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Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Hershey’s S’mores

Name: S’mores
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: 99 Cent Only Store
Price: 33 cents
Size: 1.65 oz
Calories per ounce: 145
Type: Chocolate Candy/Marshmallow

To follow up on the earlier review of the Cup-O-Gold I figured I’d contrast that with Hershey’s S’mores bar. The S’mores bar is marshmallow on top of a graham cracker crust covered in chocolate. If you recall the S’mores most of us have made, they were a toasted marshmallow (or two), a few squares of Hershey’s chocolate between two graham crackers. What was great about that combo was that you’d freshly toasted the marshmallow so it was retardedly hot in the middle and of cuorse melted the chocolate and the ratio being the dominance of the graham crackers (which also kept your fingers from being burned).

In this bar Hershey’s has the ratios all askew. By far the dominant feature of this bar is the marshmallow center. It’s not a traditional white marshmallow but a slightly tan version that seems a tad nougaty ... perhaps they’re trying to make it taste toasted. Much sweeter than it needed to be and lacked that meringue feeling that a good marshmallow has. There no graham cracker here. Instead the crust seems to be a crisco and cookie bits amalgamation. Then it’s covered in very sweet milk chocolate.

Too sweet, not enough toasty flavor and the graham cracker thing was just plain wrong. Move along, nothing to taste here.

See also: Taste the World’s Review and Writers/Artists Snacking at Work’s Review

Rating: 4 out of 10

POSTED BY Cybele AT 5:09 pm     CandyReviewHershey'sChocolateCookieDiscontinuedMarshmallow4-BenignUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Cup-O-Gold

Name: Cup-O-Gold
Brand: Hoffman’s (made by Adams & Brooks)
Place Purchased: 99 cent store
Price: 33 cents
Size: 1.25 oz
Calories per ounce: 168
Type: Chocolate/Marshmallow

Okay, I’ll admit I bought this in an effort to diversify my offerings on the site. I like the idea of supporting some smaller candy companies, and this one is made right here in Los Angeles. I didn’t think I’d like it. I’m not that keen on marshmallow as a rule. I love toasted marshmallows, but for some reason I don’t think of those as candy. Most other marshmallow candies are just to sticky sweet. The only one to date that I like (and buy regularly) is See’s Scotchmallow - which is a marshmallow top on a disc of caramel covered in chocolate. Their mallow has a bit of a honey note to it, which complements the caramel well.

Anyway, this little delightful cup is made with milk chocolate with bits of coconut mixed in and crushed of almonds. Inside that is an incredibly light and foamy marshmallow creamy filling. I also liked the package. The graphics are bold and smooth and appealing.

The complex flavors really blend together well. The bits in the chocolate offset the sweetness of the chocolate and the foamy center gives a smooth texture and lightness to it all. The thing is, I’m still not sure if I’ll buy these again. Maybe if I get a jones for a scotchmallow and I’m not in the mall.

Rating: 7 out of 10

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:56 am     CandyReviewAdams & BrooksChocolateCoconutMarshmallow7-Worth ItUnited States99 Cent Only Store

Saturday, July 9, 2005

Wilbur Buds

Name: Wilbur Buds
Brand: Wilbur
Place Purchased: Phone Order from Factory
Price: $26.99 (plus shipping)
Size: 5 lbs (that’s $5.40 per pound)
Calories per ounce: 162
Type: Chocolate

I’ve mentioned my favorite chocolate before, it’s Wilbur. Wilbur is made in a small town in Pennsylvania, Lititz, a scant 27 miles from the more famous Hershey. Wilbur, in fact, predates Hershey and even has a version of the kiss, known as the Wilbur Bud (which was also introduced several years earlier than the Hershey Kiss).

The Wilbur bud comes in milk or semi-sweet chocolate and is pure simplicity. It’s just a large chocolate chip, with a little curl on top and a molded bottom that says Wilbur. What’s great about the Wilbur buds is that they are incredibly smooth and creamy. Where Hershey and Nestle chocolate has a slight grain to it, Wilbur has none, it’s pure chocolate smoothness. The milk chocolate is European style, so those who are fond of Cadbury will appreciate it’s milkyness. The semi-sweet is bold, with a strong cocoa taste, complex and slightly bitter but melts easily on the tongue. Part of this explained by the cocoa butter content. I know a lot of people are into this movement of 70%+ cocoa solids, but besides the smoky flavor of chocolate, what sets it apart from all other candies is cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is one of those rare fats that is solid at room temperature and liquid at body temp. The more cocoa butter, the more melty the chocolate.

So knowing all that, it should come as no surprise that I would go to such lengths to purchase said chocolate. A few weeks ago I called up the factory order line and got a five pound box. After all, it’s the best deal. And I have a wine fridge to store it in through the hot summer months.

One of the big things about chocolate is that there are two kinds: there are candy chocolates and savoring chocolates. Wilbur, for me, falls into both categories. Because of the high cocoa butter content (only 50% cocoa solids) it’s more snackable but the creamyness makes it wonderfully rich. I love eating these with other foods, too. It’s great in a homemade trail mix for hiking where you mix in some dried fruits (cranberries, apricots or raisins) and nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or cashews) and some pretzels. When I’ve got a stash, I usually keep a small bowl of them around at all times.

Rating: 9 out of 10 (if I could find it easily it’d be pure 10)

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:57 am     CandyReviewWilburChocolate9-YummyUnited States

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Mint

Name: Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Mint
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: Liquor Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.85
Size: 1.55 oz
Calories per ounce: 142
Type: Chocolate/Mint

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I love these bars. Well, I did when they first came out. The thing is, I’m not sure they’re out now. I checked the Hershey’s site and didn’t find any mention of the Cookies ‘n’ Mint being reintroduced ... so is this a very old bar? It was certainly dusty. (Again, I’d love it if Hershey’s started putting freshness dates on their products.) While they’re at it, the packaging is a little deceiving - it’s milk chocolate, not some sort of green stuff like the picture shows.

That aside, when these were out and widely available I preferred the “nuggets” format. I don’t know why, but the flat bar didn’t make the crunchy parts sing as well. I think the surface area isn’t good for the chocolate either, I think it makes it all more prone to temperature changes.

But I digress.

This is a minted milk chocolate bar with small chocolate cookie bits (think of the cookie part of an oreo crumbled into minty chocolate). It’s a great combination. I think the crunch provides a nice contrast, and the fact that the cookie isn’t terribly sweet offsets the sweetness of the milk chocolate.

I hope this bar gets reintroduced or at least the nuggets will be available for a limited time every year. If you like this bar, I suggest the Harry London Cookie Joys as an excellent substitute.

Rating: 8 out of 10 (would be more if the bar were fresher)

UPDATE: See my Cookie Joys and Cookies ‘n’ Mint Nuggets head to head post.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:27 pm     CandyReviewHershey'sChocolateCookieDiscontinuedLimited EditionMints8-TastyUnited States

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

New Lollies: Jolly Rancher Fruit Chew Center &  Way Sour Blow Pop

Lollipops have kind of come back. When I was a kid there weren’t many good lollipops. There were those pretty ones that you’d see at the fair or candy shop - you know, those big paddle-looking ones that were of twisted hard tack. But they had no flavor. Then came the Charms pops, the Tootsie Pops and Blow Pops. There were the occasional novelty pop along the way, but that was pretty much it for some twenty years or so (I’m just saying this from memory ... I’ve done zero research).

Now there seems to be a revisiting of lollies. I noticed this a few years back when I discovered the wonderful Chupa Chups. These are great Spanish lollies that have good flavor, come in a huge assortment and have a PLASTIC stick, which means that it doesn’t fall apart on you if you’re a slobberer.

Name: Jolly Rancher Fruit Chew Center Lollipop
Brand: Jolly Rancher (Hershey’s)
Place Purchased: Liquor Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.30
Size: .56
Calories per ounce:
Type: Lolly

It’s kind of odd that this package doesn’t really give this candy a title. It’s Jolly Rancher, and it’s described in the sense that it’s assigned to be “GRAPE - artificially flavored” and “Fruit Chew Center” but it’s not really called Jolly Rancher Lolly or anything.

This was very artificially grape flavored and that’s okay. The flavor was through and through with a solid tart taste as well. The center was like a grape starburst, if they make those. What was a little weird though was the that lolly wasn’t made of a Jolly Rancher. You know, that tacky melty consistency that Jolly Ranchers have ... that’s not here. It’s not a bad thing, but something I missed.

Name: Way Sour Super Blow Pop
Brand: Charms
Place Purchased: Liquor Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.35
Size: 1.35 oz
Calories per ounce: unknown
Type: Lolly

 

This is a downright huge lolly. It has a strong orange scent and an excruciatingly sour bite. Well, it’s called Way Sour, so I can’t complain. But I will. I think it comes from being an adult, there’s only so much sour I can take. I can eat Lemonheads because there’s a rest period when you’ve eaten through the sour layer. With the Way Sour Blow Pop, I never got there. I tried for about a half an hour and never made even a dent in this thing.

The flavor is great, very orangy, very sour. It’s not a blistering sour, but tart nonetheless.

UPDATE - I gave the Way Sour another try. I thought maybe my mouth was a little tender from eating too much fresh pineapple. Anyway, the second go around was much more doable, it’s still very tart, but has a lot of flavor, it’s not all about the sour. The gum center is a little bland after all that, and slightly rubbery instead of gummy. I’ve upgrade my initial score from a 4 to a 6.

Rating: Jolly Rancher Fruit Pops - 6 out of 10
Way Sour Blow Pops - 6 out of 10

See also - Starburst Chew Pops

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:35 am     CandyReviewHershey'sHard Candy & LollipopsSour6-TemptingUnited States

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Hershey’s Double Chocolate

Name: Hershey’s Double Chocolate
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: Liquor Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.85
Size: 1.6 oz
Calories per ounce: 131
Type: Chocolate

I’m not sure what Hershey’s is up to with this one. It’s just a bad idea. There are plenty of good filled candy bars, but I’m not sure I understand how you’d go so wrong with this one.

Inside on the little white cardboard tray is a bar with four square segments of milk chocolate. Inside those is something that looks like Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Which we all know isn’t chocolate, it’s just cocoa/sugar/water. So what you end up with is a very sweet milk chocolate outside and a sickly sweet cardboard tasting sugar goo. It’s messy, it’s sticky.

I hope that this edition is very limited because this bar is just sad and cheap. I ate two out of the four squares and threw the other half out. Don’t get me wrong, I think that Hershey’s makes good product. It’s consistent and fresh and I applaud their use of the “Limited Edition” to try out new flavor combinations, but I’m not sure how this one made it past the test stage. I would also suggest the use of freshness dating.

Rating - 3 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:32 pm     CandyReviewHershey'sChocolateLimited Edition3-UnappealingUnited States

Monday, July 4, 2005

Twix Dark Chocolate

Name: Twix Dark Chocolate
Brand: Twix (Mars)
Place Purchased: Liquor Store (Hollywood)
Price: $.85
Size: 2.0 oz
Calories per ounce: 140
Type: Chocolate/Cookie

You know what I like about Mars products? They have an expiration date. When I’m buying candy at a place where it might have been sitting around for a while (read: Liquor Store), I kind of like to know if I’m eating something ten years old.

This one was supposedly fresh, but the chocolate seemed slightly chalky. The liquor store had it’s doors wide open and it is now July, so I’m guessing climate control is not as important to them as getting people into the store.

Twix have been around for quite a few years (1979). I remember their introduction and walking to the corner store near the junior high and buying one. I was just mad about the $100,000 Bar and the Marathon Bar at the time and this seemed like a good evolution. But when I eat them they’re always too sweet. I don’t know what it is, I think that the cookie should be a pretzel or something and have a salty element to it. But that’d be a different candy bar and Mars has been very successful with the Twix and who am I to tinker with the recipe?

Well, Dark Chocolate Twix to the rescue! Where the milk chocolate in the classic Twix is cloying, the dark chocolate here has a slight bitter and smoky taste that complements the caramel and sweet cookie very well. I’m sure if the chocolate was fresh it’d taste even better.

I hope they add these to their repetoire permanently. I’d actually buy them.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:39 am     CandyReviewMarsCaramelChocolateCookieLimited Edition8-TastyUnited States

Friday, July 1, 2005

Almond Joy Chocolate Chocolate

Name: Almond Joy Chocolate Chocolate
Brand: Peter Paul (Hershey’s)
Place Purchased: Liquor Store
Price: $.85
Size: 1.61 oz
Calories per ounce: 143
Type: Chocoalte/Coconut

I wholeheartedly support making Almond Joys with dark chocolate. Because the difference between an Almond Joy and a Mounds bar is not just the nut ... it’s the milk chocolate/dark chocolate respectively. In fact, I think the dark chocolate/almond/coconut combo is even better.

This is not that bar though. Because they threw something else in the mix (literally), some chocolate into the coconut center.

You’d hardly know it though. At least I don’t. I’m not sure I can tell that there is anything different with this filling. Maybe it’s a ruse to get me to now buy a regular Almond Joy to do a side-by-side comparison.

Here’s a fun fact though ... this Almond Joy bar has 12% of your daily recommended intake of fiber.

Though they messed around with the perfect simplicity of a classic, this is still a very good bar. I’ve always found the coconut center of the Mounds/Almond Joy family to be sweeter and moister than the Bounty bars (do they still make those).

Rating: 8 out of 10.

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:20 am     CandyReviewHershey'sChocolateCoconutLimited EditionNuts8-TastyUnited States

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