Candy Critic

Quick List - Most Interactive Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Here's a quick list of the most interactive candy I've ever reviewed on candycritic.org.

Can You Improve On A Classic

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Probably one of the consistent failures in the candy world is when companies take a classic treat and try to improve it. Almost all of the time it fails, sometimes spectacularly. I don't really understand why companies spend research time and money trying to improve a treat that already works. Why not make something new, something that's totally different. These improved treats almost always rank lower than the original. Having said all of that, sometimes, very rarely, there's a treat that might even be an improvement.

Check out my latest review, that might be better than the original.

Happy Halloween!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Happy Halloween! I hope your bags are more filled with treat than tricks.

Treats and Beasts!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Can you imagine an alphabet where every letter brings together a wild beast and a tasty treat?

That’s exactly what you’ll find in Treats and Beasts, a fun A–Z adventure full of animals, sweets, and silly surprises.

A perfect book for young readers, animal lovers, candy fans, and anyone who enjoys a creative twist on the alphabet.

Get your copy here: bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/ or on Amazon.

Just Promotional Packaging

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

I’m a sucker for a candy promotion. What I’m talking about is when a candy company crosses over with something in real life. Sometimes a candy promotion can be with a celebrity, sometimes there’s a big event, sometimes it can be with a television or movie franchise. Candy promotions are one thing I keep my eye open for all of the time. The problem is that candy promotions are becoming more and more common, and more importantly some candy companies aren’t really putting their full effort into candy promotions.

It used to be that when I would come across some kind of candy promotion, I’d buy it. In some cases I’ve even gone out looking for particular treats that were having some kind of promotion. That’s because when the idea of cross promoting candies with famous intellectual properties, candy companies used to be fairly creative. If a celebrity was involved, then candy company might make a special version using flavours that the celebrity might like. When it came to movies and television, candy companies used to try and make foods that might be in the show a reality. Even if the treats didn’t work flavour wise, I loved the idea of a candy company thinking hard about how they can work with an intellectual property and tie things together.

With more and more candy companies doing tie-ins, I’m finding that candy companies have gotten a little lazy. Instead of making a special treat to celebrate their tie in, many candy companies have resorted to packaging only. Basically I’m seeing a lot of candy packages that simply add a few logos and design elements to their package, but the candy inside is just the same candy that they always sell. In many cases they don’t even decorate the candy inside the package either. It’s just a plain chocolate bar with logos and stuff on the package.

I think my site is proof that there are so many creative things one can do with candy. I also understand that sponsorship and cross promotions can get complicated legally, but I feel like the candy consumer is really the one losing the most here. I’ve had a few occasions where I’ve picked up a treat that could have had such potential, but was just a simple (maybe boring) candy inside. I’ve actually started to be very skeptical of crossovers and promotions when I hear about them, and I don’t really seek them out anymore. While I haven’t completely given up, if there’s no indication that there’s something unique on offer inside the package during these promotions, I just don’t bother.

Junk Fud And You - Best Country For Chocolate (in my opinion)

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Here's a quick look at the best and sometimes most surprising places to get chocolate from around the world, at least in my opinion.

I See You...

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 26 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000

I wonder what the first creepy candy ever was. I feel like most traditional Halloween candy is just standard candy made in trick-or-treat sized. However, as the years have gone by, I think more and more candy companies are trying to make Halloween themed candy, and the best way to make any candy Halloween themed is to make it creepy. Sometimes the creepiness of a Halloween candy is kind of cute, but on occasion, like this new review, the candy is actually a little unsettling.

Check out my latest of review of a really creepy candy.

Eating Really Old Halloween Kisses - Part/Year 6

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000

In this episode of Chris, Why Would You Eat That I eat another Halloween Kiss, for the sixth time. It's part 6 of a 14 year series where I'll eat a Molasses Kiss candy from the same bag till they get stale or until I finish them all.

Read my full Halloween Kisses review here: candycritic.org/halloween%20kisses.htm.

Here's last year's Halloween Kisses review: youtu.be/EJbBIfqoR2o?si=VZZ9V4sV3E9nT2N5

Blue Orchid!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

A teenage girl. A world filled with monsters. An adventure unlike any other.

Blue Orchid is my manga-inspired comic series following a young South East Asian heroine as she battles strange creatures and discovers what it takes to become a true hero.

Available now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

Fruity Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:00:00 +0000

Blending chocolate and fruit together is one of the most common flavour combinations out there. The thing is, many, maybe even most of them are not great. It's amazing how many companies blend fruit with chocolate and get it wrong. There are thousands of ways to get this combination wrong as well. Poor choice of fruit, poor quality chocolate, bad ratio of ingredients can all ruin what could be a great combination. Maybe on paper it seems like an easy thing to do, but I've tasted so many bad fruit and chocolate combinations that I'm pretty certain in reality it is not.

Check out the latest fruit and chocolate combination, spoilers, it didn't really work.

Healthy Chocolate Cereals

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

I’m not sure which cereal was the first to introduce the concept of chocolate for breakfast. More importantly I’m not really sure when the first cereal brand added chocolate to their breakfast menu, but it’s been happening much longer than I’ve been alive. Chocolate and breakfast have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, sort of. The idea of chocolate and breakfast together has been something I’ve known about for all of my life, but in our house any cereal that had chocolate was considered junk food and not healthy enough for breakfast. The only time we would get these chocolate cereals was at my grandfather’s house, who fed us full of sugar all the time.

It should also be noted that I’m talking about both chocolate flavoured cereals, cereals a that contain cocoa as well as cereals that have full-on pieces of chocolate. I feel like in my younger days most “chocolate” cereals were in fact chocolate flavoured. I’m thinking of things like Count Chocula and Cocoa Pebbles Cereal. I can’t recall having healthy cereals with just cocoa powder or even fancy cereals with real pieces of chocolate.

What I’m getting at is, there appears to be a big shift when it comes to chocolate in cereals. I think it’s a shift that’s been growing for decades now. Don’t get me wrong, the old sugary chocolate regulars are still around, but the trend that just seems to be growing out of control is “healthy” cereals that contain pieces of real chocolate. It seems to be a really popular trend with granola mostly, but there are a few others as well.

The trend is getting so extreme that many of these cereals not only offer you chocolate in each bowl, but they allow you to choose what kind of chocolate you might want. Many brands now offer their “healthy” cereal with white, dark or milk chocolate. On occasion some offer a combination of chocolate types as well.

I understand why people buy these cereals, chocolate in granola tastes great. What I don’t understand is if you can sell chocolate in cereal and sell it as healthy. If it was just cocoa I could understand it, but when you add full on pieces of chocolate it feels a little less authentically healthy. Now don’t take my word on this as I’m not an expert in healthy eating at all. Maybe chocolate (not just cocoa) has some kind of health benefit I don’t know about. Trust me I’d be very happy to hear that news.

Is chocolate going to take over the cereal isle? My taste buds might be happy about this prospect, but I feel like my waste line might be a little disappointed.

Folding Cranes with Kit Kat Wrappers

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

I can't resist a fun art project, particularly when it's on the back of a bag of Kit Kat bars.

Some Snack Facts!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered where your favourite snacks came from?

Snack Facts is a fun comic that follows Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they uncover the surprising history behind some of the world's most popular treats.

Grab your copy at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon.

Cheese and Chips

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000

It's a little weird, the name of my company is Beware The Cheese, yet for the most part I'm not really a big fan of cheese. Actually, that kind of makes sense now that I think about it. Most people assume that I might love cheese because it features so much in my creative life, but I'm actually pretty picky. There are only certain cheeses that I enjoy, and even then there are only certain ways I enjoy them. Fortunately as a potato chip flavour I'm generally pretty happy. There are few versions of cheese flavoured potato chips that I don't like. Oddly, from a creative standpoint, I'd actually like to taste one that I hate.

Check out my latest cheesy review.

Quick List - My Go To Snacks and Candy

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Here's a quick list of my go to snacks and candy. They may not be the best, but their the ones that I crave and that are close to my heart.

Treats and Beasts!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

If you love beasts and you love treats, then you’ll love Treats and Beasts!

A fun A–Z alphabet adventure packed with wild animals, tasty treats, and silly surprises. The perfect book for little readers and anyone who still loves a good alphabet adventure (even if you already know your ABCs).

Grab your copy today:

bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/

You can also find it on Amazon.

That Bar Has No Name

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000

For those unfamiliar, "No Name" is a discount brand in Canada. It's made by one of the largest grocery store chains in Canada, and sold in all (or almost all) of their stores. The idea is that these brands are not fancy at all, they're basic products that are perfectly good, but nothing amazing. I'm not sure where the name "No Name" came from, but it's been around for as long as I know. It's even gained a bit of a cult following, they have No Name t-shirts and other apparel as well. I would say that I buy a good number of No Name products when I go grocery shopping, even candy.

Check out my latest No Name review.

Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000

This year I was fortunate enough to return to the CNE. It's the first time I've been to the CNE two years in a row for a long time, and from a snacking perspective I felt a different vibe. Last year when I attended everyone wanted the next crazy food. Deep fried pizza, mustard flavoured ice cream and even a cookie flavoured hamburger. There were tones of crazy foods for sale and huge lineups for each and every one of them.

This year there were a few more crazy treats and snacks, but the lineups for these foods weren't nearly as long as last year. I would even venture to say that there were more crazy food stalls available, but not nearly as many people going to them. Now I don't have the hard numbers to prove that, only the fact that I walked by a few of these stalls and they were empty. I'm not sure what's causing this change, it could be the high prices of these odd foods, or it could be a nostalgia for the classics.

I say this because the lineups for many of the classic CNE foods were really long. I've never waiting for a waffle ice cream sandwich before, but this year it was pretty packed. It's odd too, but I also lost a bit of drive to sample all of the new and weird foods this year, and really craved some of the classics. So here's a quick look at everything I ate.

Ironically I started my day with something that's a little odd, but not that crazy. It was a plate of tater tots covered in mac and cheese and then covered in cheese sauce. It's a little extreme (particularly for your first meal) but it's not that crazy. It was also pretty tasty.

Next we went for some Tiny Tom donuts.

These have been a staple at the CNE for years. It used to be the only place you could get them, but I see them around a lot more now a days. We thought cinnamon sugar was the way to go.

Our next treat is not only a CNE classic, but I'm pretty sure every county fair and festival has corn dogs. A little mustard makes it just a bit better.

The next treat we got was the classic CNE waffle ice cream sandwich. It's something we rarely miss, even when we go with the weird foods.

I particularly liked their system of selling them. You go to the cashier and buy an ice cream sandwich coin. Then you line up for your fresh (and slightly warm) sandwich. It keeps the line moving and the coin's kind of fun as well. It's too bad you have to put your coin in a hole to get your ice cream sandwich, because I'd love to have it as a souvenir.

My last meal was also a little extreme, but once again not so gross out weird. It's pulled pork on fries with all the fixin's.

Junk Fud and You - What I look for in a Candy - Novelty

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Ever wonder why I give a particular score to some candies? How does novelty affect my reviews? I decided to break down my criteria for novelty when I review treats.

Blue Orchid Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Did you know I’m currently writing and drawing my own comic series?

Blue Orchid is a fun adventure about a teenage South East Asian girl who battles incredible monsters and faces the challenges of a world unlike anything she has ever known.

You can pick up every issue now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

Purple Is Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000

I don't think I've ever been disappointed with a purple coloured treat. It's not to say that I've loved every single purple snack I've ever eaten, I just find that most purple snacks either taste great, or at the very least are very interesting. I'm not sure I've ever had an amazing flavoured, really interesting purple treat, but generally you're likely to get one or the other. Maybe one day I will get the perfect purple treat, but for now I'm just happy when they're either interesting or really tasty.

Check out my latest interesting purple review.

Snack Facts Is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Ever wondered where your favourite snacks came from?

Snack Facts is a fun comic that follows Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they uncover the surprising history behind some of the world's most popular treats.

Grab your copy at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon.

Purple Isn't Always Grape

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000

When I was kid, if you handed me a purple potato chip I would have assumed that it was grape. I don't think there were many purple coloured treats in the world that weren't grape. I'm not sure if times have changed, or if I've just seen more of the world, but I'm seeing more and more purple in the snacking and treat world all the time. Probably the most popular purple flavour that's out right now is ube, a popular flavour that I believe came from the Philippines. But Japan also has some pretty impressive purple potato treats too.

Check out my latest purple potato treat review, this one's from Japan.

Candy Technology We Never Think About

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Recently while enjoying a bag of peanut M&Ms I realized that stamping the “M” on each and every of these oddly shaped candies must be an incredible challenge. The peanut M&Ms are the most challenging of all M&Ms to print on because each and every peanut M&M is shaped differently. This is the nature of the peanut inside, it cannot be controlled (or so I imagine). So while chomping on my peanut M&Ms I stared in amazement at how many of these treats actually had the famous stamp on them. I will note that there are a few with no stamp at all, and also a few with partial stamps too.

This got me thinking about how difficult it is to do certain tasks while making candy and snacks. It made me think about the dedication some candy scientists and engineers must be for small detailed aspects of making treats. The stamps on the M&Ms are completely not necessary, but yet it seems like they put a great effort into putting them on, even when the natural shape of a candy and chocolate coated peanut wants to make it extremely difficult.

I’ll be honest, I have no idea how the M&Ms peanut stamp machine works. If given the opportunity I’d love to see it in action in person. I’m also going to eat the rest of these M&Ms with a little more care, inspecting each and every stamp on each and every M&M. I’ll feel a little sad when it doesn’t have a stamp, but feel great pride for the candy makes with every stamp I see. Each time I see a stamp that’s only partially on, I’ll wish them better luck next time.

It’s also a good time to think a little more about the treats we eat. From what I understand puffed corn snacks like cheesies are super challenging to make. I also can’t imagine how one layers wafers and chocolate so thinly as you find inside a Kit Kat bar. Even getting the well sliced potato chip or perfectly formed gummy can’t be easy. I may not know how they do it, but I think I’m going to stop a slow down when I’m snacking and pay a little tribute to the brilliant scientists and designers of the candy world.

Candy Experiment - Twix Copies Taste Test

noreply@blogger.com (Chris Stewart) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Taste testing some Twix alternatives from Tunisia to find out if you really need the real thing.