This Valentine’s Day, Think Green

green_mms.pngOh, Valentine’s Day. The one day a year when, for some reason, it becomes socially acceptable for respectable adults to stand on the subway carrying giant teddy bears and “I Wuv U” balloons. The world becomes a mass of pink and red, with flowers and hearts and, happily for us, tons of candy boxes lining store shelves. For some people, Valentine’s Day is a big old mushfest, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. For the rest of us, Valentine’s Day is simply the day before February 15, the real holiday, when all of those delicious heart-shaped candy boxes get marked 75% off.

However, there are some options for the anti-pink and red brigade this Valentine’s season, as the folks at M&M’s/Mars are once again promoting their all-green M&M’s packages, an homage to the urban legend that celebrates the, uh, romance-enhancing properties of the green candy shells. On each package of Green M&M’s is Ms. Green herself, sassy as ever, reminding us that green is, in fact, the “New Color of Love.”

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Candy Review: Gummy Lightning Bugs

Gummy Lightning Bugs

I have to say, I’m a sucker for a cool looking package. So when I saw these Lightning Bugs gummy candies, I knew I had to try them. I mean, how cool would it be to say I’ve eaten a lightning bug? Nobody has to know they’re gummy and not the real thing.

When I first ripped open this package, I immediately scattered everything out onto the table. The first thing I noticed were these purple tongs that came with the candy, and the batteries were already included, which was a plus. There’s nothing worse than opening something up, only to find that you have to run to the store to get batteries for the thing.

After that I saw about fifteen gummy candies in two different colors; red and yellow. Those were apparently the two flavors: strawberry and lemon. Of course I dug right in and immediately picked one up with the tongs. I squeezed the tongs and sure enough, the gummy lit up.

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Candy Review: Archie McPhee Mints & Maggots

Archie McPhee Gummy Maggots, Green Buddha Mints & Commie Mints

Yesterday I heard words I’ve never heard another human being speak. Ever. Not even Andrew Zimmern. “Mmmm, these maggots are delicious!” Maybe Zimmern has said this, but I’ve never made it more than five minutes into his show before changing channels. I’m more of an Anthony Bourdain guy. But I digress.

From the wacky folks at Archie McPhee I got a package containing Commie Mints, Green Buddha Mints, and Gummy Maggots. Of all the hundreds of items they sell, these are probably among the least interesting, i.e., safest.

The tins each contained roughly 100 chalky white mints the size of baby aspirins. Both the Commies and Buddhas had identical ingredients and were so mild that eating less than six at a time elicited very little minty flavor. I’ll keep the tins and maybe fill ‘em with Altoids or Fisherman’s Friend mints.

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Japanese Candy Review: Senjaku Four Seas Ice Cream Candy

Senjaku Ice Cream Candy

Now that I’ve worked through my backlog of Christmas chocolate reviews, I thought I’d do something I haven’t done for awhile – review some Japanese candy from T&T. (Though Christmas chocolate is great too – don’t get me wrong.) I picked up a couple of items, the first of which is this Senjaku Four Seas Ice Cream Candy.

But to start with, let’s get something out of the way. Yup, I’m reviewing Asian candy. Asian candy that contains milk and was, in all likelihood, made before the whole melamine scare. Would I chug melamine-contaminated milk by the glass? No. But the tiny amount of milk in one or two hard candies isn’t going to contain any more than a truly infinitesimal amount of melamine – if it contains any at all. I’d call that an acceptable risk, but if it bothers you, no one’s making you eat them.

If you’re not phobic about that sort of thing, there are a lot of really tasty milk-flavored Japanese candies around. There’s even a type that’s actually called “milk candy,” a condensed milk-based chew that comes plain and in various flavors, from caramel to corn (for serious!). These Ice Cream Candies aren’t milk candy, though really, it doesn’t get much milkier than ice cream. However, Senjuku one-ups American offerings like the Baskin-Robbins candies by making these not just ice-cream flavored, but also ice-cream shaped.

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Candy Review: Archie McPhee Mints in Cupcake, Mochaccino, and Absinthe

Archie McPhee Cupcake Mints

Mints have never been at the forefront of my candy addiction. I don’t know if my view is unusual, but I’ve always considered the tiny sugar-tablets more a quick breath-freshener than something tasty and crave-worthy. A flavorful hit in the absence of chocolate or gummies, but not really satisfying in the same way, y’know?

Well, if Archie McPhee has anything to do with it, the conversion of the lowly from afterthought to main event is in short order. From grog to garlic, no flavor is off-limits from the Seattle-based novelty maker. I recently received three tins of mints to review: Cupcake, Mochaccino, and Absinthe. As I’d expect from the company, packaging was kitschy and adorable. But would their taste transcend everyday minty doldrums?

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