A Chocoholic UnAnonymous

Just Add Graham Crackers

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:25:22 GMT

Candy Review
JET-PUFFED MALLOW BITES

I saw these while I was in Wal-Mart earlier today. I was looking for something else at the time, but when I saw the package on the shelf, I knew I had to get one right away.

I think the name is pretty self-explanatory, but just for the record, here's the quick and dirty description: The Jet-Puffed Mallow Bites are Kraft Jet-Puffed miniature marshmallows which have been covered in milk chocolate.

If you're familiar with Jet-Puffed miniature marshmallows -- or indeed, any other brand of miniature marshmallows -- these will be familiar to you. They are the same size as the mini marshmallows. They are mostly brown, with the white of the marshmallow peeking through the chocolate coating in random places.

Kraft seems to be using a richer milk chocolate to cover the marshmallows. It definitely has a more pronounced chocolate flavor than what you usually find in most of Hershey's products, for instance. There is just one slight drawback to this, though. For the most part, the flavor of the chocolate completely overwhelms the flavor of the marshmallow. The chocolate does have a nice snap to it, which makes for a nice contrast with the sponginess of the marshmallow.

You know, this is really a basic candy idea. So basic, in fact, that I'm more than a little surprised that Kraft hasn't produced these before. I also would be interested in seeing them do a dark chocolate version of the Mallow Bites.

So far, I have seen the Mallow Bites in a 2.5 ounce size. The bag claims that this is "about two servings," but I found myself dispatching the entire package quite rapidly and all by myself.

I can see a couple of ways that Mallow Bites could be used besides eating them alone. First, they could easily be incorporated into a sweet party mix (in other words, something along the lines of Chex Party Mix). And their composition means that Mallow Bites could be considered a form of instant s'mores. Just place between two graham crackers, and zap in the microwave for 30 seconds or less.

-jc-

Showing Some Restraint

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:29:34 GMT

On July 31, I mentioned that I had already seen the first Halloween displays going up the previous day, a couple of weeks before the school year even began here in Louisville. (Come to think of it, I think it was even before the Kentucky State Fair, but I digress.) I suspect that the current state of the economy had something to do with it; that retailers are trying to give consumers as long as possible to shop for Halloween decorations, costumes, and candy.

After that, I would not have been surprised to see the Christmas displays going up any time before now. But believe it or not (I'm walking on air), I didn't see my first hint of Christmas merchandise until yesterday -- two days before Halloween.

It was at Walgreens, as I recall. And it wasn't a full-blown display in the seasonal aisle. It was more of a condensing of the remaining Halloween merchandise. On the top shelves of the aisles, and in the vacated space, there were a few cartons. Nothing opened, but the printing on the carton clearly indicated that this was Christmas merchandise.

I am quite certain that in two or three days, I will be seeing much more in the way of Christmas related items, as the Halloween merchandise is gradually pushed aside for another year. But for now, Halloween still holds sway.

Wow. The retailers are showing more restraint that I thought they would back at the end of July.

-jc-

Unable To Think Of Another Corn Pun

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:20:10 GMT

Candy Review
CANDY CORN DOTS

This variation of Dots gumdrops appeared on the shelves this year for Halloween at the same time as the Bat Dots did. At first, though, I thought this would be a review that would be relegated to post-Halloween. For a time, I saw them only in bags of snack-size packages (suitable for handing out to trick or treaters), and I wasn't going to buy any of those until November 1. But much to my surprise, I saw boxes of them (I they are usually referred to as "theatre-sized" boxes) on the shelves at Walgreens, and I picked one up. (I then paid for it.)

In terms of shape, Candy Corn Dots look like the other varieties of Dots -- short, squat truncated cones tht have been rounded off at the top. They are colored to resemble candy corn -- primarily orange, with a layer of yellow at the bottom. (I'm guessing that making them white at the top was technically difficult.)

They have the same gummy texture as regular Dots, and they do taste like candy corn. Regular candy corn, that is; not like any of the flavored candy corns that I have seen (and that is a subject for a whole series of other reviews). Having said that, I just realized that I've never really been able to describe the flavor of candy corn. I know that it's made with honey (at least, that's what Brach's says on its packaging, as well as several other makers of candy corn), but I don't really know the right way to describe that flavor. (And yes, that is probably the subject for yet another entry.)

One thing I have noticed about all of the Dots varieties that I have sampled is that the flavor on all of them tends toward the bland side. They are sweet, but it seems that the people at Tootsie Roll are more interested in the gummy texture of the Dots more than their flavor.

Like the Bat Dots and Ghost Dots, Candy Corn Dots are a seasonal release. The Ghost Dots seemed to be popular enough last year to merit a return engagement this year. In a similar fashion, I suspect that Candy Corn Dots, as well as Bat Dots, will more than likely reappear on the shelves for the Halloween 2010 season.

-jc-

Just A Little Disappointed

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:27:01 GMT

I think just about all of my co-workers know that I have an inordinate sweet tooth. When you have a bag of Hershey Kisses just out of sight of the customers, but within easy reach, it's kind of difficult to conceal. I think Emily is the one who is probably the most aware of my sweet tooth, as our schedules intersect most often.

When I came to work yesterday, Emily said to me, "Here, try this -- caramel candy corn." She then handed me some candy corn from a plastic bag. I'm never one to turn down an offer of candy, so I accepted a small handful. I'm guessing that she had just discovered it, but it only took a brief glance and one bite to realize that this was Brach's Milk Maid Caramel Corn.

I said, "Uh, Emily, I hate to tell you this, but this is the third year for this product. Brach's frist brought it out two years ago." I also told her about the Caramel Apple and Chocolate Candy Corn.

I think Emily was a little disappointed. I got the impression that she was hoping to surprise me with something I hadn't seen before. She did say that she normally didn't like candy corn, but she really liked this one. I'm guessing it was the caramel flavor. And she did say that while she might try the Caramel Apple, she probably wouldn't try the Chocolate Caramel variety. If I remember correctly, she said something about not particularly liking the combination of chocolate and caramel flavors.

I appreciated the thought, but it is a little difficult to surprise me with a candy I haven't seen before.

-jc-

Just A Little Surprised

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:27:02 GMT

Yesterday, I received my copy of the October Alexiad. It's the fanzine edited by my friends Joe and Lisa Major. I'm a regular contributor, although in the past few years, most of my contributions have been pieces that appeared here (or on one of my other online journals) first.

(And yes, they do have my permission to reprint anything of mine that they get from online. If there are any other fanzine editors who might be reading this, and you would like to use any of my material, let me know, and we can work something out.)

In any event, when I opened the envelope, I started flipping through the new issue. As usual, I had a couple of reviews -- this time, it was my reviews of Original Ginger Chews and the Snickers Fudge bar that were reprinted. But that wasn't the thing that made my day.

It was the letters section that really made my day.

Specifically, it was a letter from Chris Garcia. In case you may be unfamiliar with the name, Chris was one of the nominees for this year's Best Fan Writer Hugo Award. He was also a nominee in the Bext Fanzine category for his fanzine The Drink Tank. And if I'm not too terribly mistaken, he has been a nominee in both categories before.

Chris had a somewhat lengthy letter (as more than a few of the letters in Alexiad are), but it was one line in particular that was what made my day:

"One guy who is always on my Hugo ballot is Johnny Carruthers, and the candy reviews are the big reason."

Oh, wow. I like to think that I am a pretty decent writer, but to have one of the recent Best Fan Writer nominees think that I belong on that ballot as well -- I'm not sure what else I can say other than, "Oh, wow."

It's nice to know that someone really enjoys reading what you wrote.

-jc-

More Than Just A Kiss

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:37:32 GMT

Candy Review
PERUGINA BACI

I first heard about Baci chocolates many, many years ago. I'm pretty sure it was in the pages of Chocolatier where I first heard about this Italian chocolate, or at least it was the most likely place. I'm trying to remember when I finally tried one for the first time, but I'm drawing a blank. I know it was several years ago, but I can't recall specifics.

More recently (as in a few months ago), I was in World Market, and in the candy section, I saw Baci on one of the shelves. Obviously, I picked up a couple of boxes to enjoy, and to use for review purposes.

There is just one slight problem with what was available. The only packages are boxes that contain only two chocolates. Now, this might not be a problem if all you want is just a little taste. If you're going to be writing a review, however, a bag of the chocolates would be much better. But, I have to work with what I have.

The center of a Baci chocolate is a dark chocolate ganache blended with chopped hazelnuts. A ball of this ganache is topped with a whole hazelnut, and everything is covered in dark chocolate.

The Baci are wrapped in silver foil decorated with blue stars. Wrapped inside each chocolate is a love note, with the same message written in several languages. The only one I can read is English, but I'm pretty certain that at least one of the others is Italian. A couple of the others look like Spanish and French, and I have seen Greek on at least one note.

The dark chocolate of the outer shell seems to be the most dominant flavor. It's more intense than that of the ganache. The ganache contains a hint of hazelnut flavor, but a stronger taste of hazelnut comes from the whole nut topping the chocolate. And both the whole nut and the chopped nuts in the ganache give a slight crunchy texture to the chocolate.

I could easily go through an entire bag of Baci, if they were available. Since they are an import, I'm kind of limited to what stores like World Market are able to obtain. I would be interested in learning if Perugina makes other variations of Baci chocolates. I think I will be picking up the occasional package, even if I only get two chocolates. I want to see more of the love notes hidden inside.

-jc-

Another Corn Of The Children

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:29:43 GMT

Candy Review
BRACH'S MILK MAID CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CANDY CORN

[NOTE: I suppose I should start by mentioning that this review is actually a year overdue. This candy first appeared around this time last year, but for whatever reason, I didn't get around to reviewing it then. This year, I'm reviewing it.]

Two years ago, when I reviewed Brach's Caramel Candy Corn and Caramel Apple Candy Corn, I ended my review by thinking, "How about a chocolate flavored candy corn? Or perhaps a chocolate caramel candy corn . . . ?" Well, when the Halloween candy began appearing on the shelves for the 2008 season, both the Caramel and Caramel Apple variations appeared for a second year. And they were joined by the Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn.

Now, part of me would like to think that there was someone at Brach's who saw my review two years ago, said, "Hey, what a great idea," and turned my random musings into reality. It would be nice to think that, but I don't know how likely that really is. Yes, I suspect that Brach's more than likely has someone searching the Internet for any reference to the company. And if that indeed is the case, that someone or someones probably saw my review. But I really, really doubt that one little line at the end of a product review would be enough to inspire a new product. I think it's far more likely that the Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn was in development in 2007, and just wasn't ready for release until Halloween 2008.

The Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn has the same flattened cone shape that you find in other candy corn. Instead of being tri-colored like most candy corn, this version has only two colors. The base is a lighter shade of brown; about the same shade as the color of most caramels. The tip is a more chocolate shade of brown; somewhere closer to the color of dark chocolate.

The flavor is caramel and chocolate, just as advertised. It isn't the same as the flavor of a chocolate caramel. Instead, it's more like the flavor you would get when you took a jar of caramel sauce and a jar of hot fudge sauce, and blended them together. You can tell that the two flavors are there, but they aren't distinctly separate. (This is not necessarily a negative thing; in fact, the taste is quite pleasant.)

And just as I mentioned two years ago, I am still trying to decide the right way to describe the texture of candy corn. Whatever that description might be (and I will eventually find the right way to describe it), it definitely applies to the Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn. It has the same feel in the mouth as other candy corn.

The Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn has already weathered one Halloween season, and survived to make a return engagement. So while the usual seasonal disclaimer applies here, I feel safe in saying that even though it will disappear from the shelves sometime in early November, it will also be reappearing somewhere around Labor Day 2010.

And just in case someone from Brach's is reading this, I have one question. When will you be making that chocolate candy corn available?

-jc-

Quick, Robin! To The Dotcave!

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:17:43 GMT

Candy Review
BAT DOTS

Since the Halloween candy first started creeping on the shelves sometime last month, I've been studying the shelves, seeing if there are any new Halloween themed candies this year. For the most part, the answer would be "no." Most of the candies being offered are bags of "Fun Size" candy bars, almost all of which are miniature offerings of Milky Way, Snickers, and other candy bars that you can find year round. All standard offerings. I think I may have seen some bags of the Snickers Nougabot bars, but those could easily be left over from earlier this summer.

One of the few seasonal variations I saw were the Bat Dots. Like the Ghost Dots I reviewed last year (and which I noticed have reappeared on the shelves this year), this is a seasonal variation on Dots gumdrops. The box describes them as being "blood orange flavored."

Now, the Bat Dots are a bluish-black color. Given the flavor that the people at Tootsie Roll chose for the candy, I was thinking that they would be black on the outside, and on the inside, they would be the dark reddish-orange color that I associate with the inside of a blood orange. I was wrong. The Bat Dots are the same bluish-black color throughout the candy.

At least the flavor is more or less what I expected. I don't know if there is any difference in flavor between blood oranges and, say, Valencias, but the Bat Dots definitely have an orange flavor. A natural and artificial orange flavor, according to the ingredients panel, but quite definitely an orange flavor. The Bat Dots also have the same gummy quality that have encountered in other Dots products.

Okay, this is a seasonal product, so the usual holiday disclaimer applies. These will be around through Halloween, depending on how quickly they sell at your favorite retail establishment. If you have kids, there is a good chance that you could find a mini box or two of Bat Dots in their Trick-Or-Treat haul. And if Tootsie Roll decides that they sold well enough this year, it's quite likely that they will start appearing on the shelves again just before next Labor Day.

-jc-

Fudgetastic

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:41:14 GMT

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS FUDGE

I first learned about this several months ago, when Candy Blog gave a brief mention of upcoming products. I think this was back in May, and since then, I have been waiting . . . and waiting . . . and . . . well, you get the idea.

I finally saw the Snickers Fudge bar on sale at Rite Aid today. With my wait finally over, I quickly grabbed a couple of bars for review purposes.

This variation on the Snickers bar replaces the peanut-embedded caramel with a layer of fudge, which is also embedded with peanuts. The peanut butter nougat remains, and the car is covered in milk chocolate.

The fudge layer is clearly the dominant flavor in this bar. It is smooth, creamy, chewy, and well, fudgy. The chocolate flavor of the fudge blends well with the milk chocolate, and the peanuts in the fudge provide the crunch you usually expect from a Snickers bar.

The only drawback is that the fudge completely overwhelms the flavor of the peanut butter nougat. If it weren't for looking at a cross-section after I bit into the bar, I would have had a hard time believing that it was there. If the composition had been fudge and caramel instead of fudge and nougat, I think the flavors of the different components would have remained more distinct.

This is a limited edition, so the standard disclaimer applies. I have no idea how long the Snickers Fudge bar will remain on the shelves. At this point, I have no idea when I will be seeing it on the shelves of other stores. But I will be enjoying this one while I can.

-jc-

Chews One

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:01:55 GMT

Candy Review
ORIGINAL GINGER CHEWS

As I have mentioned more than a few times, I do enjoy candies that don't have chocolate in them. I don't think I would say that I had any particularly favorite flavor, but one that seems to appear with great regularity is ginger. (At this point, you should insert the Mary Ann/Gilligan's Island joke of your choice, because I really don't want to.)

A few months ago, I discovered Original Ginger Chews from The Ginger People at my local World Market store. It's a soft and chewy candy made from ginger, cane sugar, and tapioca starch. It's actually chewier than a ginger-flavored caramel would be (and probably has a stronger ginger flavor, too).

The ginger flavor is strong, but not particularly overwhelming. It leaves behind a pleasantly spicy tingle in the mouth and on the tongue, but not so spicy that it leaves a burning sensation instead.

I'm at something of a loss on how to describ e the texture of Ginger Chews. As I said, they're not a caramel. While the candies are soft, they're stiffer, firmer than most caramels. And while they seem to leave little bits stuck between your teeth more readily than caramels do, those little bits also seem to leave much easier than caramel bits do.

The Ginger People make several varieties of Ginger Chews. I chose the Original Variety -- straight ginger. There are about three or four varieties with other flavors added, and I may have to try them as well. Oh, who am I kidding? I know that I will probably try them eventually; it's just a matter of how soon it will be before I encounter them on a store's shelves.

-jc-

Mildly Chocolate

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:58:32 GMT

Candy Review
TWIZZLERS CHOCOLATE TWISTS

I'm not completely certain I've been thinking about doing a review on this particular variety of Twizzlers. But somewhere around the time I decided to review the Sweet & Sour Filled Twizzlers, I decided that I would review these as well, and I bought a package.

If you're the type that pays attention to the tags on each entry, you'll notice the "cocoa" tag. From a look at the list of ingredients, it appears that the Chocolate Twists use primarily cocoa to achieve the chocolate flavor instead of chocolate. Twizzlers are a low fat candy, which means that there isn't that much cocoa butter in it. So it's like a cookie or brownie recipe that uses cocoa as an ingredient.

The Chocolate Twists (and I suspect, any of the Twists varieties of Twizzlers) are more or less round tubes with six equidistant ridges around the outside of the tube. The projecting ridges are what give the Twists their name; without them, you wouldn't be able to discern if they were twisted or not.

There is a chocolate flavor present in the Chocolate Twist Twizzlers. The best word I would use to describe it is mild. Almost too mild, in fact. If it were any milder, I would have to use the word bland. It's almost as if Hershey were trying to use as little cocoa as possible to give it a chocolate flavor.

I have the feeling that Hershey decided that the texture of Twizzlers was more important than the flavor. Twizzlers are chewy. I would almost go so far as to say that in terms of consistency, they are close to the candy equivalent of beef jerky.

While looking through (and blowing air through) one of the Chocolate Twists, one idle thought occurred to me. The hollow part is just wide enough that you could take a single strand from one of the Pull And Peel Twizzlers (such as the Cinnamon Fire), and very carefully feed it through the Twist to create a double flavored Twizzler.

Hmmm . . . this matter deserves additional thought. And perhaps even some experimentation.

As for the Chocolate Twist Twizzlers -- I suppose they are all right. There are definitely other candies which I find preferable.

-jc-

Sweet, Sour, And Bland

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:59:38 GMT

Candy Review
TWIZZLERS SWEET & SOUR FILLED TWISTS

I think this particular version of Twizzlers has been out for a couple of months now. Whenever I saw them in the stores, my curiosity was just a little aroused. Well, finally, my curiosity won out, and I picked up a package. Then I took it to the register and paid for it. [insert rimshot]

There are actually two flavors in this package. The wrapper describes them as "Cherry Kick!" and "Citrus Punch!" (which I am taking to mean lemon). They are tubes of a chewy candy which are filled with a soft filling. About the closest comparison I can make for the filling is that it is close to the consistency of toothpaste. Okay, that may not be the most appetizing of comparisons, but it was the first one to come to mind when I squeezed the end of one of these Twizzlers, and some of the filling oozed out like toothpaste out of the tube.

The one problem I have with these particular Twizzlers is that all of the flavor seems to be solely in the filling. I really don't detect any particular flavor in the outer tube -- not even a generic sweetness. The outer part of these Twizzlers seems to function solely as a carrier for the filling.

The flavor of the Cherry Kick Twizzler is primarily sweet, with just the right amount of tartness. Not mouth-puckering tart, but just tart enough to deliver a blend of taste sensations to the tongue.

From the bright yellow color, my first impression of the Citrus Punch Twizzler was that the citrus in question was lemon -- and I was right. The flavor here is primarily sour, with just the slightest touch of sweetness to keep it from being unpleasantly sour.

The apparent lack of flavor in the chewy outer part of the filled Twizzlers could be described as just a little off-putting. This particular candy would be improved if Hershey added flavor to the outer part. Mixing two contrasting flavors in the same candy might provide an intresting contrast.

It would also be interesting to see this format used with other flavors. The ones that immediately come to mind are lime, blueberry, and orange, but if I think about long enough, I am certain that I could think of others.

I'm not sure if the Sweet And Sour Filled Twizzlers will be a regular purchase for me. It wasn't bad, but not enough to make me crave them.

-jc-

Looking For Another Bun Pun

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:54:51 GMT

Candy Bar Review
PEARSON'S CARAMEL BUN

When I wrote yesterday's entry, I already had the necessary research material for this review at hand. I just wanted to write two separate reviews, and as you may have noticed, I don't post more than one entry per day.

The Caramel Bun follows the same basic construction as its maple counterpart. In this case, it's built around a center of caramel, topped with peanuts, and covered with chocolate.

The caramel in this bar is very firm. I like a caramel that is this stiff; it provides the right amount of chewing to distribute the caramel flavor over all of the tastebuds. The sweetness of the caramel is also the dominant flavor in this particular bar, with the flavor of the chocolate relegated almost to a supporting role.

I nibbled at the edge of the Bun, so I could get a taste of just the chocolate. It confirmed the impressions I had when I reviewed the Maple Bun. The milk chocolate Pearson's uses is a little richer than most milk chocolate I encounter. I'm guessing that the percentage of cocoa solids is a little higher than what you would find in Hershey's chocolate, but that theory is something I could confirm only with laboratory analysis. And since I don't have a fully equipped like you would find on NCIS or any of the CSI series (not to mention the knowledge and training of how to use that equipment), you will have to settle for the rather subjective imnpressions gathered with my tongue.

Biting into a Caramel Bun shares similarities with a bite into its maple counterpart. The chocolate is the initial flavor encountered, and slowly, the flavor of the caramel center becomes more pronounced. The main difference is that the caramel lasts longer than the maple cream center, and the caramel flavor lasts longer on the tongue.

As I mentioned, Pearson's makes three varieties of Bun Bars. That still leaves the Vanilla Bun Bar to be reviewed -- and this time, I don't have one of those waiting for me to conduct the proper research. Looks like it's time to conduct a field expedition to locate the necessary research material . . .

-jc-

Bun-derful

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 23:11:00 GMT

Candy Bar Review
PEARSON'S MAPLE BUN

I have no trouble finding some candy bars. I can easily find them at Kroger, Walgreens, or just about any other supermarket or pharmacy. Then there are other bars, which I tend to find in out of the way places. The Pearson's Bun Bars are prime examples of the latter. I think I see them most often at Big Lots, but I have also seen them at Meijer and Dollar General.

The Pearson's Bun takes a creamy center (in this case, a maple center), tops it with peanuts, and covers everything with a thick layer of milk chocolate.

I suppose the best way to describe the maple center is to call it a maple cream. The consistency is similar to what you would find inside a box of chocolates. Something like a fondant, very smooth, melts on the tongue, and most importantly, a very rich maple flavor.

As is usually the case, the peanuts are noticeable more for their crunch than their flavor. I suspect that nut lovers of all kinds are usually disappointed by this particular aspect of adding their favorite nuts to any candy; that the flavor of their favorite nut gets lost in all the other flavors that are in the candy bar.

The milk chocolate covers the Maple Bun in a thick layer. I get the impression that it's a thicker layer than the outer shell of most candy bars. It at least feels thicker to my teeth; the chocolate on the Maple Bun gives more resistance as I bite through it. And it also tastes a little richer than the chocolate used in other candy bars on the market.

The chocolate is the dominant flavor when you first bite into a Maple Bun. But as you chew each bite, the maple flavor gradually becomes more pronounced, and by the time you finish with one bite, it is the maple cream center that leaves a sweet aftertaste on your tongue.

Pearson's also makes two other varieties of Bun Bars. And as soon as I can find the necessary research material, I'll probably be writing reviews of them as well.

-jc-

Nutty, Eh?

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:31:51 GMT

Candy Review
BRACH'S MAPLE NUT GOODIES

You've heard me say this more than a few times -- yes, I do enjoy candy that doesn't have any chocolate in it. This is one of those candies. I've been meaning to write a review of these for some time. I just realized that today would be the right time to do it.

Why? Well, mainly because tomorrow is the start of Anticipation, this year's Worldcon. And since Worldcon is being held in Canada this year (Montreal, to be precise), what better timing for reviewing a maple candy?

Maple Nut Goodies are bite-size candies, consisting of peanuts covered first in toffee, then in a maple-flavored coating. (Each individual candy is built around a single peanut.) And according to the ingredients listing, this maple coating uses real maple syrup.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear here. The maple flavor of the outer coating is by far the dominant flavor in this candy. Once you bite through into the peanuts, that flavor does start making its presence known. But the peanut flavor takes more of a supporting role.

I'm not even sure if the toffee has a flavor of its own. It does have a presence in the Maple Nut Goodies -- it has a slight chewiness; quite distinct from the texture of the maple coating. But if it has a flavor of its own, it is completely dominated by the flavor of the outer coating. I suspect that it may be a maple-flavored toffee, but I'm not completely certain. If that is indeed the case, I'm getting a double burst of maple flavor.

I'm not certain how long Maple Nut Goodies have been around. It's one of those items that I know I have seen on the shelves for a long time, but I can't put my finger on precisely when I first saw them. In other words, this is no limited edition.

I also have no idea why I haven't (to the best of my knowledge, anyway) tried this particular confectionery delight before now. (I suppose I can always fall back on the line, "So much candy, so little time.") I probably will be grabbing the bag from now on. I'm discovering that keeping a bag of candy on hand at work can be be something of a stress reliever. And there are a more than a few days when it seems that I need two or three bags of stress relief.

-jc-

Ten, Nine, Ignition, Liftoff

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:50:40 GMT

When I wrote about seeing the back to school displays starting to take shape on the last Monday in June, there was one question that left unsaid, but I think I implied it strongly enough. That question, of course, was, "Okay, how long is it going to be before we see the Halloween merchandise going on the shelves?"

My question was answered yesterday. It's going up right now.

I went by the Rite Aid at Hikes Lane and Taylorsville Road late yesterday afternoon. I was looking for something that the Rite Aid I normally patronize didn't have, and I thought this one might have it. As I entered the store, I saw that the back to school merchandise still held a prominent place on the seasonal shelves. But when I walked around to the next aisle, I saw both Halloween decorations and candy on the shelves. Well, the decorations were more generic fall decorations than Halloween specific, but it was still something that I wasn't expecting to see until at least a week or so after Labor Day.

There is a Walgreens across the street from this particular Rite Aid. I was already planning to make a stop there, but now my curiosity was running on all cylinders. I immediately made my way to the seasonal section in Walgreens. The school supplies still dominate the section, but on the top shelves -- more or less out of the way, but within clear view of the customers -- boxes of Halloween candy were neatly stacked, ready to be moved down on a moment's notice.

What the hell?

Am I the only one who thinks that this is just a little crazy? It's not even August!

I was thinking that we wouldn't see any Halloween merchandise until at least the start of the school year -- which in Louisville, is about two weeks from now. The way things seem to be going right now, I'm beginning to think that we will see the Christmas merchandise on the shelves right around Columbus Day, the Valentine candy around Thanksgiving, and the Easter candy somewhere around Martin Luther King Day.

-jc-

For A Whole Year?

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 21:43:53 GMT

Would you be willing to eat chocolate for an entire year -- all in the name of science?

That's what some researchers at the University Of East Anglia and a hospital in Norwich, England are looking for. Specifically, this group of researchers are trying to learn whether or not chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease. And according to the story I read on Yahoo! News, they need 40 women to be test subjects for this study. (Somehow, I get the feeling that they will not be lacking for volunteers.)

Most of the women in the study will have to eat two bars of what the story described as "super-strength chocolate specially formulated by Belgian chocolatiers" every day for an entire year, and undergo a number of tests to determine how healthy their hearts are. The other women (presumably the study's control group) will be eating regular chocolate (and again, presumably no one will know which chocolate they will be eating).

Oh, the sacrifices that must be made to advance scientific knowledge.

I would be more than willing to make that sacrifice, but unfortunately, these researchers don't want me. They want a very specific group for this study, and I think I am disqualified on several counts. As I mentioned, they want women for this study. They need women who are menopausal but under the age of 75, and they have to have type 2 diabetes. (And I'm guessing that the researchers would prefer that their subjects also live in England.)

Why couldn't this study be taking place in the US? Why couldn't the researchers be studying men, and why couldn't I fit the parameters for the test subjects?

Of course, if I were a test subject in a study like this, the researchers would never be ab le to get rid of me.

-jc-

On Your Mark . . .

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:41:58 GMT

It was a couple of weeks ago -- June 28, I think -- when I went by Walgreens after work. I was joking with one of the cashiers when I asked, "So when are you going to be putting out the back to school merchandise?"

She replied, "We've already started to put it out."

She wasn't joking. I wandered over to the seasonal aisle, and one section was already stocked with notebooks, binders, and assorted weapons of writing. By the end of the week, Wal-Mart had also begun to set up their back to school section.

Now, keep in mind that this was the week before Independence Day. School hadn't even been out a month, and the stores were already heralding the beginning of a new school year. And it didn't take long for Target, Rite Aid, Staples, and Office Depot to follow suit. (They may have even been setting up their back to school sections at the same time; I just happened to see them at Walgreens and Wal-Mart first.)

Of course, all of these stores need to get their back to school sales completed as soon as possible. They need to get the shelves cleared of all that stuff before Labor Day, so they can get the Halloween merchandise on the shelves.

Candy season hasn't started yet, but it's getting close.

-jc-

No Change Here

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 18:38:33 GMT

I suspect that if you're reading this, you already know that The Sci-Fi Channel has changed their name from SciFi to SyFy. It sounds the same; it's just a spelling change.

If you know this, then you are probably also aware that this change has been soundly reviled by just about everyone who has heard of the change, and the reasoning behind it. Actually, I'm still trying to find someone other than executives from NBC Universal (the parent company of Sci Fi, oops, I mean
SyFy) who think this was a good idea. On the other hand, if you go to Google and type "syfy + lame" in the Search box, you are going to find links to over 67,000 Internet sites where people have expressed the sentiment that the name change is just that -- lame. (And if you go through the links long enough, you will more than likely find that this entry has been to the list.)

One of the biggest objections to this name change is that "syfy" is either the Polish word for "syphillis" or a slang term for syphillis. (I've heard varying accounts; there might even be other, similarly related stories floating around the Internet.) When I saw that line of objection, my first thought was, "The Poles are probably laughing their asses off right about now." I can just see someone in Warsaw or Gdansk saying, "And you made jokes about us?"

Now, I am not going to go into a long and boring rehash of the arguments that have already been presented elsewhere. Yes, I do think the change to "SyFy" is lame, at the very least. Yes, I think the top brass at NBC Universal are going to be regretting this little bit of corporate stupidity, and in the very near future. (I would have thought that the negative reaction that has arisen since the announcement was made back in March would have given them second thoughts on the change, but I am expecting them to display common sense. That, apparently, is just too much to ask.)

I also keep thinking back to one of the biggest corporate disasters of all time -- New Coke. As I recall, Coca-Cola was backpedaling within weeks to deal with the consumer backlash from that. Yes, I think that NBC Universal will realize how much of a misstep they made, but I think it will take a few months. I think if the Neilsen reports for the current quarter show a significant drop in viewers, it might finally filter through their collective heads that this was not a good idea.

In any case, I just wanted to let anyone reading this know that I will not be changing my user name to "chocolatesyfy." I would like to think that I can learn from the mistakes of others, and more importantly, not make them myself.

Besides, "chocolatesyfy" just looks silly.

-jc-

A Lovely Bunch Of M&Ms

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:40:14 GMT

Candy Review
COCONUT M&MS

I was just a little surprised when I saw this M&Ms variation at Dollar Tree yesterday. Cybele May of Candy Blog had written about them recently, in an entry about upcoming releases. But if I'm remembering correctly, she said that the Coconut M&Ms wouldn't be out for another month or so. That was the thing that surprised me.

First, let's get the obvious bits out of the way. This is a variation on the milk chocolate M&Ms candy -- what used to be called "Plain M&Ms." The inside is milk chocolate which has been infused with coconut flavor. No coconut, just the flavor. This coconut-flavored chocolate is covered in the M&Ms sugar shell makes it . . . well, I think you all know the slogan.

The shells for this limited edition have a different color scheme than the usual M&Ms. There are only three colors -- brown, white, and green. Brown and white to represent the outside and inside of a coconut, and green because, well, the M&M spokescharacter Green is featured on the bags. (That's the conclusion that first comes to mind, anyway, and Occam's Razor would seem to apply.) While most of the shells have the usual "M" imprint, a few of the candies bear imprints of the "M" with an umbrella, a palm tree, or a sun. This seems to be in keeping with the tropical theme of this candy.

The coconut flavor is stronger than some of the other flavors Mars has used in previous M&Ms limited editions. This is good; in some of those other variations, the infused flavor was too subtle, almost to the point of it barely registering on my tastebuds. Not here. The coconut and chocolate flavors are on equal footing here. Neither overwhelms or dominates the other.

As I said, there is no actual coconut in these M&Ms. When I tried my first candy, I thought there might have been some coconut in the chocolate, but I quickly realized that any texture I was encountering was the crunching of the candy shell.

As I said, this is a limited edition, so the usual disclaimer applies. I have no idea how long these will stay on the shelves. The tropical theme of both the flavor and the packaging would make it ideal for an annual release every summer. Whether Mars thinks this is a good idea is another matter.

-jc-

Byte Me, Transformers!

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:49:18 GMT

Last year, Mars included "Indiana Jones Arti-FACTS" on the back of the wrappers of the Snickers Adventure Bar. These were various bits of trivia about both the Snickers bar and the Indiana Jones movies.

This year, Mars did something similar with the Snickers Nougabot Bar they produced as a tie-in with Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. This time, they're calling the trivia "Transformers Bits & Bytes."

The Bits & Bytes follow the same general format that the Arti-FACTS did. There are two pieces of trivia on the back of each wrapper. The first is about the Transformers movies, followed by something about the Snickers bar. For some reason, though, Mars decided not to produce as many wrappers for the Nougabot bar. There are only four different Bits & Bytes, as opposed to the eight different Arti-FACTS wrappers they produced last year.

And like last year, I decided that I wanted to see all of them. With only four different wrappers, this year's search proved to require far less effort. But like last year, I want something to show for my effort. So, without any further ado, I present all of the Transformers Bits & Bytes for your enjoyment and amusement:

1. In the first Transformers movie, the Decepticons' quest for the All-Spark included a stop on Mars.
*SNICKERS Bars start at Mars, Inc., which serves more than 100 countries around the globe.

2. In the Transformers movies, Optimus Prime stands at over 28 feet tall, weighs over 17,000 pounds in vehicle mode, and is made up of over 10,000 moving parts.
*More than 99 tons of peanuts go into making 15 million SNICKERS Bars every day.

3. Energon is the primary energy source used by the Transformers.
*SNICKERS Brand quickly became one of the planet's favorite treats after its introduction in 1930 and it is still at the top, 78 years later.

4. Shooting for Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen began on June 2, 2008 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
*In 1984, SNICKERS Brand represented the US well as the official snack food sponsor of the Olympic Games.

-jc-

Fallen, But Getting Up?

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:57:52 GMT

Candy Bar Review
SNICKERS NOUGABOT BAR

For the past few years, Mars has released limited editions of their product line in conjunction with various summer movie releases. Last year, it was Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull. Two years ago, it was Shrek The Third. This year, the movie is Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, and one of the tie-in products is the Snickers Nougabot Bar.

The Nougabot Snickers is quite similar to the Shrek Snickers bar produced a couple of years ago. In the Shrek bar, the peanut butter nougat was tinted green -- ostensibly the same verdant hue as that title character's epidermis. With the Nougabot bar, the nougat is tinted a bright yellow. (As I understand it, it's supposed to be the same color as one of the "fallen" mentioned in the title. I'm not a Transformers fan, however, so I'm just a little fuzzy on the details.) Other than the coloring of the nougat, the bar is the same as the original Snickers bar.

My first bite of a Nougabot Snickers was very careful. I wanted to take a good look at a cross section of the bar, particularly the nougat. And yes, the nougat is indeed a bright yellow; a sunshiny xanthic hue that Sinestro himself would be proud to display. (Yeah, I know, different fictional universe. It's the analogy that works best for me. Deal with it.) And I did not notice any difference in taste between the Nougabot bar and the original Snickers bar.

Just for verification, though, I gave one of the Nougabot bars to one of my co-workers, and I asked her opinion. I think she was a little put off by the color added to the nougat -- I think she prefers that the nougat stay its normal color. But when I pressed her about the taste, her reply was, "Tastes like a Snickers to me."

At the moment, I have seen the Nougabot Snickers only as bags of Minis. But we should be seeing full-size Nougabot Snickers bars on the shelves soon. After all, the movie won't even be in theaters for another couple of weeks. And since this is a movie tie-in, we should probably see it on the shelves at least through the first month or so of the movie's release. After that, it's going to disappear.

-jc-

Candy For Dr. Venkman

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:37:58 GMT

Candy Review
GHOST DOTS

This is one of those Halloween candies that I didn't feel the need to purchase before Halloween. But, since Halloween is over, and they were marked down 50%, I decided it was time to indulge my curiosity.

Ghost Dots are a seasonal variation of regular Dots, which are gumdrops that come is assorted fruit flavors. I am vaguely familiar with the standard variety Dots, although they are not one of my regular purchases when it comes to candy.

The major difference between Ghost Dots and regular Dots is that the Ghost Dots all come in the same color. It's that pale shade of green you most commonly associate with things that glow in the dark. Yes, when I saw them, my first thought was to wonder if they glowed in the dark or under a black light. And I checked. They do more or less glow when you put them under a black light, but they don't glow in the dark.

I'm guessing that the whole idea of candy that glows in the dark hasn't occurred to the people at Tootsie Roll. If someone in their R&D department had thought of it, and they could find the right coloring that was safe for humans to consume, we would indeed have Ghost Dots that glowed in the dark with a ghostly light.

As for the flavor of Ghost Dots, the boxes say "Which Flavor? Which Ghost? IT'S A MYSTERY!" and "Assorted Fruit Flavored Gumdrops." And yes, the flavor is a mystery. They are vaguely fruit flavored, but I'm not certain what those fruits might be. Yes, I can detect two or three different flavors, but I really can't distinguish more than that. I'm not even familiar enough with the regular Dots to determine if Tootsie Roll is using the same flavors as the regular Dots, and just giving them all the same ghostly green color. (I am assuming that, though, until I can definitely determine otherwise.)

As could be expected from gumdrops, the Ghost Dots have quite the chewy texture. They have about the same consistency as Gummi Bears or similar candies. Not much else I can say about that part of the candy.

This is one of those candies where the usual seasonal disclaimer applies. Since Halloween is over, the Ghost Dots are already on the clearance shelf, and will gone within a week -- maybe even less. But I’m also more than a little certain that they will return to the shelves somewhere around the last week or so of August 2009 -- right after the back to school rush has ended.

-jc-

Seasonal Dichotomy

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:32:59 GMT

There is something interesting about walking into a store like Target or Walgreens on Halloween. Maybe even going in a few days before Halloween, but definitely Halloween itself.

There is an interesting dichotomy taking place when you walk over to the aisle containing the seasonal merchandise. On the one hand, there is still plenty of Halloween merchandise on the shelves. The costumes might be down to just a handful that have been picked over (probably more than once), but there are still enough for those who waited, for one reason or another, to select their costume at the last possible moment.

There is also still more than an adequate selection of candy, for those who have decided that they need just another bag or two for the trick-or-treaters. Or for those who may have not planned to hand out candy until the last moment. Or for those who need something else for their Halloween party. Or . . . well, you get the idea. Whatever the reason, there is still plenty of candy.

But even while the store is trying to sell as much Halloween merchandise as possible, they are also wanting to get ready to get the Christmas merchandise on the shelves as quickly as possible. There may already be a few shelves that have Christmas decorations in place. You might already see candy canes alongside the bags of Fun Size Milky Way bars and candy corn. And you might even see red and green side-by-side with orange and black.

And while it may not show on the faces of the store's personnel, you know that one thing is going through their minds. That would be, How quickly can we get the Halloween stuff moved over to a clearance section tonight, so we can really start putting out the Christmas stuff tomorrow?

Yes, it's interesting walking into Target or Walgreens on Halloween. It will be even more interesting to walk in there tomorrow, when the seasonal shift has really begun.

-jc-

It's The Dark Pumpkin, Russell Stover!

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:43:22 GMT

Candy Review
RUSSELL STOVER DARK CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW PUMPKIN

I think this may be a new Halloween offering from Russell Stover. At least, I don't remember seeing it on the shelves before, and I'm pretty certain that I would remember something with dark chocolate.

As is the case with Russell Stover's other chocolate pumpkins, this is only vaguely pumpkin shaped. Nothing wrong with that, I suppose, but I think it would look a lot more impressive if looked like a molded jack o'lantern. The outer shell is dark chocolate, which contains a marshmallow filling.

When I've reviewed Russell Stover's milk chocolate selections, I've frequently mentioned that their milk chocolate has a richer flavor than that of, for instance, Hershey. The same holds true for Russell Stover's dark chocolate. It has a darker brown color than Hershey's or Nestle's dark chocolate, and it also has a deeper, richer flavor. Perhaps you might even call it a mellower flavor. My initial thought is that the Russell Stover chocolate has a higher cacao content than either of those other companies' dark chocolate, but it could also be something in their manufacturing process.

The marshmallow is the same as the marshmallow I've found in other Russell Stover candies. Very light, very spongy, very sticky. Mild flavor, with a hint of vanilla.

Biting into one of the Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkins is pretty much the same as biting into any of the other marshmallow pumpkins that Russell Stover has produced. The marshmallow provides a slight springy resistance as you chew, but it also almost melts like cotton candy after just a few seconds on the tongue.

As you might expect, the dark chocolate is the dominant flavor. It isn't overwhelming, though; the vanilla flavor of the marshmallow is just strong enough to make itself known at all times. Together, the two provide a harmonious contrast of flavors.

Okay, this is a Halloween candy, so the usual holiday disclaimer applies here. You should easily see this on the shelves through Halloween. Starting November 1, though, it will be shoved off to one side as the stores start putting out the Christmas candy. This might be the first year that I've seen the Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkin, but the odds are that we'll be seeing it again for Halloween 2009.

-jc-