The Airy, Nostalgic Chocolate Bar Only True '70s Kids Will Remember

Few things evoke nostalgia like candy. We all grow up with different favorites that feel special to us. It's particularly delicious, then, to bite into those treats today and be instantly transported back in time. Unfortunately, some of us don't always get that opportunity if our go-to sweets are now among the many discontinued candies we wish would come back. If you were a kid in the 1970s, there's one specific indulgence you may miss most of all: the Choco'Lite bar. 

Of all the '70s candies and chocolates that deserve a revival, Choco'Lite stands out with a unique texture that fans still crave. Nestle introduced this candy in 1971, and it was the first "aerated" chocolate bar to be made in America. Air bubbles were whipped into the milk chocolate, giving it a lighter consistency — toothsome but springy and almost mousse-like. Choco'Lite also had "crispy chips" made with honey, so each bite included a creamy milk chocolate exterior, airy foam-like interior, and crackly crunch. That's a decadent, dynamic flavor and mouthfeel profile, so it's no wonder the bar garnered a devoted following. 

"Choco'Lite had the absolute most unique texture hands down of any food, and I miss it!" said a Reddit user. Another Reddit commenter agrees, saying, "I would grab a handful of them every time I saw them on a shelf." Despite enthusiasm for the product, Nestle broke hearts by pulling Choco'Lite from shelves in the early '80s. Choco'Lite was short-lived, but its '70s-era fans remember it fondly.

While Choco'Lite was the first aerated chocolate bar to be produced in the United States, Nestle had recently marketed a different version, Choco'Puff, made in Switzerland but using American chocolate. And Choco'Puff was just the latest aerated chocolate bar then. In the United Kingdom, the Rowntree Company originated the method in 1935 with the Aero Bar, still around today. Nestle followed suit with a 1930s iteration, Bubblo, and companies like Cadbury debuted airy chocolate, too. 

Over the years, Nestle also tried an aerated chocolate bar called Puffed; this one didn't survive long, either. This led to Choco'Puff, which gave way to Choco'Lite, and that's the one that stuck around for over a decade. It also seems to have remained in the memories of candy lovers, as the other aerated attempts became mere chocolate bars no one remembers anymore. Choco'Lite's success likely has something to do with the addition of honey sweetness and depth, and that layer of crunch.

"I hate that they stopped making these," says a commenter on The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's YouTube page sharing an old Choco'Lite commercial. Adds another YouTube user, "Those were the best times. Nestle should bring this candy bar back!" Nestle eventually bought the Rowntree Company, so they now own the Aero bar — this is the product we know today as the aerated chocolate bar. It's tasty and airy, sure, but according to Redditors who tasted Choco'Lite, the Aero bar is similar at best, lacking that honey crunch.