Name: Sweet Candy (Fruit Drops)
Brand: Meiji
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, LA)
Price: $1.99
Size: 3.8 oz
Type: Hard Candy

Ya gotta love anything that comes in a swell flask-shaped tin in this day and age.

Made by Meiji, this tin contains, simply put, fruit hard candies. As far as I can tell the flavors are something like lemon, orange, strawberry, grape, pineapple and melon. But there’s also a curious opaque white one that’s peppermint (quite a shock when you’re expecting pineapple). The candies are nicely flavored. Tart but not overly so. The lemon and pineapple are particularly good.

It’s a fun little stocking stuffer or something to keep on your desk. After you’re done, you can even put change in the tin - though the largest coin that will fit through the opening at the top is a quarter (but if you’ve got more money, what are you doing saving it? you should be out buying candy).

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Name: Mousse Pocky (Green Tea)
Brand: Glico
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, LA)
Price: $1.99
Size: 1.75 oz
Calories per ounce: 80
Type: Cookie/Candy

Pocky is one of those Japanese treats that’s gone mainstream in the States. I’ve seen them at Ralph’s and even some convenience stores. I’d never had them before and I think if I had it to do all over again, I’d start with a more common flavor. However, I’ve got to hand it to the Mitsuwa Marketplace, they had a huge selection. There’s also something known as “Men’s Pocky” which I haven’t quite figured out.

If you’ve never seen them before, Pocky are little cracker/biscuit sticks dipped in something chocolatey or creamy. My choice was Green Tea. The sticks look just like the package promises. Long, unsalted pretzel looking things dipped in a green, creamy coating. You grab them by a small uncoated end for clean fingers.

The coating is like white chocolate flavored with green tea, and it tastes just like room-temperature green tea ice cream. Smooth, delicately flavored with a crisp bite to the cracker inside. They’re definitely addictive and one of the better items I bought on my last Little Tokyo trip. They do have a bit of hydrogenated oils in them (though the main fat is cocoa butter, which is what gives the coating its smooth-meltyness).

I’m eager to try more flavors. The neutrality of the crunchy stick makes it idea for just about anything. Mostly I’m going to see if other varieties don’t have hydrogenated oils.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Name: Ginger Delight
Brand: The Ginger People
Place Purchased: Whole Foods
Price: $4.99
Size: 8.5 oz
Calories per ounce: 80
Type: Turkish Delight

When I was a kid I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. In it, Edmund is lured into the White Witch’s carriage with promises of Turkish delight. I found something called Turkish Paste at Middle Eastern markets and decided that’s what was in the book.

Turkish Delight is basically jellied sugar. Usually just a mixture of sugar, a dash of corn starch and a little flavor. Typical flavors for Turkish Delight are aromatic in nature (there’s no sour tang, just sweetness, smooth texture and scent). Most common are rose and lemon.

At Whole Foods over the weekend I found that The Ginger People have created a Turkish Delight with the scent of ginger and even smooth little ginger pieces. First thing to know about Turkish Delight is that it’s very messy. The little jelly squares are usually cut into cubes and then dusted generously in confectioners sugar and corn starch to keep them from sticking. You can’t help but get it everywhere, so I recommend wearing white when consuming Turkish Delight so as not to look like a slob.

The cubes are not heavily fragranced, but upon biting into them they’re smooth and delicately flavored with ginger. Occasionally there’s a little treat of a smooth pieces of ginger in there. There’s no bite to it, which I was a little disappointed with, but that’s not really Turkish Delight’s style.

Turkish Delight is not an everyday snacking candy, it’s a special treat or for specific occasions. I’ll probably buy this again, but not anytime soon.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Name: Violet Crumble
Brand: Nestle (Australia)
Place Purchased: Convenience Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.75
Size: 1.25 oz
Calories per ounce: 150
Type: Candy (Chocolate)

The package says “It’s the way that it shatters that matters.” Of course the other side calls it “Australia’s Crisp Golden Honeycomb.” I’ve had this bar once before and was not terribly impressed. I was hoping it would be malt, but it’s not.

What is it? Think of that dense chalky styrofoam and then add some flavor and a sweet aroma similar to toasted marshmallows. One of my problems with this bar is the noise the honeycomb makes when you bite into it. Like biting into a piece of balsa wood or stiff styro. The ingredients also do not lend one to be drawn to the bar (there’s no honey), it’s mostly sugar and hydrogenated palm oil (yee! I have a cholesterol test coming up!).

That said, I actually like it. I can get beyond the sqeaky sound on my teeth because the crumble is really satisfying, it crackles and yields in the mouth, melting into a blissful sweet puddle. The chocolate coat is actually chocolate, which helps. The coating, I found, is a tad sweet, but I expect that from Aussie and Brit sweets, I suppose. Also, at only a little over an ounce, it’s a very satisfying bar because it’s so stuffed with air, it looks formidable. It’s the trans fat content that has me worried, so I’m going to stick to monosaturated treats for a while.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Name: Chelsea Yogurt Scotch
Brand: Meiji
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, LA)
Price: $.99
Size: 1.58 oz
Calories per ounce: 120
Type: Toffee/Hard Candy

The Taste of Old Scotland! the candy heralds down the side of the tray inside the calico printed box. What Chelsea has to do with Scotland is beyond me. This is a candy blog, after all, not a geography one.

I’m not sure I know what old Scotland tastes like. But these hard toffees are unlike any other toffee I’ve ever had. First, they’re opaque white and glossy when I unwrapped the piece, unlike the toasty cream color I’m used to.

Putting it in my mouth I found it initially tart. Not in a citrus way, but in the way that yogurt is tart. It’s smooth and creamy, but with a little bite to it.

I found them pleasant, but a little bland. I plan to finish the box, but it’s unlikely I’ll buy yogurt scotch again. However, there is another flavor that I saw at the market, regular butterscotch ... that sounds more my speed.

Rating: 7 out of 10