Candy Critique - Reviews of gummies, jellies, chocolate, gum

Belly Flops

Michael — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:49:00 GMT

(A.k.a. "Irregular Jelly Beans".)

This little (4.7-ounce) bag of Jelly Belly jelly beans caught my eye the last time I was in a Dollar Tree store. I wanted to pick up something that the gummi-loving Donald might also enjoy, and while jelly beans aren't gummis, they are at least related.

Besides, I was curious; I'm not generally a huge jelly bean fan, but of course I'd heard of Jelly Belly-- the "gourmet" jelly bean. For a dollar, why not?

The bag is very colorful, featuring the Jelly Belly jelly bean mascot doing a, well, a belly flop into a heap of deformed jelly beans. (No wonder it grabbed my attention.)

If the name of the candy isn't clear enough, turn the bag over. From the text on the back, we learn the following:

"They aren't available very often, but when they are... Jelly Belly fans love to snap up our famous BELLY FLOPS. These special beans taste great, but don't quite meet all of our demanding standards for size, color, shape and flavor."

Hm...
Interesting.

You tear open the bag, pour a few out into a dish... and yes, there are a few oddly-shaped beans. Mostly they're just two beans-- always of the same flavor-- that got stuck together. (Siamese beans, if you will.)

However, that leaves you wondering about all those other beans. The ones that look pretty normal from the outside. Are they the ones that didn't meet Jelly Belly's "demanding standards" in the flavor department?

We're not sure what was wrong with them (very slightly not the right shape/size?), but they tasted fine to us.

None of the beans had the Jelly Belly "stamp". I guess that's some sort of stamp of approval that comes after the rigorous sorting process. (I wonder if there are specially trained people at the Jelly Belly Factory who pick out the inferior beans or if it's all automated...)

One downside of Jelly Belly beans-- flops or not-- seems to be the very thing that sets them apart. That would be the range of flavors. When you have so many flavors, there are sure to be hits and misses. Donald hates the coconut. I'm not especially fond of cinnamon-flavored beans. Neither of us cared much for the ones that tasted like buttered popcorn. (Blech! But then again, neither of us like movie popcorn with that heavy butter. If you love buttery movie popcorn, this might be a dream come true for you.)

Also, it can be difficult (especially for the uninitiated) to tell what flavor a bean is before eating it. I thought I was getting cherry (one of my favorites), but it turned out to be the dreaded cinnamon. I chomped down on a yellow-green bean, expecting sour apple, and was startled by lime. I don't even dislike lime-- but when you're expecting apple and get lime, it's not necessarily a pleasant surprise.

That said, our little bag had a decent assortment of flavors. If you buy them in person, you can peek through the clear window in the bag to make sure you're not getting tons of licorice, for instance. (Unless you're one of those weirdos who actually like licorice, that is.)

So, my verdict? I thought they were alright, but since I'm not a serious jelly bean lover, I'd probably rather spend my money and calories on something different, next time, now that my curiosity's been sated. However, for someone who's partial to very flavorful jelly beans-- particularly the Jelly Belly brand beans-- these Belly Flops are a good deal. (They're also gluten-free and made in a peanut-free facility!)

Daim vs. Skor

Donald — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 20:44:00 GMT

Chocolate covered toffee bars have been around for a long time. In this review we are pitting two of the most popular against each other – Daim and Skor. Daim is made by Swedish chocolate company Marabou, and was introduced back in the 50s. The Skor bar is made by Hershey’s and has been around since the early 80s. Incidentally, “Skor” is the Swedish word for shoes, so if you ever in travel in Sweden don’t ask for a Skor bar by name.

Having grown up in Sweden I’ve eaten daim since I was a small child, especially as it one of my dad’s favorite candy. So to make up for my possible bias, Michael will be doing the testing with me.

Packaging:

Michael
I kind of like the skor wrapper better, and I like that it looks a bit retro. The Daim looks more modern and might be more appetizing to someone who has not tried either before.

Donald
Daim is the clear winner. Sure, it’s a bit over the top with the exploding candy and bright colors, but that’s what you’d want for a candy bar. Also, the slightly uneven curve on the extended k really bugs me!

Taste:

Michael
I don’t taste much difference, and probably couldn’t tell them apart in a blind test. The chocolate on the Daim bar taste a bit less. The Daim bar is a bit softer and the Skor bar is crunchier, but overall they are very similar.

Donald
The chocolate is the biggest difference. The Daim bar has soft milk chocolate while the chocolate on the skor bar is grainier and waxier with an inferior cheaper taste. Not so surprising since the Skor bar is made by Hershey’s. The toffee part is a bit thinner and softer on the Daim bar with a sweeter and more buttery taste.

Overall:

Michael
Skor: 3+
Daim: 3
Considering that they taste almost the same to me, I would choose the cheaper one, which is the Skor bar.

Donald
Like I said, I might have a little bias, but to me the Daim bar is far superior. The Skor bar is not bad, but it just can’t match the taste of the Daim bar.
Skor: 3
Daim: 5

Availability in the US:
Skor bars are easy to find in most stores. Daim can be harder to locate. They used to be sold in IKEA stores, but it appears they no longer are. I bought my bar at World Market which has locations throughout the southern and eastern US.

Soft Creme Caramels

Donald — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:32:00 GMT

These delicious caramels are a one of my new favorites!
I’m sure everyone is familiar with the Werther’s Original caramels. I have always liked them, though I am not that much of a hard candy eater.
Werther’s Chewy Caramel are great, and you wouldn’t think they could be improved much. But enter Soft Crème Caramels – these takes caramels to a whole new level.

I remember making homemade caramels growing up, and how if you stirred the caramels too much while it was cooking, it might end up crystalized in the end. I never minded this much as I liked the crystalized caramels. These are kinda like that, but much better. The have a texture that are soft and creamy and grainy at the same time. Because they are so easy to chew you end up with a mouthful of crumbly delicious caramel.

The biggest problem with the Werthers Soft Crème Caramels is that they are so hard to find! Most stores have a section with a range of Werther’s products, but only very few of them seems to stock the Soft Crème Caramels. In fact, even the Official Werther’s Website makes no mention of the Soft Crème Caramels. This is a bit alarming, as I hope they will not be discontinued anytime soon!

If you are a caramel fan and happen to run across these (look for the purple label) I highly recommend picking up a few bags.

Rips Whips

Donald — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 02:09:00 GMT

Having grown up with Kolasnören, I have a soft spot for this type of candy. Apparently, these Rips Whips have been around for a couple of years, but it was just recently I spotted them for the first time in a local store.

Obviously, these are made by the same company who brought us Rips (See review of Rips here). The bag design is very similar with the word Rips across the top. The bag has a transparent tray that the candies are sitting in. I assume that’s to prevent them from becoming a messy blob in the bottom of the bag.
The back of the bag also has instructions for making some cool braids using the candies. And if you are feeling especially crafty there are several more instructions on their website: http://www.foreigncandy.com/ripswhips.html

I didn’t try any braiding myself, but I can definitely see how it’s possible. The whips are very soft and bendable, yet strong enough to be handled quite a bit.

There are four flavors of whips in the bag – Apple, Strawberry, Tutti Frutti and Blue Raspberry.

I think the best way of eating string-shaped candy like this is to gather up a bunch of it and pop it in your mouth. Just taking a bite off a string is pretty unsatisfactory, as it doesn’t really taste all that much.

Ok, time for the tasting. The green apple strings are decent, they have a distinct apple taste, but they are rather bitter. The yellow tutti-frutti has an odd taste with a hint of lime. The blue raspberry is ok, with a more mild taste. Finally, the red strawberry has a weird chemical taste that I don’t like at all. I was disappointed as strawberry is usually my favorite.

I really want to like this candy – the packaging, shape, colors etc, are all great. Unfortunately, the taste is not really all that great… and just like the rips they leave my mouth with a rather unsatisfactory aftertaste. I was going to give them a 3 of 5, but the persistant weird aftertaste as I was writing this review made me reconsider and give it a 2. My mouth actually feels a bit numb with the odd chemical tastes. However, keep your eyes open for my review of Rips Bits - those are much better!

Awesome Twosome Chews

Michael — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:06:00 GMT

My husband picked these up somewhere (Wal-Mart?) and mentioned that I might like them. I'll admit I was skeptical. I don't like gummy candy as much as he does, and we don't usually gravitate strongly to the same candy. Still, I decided to try a piece and was pleasantly surprised.

The key is that these candies are chews-- not gummis. The texture is much less gelatinous than, say, a gummi bear, and they have a light dusting of "sour sugar" that supplies a nice tang. They remind me slightly-- but favorably-- of Haribo's Fruity Pasta candy, though Awesome Twosome Chews are significantly softer and less tart than Fruity Pasta.

The gimmick with this candy is that each (approximately half-inch square) piece is comprised of two flavors. Each center is of one flavor and is wrapped in a layer of a second flavor. In this bag, we had two flavor combinations-- watermelon wrapped around green apple and cherry wrapped around orange. As far as I know, these are the only flavor combinations currently available, which seems a little limited. Most bags of candy chews these days seem to come in assortments of at least three different flavors. At least both of these flavor combos are good. I didn't find myself avoiding a particular color, as sometimes happens in bags of assorted flavors.

Once you get past the slight tanginess of the powdered coating, the candy itself is sweet and quite tasty, with a pleasant chewiness that doesn't devolve into a gooey, tooth-sticking mess, as some soft, chewy candies do. I can definitely taste both flavors in each candy, though sometimes one seems to dominate the other. The citrus flavor in the cherry/orange is quite strong and mouth-watering, while the watermelon/green apple has a slightly sour, puckering effect. The two flavor combinations pair well.

I ate my last few Awesome Twosome Chews while writing this review, and I'm left wishing I had more. That's the sign of a pretty decent little candy.

Gummy Ice Cream

Donald — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:55:00 GMT

The bag is colorful and looks fun. That's really the only good thing I have to say about these Gummy Ice Creams. Each ice cream is individually wrapped in a little hard plastic shell and consist of two cone pieces and one piece that's supposed to be the topping. Sure, with a bit of imagination you can see that it's supposed to be an ice cream, but that's really pretty pitiful. But the shape aside, the worst part about these candies is the taste. They taste horrible! Like the candy plant doubles as an oil refinery at night. I tried several to make sure I didn't happen to get a dud, but they all tasted just as bad. A very definite 1 of 5. I guess the 'Made in China' and 'Artificially Flavored' should have given me a clue, but I was hoping for something much better.

Mallo-Licious Marshmallows

Donald — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 01:02:00 GMT

These bags with Mallo-licious caught my eye in the local Walmart. I have never seen them before, so I imagine they are pretty new. They are only $1 for a fairly big bag, so seems like a good deal. Our local store had five different flavors – strawberry, sour peach, banana, red raspberry and vanilla. These candies are big, and so there are not that many in each bag. Also, they are seriously sweet, a 33g serving contains 28g of sugar. We're talking 85% pure sugar! (your average candy is more in the 50 – 65% range).

Strawberry
Big luxurious fluffy strawberries. The jelly in the middle is soft and jelly-ish. The strawberry flavor is artificial, but they are tasty with a nice strawberry aroma.

Banana
The bananas does not have a jelly-filling, but they have a nice banana flavor. Like all the other mallo-licious candies they are very sweet.

Vanilla
The vanilla does not have a jelly filling. And with their vanilla flavor they are most like regular marshmallows. Very tasty

Sour Peach
As the name indicated, the peach flavored mallos are sour. They are covered with a sour surface, while the interior and the jelly filling is sweeter. I like them best when popping a whole one into my mouth and let the sweet and sour flavors mix.

Red Raspberry
Ehh, red raspberry? Wouldn't that be just a regular raspberry? These look very similar to the strawberries. The raspberry flavor is very faint; they mostly just taste sweet, very sweet.

Conclusion – These are sweet and fluffy, and dangerously fast to eat. Five pieces will reward you with 200 calories. They taste good though, and the jelly filling is an extra bonus that makes them stand out from other types of marshmallows.

Maple Nut Goodies

Michael — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:20:00 GMT

With their burnt sienna (aka brown) packaging, Brach's Maple Nut Goodies seem targeted for a more adult audience than is usual for candy. (Alright, the color choice likely has more to do with the fact that these candies are maple-flavored than as child-proof camouflage , but let's face it-- young'uns don't usually think of brown as a cool, fun color.)

I must confess, I rarely pay much attention to the "old folks" portion of the candy aisle, but for some reason, these jumped out at me on a recent shopping trip. Perhaps it was the "maple" part of the name that caught my eye. Maple seems a fairly unusual candy flavoring, these days. (Or in other words: "Maple? Consider my interest piqued!")

They're described as "Artificially Flavored Maple Nut Goodies... Peanuts in crunchy toffee with maple coating".

Pausing briefly to note that the "peek hole" on the front of the bag is in the shape of a smile, let's tear into the package and pour out a few "goodies". Each is roughly teardrop-shaped and approximately an inch long and half an inch tall. They are an unassuming light brown with a matte finish.

There's a very sweet, maple aroma to these candies that I find appealing. A maple afficionado might sniff derisively, but it smells pretty good to me. (Also, maple syrup is at least listed in the ingredients-- in the fifth spot, behind sugar, peanuts, corn syrup, and palm oil.)

Take a bite-- and it's just as advertised. There's the dry, crumbly, maple-flavored coating and the gently sweet, relatively soft toffee and peanut interior. My only quibble is that I'd say it's more chewy than crunchy, beyond the natural crunch of the peanut. (However, some pieces are a bit harder than others.)

There's something homey about this candy, and I find them extremely munchable, possibly in part because they feel milder than many candies. They are mellow-- more like a homemade candy than much of what you find in the candy aisle.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Maple Nut Goodies and would definitely be happy to purchase them again.

Russell Stover Mint Dream

Michael — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:36:00 GMT

The "Mint Dream" from Russell Stover comes in a pretty, shiny foil wrapper bearing the description "fluffy mint cream covered in milk chocolate". Unfortunately, the package may be the best thing about this particular candy.

To be fair, there's nothing to complain about in the candy's appearance, either. It's an attractive, smooth chocolate round approximately two inches in diameter and a bit over one inch tall. A pleasant aroma of chocolate is preceptible, but there's not much (aside from the wrapper) to hint at mint, which is interesting, as most minty candies tend to announce their flavor with a strong scent of mint.

On to the tasting!

The chocolate coating (of a thickness sufficient to make it a noticeable flavor and not a mere protective covering for the filling) is nice enough-- but the filling is odd. At first glance, it's attractive-- a creamy white (as depicted on the wrapper) with a whipped, frothy texture. A small nibble tastes almost more buttery than minty-- not what you expect from something named "Mint Dream". A larger bite (with a higher filling-to-chocolate ratio), however, reveals a slightly more bracing mintiness. It's a "dark" mint flavor, though, if that makes any sense, not pleasantly sharp as you find in many mint candies (such as the York Peppermint Pattie).

Here's a curious observation of the Mint Dream: The "fluffy" filling melts a little and turns a bit slick after contact with... er, mouth moisture, which creates a somewhat less appealing look in the candy, once you've begun to eat it. (The word "slimy" comes to mind.) On the plus side, this also means that it melts in your mouth. (I understand that a good number of people find this a selling point in foods of all kinds.)

The Mint Dream is a bit of an odd size. Rather like a Cadbury Creme Egg, it feels bigger and richer than your average fun-size candy bar, but it's somewhat messy to save some for later. (In all honesty, if I liked this candy better, I wouldn't even have considered saving some for later. The fact that the idea even came into my head is a sign of how little I liked it.)

Overall, this candy is nothing to write home about. It isn't exactly awful, but I didn't really enjoy eating it-- and that's the whole point of candy.

Note: I have read that some people prefer to eat this candy cold, and I imagine that would increase its appeal. Still, for my money, the simple York Peppermint Pattie or Junior Mint wins the day. It all comes down to texture. If you like ultra-soft, fluffy fillings, chocolate, and mint, try the Mint Dream, by all means.

Yupi Take Out

Donald — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 17:29:00 GMT

What’s better than fast food? Why, candy shaped like fast food, of course! This bag contains a mixture of five different fast foods – pizza, hamburgers, fries, colas and hotdogs. The first thing that strikes you as you pick up the colorful fun looking bag is how light it is. This fairly big-looking bag only contains 2.72 oz of candy. If you are looking for some candy just to eat, you are better off looking elsewhere.

Sour Fries:
The sour fries look great! The little pouch looks like a real fries container, and the shapes of the fries themselves are just like real fries. The taste leaves a lot to wish for though – they are slightly sour on the surface, and have a slight citrusy flavor. But overall they are pretty tasteless.

Pizza:
The pizza comes in a cool little cardboard box of its own. It looks very Italian and pizza-ish. There are five slices in a box. Each slice has a brown bottom and some red, yellow and white globs on top. The taste is actually not bad. If I had a bag of these I would finish is quite happily.

Hamburgers:
Made out of the same material as the pizza. I was a bit disappointed with the look of these. On the front of the bag is pictured a much more realistic burger. But in reality it’s just three pieces of gummy candy stacked on top of each other. They taste fine though.

Hot Dog:
The hot dog looks to made out of the same material as the pizza and hamburgers. Making a good likeness of a hot dog out of mass produced gummy candy seems a bit tricky, and I think they made a pretty good job of it. The mustard on top of the dog looks good, but I am not sure what the stuff on the inside of the bun is supposed to be.

Gummy Cola:
These look similar to regular Haribo cola bottles, but they don’t taste quite as good. Seems a little bit tasteless to me.

Conclusion:
This is a fun collection of candies. They look good, but the taste is just so so. It’s fun as a novelty item, and to give as a gift. But if you’re looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, look elsewhere. There isn’t a whole lot of candy in a bag, and the taste of it is just average at best.
One little oddity is that they have both paprika and turmeric listed as ingredients. Not sure what the purpose of these is, but I don’t detect any spicy flavors.

Zero Candy Bar

Michael — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:00:00 GMT

The Zero Candy Bar (currently produced by Hershey) is billed as "caramel, peanut and almond nougat covered with white fudge". The first thing you'll notice about the Zero (apart from the sleek silver wrapper) is that covering of "white fudge"-- fairly unusual in the chocolate-dominated array of candy bars.

A sweet, almond aroma accompanies that first peek at the crisp, white candy bar.

I must admit to being a bit suspicious of "white fudge". Sure, it looks interesting, but I'm not sure it adds much to the Zero experience-- except a little more sweetness and a protective covering for the rest of the candy bar. The relatively soft white coating isn't the star of this show, by any means. For that, look inside the candy bar.

The interior of the bar is made of up a thick layer of nougat and a much thinner layer of caramel. The Zero doesn't seem to contain whole peanuts or large pieces of peanut. Rather, very small bits of nut add a little crunch and texture to the creamy, smooth caramel and nougat. The nougat is brown, but instead of tasting of chocolate (as you might expect) it has a sweet, malted, slightly nutty (almondy) flavor.

This candy bar is seriously sweet. If you don't like serious sweetness, you'd probably do well to look elsewhere for your next candy fix. As for me, when I was growing up, the Zero bar was my mother's favorite. I've concluded that I inherited my love the Zero from her.

These are dangerously easy to eat. You may find that you've gobbled down the whole thing without even thinking about it.

Fruit Chew TXT MSG

Donald — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 23:28:00 GMT

‘btw… ur a qt! lol :) l8r’ I admit I needed some help from my wife to decipher the message on the box. The fact that these were displayed in a ‘nostalgia candy’ section in the local store seems a bit odd. To me text messaging (or TXT MSG) is still a pretty new phenomenon, and to call them nostalgia candy suggests that they have been around since at least the early 80s

Honestly, I would not have picked these up had there not been for that second sign that read ‘75% off’. Apparently, people are not feeling very nostalgic at the moment, or at least not when it comes to candy.

These candies are pretty much what you would expect; regular run-of-the-mill opaque gummies with computer lingo abbreviations on them. Some of the colors taste a bit chemical, especially the blue ones, while some others are pretty tasty. Overall, I did not expect much, and these were definitely not as bad as I had expected. But they were not wonderfully tasty either. As with most boxed candy, the size of the box is not a true representation of the amount of candy you get.

Unless you get these at 75% off like I did, I can’t really recommend them. The handful of candy you get is just enough to last you through the composition of one text message; especially if I were the one typing it.

Toxic Waste

Donald — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 21:10:00 GMT

It’s hard to miss this very distinct container in the shape of a barrel overflowing with toxic waste. This is Hazardously Sour Candy, or at least that’s what the label says. The barrel is part of a whole series of Toxic Waste candy that includes nuclear sludge and short circuit bubble gum.

Each candy is wrapped individually in little plastic pouches. The candies have a slightly sticky surface, so this prevents them from sticking together. The pouches are labeled with the flavors. There are four different flavors, and a bit surprisingly they have just regular names.

Black Cherry
Lemon
Apple
Watermelon
Blue raspberry

I administered an apple flavored candy to test subject A (aka my wife) and observed the reaction:
“Eww, that’s gross!”
“It hurts to eat it”
“I don’t like it”
“STOP IT!” (This, I believe, was aimed at me for writing down everything she said, and is not a comment on the candy itself)
“Once you get past the first part it taste fine, but that’s just gross”.

She proceeded to spit it out a couple of minutes later when she had reached the sourness hidden in the core of the candy.

I have to agree with my wife that these candies really are pretty sour, and they are among the most sour candy I have tasted. But the sourness goes away quickly, and after about 15 seconds the taste like a regular sweet candy. So the extreme sourness that’s promised on the container is not really there. There is a second wave of sourness hidden in the center, but that’s not quite as sour as the surface. The container comes with a warning not to eat more than one within a brief time, or you risk irritation to your mouth.

Unless you are a die-hard sour candy fan, these candies are really more of a novelty item. Most people would probably not eat these because they think they taste great. But after the first burst of sourness has gone away the taste is really pretty good. Kids will probably love them, and especially the little scale on the container that names you a FULL TOXIE HEAD if you manage to keep the candy in your mouth for at least 60 seconds.

This candy is distributed by Candy Dynamics, and they even have a website dedicated to it:
http://www.toxicwastecandy.com/

Wonka Sploshberries

Donald — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 20:15:00 GMT

This is the third installment in the series of candies from Wonka’s Edible Garden. I have already learned to look for the orange bag of the Sluggles, and I was intrigued by this new red bag. While the fruit shape of this candy is not as unique as the slug, they are still tasty looking.

Candy that consist of a gummy part and a foam part has been around for a long time (peach rings, for instance). In the last several years, we have seen candies with a soft middle becoming more popular, and I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened – foamy bottom, gummy top and soft center. Surely this is the pinnacle of candy creation.

The squishy centers are a bit less runny than in other candies of this kind. I like these firmer centers better, and it also reduces the risk of a candy having burst in the bag (a common problem with some other soft-center candies).
There are four different kinds of berries in the bag – raspberries, blueberries, cloud berries and goji berries. I’ve never heard of goji berry, I must admit. The candies are shaped as the berries they taste like. They are all very similar in color, ranging from a yellowish peachy to a reddish peachy. The gummy part is slightly translucent, and you can see the glob of soft filling in the middle.

Raspberry – Mmm, very tasty. These are sweet and flavorful with a nice fruity taste. I not sure I could identify the flavor as raspberry if I didn’t know that’s what it is, but even so the taste is very pleasant.

Blueberries – While the color is far from that of a real blueberry, these have a distinct though faint blueberry flavor. The shape is that of a group of blueberries, and not just one. Taste good!

Cloud berries – I remember picking cloud berries as I was growing up. I never cared that much for the raw berries, but the cloud berry jam on waffles or ice cream is very good. Honestly, I don’t really taste much of cloud berries. They taste sweet and are very delicious, but no cloud berry taste.

Goji Berry – I’ve never heard of a goji berry before. Apparently they are a kind of berry that grows in China. They are also known as wolfberries, and they are supposed to have all sorts of health benefits. These are my least favorite flavor in the bag. They have a slight tart and spicy taste that doesn’t quite belong in a piece of candy.

The Wonka Squishy Sploshberries Gummies are great! The goji berry flavor is not quite up to par with the others, and does pull down the overall impression a bit.

Twizzlers

Donald — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 02:57:00 GMT

Reviewing a candy like Twizzlers might seem a bit pointless, but I just wanted the opportunity to say: I don’t understand twizzlers.

Sure, they look good, and they have a fun name. You can also use them as a straw, or tie them in to a knot. But what good does all this do when they lack the most fundamental of trait for any candy? They have no taste!

Now, if I was very hungry, and I had to fill up on some sort of candy, then Twizzlers might be my choice. It just seems more filling and ‘foody’ than most other candies.
I feel like I am chewing on a piece rubber, or some dried up bread dough. It keeps you occupied chewing, but not much more.

Maybe therein lays the secret of Twizzlers. You are left with a weird unsatisfying aftertaste, and the only way to fix this is to eat another piece. All the while thinking “Surely, this one will taste better. The first five I ate must just have been duds. They can’t possibly be meant to taste like that”. Then before you know it, the bag is empty. You vow to never buy another bag, but then a few years later you see it in the store in its bright red bag “Ah Twizzlers. Everyone likes twizzlers. Look at that nice bright red bag. It’s been ages since I had one. I wonder why…”

Twizzlers also have the advantage of being the office-candy of choice in many companies. Every respectable office supply company who sell bulk candy seems to stock twizzlers. I suspect it’s because they don’t deteriorate with age (since they are virtually tasteless even when they are fresh).

There, I said it! Now I am just waiting for all the hate-mail from twizzlers-lovers out there (nah, who am I kidding, no one reads this blog anyway…)

Wonka Sour Puckerooms

Donald — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 01:34:00 GMT

Just as the Sluggles (read our review of sluggles) the Sour Puckerooms are part of the ‘Wonka’s Edible Garden” series of candy. What a fun idea – candy shaped like little mushrooms. I used to eat Malaco’s Skumkantareller (foam chanterelles) growing up, so it’s not completely new to me, but it’s still a little different. The puckerooms comes in three different flavors – cherry, grape and lemon/orange, and they have three variations of mushroom shapes. The shapes are a bit two-dimensional, but it’s just candy, after all.
The puckerooms feels a little bit harder than the sluggles, which might just be a result of the coating. They are not overly sour, and someone looking for a distinct sour candy might be disappointed.

Unfortunately, the taste does not quite live up to I’d say they are a step below their companions the Sluggles. They are definitely not bad, but I had hoped for a bit more.

Wonka Sluggles Gummies

Donald — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 01:08:00 GMT

Straight from “Wonkas Edible Garden” it’s Sluggles! How can you go wrong with a name like that?

Apparently, these have been around for about a year, but it is not until fairly recently that they’ve begun to turn up on the shelves here in the deep south. The sluggles are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. They come in four different flavors – orange, grape lemon and strawberry. They are shaped as snails, slugs, worms and a something that looks like a slug sitting atop a cushion of slime.

The sluggles are made with natural ingredients with 25% real fruit juice (mostly apple juice, it sounds like). The flavor selection sounds pretty solid – hard to go wrong with strawberry, orange and lemon. I was a little wary of the grape flavor, fearing that it might have the medicine/perfume taste of grape soda.

The gummies are fairly soft, I’d say a little softer than your run-of-the-mill gummy worms. None of the flavors really stand out in a good or bad sense, and I usually just eat these without caring much about what particular color I happen to pop in my mouth.

Strawberry – The flavor is not particularly pronounced, and they don’t taste all that strawberry-ish. They also look a bit faded and dull.

Lemon – These have a distinct lemon flavor that is not too overpowering. I like these, and the bright yellow color is nice too.

Orange – Nice orange taste. Not much of the bitter aftertaste that orange candies sometimes have. I like these.

Grape - I was a little wary of the grape flavor, fearing that it might have the medicine/perfume taste of grape soda, but these are much better than that. Though not my favorite, I feel no need to pick them out to eat separate from the rest of the bag.

Other products from the Wonka Edible Garden are Sour Puckeroom’s and Squishy Sploshberries. You can read those reviews separately.

Rainbow Nerds

Michael — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:19:00 GMT

Nerds are another of those candies I grew up enjoying-- but I've yet to get a solid answer on how the name originated. What makes them so nerdy?

Well, however they got their name, Nerds have been around since the early 1980s. Back then, I think they usually came two flavors to a package in small boxes that were divided down the middle. There were two openings at the top of the box, so that you could eat, say, strawberry nerds for a while, then switch over to the grape, or mix them in whatever ratio you preferred. (It was all very scientific, I assure you.)

While Nerds are still available in that format, lately I see them more often like this-- Rainbow Nerds-- five flavors of Nerds all bouncing around together in a large box. It's a bit chaotic. I prefer my Nerds separated by color/flavor, because that way you get a stronger concentration of each individual taste (without the nuisance of having to pick through them by hand). Still, I'll take my Nerds as I can find them.

(Have you noticed that I'm using the name "Nerds" more than is strictly necessary? It's just so darn fun!)

Packaging: Colorful, bright, and covered in goofy little armless critters that one assumes are what Nerds look like when they've magically come to life. . . The box has a handy tab opening-- perfect for saving some for later.

That said, the little screed on the back of the box may be pushing things a little:

"Greetings to you from Willy Wonka himself! Tremendous things are in store for you! Many tasty treats await you! Inside this Scrumdiddlyumptious package you will find MYSTIC & MARVELOUS SURPRISES that will Entrance, Intrigue & Delight you BEYOND MEASURE. So don't just STAND THERE with your mouth open. Go On. Feed Your Imagination."

. . .Yeah. . . Maybe I'd be impressed if I were seven or eight. At this point in my life, though, I question any candy's ability to entrance, intrigue, and delight me beyond measure.

Appearance: Again, bright and colorful. Specifically, they are pink, purple, orange, yellow, and green. The tiny bits of candy come in random shapes and sizes, with a nice touch of shine.

One negative about Nerds is their habit of falling into nooks and crannies (such as computer keyboards and between couch cushions). That's just a hazard you have to learn to live with.

Aroma: There's not a strong aroma, but there is a faint whiff of fruity sweetness.

Texture: They're crunchy, but not so hard that they hurt to bite. They're meant to be crunched.

Flavor: The flavors include strawberry, grape, sour apple, lemonade, and orange. Each flavor is distinct enough to be recognizable when eaten separately, but if you eat a variety of them at one time, the flavors are somewhat lost in a jumble of sweet and sour. In fact, each individual flavor is a pleasant mixture of sweet and tangy, though some are tarter than others.

I'm not sure if my fondness for Nerds is based more on what they are or on nostalgia, but I'm sure I do like them. They're just plain fun to eat!

Terry's Chocolate Orange

Michael — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:01:00 GMT

Terry's Chocolate Orange has three main selling points for those seeking novelty:

First, it's spherical. That is, it's shaped like a ball-- or an orange, if you insist.

Second, it is (naturally) flavored with orange oil (and unnaturally flavored with vanillin).

Third, it is the only candy I know of that invites you to give it a good, strong whack before partaking of the chocolatey goodness.

I'm given to understand that (by the standards of some) this once unique chocolate is now nothing special. (Now that it's been available outside of the UK for quite some time.) Personally, I think it's still unusual enough to be a bit of a novelty-- but more importantly, it's tasty. But now I'm getting ahead of myself. . .

The chocolate orange is packaged in a box with tempting peep-holes on three sides. Once you've worked your way through that barrier, you find an orange and yellow foil-wrapped ball bearing a blue sticker. "Whack and unwrap", the sticker instructs you.

Go ahead. Do it. A solid whack against a flat surface ought to do the job. (Don't you just love it when chocolate gives you a way to work out any feelings of aggression you may be suffering?)

If you've whacked sufficiently, you'll open the foil to discover a neat arrangement of separate chocolate orange slices. (If you didn't whack firmly enough, you can always break the slices off individually.)

Each slice is stamped quite prettily-- but looks only take you so far. Let's get on to the important things-- aroma, texture, and flavor.

Aroma: It's very sweet, with a light touch of the citrus.

Texture: Melt-in-your mouth creaminess. Very smooth.

Flavor: Above all, the flavor is sweet and creamy. It's not a bold chocolate flavor, but this is milk chocolate, so that's not surprising. The orange flavor has also been added with a light touch-- just a hint of it. Overall, it's a pleasant, mild, quite sweet flavor.

This may not sound like a glowing review, but I'm actually very fond of them. This is the kind of chocolate that can disappear very quickly, if you aren't careful. Orange-flavored chocolate is addictive!

If you like creamy chocolate and haven't ever tried an orange-flavored chocolate, do give this a try.

Bassetts Jelly Babies

Donald — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 03:37:00 GMT

Jelly Babies have been around forever in Britain but have never really made it in the US, so I was a bit surprised to find this bag in my local store. Apparently Jelly Babies are made by several different companies, but this one-- Bassetts-- is the original that has been around since 1919.

The first thing that strikes me as I open the bag is that the little babies are covered in a white powdery substance. This makes them look old-fashioned and quaint, like some sort of Turkish Delight. I tried to make Turkish Delight once when I was a kid (after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, of course) but it was not a big hit.

You would expect the powder on the surface to be sweet powered sugar, but it’s actually some sort of tasteless corn starch. I suppose it is just there to dry up the surface, and prevent the babies from sticking to each other. The centers of the candies are pretty soft jelly, while the surface is much harder and a bit crumbly. They are dangerously fast and easy to chew, and you can easily finish half a bag without even realizing it.

The Jelly Babies are made with natural colors and flavors, and they come in six different variations. Each color baby has a different shape and they have their own individual names.

Brilliant – Strawberry 3/5 The strawberry taste is very faint. These mostly taste generically sweet. Not bad, but not outstanding, either.
Bubbles – Lemon 4/5 The lemon flavor is fairly pronounced, but not so strong as to make these taste sour. Very yummy.
Boofuls – Lime 3/5 It’s a bit disappointing that Boofuls (what kind of name is that anyway?) is lime flavored and not green apple, especially when there is also a lemon and orange flavored baby in the bag. The taste is pleasant enough, though.
Big Heart – Blackcurrant 4/5 Black Currant is a flavor not often found in candies here in the US. It’s a very distinct flavor, and I like it. I do remember bringing a bag of Bassett’s Winegums to work after a trip to Europe and seeing someone spit the black winegum in the trash. I guess it’s an acquired taste. “It’s not horrible, at least” was my wife’s verdict. I think she was a bit alarmed by the black color, which usually means licorice flavor in American candy.
Bumper – Orange 2/5 Again, a pretty mild orange flavor, it tastes ok, but not my favorite. It has some slightly bigger after-taste that I don’t care much for.
Baby Bonny – Raspberry 5/5 Mmmm, this is definitely my favorite. I would not have guessed it, as I am usually neutral on raspberry flavored candies, but these taste good. The raspberry flavor is not very strong, but just enough to make it taste like something other than just sweet.

Conclusion: You can see why these have been a bestseller in Britain for almost a hundred years. They are very flavorful and fun to eat. I paid $3.99 for a 7.58oz bag, which is outrageously overpriced. But maybe that will change as Cadbury (who owns Bassett) was recently purchased by Kraft. At least one can hope that they would want to introduce a classic candy like the Jelly Babies to the American market. If you find a bag in the store, I would definitely recommend that you give them a try, especially if the bag is less than what I paid for mine.

Jetpuffed Holiday Mallows

Donald — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:34:00 GMT

I love the great deals you can get on candy after the big holidays, and I was excited to find a half-off sale at a local store.

I felt sure that even my wife, who is an expert bargain-shopper, would be impressed by this deal – A large bag of something called Jet-Puffed Holiday Mallows for only 62 cents.
“That’s not candy” was not exactly the reaction I was expecting. Apparently not everyone thinks marshmallows should really count as candy. However, judging from the rate with which these have disappeared, I’d say she likes to eat them even if she doesn’t think they are candy.

The marshmallows come in two colors and shapes, green trees and pink stars. The two colors taste identical, as far as I can tell.
The taste is just general sweet, as you would expect form a marshmallow. But they are strangely addictive, and because they are so soft and fast to eat you can easily eat dozens of them before you even realize what you’ve done. Just remember, only eat one at a time - The bag comes with dire warnings:
“CHOKING WARNING Eat one at a time. Children should always be seated and supervised while eating.”

Cadbury Caramello

Donald — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:40:00 GMT

I’ve always been a fan of caramel, and a candy bar called caramello simply has to be good. Or at least that was my reasoning when I picked this up in the grocery store.

Cadbury is of course the well-known British chocolate manufacturer, famous for their Cadbury eggs. They have licensed Hershey’s to manufacture their candy for the US market.

The Caramello King Size bar consists of six squares filled with liquid caramel. Each square has the word Caramello imprinted on it, and it all looks very appetizing. It can be a bit messy to eat, unless you can break the squares apart in the exact right spots. The suggested serving size is 1 bar, so I suppose you could pop the whole thing in your mouth, for a whopping 360 calorie treat.

The caramel filling is soft and runny and sweet. Very sweet. It doesn’t really have much of a caramel favor at all. This is definitely my biggest gripe about the Caramello – It doesn’t taste like caramel. And that’s really the whole point with a name like Caramello.
The milk chocolate shell is ok. lt seems a bit more creamy and chocolatey than your standard Hershey’s chocolate bar, but it doesn’t really stand out. And like the caramel, it too is very sweet.

Overall, the Caramello is a bit of a let-down. The sweetness is almost overbearing. The filling is creamy and has a mild pleasant taste, but the lack of true caramel flavor is disappointing.

Christmas Nougats

Michael — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:45:00 GMT

Christmas just isn't complete without these soft, chewy bits of pepperminty heaven!

This is another of those candies I remember fondly from my childhood, though back then I never knew them as "Peppermint Christmas Nougats". (If I had, I might not have liked them so well. The word "nougat" isn't quite appealing to most children, and honestly, I'm still not crazy about it, though nougat itself is a delightful thing.) Instead, they were "chewy peppermints", which is at least as fitting as "Christmas Nougat".

This candy has an even stronger glow of nostalgia than most candies from my childhood, because they are a seasonal treat. (Ask any child. Rabbit-shaped chocolate is more fun than a plain candy bar.)

So, by now you've probably figured out that this will be a glowing review, but we won't let that stop us from going through the entire process.

The Packaging:

The bag is bright and cheerful in the appropriately seasonal red and green, with nice punches of lime green, purple, and violet. The candy is advertised as "Quality HANDMADE Nougats", which is surprising (not the "quality" part, but the bit about "handmade", I mean). A good two-thirds of the bag front is clear, so you can see exactly what you're getting (in case yours was a sad childhood devoid of Christmas nougats, leaving you ignorant of their appearance).

Because these are fairly sticky, soft candies, they are individually wrapped in cellophane with red and green trim. Removed from the bright outer bag, they look a little old-fashioned-- or maybe "timeless" is a better word.

The Nougats:

Each nougat is roughly a 1" x 1.25" oval.
(I think they're meant to be circles, but they tend to get a bit squoosed.) A maroon striped edging and a simple Christmas tree shape in dark green and brown go all the way through the candy, which is otherwise white.

Aroma: Pleasantly minty. It smells like Christmas.

Flavor: Minty, of course. Pepperminty. Sweetly so. This isn't a harsh, take-your-breath-away mintiness. It's much milder than that, but still refreshingly minty.

Texture: A little sticky / gooey / chewy. Melt-in-your-mouth soft.

Conclusion: These are basically a soft version of the traditional hard peppermint-- but that softness makes them much more appealing than regular peppermints. If you aren't careful, you can work your way through a bag in no time.

Runts

Michael — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:59:00 GMT

I don't remember the first time I had Runts. That's not to say that they are not memorable-- simply that they were a part of my earliest childhood training as a lover of candy. As such, I have a certain attachment to them.

When I munched Runts as a child, they came in five flavors: orange, strawberry, banana, cherry, and lime. Over time, the mysterious powers-that-be decided to play around with the flavor line-up. At some point, watermelon and blue raspberry replaced lime. Though I generally like watermelon-flavored candy, I personally find blue raspberry to be a disgusting crime against humanity-- so to say that I did not approve of its inclusion would be putting it mildly. Also, I soon realized that, though never my favorite flavor in the box, the powerfully sour lime was an integral part of the Runts experience.

Unfortunately, that was only the beginning. . . The next little game the Man decided to play involved taking away not only the watermelon and blue raspberry, but also the cherry-flavored Runts. (Cherry had been my favorite, as a child.) In exchange, we got pineapple and mango. Pineapple- and mango-flavored candy (particularly these versions) could not hope to compare to cherry-- or even the less-beloved watermelon. The hurt went deep. (I'm still grieving, actually.)

That was a dark period in the history of Runt. Most of us prefer not to talk about it. . .

Perhaps Wonka (or Nestle, the brand's owner) took a hit in the pocketbook (or an earful from angry Runts fans), because they soon changed the flavors yet again. (Any bets on when they'll decide they need to spice things up a little and give us kiwi or grapefruit?)

In their current incarnation, Runts are available in strawberry, orange, banana, green apple, and grape flavors. While I still feel the absence of cherry and lime, I must admit that the grape and green apple flavors (particularly the latter) are a vast improvement over pineapple and mango (never may they return).

The Packaging:

The bright orange box stands out and is easily spotted by those of us scouring the candy aisle for an old favorite.

Cartoon versions of the fruit flavors seem to lead active, energetic lives. Banana and Strawberry share a surfboard, and orange does a little in-line skating, while the new fruits on the block, grape and green apple, skateboard and kick around a soccer ball. (I find myself slightly jealous of them. I do none of those things. Instead, I spend my spare time blogging about candy. . . Ah well, such is life!)

One possible complaint about the packaging is that there's no way to see what the actual candy looks like before purchasing and opening the box. There's also no description of the candy. Is it sweet or sour? Is it soft or hard? True, there is an invitation on the back of the box to try another product called "Chewy Runts", which might be a clue that original Runts are not chewy. In any case, this is not likely a big problem for a candy that's so well established.

On the plus side, these resealable boxes are very handy for keeping the candy where it belongs.

The Runts Themselves:

Presumably they were named "Runts" because of their diminutive size. The banana, at nearly 3 cm long, looks the biggest, while the largest dimensions of the others all measure less than 1.5 cm.

The candies are attractive, with their shiny, brightly colored coatings. They are hard enough to last a while in the mouth, if you resist the urge to crunch them-- yet they're not so hard that you can't crunch them, if you wish. If you do bite into them, you'll find that the texture is powdery, but not unpleasantly so.

Strawberry, orange, and banana are all sweet, while green apple and grape are slightly sour. Each flavor is distinct-- meaning that the banana doesn't taste like the strawberry, and the orange doesn't taste like the green apple. I wouldn't go so far as to say that a first-time taster could identify every flavor with no visual clues, but that's not necessary to make this a very pleasant (some might add "addictive") candy.

The flavors are more powerful when the candy is crunched than if it's allowed to slowly dissolve. Even so, this is a fairly mild candy. Perhaps that helps explain its popularity. There's very little to offend, here, and quite a lot to please-- especially if you grew up loving these sweet little Runts.

Rips

Donald — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 20:22:00 GMT

Candy Bag: “Want to taste a licorice with LOTS of FLAVOR?”

Me: “Why yes, I believe I do.”

Candy Bag: “Rips® brand licorice is NO ORDINARY LICORICE!”

Me: “I certainly would hope not.”

Candy Bag: “It is sweet & sour sugar-sanded licorice with INTENSE fruity flavor.”

Me: “Bring it on!”

Candy Bag: “Kids & adults love the mouth-watering one-of-a-kind eating experience of Rips® brand licorice.”

Me: “One-of-a-kind eating experience? C’mon, you’re selling yourself short…”

So, the distributor certainly isn't modest in their description of this candy, but are their lofty words justified?

The rips themselves are fairly soft, 1/8” thick with a generous sprinkling of sugar and sour crystals on the surface (or ‘sugar-sanded’ as the manufacturer calls it). The surface of the candy is grooved, and the sugar sticks very well.

The packaging is good. The bright blue color makes the bags stand out in the candy isle, and there is a nice size window where you can see the rips on the inside. The crazy strawberry and apple cartoons at the bottom are a bit over the top, just as you would expect, and they certainly look like they are looking forward to a ‘one-of-a-kind eating experience’.

Green Apple

The initial taste is sweetness from the sugar coating, but once you have chewed for a few seconds you realize that this is actually a rather sour candy. There is a distinct green apple taste, but with a sour edge to it. Remember when you were a kid and you couldn’t quite wait for the apples to get ripe, and you picked them despite your mother telling you not to? Then you had to eat them and pretend they were delicious while they were, in fact, sour enough to make your ears jump. These are not quite that sour, but if you don’t like sour candy in general you might want to stay away from them. Myself, I do like some sour candy and I find these rather tasty.

Strawberry

Just like the green apple, these are sourer than you would expect. The strawberry taste is not very pronounced, and it’s more of a generic sweet candy taste, but it’s a pleasant taste. There is a bit of lingering chemical after-taste that takes away from the overall impression, and I feel myself wanting another piece of candy after finishing one of these.

Overall, these candies are good, just as long as you are in the mood for sour candy. There really ought to be something about the sourness written on the bag.