Some Facts About Coffee Crisp Chocolate Bar

Biting into a candy bar can be a transportive experience — a strong hit of nostalgia right back to childhood. For many Canadians, that cherished throwback is the Coffee Crisp. Reminiscent of a Kit Kat — in fact, they’re produced by the same brand outside the United States — this tasty chocolate bar is an easy-going delight.

It consists of two vanilla wafers, sandwiching an approachable coffee-flavored cream, all covered in a delectable chocolate exterior. A few variations of the sweet exist, including in ice cream and nibble form, but the classic yellow packaging is the most iconic. A staple of Northern Halloweens and convenience store snacks.

So with over 150 million bars in annual production, why aren’t Coffee Crisps more noted abroad? It’s all due to the bar’s regional production and distribution. To this day, all exemplars are made in a single Toronto factory. So, in turn, it’s a candy interlinked only to the Great White North.

Although so beloved in Canada, the chocolate candy bar was actually invented in the United Kingdom in the 1930s. Originally called Rowntree’s Wafer Crisp, the confection went through a few iterations before hitting the Canadian market. Coffee was added as a component in 1938, and the bar started production in Toronto after a year. A decade later, Coffee Crisps had already established itself as a Canadian hit.

Originator Rowntree also created a similar sweet, more recognizable stateside — the Kit Kat. Today, both of their international productions are overseen by heavyweight Nestle. And despite consumer outcries, the Coffee Crisp never achieved accessibility in the U.S. It had a limited run from 2006 to 2009, with only a few outlets selling the delectable creation. As a result, its associations with Canada only strengthened — it’s the only marketplace the bar can be conveniently purchased. Factor in a memorable Canadian marketing campaign, and it’s not hard to understand the bar’s iconic nature.

The Coffee Crisp contains three prominent components — foam coffee flavoring, vanilla wafers, and a chocolate exterior. The coffee extract utilized does contain essence from a real cup of joe, so the bar does contain caffeine. However, it’s a small amount, approximately ten milligrams, which is nearly one-tenth the amount in an 8-ounce coffee.

Of course, the easiest place to obtain a Coffee Crisp is in Canada. It won’t take much searching — simply venture to a grocery or convenience store. If living near the border with the US, Canadian stores will even offer an extra supply for a hit of nostalgia. While Nestle allows for distribution stateside, it’s not promoted, meaning stock is low. Purchasing online is the easiest method, orders can be placed via Nestle’s website. Alternatively, head to a Canadian-spun grocer or a boutique candy marketplace.

How To Keep Cool In July Without Using The AC

Stay hydrated

When you’re hot and flushed, hydrating yourself is the first and foremost step to cooling down, said Wendell Porter, a senior lecturer emeritus in agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida. The temperature of the water doesn’t matter since your body will heat it, he added. If your body is suffering from the heat and needs to cool itself, it can’t do that without enough moisture, since the body cools itself by sweating.

Take a cold shower or bath

Taking a cold shower or bath helps cool your body by lowering your core temperature, Porter said. For an extra cool blast, try peppermint soap. The menthol in peppermint oil activates brain receptors that tell your body something you’re eating or feeling is cold.

Use cold washrags on your neck or wrists

Place a cold washrag or ice bags (packs) on your wrists or drape it around your neck to cool your body. These pulse points are areas where blood vessels are close to the skin, so you’ll cool down more quickly.

Use box fans

Place box fans facing out of the windows of rooms you’re spending time in to blow out hot air and replace it with cold air inside. If the weather in your area tends to fall between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the mornings and evenings, opening the windows on both sides of the house during those times can facilitate a cross-flow ventilation system. If you do this, you can opt to use or not use the fans, but the fans would help cool the house faster, Porter said. The outdoors can pull the hot air from your home, leaving a cooler temperature or bringing in the breeze. Just be sure to close windows as the sun comes out, then open them when the weather is cool again. Just resting near a fan would reduce your body temperature as well.

Close your curtains or blinds

If you have windows that face the sun’s direction in the morning through afternoon, close the curtains or blinds over them to “keep the sun from coming directly into the house and heating up (the) inside,” Porter said. You could also install blackout curtains to insulate the room and reduce temperature increases that would happen during the day. If you do turn the air conditioning on, don’t set it below 70 degrees Fahrenheit in an effort to cool the house faster, said Samantha Hall, founder of Spaces Alive, an Australia-based design research company helping to create healthy, sustainable buildings.

“It just runs for longer to reach that temp and will keep going until you start to feel a bit chilly and is then hard to balance,” she added. Instead, keep the unit temperature as high as possible while still comfortable.

Sleep in breathable linens

Cotton is one of the most breathable materials, so cotton sheets or blankets could help keep you cool through the night. The lower the thread count of the cotton, the more breathable it is, Porter said. That’s because higher thread counts have more weaving per square inch.

Close the doors of unused rooms

If no one’s using a room that doesn’t have vents or registers, close the door to that area to keep the cool air confined to only occupied areas of the house.

Use the exhaust fan in your kitchen and/or bathroom

Flip the switch for the exhaust fan in your kitchen to pull hot air that rises after you cook or in your bathroom to draw out steam after you shower.

Install energy-efficient light bulbs

Incandescent light bulbs generate a higher temperature than LED light bulbs do. To make the switch, watch for sales on energy-efficient bulbs, then slowly replace the bulbs in your house, Porter said.

Prompt from 31 July Blog Post Ideas For Lifestyle Bloggers at Margaret Bourne.com