Country
Country the Candy Comes From
Skittles Riddles are the newest flavor release. My package was a gift from my fiance, his work had a box of them in the office and he brought me one home. I had no idea they had hit shelves yet, so I was super appreciative to have him bring me some. So thoughtful!
The package is very bright and colorful in typical Skittles fashion. The package is bright teal this time (my photograph up there lies) and it works beautifully with the rainbow color scheme of the candies.
So what exactly are Skittles Riddles? They’re Skittles where the flavors and the colors are all mismatched. It’s Skittles Roulette. You don’t know what flavor will be what!
I do appreciate how they list the flavors to expect on the back. They made my tasting job a tad easier.
Strawberry: This one tastes like the typical Skittles strawberry flavor. Sweet, berry like and very “pink” tasting.
Apple: This one tastes of green apple right away. It’s that terrible typical slight sour Jolly Rancher apple flavor. Blech.
Punch: I am guessing that this one I am eating is punch. It’s zesty and has a lot of citrus flavors in it. It’s somewhat reminiscent of Hawaiian Punch in flavor too. I like it a lot.
Raspberry: Starts off very sweet then kicks in with intense notes of red berries. It does remind me of raspberries.
Watermelon: This one is sweet and tangy at the same time,and has that fake watermelon flavor. This was the last ones I tasted. It’s hard to separate it from all the other flavors.
I found tasting these Skittles annoying. I know they each flavor is supposed to be a mystery, but I found I kept encountering the same flavors over and over again and had a hard time finding variety. These were the typical Skittles flavors all over again just…repackaged and re-colored. So if you’re not into matching colors and flavors, these might be fun for you. I just found it annoying.
Rating: Not Worth It
Links Skittles Website
My sister and I both love food shopping of any sort, so it’s often that she’ll find a new store or specialty boutique where she’ll stumble across some new and/or interesting candy for me to try. So it was her who found these pretty Au Beurre Sale Caramels on one of her culinary scouting trips. The French on the package reads “fabrique en Bretagne” which I think means “made in Britain”, so it makes me wonder if they’re truly French? Regardless, there’s a foreign, salted caramel in front of me, and I need to tell you how it tastes.
The package is a small flimsy wooden strip box. It has the stylized image of a large woman in front of a church that reads “1907” above the door and a strange, multi colored rock next to her. I wish I understood what it meant. The French women and rocks must go to Church? The top reads “et a la fluer de sel de guerande”, which is “and the flower of salt guerande”. Thanks Google translate!
The caramels inside the box are about the size of two tootsie rolls, each a wonderful rich rusty color and wrapped in clear plastic wrappers. The caramels smell extremely buttery and sweet, with slight burnt notes to it.
The caramel’s chew is thick, sticky and dense. It reminds me more of fudge than it does caramel. The flavor is sweet and extremely buttery. You can really taste the rich dairy flavors in here. There’s sweetness paired with a lovely salty edge to it, so the flavor is more balanced that sickenly sweet. The salt is blended beautifully in, so there’s no crystals to feel as you munch down.
Magnifique! C’est parfait! Délicieux! These caramels were amazing! Now I wish I knew where my sister got these so I could get some more. Or at least got more in the box.
Rating: Will Buy Again
One of the few things that I wish the candy world had more of is pineapple gummis. I love pineapple candy so much! I feel I don’t see it often enough. The only true “mainstream” candy that I can think of that is pineapple flavored is in the Lifesavers roll. Or used to be? I can’t even remember anymore since they’ve switched those flavors up so much over the years. Regardless, pineapple candy is awesome, so I was super excited to see these pineapple gummies on the shelf when I made my recent visit to Mitsuwa Market.
The package is a good size, just enough for yourself without being to much. The gummies looks like little wedge pineapple slices and the’re very cute. They smell extremely tropical and fruity. The gummis are soft to the touch, they squish lightly when you lightly squeeze them They almost look like they have a shell or “crust” on them.
The texture is very strange. I’d say it’s more like a jelly than a gummi. I was right as there is a shell texture to this. The outside is slightly harder and grainier, and inside is a smooth, pristine jelly. The flavor is incredible. It tastes just like a real, fresh pineapple. They really capture the juicy, fruity, sweet flavors here. These are a little tart, as it reminds me of pineapple juice, so there’s a bit of bite to them. Still, they’re simply amazing in regard to their flavor.
I really loved these gummies, even though the texture is a bit strange. Even though my fiance absolutely loved the texture, so it just goes to show it’s all opinion based! I just wish I could find flavors like this more often.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Villars is a chocolate brand that I see around infrequently, yet I’d never bought it to try some before. I always recognized the packaging right away, and I can’t say exactly why, but I always ended up grabbing another chocolate bar instead. So when I saw these the other day in Cost Plus World Market, I figured it was finally time to give these chocolate a try.
I really like the packaging on these, as they’re very whimsical and pretty. They have a nice logo design, and the image of the pastoral Swiss countryside is very cute. It reminds me of the “Snow White” chocolate hazelnut Lindt bar wrapper. There’s something very classic about it.
The first bar I picked up is the “Chocolate au Lait Suisse”. Unwrapping the bar from its foil covering, you can see it’s sectioned off into two pieces wide and six deep. The design of the bar is very pretty, as each section has a flower relief on it. The chocolate is a nice light brown and is blended well. The back of the chocolate has no dents, bubbles or rippling.
The texture of the chocolate is grainty at first, then becomes incredible rich and smooth in the mouth.
The flavor is very European. The taste starts off sweet, then a blossom of chocolate and milky flavor takes over your taste buds. You have rich choocolate flavor complimented with that “dry milk” dairy flavor. It’s also very sweet, and I preferred to eat this chocolate with a cup of black coffee to cut the sweetness a bit.
Very good and very tasty.
The second bar I bought is the “Swiss Milk Chocolate with Caramel Chips”. This chocolate bar is set up the same way as the normal Swiss Milk flavor. The exception here is that there’s caramel chips in here. The bar design is the same, we have a beautful flower relief on each section. The chocolate is darker than the plain milk chocolate, and you can see the speckles of the caramel chips in the chocolate.
The flavor is a tad different. This milk chocolate is darker than the other, with less of a “dry milk” flavor. Instead you get the flavor of the caramel chips, which are sweet and buttery. The deliver a crisp crunchiness to the chocolate, which makes the texture experience quite different from a normal chocolate bar. Surprisinly this bar is less sweet than the plain milk. It has more going on in terms of flavor and texture, so it feels more complex.
I was impressed with both of these chocolate bars. They seem simple and unassuming, but they are some very nice Swiss chocolate, especially if you’re into that European milk chocolate flavor. I really enjoyed this chocolate with coffee, as the flavors paired up really well. I can see this chocolate pairing up with lots of things, since good chocolate is so versatile like that. I am glad I finally gave Villars a try.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Villars’ Website (French)
It took me a bit to get a hold of the new Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips. I was sent samples by the company, but they were sent to the wrong address by accident and they disappeared on me. So, instead, I waited until I could buy them in stores by myself. I must confess that I bought them when I first saw them, and that was a few months ago now. I photographed all the packaged and the candies, then, I started to mindlessly nibble on them and once I got around to review them. I only had the “Very Cherry” flavor left. Whoops.
These “Very Cherry” Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips claim to the Jelly Belly we all know and love, just covered in rich dark chocolate. Yes, it is real dark chocolate too. I checked the ingredients list.
The beans are pretty to look at. They’re the same size as normal jelly belly beans, perhaps just a bit larger. The bag smells of sweet chocolate with no hint of the Jelly Belly flavor at all. The chocolate has a bright gloss to it, so the beans are very shiny and attractive.
The jelly beans taste pretty awesome. They are soft and chewy, and the chocolat melts easily in your mouth. The flavor is sweet of the chocolate at first. it’s slightly chocolately and i felt it really just fell aside compared to the actual jelly bean flavor. The cherry flavor is intense and delightful. It’s jammy and fruity and really is the prominent flavor. the chocolate really just compliments it with some sweetness. The cherry flavor pairs well with the chocolate and it’s a fun combination.
From what I can remember, the Orange variety of the Chocolate Dips is similar to the cherry bean. The chocolate is nice, but the orange flavor really overshadows it. The orange is bright and citrusy, and pairs with the sweetness of the chocolate beautifully. Sadly that’s all I remember!
If you’re a Jelly Belly lover and are looking for something a little more substantial, or if you’re looking for something that’s just a tad different, these are the beans for you. I enjoyed them a lot, and I think these will be incorporated into my Easter candies this year.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Jelly Belly Website
