Tag Archives: Necco

Candy Review: Necco Smoothies

Posted on by
6

Necco Smoothies

Yes, it’s a classic American institution. But you have to admit: the New England Confectionery Company, better known to you and I as the folks behind Necco wafers, produces some of the driest, dustiest candy on the planet. Necco Wafers are the candy left at the bottom of your Halloween trick-or-treat bag after all the good stuff is gone. On Valentine’s Day, there’s one guaranteed way to make sure your sweetheart gets the wrong message: Give her a box of chalky, stale Conversation Hearts. LUV U? I don’t think so!

So, with low expectations I cracked open a package of Necco’s Smoothies. They’ve been around for a few years, but I can’t say that I’ve noticed them before now. Similar in size and shape to regular Necco Wafers, the Smoothies are supposed to remind one of smoothie drinks, those ever-popular concoctions of health clubs and veggie bars. I find this claim on the Necco company’s part to be the overstatement of the century. Let’s just say, if Smoothies are reminiscent of anything, it’s heartburn medication, in sorta fruity flavors.

Continue reading →

Retro Candy Flashback: Banana Split

Posted on by
1

Necco Banana Split Tub

My previous exploration of Necco’s old-fashioned candy mix yielded a strike of gold with the Clark Bar. However, within that package were two other candies: Necco Wafers – more like coal than gold – and Banana Split.

I have heard of Banana Split and its counterpart Mint Julep, but never had the opportunity or desire to sample one. Like the Clark Bar, this candy is regional in its abundance, probably being highly concentrated around the Atlantic seaboard where Necco is headquartered.

Had these not been included in the bag of Clark Bars, I probably would not have bought them separately. But since they came along for my Clark Bar adventure, I thought I would give them a try.

Continue reading →

Retro Candy Flashback: Clark Bar

Posted on by
13

Clark Bar The Clark Bar has been the Big Foot of my candy life. For years and years I have scoured gas station after convenience store in hopes of spotting this elusive bar. My obsession with it began several years ago when I read glowing reviews of it and its brother Zagnut, a product that was easier to track down.

But my search had always ended in frustration… until now. This past week at Walgreens, in a bag of Old-Fashioned candy packaged by Necco, amidst Banana Splits and Necco Wafers, these Lost Cities of Atlantis appeared as if they were weren’t one of the most difficult candies I’ve ever tried to find.

I had always intended to try the full-sized bar, but this package only sold the miniature version, a small concession for being able to finally sample this product.

Continue reading →

Candy Review: Necco Old Fashioned Cream Drops

Posted on by
21

Necco Old Fashioned Cream Drops Bag

There is no candy company out there that is both as famous and infamous as the New England Confectionery Company, aka Necco. That is because they produce many products people adore (Clark Bar and Sky Bar) and many products people despise (Conversation Hearts and Mary Jane).

I have never really had anything against the company. I do enjoy several of their products, and have no major qualms with some of their more disliked candy. I don’t think Necco is as good in quality as other brands out there, but I know what I am getting and am satisfied when I pay ten-cents for a day-after Valentine’s Day candy sale box of conversation hearts.

Except during the holidays, I rarely see Necco products in stores, excluding Necco Wafers. That is why when I saw this orange bag dangling at a Walgreens, I was immediately drawn to it. The bag read, Necco Old Fashioned Cream Drops.

Continue reading →

Retro Candy Flashback: Seven Up Candy Bar

Posted on by
83

Seven Up Box

(Image courtesy of The Imaginary World)

Here is a guest review by Julie…

When I was about 8, our family moved to a remote part of Connecticut that was easily five miles from any main commercial shopping areas. The only place we could get candy was the neighborhood gas station, complete with a grungy, grumpy old mechanic guy who, though a bit scary, stocked some awesome candy in his little 2-bay garage; I have since wondered if he was a Candy Addict himself. Of all the candies that he had on display (and though I bought others, too), it was the Seven Up bar that got a sizable chunk of my allowance money every time.

Discontinued sometime in the 70’s, the Seven Up bar began its seven-sectioned life in the 1930s, before the 7-Up Bottling Company began making its soft drink. Eventually the 7-Up company bought the bar and retired it, so they had the exclusive use of the name whichever way it was spelled: Seven Up or 7-Up. None of that mattered a whit to me, as I was only interested in one thing: those seven sections of chocolate-covered different candy centers, meaning I was getting seven big pieces of candy in one regular-sized bar. Quite a bargain to me back then for my hard-saved pennies and nickels (shoot, I’d pay just about anything for one today)!

Continue reading →