Finding fresh-made candy hasn’t been a problem, really. You can step into just about any mall or local old-time candy store and get some candy that was just made that day (or heck, make your own). Getting fresh-made candy in your local big-box store or convenience store isn’t so easy. Yeah, it doesn’t expire til 2010, but who knows when that candy was actually made. Would it taste better if you were eating it closer to the day it was actually made? I never really thought about it til recently.
Japan’s 7-11 stores have jumped onto the limited edition KitKat bandwagon. It’s not surprising that they want in on this very profitable market. 7-11 has released three new flavors that you can only find in their convenience stores, which thankfully isn’t a hard thing considering how common they are. The three KitKat flavors are Banana Choco, Blood Orange, and Yubari Melon. Here’s how they rate:
If you’ve ever wanted to get paid to write about candy (and get free candy shipped to you to review), now is your chance! Candy Addict is looking for some more writers to add to our staff! We can’t keep up with all the goings-on in the candy world. We need help!
What am I looking for in the ideal Candy Addict writer?
What will you get out of writing for Candy Addict?
If interested, send me an email at REMOVED with the subject of WRITER: YOURNAME (obviously, replace YOURNAME with your name) before midnight EST on May 29 (I may close the door before then if I get a lot of emails, so email sooner rather than later). If you don’t use that subject in the email, it will get filtered to the trash, so make sure you get it right.
In the email, include some samples of your writings about candy or your writings on any topic (or URLs to your writing) and tell me why you want to be a writer for Candy Addict. Impress me in the email – it’s your only chance to make a first impression. If I like what I read, we’ll proceed to the next interview phase and I will give you more details on the job and answer questions you might have.
If you want to be a writer that gets free candy samples to review, you must live in the U.S. If you are outside the U.S., you can still write for us and get paid (in U.S. dollars), but you would get no free candy from the U.S. (but I might be able to arrange free candy from candy companies in your country).
Now’s your chance – send that email!
UPDATE: I’m going to stop accepting applications at midnight EST, Tuesday May 29, 2007.
Recently, the folks at Route 29 Napa sent over a box of their sweetest treats for review. When I saw the ice-cold gel pack nestled right on top of the candy box, I knew I was dealing with something special. You don’t get that level of detail and care from many companies, and I hoped their candies would follow suit. Route 29 packaged one tin each of their Peanut Butter Sticks, Chewy Peps, and Cocoa Chips and resealable bag of assorted caramels.
Being a fan of the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, I went for the Peanut Butter Sticks first. These sticks are a little smaller than the average Twix bar, and they don’t have the same ripple effect on the chocolate surface. From the description on the tin (“rich, buttery, peanut butter crisps covered in creamy milk chocolate”), I assumed these to be like a Butterfinger. Boy, was I wrong. That’s like saying a Ferrari’s the same as a VW Bus because they’re both cars.
Jelly Belly recently sent us a free bag of their new Licorice Bears to review, and I had the pleasure of sampling the delicacy.
At first blush, I thought these bears would be like the Katjes Kinder I previously reviewed and didn’t enjoy. They looked very hard, but I figured I should give it a try, at least. Luckily, looks can be deceiving. They were firm, certainly, but very easily eaten, with a texture that softened quickly and made them easy on the teeth and jaw.
The flavor was nothing extraordinary; while very good, they are clearly of an American recipe and a similar flavor can be found in many current candies. They are very sweet and lack the earthiness of a molasses-sweetened licorice, yet they should still strongly appeal to those of us who grew up on traditional American licorice flavors, which are normally sweetened by corn syrup or sugar.
All in all, these little bears won’t exactly usher in a new age in licorice, but they are certainly tasty. At $5 a bag, however, you may want to stick with your old standby, at least until these come up on sale.
Buy Jelly Belly Licorice Bears online: