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CANDY RATINGS

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May 2005

Thursday, May 12, 2005

More Japanese Caramels

Name: Hi-SOFT Caramel and Milk Caramel
Brand: Morinaga
Place Purchased: Mitsuwa Marketplace (Little Tokyo, Los Angeles)
Price: $.99 each
Size: 2 oz
Calories per ounce: 125
Type: Caramel

First, I give high marks to Morinaga’s packaging team. Like the Hi-CROWN chocolate, the Hi-SOFT caramel comes in a spiffy hard box, perfect for carrying in a pocket or purse and fun to flip open to share. I’m not sure how many caramel products Morinaga markets, but these are just two I’ve found.

 

Of the two, I prefer the taste and texture of the yellow box Milk Caramel. Both are soft and chewy without being grainy, but the milky smoothness of the Milk Caramel far outweighs the Hi-SOFT’s keen box. Of course nothing will ever top the happy fat cows that got me started on the Japanese caramels.

In fact, of all the caramels I’ve tasted over the past few months, I like the Milk Caramel best. Looking over the ingredients it has the right mix of sugar and milk products, a dash of salt and something I didn’t expect - tea extract.

Rating: Hi-SOFT - 6 out of 10; Milk Caramel - 8 out of 10

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:49 am     CandyReviewMorinagaCaramel6-Tempting8-TastyJapan

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Chocolate Pocky

Name: Pocky (Chocolate)
Brand: Glico
Place Purchased: Gift from Mom
Price: $2.25
Size: 3.53 oz
Calories per ounce: 142
Type: Cookie (Pocky)

I love Pocky. Can I just start with that? What a perfect candy. It’s got the savory crunch of a biscuit and the smooth velvety flavor of chocolate.

Opening one of the foil packs I was met with the overwhelming scent of dark chocolate. The sticks were nicely coated (not too much) with chocolate, and leave a little uncoated spot at the bottom where you can hold it without getting chocolately fingers - something they don’t do with chocolate covered pretzels.

The coating is a thin sheath, but because of the richness of the chocolate, it’s the right proportion. The biscuit or pretzel part is bland - it’s not salty nor sweet, but the perfect bit of crunch and crispness for the chocolate.

The portion size is huge. Half the package (250 calories, 90 from fat but only 20 mg of trans fats). I wasn’t able to eat that big of a portion - that’s 22 sticks. I think they’re a great thing to tuck in a lunch bag or to go off on a picnic (provided your pack doesn’t get too hot and they melt and stick together). Easy to snack on, easy to share.

Rating: 9 out of 10

See earlier review of Green Tea Pocky.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:07 am     CandyPockyReviewGlicoChocolateCookie9-YummyJapan

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Nestle Carlos V Milk Chocolate

Name: Carlos V
Brand: Nestle (Mexico)
Place Purchased: Jon’s Market (Los Angeles)
Price: $.99 for three
Size: .75 oz each
Type: Milk Chocolate

First, I have to say that I appreciate the size of these bars. They’re not miniature sized and not full candy bar sized. They’re the right size. You can eat two and probably not feel bad about it.

The image of Carlos V on the front kind of creeps me out the same way that the Burger King pantomime character in the recent commercials does, but maybe you don’t have a problem with that.

Anyway, what’s inside is a small milk chocolate bar. It’s kind of a cross between a European Cadbury bar, with its sticky milkyness and an American Nestle bar with its strong chocolate flavor. It’s very sweet, but I know that’s most people’s attraction to milk chocolate over dark chocolate. It was not at all grainy and had a pleasant vanilla scent. It melted well on the tongue. Mostly what I got from it though is a taste of powdered milk - which if you don’t think about it too hard tastes kind of like malt. But don’t think too hard if you’re going to enjoy this bar, just eat it.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:38 am     CandyReviewNestleChocolate6-TemptingMexico

Monday, May 9, 2005

Crunchy Pixies!

Name: Neon Lasers
Brand: Albert’s
Place Purchased: 99 cent Store
Price: $.99
Size: 5.6 oz (101 sticks)
Type: Sour

I had high hopes for these, though I’ve steered clear of pixie stix and smarties for some years. I love the pure sugar rush, but of course hate the crash. I consider pixie sticks and smarties to pretty much be candy cocaine.

Pixie stix are notoriously expensive, which baffles me. They’re sugar and some sour stuff, probably citric acid or malic acid. That’s it. Maybe they’re hard to produce, stuffing them into those little paper tubes.

These Neon Lasers are in plastic tubes and are they ever tough to open. If you’re lucky, you get one that opens when you crack the seal at one end by pressing the little seal the opposite direction that it’s flattened. Otherwise, just keep some scissors handy.

Upon pouring about a third of a laser into my mouth, I found that it was not power, but little grains, well, really large grains. A cross between sea salt and kosher salt. The crunchy part is just sugar and the little grit around it is the flavor. Will seemed only slightly more pleased with them than I was, but given the opportunity to take them home, he declined. I’d venture that meant a low rating from him too. 

I’m wholly unpressed. It’s not really that they taste bad, they just aren’t worth the trouble.

Rating: 3 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:44 pm     CandyReviewAlbert'sSour3-UnappealingUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Friday, May 6, 2005

Glee Gum: If You Like Stuff Stuck to Your Teeth

Name: Glee Gum (Tangerine)
Brand: Verve, Inc.
Place Purchased:
Price: $.33
Size: 18 pieces
Type: Gum

The package says “Finally! An All Natural Gum!” Yes, but there are reasons that we improve on nature sometimes.

Maybe it’s that I have dental work (crowns & filling) that I find this gum unappealing, or maybe it’s that it’s bland.

Made from natural chicle (the original ingredient in gum), this is gum the way our ancestors chewed it. The flavor of this batch is orange. I expected it to taste like aspergum and luckily it tasted more like orange candles. It’s slightly waxy, very sweet but has a good chew (if you avoid your repaired teeth). The flavor fades quickly and leaves a bland beige gummy material in your mouth. I have no idea if real chicle can be digested.

I’ve also tried the standard mint flavor, which has a longer lasting flavor but the same stickiness.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:51 pm     All NaturalCandyReviewVerve IncGum5-PleasantUnited States

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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.

 

 

 

 

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