Monthly Archives: January 2007

Charleston Chew Vanilla

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Charleston who?  Charleston Chew!  Named after that silly dance craze back in the twenties, you may not have heard of these babies unless your parents or grandparents introduced them to you when you were young.  As for me, it wasn’t too long ago that I first tried my first Charleston (a tragedy, I know).  But thank Zeus for that day!  Charleston Chews have been around since 1922, and their unique texture and consistency is sure to keep them around for decades.  However, it wasn’t until 1998 that Tootsie Roll brought us the mini Charleston Chew—a most fortunate occurrence for the skeptics.  Original Charleston Chew bars can be somewhat big and intimidating for a first-timer, but the minis are a perfect bite-sized taste of the original.  If you like to moderate your sugar intake (which I definitely don’t), the minis allow you to enjoy these bars of bliss without having to leave two thirds of the bar lying around, only to get stale and icky. 

For my first Charleston Chew, I had a mini.  The only downside I can see to these is that the nougat tends to stick to your teeth like rubber cement!  (An up-side, of course, only if you’re a dentist.)  However, for my second Charleston Chew I was instructed to put it in the freezer for about an hour, and then take a bite.  Boy, what a difference!  After putting one in the freezer for a while, the nougat hardens up just enough to NOT stick to your pearly-whites.  Instead, the chocolate quickly melts and the nougat breaks up into smaller, less-chewy pieces, allowing you to swallow the pieces before they take a toll on your molars.  These nostalgic chocolate-covered nougat bars come in vanilla (my favorite), strawberry, and chocolate.  I strongly recommend you try freezing the vanilla-flavored ones if it’s your first time.  You won’t regret it!

Tic Tac Spearmints

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Several years back it was, “Take a Tic Tac!???  Now, it’s the 2-calorie mint!  A story goes that in 1478, Italian explorer Antonio Minteroni first discovered tiny mints being enjoyed by people in Indonesia.  He brought this idea back to Italy, which inspired tiny Tic Tacs.  These delightful and miniscule mints have been around for over 600 years!  (www.tictacUSA.com)

Just kidding!  Tic Tacs first started in 1969 with the original Freshmint flavor.  From then on, Tic Tacs have added many refreshing, sweet, and bold flavors, such as spearmint, orange, cinnamon, and many more.  Though many flavors have been added and others eliminated, the packaging has remained pretty constant.  These one-of-a-kind mints have always been packaged in a signature mini case that rattles in your pockets, alerting everyone of your presence, and of course, Tic Tacs!  One of the older and always loveable flavors is my favorite: SPEARMINT! 

Spearmint has always been one of my favorites because it has a very herbal taste, and it reminds me of grandma’s warm, spearmint tea on those cold winter mornings.  These tiny treats are packed with an intense punch of refreshment that’s bound to awaken your entire mouth.  Their spearminty freshness lasts rather long, but with such an intense flavor, it’s sure to leave you asking for more and before you know it, you’ll be poppin’ them in your mouth faster than you can say, “Take a Tic Tac!???  But of course, there’s more!  In addition to their powerful flavor, they’re less than a mere two calories each!  That’s right, all that flavor and all that freshness is packed into less than two calories of cool.  So lets review: what’s my favorite mint that packs the most punch and takes the tiniest toll on my diet?  Why, Tic Tacs Spearmint, of course!

Bubble Yum Chocolate

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Hey Candy Kids! Looks like Bubble Yum and Hershey’s have teamed up to bring you new Bubble Yum Hershey’s Gum. I am skeptical on how chocolate flavored gum will taste, but I like to walk on the wild side now and again, so I’ll give it a shot. 

It looks like normal Bubble Yum gum, but a dark brown color instead of the usual day-glow screaming neon colors they throw at us. It smells like chocolate, so let’s see about the taste…Hmmmm…Interesting, very interesting. It tastes great! It tastes like chewy Hershey’s chocolate and the flavor stays for quite some time. I have been chewing on this piece for nearly twenty minutes and the flavor just keeps on coming. The gum is really giving me a run for my money. I am really surprised, candy kids, this stuff is awesome! The gum is nothing short of what you’d expect from Bubble Yum. It’s chewy, makes great chewing gum bubbles and isn’t too hard. The chocolate flavor adds an almost sophisticated taste to it. This is, by far, the best gum I have chewed in a while. And again, I can’t tell you how great the flavor is, so long lasting! I give this the Sheriff badge of approval, so you better try it. Thanks to Bubble Yum, they have given chocolate and gum lovers the world over a new taste sensation. All hail Bubble Yum Hershey’s Gum!

Junior Mints Inside Outs

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Yet another twist to the traditional yet oh-so-loveable Junior Mints:  INSIDE OUTS!  The Tootsie Roll Company, which (as you may know) added  Junior Mints to their line a little over a decade ago, and not long ago brought you Junior Caramels, now brings yet another refreshing variation to the timeless classic!  So many companies are switching up their originals: Kit Kat, Reese’s, Snickers, Crunch.  And now Tootsie Roll has jumped on the band wagon by adding a twist to our favorite soft chocolate mints.

Junior Mints Inside Outs still have their signature minty taste, but this time it’s intertwined with a chocolatey inside!  Outside there’s a somewhat hard, white, creamy coating, that’s a bit like white chocolate in consistency, but doesn’t quite taste like white chocolate to me, so I can’t tell you exactly what it.  It’s more of a smooth, creamy candy coating.  But the real surprise is on the inside…  Bite into a mint and you get a cool burst of mint chocolatey flavor distinct from anything I’ve ever tasted.  Regular Junior Mints have a more juicy, white mint cream on the inside, whereas Inside Outs have a more jelly-like mint chocolatey filling.  Now, this “chocolatey??? thing may be throwing you off a bit, but the reason I use “chocolatey??? instead of “chocolate??? is because (sadly) there’s no actual chocolate in these babies… 

I know, I know.  Heartbreaking.  Yes.  Though nothing beats the original JM’s, with their PURE chocolate coating, Tootsie Roll has made a great attempt at bringing us a variation of the old.  These limited-edition Inside Outs will not be available for long, so if you’re in love with these babies, stock up and get your feed while you can, because they won’t be available for long!

Sweet’s Orange Sticks

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I love candy that has stood the test of time and Sweet’s Orange Sticks are no exception. In 1892 Leon Sweet started the Sweet Candy Company in Portland, Oregon. In the beginning, Sweet’s manufactured just a few varieties of candy. However, the candy that Leon offered for sale had two distinguishing characteristics: the candy was mostly made by hand, and folks loved it. They loved it because of the quality. And the quality of the candy has never gone down – just another reason their candy is timeless.

In 1900 Leon moved the operation from Portland to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he merged several small specialty stores into one general line manufacturing company. Over the years, Sweet’s has become more innovative and more automated. The company has increased the number of products it makes and has expanded its total marketing area. Today, there are more than 250 Sweet’s Quality Candy items distributed internationally in bulk, bags and boxes. Sweet’s is perhaps still best known for its classic favorites: Chocolate Orange Sticks, Salt Water Taffy and Cinnamon Bears.

Orange Sticks are a tasty treat. They are a more sophisticated candy that combines the tastes of rich dark chocolate and tart, refreshing orange. Served as little “sticks??? these little treats are one that you won’t soon forget. Each orange candy has a chewy, almost gummy texture and it is enrobed in creamy, delectable dark chocolate, making for an interesting and delicious flavor and texture combination. For over 100 years, people have enjoyed this classic candy and I have a feeling it will even outlive me. As long as people continue to have a sweet tooth, classic candy companies like Sweet’s will continue to make confectionary treats.

Ice Breakers Center Gum

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I am a gum snob. I only really like to chew sugar free gum but that tends to lose its flavor so quickly, so when I find a gum that I like, I usually stick to it. This new Ice Breakers Center gum is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Each piece is packed with ginseng and antioxidants from Vitamin C which makes me happy because not only am I getting a clean, minty fresh mouth as a result of chewing this gum, but I will be getting a good dose of vitamins as well. Now how many of you can say your gum can do all of that? Hmmm?

The gum is packaged in a small, rectangular box that and each piece is round and green. The gum has a hard-ish “sugar??? shell (remember kids, this gum is sugar free) that is packed with the signature Ice Breakers “flavor crystals??? while the inside is a soft gum product. Once you start chewing, you realize that flavor is the key here. And this flavor is not stopping. I have been chewing this piece of gum for almost an hour and the flavor just won’t quit. My mouth feels cool and refreshed and because the gum is sugar free, I don’t feel the least bit guilty.

This gum is nice and chewy and doesn’t dissolve easily which gets a major thumbs-up from me. There is nothing worse than gum that easily dissolves and gets stuck in your teeth and lips. You will not find that here, thank goodness! So far the gum has kept its chewy consistency and again, the flavor just lasts and lasts. Without turning into Violet Beauregard from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (champion gum chewer) I think it’d be safe to say that this gum would last quite a long time. So if you’re looking for a new, cool mint gum, I advise you to try the new Ice breakers “Center??? Gum.

Jolly Rancher Fruit Smoothies

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The Jolly Rancher Candy Company was founded in Golden, Colorado, by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen in 1949. They called the company Jolly Rancher to suggest a hospitable, friendly western company. The company originally made ice cream, chocolate and hard candy. As hard candy sales grew, however, they began to concentrate on developing their “Famous for Flavor” line of hard candies.  In 1966, the Harmsens sold Jolly Rancher to Beatrice Foods, but the family continued to be involved in the day-to-day operation of the business. Leaf purchased Jolly Rancher in 1983. Hershey Foods acquired the Leaf candy company in 1996.

Jolly Ranchers are one of my all-time favorite hard candies. I had a 7th grade English teacher who gave them the name “Happy Farmers???. I have never forgotten that and have loved the candy ever since. Now this is my experience with the Bold Fruit Smoothie line, but I am sure they will be just as delicious (if not more) that the original Jolly Ranchers. And I was right! Gosh, I love being right. These fruit smoothie candies are sweet, tart and deeeee-licious! They are the same size and shape as the original Jolly Ranchers, but each one has the creamy taste of a fresh fruit smoothie, without all the mess and fuss. These “no straw needed??? little smoothies come in peach, orange, strawberry, watermelon and mixed berry. All are fruity, creamy and tasty, making them a must have! If you have not tried Jolly Ranchers Bold Fruit Smoothies, do so…now!

Chocolate Sea Shells

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I love discovering new chocolate. Since I am a chocoholic, I often think of new and undiscovered chocolate (even if it has been discovered before) as a tiny gift from the gods. Ye gods, what a gift you sent to me! Today I am reviewing cute and delicious chocolate sea shells. Let me tell you, these colorful shells look like I picked them up from the beach. When the Good Doctor and I went to Coronado last month, we saw an array of shells that looked just like these, though I am certain they were not nearly as tasty.

The Fiesta Candy Company has really outdone themselves. Each bag is filled with delectable and gorgeous little sea shells. With vivid colors like ruby, green, lavender, periwinkle blue and pink, they look like larger versions of shell-like M&M’s. And the taste, oh the taste! They have a crisp sugar shell similar to M&M’s, but the insides are pure milk chocolate. Gourmet milk chocolate to be exact. It is smooth, creamy, delicious and melts-in-your-mouth good, good, good, GOOD! Oh they are so divine I can hardly stand it. Once I got over eating these beautiful little shells (I tell you, they are almost too pretty to eat…almost) I could hardly put the bag down. They are a combination of textures and flavors that make them irresistible. The sugar shells are sweet and crunchy the rich chocolate inside is delicious – delicious I tell you! I better save some for the Good Doctor or he’ll really be upset – I think I’ll hide them in my desk drawer for now…well, maybe just one more!

Red Raspberry Dollars

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From the same people that gave us Jujyfruits and (in my opinion) one of the best Gummi Bears in the world, I present to you Heide’s Red Raspberry Dollars.  Though these gummy candies are very different from their Gummi Bears, they have the same excellent qualities that you would expect from such a reputable company. 

The Heide Candy Company was founded in 1869 by a German by the name of Henry Heide.  In 1930 when RED RASPBERRY DOLLARS were first made, they were originally called Red Hot Dollars, but not for their red hot flavor because they were raspberry flavored.  Rather, they were called “red hot??? because during the depression, a dollar was considered “red hot.???  In 1999, the name was changed from “Hot??? to “Raspberry??? to stop the mass confusion and rioting, so to speak.  Farley’s & Sathers has now expanded the line by adding a hot cinnamon flavor and bringing back the original name (for old time’s sake), as well as adding Black Licorice Dollars.

These raspberry gummies have a more adult taste to them, because they are not as sweet as typical gummies.  But though they have a less intense flavor than most other gummies I know, they are still sweet enough to satisfy that tooth of mine…  Their smooth texture is a signature of the Heide Candy Company, and though some may consider them to be a bit tough for being gummies, they are not too sticky, and they also happen to be relatively low in fat AND calories (yesssss!).  However, if you enjoy them as much as I do and can eat half a box in one sitting, they end up being a bit high in calories…  Go figure.  These delightful dollars come stamped with a dollar sign as well as the Heide name, so that no other brand can rob you of your delicious Red Raspberry Dollars!