Categories: Candy,Candy Reviews,Chocolate Candy,Gourmet Candy
It’s not often that I get to review a local candy but I got an email recently from a chocolate company that just happens to be local to me – Red Light Chocolates. After a couple of emails, I was in possession of a beautiful box of their artisanal chocolates to try.
Red light Chocolates use the finest, freshest ingredients they can find. All of their flavorings are natural – pure fruit purees, organic mint leaves, and Madagascar vanilla beans to name a few. All of their artisanal chocolates are handmade in small batches. They don’t use preservatives, so they encourage you to enjoy the chocolates within two weeks of receiving them. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?
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Categories: Candy,Candy Reviews,Chocolate Candy,New Candy,Sugar-free Candy
It’s been many years since I last tried sugar-free chocolate, for good reason… it was disgusting. I would rather have had no chocolate than gross chocolate. I guess one of the many things that have improved with time and technology is sugar-free chocolate. Simply Lite’s Milk and Dark Chocolate bars are all the evidence I need to know science is awesome.
Now, sugar-free does conjure up some negative feelings to some folks, myself included. I’m not going to get into a philosophical debate about sugar vs. sugar-free, but I have been privy to concerns being raised about sugar substitutes. So many concerns that my little mind – tuned in by all the marketers trying to sell us the next best thing – was a little curious about the ingredients. I read the nutritional packing with some scrutiny and red lights started a-flashin’ when I read the warning “excess consumption may cause a laxative effectâ€. But, like all things, excess can cause long-lasting effects, no? Moderation, they say wisely. So I threw a little caution – along with a wrapper or two – to the wind because I did, of course, need to eat some of three different bars to tell my little tale of Simply Lite chocolates.
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Categories: Candy,Candy Reviews,Gourmet Candy
Well, I now know I’m no Swede. I tried Paddywackle’s Swedish-Spice Almond Brittle and I just can’t muster up the taste for it. I really tried. It had all the right components to be delicious… the texture is perfect, the crunch is exquisite, the ingredients are definitely gourmet and of high quality. It has the perfect stick in your teeth-ness that you want and expect out of brittle. It’s buttery and it has almonds. I love the old-fashioned bags the brittle comes in and think the packaging really says “gourmet and hand-made”. But, it’s not quite enough to overcome the unpleasant flavor. The problem is the spice, I think. Maybe I’m not partial to cardamom, or maybe it’s the hint of lemon. I just can’t quite put my finger on what it is I don’t like.
One of my co-workers absolutely LOVED the Swedish-spice brittle. She’s also the type that loves those spicy, ginger, hard candies. She mentioned she had Indian the evening before so maybe her palate was ripe for the flavor. The other 8 or so folks were in consensus and didn’t really care for the spice. One person even commented that it was like eating butter and some “non-toxic, natural” cleaning solution. Another was really impressed with the stick-in-your-teeth factor, but didn’t like the flavor, either. For these reasons, I think it would be worth trying Paddywackle’s other flavors because as I said, all the other details are perfect. Maybe their chocolate almond or original recipe peanut brittle would be a better example for us non-exotic brittle-lovers? I will have to try their other flavors because now I’ve got a craving for brittle!
Editor’s note: I tried the brittle also and thought it was quite delicious. it had a nice flavor with just a little subtle lemony flavor to it. I don’t think I would have even called it “spiced”. I liked it and so did my co-workers that I shared it with.
Candy Addict received this product as a sample from the manufacturer. No payment was received for this review and all opinions represent an unbiased view of the product.
Categories: Candy,Candy Reviews,Chocolate Candy,Gourmet Candy
Another box of filled chocolates to sample! You guys have no idea how hard I work for you. Derry Church Artisan Chocolates have a schtick which is kind of cute, where each one is named after a city and is flavored with stuff that at least sort of has something to do with the place they are named after. They also have some flavors that I can pretty much guarantee you have never encountered, which is sometimes a good thing and sometimes very much not so good at all.
San Fran – black mission figs. Good dark chocolate. Just a hint of figs really but it’s enough. It’s a good combination.
London – butter toffee and crushed almonds. I picked this up and said to my assistant “I don’t like toffee, you can have this one,” and took a little bite. And then finished the whole piece. (Don’t worry, there were two, he got the other.) Nice and buttery and not the kind that sticks in your teeth. They need to make a whole big bar of this.
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Categories: Candy,Candy Reviews,Chocolate Candy,New Candy
Lindt chocolate is what I consider a higher quality chocolate, definitely better-tasting, more “sophisticated,” if you will, than Hershey or M&Ms chocolate. Of course, if you put the words “Swiss made” on anything, I get a little dreamy eyed. To make things even better, Lindt chocolates are available at common stores like Wal-Mart and Target. That means when I go grocery shopping I can buy whole wheat bread for my health and premium chocolate for my happiness. Lindt is like the best of both worlds – high quality and affordable.
When I found out Lindt would be sending me a milk chocolate bar to review, I was excited but then promptly forgot about it. (Just like I forget to put the clothes in the dryer when they’re finished washing…) When the bar arrived, I was surprised and a little apprehensive to see that they’d sent me their new Raisin & Nuts Classic Recipe bar. I, uh, don’t like raisins… but I do like nuts! I can handle this.
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