One of the advantages to being the only Candy Addict writer outside of North America is that people send me cool stuff to try – stuff which I would never find here in Australia. In this case an Arizona-based Candy Addict sent me a bunch of weird and wonderful Mexican candy to taste test. Having grown up in Southern California, I’m no stranger to the common flavors of Mexico – tamarind, chili, mango and so on – but this is my first experience with those flavors from a confectionery perspective.
Made by de la Rosa, Pulparindo is described as a “hot and salted tamarind pulp candy” and, to my palette, it was only mildly hot and not really salty. It’s basically a pressed rectangle of tamarind, mixed with some sugar and chili. The first listed ingredient is sugar, which is pretty obvious from a textural point of view. It’s a pretty sandy thing to eat – you can hear it grinding against your teeth as you chew. Flavor-wise it’s pretty nice – but you would definitely need to be a tamarind fan in the first place! Appearance wise it’s not all that appealing, but if you’ve eaten raw tamarind before then you’re no stranger to brown patties!
Read More »
I have a special place in my heart tastebuds for Atomic Fireballs. When I was a kid I would buy them by the box (160 in a box for $3.20). So, when I saw the new Chewy Atomic Fireballs at the All Candy Expo, I nearly did a backflip. Could chewy Fireballs be as good (or dare I say, better) than the Atomic Fireballs I have grown to know and love?
The Chewy Atomic Fireballs come in small 1 oz. boxes like Lemonheads do (and they now make Chewy Lemonheads too – review on the way) and retail for $0.25. The box is red and colorful and even has a small warning label that says “Caution: Extreme Heat!” The Chewy Fireballs themselves are about the size of a Lemonhead. They’re also exactly like jellybeans in that they have a sugary/grainy outer coating around a jelly-like ball.
Read More »
Atomic Fireballs … who can forget them? Red, round, and wrapped individually in cellophane or a bunch of mini ones in a little yellow box, and HOT! HOT! HOT! These were medieval torture devices when I was little.
When I was 6 years old, my 10 year-old brother offered me one of these deceptive red balls from his Halloween stash. I, innocently, let him place it on my tongue and started to suck on it. Sweet was the first sensation… followed by cinnamon and then the immediate BURN. I spat the devil ball across the room and gasped for air. My brother laughed and called me a wimp. That was one of many brotherly scars on my delicate young psyche.
Read More »
