My favorite candy company that I can never remember is Perfetti Van Melle. Born out of the fusion of Perfetti (Italy) and Van Melle (Netherlands), this company boasts one of the largest confectionery operations in the world.
But, if you don’t recognize the name, you might be wondering what they make. Well, aside from their long list of gums and mints that enjoy mostly a European audience, Americans can buy their famous Mentos and Chupa Chups quite easily in their hometowns.
Oh yeah, they also make Airheads. For those who aren’t familiar with Airheads, they’re an elongated strip (as opposed to a circular blob) of taffy/chew known for their sweet flavors. I’ve actually been a fan of this candy for some years, finding it to be a perfect snack when you don’t want something as filling as a candy bar.
So I was eager to try these new Airhead Pops when I spotted them at Walgreens. Airheads have always been good on delivering flavor, so I reasoned that since the most important aspect of a lollipop is its flavor, these might stack up pretty well.
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Here’s another candy brought back from Europe by a coworker – this time it’s Golia Bianca, also made by the Perfetti Van Melle company. The Golia Bianca page says it’s “a deliciously fresh, Golia flavoured mint candy. Golia Bianca gives you a brisk sensation of well-being, and a cool, fragrant breath.”
The candy looks exactly like Mentos, which shouldn’t be all that much of a surprise as Perfetti also makes them. These, however, are far from the freshmaker Americans know and love.
The slogan for these candy is “Filled with freshness, a friend of nature” and feature a cute polar bear on the packaging. Well, they didn’t exactly fill me with freshness. It was more along the lines of “this is horrible” and “it’s burning my nostrils”. Why exactly? The flavor is the strongest mint and black licorice taste I’ve ever eaten. It reminds me more of medicine than anything I’d associate with candy. I can eat Altoids with no problem, but this was a bit much.
On the plus side, it cleared my nasal passages right up.
candy, sweets, mint, licorice, Italy, italian, liquorice, mints, altoids, minty, mentos
