I bought this Margarita Manatee chocolate for all the wrong reasons: because I like manatees, and I like margaritas, and I like good white chocolate.
The manatees are irrelevant, because of course, this product is not manatee flavored. Setting aside the question of whether this would be a tasty idea (NO), manatees, being endangered, and adorable, should never be used to make candy.
The margarita, on the other hand, is extremely relevant, but possibly a reason to NOT buy this. See, what I did not stop to ask myself was the obvious: is it actually a good idea to combine that flavor with chocolate?
It is a good thing, at least, that it’s white chocolate. It’s a mild flavor, and so it’s not so much at war with the margarita factor as milk or dark chocolate might be. And it would be a bit of a battle, because the little bits of margarita flavored candy crystals here – they are intense. Think of the tartest, sourest, fruit flavor candy you know, concentrate it into little sugar crystals, strew them around a thin slab of white chocolate, do not add manatee, and there: you’ve got this candy.
There is something very wrong about this combination. The intensity of the crystals means that the white chocolate is nearly as irrelevant as the manatees are. It’s actually of very good quality, and it’s a shame to drown it out with this weird other flavor. And the margarita crystals themselves are, on the one hand, kind of cool, and on the other hand, have an aftertaste that is just a little tiny bit reminiscent of lemon-scented furniture polish.
And yet… I can’t explain it. There is something addictive about it – the explosion of tart lime in the mouth, the rich flavor of the white chocolate when you get a bite without a crystal on it… I can’t stop eating it.
So, I feel wrong about this, but I have to recommend the stuff. And I have to go try the other flavors. If they can make this one good, just imagine how good a normal combination might be, like dark chocolate, cranberries and almonds and hey – that one is called Zanzibar Racing Snails!
Buy Graffiti Zoo Products Online:
Seems like the kind of candy where some of the proceeds go to saving endangered animals. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like it :(
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 pmActually, they do donate a portion of the proceeds to the AZA Conservation Fund. You have to dig around on the website to find it, they don’t make that big a deal, but it’s also printed on the back of the package.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:06 pmTis review is a hoot! Makes me want to try something odd, yet addictive at the same time. :o)
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:29 pmgreat first article! (ok, not really your first, since i’ve read your stuff on snackerrific many times, but you know what i mean). i commend you on your bravery, as i don’t think i would go for lime and white chocolate, but i don’t know… as a fan of manatees, if i saw one, i think i would have to buy a bag. damn clever marketers using adorable animals to make me buy candy! anywho, welcome to the gang!
January 4th, 2009 at 11:41 pm“Do not add manatee…” Ha. Made me smile :)
January 5th, 2009 at 7:28 pmHmm… as a fan of super-sour citrus candy and a fan of chocolate, I’m intrigued.
Welcome to the site, by the way!
January 6th, 2009 at 7:59 pm