Candy Blog

After day one of ISM, the international Sweets and Biscuit Fair in Cologne I have no handy, condensed update.

I am officially overwhelmed, and if you know me and my ability to take in candy, you’ll understand how huge this thing is.

That building up there is filled with candy. There are 10 halls and 6 of them are taken with candy displays. I went through about two halls on the first day and it took me at least 90 minutes to just get my bearings. I don’t speak German, though I understand it pretty well for the basics and at least can read some of it. But I’m never prepared for the overwhelming crush of a big show like this.

I’m on the look out for trends, but it’s hard to spot because it is such an international fair and the companies and products are so specific. If there’s one trend I can spot it’s that every country makes it’s own version of the same thing. You like Chupa Chups? There are 20 other regional versions of them around the world made by other companies. Same goes for Mentos and of course things like Caramel Wafer Bars.

I’ll leave you with a photo, as I prepare for my second day:

It took me three tries to get into this little shop in Amsterdam called Puccini Bomboni. The first time I went to visit was Thursday and I arrived at 10 AM ... to find out that they’re open later in the evening at that location, so they also open later. So later that evening I decided to visit a different location that was closer to my hotel, only to find out that they don’t stay open late on Thursdays. Well, this time I read the hours on the door very carefully and returned on Friday morning at 9 AM and it was well worth the effort. (And I’d say that the several miles I walked just to get it was probably a good idea.)

I’ll have more about the chocolates later, but let me say that they are huge, delicious and I’m so disappointed I don’t have a shop like this near me.

Visit their website.

Inside this tiny little box are nine pastilles. They’re called Grether’s Blackcurrant Pastilles and they’re world famous. They’re made in Switzerland, in a process that must be incredibly expensive and labor intensive because this little box cost $2.99. Remember, I said there are nine little lozenges in there. That’s 33 cents each. Per ounce, this is far more than I pay for some really incredible chocolate.

Let me just say, the packaging is lovely. The tin is nicely made, with smooth edges and rounded corners. The printing on it is excellent and the design work fits the candy so well. I love this little tin and considering the fact that I paid $3 for it, I’m definitely going to find a use for it. (I think I’m going to put my earphones for my MP3 player in it.)

The pieces are soft but stiff, the shape fits easily in the mouth. They all bear the GP initials on them but aren’t distinctively attractive really. They’re translucent but quite a deep shade of purple.

They melt slowly, and though I can chew them, mostly I just squish them a bit. The melt or dissolve is smooth and has a dark blackcurrant flavor to it, it’s a mix of blackberry, pomegranate and boiled jam flavors. It’s a little tangy but mostly floral and berry.

They do soothe in a way that hard candies simply can’t, but without being sticky. Blackcurrant isn’t one of my favorite berry flavors, there’s a weird note to it, like the vine called Lantana that’s prevalent here in Southern California. It’s just a little gamey to me. I think the texture is spectacular, but the flavor and price is just too much for me. I wish they did a raspberry, honey or licorice though.

Related Candies

1. Eat with your Eyes: Pine Brothers Cough Drops
2. Dr. Doolittle’s Pastilles (Lemon, Grapefruit & Wild Berry)
3. Grapefruit & Blackcurrant Pastilles

This is a little milk chocolate truffle from The Peninsula Chocolatier. My husband brought back a lovely box of fine chocolates from Hong Kong for me.

I reviewed the Hawaiian Host Dark Chocolate Macadamias last week, this week I have one of their more unique items, the Hawaiian Host Caramacs. They also come in a similar single serve package, which contains two pieces. This one has a bit more candy in it, .94 ounces which is more of a preferred portion size than the .74 ounce dark chocolate covered whole nuts.

The package is fun, it reminds me of so many touristy items in Hawaii. But then again, that’s what the sunsets look like there, so why not capitalize on something familiar? The golds and amber of the setting sun do theme well with the caramel theme of the candy.

The little pieces are about an inch and a half across and nearly an inch high in spots.

The milk chocolate smells sweet and has a good dairy component to it. The bite is soft and the chocolate is thick enough that it adheres well to the caramel/nut center. The caramel has an excellent chewy pull to it. It’s a medium sweetness that kind of gets more mellow and malty as the chew goes on. It’s not terribly salty and doesn’t have that butter note to it, just a chewy sugar sort of vibe. The bits of macadamia give it some good texture. It’s kind of like flavorless coconut.

They’re basically macadamia turtles, though turtles usually have whole or large nut pieces. I liked them quite a bit, though I wanted them to have more nuts and maybe be a little less sweet. But if a friend returned from Hawaii and plopped these down next to me while they showed me their photos on a laptop, it’d probably be the perfect accompaniment.

Related Candies

1. Hawaiian Host Dark Chocolate Macadamias
2. Demet’s Hazelnut Turtles
3. DeMet’s Turtles: Pecan & Cashew
4. Reese’s Select Clusters
5. 100 Grand Coconut