I’ll start with a little photo of some bonbons I photographed from Eclat Chocolates in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I bought them specifically for eating, not reviewing, but they were so pretty I had to snap a few photos.
This week in Candy Blog History, I delve into the archives from late June. In Los Angeles we have a weather pattern called June Gloom, which keeps the humidity up but the morning cloud cover keeps the temperatures down, so it’s my last opportunity to photograph and eat chocolate before the long hot summer (that ends in October).
2011
It’s not hard to find new items at Trader Joe’s, and this bar is still on shelves and still worthy of trying if you haven’t picked one up already.
Name: 70% Dark Chocolate Bar - Caramel with Black Sea Salt
Brand: Trader Joe’s
Place Purchased: Trader Joe’s (Silver Lake)
Price: $1.99
Size: 3 ounces
Calories per ounce: 140
Type: Chocolate/Caramel
Rating: 8 out of 10
Read the original review of Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Bar with Caramel and Black Sea Salt.
2010
Even five years into Candy Blog, and I was still finding classic items that I hadn’t reviewed yet. My current list of candies that I haven’t reviewed yet (and have probably been around for 50 years or more) still has over a dozen items on it. Part of me thinks that if I’ve reviewed everything, there won’t be any reason to have a candy blog any longer.
Name: Peter Paul Mounds Bar
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: CVS (Silver Lake)
Price: $.89
Size: 1.75 ounces
Calories per ounce: 141
Type: Chocolate/Coconut
Rating: 9 out of 10
Read the original review of Peter Paul Mounds Bar.
2009
As we go further back in history, I found a lot of candies that didn’t make it. The Topps Wazoo bars were buoyed by a lot of advertising and curiosity from kids. My reviews were quite popular, mostly because there was no other information about them on the internet for quite a while (there were commercials, but no website). Then came the difficulty in finding them. Though they were advertised and stores wanted to carry them, I heard that there were problems manufacturing them, so they weren’t actually available during that crucial time when people were interested in trying them. Oh, and they looked and tasted weird.
Name: Wild Berriez Wazoo Bar
Brand: Topps
Place Purchased: IT’SUGAR (Universal CityWalk - Hollywood)
Price: $1.25
Size: 1.6 ounces
Calories per ounce: 106
Type: Chew
Rating: 5 out of 10
Read the original review of the Topps Wild Berriez Wazoo Bar.
2008
Mars has had its share of abandoned candy products, things that people still talk about to this day like the Twix Cookies and Cream, the Marathon Bar and PB Max. I don’t hear too many people lamenting the slow disappearance of M&Ms Premiums. They were un-shelled M&Ms with more novel layers and flavors.
Name: M&Ms Premiums
Brand: Mars
Place Purchased: Target (Hollywood)
Price: $3.99
Size: 6 ounces
Calories per ounce: 162
Type: Chocolate/Nuts/White Chocolate/Mint/Coffee
Rating: 7 out of 10
Read the original review of the launch of M&Ms Premiums.
2007
For a short time Hershey’s had a program where you could order candy to be delivered fresh from the factory. It was a strange schedule, they only did it a few times a year so if their schedule didn’t match up with the time you wanted to give it as a gift, it was awkward. And Hershey’s may be a good candy maker, but they’re not really into the whole shipping and fulfillment thing. They leave that to candy brokers and wholesalers for a reason. Part of it also implies that candy that’s fresher than the candy that you get at the store is better. And of course there was also a huge premium applied to purchasing this way, it was far more expensive than just picking it up at the grocery store.
Name: Good & Plenty
Brand: Hershey’s
Place Purchased: samples from Hershey’s
Price: $25 plus shipping
Size: 4 pounds
Calories per ounce: 94
Type: Licorice
Rating: 9 out of 10
Read the original review of Good & Plenty Fresh from the Factory.
2006
One of the earliest candies I was introduced to because of Candy Blog, and then became obsessed with, were the elusive Pink Grapefruit Mentos. Even my personal consumption levels and consistent endorsements couldn’t save them from being discontinued. (They are available in Japan though, I’m told, though I haven’t sourced any myself.)
Name: Pink Grapefruit (Pamplemousse) Mentos
Brand: Perfetti Van Melle
Place Purchased: samples from Perfetti Van Melle
Price: $17.00/box of 20 online
Size: 1.32 ounces per roll
Calories per ounce: unknown
Type: Chew
Rating: 10 out of 10
Read the original review of Pink Grapefruit Mentos.
2005
For a long time on Candy Blog I followed Limited Edition offerings from the major candy makers. Blogs like this are one of the few places you can find records of them. As a marketing scheme, the goal was murky. Were they trying them out as a possible addition to the regular line? Were they just trying to get rid of ingredients they got a good deal on? Is there some sort of marketing tie in to an event or movie? Who knows? Mostly they were flings, we’d find something we loved, then it would disappear.
Name: Reese’s Pieces Peanuts and Peanut Butter
Brand: Reese’s (Hershey’s)
Place Purchased: Target
Price: $.89
Size: 3.2 oz
Calories per ounce: 164
Type: Nuts
Read the review of Reese’s Pieces with Peanuts.
SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
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