Candy Review: Classy Karma Candy

Monday, August 3, 2009 - by Laurie

With the popularity of yoga and its associated clothing, mats and other accessories, I guess it was only a matter of time until the popular fitness/relaxation stretching regime got its own signature candy – Classy Karma Candy Healthy Yoga Treats. Not that it isn’t a bit illogical – what makes less sense than having a post-workout candy treat to gain back all those lost calories?

Ah, but this is a healthy treat – or so the promotional material I received at the All Candy Expo claims. It’s “12 TIMES MORE POTENT than synthetic vitamin C,” contains “ALL NUTURAL (sic) ANTI AGING properties from powerful antioxidants,” and is made with “all-natural berries and spices with no processed sugar.” (The ingredients, however, say otherwise – the first two ingredients are sugar and glucose, which don’t just pop out of the sugarcane without SOME level of processing.)

These are made by the Classy Candy Company, a new company – as far as I could tell, the candies are only available for sale on Classy Candy’s website (which was clearly written by a non-native English speaker – I found its enthusiastic, if slightly fractured, copy kind of charming).

The star ingredient of these treats is the Indian gooseberry, a fruit used in Ayurvedic medicine. Some research has shown that the Indian gooseberry may have medical benefits for those with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and even cancer. In its raw state, the fruit is very sour and astringent, and it’s usually pickled to make it more palatable. (I guess that’s what all the sugar is for.)

The candies themselves are wax paper-wrapped logs, like elongated pieces of saltwater taffy. They’re a light brown, speckled color. My samples came in a plastic sleeve containing three pinky-length pieces.

Despite containing aromatic spices like cloves, ginger, pepper and cinnamon, they have no smell whatsoever. At first bite, they aren’t terribly sweet and don’t taste like much of anything at all. But after a few chews, I started to get the flavor of the aromatic spices, mainly the cinnamon, and, oddly enough, a tangy taste of raisins. I’m not sure what I was expecting these to taste like, but that definitely wasn’t it. After a few bites, however, they started to grow on me. It’s like eating a cinnamon roll or a good bowl of porridge, only in candy form.

The Karma Candies initially have a firm, taffy-like texture, but if you chew them down to nothing, you get a lot of little gritty bits with a hint of a tea-like tannic flavor – from the gooseberries, I guess. Textural issues aside, I found myself enjoying these more than I thought I would, and if I was (still) in yoga, I would definitely enjoy having one of these tasty and (relatively) guilt-free chews awaiting me at the end of a strenuous session.

• Classy Yoga Candy Website