So I was pretty excited when I heard that Target was going to make some curated shops within Target enlisting the help of Diane and Brian of the Russian Hill store. What I love about the store is that they have such an interesting collection of little tidbits from around the world. Sure, there’s some that’s completely common, but there were things I’d pick up there, especially licorice, that I have a hard time finding elsewhere.

Unlike Target’s house branded line of Choxie items, this is not a permanent addition to Target, when it’s gone, it’s gone.

The store at Target amounts to an endcap near the candy aisle in the food section at Target. The theme colors are black and white with a field of some sort of weird light green that I associate with government buildings, black and white. There aren’t really that many products and only three or four formats. There are lollipops and different candy in jars and then some tins of chocolate confections. The price points vary from $2.49 for the lollipops to $9.99 for the large tins.

The cornerstone, I would say, is the display of lollipops. The packaging is simple but the actual pops are clever and appealing. There are swirl pops and clear pops with little Necco wafers embedded in them.

The largest array of products, though, are the ones in the jars. This is where my disappointment originated. They’re $4.99 for 11 to 14 ounces of bulk candy. The candies themselves are underwhelming and expensive. I appreciated the harder to find items, like the sour sanded jelly stars, the gummi fried eggs and licorice scotty dogs. But $5 for less than a pound of Bit O’ Honey or Necco Wafers? That’s insane, the packaging is nice, but not like the tins for the chocolates. They’re just plastic.

So I bought the lollipop. Because it was the one item that I’d never seen before and I did really appreciate the whimsical touch of using Necco wafers as decoration.

The lollipop is double wrapped, which is a good idea. The outer wrap is loose and is closed with just a little twist tie that holds the bow on. Inside that, the pop itself is shrink wrapped. It was tough to get off, the shrink wrap had a big glob of melted plastic at the stick that took quite a bit of work with some scissors to remove.

The pop is 3.5 inches square and came in a variety of colors/flavors. I chose orange because I thought it would be a good representation of how flavors are handled.

The hard candy part of the lollipop is nicely poured. It’s a little uneven in spots but has only small bubbles in it. The tight shrink wrapping ended up creating creases and lines across the corners and edges of the pop. The Necco dots are lined up in the sort of pattern that might make some think of Lego blocks or perhaps a six sided die.

The flavor of the candy is very simple. It’s orange, just sweet orange. There’s a lot of zest notes in it, but it’s mostly a soft and sugary orange. The Necco wafers are crunchable with the candy, if you’re the type who chews their hard candy. I found the flavors (lemon and lime) of the Necco actually went well (except for pink). But still, it was just a big piece of hard candy on a wooden stick. It’s fun to look at, but really not for eating. The Necco Wafers contain gelatin, so this is not a candy for vegetarians, also contains soy.

I like the idea of a curated set of candy that’s hard to find and well priced. This has some of those elements, but I’m not their actual intended audience. This is for people who don’t realize that there are neighborhood candy shops in so many places where you can find this sort of thing, along with an enthusiastic person behind the register like Diane or Brian. If you’re stuck in big-box store land, this at least has more personality and is a better gift than a peg bag of Scotty Dogs.

Name: Orange Lollipop with Necco Wafers
Brand: The Candy Store at Target
Place Purchased: Target (WeHo)
Price: $2.49
Size: 2.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 101
Type: Chalk/Hard Candy
Rating: 6 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Original Necco Wafers Return
2. Target’s Market Pantry Malted Milk Balls
3. Eat with your Eyes: Butterfly Lollipop
4. Hammond’s All Natural Lollipops
5. Choxie 3 Ounce Chocolate Bars
6. Friday’s San Francisco Candy Adventure

Instead I’m testing a knock off version, presented by Aldi, the German grocery chain under their house brand Route 1.

The Route 1 Racer Bar comes in a well priced bag of nearly 10 ounces (9.8) fun sized bars for only $1.79.

The little bars smell good, like milky chocolate and roasted peanuts. They’re small bars, smaller than the Romeo and clock in at about .70 ounces and about 110 calories. The size is still a nice portion, and two make a good treat.

The construction of the bar is just as you’d anticipate for a Snickers knock off. There’s a nougat base, which has a light peanut butter flavor to it then a caramel over that studded with peanuts. The whole thing is covered with a very thin coating of chocolate.

(Racer Bar compared to Snickers 3X Chocolate for ratios)

The textures were great, though the ratio of chocolate was a bit lacking. I didn’t miss it though, because it really wasn’t that good. It was more a toffee milk flavor than chocolate. The flavors though, well, sometimes they were what I’d call good. But there were bad peanuts. The photo of the first bar with a bite up there, that was a bad peanut, like spit it out bad. And I accept that when using a natural ingredient that there will be bad peanuts, but then I got another. I’ve eaten seven of these little bars and two had bad peanuts. The flavor of the peanuts is a little more grassy than I’m accustomed to, which leads me to believe they may not be American peanuts.

This is the first product I’ve bought at Aldi that I’ve been truly disappointed about. I doubt I’ll finish the bag, and I doubt that folks who come grazing for candy in my office will be interested in them. I’ll stick to Snickers, even if it is twice the price.

Name: Racer Bar
Brand: Route 1 (Aldi)
Place Purchased: Aldi (Camp Hill, PA)
Price: $1.79
Size: 9.8 ounces
Calories per ounce: 149
Type: Chocolate/Caramel/Peanuts/Nougat
Rating: 5 out of 10

They have a great selection of low-priced, good quality candy. Much of it is under the brands Moser Roth, Choceur or Grandessa. But two years ago I noticed that they launched a line more traditional candy bars under a more North American-oriented brand called Route 1. This assortment features knock-offs of common candy bars. The Route 1 Romeo Bar is like the Mounds Bar but is made with milk chocolate instead of dark. Or you can call it an Almond Joy without the almonds. In reality this is most similar to the Bounty Bar, which is made by Mars, but rarely seen in the United States.

The bar is listed as delicious sweet coconut bars covered with milk chocolate. Some of the Route 1 bars are sold as single serving sizes, but the Romeo I could only find in the fun size bag. The bag is really well priced at $1.79 for 9.7 ounces. It’s a far better deal than the Hershey’s Mounds, which are usually about $3.00 for a similarly sized bag. The little bars are a little shy of an ounce (.88 ounces) and come in at about 125 calories each. The packaging is simple, but easy to spot and tell apart from the other candies in the brand line.

The little bars are 2.25 inches long and 1 inch wide. The milk chocolate coating is swirly and looks appealing. It has a nice snap to it and a very milky scent, like heavily sweetened powdered milk.

The whole thing is very milky, the chocolate is more milky than cocoa, the coconut center has just as many cream and dairy notes as coconut. The coconut is soft and has a moist and easy chew without being to dry and fibery.

While I enjoyed them while eating them, I didn’t find the chocolate notes satisfying enough. The combination of the chocolate outside and the coconut inside never quite felt integrated. If you’re not really picky or are looking for a really good value for something like Halloween or a Pinata, this is a good option. If you’ve always thought that Almond Joy wasn’t sweet enough, this is also a good choice.

There is no indication of the source of the chocolate. There are allergens present, made with soy and dairy and may contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, gluten and eggs.

Name: Romeo Bar
Brand: Route 1 (Aldi)
Place Purchased: Aldi (Camp Hill, PA)
Price: $1.79
Size: 9.7 ounces
Calories per ounce: 142
Type: Chocolate/Coconut
Rating: 7 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Choceur Chocolate Crisp Bars
2. Blue Ribbon Neapolitan Coconut Bar
3. Choceur Nougat Bites & Marzipan Bites
4. King Leo Dark Chocolate Crunchy Patties
5. Sunspire Coconut Bars
6. Moser Roth Chocolate
7. Choceur Luxury Mini Chocolate Bars
8. Ritter Sport Capuccino and Rum Trauben Nuss

Name: Wild Ophelia
Brand: Vosges Chocolate
Description: Wild Ophelia is a line of eight different chocolate bars with decidedly Americana flavor profiles, such as Southern Hibiscus Peach and New Orleans Chili. The bars are all-natural, gluten free, with ingredients sourced from food artisans and farms from across the United States, while the packaging is made with 100% recycled board and 100% renewable energy.
Introduction Date: 5/1/2012
Notes: Vosges is extending their take on chocolate with this lower priced line (well, I’m not sure it’s really lower priced, the bars are just smaller). The bars have startling ingredients like beef jerky and barbecue potato chips and more sedate and appealing sounding items like caramel corn and peanut butter and banana.

Name: Queen Anne’s French Vanilla Cordial Cherry
Brand: World’s Finest Chocolate
Description: A premium whole cherry and French vanilla-flavored light, creamy filling are surrounded by a milk chocolate shell.
Introduction Date: 10/1/1012
Notes: I think vanilla fondant and cherry is a natural combination. The Queen Anne line is often found at dollar stores, so it’s nice to see a bit of an extension of the flavors within the ingredients available for that price restricted item.

Name: Edible Candy Number Birthday Candle
Brand: Webb Candy
Description: This birthday candle is sure to make the cake a little jealous. While the top is a hat for the wick, the bottom section is fully edible candy. Available in number 0-9.
Introduction Date: September 2012
Notes: I’m a little unclear about what the candy part of this is, but I love the idea. I know that the old school trick for keeping candle wax off your cake is to put them in gumdrops. But an actual candle holder that’s a themed candy is pretty cool.

Name: Ice Breakers Duo Mints - Raspberry & Ice Breakers Duo Mints - Strawberry
Brand: Hershey’s
Description: Ice Breakers Duo Mints expand Hershey’s Mints into the growing fruit segment. Hershey’s is #1 in Mint, gaining 4.1 share points vs. a year ago. Ice Breakers Duo Mints have a fruit flavored, textured side, and a cooling, smooth side with flavor crystals.
Introduction Date: 4/6/2012
Notes: It’s fun to see more fruity breath freshening mints. Too bad they use artificial sweeteners, otherwise I’d give them a try. (A summer fruit salad of strawberries and fresh spearmint is really quite good.)

All images courtesy of the respective manufacturers.

The Sweets & Snacks Expo for 2012 has wrapped up and all the exhibitors are probably on their way back to their candy factories with sheaves of new orders in their briefcases. Here are a few other new items that folks were talking about:

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease: Mars 2012 Announcements
2. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2012 - Part 2
3. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2012 - Part 1
4. Candy Tease Spring 2012
5. Candy Tease: October 2011
6. Candy Tease: Mars 2011 Announcements
7. Eat with your Eyes: L.A. Burdick

Name: Dove Cookies and Creme
Brand: Dove (Mars)
Description: Savor the grown-up experience of a childhood favorite with the delicious flavors of cookies and crème. New DOVE® Brand Silky Smooth Cookies and Crème blends sweet and creamy white chocolate and crunchy chocolate cookie bits into an indulgence that only DOVE Chocolate can deliver.
Introduction Date: September 2012
Notes: I am actually looking forward to this. The Hershey’s version has gone downhill since they stopped using all cocoa butter but the Dove Peppermint Bark that came out two years ago did turn out really well ... the big question remains, will it have the right ratio of chocolate cookies.

Name: Milky Way Caramel Apple
Brand: Mars
Description: Caramel apples are a Halloween tradition, and new MILKY WAY® Brand Caramel Apple Miniatures add a chocolate twist to this Halloween favorite. Combining the irresistible tastes of chocolate, rich and creamy caramel and apple, this new item brings a unique, new flavor to trick-or-treating, decorating and snacking.
Introduction Date: September 2012
Notes: These are coming out for Halloween, but will be around through the end of the year. I know that the apple and caramel flavor thing has been around for a while, but I have my doubts that this will taste realistic and not fake.

Name: 3 MUSKETEERS Brand Hot Cocoa with Marshmallow
Brand: Mars
Description: What’s better than hot cocoa on a cold winter’s day? Try new 3 MUSKETEERS Brand Hot Cocoa with Marshmallow Minis and find out! This new limited-edition holiday flavor may not warm the bones, but with its smooth and creamy goodness, it’s sure to satisfy holiday decorating and snacking this season.
Introduction Date: November 2012
Notes: 3 Musketeers has been the area where Mars has been throwing its muscle in the seasonal flavors. The previous 3 Musketeers Marshmallow for Easter 2011 was a bit lackluster. I’m not quite sure what this flavor will be, except less malty (is it possible for the current version of 3 Musketeers to be less malty) than the current version.

Name: DOVE PROMISES Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate & Strawberry Crème Swirl Hearts
Brand: Dove (Mars)
Description: Juicy strawberry crème coated in milk chocolate combine for a decadent and irresistible taste sensation. DOVE captures this hallmark flavor of the season in new DOVE PROMISES Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate & Strawberry
Introduction Date: January 2013
Notes: The white & milk swirl that Dove came out with is nicely done. The fakey fruit flavors that I had in the raspberry was just not my cup of tea, but there are others that might enjoy these, especially in small pieces with a Valentine’s theming on them.

Other items returning:

M&M’S Candy Corn White Chocolate Candies were an unexpected hit last year. I was surprised that I liked them and am glad to see that they’ll return for Halloween 2012. Full review here.

Dove Peppermint Bark will be back for Christmas in the bark and Promises version, but also a new DOVE Peppermint Bark Singles which sounds like a great way to just pick up a small, easy to eat bar instead of a large bag. Previous review of Promises here.

DOVE PROMISES Silky Smooth White Chocolate will also return for Christmas 2012. Previous review is here.

3 MUSKETEERS Dark Chocolate Strawberry Minis were introduced in a Fall Mix in 2007 (along with French Vanilla and Cappuccino). Lately they’ve been bringing out Cherry and Raspberry seasonally, but this Strawberry version will be out for Valentine’s Day 2013.

Images courtesy of Mars, Inc.

Mars announced their new products that will be coming out starting this fall at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago. Here are a few highlights.

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2012 - Part 2
2. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2012 - Part 1
3. Candy Tease Spring 2012
4. Candy Tease: October 2011
5. Candy Tease: Mars 2011 Announcements
6. Candy Tease: Mars 2010

Name: Lindor Vanilla Truffles
Brand: Lindt
Description: Exquisitely creamy chocolate and artistic mastery combine to create our LINDOR Truffle with an irresistibly smooth center guaranteed to melt the heart of every chocolate connoisseur. A white chocolate shell infused with vanilla surrounds an irresistibly smooth vanilla white chocolate center.
Introduction Date: May 2012
Notes: It’s basically a white chocolate truffle. I was actually surprised to learn that this didn’t exist already. I think they’ll do well, white chocolate has seen a rebirth of interest lately, especially with higher end candy makers.

Name: Hello Kitty Chocolate Brownie Treats
Brand: Taste of Nature
Description: Taste of Nature has paired with Sanrio to produce a Hello Kitty treats line, including: Hello Kitty Cotton Candy (which comes in pink vanilla and blue raspberry), Hello Kitty Cupcake, Hello Kitty Chocolate Brownie and Hello Kitty Cookie Dough. Both the Cookie Dough and Brownie treats consist of ready-to-eat cookie dough covered in creamy milk chocolate, while the Cupcake treats feature a cupcake center, covered in a coating of frosting and topped off with multi-colored sprinkles.
Introduction Date: May 2012
Notes: Basically, they’re Cookie Dough Bites and their kin. So if you want those candies but would prefer a prettier box, pick these up. (I don’t know if they cost more, the list is the same.)

Name: Red Velvet Nutffles
Brand: Morris National
Description: Red Velvet Truffles are the latest take on Nutffles. Featuring cream cheese flavor, chocolate and whole almonds, this treat is sure to satisfy your cake cravings.
Introduction Date: 7/1/2012
Notes: I hesitate to call Nutffles truffles, they’re more like an American version of Ferrero Rocher, but not a pure clone. This new flavor is definitely All-American. Not something I’m likely to go for, but definitely thinking outside the box.

Name: Sweethearts Marshmallows
Brand: Spangler Candy Company
Description: Sweethearts aren’t just hard candies any more. This year, they will be available as heart-shaped marshmallows and heart-shaped lollipops. Both will feature some of Sweethearts’ original “conversations” and will be in four flavor: strawberry, grape, green apple and blue raspberry.
Introduction Date: Valentines 2013
Notes: Sweethearts are made by Necco, but this alternate version is made by Spangler, masters of the Circus Peanut. I’m guessing these marshmallows will be like Circus Peanuts. They sound absolutely dreadful to eat, but probably wonderful for decorating and just looking at. But I could be wrong ... I’m willing to give them a try.

Name: Scary Gummy
Brand: Vidal Candies
Description: A 4-pk of assorted Halloween-themed gummy characters includes: skulls, cross bones, skeletons, and bats.
Introduction Date: Halloween 2012
Notes: Vidal is a Spanish company that makes excellent gummis. I don’t see them much in the United States, mostly as bulk items. It’s nice to see them getting their own brand out here. If you’re looking for novelty gummis that aren’t made in China, I’d say keep an eye out for these.

All images courtesy of the respective manufacturers.

Though I couldn’t make it to Sweets & Snacks Expo this year, I’ve gotten word of loads of new candy hitting the shelves soon. Here are some highlights.

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo 2012 - Part 1
2. Candy Tease Spring 2012
3. Candy Tease: October 2011
4. Candy Tease: Mars 2011 Announcements
5. Eat with your Eyes: L.A. Burdick

Name: Brand: Ritter Sport
Description: Attention all ice cream lovers! The classic Italian ice cream flavour Amarena cherry is now also available as RITTER SPORT chocolate. With its milk cream, sour cherries and the pleasantly light flavour of almonds, it can proudly take its place beside its Italian role model. Even the crispy cornet has its place in the square “Amarena Cup” in the form of small pieces of waffle! Ice cold, this chocolate square even beats the scoop of ice cream.
Introduction Date: November 2012
Notes:  I believe the Amarena Cherry will be a summer limited edition flavor in Europe, so it will transition into American stores shortly after that for the Winter. Also of note, there will be a few other holiday flavors for Americans: Coconut Macaroon, Dark Praline & Caramel Almond and after a 5 year absence, Ritter Rum, Raisins & Hazelnuts (Rum Trauben Nuss) is back for Holiday 2012.

Name: Au Natural
Brand: Sweet Candy Company
Description: The products in this line are made with all natural ingredients and contain No Artificial Flavors or Colors, No Corn Syrup, No Preservatives. Nummy Bears, Squishy Fishy, Squirmy Wormy, and Citrus Slices. “Classic Candies, Better Ingredients.
Introduction Date: 1/15/2012
Notes: I tried these at the Fancy Food Show in January. The products are jellies, not gummies but once you get over the texture difference, the flavors are really well balanced and fruity. The citruses are especially good. If you like the Gourmet Gum Drops at Whole Foods, you’ll love these.

Name: Ginger-Lemon Gummi
Brand: Haribo
Description: Said Christian Jegen, president of Haribo of America Inc. “Ginger-Lemon is extremely popular overseas, and we anticipate it will be a big hit in the U.S., especially among adults who are looking for something new and unusual in their choice in sweets. We believe the American gummi candy market has yet to reach its full potential.”
Introduction Date: September 2012
Notes: I’ve had these, I’ve actually bought more than a half a dozen bags of them, and if I time it properly, they’ll be in stores in the US by the time I run out. If you like authentic tasting, tangy and spicy gummis, you should seek these out.

Name: Gimbal’s Sour Beans
Brand: Gimbal’s Candy
Description: The brand new Sour Gourmet Jelly Bean line is made with real fruit juice, and features two flavors that have never been made in sour jelly bean format before: Sour Mango and Sour Pomegranate. Also introducing this fall, Gimbal’s Harvest Mix Gourmet Jelly Beans are made with Real Fruit Juice. This 9oz Fall-themed bag is packed with seven delicious gourmet flavors including special Pumpkin Pie, Harvest Spice, Peach Cobbler and more!
Introduction Date: 61/2012
Notes: I already reviewed the Gimbal’s Sour Beans when I found them around Easter. There’s a lot to love about Gimbal’s candies. Most notably they’re free from the Major Eight Food Allergens and they use good ingredients. But I’ve had a devilish time finding them. The good news is that many of their products are going to be available in the smaller 2.75 ounce peg bags for just a buck. I hope the really hard to find Sour Lovers also come in this convenient package.

Name: Bonomo Taffy: Blue Raspberry & Cherry
Brand: Warrell Corp.
Description: Bonomo, the nostalgic Taffy brand is introducing two new flavors! Try new Blue Raspberry, and Cherry flavors today!
Introduction Date: 5/7/2012
Notes: Bonomo was one of the most missed discontinued candies when they resumed production under the guidance of Warrell Corp (Classic Caramel Company) about a year ago. They started up with the expected flavors: strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and banana. It’s interesting to see them expand the flavors so quickly. I fully expected cherry, but blue raspberry is an interesting demographic note, as it’s mostly requested by younger folks.

The Sweets and Snacks Expo, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association starts today in Chicago. It’s a huge trade show for candy manufacturers to show their product lines to candy buyers. Hundreds of new candy products are introduced each year.

Related Candies

1. Candy Tease Spring 2012
2. Candy Tease: October 2011
3. Candy Tease: Mars 2011 Announcements
4. Eat with your Eyes: L.A. Burdick

These came out in February, but I couldn’t find them anywhere in Los Angeles. Luckily I did spot them at a gas station in Media, Pennsylvania and picked one up.

They only come in the 2 To Go size, which is like a King Size bar, except there are two small bars in the package. The wrappers says that you can eat one now, twist the wrapper and save the other for later. Yeah, as if a lot of people do that. (Mars is phasing out their king size bars over concerns about portioning and will only sell bars with 250 or fewer calories.

I would prefer to call these Triple Chocolate Snickers, but no one at Mars consulted me on this item. The 3X was vague, I thought maybe it was three times the size or maybe had three little bars in the package.

Each bar is 210 calories and almost 1.6 ounces. So they’re actually a good size and satisfying portion. I find the regular Snickers bar just one bite too big for me. About 200 calories is a pleasing portion for most of us.

The bars are beautiful, even after a few thousand miles of travel. They have the lovely swirls of chocolate on top and a thick coat over the layers inside. The bar is constructed as you might anticipate, a base of chocolate nougat with a peanut studded caramel on top of that then a coating of milk chocolate.

The bar smells like a Snickers, like sweet milk and peanuts. The bite is similar to the traditional Snickers with perhaps a little less caramel pull. It’s all quite sweet and not quite as chocolatey as I’d hoped. The nougat doesn’t really taste like chocolate, just sweet and fluff like a 3 Musketeers. The chocolate caramel is a bit richer in profile than the standard caramel, but lacks a salty punch. The peanuts are just as good as they should be, crunchy and fresh.

Really, I prefer the salty and nuttier standard Snickers. But if I tried this bar first, I might be more inclined to make it a favorite. It just felt a little too sweet overall without as much of a flavor punch.

I have no idea if Mars is set to roll this out in Fun Size and regular size bars, my guess is they’re waiting for reaction from consumers on the King Size (but if the King Size goes away, I would guess this bar would, too).

Mars has not moved to sustainable and ethically sourced cacao in the United States (their first product will be Maltesers in the UK). This bar contains peanuts, soy, eggs and dairy. There’s no note about the gluten status.

Name: 3X Chocolate Snickers
Brand: Mars
Place Purchased: Shell Station (Media, PA)
Price: $1.89
Size: 3.14 ounces
Calories per ounce: 132
Type: Chocolate/Caramel/ Peanuts/Nougat
Rating: 8 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Snickers Slice n’ Share (1 Pound)
2. Snickers Peanut Butter Squared
3. Limited Edition Snickers Fudge
4. Snickers Rockin’ Nut Road Bar
5. Storck Chocolate Riesen
6. Twix Triple Chocolate
7. Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews

It wasn’t until 1989 that Skittles started to create extra flavor versions of their packages. The Skittles Sours were introduced in the United States in 2000 as a regular Skittle with a grainy sour coating. That same year the European version of Skittles Crazy Sours came out. They’re a bit different in that they don’t look different, but have a different set of flavors from the Fruits set but no tangy coating.

The colors are a little muted but easily identified as Skittles with the classic printed S on them. They did smell a little more than the standard Fruit Skittles. It was a light, fruity smell, kind of like Froot Loops or Freesias.

Since they don’t really look like the American Sour Skittles, I compared them to the American Fruits Skittles (on the left).

Green is the Sour Apple flavor, not lime. It’s the most artificial tasting of the bunch, with a more apple cider vinegar tartness than a Jolly Rancher, by far my least favorite of the bunch.

Yellow is Pineapple! What a delight. Why don’t they have any pineapple Skittles in the United States? I loved these. A mix of floral and canned pineapple.

Orange is Sour Mandarin according to Wikipedia. It actually doesn’t say what the flavors are on the package.  It is tangy, but not terribly intense. The orange original Fruits Skittle orange is equally mild in the flavor profile, but of course lacks that tartness.The flavor actually varied a bit from piece to piece, some were notably more sour than others. 

Pink is rather magenta and a Sour Raspberry flavor. The notes are really good, there’s the tartness, the floral berry notes and then a deeper boiled sugar flavor like

Purple was hard to place at first, it’s Sour Cherry. The color is a true, bright purple, instead of the eggplant purple of the domestic grape version. It’s rather good, probably the most sour of all of Skittles in this package and with a really convincing sour cherry juice flavor. It has notes of currant and raspberry and pomegranate

There really is no comparison between the American Sour Skittles and the European Crazy Sours Skittles. I can’t say that I prefer them, but the zing was noticeable enough to say that they’re different, but perhaps my mouth has been spoiled by truly sour things so I didn’t find these rose to the level of crazy. I have to say that I prefer the European version to the American sours, but only because they’re not messy.

I don’t know the allergen status of these. Skittles stopped using gelatin a few years ago, though they’re not marked as Kosher.

Name: Skittles Crazy Sours
Brand: Wrigley’s (Mars)
Place Purchased: Albert Heijn (Amsterdam)
Price: 1 Euro ($1.35)
Size: 1.94 ounces
Calories per ounce: 110
Type: Chew
Rating: 7 out of 10

Related Candies

1. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
2. Skittles Riddles
3. Haribo Maoam Fruit Chews
4. Skittles Blenders
5. New Flavors: Skittles Sour & Wonka Runts
6. Mentos - Pine Fresh (Pineapple)
7. Skittles from the UK
8. Skittles (Fruits, Wild Berry, Tropical, Smoothies & Sour)

They’re narrow tins that open like drawers. Inside are little spheres of chocolate. They call them Pearls. They’re not so different than the Godiva Pearls that are sold in the United States in much smaller tins.

The chocolate actually seemed to be of higher quality than the ordinary Hershey’s bars, but that could just be the premium packaging. It’s a great way to portion just a little bit of chocolate and the tins are nicely reusable. They’re thick enough that I could put a few thumb drives in them, or a card reader for my camera and some extra flash memory. Or I suppose I could refill them with other edibles and stash it in my bag.

Another view of the Hershey’s Extra Creamy Pearls.

Hershey’s Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate Pearls close up.

They’re each about the size of a fresh garden pea.

There was also a version of Hershey’s Special Dark Pearls, which I didn’t find as creamy as the milk chocolate version. I picked these up as samples at the ISM Cologne show last year.

A little example of how Hershey’s looks in another country.