The people at Taffy Town have been making these candies for 89 years, so it stands to reason they would have gotten it right by now. A bag of assorted flavors of Taffy Town Taffy arrived at my doorstep, so I had a nice selection of them to try. I was struck by the sheer array of flavors they offer - everything from the traditional peppermint to the more en vogue flavors like chocolate chip cookie and raspberry lemonade.

These taffy has a beautiful homemade look about it, with each piece individually wrapped in a small square of waxed paper. The colors are bright and the variations in terms of stripes, swirls and dots make these as nice to look at as they are to eat. A perusal of the website showed loads more taffy innovation - flavors like pomegranate and strawberry cheesecake, sugar free versions, versions with images in them (flowers, etc). Who knew that taffy was such a serious business?

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One of the new candies unveiled at this year’s All Candy Expo was this new twist on a classic candy: the Abba-Zaba Chocolate Cream center. When Brian told me about his find on the showroom floor I couldn’t help but respond by asking a gazillion questions about it. For me, a new addition to the Abba-Zaba family was big, big news.

The original Abba-Zaba is a sweet taffy with a stripe of peanut butter running down the center. There’s also a Sour Apple variety with the taffy carrying the flavor and the peanut butter center remaining intact. What I found most exciting about this new Abba-Zaba was the replacement of the peanut butter with “chocolate cream” (ok, so it’s really mockolate), which sort of takes away the consistent component of the candy. I was curious to see if this hurt the formula of the bar at all.

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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:

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In my day, I was an avid trick-or-treater. Straight through high school, pillowcases served as bags; loot was measured in pounds; and Snickers, Milky Ways, and Starbursts were blissfully consumed for months. Until that inevitable dark day, that is, when I would go to my closet after school, reach deep into my dwindling stash, and come up with a handful of Tootsie Rolls, Dum-Dums, and that curse of a confection, the bane of my Halloween-loving existence, Bit-O-Honeys. Bit-O-Honeys were the one candy that I disliked so much I would not eat them even in these desperate times and they were utterly un-tradeable. Who, my young mind wondered, likes these things? And what on earth are they?

Well Jerry Seinfeld, it turns out, is a big fan. They’re his fave. And if that’s not reason for further investigation now that I’m older and wiser and further removed from the anger, then I certainly don’t know what is. And so, finally, I sought some answers.

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Today we have another guest review written by Tanna Reynolds who recently reviewed Mo’s Bacon Bar. (Remember, anyone can write a guest review for Candy Addict, just email us)

Abba-Zaba and I go way back… all the way back to my childhood when I would lord over my trick-or-treat hauls full of Abba-Zaba at Halloween. Recently, I decided it was time for us to be reacquainted. For me and my candy-greedy brother, Abba-Zaba’s chewy peanut taste and taxi cab yellow and black packaging was sweet perfection. Each year, when the final bell rang at the neighborhood-wide open market candy exchange in the days following Halloween, I was dozens of Abba-Zaba’s richer. My wealth could be measured in both sweet sticks and time because my brother was always willing to perform my chores in exchange for an Abba-Zaba. As long as they lasted, my brother was mine.

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One of my most exciting moments at the All Candy Expo was catching sight of the Annabelle Candy booth and seeing Skinny Hunk sitting on the counter. Eureka! I knew if I didn’t find it at the Expo, I was basically doomed to never see it since I live on the east coast where it’s rare to catch any of Annabelle’s regional candies. After having a lovely conversation with the ladies at the booth, I walked away with a few samples and grinning from ear to ear.

To start, don’t let Skinny Hunk fool you. Despite the intention of a healthier portion-controlled snack option (a good example of the trends I saw at the Expo), it’s a large bar for only 100 calories. Upon unwrapping Skinny Hunk, the nougat color is white; very delicate and demure looking. There is no scent, unlike Big Hunk where you get the nutty smell from the peanuts.

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There’s a new girl in town, Candy Addicts! The geniuses over at Annabelle Candy Company have decided to jump on the 100 calorie snack craze and remake their classic favorite, Big Hunk. The result? The Skinny Hunk!

Similar to her big brother (or her boyfriend?) Skinny Hunk offers the same tasty nougat and low fat content but in a smaller, portion controlled package. Dreams of getting your sensible afternoon pick-me-up from a candy bar have now come true! The only difference between the two, besides the size, is that Skinny Hunk doesn’t have any peanuts. Not too much surprise there; we gals always thought guys were nutty to begin with!

So keep your eyes peeled for the newest member of the Annabelle candy family. If you encounter her, be sure to let us know how she is!

• Annabelle Candy Co. Website

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Big Hunk used to be one of those candy bars that I’d see on the shelf and always pass by. That was obviously before I knew any better! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this candy gem, Big Hunk is a long bar made of honey sweetened nougat that is generously studded with whole roasted peanuts. My mouth is already watering.

I remember the first time I tried a Big Hunk. I had seen it on the shelf at my local Ricky’s Candy Store. I recognized it right away, since it was mentioned several times in Steve Almond’s book Candyfreak. I didn’t buy it since the label says it contains peanuts and I tend to dislike nuts in my candy.

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Famous candy tycoon Willy Wonka has discovered, to his absolute horror, that one of the jokes featured on a Laffy Taffy wrapper was not actually funny. To correct this humor crisis, he has put out a call for a “new deputy executive director of Wonka Laffy Taffy wrapper humor management.” Prospective applicants must send in two original jokes, three puns, and “a description of a humorous situation guaranteed to make both a fourth grader and a 70-year-old fall down laughing.”

All relevant info is contained on the Wonka candy press release, as well as a page on Wonka.com. But they stuck a disclaimer at the bottom: “The Joke is On You! We will not actually be hiring for this position, but we still want you to submit your jokes and other comments.”

Darn, I was hoping this was real, and people would get a chance to work alongside Mr. Wonka himself and his loyal team of Oompa-Loompas.

• Wonka Responds to Humor Crisis with Management Changes
• Laffy Taffy at Wonka.com

Buy Laffy Taffy online:

• at Old Time Candy
• at Candy Direct

More candy articles about: candy, sweets, taffy, Wonka, laffy taffy, taffy, Willy Wonka

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