After my success with the Pineapple Now and Later, I promised myself that I would approach other Now and Later varieties with an open mind. So spotting a whole display of flavors at a gas station, I was, as Homer Simpson so eloquently stated, “like a kid in some kind of a store.”

Scanning the flavors, I was torn between several, but it soon became obvious which would be the one to try. Peach Smash. Why? First, I love peaches. Second, there are so very few peach-flavored things in the world aside from peaches. Third, I have no idea what a “Smash” tastes like, but if there are peaches involved, count me in!

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As a kid, whenever my friends and I had a loose tooth that we wanted to fall out so we could get a visit from the tooth fairy, we would eat Now and Laters. Those hard now, but soft later taffy squares were just the perfect thing to stick to your tooth and yank it right out when you chewed.

Maybe it’s because my youngest memories of these candies involved blood pouring from a crevice in mouth, but I never ate them too frequently. I didn’t mind them, but the standard three-flavor pack so bored me with the same regimen over and over that I found myself only consuming them once a year or so.

Every now and then, whenever I pop into a gas station, I can find individual packets of flavors not included in the larger size. I have always wondered about these flavors. Could the reason why these flavors never found themselves in the regular Now and Later lineup be that they’re just not very good? Amongst an assortment of possible candidates, I chose pineapple as the flavor best to conduct my research with.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… especially if you’re a fan of candy canes!

Each passing year seems to bring more and more variety to the candy cane aisle, and 2007 is no exception. This year’s crop of canes covers every flavor from watermelon to popcorn, and with so many choices, it’s hard to pick just one box.

Fortunately, I write about candy, so this wasn’t a problem for me. I walked in to my local drugstore, picked up seven boxes, and merrily went along my way. So now, after a week of eating more candy canes than I care to admit, I’m finally ready to bring you my Candy Cane Roundup of 2007!

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A few weeks ago we wrote about the announcement of new Now and Later Soft and now (a little later) we have the review. I’ll be honest – I have never really liked Now and Laters (or Laffy Taffy for that matter). I’m not sure why really – maybe it was because they were so hard. I certainly liked the flavors.

The new Soft version of Now and Laters aren’t nearly as soft as I was expecting – I was expecting something like soft bubble gum (like Bubble Yum or Hubba Bubba). The new Soft version is definitely softer though, but since I wasn’t a true fan of Now and Laters, I took them into work to get the opinions of others who did like Now and Laters.

I took a big jug as seen above into work to share with my co-workers. The general consensus was that these are much softer than the original and every bit as tasty and everyone immediately preferred these to the original. “They won’t pull your fillings out like the original would” said one co-worker.

So, a big thumbs up for Now and Later Soft – if you liked the original, you’ll love these. Even I liked them so I guess it was the hardness of the original that kept me away. They still aren’t my favorite candy, but the Soft version is much more enjoyable and easier on the dental work.

• Farley’s and Sathers Now and Later page

Buy Now and Later online:

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

If you loved Now and Later candy as a kid, but find that the sometimes jaw-locking hard chews were too difficult to navigate with adult teeth, manufacturers Farley’s and Sathers now offer a solution: Now and Later Soft.

The new version doesn’t replace the original hard taffy Now and Later—it just adds six flavors of soft squares to a successful brand. The Soft chews measure more than one square inch each and come in 57 oz. jars of watermelon, grape, banana, apple, cherry, vanilla, and assorted flavors.

I loved Now and Later as a kid. My fourth grade teacher even gave us small packs of the candy as rewards for learning our multiplication tables—but I can’t remember the last time I had one. I definitely plan to try the new version, and I’ll get to eat as much as I want without a teacher making me do math first! Farley’s and Sathers announced the debut of Now and Later Soft this week, so get ready for the candy to hit local shelves soon.

• Farley’s and Sathers Now and Later page

Buy Now and Later online:

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

candy, sweets, soft, taffy