I am fussy about what flavors get mixed with my chocolate. Chocolate is pretty much perfect just the way it is.

But coffee and chocolate are one of the perfect flavor combinations. And I was intrigued by the GoGo Beans concept. I don’t drink coffee regularly, but when I need it, I need it – and yet, I am picky about it. If I can’t get a properly made fancy coffee, I’m not one of those people who can settle for instant with non-dairy creamer (eeek!), so a chocolate-coffee candy with extra caffeine could be a useful thing.

But, it’s not a pill you just swallow – it still has to taste good. And when I got these samples, I was so disappointed, I had to get second and third opinions, just to be fair.

Javaz (I had the dark chocolate version) are a round chocolate candy with white splotches on the chocolate coating on the outside, and pieces of whole coffee bean inside. Going by appearance, the GoGo Bean looks like the Javaz with a candy shell, but they’re really quite different, aside from the added caffeine. The Javaz has a smaller or more chopped-up coffee bean, whereas the bean in the GoGo Bean is whole. And the GoGo Bean does not have chocolate in the ingredient list – it is made with cocoa powder – whereas the Javaz is made of actual chocolate.

Contrary to what you might expect from that description, the chocolate flavor of the GoGoBean was superior. The Javaz was not at all chocolaty, with almost that off-taste of cheap chocolate. One of my assistants said it was “just sweet.”

Biting into the GoGo first tastes like an M&M then turns into coffee bean flavor. My second tasting assistant said the shell didn’t have the flavor she dislikes that she usually associates with reddish colors of M&Ms.

All three of us agreed that the GoGo Beans were superior, but neither one of these were something that I would eat again, or even wanted to finish a free package of. However, both of my coffee-addict assistants were happy to take the rest of a tube of GoGoBeans to work with them, so if you’re looking for a convenient chocolaty source of caffeine, you might want to give them a try.

• How Do You Take Your Coffee Website

Tired of drinking your morning coffee? Why not eat it, surrounded by chocolate? That’s one idea for enjoying DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets, anyway. And wouldn’t that be faster, tastier, and reduce your chance of getting burned? Of course it would. And if you put a crazy amount of sugar in your coffee (like, 14g), then it’d be about the same calories, too (160). Okay, enough numbers.

Almost. This 1.3 oz/36g package contains three good-bite-sized pieces of 55% dark chocolate, with a coffee center. If you want a caffeine kick, you better eat all three. But how’s this candy taste?

Not bad at all! Bite through the pretty thick dark chocolate layer, and you hit the semi-liquid coffee center. It’s a little gooey, but doesn’t drip all over the place at room temperature. (In other words, you don’t have to throw the whole thing in your mouth at once if you’re a nibbler.) And what sets this coffee candy apart? The coffee is real, not just a flavor, and it’s just over the edge of bitter. Wow, they’re not messing around.

When I isolate the chocolate, it’s not bad, not great. A little chalky, and not much mouth feel. And if you just taste the filling, it’s like a viscous version of black diner coffee. It is not sweet. (I know the candy calls itself “espresso secrets,” but I think the secret is that it’s not espresso; the ingredient list just says “instant coffee,” and that’s what it tastes like. Rich and full-bodied this ain’t. And crema? Forget it.)

But when you taste both the dark chocolate and gelatinous diner coffee together (as you should of course), DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets is actually a nice little treat.

Start your day right.

• DeFranco’s Website

Buy DeFranco’s Espresso Secrets Online:

• at Amazon.com

As we discovered in our recent review of Popping Mini Eggs, Cadbury seems willing to go to some pretty darn strange places in order to “improve” a candy that many would argue is already the pinnacle of Easter candy perfection. I like to imagine the conversation went kind of like this:

Cadbury Executive 1: Yeah, Mini Eggs are pretty darn popular.

Cadbury Executive 2: No kidding – they’re our top-selling Easter candy. But you know what’s wrong with them?

Cadbury Executive 1: No, Bob – what’s wrong with them?

Cadbury Executive 2: They’re just not MINI enough!

Cadbury Executive 1: By George… I think you’re on to something!

And thus, Micro Mini Eggs were born.

Unsurprisingly, they look just like mini versions of the regular ones, with their pale pastel colors speckled with brown. (In the picture below, the bigger eggs are regular-sized Popping Eggs.) However, they do only come in four colors – purple, yellow, blue and white. If you want to believe the bag, Purple is the chick, Blue’s the cool dude, and Yellow’s a dead ringer for my Aunt Marge. Maybe White’s the pasty nerd who never leaves his basement, thus explaining why he didn’t show up for the photo shoot.

Like the Popping Mini Eggs, the package size is mini too – I’m sure they’re lighter than the bags I’ve had in previous years. (The standard Mini Eggs also come in the smaller package size these days.)

But after eating one of these right after eating a Popping Mini Egg, something about it seemed… off. While the Popping Mini Eggs displayed that distinctive Mini Egg flavor that everyone knows and loves, the Micros just tasted… different. Was it just the non-standard ratio of candy coating to chocolate? Or was it… something else? A quick check of the ingredient list confirmed my suspicions – while the Popping Eggs proudly display milk chocolate as the first ingredient, the Micros contain sugar, cocoa butter and milk ingredients – but also an assortment of suspicious vegetable fats, making them, if not totally mockolate, then definitely heading down those lines.

The new chocolate combines with the vanilla flavor of the shell for a taste that, well, doesn’t taste like Mini Eggs. It’s definitely missing that distinctive milky tang that’s common to most of the chocolate bars Cadbury makes. Actually, they really remind me of Smarties (the chocolate version, not the powdery version, for you Americans), and while there’s nothing really wrong with the way Smarties taste, they’re just not Mini Eggs, damn it!

You can’t really blame Cadbury for trying to cut costs in the current economy – but reducing the package size and cutting corners on the chocolate? That’s cold, Cadbury. Cold. I really hope this isn’t a taste of things to come – if this mockolate special edition sells, I wouldn’t put it past Cadbury to do a Hershey’s and start implementing the same changes to their regular lineup of Mini Eggs – thus ruining what is, for many people, the best part of Easter.

• Cadbury’s Website

Buy Cadbury Mini Eggs Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Amazon.com

The concept of this candy is a cool idea. Gummi bears that give the caffeine buzz of an energy soda without the crash an hour later? Awesome! And, as I’ve mentioned previously, I find biting the heads off gummi bears to be a lovely form of stress relief, so all in all, this seemed like a dream product.

On the plus side, the gummi texture was excellent. The bears are just the right blend of soft and chewy. Plus, they work as advertised. I went walking for over an hour after I ate them, and had plenty of energy for the whole hike. Also, the gummi bears are a light enough snack that I didn’t have to worry about eating them right before I exercised. As an added bonus, I never got the caffeine jitters like when I drink too much coffee.

The gummi bears have other benefits, too. Health food junkies may prefer that the caffeine source is Guarana Extract, touted as the “natural caffeine.” Each serving is only 60 calories and contains all sorts of good stuff like Vitamin C and a bunch of B vitamins. Pretty spectacular for candy!

Of course, since this candy is packed with an extra punch, it comes with a warning. For those of you who don’t like to read the fine print: this product is not recommended for children, pregnant women, people with heart conditions, or people sensitive to caffeine or niacin. As always when eating something new, read the label before you try it.

Overall, I felt like the pros balanced the cons in this candy. If you don’t mind the cough syrup taste, it makes for an easy, portable energy source that’s fun to eat.

• Loud Truck Gummi Website

Buy Loud Truck Gummies Online:

• at CandyDirect.com

After my not-so-good experience with Kickbrix energy chews, I was sent a sample of Buzz Bite Mint Chocolate Energy Chews.

Since I love everything chocolate, I was excited to try these because they contained not only chocolate, but also mint. Combine that with some good old caffeine, and I was ready to go.

I decided to try the Buzz Bite Mint Chocolate Energy Chews on a morning where I had not gotten much sleep the night before. Since buying a Nintendo DS, I haven’t gotten much sleep on the days I have to get up for work. On the morning in question, I crawled out of bed, showered, brushed my teeth and got dressed. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the nice green tin can that contained the energy chews.

First of all, I like the packaging. Anything that comes in a cute little tin is all right in my book. That way, the energy chews are easily contained inside their tin and not spilling out all over the place in my purse.

I discovered that while opening a chew, they came off easily from the wrapper, whereas the previously mentioned energy chews kind of stuck to the wrapper and were hard to pry loose. Not the case with these. They look like a chocolate version of a Starburst but were much chewier and easy on the teeth. I definitely tasted the chocolate, and while there was a little of the bitterness of the caffeine in it, the chocolate flavor kind of drowned that out. Definitely edible as an energy chew. As for the aftertaste, there was a slight mint flavor, but no lingering aftereffects.

As for giving me energy, it seemed to boost my work productivity that day. I’m kind of a lazy worker, and lose energy early in the day, so these chews seemed to provide me with the extra energy that I needed to get through the day. I even think these mints were responsible for keeping me up all afternoon, thereby eliminating my four-hour nap that I take in the middle of the day. Hmmm… I think I might definitely use these again. Who needs a nap, right?

• Buzz Bites Website

Buy Buzz Bite Energy Chews Online:

• Amazon.com

Package disclaimer: “Not recommended for pregnant women, children, or persons sensitive to caffeine.” (This includes YOU, weird pregnant guy expecting your second kid in June!)

Huh? This is just wrong: A candy bar aimed straight at the shaved heads of wacky, Jack-Ass-style twenty-somethings. In this fast-paced and hectic age, do we really need more buzz? I guess someone thinks so.

The Nestle advertising blitz and buzz (can you sense the trend here?) features online videos of highly energized male and female actors playing the part of young adults shaving one another’s heads and spray painting stencils of the Butterfinger Buzz logo onto their freshly revealed scalps. The ads seem to shout: THESE COOL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE CRAZY AND YOU NEED TO HANG OUT WITH THEM RIGHT NOW!! A paintball gun is even used – that was crazy sick YO! No, just stupid. All this for a candy bar? And not a very good one? Come on.

At the very least, the campaign seems forced. Certain candy icons should never be messed with.

I first noticed the awkwardness of the Butterfinger Buzz package with its two separate, single-serving bars jostling around in a super-kingsize sleeve that made the bar appear broken. The candy within looked like the classic Butterfinger with its bland and thin mockolate coating (the peanut buttery center is the star here, always has been), and the first bite revealed the usual crumbly-crunchy peanut butter candy innards.

On closer inspection, I found the Buzz’s interior to be distinctly darker than the classic Butterfinger, more of a burnt orange in color that reminded me of a blood orange. With an even closer view it looked similar to a slice of prosciutto.

I had fun comparing the candy bar’s sedimentary center to other foods, but I tried to focus on the taste because that’s what it’s really all about – appearances are superficial.

The texture was more dense than the classic non-caffeinated version and was like chewing a semi-moist clump of red Georgia clay, or how I imagine that might feel. Halfway through the first bar I noticed a disturbing bitterness. Don’t get me wrong, I like bitter just as much as sweet – I’m a big black-coffee drinker – but this was unpleasant. I finished the first bar with some difficulty, and didn’t even bother with the second.

The Butterfinger Buzz claims to have as much caffeine as “the leading energy drink” (80mg for both bars), but since I barely finished one serving (one bar) I didn’t notice much of an increase in my energy level. However, a caffeine-sensitive colleague of mine scarfed an entire Buzz and actually felt quite a rush that afternoon. It was annoyingly entertaining.

I advise you to scamper out and buy a Butterfinger Buzz so you can judge for yourself. But hurry, these limited edition bars are only available through April 2009 or while supplies last.

As the ads say, “Get your BUZZ on!” (But not if you’re a child, sensitive to caffeine, or a pregnant human.)

• Butterfinger Buzz Website

For those of us who can’t function in the morning without at least two cups of coffee, (or, in my case, a giant Red Bull), the idea of a product that promises the awesomeness of candy plus the benefits of caffeine is hard to beat. And for hardcore caffeinated Candy Addicts, Jitterbeans (or Crackheads Squared) are a dream come true.

I first came across the original Crackheads at last year’s All Candy Expo. The name alone had caused quite a stir, as you can imagine, but as Brian noted in his review of the original Crackheads, it was the addition of white chocolate that really set Crackheads apart from other chocolate covered espresso beans. What I like about the original Crackheads is the sweetness of the chocolate; both the dark and white chocolate used provide a soft, sugary shell for the bitter, crunchy bean within, creating a nice balance of tastes and textures.

Crackheads Squared, or Jitterbeans, as they are alternately known, amp up the taste, texture, and caffeine levels of the original Crackheads. One box of Jitterbeans has 600mg of caffeine – that’s more than 11 colas, 7.5 Red Bulls, or 6 cups of coffee. In other words, you might not want to eat an entire box at once, lest you end up like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell.

The difference between Crackheads and Jitterbeans is noticeable as soon as you open the box: whereas the original Crackheads had a softer appearance, with the white chocolate pieces taking on a slightly vanilla color, Jitterbeans are shiny and bright, and have more of a crunch to them than their predecessor. The coffee taste is more pronounced in Jitterbeans; here, the espresso is definitely the star, and the chocolate to coffee bean ration is tipped in its favor, which is a plus or minus, depending on which flavor you really prefer.

Personally, I enjoy the original Crackheads a bit more, but only because I’m the type of person who loads her coffee with sugar and milk to drown out the strong coffee taste, and the originals tend to allow more of the sweet, chocolaty flavor to come through. However, I will say this: both Crackheads and Jitterbeans get the job done, kids. I followed the recommended serving of 7 pieces and felt as if I’d had my morning Red Bull (without which, I usually get grumpy, sluggish, and pretty bad headaches). I was alert, awake, and ready to go. And to be quite honest with you, I’ll take any excuse I can get to be able to say, “I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve had my morning candy.” Because what Candy Addict doesn’t want to start the day like that?

BONUS: We’re giving away a Crackheads gift pack too! One lucky winner will win a Crackheads T-shirt, 3 boxes of original Crackheads, and one box of new Crackheads Squared. All you have to do is answer one simple question. “What city did Crackheads originate in?” (hint – look on the Crackheads Candy website). Email your answer to jitterbeans@candyaddict.com. One lucky winner will be randomly chosen from all correct entries. FINE PRINT: Entries must be received by midnight EST, Friday, Feb 20. Contest open to US residents 18 years or older only. One entry per email address. Not responsible for misdirected/unanswered emails. If winner doesn’t respond to the winning email in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.

• Jitterbeans Candy Website

Buy Jitterbeans/Crackheads Online:

• at Think Geek
• at Amazon.com

With so many different energy products out there, it kind of gets overwhelming sometimes. There are energy drinks, energy shots and energy pills to choose from, so many products that sometimes it’s hard to decide what to use. I’ve never been a fan of energy pills; in my experiences the energy pills give me so much energy that I have to keep moving around or else I feel like throwing up. Instead I prefer energy drinks, but sometimes I don’t want to drink all those calories.

I had a chance to try Kickbrix energy chews. I was excited to try these because sometimes energy drinks are too much for me; I never finish a whole can and feel like I’m wasting my money. These chews seemed perfect; they are small, chewable and only 25 calories. Plus, their website looks pretty awesome.

However, good looks and marketing may be all these chews have going for them. They come in two flavors; Berry Blast and Citrus Blast. I decided to try Berry Blast, only because anything berry can’t be that bad, right?

When I first opened the package, the first thing I thought of was Starburst. These chews look just like them and even had the same texture as a Starburst. They were soft and chewy, but as I continued chewing, I immediately thought that Kickbrix tastes like something the dentist would give me just before getting a dental impression. It had a minty taste, and left a fresh gum-like taste in my mouth. The berry flavor was somewhere in there, but not very prominent. It also had a sour taste to it.

While chewing, I noticed that it didn’t break apart in my mouth like some candies do. It reminded me of those wax bottles that I used to eat when I was young. I couldn’t chew it for very long because the flavors in this chew did not mix well together. I ended up spitting it out. But surprisingly,  I didn’t have to wash my mouth out because as soon as it was out of my mouth, it felt like I had just brushed my teeth. I guess that minty taste worked in its favor.

As for energy, I’m not sure if I didn’t chew it long enough or what, but I didn’t feel any sort of energy boost from it. My guess is that I would probably need to actually chew it for awhile and ingest it before experiencing any type of energy from this product, but I didn’t even last that long.

Has anyone else tried Kickbrix? If so, what did you think? How would you compare them to any energy products that are on the market today?

• Kickbrix Website

One of the treats I got from the All Candy Expo was this pack of VE2 energy gum. It’s candy with a conscience – the packaging is very minimalist and it says, “To save trees & make less trash this package avoids using a paper sleeve wrap.” I love the idea that a medium which traditionally relies on packaging for impact can be promoted in a environmentally friendly way.

Developed over a period of 2 years by an ER doc, one packet of VE2 is equal to five cups of coffee. The press about VE2 claims that you can absorb caffeine through your oral membranes faster than via digestion – so in theory VE2 gives you a quicker energy hit than your usual energy drinks. I’m one of those people who can drink a can of coke or a espresso before bed and still fall asleep with no problem, so I viewed this gum review as a bit of an experiment.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. As soon as you pop a tablet out of the blister pack the peppermint smell is almost overwhelming, and slightly medicinal. Once you start to chew it, the peppermint taste becomes ridiculously strong… as in, chow down a couple dozen Altoids at once strong. Honestly, it was all too much for me. Considering that it takes two tablets to get the hit of one energy drink, and I couldn’t really fathom chewing more than one piece for fear of burning my mouth, I couldn’t really complete the experiment.

For journalistic purposes I enlisted some friends to try this gum out. The package says to chew for at least five minutes to get the full effect, but given that I could barely chew it for five seconds, I needed some other opinions . Even those who like peppermint found it to be really strong – almost off-putting, really. Those who managed to chew it for longer than a minute all reported a definite buzz – so at least the caffeine in there (listed as the first ingredient) is working.

There are a whole lot of reasons why chewing one of these would be way better than sucking down an energy drink, so I was disappointed not to be able to really give it a full try. Given that I couldn’t get past the flavor, it would be nice if there was some other option other than peppermint available. Until then, I think I’ll leave this stuff to the doctors.. .who might have some emergencies of their own if they’re chewing this stuff.

• VE2 Energy Gum Website

The whole energy food and drink phenomenon is a total anomaly to me. On the one hand we’ve got jillions of kids out there being diagnosed with ADHD, and we do everything we can to calm them down. Then once all these hyperactive kids grow up, we dose them up with No-Doze, cans of Red Bull, and candy like the Maxxed Energy Pop. Is it only me who sees the problem with this? I seem to recall getting high enough on the amount of sugar in candy like Blow Pops, without the lovely people from Charms feeling like they needed to add more stuff.

These enormous lollipops are packed with loads of somewhat questionable stuff – taurine, ginseng, guarana, b-vitamins, caffeine. Sadly, they forgot one essential thing on that list – flavor! These lollipops taste hideous! I actually kept it in my mouth for quite a while, hoping that somehow the taste would improve. It didn’t, and I have no problem with saying that this lollipop is so nasty, it verges on the inedible. The texture is incredibly like sandpaper and the size is so huge as to appear almost obscene.

The marketing campaign for this is pretty funny – they say that the lollipop “almost glow[sic] neon yellow.” I know I’m always looking for food with a radioactive tint. Not. They also claim that the Maxxed Energy Pop has “…a unique flavor blend, with cream soda notes and hints of lemon lime, making it better tasting than the average energy drink.” I don’t know about you, but my average energy drink doesn’t make me want to hurl. This lollipop does.

In the interest of fair play, I actually let my family taste this lollipop. The kids loved it – “Mmm! Lime!” and the husband thought it scored an “ehhh.” Me? I let it sit for a while and then tasted it again just to be sure… it’s still Maxx-imum disgusting.

• Maxxed Energy Pop Website

Buy Maxxed Energy Pops Online:

• at Amazon.com