Candy Review: Brach’s Mini Review Roundup, Part I

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - by Robby

Brach’s is probably most well known for their caramels and candy corn, but they make a vast array of other products. Like Russell Stover and Palmer, Brach’s is a candy company that exists outside of the big three, but with a pretty ubiquitous presence in the market.

Because most Brach’s candy is sold as bulk mix-and-match penny candy or in discount packs, I never really bought them as a kid, thinking they were inherently inferior (I always bought the candy with the prettiest and/or shiniest wrappers). But after falling in love with their caramel apple candy corn, I viewed this facet of the candy industry with a refreshed perception and was ready to sample a variety of their products.

Their website lists 109 different types of candy they manufacture, so it was difficult choosing what to review. Because I was limited in my selections, I chose to forgo eating some of their better known products, such as their bridge mix, so that I could review a variety of products that differentiated themselves from the staple chocolate-covered raisin. All these were purchased at my local H.E.B.

Brach’s Sundae Neapolitan Coconut:
Each bite-sized piece has Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry flavors made with real coconut

I was a little confused by the name of these. Isn’t Neapolitan just chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry? What’s the deal with coconut? Upon biting into these 1×1 inch squares, I realized that this is Neapolitan-flavored coconut candy. The chocolate third (which is really more like half of the entire piece), is pretty minimal, riddled with coconut overtones in a soft and not sticky bite. Vanilla is mainly coconut-flavored with a mild aftertaste of vanilla. I don’t taste any strawberry in this last bite, but it has some subtle, unknown fruity flavor to it I can’t quite pinpoint. They were all right to eat, but I would never buy them.

Brach’s Jelly Nougats
Creamy soft nougat with chewy jellies added to give them a fruity flavor.

These things are roughly the same size as the Neapolitans. Upon unwrapping the plastic, I was inundated with the smell of gummy fruit candies, reminiscent of wine gums. The nougat is soft and chewy, with a sweet milky taste to it, indicative of a good nougat if honey is detectable. The rainbow fruit pieces are the most potent taste in the piece and got stuck in my teeth. They reminded me of Home Brand Jelly Babes from New Zealand covered in nougat. They’re not mind-blowing, but I would keep these in my car for road trips – if I had a car.

Maple Nut Goodies:
Each piece is a unique combination of fresh oven-roasted Georgia peanuts and a buttery toffee center covered in a Real Maple Syrup coating.

Lately, maple has been a flavor that has increasingly been something I crave. From the description, these things sounded amazing and I decided I would save them for last in the review. The pieces are large, like a super-sized Peanut M&M. The coating is a soft beige color and is smooth to the touch without any of the inherent stickiness of maple syrup. Biting into these, I couldn’t help but think I was eating Boston Baked Beans. It was strange since Boston Baked Beans have no maple or toffee coating them; I could taste maple and toffee notes, but it was like hearing a lone violin occasionally in the background of a brass orchestra. Mine were a little stale, and maybe that attributed to the minimal toffee and maple factor. These were mild at best, but nothing spectacular

On the whole I wasn’t blown away by any of these products. None of them were awful, but I would never actively seek out these things to fight off a candy craving. I do think Brach’s manufactures top-of-the-line products, but I think they are limited to their candy corn (if you go for that), caramels (great for homemade candy apples), and Bridge Mix.

• Brach’s Website

Buy Brach’s Candy Online:

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