When I was a kid growing up in northern California, I recall going grocery shopping with my Mom at a specific, locally-owned store in town. This place stood out in my mind because the lady who owned it loved children, and she always allowed me to take one Orange Slice candy from her candy bins. This makes a huge impression on children, of course, which is why I remember it to this day. I have a fondness for this candy, which made me very excited when Farley and Sathers Candy Company asked to send me some free samples in the mail. One of the samples was a collection of some new or revamped candy by Brach’s. I’ll be reviewing the others after today, but for now, we’re going to start with my new, re-vamped favorite: Mandarin Orange Slices.

The slices are large, about an 1 inch and 1/2 long and about 1/2 tall. The “sections” are rounded and use high relief style, they protrude pretty stylistically from the center of the candy, unlike most candy molds. It has an dusting of granulated sugar on top, which seems to be more finely ground then the earlier versions of these. It smells slightly of orange.

The flavor is immediately fruity and flavorful. You get a mild taste at first of sweetness and oranges, then it grows as it sits in your mouth. The orange flavor grows more juicy and tangy, giving it a more tangerine taste to me. It’s ends with with a very zesty note, which I like a lot. The gummi has a thick and sticky shew which really makes the candy feel substantial. Thankfully it isn’t sticky enough to for it to adhere to my molars. The flavor does come across as different compared to my memory of this candy. Sure I’ve had it in recent years, but not having one for a side by side comparison I have to go by memory. The older ones I recall being more sweet, whereas the new ones incorporated some of the tartness you get with citrus fruit. A tasty decision.

It feels like they made this candy more “natural” and “grown up”, but it’s still something I would have begged for as a kid. I wasn’t a sour fan as a kid, but the tartness really appeals to me. These are lovely and something I plan on buying once I see them in stores.

Rating: Hoard

Links Brach’s Website

My readers, we’ve made it! The last in my long stint of Vosges chocolate bar reviews! This bar I saved for last because it’s easily my favorite bar by Vosges. So allow me to present you the Amalfi bar which is made up of lemon zest, pink peppercorns and 36% cocoa butter white chocolate. When I first saw this bar I was a little nervous about the addition of the peppercorns. Lemon and white chocolate? Sure, that pairing seemed very natural to me, but the peppercorns struck me as odd. Still, I was extremely excited about finding a white chocolate bar so I bought it to take home and devour.

Opening the wrapper, the bar smells like a lemon cupcake: a fresh lemon scent with a creamy note. The chocolate is a lovely, light yellow color with flecks of pink from the peppercorns. It’s really pretty.

The flavor is immediately creamy and lemony, as it tastes just like a lemon cake with vanilla frosting. You don’t really taste the peppercorns much at all, and once in awhile I get one and it gives a light herbal note to the chocolate that’s a nice hint of flavor. It’s not peppery or overly spicy like one would expect from a peppercorn. These a much milder and have a floral flavor to them with only a hint of pepper. Amazingly all these flavors work extremely well together and make an unusual, but delicious bar.

I am smitten with this bar! The peppercorns are misleading but it’s terribly yummy. You must give this a try if you’re a white chocolate fan.

Rating: Hoard

Links Vosges Website

Just when you thought all the Vosges reviews were done right? Nope! I’ve been saving the best for last. Vosges has come out with so many bars over the year it’s really hard to keep track of them. But, I am able to recognize the new kid on the block, and this is how I found the Blood Orange Caramel bar. The pretty photography and packaging design stood out to me right away, and I was immediately excited to try it.

The bar is described with having hibiscus flowers, blood orange caramel, Campari, and 70% dark chocolate. An interesting and pleasing combination of flavors. The chocolate is a nice rich brown color with a glossy sheen. It snaps easily, as the bar is pretty thin for most “filled” chocolate bars. The caramel is flowing and smooth, and not very thick.

The orange flavor is immediately preset in the caramel. It’s got wonderfully juicy fresh citrus notes that aren’t too bitter. Then the floral flavors of the hibiscus come through with a hint of butter and salt underneath, which blends in with the blood orange flavors and it makes this taste extreme exotic and luxurious. The chocolate holds it together with its subtle sweetness and intense chocolatey flavors. The 70% mixes with it perfectly as it lets the caramel carry all the bar’s sweetness.

This bar is amazing. It’s different enough with the exotic flavor of the orange and hibiscus to make it taste like something new, but it’s delivered in a format we all know and love. If you’re ok with having to pay a little extra for Vosges chocolate bars, this is a great one to try. 

Rating: Hoard

Links Vosges Website

I know this is going to sound crazy, but Valentine’s Day Candy is getting harder and harder for me to find. I realize the stores have aisles overflowing with red and pink packages filled with sweet treats, but, to me a Reese’s in a red package is still a Reese’s to me. So it’s hard for me to find something that only appears for Valentine’s Day that I haven’t covered or tasted already. Things are becoming less unique for this holiday I feel. So imagine my delight when See’s contacted me about trying heir new Strawberry Truffles for Valentine’s Day. Finally, something new and appropriate!

The Strawberry Truffles come in a set of five in a long rectangular top. It’s covered with a clear plastic top which showcases the white, heart shaped truffles beautifully.

These truffles aren’t small, they feel heavy in my hand and they stand a little over a 1/2 inch tall. They smell sweet and buttery of the real white chocolate that enrobes the strawberry truffle interior.

My first bite is lovely. The truffle is dense, so you get an extremely decadent mouth feel from it right away. The truffle feels sturdy and rich. The flavor starts out with the extremely sweet and buttery flavor of real white chocolate, and I mean the really good quality stuff too. Then the sweetness blends into a fresh, fruity, very authentic sweet strawberry flavor. it reminds me a really fresh strawberry ice cream minus the cold temperature. Together the flavors match beautifully and like all the other See’s products, they make my taste buds go “wow”.

So if your sweetheart is a strawberry white chocolate fan, I highly recommend these. They’re thoughtfully and tastefully packaged, along with just the right portion of truffles since these buggers are rich.

Rating: Hoard

Links See’s Candies Website

Today we have yet another Vosges bar (starting to see a trend here?) that I’ve recently encountered. This flavor pairing sounded more tame than their other offerings, that use curry, teas, mushrooms and seeds for flavor. Everyone knows and understands toffee for a flavor in candy, so I’d like to think that this is more of a gourmet candy bar, as opposed to a gourmet adventure, which the stranger flavors tend to be.

This bar is a dark milk, at 45% cacao, and it’s mixed with sweet butter toffee with walnuts/pecans. The bar is a nice milk chocolatey brown colors (lighter than most) and you can see the bits of the toffee and nuts int here. The bar smells creamy and a hint of butter.

The flavor on this one is incredible. Your first taste is the very smooth creamy milk chocolate, then a burnt of buttery toffee comes in. In the middle there’s a rise of saltiness from the nuts and toffee which really gets mixes well with the sweetness of the chocolate. Then the flavor gradually melts away leaving behind a buttery, smoother flavor that lingers on the tongue. The toffee and nut bits are small and crunchy, so none of them get stuck in your teeth.

This is a really great gourmet bar for anyone who is too squeamish to try any of the other more unusual flavors that Vosges offers. Sometimes the simplest flavors are the best.

Rating: Hoard

Links Vosges Website