Monthly Archives: January 2008

Retro Candy Review: GooGoo Clusters

Posted on by
15

GooGoo Cluster Chocolate Candy Package

It’s hard to believe that the world’s first combination candy bar is still an unknown name for most. I am referring to the GooGoo Cluster, which was made by the Standard Candy Company back in 1912. Like most classic and retro candy, they can be difficult to find unless you live in the region that is producing them. So in this case, anyone who isn’t living in the South is very possibly missing out on a very tasty piece of history.

What made the GooGoo Cluster so new in 1912 was, unlike Hershey’s and all the other large candy companies at the time, the GooGoo Cluster wanted to be more than just a solid bar of chocolate. Instead, the creators of the GooGoo made a mound of marshmallow, caramel and roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate. Now that’s a candy with ambition! How the GooGoo got it’s name is shrouded in myth, since no one exactly remembers who was first to suggest it.

As the years have passed, the recipe for the GooGoo has remained unchanged due to Standard Candy Company’s strong ties to tradition. Even so, new varieties of the GooGoo have been added; the GooGoo Supreme with pecans instead of peanuts and the GooGoo Peanut Butter which replaced the marshmallow and caramel.

Ready to find out how they taste?

Continue reading →

An Inconvenient Truth: Conversation Hearts Go Enviro!

Posted on by
3

Necco Sweethearts
You know going green and environmentally conscious has hit the big time when it starts to affect our classic candy traditions. Necco’s Sweethearts conversation hearts have different themed slogans for each year, usually based on what is happening in American culture. Last year they appealed to our love of animals, this year it’s all about the weather with sayings including “Cloud Nine” “Heat Wave” “Get My Drift” and “Melt my Heart.”

People seem to have a love/hate relationship with Sweethearts. Everyone buys them for the novelty value, the tradition, and the entertainment they provide… but you may be hard pressed to find someone who actually enjoys eating them (except for our own Caitlin, of course, who actually likes conversation hearts). While not one of my absolute favorites, this year’s weather and environment based sayings make me love them just a bit more. Who hasn’t been “In A Fog” about a loved one, or wanted to say “Chill Out” to a former boyfriend?

In addition to the weather phrases Necco has added some environmentally friendly ones, including my personal favorite, “Do Good.” Obviously “commit random acts of kindness” was just too long to fit on a conversation heart. I suppose it’s true that love, much like the weather, is a bit unpredictable – hence why these new hearts are the perfect sweet present for your very own El Nino/Nina.

Valentine, Necco, heart

Candy Addict Discovers Water on Mars!

Posted on by
1

water on Mars

On Saturday, my wife and I took our six year old daughter to Astronomy Days at the local museum. Since I’m a geek and love all things Sci-Fi, I have a special place in my heart for astronomy and hope to pass that on to my daughter. Astronaut Roger K. Crouch, Ph.D. was the special guest speaker. He was a phenomenal speaker – very informative, entertaining, and quite funny. Did you know he applied once a year for 33 years to become an astronaut? Talk about perseverance!

I had no plans on finding anything candy-related at Astronomy Days to write but but lo and behold, in the middle of Dr. Crouch’s speech, he showed the picture you see above in his presentation. Turns out that picture was the Astonomy Picture of the Day on one April 1st.

Just goes to show – candy is everywhere.

Mars, chocolate

Candy Review: Morinaga Matcha Caramel

Posted on by
2

Morinaga matcha caramel

Okay, so I am hopelessly addicted to anything that is matcha flavored. Matcha is Japanese powdered green tea. It’s not like the green tea they serve you in Japanese restaurants, mind you, but more like restaurant green tea on steroids. Matcha is used in the Japanese tea ceremony and is also what you find in green tea ice cream. Lately there has been a proliferation of green tea-flavored items in the United States (matcha frappuccino, anyone?), but in Japan? Matcha is king, and holy cow, practically every edible item there comes in a matcha flavor! Woohoo!

You can imagine my glee when I opened up this box of Morinaga Matcha Caramels from Jbox. I have long been a fan of Morinaga caramels, but it was like I won the lottery when they started making them in matcha flavor. I love the look of the box – it looks very authentic and kind of retro.

Now, I have tried many a matcha-flavored candy, and not all of them are delicious. Many of them do not taste like true matcha. These Morinaga Matcha Caramels, however, do not disappoint. These little nuggets of yumminess have a strong but smooth matcha flavor, and though they are a bit on the firm side in terms of texture, a couple of good chews will soften them up enough that you won’t dislodge any dental fillings. Real matcha is loaded with caffeine, but I don’t really know how the caffeine affects candies. Perhaps I should eat an entire box and see what happens? Maybe next time…

Buy Morinaga Caramels online:

Morinaga, matcha, green tea, caramel

Candy Review: Snickers Adventure Bar

Posted on by
18

Snicker's Adventure Candy Bar

The new Snickers Adventure Bar is a limited edition tie-in with the new Indian Jones movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Obviously, they aren’t available yet, but here at Candy Addict you’re getting a sneak peek! The packaging design is nice, with an image of Indy from the original trilogy posters on it.

The tag line on the side says “New Flavor Kick!” but doesn’t exactly say what. The back of the bar hints at the flavor combination with a description of a “cliffhanger kick of exotic spice and a hint of sweet coconut.” Sounds interesting! Also on the back the wrapper has “Arti-FACTs” on them which are Indiana Jones’ and Snickers’ information. The one I got was fact 8/8 and listed a scene location for Temple of Doom in Shanghai and claiming Snickers as the #1 selling bar in China.

Continue reading →