Candyology 101 - Episode 2- Peanut Butter

The second episode of Candyology 101 is here! In this episode, co-hosts Cybele (Candy Blog), Maria (Sometimes Foodie), and I discuss all things peanut butter. Listen to the episode below or on iTunes or Stitcher. 

Ritter Sport Coffee and Hazelnuts (Kaffee + Nuss)

The Ritter Sport Coffee and Hazelnuts bar is a new addition to Ritter Sport's Winter Edition range, replacing the Caramel Orange flavor from last year. Returning for 2014 are Ritter Sport Coconut Macaroon and Caramelised Almonds. 

Place purchased: Free from the Sweets & Snacks Expo

Number of reviewers: 5

Appearance - 7.2

The Ritter Sport Coffee and Hazelnuts bar has a milk chocolate shell with a coffee flavored filling studded with hazelnut pieces. Also, the bars sold in stores obviously will not have a sticker over a generic white wrapper, as pictured. I received this bar in May, before the bar went into full production. 

C: Love the wrapper - especially the snowman! 
E: Ritter classic. 
S: Cute snowman made out of sugar cubes on package. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.9

Mild, milk chocolate is the first noticeable flavor in the Ritter Sport bar. Then the coffee flavor hits along with a stronger chocolate flavor. The flavor of the hazelnuts comes in toward the end and balances well with the coffee and chocolate flavors. 

C: The hazelnut really comes through and the coffee is a little light but comes through and works for this flavor. 
E: Flavor builds slowly. First coffee, then chocolate, then hazelnut. Could use more chocolate flavor (i.e. wish it were dark instead of milk). 
E2: Want more hazelnut! Roasted coffee note is unexpectedly delightful. 
S: Hazelnut, chocolate with slight espresso bean. 

Texture - 8.0

Both the chocolate shell and coffee filling are rich and smooth. The hazelnut pieces bring a textural contrast with their slight crunch. 

C: Creamy chocolate. 
E: Very rich and creamy with crunchy nuts. 
E2: Kind of ganache like, creamy. 
S: Creamy with nut pieces. Melts in your mouth! 

Aftertaste - 6.8

The aftertaste is mostly coffee flavor.

C: Coffee, creamy chocolate, and hazelnut. 
E: Fatty, sweet, nutty. 
E2: Small amount of sour dairy, mostly espresso/roasted coffee.

Overall - 7.8

Overall, the Ritter Sport Coffee and Hazelnuts bar is excellent. The combination of coffee, hazelnuts, and chocolate work very well together. I hope this bar becomes a mainstay in the Ritter Sport Winter Edition range. 

E: Really good, but could have been great with darker chocolate. 
E2: Has potential to be really awesome, just want more hazelnut. 
S: Delicious! 

Project 7 Sour Caramel Apple Gourmet Gum

Place purchased: Meijer 

Price:$1.00

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 6.0

Each pack of Project 7 gum contains 12 unwrapped pieces of pellet gum. Both the exterior shell and interior are white. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.0

The Sour Caramel Apple flavor comes on strong in the first few chews. The flavor starts out as a bright green apple flavor with a more subtle sweet caramel flavor. There is some initial acidity, but not enough to be considered sour. Also, the acidity vanishes within the first minute of chewing. The apple flavor also disappears quickly, leaving the caramel flavor and a faint bitterness. 

B: Strong sweet taste from gum. Smells better than it tastes. 

E: Immediate burst of flavor - definitely caramel apple - acidic and fresh/green. 

Texture - 6.7

The Sour Caramel Apple gum has a normal, chewy gum texture. 

B: Standard gum.

E: Crunchy shell and normal gum center. 

Aftertaste - 6.3

The aftertaste is mostly sweet, with a faint caramel flavor and bitterness. 

B: Not really present. 

E: Caramel apple-y? Flavor fades pretty fast. 

Overall - 6.7

Overall, the Project 7 Sour Caramel Apple gum pulls off the caramel apple flavor quite well and is a great offering for the fall season. The only downfall is the bitterness that develops while chewing the gum. 

E: Surprisingly good! 

Seattle Chocolates Devil's Delight

Place purchased: World Market 

Price: $3.49

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 6.0

The Seattle Chocolates Devil's Delight bar has a white chocolate/peanut butter filling with whole, knotted pretzels in a dark chocolate shell. The underside of the bar was completely coated in bloom. 

B: The bloom! 

E: Super bloomed, but cool design. 

Flavor and Taste - 7.0

The flavor of the dark chocolate is initially dominated by the sweetness of the filling and saltiness of the pretzels. Once those tastes subside, the rich and somewhat bitter taste of the dark chocolate comes through. The peanut butter flavor is definitely there, but it tastes muted since it is mixed with white chocolate. The pretzels do not have much flavor but add a substantial saltiness to the bar. 

B: Peanut butter overwhelms the chocolate. 

E: A little waxy at first, but then the creamy peanut butter flavor develops. Good flavor balance and salty/sweet. 

Texture - 7.0

The crunchiness of the pretzels and salt granules provide a satisfying contrast to the creamy filling. The texture of the dark chocolate is difficult to distinguish from the filling. 

B: A bit too soft. 

E: Firm chocolate with creamy filling and crunchy pretzel. 

Aftertaste - 7.0

The aftertaste is of salty dark chocolate. 

B: Peanut butter and a bit burnt. 

E: Buttery and creamy. 

Overall - 7.0

Overall, the Seattle Chocolates Devil's Delight bar is quite enjoyable with its myriad of tastes and textures.This is the best Seattle Chocolates bar I have tried to date. Though, the bar could be improved if the filling consisted of peanut butter rather than a peanut butter and white chocolate mixture.

B: More chocolate flavor would have been better. 

E: Great salty/sweet snack. 

Harry Potter Jelly Slugs

Harry Potter Jelly Slugs are the newest Harry Potter candy made by Jelly Belly. Unlike the Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Jelly Slugs were not a candy in the wizarding world. Ron, however, did vomit slugs during this scene in Chamber of Secrets. 

Place purchased: Lolli & Pops 

Price: $3.25

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 4.7

The Jelly Slugs differ from the image on the wrapper; the slugs are straight rather than curvy. They remind me more of crocodiles or Battleship pieces than slugs. The slugs come in five different colors/flavors, as listed on the 'menu' above. Red is sour cherry, orange is tangerine, bright green is pear, green is watermelon, and yellow is banana. Unfortunately, my bag of slugs did not contain any of the banana slugs, the only flavor that is also a real type of slug. Additionally, several of the jelly slugs had snapped into pieces, which seems odd for a candy described as "jelly." 

B: These do not look like slugs.
E: Not particularly slug-like. 

Flavor and Taste - 3.0

Red - Sour Cherry 
This is one of the most medicinal cherry flavored candies I have ever eaten. I only made about six or seven noises of disgust while eating this flavor. 

B: Medicine. 
E: Like cough medicine. 

Orange - Tangerine
The orange flavor is very one-note. The flavor is exactly like those orange slice candies that are coated in sugar. 

B: Acceptable. 
E: Tastes like a tangerine peel. Pretty sour. 

Bright Green - Pear
This is the same flavor that Jelly Belly uses for their Juicy Pear Jelly Bellys. 

B: Too sweet. 
E: Very pear-y! Like Jelly Belly pear. 

Green - Watermelon
These do not taste like watermelon or even a typical artificial watermelon flavor. They taste fruity, but not like a specific type of fruit. 

B: Not watermelony. 
E: Weak flavor. Vaguely reminiscent of artificial watermelon.

Yellow - Banana 
Sadly, these were not in the bag. If the flavor is the same as Jelly Belly's Top Banana, these would be my favorite. 

Texture - 3.3

The Jelly Slugs have a soft bite and are somewhat grainy. 

B: Hard and chalky. I want soft and chewy.
E: Pretty grainy for a gummy. More like a chew. 

Aftertaste - 3.7

The aftertastes for all of the Jelly Slugs are sweet with a lingering flavor. 

B: Loses all flavor, but sweet. Not distinct for any fruit. 
E: Kinda... fruity? A little medicinal for some. 

Overall - 3.0

Overall, the flavors which ranged from unexciting to revolting. There are Bertie Bott's Beans that I enjoy more than these Jelly Slugs. I expect better from Jelly Belly. 

B: Would not eat.
E: Texture is off and flavors aren't great. 

Candy Hunting - Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups Minis

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cups Minis

Release: January 2015
SRP: $1.89 for a 2.83 oz share pack, $3.89 for an 8 oz stand up bag

Culinaria Pumpkin Spice

Culinaria is a store brand exclusive to Schnucks grocery stores, which are located in Illinois and Missouri. I normally would turn down any store brand candy, but it's pumpkin spice season and the only pumpkin spice products I have reviewed are gum. 

Place purchased: Schnucks 

Price: $1.00

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 6.7

The Culinaria Pumpkin Spice bar consists of milk chocolate with a thin, caramel-colored, pumpkin spice flavored layer. 

Flavor and Taste - 4.7

The bar has an overwhelming sweetness and sour dairy flavor from the milk chocolate. The spice flavor develops while chewing, though it never reaches the intensity of the milk chocolate. 

B: Sour dairy, no pumpkin flavor, more caramelly. 

E: Spices dominate, very reminiscent of pumpkin pie spice, but it overshadows the chocolate. 

Texture - 6.3

The chocolate has a firm bite and smooth melt, while the filling is thick and gooey. 

B: Standard chocolate.

E: Firm-ish chocolate with creamy filling. 

Aftertaste - 4.3

The aftertaste is very sweet with a strong sour dairy flavor and more subtle spice notes. 

B: Long sour dairy. 

E: Spicy, sour dairy, mouthcoating. 

Overall - 5.0

Overall, the taste of the milk chocolate was too overpowering and ruined the potential of the pumpkin spice filling. You are not missing out if you do not live close enough to a Schnucks to try this chocolate bar. 

B: Not really pumpkin. 

E: It's meh.