Candy Review: Damla

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - by Marcella

I have a crush. I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ll be driving my car or typing away at work or sweating in the middle of a Pilates class when suddenly, wham! I’ll picture the object of my affection and my eyes will glaze over a bit. I smile just enough that one would assume I’m daydreaming about Clive Owen again. But sorry, Clive. You’ve got some competition and the name is Damla.

Damla, a Turkish import, is a taffy-like fruit flavored candy with a delicate gel center. Each piece comes individually wrapped and the flavors – apple, cherry, orange, peach and strawberry – are clearly labeled with darling little illustrations on their wrappers. The candy has a bit of a chew, but nothing that will destroy a filling. Actually, it takes on a lovely melty consistency after a bit of chomping.

And oh, the health benefits! The candy touts its fat-free status and at less than 20 calories per piece, I can easily justify eating five at a time for my daily empty calorie snack.

Is it worth it, you ask? Am I blinded by candy lust? Here’s the flavor breakdown:

Apple: The flavor is pretty true to the Granny Smith apple. Though I tend to shy away from apple candies, I genuinely enjoyed it. I was actually sad that there were not more apple in the mixed bag.

Cherry: The cherry starts bland and chemical-ish then explodes into a rich, ripe cherry flavor. Maybe a little too ripe.

Orange: I think that birds outside my window felt my joy and began chirping when I first tasted the orange Damla. Almost Creamsicle in nature, the orange keeps me up at night with longing.

Peach: Like the cherry, the peach flavoring is quite developed and were it an actual piece of fruit, I’d question how long it’s been sitting in the fruit bowl. And yet, it somehow works.

Strawberry: The taste is artificial, but in the greatest possible way. It reminds me of the strawberry flavors I remember from my childhood – reminiscent of strawberries but bearing little resemblance to the actual fruit. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

The only problem I have with Damla has to do with the photograph on its packaging. In this image, the candies let loose with a river of brightly colored liquid sweetness. In fact, I was disappointed to find there is little more than a dainty speck of goo in the center. But I forgive my candy crush its one fault – we all have a dark side, after all – and I will continue to get a little pink in the cheeks as I unwrap piece after piece after piece.

• Damla Website