I’ve been afraid of sugar-free hard candy for a long time. When I was a kid, my mom went on a sugar-free hard candy kick. Whenever I begged for candy, she’d pass me a sugar-free butterscotch or peppermint – the first few times, she tricked me into trying them. That is, until I learned that sugar-free candy, in those days, came with a sickly aftertaste. I’ve continued to avoid sugar-free hard candy throughout my life, preferring the sugarless versions of chocolate and chewy confections instead.
But then I got a box of goodies from the All Candy Expo and found a couple bags of Eda’s Sugarfree hard candies inside – one bag lemon, one bag cherry. I set aside all my preconceived notions about sugar-free hard candy and gave Eda’s a shot.
This candy is penny-sized and isn’t shiny like many hard candies – instead, it reminds me of colored frosted glass. I expected the cherry-flavored candy to taste like a cough drop, but pleasantly enough, it is genuinely sweet and fruity – no artificial aftertaste whatsoever. I wouldn’t say it boasts a fresh, realistic cherry flavor, but it’s on par with any sugar-filled artificial cherry-flavored hard candy out there. Like all hard candies, this one lasts a while if you can resist chomping into it. However, if you do decide to chew it up, you might be disappointed. It melts easily, but when you try to chew the candy, it is tacky and somewhat difficult to remove from your teeth.
The lemon-flavored version surprised me – it doesn’t evoke the scent of cleaning fluids! How many lemon-flavored candies out there taste about like what you’d expect Pledge does? Right, a ton. Like the cherry, I can’t tell that this candy is artificially sweetened, and I even passed some out to my coworkers – who, unlike me, eat sugar – and they couldn’t tell a difference either. This is an impressive feat for any sugar free candy, in my book. The lemon doesn’t taste particularly realistic, and I was disappointed that it was more sweet than tart, but then I saw that Eda’s also makes a sour version of the lemon. The regular lemon is certainly on par with any sugar-filled lemon-flavored candy you might find on the market.
The cool thing about Eda’s Sugarfree is that they offer a wide variety of flavors, from fruits such as blueberry and peach to their Old-Tyme Mix, which boasts flavors like butterscotch, chocolate, coffee and icy peppermint. I can’t wait to try more of these! They’re the perfect way for someone who is diabetic or simply living a sugar-free lifestyle to enjoy a small, sweet and healthy treat.
This candy is sweetened with sugar alcohols, which may cause a strange aftertaste in individuals who are accustomed to eating candy with sugar in it.
Buy Eda’s Sugar-free candy online:
- at Amazon
I have sucked Eda’s candies for a few years now; I find they took away the nasty taste left after smoking. My only reservation is
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:10 pmwhat exactly is the sweetener used? I have no idea what “sugar alcohols” are, and if they are considered to be harmful to one’s health. Can anyone iluminate me? My e.mail address is: fionnlaigh@netscape.ca
Many thanks, James.
Sugar alcohols are complex forms of sugar that are mostly indigestible. Some names are maltitol, sorbitol, erithrytol, xylitol, and lactitol. They are not sugar, not alcohol.
Since they are indigestible, some of them have a laxative effect on some people. Take carewith portion sizes until you know how they affect you.
The xylitol may actually make teeth stronger. None of them hurt teeth – they don’t break down into carbohydrate. Some toothpastes use them for sweet; many SF gums use them for sweet, and for tooth protection.
April 25th, 2008 at 3:35 pm