Candy Review: Bob’s Blueberry Candy Canes

Monday, December 8, 2008 - by Robby

Despite being raised in a Jewish family, the one holiday I anticipated most anxiously the whole year was Christmas. It might seem strange, but it’s the truth. No, it wasn’t that I liked the It’s a Wonderful Life marathons or the endless playing of carols on the radio. The truth is, I adored Christmas candy.

And no other candy represents Christmas to me as much as the candy cane. It’s the one time of the year when I specifically go for something peppermint flavored, even though they’re basically the same as those after-dinner mints, just in a different form.

As I have grown, so too have candy canes. They have branched from their traditional form into new flavors, colors, and fillings. Though I typically purchase the classic variety, this year I felt compelled to mix things up a little.

Staring me down at my local Walgreens was an entire display of candy canes – so many to choose from that it was intimidating. I went back and forth between what to buy, but ultimately, I decided it would be best to try something simple, just like the original. With that framework in mind, I grabbed a box of Bob’s Blueberry Candy Canes and headed to the checkout line.

For people who love the color blue, these are great to look at. Their base is a bright sky-blue with a dark blue stripe curving its way down the confection. Unwrapping it, I smell a faint, but delicious aroma of something blueberry-like, kinda like that smell when you open a bag of blueberry Eggo Waffles.

The taste is what I imagine artificial blueberry would taste like. I can’t say for certain, only because I haven’t ever really experienced blueberry in candy outside of the chocolate world that often. Still, I enjoyed the flavor, just as people enjoy the taste of artificial grape soda.

The more I suck on the candy cane, the more the flavor transforms. It reminds me of the blueberry syrup at IHOP, with notes of huckleberry. It is sweet, an obvious change from the breath-freshening classic variety, but not overly so, something I don’t imagine the other bolder varieties at the store could accomplish.

I was reminded of how much I like blueberry eating this candy. To me, this candy happened to be a blueberry hard candy shaped like a candy cane. Is there a problem with that? Absolutely not! It doesn’t, however, satisfy my craving for real candy canes, because I don’t think anything can really replace the classic taste, no matter how good the alternatives may be. But these are still great if you are ever in a blueberry mood.

• Bob’s Website

Buy Bob’s Products Online:

• at Candy Crate
• at Old Time Candy
• at Amazon.com