Quality Street chocolate discontinued 23 years ago returns to shelves
There are some things you simply assume are gone for good, whether it’s a lost sock, your favourite pen, or your most-loved Quality Street chocolate.
It’s good news if you’re a fan of the Coffee Crème from the famous box of chocs, proving that good things come to those who wait.
The controversial coffee chocolate has made a comeback, after disappearing from the regular Quality Street line-up more than two decades ago.
Eagle-eyed shoppers have spotted Coffee Crème is back on supermarket shelves, and even better, you don’t have to waste time rifling through the tin to find one this Christmas.
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You can now get a dedicated bag of the dark chocolate and coffee fondants, so if you’ve been missing them for the last 23 years, now is your chance to go and stock up.
The bags were spotted on the shelves at Asda, and judging by the reaction online, there are plenty of people who remember exactly what they have been missing.
One commenter rallied other fans: “Coffee cream lovers, now is our time!”
“If this is true I’ll be coming home with a trolley full!” promised one delighted shopper.
One fan wasn’t leaving anything to chance: “We've got a 24 hour Asda here! Best get my pyjamas and Uggs on. I'll leave my curlers in! My favourite Quality Street!”, and they’re not the only one, as another declared: “I'm going now!!!! Coffee creams for dinner.”
“Why they ever took coffee creams out of these Christmas chocolates, I will never know, yay!” asked another commenter.
"I'll race you to them!" insisted someone else.
The Coffee Creme has something of a cult following among Quality Street fans.
Nestlé itself discovered just how much affection remained for the sweet when it asked the public in 2021 to vote for the retro variety they most wanted back.
Coffee Creme won by a considerable margin, receiving 8,146 votes out of more than 20,800.
It beat the Almond Octagon and several other discontinued favourites, proving that the coffee-filled chocolate had not been forgotten after all.
Nestlé described it at the time as the nation's most-loved retro Quality Street sweet.
The company also noted that it received more enquiries about Coffee Creme than any other discontinued variety.
That public demand eventually paid off.
Coffee Creme made a limited return in 2023, when Nestlé brought it back for Christmas through John Lewis and Waitrose.
It returned again in 2024, with shoppers able to find it through John Lewis pick-and-mix stations and limited-edition products.
This latest appearance, however, gives fans another way to get their hands on the retro favourite.
The Facebook reactions ranged from delighted nostalgia to the sort of determined enthusiasm usually reserved for bagging the first sun lounger on holiday.
Nestlé rep Emily Grimbley said at the time: “Although the coffee crème hasn't featured in the mix since the turn of the millennium, it’s clear that it still holds a special place in the nation’s heart.”
The big question is, will you politely buy one bag, or do what generations of Quality Street fans have always done: snaffle them all and quietly hide them from your relatives before anyone else notices.
Jen Thomas