Mall Candy!

My friends are these horrible bastards that failed to drag me out of the candy aisle last weekend. So, after eating a full meal at In-N-Out Burger, we ate 

Toblerone

<3 <3 

I would have loved the stuff, really I would! Except that my poor, recently cavity free molars cried out to me as my stomach reeled in the shock of the richness of this candy. It is deeply rich milk chocolate with almond honey nougat pieces. Good Lord, it was tasty, it really was, but it was not worth the tooth ache. 

York Pieces

<3<3<3<3

And from here begins a new addiction...

York Pieces are candy shells surrounding soft dark chocolate and mint center. They are conveniently sold in a large bag, so that you cannot tell just how many you are actually consuming until the entire bag has been woefully depleted. Which inevitably stinks for you.

Ferrero Rocher

<3<3<3<3<3

Oh don't EVEN get me started on this...hazelnuts and chocolate in a crispy coating over MORE soft, smooth, truffly goodness? Kill me now, these babies are delicious.

A Trip to Powell's

Recently I went with a friend to the Powell's Candy Shoppe downtown. We decided to stay away from things we had had before, and instead went for the new titles.

♥♥♥♥

 Mars Delights

Made by the same people who brought you the Mars bar, this little candy looks a bit like the offspring of a Toblerone and a Twix. Inside, you will find a surprisingly crunchy, squiggly wafer surrounded by caramel cream and perched on a bed of cocoa creme, wrapped in chocolate. Although it is a bit more bland than the description suggests, I found it very delightful.

 ♥♥♥

U-NO bar

 I had seen these at candy shops all the time, but had never sought to try one until now. IT is a bit like a more ambitious 3 Musketeers, where the chocolate cream went to boot camp and learned how to be dense. It melts in your mouth, which I highly appreciated, but my friend pointed out that it does taste a bit like an energy bar. I liked it well enough, and I am actually leaning towards giving it 4 hearts.

♥♥

Violet Crumble

My friend adores Violet Crumble. However, I find myself underwhelmed by its imitation honeycomb center. The stuff gets stuck in your teeth and gums up your mouth, but never quite makes up for that with taste. 

♥♥♥♥

Zagnut

I was very surprised. This candy was a flakier, crispier Butterfinger but wrapped in soft coconut flakes. I just might get another sometime soon. Because it is flakier than a Butterfinger, it gets stuck in your teeth less, which I appreciate. Very tasty.

♥♥

Lion

Normally I would probably rate this a 3, but the Lion bar had one bigger problem for me: it threatened to single-handedly clog my arteries. It is a stack of nougat, wafer, nougat, wafer; covered in caramel; covered in chocolate; covered in peanuts; covered in chocolate. ... ... Yowza. Also, the sticky caramel makes it impossible to talk for a few minutes while you fight it back.

♥♥♥♥♥

Rocky Road Dark-Mocha

I couldn't remember what a Rocky Road tasted like, but I thought instead of the original, I would go for the intriguing "Mocha Marshmallow" flavor. It was indeed a mocha flavored marshmallow with a layer of dark chocolate in between and wrapped in dark chocolate, with little (and honestly undetectable) chunks of cashews on the top. I found this to be extremely delicious. Good job, Annabelle company, this was very tasty!

A Trip to the Market (Two Years Ago)

 

♥♥♥

Kinoko no Yama

As delightful as these little chocolate capped biscuits look, and curving away from the slightly addicting taste, this candy as a whole is not so amazing. The chocolate tastes a bit fake, and the biscuits seem very bready and dry.

 

 

♥♥♥♥

Kinoko no Yama (dark)

I could not find a picture online for these delightful little cookies. The chocolate is much more real, and has that characteristically bitter taste of dark chocolate. The biscuit part of the cookies are also chocolate, although there is only a slightly detectable difference to the normal biscuits. I found myself eating these at a pace much too fast to be healthy, and so I had to limit myself. This is another highly addictive favorite!

♥♥♥

Strawberry Pocky

Although I am definitely a Pocky fan, I have found that the plain strawberry Pocky is not too flavorful. Strawberry Pocky remains a classic, however, and so it remains popular and can be bought in the grocery store or even a Borders store. Strawberry Pocky is a good snack to munch on.

 

 

♥♥♥♥

*Strawberry Pocky*

Don’t be fooled by the similar sounding title! This type of Strawberry Pocky is much better than the plain Strawberry Pocky! This Pocky comes with much more flavor- it tastes and smells deliciously fruity and the frosted coat around the stick simply melts in your mouth. They come in packs of 4 wrappers inside the box, and have 5 Pocky sticks in those. Simply delightful.

  

♥♥♥♥♥

Orange Dessert Pocky

Orange Dessert Pocky is a sweet that will take you places. The candy is balanced just so to include tangy, sweet, bitter chocolate flavor, starchy bread stick, and a hint of saltiness. What I noticed foremost about them is that the Orange shines through, and doesn’t get lost within the layers of chocolate. This is no ordinary snack food. They come in 4 packs of 3 Pocky.

♥♥♥♥

Almond Crushed Pocky

Almond crushed pocky surprised me. When I expected a duller, lifeless flavor like some of the American candy I have had, I got what appeared to be ACTUAL TASTE. Instead of letting the almond pieces be “just-another-nut” they showcase the slightly bitter, zesty taste of the almond. Although nuts are not exactly my forte, I found these to be enjoyable and I was appreciative of the justice done to the almond. They come in 4 packs of 4 Pocky.

 

 

♥♥♥♥♥

Koeda Chocolate Sticks

I opened the wrapper to one of these sticks and was surprised a bit by the completely chocolaty exterior. According to the wrapper it should have a green tea coating. Nevertheless I dug in, and found myself biting down on a green tea filling. The sticks have just the right amount of crunch in comparison to the buttery texture that allows your teeth to glide through the layers of goodness. Not only was there a great texture, but the sticks held an authentic tasting green tea, instead of a fake tasting powder like substance. A wonderful journey of taste - savor it as you go! They come in 8 packs of 2 sticks.

 

♥

Green Tea Chelsea

The colorful and eye catching wrapper of the Chelsea brand holds no meaning as to the taste of the candies inside. I was expecting something of a quality matching the candy wrappers of this product, but apparently more effort is put into the image than of the actual candy. This just goes to show that their scheme works- I did BUY the candy based on the looks of the wrapper. Anyway, I found the candy to be fairly lifeless and boring, holding barely any authentic green tea taste. It tasted a bit like a honey drop with a bitter shell. Don’t fall for the pretty wrapper and container- Chelsea candy tastes fairly boring despite the amazing colors and shiny wrappers!

 

♥♥♥♥

Amehama Matcha Soft Candy

Well. These green tea candies hold nothing back. The outside is a coating of VERY bitter green tea powder. Some people may find this enjoyably authentic, however I did not (at first). The inside takes a while to show itself. At first it is a dull metallic taste and almost lets you spit it out (this is when the bitter powder mingles with the sugary chewy candy part, making it taste like clay). Then, the sweeter, more fruity side shows up and you continue to merrily chew on the candy. Lately, though, i have discovered that this candy needs to be eaten in a specific way- you need to wait for the powder on top to melt off before chewing the soft center, or else the clay taste will be produced by them mingling). Individually wrapped dime sized candies in a bag.

♥♥♥♥

Super Lemon

WATCH OUT! Have you ever unwrapped an American brand of sour candy, endured about 5 seconds of strong sour taste, then had nothing but a ball of sugar in your mouth for the next 5 minutes? Well THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THAT CANDY! Super Lemons hold their ground on the sour front, and have the strength to make a grown man cry. This candy does not give up! Finally, when you are crying your eyes out and nearly sobbing, it recedes into a tolerably sweet and sour hard candy. Coming as a welcome rescue from the sour side of life, the rest of this candy’s journey is still lemony and delicious. Loads of fun and tasty, too! Try giving it to friends without the wrapper, see their mouthwatering reaction.

♥♥♥

Choco Baby

Choco babies were a shock. Although they don’t taste too much like high grade chocolate, their taste was still enjoyable. I found that it tastes a bit nutty, almost fruity. As highly addictive as pocky, choco babies are not for everyone, and don’t yield a very high quality product. Still, it’s a cute candy that tastes good. Go for it.

 

♥♥♥♥♥

Walky Walky (in strawberry, milk and dark chocolate)

Walky walky is possibly my favorite candy I have come across. With a likeness to Pocky, walky walky has a larger “chocolate to biscuit ratio” because of their size, which also makes them more fun to eat, and more versatile. I did not find too much difference between the milk and dark chocolate flavors, and I suspect that the milk is actually my preference (GASP!), but I find that the strawberry kind is almost a whole different candy. The strawberry is fruity and tangy and fragrant. This candy’s container is not filled with as much stinginess as American candy- they fill it nearly to the top! To add to that, it comes in the cutest little container imaginable! Walky Walky is the candy to buy, even if you buy NOTHING ELSE!

 ♥♥

  Meiji Marble Chocolate

Meiji's Marble chocolates come in a cute cardboard tube, and look amazingly fresh and adorable. Sadly, this is not the case, as I found these to taste almost exactly like M&Ms but with i TINY hint of a nutty aftertaste. M&Ms are probably cheaper, so only buy these if you crave the little container.

♥♥♥♥♥ 

 Calpis Ramune 5 pack

Calpis Ramune 5 pack has a collection of tiny sugary tablets that taste amazing chewed or dissolved. It inlcudes pineapple, apple, strawberry, grape, and a peculiar flavor i took to be either milk or cream soda (i wasn't exactly sure about the smiling little object on the wrapper except that it had a straw coming out of its head...). They hold a surprisingly strong flavor, not just of sugar but of tangy fruit. I could eat these all day every day, but I'd think that wouldn't be such a good idea. Amazing.=)

♥♥♥♥

Coffeebeat

Coffeebeat is a wonderful blended treat of milk and coffee flavored chocolate in the shape of a coffee bean. They are a bit unremarkable other than the cute tube they are held in, but still hold a great taste. ^_^

 

♥♥♥♥

Apollo

These little strawberry capped chocolate dots are delicious, but CAUTION!! Use personal restraint when eating these little buggers! As cute and innocent looking as they may be, they are highly addictive, and the container is not very large. Proceed with caution. (They do come in big tubes as well) =)