You’ve all seen and by now I’m sure tasted the soft drink that is sweeping the nation. They come in some of the most delicious flavors I have ever had the pleasure of drinking. I’m talking about Jones Soda. They outwit, outplay and outlast all other soft drinks out there today. There is something about them that keeps you coming back for more. Is it their tantalizing effect on the senses? Could it be the fun little pictures on the side of the bottle? Or might it just be something else entirely? Jones Soda has long since been a favorite of mine and over the years been more easy to find in local coffee shops to gas stations which makes me happy for the home team coming up in the corporate soda market of today. You can’t help but pick one up out of sheer excitement of the soda you’ve come to rely on when it comes to beverage diversity.

Jones Soda has upon the height of their stardom given their fans something else to chew on. Jones Soda Carbonated Candy. It does what it says folks, no questions about it. It’s little carbonated candies that taste like soda. You pop one in and let fizz away in your mouth. With flavors like Fufu Berry, Berry Lemonade & Green Apple, you can’t go wrong when it comes to something like this. Also, here’s a fun fact about these little guys. You can drop them into your water to add a little Jones flavor, to add a little excitement, to add that special something that keeps you coming back for more. You heard it here first folks, you can take a Jones soda with you just about anywhere you go, even if you don’t buy a Jones soda. Just twist open your water bottle and drop a few of these guys in and watch the magic unfold before your very eyes. Jones Soda, what will they think of next.

Runts (also known as Fruit Runts) are candies sold by Nestlé under their Willy Wonka Candy Company brand. First seen on the market in 1982, they are fruit flavored and shaped candies and are very much like large Nerds. Original Runts have a hard candy shell with a somewhat powdery center.

There are six different flavors of Runts in each package. Orange, cherry, banana, strawberry, lime and now, blue raspberry and watermelon. Back in the day, you could only get orange, cherry, banana, strawberry and lime. But since everything now is “new� and “extreme� I guess it was time for some new flavors to be added to the mix. Runts are crunchy, hard candies that basically turn to dust when you start eating them. They are fruity and have a slightly sour side to them, but not nearly as intense other sour candies. I guess you could say that these are both sweet and tart. My favorites in this bunch are, hands down, cherry and blue raspberry. While lime and banana are voted “least likely to be eaten� in the candy box beauty contest.

Runts are not a candy I eat very often. In fact, it has been a good 10 years since I have had any. But for you, candy kids, for you I will report the highs and lows of Wonka’s Runts. High points for the candy: there is a nice assortment of flavors, there is a good “crunch� factor to the candies, and since they come in boxes with multiple candies, they are easy to share. Kids love Runts. Low points for the candy: there are banana runts lurking in the box and I detest banana flavored things – especially banana flavored candies. I like real bananas, as in the fruit, but banana flavored things gross me out. So there ya go, outside of scary banana shaped candies, Runts are pretty cool.

 

I am afraid of a bunch of silly things. The dark, spiders, sharks, giant whales and now, Push Pops. That’s right, I have one more thing to add to my list of silly-scary things. You can now officially file spring-loaded Push Pops under “Candy I Fear.” I just got this new “Twisted Berry Blast” Push Pop and while the outside is similar to what I remember the original Push Pops looking like, inside the cylinder the hard candy sits on is a small, tightly coiled spring. When I uncapped the contraption, a blue and red striped wand shot a couple of inches out of the package and it threw me off a little. With my luck, that thing could have taken my eye out! There is just something unsettling about the whole situation - buy one and you’ll understand.

Aside from that, it tastes great. It’s been years since I have had a Push Pop and while I don’t eat lollipops that often, this one will surely rank at the top. Even though the original appeal of the Push Pop (you no longer push this pop - it’s more of a spring pop) is gone, this is still a fun candy. The cylinder of candy has been divided into four equal “twisted” parts. Two flavors of pop-py goodness have been twisted and together have formed a super pop of sorts. Berry blast tastes like raspberry and maybe strawberry (?) combined. It’s sweet in the way that you hope a lollipop will be. And the best part is, you don’t have to get your fingers all sticky - I really hate that. These would be great for kids - you can throw them in your purse or bag and hand them out during car trips, a day at Disneyland or just an at-home treat. When the kids get tired of the candy they can just re-cap it and save it for later. The cap even has a little hook that they can clip to their shirt, pants or shorts. Heck, these would even hold onto a pair of Batman pajamas (if your kid is that cool). All in all, it’s a fun to eat candy that brought me back to my childhood - even if it did scare me a little.

Usually I am not a huge fan of hard candies. I am more of a chocolate or gummy girl, but I make an exception for these Baskin Robbins Smooth and Creamy candies. They are superb! Each individually wrapped candy is like eating a mini dish of ice cream, minus the brain freeze, of course! These little vanilla hard candies are smooth, creamy and made with real butter and milk. They are about the size of a quarter and are great for when you are on the go. Pop a few into your pocket or purse and you can enjoy them wherever you are. The flavor of this candy is not too sweet. A lot of the time, hard candy seems to be too sugary and I am not able to finish it, but that is not the case with these Baskin Robbins candies.

I am a big fan of vanilla ice cream versus chocolate, so I was happy to see that Baskin Robbins offered a pure vanilla hard candy. As much of a chocoholic as I am, for some strange reason, I like vanilla over chocolate – but only when it comes to ice cream choices! Outside of that, I am a chocolate fan all the way. If you like hard candies, I would definitely recommend these little guys. They are the perfect way to treat yourself to the delightful taste of ice cream, without all the calories and mess! There are only 60 calories in three pieces of candy – not too shabby! Baskin Robbins also offers a sugar free version of this hard candy that is made with Splenda. It’s a perfect treat to have when you are watching what you eat, or if you are not allowed sugar. The best part is, they taste just as good as the regular ones! Creamy, dreamy and delicious!

 

Life Savers candy was first created in 1912 by Clarence Crane, a Cleveland chocolatier. At the time, he was looking for a new “summer candy” to supplement his chocolate business, which slumped in hot weather. Crane developed a line of hard mints, but didn’t have the space or machinery to make them. He contracted with a pill manufacturer to press the mints into shape. The pill manufacturer, whose machinery was malfunctioning, found that the pressing process worked much better when the mints were stamped with a hole in the middle. Crane called the new candy “Crane’s Peppermint Life Savers,” because they looked like miniature throwable life preservers. The ring-shaped devices were just beginning to come into use after the Titanic disaster.

In 1913, Crane sold the formula for his Life Savers candy to Edward Noble for only $2,900. Noble started his own candy company and began producing and selling the mints known as Pep-O-Mint Life Savers. He also began to package the mints into rolls wrapped in tinfoil to prevent them from going stale. This process was done by hand until 1919 when machinery was developed. In 1925, the tinfoil was replaced with the signature aluminum foil we all know today. Noble soon began to create and sell many other flavors including the popular fruit “five flavor� rolls. Today, Life Savers holds the market for rolled, hard candies. And it’s easy to see why.

Life Savers have always held a special place in my heart. My grandfather, who had as big of a sweet tooth as I do, was a huge fan of Pepp-O-Mint and Five Flavor Life Savers. He always kept a roll on him and was more than happy to share with me and my cousins. My grandmother bought them in bulk, so there were always spare rolls at their house. He would hand us kids each a $5 bill when we came to visit and a roll of Life Savers. We would trade our flavors with one another and use the candy pieces as checkers, sun visors for our pinkies, or pencil toppers. Having grown up eating Life Savers, it’s always exciting to try a new flavor. This new Sweet Mint variety is especially good. The mint flavor is not too overpowering, but instead it is refreshing. The candy has a sugary taste to it – it reminds me of a mint-y icing.  Very flavorful, but understated at the same time. The mints leave your mouth feeling very cool and refreshed. I think this is a great new addition to the Life Saver family. Hopefully it will be around for a long time.

 

So I have decided to step away from my usual forte – my realm of chocolate and sour flavored candies. That’s right, I’m thinking out side of the box, so to speak and these next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing candies from other countries, as well as candies of various flavors and tastes. So for today, “Goodbye America, and Hello Holland!�

This little coffee candy is so simple, it’s ridiculous. And maybe that’s what makes it so darn good. It’s a little square candy with rounded edges and is about the size of a nickel. The main ingredients are sugar, then glucose syrup, rounding out with…you guessed it…coffee! And boy, you can really taste the coffee. It’s not too strong, that is, it does not taste like a cup of black coffee, this is maybe coffee with a hint of milk and sugar, but it is most definitely coffee. The good folks at Hopjes got it right. Simple, timeless ingredients make for a tasty candy and by the look of it, these have been around for quite some time. Now this candy is certainly buzzworthy and a little goes a long way. I would say a few of these would equal the same “pick me up� that you’d get out of a small cup of regular coffee, without all the mess. These are great to pop in your purse or pocket, or even keep in a small bowl at work to share with your friends. At least four people have stopped by my desk so far to steal some – they are a hit! The flavor of this hard candy is great and the candy itself is smooth and rich – it’s not rock hard, so you can happily crunch away if that is what you prefer to do – don’t worry, you won’t chip any teeth!

 

For people who need a break from life’s little irritations, NIPS is the rich and creamy hard candy that provides a soothing diversion. Each NIPS candy has its own distinct and truly satisfying flavor. This hard candy is known for its smooth, creamy texture and bite-size eat with an unmistakable hint or “nip” of flavor - hence the name “Nips”. NIPS candy comes in two forms; solid candies and soft centered candies known as parfaits.

I love coffee flavored candies and NIPS are no exception. These sweet and delicious little babies are great for when you need a little pick-me-up but don’t want the actual cup o’ java. The hard candy shell becomes a little on the chewy side the more that you suck on it and the greatest part is the “parfait� in the center. That’s right, these particular NIPS are filled with a creamy mocha center that adds a hint of chocolaty sweetness to the strong coffee flavor of the hard candy. It’s like going to a coffee shop without even leaving your house! NIPS are a great long-lasting candy which makes them ideal for work, a movie, in the car on a road trip or even just for a little at home treat. NIPS give you a little jolt of caffeine without going overboard and without all the mess of a cup of steamy coffee with cream and chocolate – just pop a few into your purse or pocket and you can enjoy that “cup of joe� on the go!