When discussing discontinued chocolate bars or candy, especially ones that are fondly remembered or missed, the talk soon moves to the question: “Is there anything like this that I can still buy?”
Such is the case with Nestle’s Choco’Lite bar.
Industry news clipping for Choco'lite - December 1971
First marketed and sold in the United States by Nestle in late 1971, Choco’Lite soon became one of the best-selling brands in the country. [Note: That clipping mentions a similar aerated bar that Nestle test-marketed in the same time frame as the Choco’Lite – called the Choco’ Puff. I have yet to find a wrapper for the test-marketed Choco’ Puff, though it remains on the list of pieces I hunt for.]
Choco'lite in-store signage - 1971-1972
Described as “Big, thick bites of light and creamy chocolate with crispy chips”, the Choco’Lite was a bar unlike any other on the market at the time. It was an aerated bar, but had a crispy crunch, similar to Nestle’s Crunch bar. A Nestle Crunch or Hershey Krackel achieves that crunch through the inclusion of puffed rice in the chocolate. But how the Choco’Lite achieved its crunch, or exactly what those “crispy chips” were, remains in dispute, among those who remember it.
Choco'Lite wrapper - early 1970's
UK Aero bar wrappers - 1950's and modern era
Many people will point out that the modern Aero bar is “the same thing” as the Choco’ Lite. I suspect this perception is due to that fact that an Aero is also a thicker, aerated bar. But an Aero, while a lovely chocolate bar, lacks the feature that I loved most about the Choco’Lite – those crispy chips. The Aero is a light creamy experience, but the Choco’Lite had a texture and a crunch you do not find in the Aero.
Choco'Lite wrapper - late 70's to early 80's
Choco’Lite was a popular bar in the 1970’s and into the 1980’s, with its striking gold foil inner wrapper and wonderfully stylized main wrapper and groovy logo. Sadly, it’s not around anymore, and hasn’t been for quite some time.
I’ve not been able to determine exactly when, but at some point in the 80’s, Nestle discontinued the Choco’Lite, leaving its fans to wonder where they might recapture that confectionery experience.
Nestle trade ad from 1977
So is there anything quite like the Choco’Lite?
I don’t think there is another bar exactly like it currently on the market. But if the search for the Choco’Lite experience leads someone to the Aero, that’s a pretty tasty place to end up.
[Note: Currently distributed in Canada and the UK – Nestle’s Aero is regularly offered as a mint version and occasionally other wonderful flavors, too. I’ve collected a number of Aero wrappers over the years, and I will cover those in a separate article, down the road.]
An epilogue to this tale:
In 2011, Hershey introduced the Air Delight – the first aerated bar produced for sale in the United States in a generation.
Hershey's Air Delight wrapper - 2011
If the Air Delight proves successful, perhaps Nestle will dust off the Choco’Lite and bring it back for a nostalgic release…
The Aero Bar is NOTHING like the Choco’ Lite. I just happened to have my first Aero Bar last week. As soon as I tried it I realized something was not right. It had to be the “crisps”. It was nothing like a Krackle or a Nestle Crunch, perhaps it was due to the air bubbles to go along with those crisps.
The last time I remember buying a Choco’ Lite was in the mid 80’s. Roughly 1985; give or take a year. Walking out of the store (Super X Drugstore), I saw the Choco’Lite which by that time seemed harder to find. I stopped and bought a few. It was the last ones I ever saw.
By far the best tasting candy bar ever…..but then again I was a kid, and everything as far as sweets go tasted better.
The bar had absolutly no other ingredients. It had NO CRISPS in it. Just aerated chocolate !
There were crisps…dispute what they actually were, but I remember. It was my favorite bar and without a doubt, in addition to the aerated texture, there were crisp bits.
Totally agree with Dennis: the Aero bar is NOTHING like Choco’Lite. Where the Choco’Lite was firm and crispy, the Aero bar is like eating a chocolate sponge. There’s something unsettling about the texture.
Choco’Lite is one of only two candy bars I truly miss, the other one being Milkshake.
The Choco lite was strictly aerated chocolate. It had no other ingredients to make it “crispy”
All you have to do is compare the wrappers pictured above to see that Choco-lite had sugar, honey and corn syrup, listed separate from the milk chocolate ingredients (which also include sugar), while Aero and Hershey’s Air Delight are only milk chocolate. If you have a picture of a different Choco-lite wrapper whose ingredients include only milk chocolate, please post it.
Thanks, Raindog!
I believe Bob is thinking that crispy means “rice crisps” like a Nestle Crunch. That is clearly not the case here. But clearly there were crispy chips of some sort, and as you point out, they were likely bits of sugar/honey/corn syrup or the inclusion of those ingredients coated the air bubbles, giving them a chip-like quality.
But it did have tiny crispy chips mixed within the chocolate. It said it right on the wrapper.
It
shows on the wrapper that it has crispy chips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aqB_FnVkl8&feature=share
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Thanks for confirming the crispiness! For years, I’ve tried to figure out why I was so disappointed by the Aero bar, and then Air Delight. They were missing this. Choco-Lite is my most missed candy bar, even more than Marathon because Curly Wurly kind of fills the void.
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I’ve been going crazy trying to remember the name of that whipped, crispy candy bar I loved so much as a kid.. It was the Choco Lite. Thank you for refreshing my memory. I was excited when the Air Delight came out, but was disappointed when it didn’t have that bit of crunch. I so miss the Choco Lite.
I just saw the Hershey’s Air Delights commercial and it reminded me of the candy bar that I ate as a kid. I couldn’t remember the name either. I bought one, was very disappointed and came home to look for the name of the original. What a poor knockoff. Thanks for having this discussion about the Choco Lite. I loved this bar. It was my favorite too! Maybe we should all contact Nestle to bring it back.
I agree let bombard them with emails to bring it back! It was the best!!!
When the Air Delights came out, I got one. I had remembered eating something with air bubbles when I was a kid but, like everyone else, I forgot the name. I was disappointed by the product. It wasn’t as tasty like the candy I had fondly remembered. I thought it was an Aerobar that I ate as a child, but the design was wrong. Then I saw the picture of Chocolite and had my “Aha!” moment. This was quickly followed by sadness to see that this bar no longer exists. Too sad, as it was one of the best chocolate bars out there! I haven’t actually tried an Aerobar, so I can’t comment on it’s taste or texture. But I’m sure I’ll agree with the others about the lack of crispy bits. Farewell Chocolite, you are sorely missed.
I came across your site after finding an old Aero bar wrapper as I was tearing out lockers in a school here in Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada). These lockers were installed at least in the 1960’s. The wrapper still show it being made by Rowntree (before Nestle) and have a price label of 10¢. I’ve attached a couple of images of the wrapper. It’s in pretty decent shape, considering the amount of filth behind the lockers.
Front Picture
Back Picture
Found this site when I picked up another Aero bar on vacation and was reminded that it’s just a bit lacking. My theory is that the non-chocolate ingredients (mostly sugar, corn syrup and honey) were forced through the chocolate along with the air, and when the chocolate solidified the “chips” were formed on the inner surface of the bubbles. I’ve had a “honey crisp” bar from the UK that was crispy without the rice, and when I saw the ingredients on the labels here it all made sense.
But without some kind of industrial chocolate-making equipment, I suppose we’ll never know.
Hey. 🙂 I remembered Choco’lite, too. All these new bubbly candy bars knock offs reminded me of it. I Googled Choco’lite, saw your blog and then linked it on Nestle Crunch’s Facebook. I hope you don’t mind. 😉
Aruna,
Glad you found the site, and that your recollections of Choco’lite are still strong. I noticed that you’re in Naperville. Big bubble-gum town – the former home of Amurol – the birthplace of many great pieces of confectionery. Also where the original Big League Chew was produced. Woo-hoo! -Jason
I didn’t know all that history. 🙂 The only confection I’m really into are the milky, buttery kind…like chocolate, caramel, toffee, etc.
There is a chocolate bar at Naperville Riverwalk called Le Chocolat Du Bouchard. Have you tried it? I haven’t yet.
Are you ever going to bring back the choco’Lite bar back?
I asked Nestle on Facebook, and they said no.
Please ask them again & if they say “no”, ask them would it do any good if we got a petition together asking them to?
I’m in my mid 40’s and used to love Choco Lite bars. The closest thing I have found to them is a candy bar from Norway ( I work for Disney World and bought one at the World Showcase pavillion in Epcot but you can buy them online too) called Stratos bars. I don’t care for the Aerobars or Hershey’s version either but the Stratos bar really took me back.
http://www.scanspecialties.com/search.php
All, trippied across this website as I was trying to discover a US candy bar similar to Stratos. Aero is similar but sweeter, bit too gooey when melting. Stratos is bubbly like Aero but has more “crispness”. Bite in and chew and it’s mainly like choclate chips / flakes. Leave it on your tongue and it melts like an aero.
S, thanks for the link! Norwegian chocolate (Freia and Nidar) is the best chocolate in the world! More milk and coacoa, less sugar and fat. Melkesjokolade (milk chocolate) is apparently one of the most bought items in the Duty Free. Can’t believe the US doesn’t have a Stratos or Daim equivalent (I seem to remember US having Dime bars when I was a kid). Highly recommend Lohengrin, Mandelstang and Troika for a good and new chocolate experience.
I’ve been on a hunt for something like Chocolite. It was my favorite candy bar. When my husband and I went to Disney a couple of years ago we must have spent quite a few dollars looking for a candy bar that might be close to my favorite bar while in Epcot. I had heard that there was a bar in Europe that was just like it. Unfortunately we could not find one although the chocolate was great I was disappointed not to find anything close to the delightful crunch and air that I remember.
I too have been searching for a bar much like the choco lite but it didn’t have crispy in it and it was advertised as Whipped Chocolate in a very low voice. It was an orange/ red wrapper and I ate them in the late 70’S early 80″s. The name was simple but made no sense….been driving me crazy for years. Can’t think of the name.
I, too, have wondered whatever happened to Choco-lite. They were my favorite candy bar, hands down. Aerobars and Hersey’s Air Delights don’t have the nice little crispy factor made the Choco-lite so unique. I just stumbled on a candy bar, today, that for me, is the closest thing to Choco-lites that I’ve come across. Hammond’s “Malted Milkshake” Candy Bar (www.hammondscandys.com). I found it in Cracker Barrel and thought I’d try it, not thinking it would be like Choco-lite, it’s not aerated but the flavor of the chocolate and the little bit of crispiness from the malted milk really took me back. I just closed my eyes and savored the flavor and texture and could swear I was eating my beloved Choco-lite! Go try it and see what you think!
I thried the aero bar and it was not like the chocolite at all!! For years I have been searching for chocolite and am wondering where can I find it? You at this site have revealed to me the who made it Nestles so I will contact them but can you tell me where I can find the chocolite bar I live in lancaster PA
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This was my favorite candy bar as a kid. Have been looking for it forever!!
Thanks for posting this! I racked my brain while driving back from NYC with the wife and family trying to remember the name of this candy bar.
I knew it was choco-something, and I did not remember any rice krispies in it, just the aerated holes.
First i said chocoliscious, lol, and then chocolite! I was pretty sure but needed confirmation. Thanks for this tidbit of 1980’s candy trivia!
Spot on history. There was and remains nothing akin to the special consistency, density, and mouth-fell of the Choco-Lite. It gave a chocolate fancier an interesting gamut of experiences that cannot be replicated. Not only did it have a unique crunchiness, but when you let it sit on the palate and sucked at it, unlike the aerated options these days it sort of held up and gently imploded, bubble by bubble. It was a bar that could give you a nice thick chunk of chocolate to bite into but then on the other hand provide this sort of sensational subtlety. It was always superior to Nestle’s Crunch bar. When it disappeared from domestic shelves, I tried and tried to get into the Crunch bar, but it wasn’t the same. Even the chocolate used (which I recall as being a bit more towards a Hershey’s style than that used in the Crunch bar) was missing. Different chocolate. Different bubbles. Different crunch. All of those aspects weaker in the Crunch bar. It added up to a huge market loss for the consumer. Those of us who had it, loved it! It’s not our fault Nestle did such a piss-poor, and I mean that, job of marketing the Choco-Lite, much less naming it. Too many people thought it was some kind of diet bar with fake chocolate and/or artificial sweeteners. Stupid. Dang stupid. I was among those who both read the label and who actually tried it. So when friends wanted to trade their Choco-Lites, I was all too happy to flip them for a Crunch or Three Musketeers or Milky Way, all bars who I detested then and still do (although once in a blue moon a small dose of a Crunch has to be taken in as I’m still Jonsesing for that Choco-Lite fix).
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Those wonderful little crispy chips were made out of honey. They were little, much smaller than a rice crisp, and I loved them! Coming in at second place on my list of candy I miss the most is a tie between the Sky-Bar, and Mallo-Cup. Some places still sell those two!
I was NOT disappointed in the Hershey’s air delight. I would buy 3 at a time and eat all 3. I had to stop because it was making me gain weight, lol. I loved the Choco Lite though. The only time I ever had one was in 1978. I was only 10. I loved it so much and remembered the name for 30 years. Just one bar had that hold on me lol. I wish Nestle would bring it back.
I remember from my childhood (60’s) a commercial for a candy bar called “Chocolate Sponge”; in the commercial, this puppy actually floated in water, like a bar of Ivory. I’ve tried to find references to this candy, with no luck; anyone else remember it?
I can remember stopping at the store on the way home from school grabbing about three or four of them
The first ingredient list does not give a clue but the second one does: “corn syrup solids”? Could this be what caused the crunch?
Chocolite was my favorite candy bar as a kid. I have now found its equivalent. It is the Mirage Bar by Nestle. I found it at World Market here in Southern CA Inland Empire. While the Aero bar is too soft, this bar has the crispiness I remember. It tastes exactly the same!
Thanks for the tip, Gail! I’ll definitely make it a point to check it out! 🙂
Wow, thanks Gail…you were right! I looked up the Mirage Bar and they are almost the same.
Appreciate the feedback.
I loved the chocolate bar and have looked for it for years and never found it the Nestle Crunch bar and krackel are just nowhere near the same to me I really wish they would bring it back!
Hi Rose,
You are absolutely right!!
I like Nestle Crunch and Krackel too, but they still can’t match the deliciousness of the Choco’Lite Bar. It has it’s own unique taste. = )
Chocolite was my favorite candy bar. I have personally found that the Toblerone which is still on the market bar is the closest thing to the Chocolite bar.
Please tell me how or if I can order one of my most favorite chocolate candies of the 70’s. Choco’Lite is so creamy and delicious, I was super bummed out when it was decided to discontinue the manufacturing reproduction of this product.
If at all possible, I would like to purchase a whole standard size box of these.
Thanks
I remember it in the early 70s when it first came out, it was only smooth and creamy, no bits, and that’s why I didn’t like it bcz it was just too plain for my taste. They may have added the bits later but the ones I ate were plain aerated chocolate.
I wonder if you’re recalling the nearly identical Choco’Puff, which lacked the crispy bits?