate coating providing a nice undercurrent of more mature flavour and the sponge bringing a great textural contrast to the party. All in all, a great little snack that, whether cake or biscuit, will continue to be a favourite of the Great British Diet.

MORE INFORMATION

See the McVitie's Jaffa Cakes resource on my GBD website:

http://www.thegreatbritishdiet.co.uk/Articles/McVitiesJaffaCakes.html

BRAND LINKS

McVitie's Website (Jaffa Cakes Page)
Jaffa Cakes Facebook

Jaffa Cakes Twitter