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Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Asahi DropsName: Asahi Kinu Kokuto I wasn’t quite sure what these were when I purchased them. I knew they were hard candy and I read over the ingredients, which are: Corn Syrup, Sugar, Brown Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Flavoring, Caramel Coloring. As far as I could figure, they were brown sugar drops. They’re better than that, I think they’re black coffee drops. Instead of those creamy drops (Coffee Rio) that are a bit like taffy, these are a smooth if sweet hard candy. Instead of being crackly with little air gaps like regular hard candy, these are dense. They do have a tangy bit of molasses to them, I’m guessing because of the brown sugar. I have no idea what the flavoring is beyond that. I’ve searched the web for any info on them and I can’t seem to figure out what they’re even supposed to be called in English. The name up there is from the receipt. If I can find these reliably, I will continue to buy them. They’re in little sealed packets and they last on the tongue for a quite a while without any of those sharp edges you sometimes get when there’s an air bubble in regular hard candies. The real drawback is that they’re rather expensive. Rating: 8 out of 10 Monday, April 18, 2005
My Favorite ChocolateName: Wilbur Semisweet Chocolate Not only is this one of the best domestic chocolates I’ve ever had, it’s really well priced. Of course it’s ridiculously hard to find so I usually go to the factory when I’m in Central Pennsylvania or order from them over the phone (nope, they don’t even have a web store). Their dark chocolate is exceptionally buttery, not too bitter. It has no dry finish like most of the denser gourmet chocolates. I consider Wilbur more “eating” chocolate than “savoring” chocolate. The mouth feel is really wonderful and not at all grainy. It’s just tad sweet, maybe a little too sweet for my taste, but is great for melting and dipping things like strawberries or pretzels. You can find the chocolate bars sometimes in east coast and midwest department stores in their gift departments but still the best way to get a hold of the freshest chocolate is to order from the factory. Rating: 9 of 10 Sunday, April 17, 2005
Fabulous PurchasesThis weekend I did a little shopping and will have lots to share in the coming week. First, I went back to Little Tokyo and spent about $20 on things. I have no idea what, it’ll be an adventure. I think I bought some caramels, an assortment of hard candies, one kind of pocky, something that might be like starbursts and some more chocolate. Next, I picked up a couple of other things on my travels today, one European Nestle bar at Bristol Farms and some of those new Jelly Belly chocolate candies. The hard part is waiting until I take a picture of it before I eat it. This blogging thing is harder than I thought! Saturday, April 16, 2005
Fondente NeroName: Fondente Nero The Man brought this back from Italy on his last visit. It was a stack of three of these generous bars - one was given to his parents and we kept the other two. It’s a wonderfully dense and rich chocolate, smooth but with a dry finish. It has a very good mouth feel, a good snap and then melts suddenly but there’s something oddly plastic about it. I don’t know if it’s the cocoa butter or we got a bad batch or the vanilla, but it’s just a little off, maybe tastes like its wrapping. However, this is a mass produced bar and readily available in Italy and a good value for a low end gourmet chocolate. Rating: 6 out of 10 Friday, April 15, 2005
Meiji Mild Bitter Chocolate SticksName: Meiji Chocolate “Mild Bitter” My mother and I purchased quite an assortment of chocolates and candies on our last trip to Little Tokyo. The Meiji Chocolate is similar in its packaging to the Hi-CROWN. It looks like a little box of European cigarettes. These little sticks of chocolate are narrower than the Hi-CROWN, but of equal quality. The dark chocolate rivals those that I’ve gotten from the Europeans. It is very smooth, though starts a little waxy and dense, it mellows on the tongue with a good dry finish. They’re a little pricy per ounce, but I like the packaging which allows you to only open enough for one at a time. I like the fine deluxe bars that have turned up lately, but breaking them off can be quite messy and I never seem to finish a bar quickly enough so it starts to look unappealing when I get towards the end. Rating: 8 out of 10 |
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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