I was a little confused when a colorful package from the people at POP! arrived on my doorstep. I’d checked out the website before they were sent, and the product information describes them as a “delectable frozen confection.” It’s true, they arrived beautifully boxed and carefully nestled in foil cold packs But when I opened the box, I found an assortment of fudgy-popcorn treats, not ice cream, as I’d been expecting.
Still, I wasn’t about to turn up my nose to these lovely chocolatey little globes, so I decided to just assume the makers of POP! want me to enjoy them cold (even if they wouldn’t melt at room temp), and leave it at that.
I can understand why the website doesn’t describe them as simply “chocolate-covered popcorn,” because POP! is pretty special, at least conceptually. POP! is more like small, white-fudge popcorn balls that are covered in various coatings. They are much larger than a single kernel of popcorn; one ball is a generous 2-3 bites. They come in Peach, Key Lime, Lemon, Strawberry, and Caramel/Dark Chocolate, or Caramel/White Chocolate. It’s worth noting that they arrived in pristine condition and appeared exactly as pictured on the site, quite colorful and beautiful, really.
Sadly, there isn’t much of a reason to describe each individual fruit flavor. Despite visible chunks of peach and strawberry, I only tasted a faint fruit flavor. Key lime was particularly disappointing, because, to me, “key lime” should be a strong, tangy flavor. Alas, it may as well have been tinted white chocolate, because that was all I could taste. Lemon was pleasantly lemony, but still a little too sweet.
After the fruity POP!, I turned my attention to the dark and white chocolate. I confess my expectations were low, but these two were much more impressive. I think the three components (chocolate, caramel, and popcorn) really work well together. The caramel isn’t strong or complex, but it plays really well with the chewy popcorn. One tiny thing: I do wish the popcorn were salted; I think that might have bumped POP! into the Awesomely Addictive category for me.
At nearly thirty bucks for 15 of them (plus another ten dollars for shipping), these are not cheap, and not the kind of thing you’ll want to give to trick-or-treaters. Of course, this is an inspired find for the serious chocolate connoisseur who’s always on the lookout for the latest taste sensation. I do really like the fact that they are so unique, and I give my wholehearted recommendation that all you Candy Addicts put Dark Chocolate POP! on your try-before-you-die lists.
These look absoluetly delicious! Thanks! :) Too bad they cost alot, Im currently addicted to Jones Soda Co. Carbonated Candies and Chocolate potato chip shaped candies, I think Imma stick with those till the popcorn drops 10 dollars. Or 20. But I think 25 would be more reasonable :)
February 21st, 2008 at 10:33 pm