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Friday, May 13, 2005

Bleached Reese’s

Name: White Chocolate Reese’s
Brand: Reese’s (Hershey’s)
Place Purchased: Convenience Store
Price: $.50 (they were trying to get rid of them)
Size: 1.5 oz
Calories per ounce: 154
Type: Chocolate/Nuts

Someone left the peanut butter cups in the sun and they got all bleachy white.

I think this was a brilliant idea. First, I love Reese’s. Mostly I love the miniatures, the ratio of chocolate and peanut butter is ideal and there’s less of that “hold it by the edges so you don’t get chocolate on your fingers” thing.

My biggest problem is that I like white chocolate in concept. I like the idea of just the buttery smoothness of chocolate without the cocoa to it. But white chocolate is never like that. Instead it’s like sugarwax. And it smells like fake vanilla, which always reminds me of Easter. However, I think the White Chocolate Reese’s uses this to its advantage.

Because the peanut butter is more savory than sweet, it really cuts the oversweet of the white chocolate and makes an excellent mix of flavors. The scent of vanilla mixed with the nuts and slight grain of the peanut butter is a nice combo.

I’ll probably not buy the cups again, but I’m kind of curious about the ratio in the miniatures they mention on the Reese’s website. And here’s a weird comment, I think they should have put them in white cups instead of brown ones. The color combo just makes the white chocolate look dingy.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:14 pm     CandyReese'sReviewHershey'sReese'sPeanutsWhite Chocolate7-Worth ItUnited States

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

Reese’s Swoops (Chocolate Chips)

Name: Reese’s Swoops
Brand: Hershey’s (Reese’s)
Place Purchased: 99 cent Store (Hollywood)
Price:  $.99
Size: 3.78 oz
Type: Chocolate Candy

Did you ever say to yourself, “I love Pringles. I wish they were made out of chocolate.” Well, Hershey’s has gone and made a whole line of candy called Swoops. They come in oodles of flavors but the basic idea is that they are little chocolate chips flavored in some way. Think Cool Ranch Pringles, then think Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips.

I probably shouldn’t be buying candy for evaluation at the 99 cent store, because the reason it’s there (as I’ve found out) is probably because it’s past its prime. But I’ve been curious about Swoops but not willing to put in the two bucks they usually cost. Here’s a word to the wise, if you want to actually like what you’re buying, buy fresh. And that usually costs money. Now buying hard candy isn’t much of an issue, but chocolate products demand freshness.

Swoops appear to be more of a hydrogenated oil product than a chocolate product and even if they were fresh, I reckon I’d find them waxy. It’s the same issue I have with Reese’s pieces.

What I think is cool is the packaging, they come in a stack of three small tubs, each as about 6 chips in it. They look very inviting, but you can’t actually hold onto them for very long without them melting in your fingers, so don’t pick one up unless you’re ready to eat it.

The novelty is nice, but there are other better value shapes of chocolate candies that would suit me better.

Rating: 5 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:48 am     CandyReese'sReviewHershey'sDiscontinuedMarshmallowPeanuts5-PleasantUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Saturday, April 30, 2005

Dagoba Chai

Name: Dagoba Chai
Brand:  Daboba
Place Purchased: Whole Foods
Price: $2.29
Size: 2 oz
Calories per ounce: 110
Type: Chocolate

There was a small selection of these organic bars at Whole Foods. Some are single origin and some are flavored, like this one. Basically I see chocolate in two different ways, some chocolate is for snacking and some is for savoring. It expected this to be savoring chocolate, however, I found it to be extremely snackable.

The Chai bar is milk chocolate with chai spices and ginger. Opening the package I found the spicy aroma quite evident. Not overly any particular spice, it smelled more like a spice cupboard. A little like pumpkin pie, actually.

On the tongue the chocolate melts easily and is immediately sweet. The mix of flavor is not intense but really a great compliment.

I plan on buying some more Dagoba chocolate again. I think I’ll try their tasting squares.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

PS - One of the problems with this candy is that every time I hear the name or see it or type it, it reminds me of the Weird Al song called Yoda (to the tune of the Kinks’ Lola). It starts with the line, “I met him in a swamp down in Dagoba.”

POSTED BY Cybele AT 5:22 pm     All NaturalCandyReviewDagobaChocolateGingerOrganic8-TastyUnited States

Friday, April 29, 2005

Life Savers Hot Rings (circa 1995)

Name: Hot Rings
Brand: Lifesavers
Place Purchased: 99 Cent Store (Hollywood)
Price: 25 cents
Size: .90 oz
Type: Hard Candy

I know last week I said that we shouldn’t be afraid of strange candy. I might have done something stupid.

I found these Lifesavers at the 99 cent store. Branded with a little Sega Sonic the Hedgehog, I’m thinking that there’s another Sonic game coming out. I bought it, thinking it was cinnamon. And we all know that Lifesavers don’t come in cinnamon. They should. Reeds come in cinnamon, and I love those.

Upon starting my little photo shoot I look at the package and see this:

 

Since you can’t see all of it, they’re running a contest and if you have the right wrapper, you can win a variety of prizes. All prizes must be claimed by MARCH 1995!

This roll of Lifesavers is more than 10 YEARS OLD! And cost 25 cents!

I’m not sure if Lifesavers spoil. What’s a better question is if these were ever any good. I unwrapped them and found milky yellow Lifesavers with red specs. They smelled a bit like mint. Again, I was expecting cinnamon. I put one in my mouth and it’s more like pineapple with a hit of chili to it. Really.

All I can say is that I’m mystified. Here’s an ad from the mid-nineties with this Lifesavers/SEGA cross-promotion.

Rating: 4 out of 10 (yes, I might try another one)

POSTED BY Cybele AT 4:47 pm     CandyReviewWrigley'sDiscontinuedHard Candy & Lollipops4-BenignUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Gobs of Gobstoppers

Name: Chewy Centered Gobstopper
Brand: Wonka (Nestle)
Place Purchased: 99 Cent Store
Price: $.33
Size: 1.77 oz
Calories per ounce: 60
Type: Hard Candy

I guess it’s appropriate to visit the Wonka line of candies since there will be another movie soon. There are very few actual products out there, I reckon, that were created based on a novel. And more than a novelty, some of the Wonka candies are pretty good. The brand itself is an odd one, changing hands from time to time and amassing some other brands in the meantime (did you know that Bottle Caps are now Wonka products?).

Besides the odd history, I thought I’d do a little review of the Everlasting Gobstopper since I found that they’ve created a new version - the Chewy Centered Gobstopper.

First, a Gobstopper is a jawbreaker that has different flavored layers and in the center is a sweet-tart sphere. When I was a kid the Gobstoppers were large, like real jawbreakers. I haven’t seen those in years, but have been able to find the boxes of Gobstoppers that contain little marble sized versions. They come in bright colors and the layers change flavor three or four times before getting to the center. The flavor itself is rather bland, more sweet than tart, but it has a pleasant cooling feel to the smooth surface.

The Chewy Gobstopper has the same flavor except for the center, which is much larger, so the layers are fewer or thinner (I couldn’t figure it out because I kept chewing them up before getting to the center). They’re very much the same as the regular Gobstopper and I think I might buy them again. Especially if I can find them at the 99 cent store.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:26 pm     CandyReviewNestleHard Candy & Lollipops8-TastyUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Ginger Delight

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.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:50 am     CandyReviewThe Ginger PeopleGingerJelly Candy7-Worth ItUnited States

Page 164 of 165 pages ‹ First  < 162 163 164 165 > 

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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