I think if you were to look at the latest generational candy trends, you’d see that the combining of flavors is in. Think of the recent additions to product lines like Skittles Crazy Cores and others.

As such, there was certainly no shortage of candy mixing at the All Candy Expo. Gum, mints, gummies… it’s all the rage. One completely sneaked by under my radar. The new Tropical Chewy Lemonhead & Friends by Ferrara Pan.

When I glanced at the box, I assumed that there were just going to be tropical counterparts to the Chewy Lemonhead and Friends variety I adore. It wasn’t until I popped one in my mouth and then examined the packaging closer that discovered these are in fact another candy with two flavors per piece.

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I was promenading the candy aisle at Ralph’s. You know, the one with those bulk candy tubs proclaiming No Sampling!, but it’s un-American not to try some. Having “sampled” this or that from about every tub, the one candy I hadn’t tried was Boston Baked Beans.

All I remember about them as a kid was that I didn’t like them, but I hadn’t tried them in maybe a decade. I hesitantly reached in to satisfy my curiosity and was surprised by what I tasted. These beans were… pleasant. I quickly grabbed a small box of the beans packed in the convenient snack-size most Ferrara-Pan candy is sold in for 25 cents.

Boston Baked Beans were released in the 1930s, and the name derives from a generic term for any sugarcoated peanut candy. Its recipe is simple. Essentially, this candy is comprised of sucrose, peanuts, and corn syrup, with various waxes and food colors thrown in for fun, which yields a rather simple flavor indicative of most candies from that era. You can even check out the virtual tour of how they are made.

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Given that they were “born” in 1962, Lemonheads have aged pretty well. However, the iconic candy from Ferrara Pan has had a bit of a make-over. Along with his friends Orangehead, Applehead, Grapehead and Cherryhead, they’ve all gone chewy! I had high hopes for this candy re-invention, as I’ve always loved Lemonheads and I figured this could only be an improvement. It brings me great joy to report that the chewy version is just as nice as the classic version.

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I have a special place in my heart tastebuds for Atomic Fireballs. When I was a kid I would buy them by the box (160 in a box for $3.20). So, when I saw the new Chewy Atomic Fireballs at the All Candy Expo, I nearly did a backflip. Could chewy Fireballs be as good (or dare I say, better) than the Atomic Fireballs I have grown to know and love?

The Chewy Atomic Fireballs come in small 1 oz. boxes like Lemonheads do (and they now make Chewy Lemonheads too – review on the way) and retail for $0.25. The box is red and colorful and even has a small warning label that says “Caution: Extreme Heat!” The Chewy Fireballs themselves are about the size of a Lemonhead. They’re also exactly like jellybeans in that they have a sugary/grainy outer coating around a jelly-like ball.

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Atomic Fireballs … who can forget them? Red, round, and wrapped individually in cellophane or a bunch of mini ones in a little yellow box, and HOT! HOT! HOT! These were medieval torture devices when I was little.

When I was 6 years old, my 10 year-old brother offered me one of these deceptive red balls from his Halloween stash. I, innocently, let him place it on my tongue and started to suck on it. Sweet was the first sensation… followed by cinnamon and then the immediate BURN. I spat the devil ball across the room and gasped for air. My brother laughed and called me a wimp. That was one of many brotherly scars on my delicate young psyche.

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