Candy Blog

I picked up these Victory Bubble Gum Sticks which are also known as Bubble Gum Cigarettes at Rocket Fizz last week. They’re a nostalgic item, now made by World Confections, Inc. and probably not very popular with a lot of parents.

There are a few different package designs, with different names like: Kings, Lucky Light, Target, Round Up and Stallion.

There were two kinds of fake cigarettes when I was a kid. There were candy sticks, which were like a Necco wafer sugar stick with a red tip that was supposed to look like it was alight. Of course the sticks were much thinner than an actual cigarette, so the effect was weak. The second is of course the bubble gum cigarette. It’s a rod of gum a little smaller than an actual cigarette, but each is wrapped in a bit of waxed paper with a light brown end to mimic the filter. Each piece of gum was coated in a little corn starch and the wrapper is loose enough that you could blow on one end and form a little puff of powder like smoke. Of course it only worked once.

The box construction on this Victory design box is a little bland. It’s a flip top box, so there’s no tab top that tucks back in or a flip top like real cigarette packs have. The artwork is minimal, but it works in the most impressionistic manner.

There were three flavors in my box of 8 sticks. Orange, Lavender and Pink.

Pink is cherry and it’s just horrible. It’s sweet and crunchy at first, then softens up and gives up all of its sugar over the course of about 10 good chews. It’s then very stiff and bitter (from the food coloring). The slight medicinal flavor of the cherry disappears quickly as well.

Orange is orange. The flavor is vague to nonexistent. It’s quite sweet and sugary and tended to stick to a couple of my fillings until the sugar was gone. It didn’t get as stiff and difficult as the pink, but also did do much in the bubble department.

Purple is grape. There’s a strong grape flavor initially, plenty artificial but still exactly what I expected. But that fades quickly along with the sugar in the gum. This flavor also gets dense quickly so the bubble blowing window is very short. The piece of gum is also pretty small, so the size of the bubbles was always going to be modest.

The gum is marginally passable, but the packaging is quite cute. Really all I was looking for was that experience of blowing the little puff of starch out. The gum is made in Macedonia, I think my first Macedonian candy. I think the Bubble Gum Cigars are more successful overall as a novelty item that still maintains its candiness.

Related Candies

1. Dubble Bubble Gum Cigars
2. Bosco Milk Chocolate
3. Shakespearean Insult Gum
4. Dubble Bubble Chewola Bubble Gum Crayons
5. Big Bite Gummy Bear
6. Gummy Fishies

Storck Mamba were introduced in 1953 in Germany well before Starburst came around. According to Storck’s website, they were sold in little packs of 6 pieces at changemaker prices (probably the equivalent of two or three cents at the time).

The new variety of Mamba are the Limited Edition Mamba Duo Chews that come in a long package that holds three of those little packs of 6 pieces. There are four flavors in the new Duo Chews, which feature a combination of two flavors in each piece, but each package only holds three packets. So you never know what variety you’ll get. (I’ve never gotten a package that doesn’t have three different flavors in it.)

The new flavors are Raspberry-Peach, Cherry-Banana and Watermelon-Apple. The final flavor, Redcurrant-Lime didn’t make an appearance in my pack. It’s a lot of wrapping, but it’s that think flow wrap on the outer wrap and for the flavor packs. Each individual piece is in a waxed paper.

In the day glow yellow and red wrapper is Watermelon-Apple, which is definitely distinctive. The watermelon flavor is a little artificial but is balanced nicely by the subtle and kind of natural tasting apple. The flavor is not as intense as a Starburst or HiCHEW, but still has enough zap to get your salivary glands going.

The Cherry Banana comes in a more subtly soft yellow wrapper with red printing. The banana is immediately creamy and the cherry is tart and though slightly medicinal, has an actual natural note to it.

Raspberry-Peach comes in a mango-orange wrapper. The peach is the forward flavor, a bit dusty and tart with a sort of pine and melon note to it. It wasn’t quite peachy. The raspberry portion was also tangy and had a sort of jammy note to it, but lacked a floral berry flavor that I was hoping would be there.

I prefer the more traditional flavors of the classic Mamba Chews. These combos are just slightly off from my taste preferences. Still, the candy is a good value, a Starburst package holds 2.07 ounces and Mamba are the same price but have 2.65 ounces in them. They’re also vegan (no gelatin like Starburst or HiCHEW) and contain no artificial colors (but do use artificial flavors and alpha-tocopherol as a preservative).

Related Candies

1. Storck Mamba Gummies
2. Storck Toffifay
3. Mamba Sours
4. HiCHEW Yuzu & Valencia
5. Starburst
6. HiCHEW Assortment
7. Storck Mamba Chews

Squirrel Nut Zippers were introduced by the Squirrel Brand Company in 1926 as a vanilla caramel with peanuts, part of a line of caramel candies. The name, which sounds more like a collection of nouns than an enticing candy, came from a local alcohol drink called Nut Zipper (this was prohibition).

The Squirrel Brand Company or Massachusetts was sold off to Southern Style Nuts in 1999 and moved to Texas. A mere 5 years later, Necco bought the rights to Squirrel Nut Zippers, and the lesser known Squirrel Caramel Chews, and moved production back to the Boston area. In case you’re wondering, the Squirrel Nut Zippers swing band named themselves after the candy (with permission from Squirrel Brand Company).

The candies are a simple format, a little bite sized chew wrapped in wax paper. They’re sold in bulk bins or pre-packaged bags. I found mine at Rocket Fizz, a small chain of candy & soda pop shops that started in Southern California.

Like Mary Janes (also made by Necco now), a good Squirrel Nut Zipper will be slight soft. Don’t be dismayed if you pick some up and they’re hard. The trick is to put it in your pocket or hold them in your palm for a few minutes or someplace slightly warm just before eating. That way the oils rise slightly to the surface to help the wrapper release from the candy and it’s soft enough to chew easily.

A SNZ is an easy to like candy, it’s quite simple. It’s a vanilla caramel with bits of peanuts in it. The flavor of the caramel is mild and sweet, not as earthy as a Mary Jane, which has molasses in it, and not as toffee like as a Sugar Daddy.

I’m sure I’ve had them before when I was a kid, but they didn’t make much of an impression on me. As an adult, well, there are other candies I’d prefer to have, such as a Mary Jane or some Sugar Babies.

I have no clue about possible allergens, but the ingredients show dairy, soy and peanuts.

Related Candies

1. Mary Jane & Mary Jane Wicked Mix
2. Necco Slap Stix Caramel
3. Nips: Butter Rum & Peanut Butter Parfait
4. Walkers Nonsuch Toffee
5. Sugar Babies
6. Necco Mint Julep
7. Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews

Here are some new confections that are coming in the future or may have already hit stores near you.

Name: Milky Way French Vanilla and Caramel Bar
Brand: Mars
Description: This bar combines caramel, French vanilla-flavored nougat and milk chocolate for a rich, smooth and creamy taste sensation consumers will love.
Introduction Date: February 2013
Notes: Limited Edition. I wonder if this nougat will be like the vanilla nougat they use in the Milky Way Dark. I’ll probably give it a try, but would love to see a Coffee Milky Way sometime in the future instead.

Name: Twix Sugar Cookie Minis
Brand: Mars
Description: With the combination of Twix chocolate and caramel paired with the nostalgic goodness of sugar cookies, the new Twix Sugar Cookie Minis could easily become Santa’s new favorite snack.
Introduction Date: November 2012
Notes: I’m often baffled at Mars for introducing all these limited edition flavors when I hear from so many people that they miss the Cookies n’ Creme variety. Anyway, I don’t see much difference between a shortbread and sugar cookie when it comes to including caramel and chocolate. I’d much prefer a Gingerbread Twix or maybe a SnickerdoodleTwix.

Name: Toblerone Crunchy Salted Almond
Brand: Toblerone (Kraft)
Description: Crunchy, salty and sweet elements combine in Toblerone Crunchy Salted Almond bars, which are new from Kraft Foods, Inc. Containing caramelized almond pieces, as well as honey and almond nougat, the 3.52-ounce bars ship four 20-ct displays per case.
Introduction Date: June 2012
Notes: This sounds like a great idea. Check out Rosa’s early review.

Name: Perugina Baci White
Brand: Perugina (Nestle)
Description: The newest product in Perugina’s Baci line has a “kiss” of white chocolate. Just like traditional Baci, Baci White is filled with with gianduia — a whipped chocolate filling blended with finely chopped hazelnuts — crowned by a crunchy whole hazelnut and then enrobed in a vanilla scented layer of creamy white chocolate made with the finest quality cocoa butter and milk solids.
Introduction Date: September 2012
Notes: I actually tried these in January at the Fancy Food Show and found it all too sweet. I can see that maybe unwrapped these would be better for decorating in some instances. But if you’re a white chocolate and hazelnut fan, this might be the thing for you.

Name: Warheads Sour Coolers
Brand: Impact Confections
Description: Warheads Sour Coolers, a pressed dextrose tablet with sour flavor and a key differentiator, offers a unique cooling effect to combat the summer’s heat. This convenient, small format roll pack contains 24 pieces in five assorted flavors: cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon, green apple and lemon.
Introduction Date: July 2012
Notes: I’m not sure how different they are from SweeTarts, except that they have that “cool” thing ... which may just be menthol. They contain sucralose, an artificial sweetener, so I won’t be reviewing them.

Name: Smarties Taffy
Brand: Ford Gum (Licensed from Smarties)
Description: Taffy has now gotten a bit smarter. In the new Smarties taffy bars, there are Smarties candy bits in every bite. The 6 inch long bars are available in Strawberry and Blue-Raspberry flavors.
Introduction Date: unknown
Notes: This reminds me of the Tangy Taffy that used to have little crunchy bits in it. (And I think some Laffy Taffy bars still do.)

Name: Tic Tac Fruit Adventure
Brand: Tic Tac (Ferrero)
Description: Wild Cherry, Orange, Passion Fruit and Green Apple
Introduction Date: Summer 2012
Notes: I know some folks are huge fans of the orange Tic Tacs, and their fruit flavors in general are rather different from other “mint” styles. So it’s fun to see a mix like this. I haven’t seen this one in stores, but did spot the Strawberry Fields one a few weeks ago. The ingredients also list real fruit juice (in addition to artificial stuff including colors).

Name: Astro Pops
Brand: Leaf Brands
Description: Leaf Brands is relaunching Astro Pops, a product Spangler Candy discontinued in 2004 and they’re making the treat exactly the way people remember it. Known for its long-lasting quality, the candy will be available in its three original flavors of passion fruit, cherry and pineapple.
Introduction Date: May 2012
Notes: There have been a couple of attempts at relaunching this product, but this one is for real, they’re actually available in stores now (though internet seems to have them, I haven’t seen them in brick & mortar retailers). It’s been such a long time since I’ve had one. The retail price is a bit steep at $2.50 each for 1.5 ounces, but of course time traveling through candy is far cheaper than actual time travel.

As a kid I would eat brown sugar straight from the bag. I loved finding chunks of the stuff in my oatmeal. As an adult I discovered muscovado sugar and love finding new ways to use it in everyday food.

As a candy, this molasses rich sugar is quite popular in Japan, where Japanese prize their Okanawan Black Sugar. It’s mostly found in hard candies but sometimes used in caramels. I was excited to see the Meiji Chelsea line of hard butterscotch candies came out with a variety pack based on flavors of Kuro Sato called Chelsea Kokutou Black Sugar. The flavors are milk, black sugar and ginger.

The packaging is always charming. A stark black background with little calico inspired flowers dot the wrappers. In this case each wrapper is a different muted pastel with black flowers on it.

The candy comes in two different packaging styles. There are little flat boxes that hold foil wrapped pieces of butterscotch, then there are the bags, which often have assortments instead of a single flavor. The sealed wrappers are great because they keep the candies from becoming sticky. However, the candy is expensive. I think I paid 3.99 for this package that holds only 2.5 ounces. I’ve seen other packages for sale online for over $5 a package as well.

The light purple wrapper holds the Milk flavored piece. It looks like ordinary butterscotch but tastes like sweet, creamy rum. The texture of Chelsea is extraordinary. It’s smooth. The pieces always look and sound like glass. If you like to let your candy dissolve, these last a long time with consistent flavor all the way through. If you’re a cruncher, these are crispy and buttery.

The milk flavor mellows the strength of the black sugar, which can have bitter components to it. It’s fresh tasting, like a very mellow black tea.

The light red wrappers hold the best of all, the Black Sugar flavor. The pieces are very dark brown, glossy and hard. The flavor is dark and complex. It’s like that charcoal-like flavor of a toasted marshmallow. It’s more earthy and cereal-like than just molasses. It’s creamy and smooth, woodsy with a hint of toffee and coffee.

What’s so amazing about black sugar are all the flavors and nuances. It’s like chocolate, coffee or wine in that way.

The lightest looking piece of the set is the Ginger. This is less about the black sugar but an interesting combination of flavors. The ginger is woodsy and smooth with a warm component to it. The flavor is less of the tangy fresh juice flavor and more of the dried ginger with milk profile. The black sugar is lost, so the sugary notes are more like maple than molasses. Still, a great ginger candy, far and away better than most other toffee style gingers.

This was a great mix and I found it hard not to eat them all right away. I even tried going back to Little Tokyo to find more, but couldn’t find a single grocer that carried them still. I’m very sad, but hoping that Meiji will bring back the Black Sugar at least as a single flavor in the boxes at some point and I will stock up.

Related Candies

1. Zeke’s Butterscotch
2. Mandy’s Old Fashioned Confections: Butterscotch & Caramel
3. Molasses Pops
4. Japanese Black Sugar & Tropical Chews
5. Japanese Black Sugar Candy Finds
6. Green and Black Caramels