Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Candy Hunting - Peeps Minis

Peeps Minis Chocolate Creme


Peeps Minis Strawberry Creme


Peeps Minis Sour Watermelon



Place found: Meijer 

Price: $2.99


Each bag contains 24 mini Peeps, which are only 14 calories each. Also, now through Friday (May 2nd), the mPerks code freepeeps14 can be used to get a free bag of Peeps Minis.


Monday, April 28, 2014

Vosges Super Dark Reishi Mushroom & Walnut




Place purchased: Cost Plus World Market 

Price: $6.99 (on sale for $3.49)

Number of reviewers: 3


Appearance - 7.3

The Vosges Super Dark Reishi Mushroom & Walnut bar is comprised of dark chocolate with small pieces of walnuts and reishi mushrooms. The bar has sleek, black packaging. However, the chocolate has bloom on the bottom of the bar. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.8

The chocolate bar has a strong dark chocolate flavor and also tastes salty and umami. The walnuts do not contribute to the flavor, and the reishi mushrooms only provide the umami taste. 

C: Doesn't have a very strong mushroom taste. Mostly just chocolate. Has a warm, savory taste. Umami/MSG is very prevalent. 
L: Savory note on back of tongue. Zero sweetness, but good.

Texture - 5.5

The chocolate has tiny crispy pieces. 

C: The chocolate is a little dry and gritty.
L: Gritty.

Aftertaste - 5.3

The aftertaste is mainly salty, umami, and to a lesser extent bitter. 

C: Mostly just tastes like chocolate.

Overall - 6.2

Overall, the Vosges Super Dark Reishi Mushroom & Walnut bar is good, but not worth its original price of $6.99. If the texture had been improved and there was more flavor from the walnuts and mushrooms, the chocolate bar would have been more enticing. 


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Candy Hunting - 2014 Halloween Preview

Now that Easter is over, it is time to get ready for the next big candy holiday: Halloween!

Here are some new products that will be available for Halloween 2014. 



Hershey's Candy Corn

Candy Corn Creme with Candy Bits, Snack Size


Twizzlers Caramel Apple Filled Twists (Review)



Jolly Rancher Caramel Apple Crunch 'n Chew (Review)



Reese's Pumpkin

The new Reese's Pumpkins have a jack-o'-lantern stamped into the peanut butter cup rather than being pumpkin shaped, like the previous versions. 



Kit Kat Minis Snack Size



Twix Ghosts


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Bars, Part 2

McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Almond Bar





Place purchased: McCormick World of Flavors, Baltimore 

Price: $4.49

Number of reviewers: 6


Appearance - 6.0

The McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Almond bar is consists of 31% milk chocolate with small roasted almond pieces dispersed throughout the chocolate. The chocolate is a dull brown color and has a thin layer of bloom. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.0

The almonds taste very oxidized, and the chocolate is sweet. 

C: Kind of blah.
J: Creamy chocolate. Almond flavor is great. 
L: Good chocolate, slightly oxidized. 
S: Strong nutty flavor.

Texture - 5.5

The chocolate is crunchy. It is difficult to distinguish the crunch of the almonds from the crunchy chocolate.  

C: Crunchy, brittle. 
J: Nice contrast between creamy chocolate and almond pieces. 
S: Brittle chocolate. 

Aftertaste - 5.8

The flavor of the milk chocolate dominates the aftertaste. 

J: Lingering almond flavor is dry and persistent. 
L: Bland.
L2: Rancid. 
S: Sweet. 

Overall - 5.7


I was unimpressed by this chocolate bar. The almonds were oxidized, and the chocolate was too dry and crunchy.



McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Jalapeño & Peanuts Bar






Place purchased: McCormick World of Flavors, Baltimore 

Price: $4.49

Number of reviewers: 6


Appearance - 6.2

The McCormick World of Flavors Chocolate Jalapeño & Peanuts bar is comprised of 31% milk chocolate, small pieces of peanuts, and jalapeño powder. The chocolate is rich brown in color, unlike the chocolate in the almond bar. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.3

The chocolate bar tastes like milk chocolate with salty peanuts at first. The heat from the jalapeños comes in toward the end, though there is no actual jalapeño flavor. 

C: Get peanut flavor first, then spicy jalapeño at the end. 
J: Good chocolate flavor. A bit of salt from the peanuts. Nice spice at the end. I really like the subtleness. 
L: Nice nutty, love the spice. 
S: Salty with a lot of heat. Spicy. 

Texture - 7.3

The milk chocolate is softer in this bar than the almond chocolate bar, which is strange since they both contain 31% milk chocolate. 

C: Crunchy.
J: Nice contrast. 

Aftertaste - 6.6

The aftertaste is very spicy. 

C: Mostly just spicy.
J: Spice is too persistent. 
L: Good burn.
S: Has a lot of heat. 

Overall - 7.3

The Jalapeño & Peanuts bar is significantly better than the Almond bar. The chocolate is softer and creamier, the peanuts provide a welcome flavor rather than rancidity, and the jalapeño powder gives a powerful kick.



Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Candy Hunting - Canadian Candy

Cadbury Dairy Milk

Dairy Milk Caramel Popcorn, Bubbly White, Bubbly, Bubbly Mint, Pretzel & Peanut Butter, Oreo Cookie Crunch


Burnt Almond Dark, Premium Dark, Dairy Milk Mint, Sweet Salty Peanut, Mixed Nuts, Almond, Chips Ahoy! Cookie Dough, Toffee


Dairy Milk Hazelnut, Fruits & Nuts, Milk Chocolate


Dairy Milk Chips Ahoy! Cookie Dough (review) and Dairy Milk Caramel Popcorn


Dairy Milk Coconut Cashew


Dairy Milk Mixed Nuts


Dairy Milk Oreo Cookie Crunch


Dairy Milk Pretzel & Peanut Butter



Easter Candy

Cadbury Lil Scoops Vanilla and Chocolate


Cadbury Mini Eggs, Mini Creme Eggs, and Mini Caramel Eggs


Aero Lambs and Smarties Eggs


Eggies, Hershey Canada's version of Cadbury Mini Eggs



Mr. Munchy (milk chocolate with rice crisps), Mr. Rockstar (milk chocolate with rainbow stars), and Mr. Mallow (milk chocolate with marshmallow pieces)




Bite Sized Candy

Aero Bubbles: Milk Chocolate, Orange, and Peppermint


Kit Kat Bites


Mini Turtles Original Recipe


Mini Turtles Sweet & Salty


Coffee Crisp Bites


Big Turk Bites


Skor Minis


Licorice Twizzlers Extra Soft Bites


Strawberry Twizzlers Extra Soft Bites


Peach Twizzlers Extra Soft Bites




NHL

Cherry NHL Twizzlers Skate Shaped Candy 


Hershey's NHL Stanley Cup


PEZ NHL Stanley Cup



And More! 




Aero Caramel and an empty spot where Aero Strawberry should have been


Werther's Original Chocolate Crunch 


Twizzlers Strawberries 'n' Crème Filled Twists


Limited Edition Kit Kat White & Milk and Limited Edition Kit Kat Orange


Kit Kat Mint


Junior Mints with a different design than in the US


Juicy Fruit also has a different design in Canada


Hershey's Kisses bags are shaped like a Hershey's Kiss!


A blurry close-up of Cookies 'n' Creme Hershey's Kisses


Lindt Creation Mousse au Chocolat Milk and Dark


Single serve size Lindt Lindor Truffles


New Arctic Rush Tic Tacs and Strawberry Fusion Tic Tacs


OMG's Clusters