I found this bizarre mix of Baratt’s candy in one of the many Irish market’s over in Sunnyside, Queens. I picked up this bag as it looked like a twist on the Bassett’s famous Licorice Mix, which my Dad always ate when I was growing up. Therefore, I snatched it up. The pastel packaging is a direct opposite of the Bassett’s Licorice Mix’s black bag with bold colors. This one feels very...feminine. Lots of pastel pinks and purples, and with the name of “Dolly” I wonder if they refer to a woman’s name or a doll...either way, it’s odd to me.

From the packaging’s exterior, the candy looks like it’s a less intense version of the licorice. Yet, when I opened the bag, I saw nothing that looked like licorice in any form. So these are just some sort of gummi or chewy candy. Here’s what the ingredients say:

“Sugar, glucose syrup, beef gelatin, modified maize starch, vegetable oil, citric acid, natural flavorings, fat reduced cocoa, colours (plain caramel, anthocyanins, paprika extract, beetroot red, lutein), glazing agents (beeswax, pectin), spinach extract.”

So really this says to me these are candies aimed to those who want something naturally colored and sweetened. Someone heath conscious.

There’s two types of these candies here: The soft, white chews with a flavor and gummi bears. The white chews have this odd, soft, starchy and grainy chewy texture. They dissolve quickly in the mouth and just come across as odd.

Oranges ones are orange, lightly sweet and floral and no tang at all.

Pinks are strawberry, with a fruity, berry like flavor with a kick of bubblegum.

Greens are lime, horribly artificial with a tart flavor of floor cleaner. The green gummi bear has the same taste.

Yellow cubes just taste sweet and grainy. No flavor really.

Browns are lightly cocoa.

Purples are pleasantly currant. Very juicy and intensely berry flavored with that signature tartness. It’s the most authentic of the bunch.

Purple gummi bear is beautifully chewy and also has that great currant flavor.

Red gummi bear is strawberry and tastes like those fruit snacks. Very authentic and jammy.

Overall these were and odd purchase. The flavors didn’t really “wow” me, and I suppose they’re nice if you want a candy that’s more “natural”. However, these just felt strange to me and I didn’t finish the bag, much less pick at them when I was desperate for something sweet. They satiated my curiosity, but that’s it.

Rating: Not Worth It

I’ve heard a lot about these caffeinated gummis when they first debuted on the market a few years ago. Cybele from Candyblog.net gave me these samples when I visited her last, as she had many lying around and wanted me to try them. I admit, I was curious to see what the buzz was about about. Ha, ha, get it? Ok, ok, I’ll stop.

The package is adorable first off, I love the color scheme and the image on the front. The illustration of the truck with loud speakers is a nice touch, especially when paired with the tag line of “No crash energy”. Get it? Ok, late pun I promise. They have guarana extract (natural caffeine) and other vitamins such as B12 & C in them, so it seems they’re really pushing an energy factor about these gummis. One one ounce bag of these apparently is the the equivalent of one energy soda (which is 32 mg of the caffeine). 

Opening the package up I saw sad to see that the gummis are bears shaped. For some reason I was expecting trucks. I would have rather had trucks. These bears have really nice details to them, and they reminds me very much of the Albanese gummi bear molds.

So how do they taste? They have a nice orangy-citrus flavor that light and authentic. There’s a tinge of bitterness at the end, probably from all the supplements in it, that leaves an aftertaste in my mouth. The texture is nice, it’s chewy and isn’t too sticky. They were nice, but I found myself having the same issue with these as I do regular gummi candy. Not enough flavor. I like something bold and punchy, and gummi bears always taste watered-down to me. I can see gummi enthusiast really digging these though. 

So even tho they taste like other gummis on the market, and with the added benefit of caffeine, I still wasn’t too revved up about them. (Sorry, I had to fit that last one in).

I find it hard to place these in my normal eating routine, because as candy, I don’t eat gummis much, and for the caffeine, I’m happy with a cup of coffee. Still, I’m sure that many of you out there would really welcome something like these energy gummis, so I’d recommend checking them out if you do.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Loud Truck Energy Gummi Website

Well, DOTS went and did it again! To follow up with their limited edition Halloween DOTS and their Christmas DOTS, they now have a box of flavors for Valentine’s Day. I’m really pleased to see this holiday edition, as I’m a big fan of DOTS, so it’s fun to give the new ones a try. I really love the packaging design here, as with all of them, as it really captures the feeling of the season.

My delight was dimmed a little when I saw that the cherry vanilla made a return in this box. After tasting it in the Christmas box, it’s a flavor that I can go without. The pairing flavor is Passion fruit Vanilla, which is something I haven’t had in a candy before, so that certainly made up for any anticipation lost on the cherry flavor’s return. 

Cherry Vanilla: Just like the cherry DOT from the Christmas variety. Red with a white bottom. The flavor is the same as before: a bright, fruity, punchy cherry with a medicinal edge, matched with a creamy vanilla flavor. Second time around I liked it a bit better, but I still yearn for a strawberry or raspberry instead.

Passion Fruit Vanilla: Pink with a white bottom, the flavor is more raspberry and floral, with notes of perfume. Tasty! I don’t notice the vanilla as much here, which is fine with me since the flavor on it’s own is so nice.

I thought this mix of flavors was much more successful in terms of flavor, than the Christmas variety. I can see these as some adorable toppers for some Valentine’s Day cupcakes, or just arranged in a pretty bowl for your sweetheart.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links DOTS Website

I don’t quite know what to call these. I mean really, who puts “Vitamin” in the name of a candy? Oh, you silly Japanese! Maybe they don’t quite understand the word to being with, and as a native English speaker, I don’t quite get the name “Vitamin Kitchen”. But it’s Engrish so anything goes I guess.

Opening the bag it immediately smells like berry yogurt. Sweet, tangy and berry with a whiff of plastic.

They’re little balls, about the size of hazelnuts. Perfectly round and some a flat-ish on some sides from the way they’re packaged. They’re hard to touch, as they don’t squish in my hand and they’re very smooth and shiny. Despite the image on the package, these are more dull looking and aren’t terribly attractive.

These are very, very chewy. The center has the texture of Starbursts, very thick and dense chew. The flavor is exactly of berries, mainly strawberry and blueberry. It has tart, tangy notes to it. So it’s a nice play of the sweet/sour notes in real berries. Color me impressed! The serving in this bag isn’t terribly big, so these disappeared quickly.

A good example of how an oddly named, and odd-looking candy can still taste awesome. Don’t judge a book by its cover. 

Rating: Will Eat Again

Well, these are one of my few, truly holiday releases of any candy that I found to be new this year. I spied these Christmas DOTS on the shelf at my local CVS, and quickly snatched them up. I think it’s very gutsy of them to be labeled “Christmas” since everyone seems to say “holiday” nowadays. I appreciate it, since the DOTS are using the red/green/white color scheme of Christmas.

The package clearly says that the Christmas DOTS are cherry, lime and vanilla flavored. I like the way they look, as they’re cute and really festive. I’m such a sucker for that!

These look like all the other DOTS, the shapes and texture are the same. The difference here is, that, like the yogurt DOTS, these have a flavored cap on them. Here’s it’s vanilla flavored.

Since they’re only two flavors, there’s not too much to say. The lime has a nice zest to it, it kinda creeps into floor cleaner territory for me, but it doesn’t stay that way for too long. It delivers that reliable “green” taste that most kinda hate. The cherry is very bright and fruity, and I don’t get too much bitterness in there. It’s more berry than anything, and it works well as a red flavor. The vanilla top on both lend an extra creaminess and the vanilla flavor is detectable and very nice.

I think these are tricky for most people, since cherry and lime are flavors that people can be fickle about very easily. If for no other reason, I’d say buy these as they’d look great on a gingerbread house.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links DOTS Webpage

The idea of custom chocolate bars isn’t one that’s particularly new. Ever since I’ve learned that I could melt chocolate as a kid I’ve experimented with such things in the kitchen when my mom wasn’t looking. Nowadays, I see “custom chocolate bars” in candy stores that you find in cheesy tourist areas like boardwalks. Still, just because this concept has been around, that doesn’t mean that it’s been done well. Chocri, a chocolate company from Germany that specializes in custom bars, does exactly that.

I was given a free press release to try these chocolate bars that Chocri makes, or should I say, lets me make based on my flavor whims. They plan to launch an US page come January, so if this is the sort of thing that appeals to you, you don’t have very long to wait. 

Now, first things first, let me mention the prices of these bars right away, because they aren’t exactly cheap. You pay for your creative license here as so to speak. Each bar I made here averaged at about $10, which isn’t really something to sniff at. Still, I feel you do get what you pay for, in quality and size of the product. 

The bars are large and very well packaged. The front of the boxed has an cellophane window so you can clearly see your chocolate work of art. I also forgot to name the bars. I was so excited to try and make them, that I completely overlooked the fact that I could name my chocolate creations. Oops, I will try again next time.

The construction of the bars are really nice, they’re molded on one side so you can see the chocolate sections. The additions are topped on the back side, so it look like the method of the chocolate making is they pour a mold and drop you addition on top. Depending on what you add to the chocolate this could make breaking sections off difficult you ave. had items that are on the large side.

To test the chocolate, I wanted to try one of each base: white, milk and dark. I brought my boyfriend over t the computer where I was building each of these bars, and encouraged hi to help me. As he has really good idea on flavor infusions and I wanted his imput.

White Chocolate with licorice pieces and nougat: This bar was a totally brainchild of mine. I’ve always been curious on what licorice and white chocolate tastes like together. The nougat was a totally shot in the dark, because it was the one item I chose to add that didn’t have a photo depicting exactly what it was. I was expecting Torrone, but instead the nougat is more like the center of a 3 Musketeers bar. No complaining here, I was just expecting something else. I was super excited to try this one. It smells sweet, and my first bite of the white chocolate was just heavenly. This is really ,really excellent white chocolate, and I’m super picky about what I call a good one. It’s super buttery and flavorful of the cocoa butter, and isn’t too sweet.  Te nougat melts really quickly, and add a chocolatey flavor to it. The licorice was a surprise, because it’s salted licorice. I was expecting sweet! The pieces of licorice aren’t too hard, as they soften as you chew the bar. Despite the fact that it’s salted, the licorice works really well with the white chocolate. I have to say, I’m a big fan of this.

Milk Chocolate with blueberries, cinnamon and rice crisps: The bar smells sweet and strongly of cinnamon. the break is extremely clean, and you can see they didn’t rush the cooling of the chocolate. The milk chocolate is really lovely on it’s own, it’s creamy, and sweet, with a nice chocolate flavor and hints of caramel. The cinnamon adds a nice warmth to the chocolate without being too overpowering, and the crisps are a wonderful texture addition. The blueberries add a nice fruitiness, they taste like raisins to me, and a dense chew. I am a big fan of this, and now I’m sad I can’t find a bar like this on the market. The boyfriend was really happy with how this one turned out, and I agree with him.

Dark Chocolate with sour cherries, cinnamon cornflakes (cinnamon toast crunch for us Americans) and mini banana sprinkles: A word of note here, I got the sprinkles to see how a “decorative” element in the chocolate worked. I have to say, pretty darn cute. Again, the break with this is clean, so you know they didn’t rush the molding process. The dark chocolate is smooth and fruity, with nice notes of red berries and a good undertone of coffee and chocolate. I was surprised to find that the banana sprinkles have a subtle banana flavor, and a very crunchy. The cinnamon cornflakes add a softer crunch and a subtle cinnamon flavor, but the dark chocolate still shines as the main event. This one was tasty, but I didn’t feel my choice of additions didn’t enhance the flavor, but were fun texture additions.

To sum things up, we both loved the bars, but if we ad t optic favorites, I’d go with the white chocolate and the boyfriends loves the milk. I was really pleased with how great the chocolate base of these bars tasted, and even if I had to order plain chocolate bars form them, I’d gladly do so.

Also check out what Candy Yum Yum, The Chocolate Review, and Candy Addict had to say.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Chocri Website (German for now)

When I first picked up this HiChew, I thought it was grapefruit. Despite the fact that I can read Japanese, I just looked at the image and thought: “Oooo, ruby red grapefruit!” and snatched it up. It wasn’t until later once I was photographing the packaging did I notice that the flavor is blood orange. No complaints here! As much as I love grapefruit, I am not a hater of an citrus fruits, so it was still something I would have picked up regardless.

This HiChew smells lightly of citrus and grapefruit. Which, is a bit misleading! Well, maybe. It’s been a bit since I’ve had a real blood orange. The chews are light orange in color with a pink center.

The flavor is flat at first, more floral and bitter like the rind than of the juicy interior. As i chew, the flavor does release a little and become stronger, but it never reaches that flavor explosion and intense juicy chew that I normally expect with HiChew. The flavor is very true to blood orange, sweet and tart, good notes of zest. It never becomes too much of one of the components, and it very balanced and authentic. I just with it was stronger in flavor and got that saliva-going chew I love.

I’d recommend giving this one a try if you see it. I’m a bit late on the pickup as I think this flavor was a summer release (so much candy, so little time!) but since it’s imported I’m sure you can find it in Asian supermarkets still. Another yummy flavor from HiChew!

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links HiChew Morinaga Website

When I first heard of Hedonist Artisan Chocolates, it was through Rosa over at ZOMG! Candy. She reviewed a sampling of their truffles, and I recognized the name of where Hedonist is located, as my Aunt lived in Rochester, NY. A few weeks ago I was contacted by Hedonist asking if I’d like some free samples of their work to review on the blog. I recalled Rosa’s glowing review and gladly accepted their offer.

I was sent a box of their Holiday Truffle collection and two packages of bark. Everything arrived safely in colorful tissue paper, with the chocolate works of art as pristine as if I had just carried them out of their store.

Let’s get to the tasting, shall we?

Holiday Truffle Collection

Champagne Pomegranate: Dark with a dusting of sugar crystals on top. The shell is of medium thickness, it took me a moment to sink my teeth into it. Flavor is chocolatey and smooth, with a nice tart fruitiness to it. Pomegranate is a bit of a ethereal flavor to capture, as is champagne, but the overall fruitiness of both elements show and balance with the dark chocolate.

Egg Nog: Topped with a sprinkling of nutmeg. The center of this one is a speckled white chocolate. The texture is very buttery and smooth, and you taste the creaminess of the white chocolate, mixed with gentle notes of the spices. It’s a very authentic eggnog, minus the intense burn of rum. It’s extremely tasty and I really enjoyed it.

Fig: Accented with a dried slice of fig, this one seemed much darker and denser than the others. The texture is very moist, smooth and creamy, You do taste the fig, with this sweet rich flavors and it really complements the chocolate. There’s even bits of the seeds in there which adds to the wonderful texture contrast. While you might seeds in a ganache would detract from the ganache’s smooth center, this actually works well and make it feel more fresh and authentic.

Ginger Molasses: I found the description of this one every enticing. Topped with a slice of candied ginger, the shell is a nice thickness again and the interior ganache is milker colored than the others. The flavor is beautiful, you get the spice of the ginger, which isn’t too strong. the molasses is very prominent, giving this wonderful earthy rich flavor to the chocolate. It’s like a ginger snap in a chocolate truffle. It’s delicious and I really loved it.

Orange Clove: Decorated with a slice of candied orange peel. The orange flavor is present immediately, and it’s a delicate flavor that’s still second place to the chocolate. the clove takes a moment to show, but when it does appear, it’s very pronounced and earthy. it really reminds me of Wassil, very fruity and full of spice. It tastes of the holidays.

Milk Chocolate Sesame Bark: Creamy looking milk chocolate studded with white and black sesame seeds. It smells very nutty and sweet. The milk chocolate is smooth and buttery, with nice notes of caramel, cream and cocoa. The sesame adds a slightly crunchy texture and a wonderful toasted nutty flavor. The seeds are also salty, and that really enhances the flavors of the milk chocolate. It’s lovely.

Pistachio Ginger Bark: Beautiful dark colored semi-sweet chocolate with whole pistachios and chunks of crystallized gingers with a touch of salt. Yum! The chocolate is about 1/4 inch thick, so it’s a perfect size for biting into; it’s not too thick and not too thin. The melt of the chocolate is smooth and buttery and rich with flavors that aren’t too acidic, but carry nice notes of coffee and cocoa. The pistachios are wonderfully fresh and salty and really add depth and substance to the chocolate base. The ginger gives it a nice chew, with it’s thick and slightly sticky texture. It adds a nice warmth to the chocolate and all three ingredients go together beautifully.

The well designed and beautifully executed flavors of these chocolates really wow-ed me. Usually most artisan chocolates make something “ho-hum”, something ordinary but extremely tasty, something overly unique to shock you, and I find myself unimpressed afterward. These fall into all the right niches of creating a tasty and indulgent experience. Despite all the additions to the bark and the flavors of the chocolate, Hedonist still lets the chocolate shine over all the other ingredients. Which, is what a good chocolatier does in my opinion.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Hedonist Artisan Chocolates Website

While on a recent trip to my local gourmet food store, I was in the mood to try some new licorice. They often stock new varieties on the shelves (yet they never get in the Skoolkrijt I keep requesting of them) and was drawn to many new packages on the shelf. Trying to be good, I limited myself to three, and I have them here a a review for you today. 

Klene Krokantkes: This bag I recognized the package right away because Cybele over at Candyblog.net reviewed them, and found them to be kinda strange. Liking a challenge, I decided to give them a go myself.

Small black: It’s light and crunchy. I was expecting the shell to be soft. I get a big hit of salt, then there’s this overwhelming flavor of chlorine. The aftertaste is very metallic and small bursts of molasses. Ew.

Small white: This one is also crunchy, but it’s much harder and more substantial. It’s minty and really heavy on the anise and molasses flavors. The three combined makes this taste very herbal and woodsy. I feel like I’m eating medicine when I’m not supposed to be.

Large white: Very sweet. The shell is crunchy and the rest of the insides are chewy. It’s minty, sweet and has nice licorice flavors. There’s a small dash of salt in there too, but it heightens the flavors rather than overpowers them. I liked this the best of the bunch.

These Licorice Rockies were un-branded, but many companies make versions of this. They’re sweet black licorice tubes filled with a fruit flavored creme. The colors are white or pink. The interior texture is creamy, and feels cool and slick on my tongue.

The licorice part is a tad salty. The white flavoring is sweet and slight fruity, but I can’t lay my finger on exactly a specific one. The licorice is a nicely balanced flavor with anise and herbals notes coming through. The pink flavor taste more tropical and floral than the white. I get notes of banana and paired with the licorice it tastes very smoky.

These didn’t really do it for me. After tasting a few I quickly lost interest.

I see these Licorice Beehives around a lot. These were also in an un-labeled bag, but you can find them pretty readily. The texture is firm, but not rock hard. They’re easy to chew but it gets lumpy and starchy in the mouth as opposed to chewy and sticky. The flavor is sweet and you really taste the honey accents amongst the flavors of molasses and licorice. It’s much milder than I anticipated, but I think that works well here, as sometimes you’re just not in the mood for something very strong in flavor. These are nice, but I like more punch in my licorice candy, and these just left me craving something more powerful.

So while this experiment was a failure in the sense I didn’t find any new favorites here, I’m certainly glad that I gave them a try. Once great thing about licorice is that there’s so many varieties out there, so it’s really just tasty footwork to find the ones you like. 

Rating: Not Worth It

This is the Lee’s Jaffa bar, the second bar of my purchase from a recent trip to Wegman’s grocery store. I tried the sister bar, the Lee’s Mint bar, the other day and while I liked the texture and construction, I couldn’t get past the bold flavor. I looked forward to trying this bar so much more. This bar is a spin off of a popular cookie in the UK called Jaffa Cakes, and they’re an cookie with an orange jam filling. I imagined that this bar took that popular Jaffa orange flavor and made it into a candy bar. Yum!

Like the Minty bar, this bar feels heavy and thick in my hand. Unwrapped, it has the same beautiful dark chocolate coating. Again, the ingredients are simple and they even list “jaffa orange oil” there. Ha ha.

The bar immediately smells intensely of orange. It’s really enticing. 

The fondant is very, very dense. The bar broke easily with no crumbling. The center reminds me, texture wise, of a thick, hardened frosting and the inside of a Cadbury Creme Egg. It’s dense, creamy and sweet. It really coats the tongue with a layer of sugar. The flavor is mainly of the fondant which is extremely sweet with a strong flavor of fresh, zesty, juicy orange oil. The chocolate is deep and takes an edge of the sweetness but is not the star of the show by any means. Everything about this bar is thick, smooth, sweet and very, very bold. It’s not for the faint of heart.

I found the best way to eat this bar is nice and slowly, one nibble at a time. That way it decreases the intense sugar burn you may get at the back of your throat.

I liked this bar much better than it’s minty relative, and next time I see them I’m getting more.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Lee’s Website

The last and hopefully not the least of my Teenee Beanee reviews. I have to admit now that, I only ended up finding three of the four flavors mixed that Teenee Beanee offers. The missing one is the Luxor Licorice, which I am pretty bummed about missing, as I love licorice beans. No matter, I’m here to focus on the Island Breeze flavor mix, and that’s what I’ll do.

Again, the package is very pretty and fitting. It does feel very tropical. The description this time reads: ”Includes exotic flavors so authentic you can almost hear the sound of steel drums. Get ready, get set, get away!”.

The bag smells very fruity and tropical, like Hawaiian Punch when I opened it. It was a nice smell, and I found myself just sticking my nose into the bag and inhaling a few times even before reaching to eat the beans. The mix is pretty to look at, with the colors bright and almost neon.

Caribbean Punch (blue): This bean tastes just like Hawaiian punch. The flavors of strawberry, peach, blue raspberry and pineapple all blend together to make that iconic punchy taste.

Cabana Strawbana (red): Such a cute name! This bean tastes more starchy and sweet of fake banana than of strawberries, or any berries for that matter. It has an extra sweet edge which I think is supposed to be the strawberry part. But that’s only if I imagine really hard.

Kauai Pineapple Banana (yellow): Tastes more pineapple than banana. Heck, I don’t taste any banana here at all until the very end where there’s a slight starchy aftertaste. The pineapple is fruity, tart and authentic. I’m a fan.

St. Kitts Kiwi Lime (green): This has that immediate tart kick of lime that is followed by a sweeter, more tropical flavor of kiwi. It’s very floral and zesty with no hint of bathroom cleaner.

Martinique Orange Pineapple (orange): So very smooth and clean in flavor. The orange is weak, like Tang, lacking zest and tartness. I’m sadly not getting much pineapple here either, as none of this flavor reads as “tropical” to me. Just smooth, creamy, orange notes.

I liked this mix for what it was, a sampling of tropical flavors, even though they were a bit confusing with their flavors. That’s the trend I see with the whole Teenee Beanee line, in fact. The Island Breeze is my favorite of the trio I tried, and it’s something I don’t think I’ll be reaching for again. The jelly beans I normally buy are hard to knock out of the top slots on my favorites list, yes. That doesn’t excuse the fact that I had to think about what a flavor of the bean was in the Teenee Beenee mixes. I should just taste it.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Teenee Beanee Website

The second bag of Teenee Beanee beans I nabbed on that especially lucky was was the Country Retreats mix. The package, with it’s warm color splashes and bountiful harvest images, is very attractive. It does emit a sort of “laziness of days gone by” sort of feeling to it. I could see someone imagining themselves in that lawn chair depicted on the top, relaxing and snacking on these jelly beans. The description on the front hints at this idea with ”The new old-fashioned escape. Travel far from the crowded streets and discover a country hideaway that still makes classic desserts in their special homemade style. Enjoy a small slice of fruit-filled heaven.”

What excited me most about this mix was the unusual flavors: Strawberry Cheesecake, Peaches & Cream, Blueberry Cobbler, Apple Dumpling a la Mode and Banana Cream Pie. With most jelly bean mixes, you get the approximately the same flavors over and over again. I’ve yet to see the likes of Apple Dumpling a la Mode and Blueberry Cobbler in another mix (do correct me if I’m wrong!).

Upon opening the bag I was greeted with a very odd smell, that of different fruit and spices. It didn’t seem like jelly beans to me, but hey, who am I to judge? I poured a few out to try, and I have to admit, the colors of these are dreadful. Alone, each bean is fine, but together it’ not attractive at all. Pinks, blues and beiges. How drab.

Strawberry Cheesecake (pink ): This one was hard to peg. The only real hint I got was the color is pink. It has a light berry sweetness that could have read as blueberry. What I taste more of are the flavors of the graham cracker and cinnamon crust.

Peaches & Cream (light pink/orange ): Very peachy and fruity tasting. It’s light and refreshing.

Blueberry Cobbler (blue): This, like the Strawberry Cheesecake, just tastes lightly of berries and very sweet. I don’t get any flavor nuances other than that.

Apple Dumpling a la Mode (beige): A very light, creamy apple flavor with the dominant flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. The first of the beans that actually reminds me of the dessert it’s based on. 

Banana Cream Pie (light yellow): I think this is the only one out of the mix that can be this flavor, right? It’s odd. It’s very artificial and strange tasting. It has a brown sugar like sweetness to it. It’s not banana-like at all, but the color....

This flavor mix didn’t exactly help my lukewarm first impression with the Americana Medley mix I reviewed yesterday. If anything, I found these confusing despite the fact I liked the out of the box flavors. They were too similar with no real distinction other than the colors. Jelly Beans shouldn’t be like that.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links Teenee Beanee Website

When I first heard of the Teenee Beanee line of jelly beans made by Just Born, I knew I had to get my hands on them. This proved to be no easy task, as I soon discovered. I checked all my usual haunts, and then some of my unusual ones, in search of these elusive beans. I even heard that CVS carries them, only to check 6 of them in my surrounding area before giving up on my search. Emails to Just Born PR proved fruitless, as they were just as confused as I was about not being able to locate any. They became my candy “White Whale” for a long time. It wasn’t until I was visiting my parents in Upstate New York did I finally discover some. It was in one of the cheesy, baseball souvenir/dollar stores on the main street. I squealed with glee, enough so that it frightened my poor Dad, as I snatched up all the kinds they had.

This is the first of the three bags I found that day. The Teenee Beanee(R) Americana Medley(R) Jelly Beans. They’re described as “Classics from coast to coast. Sit back and enjoy a cross-country tour to six luscious locales”. I find myself both interested and confused. What are the flavors exactly? Locations in America do little to draw flavors to mind...other than Mississippi Mud. I doubt that was something they would include in the flavor mix, though. Pouring out a sample, the colors are nice with the whole rainbow represented, save a trade of blue for a pink.

La Jolla Lemon (yellow): I have no clue of La Jolla, but no matter. The lemon flavor is sweet with a tiny sour edge. It’s very pleasant.

Napa Grape (purple): This flavor was well done, as reminds me of a grape tootsie pop, but juicier.

Chesapeake Cherry (red): Ick. It tastes of cough syrup and cherry lifesaver. Juicy, bitter, cherry redness.

Savannah Strawberry (pink): Peaches come to mind for Savannah more than strawberries do, but who am I to judge? I’m impressed with the flavor as it’s sweet with bright berry notes and a good strong finish.

Indian River Orange (orange): Extremely juicy and sweet, no tang at all. It’s not creamy, as most mild orange flavors are. Just smooth and sugary.

Laredo Lime (light green): The lime flavor is extremely strong. It starts off a little like floor cleaner, but then turns more authentic and sweet as the flavor develops and finishes.

This first introduction to the line didn’t impress or gross me out, so it’s very middle of the road. Some flavors stood out more than the others, but as of not nothing would make me choose these over any of the other jelly beans I can get my hands on. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the other tag line on the bag that read: “Open up and discover a delightfully delicious land with liberty and flavor for all”. Liberty? In my jelly beans? Now there’s a thought! I am left eager to see what the other flavors have in store for me.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Teenee Beanee Website

This is a good example of a random candy find in a foreign market that turn out to be a total gem. I stumbled across this packaged of strawberry hard candies in a recent trip to Mitsuwa Japanese market up in Edgewater, New Jersey. Sadly, since my kanji comprehension is very poor, I can only read “strawberry” in the Japanese on the package and nothing else. Sadly the poorly translated sticker on the back doesn’t give me any help either. I suppose it will have to remain a delicious candy mystery.

The candies are flat and thick, about an inch long and 1/3 inch wide. The mold is so cute with raised bumps for seeds and a leaf design on the top. The candy strawberries sound like dominoes when I drop them on a surface and roll them around in my mouth. It’s such a nice sound.

I excitedly pop one in my mouth to find that the flavor is awesome. It’s sweet, juicy and very fruity without being overly aggressive. It’s really nice how subtle and sweet the strawberry flavor is, with lice accents of bubble gum and roses. The shape feels great in my mouth too and takes a good amount of time to dissolve. Oddly, I have no urge to chew these. For once it’s too much fun to just roll around in my mouth.

I don’t make it up to Mitsuwa very often, but you bet on my next trip I am going to purchase more of these.

Rating: Will Buy Again

I saw these Attune Probiotic Chocolate bars in the store one day next to the greek yogurt I like to buy. “Chocolate in the refrigerated section?” I asked myself. I picked up one of the two different kinds I saw and examined the packages. Ah, these have probiotics in them, no wonder they need to be kept cool. I bought two of them for too much money (somewhere between $1.40 to $1.99 for each small bar, I forget exactly how much they were). I kept them in the fridge at home meaning to try them right away, but since they were away from my tasting pile, I kept forgetting about them.

There’s two kinds, a dark chocolate and a white chocolate variety. The package design is clean and attractive, and each bar is about 100 calories. Which is similar to a cup of yogurt, depending on the type you like to buy.

Dark Chocolate: I opened it up and it’s an attractive little bar of chocolate. It has a nice gloss and deep color. It has extremely hard snap and break, which I think is partly due to the fact it needs to be kept cold. The chocolate melts easily and smoothly in the mouth. It’s very chocolatey with notes of berries, caramel and coffee. It’s mild dark chocolate and not very acidic. It has a pleasant flavor and buttery texture.

White Chocolate Blueberry Vanilla: Unwrapped, the bar looks like it has tiny pieces of blueberries all chopped up in it. It’s flicked with blue and purple spots. It smells of plastic.

The snap is hard, and I was surprised to find tiny rice crisps in here when I looked at the cross-section. They add a nice crunch though.

The flavor is sweet. Really, really sweet. I’m reminded of that mockolate coating you find on those yogurt raisins people eat. I don’t get much blueberry or vanilla flavor, but instead more of a subtle berry flavor akin to mixed berry yogurt.

I’d recommend these if you’re trying to find a tasty way to get more probiotics in your diet. For me, I’m perfectly happy just eating yogurt or keifer, but if that’s not your thing I’d look for these. I thought they’re a good effort, but I prefer to keep my probiotics and chocolate separate.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Attune Website