Candy Blog

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

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

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

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

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

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

Related Candies

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

This isn’t actually a review. It’s just a photo documentation of a version of Hershey’s chocolate that’s available in China.

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

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

Another view of the Hershey’s Extra Creamy Pearls.

Hershey’s Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate Pearls close up.

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

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

I’m traveling again, which means I’ve got a hankering for portable coffee. I know that coffee flavored chocolates don’t have the same caffeinated kick as actual coffee, but a little snacking on some coffee-ish candy probably has some sort of placebo effect.

I’ve written about Feodora Moccas before. When I was in Germany I actually visited the factory where Feodora and Hachez chocolate is made and picked up both versions of their chocolate coffee beans. Even at the factory store, they’re still not cheap, though certainly less expensive than the prices I pay in the United States.

The Feodora Moccals Zart-Bitter is the most common version, but I was eager to try their Feodora Mocca’s Vollmilch because Feodora is so well known for their extremely smooth milk chocolate. The Feodora website had a product page for them in English:

Besides the well-known chocolate specialty FEODORA Mochas – mocha beans of superior semi-dark chocolate with coffee – a new product was introduced in September 2009: FEODORA Mochas WHOLE MILK. The premium whole milk chocolate refined with coffee gives the Mochas new momentum.

The handy, resealable pack is easy to use and the compact size fits ideally in any shirt pocket and handbag. FEODORA Mochas – the ideal companions for chocolate gourmets and everyone who wants to become one!

The previous review of these holds up, as I still feel the same way about the slightly grainy texture. They’re quite strong in flavor, on the bitter side but not too acidic. They’re very woodsy but also sweet and have a note of cinnamon to them.

The pieces are excellently detailed, larger than a real coffee bean but with the little crease down the middle. They fit well in the mouth, and one is actually a great portion. There chocolate is mixed with 3% coffee beans ... I don’t know what that means for caffeine content, but I’d probably put it at least than 20 mg per portion.

I was a little disappointed by the Vollmilch variety (called Superior Milk Chocolate with Coffee on the back of the box in English). The Feodora chocolate is extremely smooth and milky, slick and cool on the tongue. However, the Moccas lack that smoothness, probably because of the addition of the actual coffee beans. It’s a little bit grainy, bitter and the milky flavors are more toffee and almost molasses.

Much to my surprise though, I went through the milk chocolate variety much quicker than the dark chocolate. It really shouldn’t surprise me, I prefer my coffee with a bit of milk in its liquid form. My favorite coffee flavored chocolate lentil is still the Meiji Coffee Beat from Japan, but this one does have an authentic coffee kick to it.

Related Candies

1. Askinosie Intelligentsia Coffee Bar
2. Sukoka Soft Coffee Candy
3. Ginger Chews: Hot Coffee
4. Coffee Rio
5. Coffee Nips
6. Feodora Chocolates
7. Pocket Coffee
8. Coffee Beat

Here’s one of those weird purchases I made at a liquor shop called Mel & Rose that sells imported candies. There, within sight of the Hollywood sign, I bought Hollywood Chewing Gum: Chlorophylle. But it’s not a quaint local brand or even American. It’s made in France, by Cadbury (now owned by Kraft). It’s not even one of those original gum brands from the final days of the Victorian era.

Chewing gum first arrived in France in June 1944 along with the US troops during World War II, but it was not until 1952 when former GI Courtland Parfet returned to France that the first French chewing gum was launched. Named Hollywood, the green stick offered a soft mint taste called chlorophylle (spearmint).

The gum is simple and pleasant. It’s the classic style of stick, right down to a real foil wrapper on each piece. The flavor is spearmint and it’s quite mild but with a good enough punch to make me feel refreshed and clean without a sticky or artificial feeling. The package also boasts that it has chlorophyll in it, you know, that stuff that allows plants to photosynthesize. I remember it was popular in gum and mints in the seventies, but hadn’t seen it on a package in quite a long time.

I like that it was made with real sugar, so few stick gums are these days. So if you’re looking for something to remind you of the classic Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum, this is probably the closest you can find since Wrigley’s went to artificial sweeteners. The sugar isn’t terribly grainy, but the flavor and sweetness does go away pretty quickly, much quicker than Chiclets, but this is a more adult gum than Chiclets.

Related Candies

1. Wee Glee Gum
2. Choward’s Spearmint & Lemon
3. Spearmint Leaves
4. Classic Gums: Black Jack, Clove, Beemans & Teaberry
5. XyliChew
6. Mentos Xtrm: Mint & Spearmint
7. Tiny Size Chiclets

I have learned more about the fruits of the world through candy than all of my trips to grocery stores and farmers markets. Japanese confectionery, in particular, includes a lot of these lesser known fruits and flavors. HiCHEW from Morinaga have been particularly good at introducing me to new fruits through their limited edition regional flavors.

The Haskap Berry is native to Hokkaido, the large northern island of Japan. The berries grew wild and were an important source of vitamin C for the locals but were only domesticated and more widely cultivated starting in the late 1960. Relatives of the Haskap, known commonly as honey berries, are grown in Russia, Northern Europe, Canada and the United States. The berries themselves are shaped kind of like bullets, long and sometimes with a flat bottom. The Haskap, from the photos and descriptions I’ve seen, is more football shaped. The great selling point with the Haskap variety is that after being frozen, the skin melts away, so making sauces or ice creams means there’s no bitter skin or unattractive flecks in the resulting sweet.

The flavor of the fresh berry is said to be similar to blueberries, but more tart. It’s too sour for some people that they prefer to use the berries in jams, preserves or within baked good. Basically, they’re not for eating fresh off the bush.

The Haskap Berry HiCHEW look a little bland out of the wrapper. They’re a sort of grayish purple. The flavor is also less distinctive than I’d hoped. It tastes like a cross between black raspberry and cranberry with a little note of concord grape skin. It’s tart and has a good floral flavor to it with some grassy notes of blueberry seeds. They’re good HiCHEW, but the flavor isn’t really any better or distinct enough to warrant me forking over $4 again plus shipping from Japan to get this taste again.

However, if you were from Hokkaido and remember the berries fondly or perhaps you’ve had Haskap Berry ice cream, this is a portable and inexpensive way to get your fix.

Related Candies

1. HiCHEW Japan vs HiCHEW Taiwan
2. Panda Blueberry Liquorice
3. Gimbal’s Honey Lovers
4. HiCHEW World Fruit: Dragonfruit, CamuCamu, Durian & White Peach
5. Mentos: Juicy Orange, Lemon Lime & Watermelon
6. Festival HiCHEW: Candied Apple & Cotton Candy
7. Dalandan & Juicy Ponkan Mentos