Tootsie Pop Drops are a candy I really enjoy and definitely don’t buy enough. I spotted these Candy Cane Tootsie Pop Drops in Target and eagerly snatched them up. Holiday candies are so much fun! I was excited to see these since Tootsie came out with the peppermint Tootsie Pops a few yard ago, and those were really awesome. I haven’t seen them recently, nor have I really looked for them either, but I have hoped they’d bring them back since they were a wonderful flavor combination. So seeing these Candy Cane Tootsie Pop Drops made my little candy heart happy. It’s good to see something you feel is classic on the candy shelves.

The box is pretty with a nice red/green color motif with images of candy canes and the actual Tootsie. The background to the box is pink, which I find to be an odd color choice, but I will admit that it really works well with the holiday motif of this package. They have a beautiful illustration of the candies in the bottom corner that I find appealing, and after seeing the candy firsthand, I feel they’re an accurate depiction of them. The box has a foil package on the inside that keeps the candies safe. I was happy to see them taking this extra step in making sure these drops are well protected from moisture and brute force.

The candy candy drops are adorable. They’re about the size of a nickel and are around 1/2 inch tall. They’re white with beautiful red stripes on them, and no two look a like. Th candies are well protected too, most were pristine and there wasn’t too much “dust” in the foil packet from candy damage. 

The flavor is exactly like a candy cane. Fresh and full of that intense peppermint flavor. The shape s very pleasing in your mouth.  After sucking on them for a bit, or if you’re me you swish it around in your mouth because candies like this are fun) you get it to soften and eventually break so you can get the tootsie interior. The Tootise inside is soft, chewy and chocolatey.  It blends well with the peppermint flavoring adding a nice sweetness, yet the peppermint is still very powerful and is still the dominant flavor.

I really enjoyed these. I’d certainly go for a box of these over traditional mints or a candy cane. They’re small enough to feel like a quick little sweet, but big enough to feel like a treat if you’re just looking for a mint.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Tootsie Website

I am a big fan of Tootsie Pops. I’ve always enjoyed them ever since I was a kid. There has been many flavor variations of Tootsie Pops in the past few years, with the Tropical Tootsie Pops, Wild Berry, Peppermint, and banana. There might be more but those are the ones that come to mind immediately. So I was obviously excited to see this Holiday Tootsie Bunch Pops in Target when I was doing my candy hunting. It’s a bunch of Tootise Pops in a bouquet of sorts, fitted with red and green pops. So very cute!

The two flavors in this bouquet, a red which is cherry and a green which is sour apple. I like how there’s one classic and one new flavor in this set. It makes it familiar and adventurous at the same time.

As you can see in the photo, the wrapper are beautiful. They even have little snowflakes on them!

Cherry is the same, familiar flavor we know and love from the traditional Tootsie Pops. It’s bright an very “red” tasting, with notes of cherry that are sweetened with accents of strawberry and raspberry. The flavor is more sweet than metallic thankfully, which always worried me with candies that have red food coloring in them. There’s a slight zest toward the end of the flavor that really enlivens the lollipop. The tootsie center with it’s cocoa flavor blends well with the cherry candy outside, and it’s a classic combination.

Sour Apple is gorgeous to look at. I’ve never seen a dark green Tootsie Pop before. The flavor is immediately sour and zesty, and the flavor reminds me of something I’ve had before yet I can’t put my finger on it. The taste starts off sweet, like watermelon, with juicy notes and a sour end to it. Then there’s a bright flavor of perfume at the end of it. The perfumey taste is kinda off putting, since tasting flowers isn’t my favorite thing. Still, it’s a decent flavor and I’m sure big fans of sour flavor will enjoy it.

This is a really cute festive candy for the season. I bought it for $1, so it’s certainly very affordable. I can’t help but imagine what a wreath or center piece made out of these candies would look like. I guess I think up weird things like that. Tootise Pops are always fun, and these are no exception.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Tootsie Website

One thing I love about See’s Candies and what I very much look forward to with the passing seasons is their releases of limited edition flavors of their popular lollypops. They have root beer in the summers, pumpkin in the fall, and this past Easter they had orange cream which I sadly missed out on. Next year! I was super excited to find some of their new Christmas Mint lollypops in my box of samples which included the Victoria Toffee that I reviewed the other day. These lollypops were a surprise because they have a limited edition Cinnamon flavor they release this time of year, and I had no idea they planned to do another. So without further delay, the Christmas Mint Lollypop!

The lollypops are beautiful. The have a bright pine green metallic wrapper, with white and red lettering. The pops are all a nice, uniform size with a rectangular shape. Removing the green wrapper to my surprise, the lollypop is white. For some reason I imagine it green or brown, as my mind concluded that it possibly be mixed with chocolate. But, no. They’re a beautiful white, much like Christmas snow.

It smells sweet and not at all minty. I’m more reminded of vanilla and white chocolate.

My first lick produces at first a sweet flavor, then the growing familiar and delightful taste of mint. It’s mind and sweet, and not at all overpowering like most gum and toothpaste is. Instead this is subtle, elegant, minty flavor that has a slight peppermint sharpness to it. It’s extremely enjoyable and I much rather have this as an after meal dessert.

I really loved this lollypop. Not only is it beautiful but its flavor is amazing. Not too minty and not too sweet, just a harmonious middle ground. I also have to give props to See’s for using the word “Christmas” in this candy’s name, as many prefer to use the more PC “Holiday”. There’s nothing wrong with calling something “Christmas” and I’m glad See’s did so. It’s a great lollypop and I can easily see these as a tasty stocking stuffer.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links See’s Candies Website

Ring Pops are a candy I recall from my childhood. They weren’t something I’d have regularly, I love chocolate too much and when I wanted a lollipop I’d go for Tootsie Pops. I really don’t ever recall being lured in by the gem shape or the more interesting manner in which you eat it. So when I saw this along with the many other Halloween candies in Target, I figured it was time I gave it a grown-up try.

These Halloween Ring Pops are a little different from the ones you can buy most everyday. Usually they’re sold in single packages with flavors of Strawberry, Blue Raspberry, Twisted Berry Blast, Watermelon and Cherry. The Halloween flavor is “Screaming Berry” and I am not sure if it’s the same flavor as the Twisted Berry Blast flavor that’s in the normal flavor lineup. The Halloween one also differs because the package comes with two pops in it. The pops themselves also look different, as these have a black base and a black and orange striped candy “gem” on top.

I was really surprised, as this Ring Pop is so awkward to eat. It doesn’t fit into my mouth well, and I found that it just caused me to drool all over the place. Can you say awkward? I tried several techniques of sucking on the pop, but the results were the same: I drooled over everything. The flavor didn’t really warm me up to the candy much at all either. It is a nondescript berry flavor, but it tastes the most like raspberry to me. It start off sweet and ends in a tart note, and it smells very fruity like a yogurt. It was nice, but nothing that really “wow-ed” me.

I didn’t like this candy and it wasn’t because it tasted bad. The ring form of it just made it horribly awkward to eat. I could see perhaps as a kid when your mouth is much smaller this could be for fun, but for me it was just a big drooly mess.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links Ring Pop Website (Bazooka Joe)

These were a find completely by chance. I had stopped at a place in Hollywood for dinner, and I was surprised to find that the establishment was more of a gourmet store than a restaurant. No matter really. I put in my order and explored their store offerings while I waited. And that’s where I found these.

These certainly have an “old timey” classic candy feel to them. I contribute much of that to the design of the packaging. It feels very classic. I have never heard of the brand before this, so of course I decided to give them a try. I should try things that are simple, like hard candies too. If done right they are extremely tasty!

One thing for sure, this packaging takes no chances. I opened the box to find a tight plastic bag that held the candies which were also individually wrapped. It feels a bit unnecessary to me.

Pretty aren’t they?

The actual hard candy is small and football shaped. I’d say it’s about the size of a Jordan Almond.

The flavor is immediately strong and flavorful. It starts out tasting like orange soda, with strong fake orange flavors and a strong sweetness. Then the flavor mellows and tastes more strange. It loses the intense orange flavor and trades it for something milder. I’m trying to put my finger on it, but it’s like an orange cough drop without the menthol flavor to it. It’s tasty, just strange as to how what a complete 180 this flavor took in terms of its orange flavoring.

These are nice orange candies. They last a long time in your mouth and they aren’t easy to start chewing on (which is something I am guilty of). These feel much more upscale than regular old orange hard candies from Jolly Rancher and the like. I much prefer these to the likes of these. Something about the flavor feels purer to me. A nice teat if you don’t mind paying a little extra for them.

Also check out Cybele’s review of Mandy’s Butterscotch candies.

Rating: Will Eat Again