I liked these Black Sugar hard candies from Japan because they were so nicely made. They had a deep color of amber and a striated crystal, almost like Tiger’s Eye. The taste was a little weird though, they were a combination of Black Sugar (like molasses) and vinegar. Probably good for a sore throat, but a little too savory for me.

I’m headed off to the Buckeye State, which has always proved to be a rich source of candy for me. Above is a photo of Harry London Buckeyes, an Ohio specialty.

My plans of interest to Candy Blog readers are: Aldi, the Spangler Factory and Albanese Confectionery Factory Store ... perhaps some Fanny May when I get to Chicago on the second portion of the trip. Plus whatever else I see along the way.

So while I’m off doing that, I’m just going to post new reviews on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Don’t worry, they’ll still be something every day, including Eat with Your Eyes and other special treats. Of course if I run across something extraordinary I’ll be tweeting.

One of the most popular new items at the Sweets & Snacks Expo was Jelly Belly’s Cocktail Classics mix.

The five flavor mix reminds us that It’s five o’clock somewhere (and has trademarked the phrase, to boot). They’re based on popular fruity cocktails: Pina Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, Mojito, Peach Bellini and Pomegranate Cosmo. They’re non-alcoholic and available in a variety of packages like 9 ounce bags, 1 pound tubs (best value) and this gift box that actually guarantees that you get the same amount of each flavor.

Pina Colada - a Pina Colada is a fruity tropical blend of strained pineapple and coconut cream along with rum.
The jelly bean version is a little bit of a milky yellow color. The flavor at first is a tart but not too tangy pineapple, nicely floral and authentic. Then as the center takes over a creamy coconut flavor comes to the front. A little more coconut than I would have liked, especially because it became so sweet.

Strawberry Daiquiri - a plain daiquiri is rum, lime juice and sugar (served over ice or chilled). Later it became a slush drink or frozen daiquiri. A strawberry version varies and can be the frozen variety with just a few strawberries thrown into the blender but sometimes strawberry liqueur is added.
The jelly bean version looked like a smoothie, a soft medium pink with speckles. The flavor is mellow, more like jam than fresh strawberries. There’s a hint of tartness from time to time, but no real note of the lime or rum flavors.

Mojito - this drink has become very popular lately, it’s a mix of white rum, sugar (preferably cane juice), lime, seltzer water and muddled mint.
The jelly bean version is light green, slightly transparent and speckled with darker green. It’s kind of chaotic, which matches the drink itself. The spearmint and lime notes come at once, so it’s minty and tangy and zesty all at once. The second wave of flavor from the jelly center has a little bit of a rum note to it. This one succeeded best in capturing the combination of notes that an actual drink has. But Mojitos aren’t really a favorite of mine.

Peach Bellini - is a mix of peach puree and sparkling wine.
The jelly bean version is orange. I’ve never actually had a real bellini, so I can’t comment on this candy simulation in that respect. The peach notes are quite strong, but pretty authentic (having eaten half a peach this morning). The tangy, sweet and fuzz blend well. There’s a white wine note in there, kind of like a white grape juice with a weirdly realistic alcohol bite to it.

Pomegranate Cosmo - Cosmo is short for the original name of the Cosmopolitan cocktail. It’s a mix of vodka, Triple Sec (orange), cranberry juice and lime juice. I’m guessing the pomegranate version just subs out the cranberry juice for pomegranate juice.
The jelly bean version is a pale garnet red. The flavors aren’t quite distinct. I felt like it was simply a nice raspberry jelly bean, I wasn’t getting the orange & lime notes, just what they were pushing as pomegranate flavor.

As with most Jelly Belly flavor mixes, I love the quality of the jelly beans themselves. In this instance there were really only two I cared to eat, the Pomegranate Cosmo and Pina Colada, but given dozen of other great flavors that Jelly Belly makes, I’d still stick with the citrus mix. For me, it wouldn’t make sense to buy this mix. As a theme it’s fun and certainly pretty. The value for the box shown here is pretty bad - it’s 4.5 ounces and costs $5.99 on the Jelly Belly website - that’s over $21 a pound. So if you’ve got to have these, get them in the tub or bulk.

Related Candies

1. Jelly Belly Sunkist Citrus Mix
2. Cholive
3. Jelly Belly: Lollibeans
4. Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe
5. MarieBelle Chocolates
6. Jelly Belly - Full Line

Maison Pecou Jordan Almonds. ‘Nuff said.

I found this smart looking bar at Mel & Rose Wine and Liquors a few weeks ago, before it got blisteringly hot and I’m adverse to buying chocolate.

The Nestle Aero line is a fun sort - it’s aerated chocolate. That means that air bubbles are trapped in the chocolate, making it light and fluffy, kind of like chocolate pumice. This is rather foreign to us here in the US where aerated chocolate isn’t that common. Europe Cadbury has a whole Wispa and Diary Milk Bubby line of products and they’re also popular in Israel where Elite makes some bars.

The Aero 70% Cocoa bar was a little more expensive than some of the imports I find, I paid $2 for mine, though in Canada, where these are from, they might be more reasonably priced. It’s five inches long and 1/75 inches across making it seem like a large bar. It only weighs 1.41 ounces, which is a great portion for chocolate but at this size it looks large but feels a bit puffy. Well, that’s because it is. The wrapping is simple and elegant. There’s a lot of info on the bar but they balance it well with the bubbly graphic elements and the matte paper keeps it from being too chaotic.

Inside the foil wrapper, the bar is nicely molded, the shape is great and does a great job of highlighting the bubbly attributes while still making it easy to portion. The bubbles vary in size, but are consistently distributed throughout the bar - no solids spots.

The bite is easy and doesn’t flake or crumble. The scent is odd, almost alcoholic - like whiskey with hints of tobacco and cedar. The chocolate flavors are similarly woodsy and rich with just a hint of tannic cherries. The melt is creamy and slick. It’s amazing how good this is for a Nestle bar. Like all the best things about Nestle Chocolate Morsels, but even creamier.

The nutrition label was kind of shocking. The reason the melt was so smooth was the level of dreamy cocoa butter in the bar - it has one of the highest calorie counts per ounce of a whole chocolate product: 169. There are 16 grams of fat in here, but also 4 grams of fiber, 21 grams of sugar and finally 3 grams of protein. There’s a shocking 35% of the Canadian RDA of iron & 25% of the magnesium. The front of the package also says that there are 500 mg of polyphenols. The ingredients are also simple and easy to understand: cacao mass, sugar, cocoa, cocoa butter, soy lecithin & natural flavor.

I happened to have some of the Bubble Chocolate 60% Dark bar around to compare it to, and the Nestle Aero is surprisingly richer and smoother. I ate the whole bar and would probably buy it again if I saw it - it’s my favorite of the aerated bars I’ve had.

Related Candies

1. Bubble Chocolate (2010)
2. Nestle Noir
3. Vanilla Beans KitKat & Bitter Orange Aero
4. Elite Aerated & Lotte Airs
5. Dairy Milk Bubbly
6. Mint Aero
7. Aero