New Tree Chocolate- Crave

Have people been CRAVING apricot chocolate bars?

Beyond my witty puns that is a question worth asking. It should be noted that I absolutely LOVE New Tree's Tranquility bar which is milk chocolate and lavender so I am pretty open to giving this flavor combo a shot.

I have to give New Tree props for packaging the chocolate in a sealed foil pouch. When you open the pouch not only is the chocolate fresh but it kept in the aroma. I happen to likely the subtle sweet smell of apricots.

The chocolate is portioned into squares just large enough to melt evenly on your tongue but not so small that you wonder that happened to the chocolate. New Tree makes a fantastic milk chocolate. Creamy and rich without being too sweet. As for the apricot there is no mistaking the flavor but it doesn't over power the chocolate. It actually leaves you hoping for more- in a good way. My only disappointment with the bar is that it is only apricot flavored and that there are no actual fruit pieces in the bar. It's a good bar already but the addition of bits of dried apricot would have pushed it to great.

I am making it one of my New Year's resolutions to eat a few of these in 2008!

PURCHASED FROM:
Zabars NYC

Hershey Kisses with Toffee Crunch

Toffee!
How could an idea as good as Toffee Kisses turn out so badly?!
The first hint that something is wrong is the smell. Have you ever smelt one of those butterscotch Yankee Candles? well these smell a lot like that. Since candles tend to not to be high on my list of candy flavors this was not a point in the kisses flavor.

Taste wise. We're back to candles. Since the kisses are molded they seem to be a bit waxy. The normal sweetness of the chocolate coupled with the "toffee"- which seems more like lumps of sugar then a true toffee are multiplied. I felt like calling a dentist to make a confession that I had committed a sugary sin.

The only thing about them that I really liked was the addition of the non-perils for texture. But even that was done better in the Candy Cane Kisses.
Just skip these and get a Score or a Heath bar.

PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Starbucks Drinking Chocolate- Marshmellows

This may be the most half assed review yet!

Why could this be such a lame review you ask?
Well because as the package so clearly states this was supposed to be about drinking chocolate and to be honest this didn't last long enough to get drunk.

I don;t know if I am in a test market area for this stuff but I could find very little out there about the drinking chocolate line. As you can see from the picture above the product is composed of small chunks of chocolate- and since this is the marshmellow version these chunks are studded with tiny mini 'mellows. I think you are supposed to use about 2 table spoons poured into warm milk (or possibly water)

I say "supposed" because I could not resist trying one of the chunks on their own unmelted- and once I did that so did everyone else at my Christmas party. WOW were the unmelted chips good! The chunks are made with a dark, rich chocolate that has just the slightest hint of a bitter edge. The marshmellows melt as soon as they hit then tongue. they were the perfect size for popping and the creamy melt kept people coming back for more.

One of these days I might get around to buying a box and drinking some but let me tell you this make a good snack out of the box as is!

PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Glico Hazelnut Pocky

Pocky!!

Yes, the nerd in me can't wait to go to all the different Asian markets in the neighborhood to rummage up new and rare pocky. I found the Hazelnut pocky at the local Duane Reade (drugstore).
I liked it but not as much as the Men's Pocky.
The chocolate was a sweet milk chocolate. It was ok but nothing special. I had been hoping for chunks of hazelnut but what the Pocky means by "hazelnut" is that the chocolate is vaguely hazelnut flavored. It's more like someone ate something that had hazelnuts in it close to where the Pocky was made. Again it's not bad but it is not a very strong flavor either.

Worth the try but I will continue on my quest to find Pocky as good as the Men's Pocky!

PURCHASED FROM:
Duane Reede NYC

Update On Updates

Greetings from the city so nice they named it twice!

As you may have guessed I am writing this from New York City! I am here visiting family and friends until the 9'th. Because my internet access at times may be limited to dial up (yes, it still exists) some of the reviews coming up may be photo free- but I thought photo free posts would be better then no posts at all.

So I hope to bring you lots of interesting reviews and if anyone has any tips or suggestions for NYC eats please pass them along!

Jones Soda- Christmas Cocoa

A new flavor for 2007!
I really wanted to get both of the Jones holiday packs this year but sadly my local Target's sold out of the Christmas and Hanukkah packs pretty much as soon as they came out.

4 Targets later I finally found the smaller Christmas 4 pack which focuses on sweet things.

I started off with the Christmas Cocoa.
The first thing that hits you when you open the bottle is the sweet Tootsie Roll aroma- it actually smelled pretty good!

Taste wise, the carbonation is nice and light and can tell the difference that using pure cane sugar makes in soda. It's sweet but not overwhelmingly so. Once again I am going to use Tootsie Roll as an example to explain to you the flavor. It was a lot like drinking a liquid version.

I liked it. I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it again but it was easy to finish the bottle. I could also see that it would be great to use as a mixer for drinks.

PURCHASED FROM:
Target

Starbuck's Holiday Milk Chocolate Bar

Ho, Ho, No!


The holiday bar from Starbucks is a hefty 3 .oz's of chocolate. The bar has cute impressions of holiday words and shape and the bar has a nice crisp snap to it. Unfortunately, it is a pretty crappy chocolate. Honestly I am surprised and disappointed by how bad it is.

The chocolate is overly sweet and oily tasting. The texture is gritty and slow to melt. It reminded me of the nightmare bastard love child of Hershey's and Palmer's "chocolate".
I couldn't even bring myself to give this to someone I didn't like... Ok that's a lie- I could do that. But I would like to think that I am nice enough not to.
Save your calories and get a pastry instead.

PURCHASED FROM:
Starbucks

Haagen-Dazs Rum Raisin Ice Cream

Rum Raisin is one of those staple flavors that have been around forever and I had always overlooked it in favor of some of the more modern or exotic options
My best friend however (insert Edwin shout out here) has been fiercly loyal to both Cherry Vanilla and Rum Raisin for years. Since my local Mega Marts still aren't stocking the POM offerings Haagen Dazs has I decided to give one of my friends favorites a try (I already love cherry vanilla)

First I was pleasently to peruse the ingredient list and find that Rum Raisin actually contains rum! I had always assumed (and you know what happens when you assume) that the rum flavor came from artifical means. The ice cream is a base of creamy rum flavor. There is definatly some vanilla in the back ground but there is no mistaking the rum.

The raisins were the best part to me. They were large and hands down the softest, plumpest raisin I have ever had. I had no idea that raisins could be that soft!
I may not have gotten the allure of Rum Raisin before but I am a full on covert now!

PURCHASED FROM:
Publix Supermarket

Pomegranate 7UP

I have to give a shout out to Marvo at The Impulse Buy because it was his great REVIEW that tipped me off to this in the first place

I have loved pomegranate since I was a kid. Growing up on the properties of some of my childhood homes had Pom tree's and many a white shirt was stained by the tart fruit. Many years later I have learned that my all black wardrobe is much more Pom friendly and I will still try anything Pom that comes my way.

So.... Pom 7UP... It would have been better had it contained some actual pomegranate. It does have a good taste. It is very mild in terms of tartness. The Pommyness (Well it sounds like an almost real word to me) is on the weaker side, if you are a fan of POM brand juices you are probably going to be dissapointed because the robust flavor that you get there is no where to be found in the 7UP, but to 7UP's credit they also managed to keep it from being liquid diabetes.

All in all it's not bad. I think it's a better holiday soda then say Sierra Cranberry Mist. But I have a sneaking suspesion it won't be replacing Egg Nog as my holiday drink of choice.

PURCHASED FROM:
Kroger (Ralph's depending on your location)

KFC Little Bucket Parfait- Lemon Creme

Ah KFC parfaits... When I was but a young whipper snapper they were the highlight of any KFC dinner.


And as an adult who doesn't like chicken (yes, I am well aware that I am a freak) they are pretty much the only reason I go there now for myself.

My local KFC has started carrying the Lemon Creme version and since I am obsessed with lemon I opted to pass on my regular chocolate one.


So what does it taste like?.
Well the top layer is of course the Cool Whip-type topping that all of the other parfaits are topped with.
The next layer is the lemon. Flavor wise it's pretty good. Tart and it could almost pass for natural lemon! what's weird is the texture. Rather then being creamy and smooth like a lemon curd it's gritty and dry. I don't know how they managed to make a pudding that is dry but they did it.
The bottom layer is an I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Graham-Crackers" again they are dry and this batch was borderline stale.

I am glad I tried it but I should have stuck with the chocolate.

PURCHASED FROM:
KFC

Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes

Larry The Cable Guys dream girl strikes again!

As much as I tend to not like Little Debbie snacks I have to admit to liking these.

Really they are so horrible they have gone past bad and come back to good.

The cakes are a white cake that is best described as grocery store birthday sheet cake... that sat out for a couple days. Sandwiched in between two thin layers of cake is a layer of frosting-type cream. It reminds me of an evil hybrid of cheap tub frosting and Cool Whip. The whole thing is enrobed in a thin wanna be fondant and if that wasn't enough sugar for you it is also liberally dotted with crystal sprinkles!

The whole thing is waaay to sweet- and I can't get enough of the damn things! honestly these are empty calories in they're purist form and I love them.

Ice Breakers Pacs- Mint

Dude I was still just holding it!

Ok so I was able to find the Mint version of the Pacs.

Once the Listerine-type strip breaks down you get the same cold rush on your tongue that the orange ones gave. It still feels just as neat.

The flavor however is best described as telling you to go and get a bottle of Scope- go ahead, I'll wait............................

Ok assuming you now have your bottle of Scope firmly in hand- now chug it. That is what the Pacs taste like. It's just too much. The mint almost burns it is so strong. I will give it credit for the fact that once the flavor dies down the after taste is quite pleasant. If these were not so medicinal they would be fantastic. As is... well at least I will have the box to do something with.

Men's Pocky

If Mountain Dew is the drink of geeks and nerds worldwide then Pocky is the candy

I know that I have had it before but I just don't remember it one way or the other. I was at Cost Plus World Market today and they had the Men's Pocky which features bittersweet chocolate. I thought why not and bought them.

Oh, now having eaten more of the package then I care to admit I am both chocked and saddened by the fact that I made it through 30 years of life Pocky free. The damn things are addicting!

It's so simple. Pocky is an almost flavorless wheat cracker rod (I say almost because it actually reminds me of the cookie in a Twix bar) that is dipped in a thin coating of chocolate. To be honest the chocolate on the Men's Pocky reminds me exactly of a Toll House morsel. It's a little sweet, vaguely salty, crunchy. If that doesn't sound like a perfect food then you are just weird. Now I want to try some of the roughly million other flavors they make!

Ice Breakers Pacs- Orange

No, really officer really I was holding them for a friend!

I came across these at Target tonight. Actually to tell the truth I wasn't sure what they were when I bought them but the package was cool so I figured I could use it for something if the innards weren't good.

As it turns out whats inside is a sort of breath mint. Pacs are little tabs made of two Listerine style strips that have a filling of flavored powder that dissolves on contact with your tongue.
Hershey's (Ice Breakers parent company) is under some heat at the moment because law officials, parents groups, etc have said that the mints (referred to as pouches on the packaging) bares a close resembles to street drug packaging. I have to admit that even nerdy little me thought the same thing when I opened the package. See for yourself with a picture of the mint flavor:

Not sure how Marketing got that past Legal but we'll put that aside for a second.

So what is having a Pac actually like?
When you put the pouch on your tongue the Xylitol outer package starts to melt away and the Tang like powder melts into an orangy river on your tongue that actually feels cold for a couple of seconds!. In terms of flavor Tang again is the first thing that comes to mind.

I liked these enough to add them to my work breath freshener stash!

And here is the rest of it.

Haagen-Dazs Egg Nog Ice Cream

This is one of those things I am glad only come around once a year

I would be HUGE otherwise!
Egg Nog is just one of those dairy products that I am willing to wrestle with the lactose beast for anytime. I will go as far to say that the flavor Haagen-Dazs has developed is the benchmark that all egg nogs should be judged.
It's rich and custardy without that cheap eggy taste that bad egg nogs can have. The cinnamon and nutmeg are strong but not overbearing and in the case of the ice cream they are in the form of a silky, fluid ribbon that winds through the ice cream.

I could talk about this ice cream all day but suffice to say this is one of the things you should ask Santa for.

Little Debbie Christmas Spice Wreath Cookies

Apologies for the lack of new reviews. Between the holiday and a virus that I can't shake about the only thing I could review was the oh-so pleasant taste of Biaxin I haven't been up to reviewing anything.

Little Debbie is huge in the South. You may have even heard Larry The Cable Guy tell tales of his sisters love affair with Debbie. I personally have a love/hate relationship with her. Some of the products are good in the way that you know they are cheap and horrible but that becomes part of the charm- and some of them are just plain cheap and horrible.

I'm torn on the wreath cookies. The cookies are about the diameter of a soda can and quite thin. Covered in a sugary white icing and sprinkles. The texture is flaky and semi-crispy.
The taste. Uneven. Some of the cookies have an oily after taste to them and some of them taste like they are over loaded with nutmeg. The flavor is most like a spicy gingerbread- well more like spicy gingerbread as imagined by someone that had never actually tasted gingerbread. Personally, there are much better Christmas cookies out there.

Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash

You really never do get a second chance to make a first impression

I tried this soda last year and was less then impressed.
I didn't like it then- but I really do like cranberry and lime together so I thought I would give it one more shot.
My exact words then were:
"If you are already a Sierra Mist fan you will probably love this. The watered down, under carbonated flavor you know and love shines right through (I mentioned I don't like Sierra Mist right?) and the cranberry is on the tart side but nice and subtle- if it were Sprite rather then Sierra Mist I would be addicted to the stuff... but it's not and I still think Sierra Mist tastes like Generic Sprite filtered through a used gym sock, so don't be expecting to hear about me buying a second bottle anytime soon. "

And I still feel the same. GUS does a killer dry cranberry and lime soda that the Sierra Mist can only dream of being compared favorably to. Do yourself a favor- go and buy that. You won't be disappointed (which can't be said of this soda)

Frey Cinnamon Coriander Bar

Coriander and chocolate? well why not?

I am sure I have had Frey Chocolate before. I can't remember any in particular but before I started writing about all the candy and assorted goodies I ate well, I had sampled a lot. And how could I have possibly have passed up chocolate that is claimed to be made with love from Switzerland's #1 chocolate maker? I just don't think I could have missed it.

Yes, the Target I picked this bar up at had some regular old Frey bars but what caught my eye was they're holiday offerings. I tried the Cinnamon Coriander bar first.

I have never thought to put coriander and chocolate together. A quick googling of the combo showed me that it is not as rare as I might have thought.

When I opened the large 3.5 oz bar the first thing that hits you is the intense spice smell. The cinnamon is there but what it really reminded me of was Stove Top Stuffing.

Happily it doesn't taste anything like stuffing! (not that I don't like it)
The chocolate it's self is excellent. Rich, milky and smooth. Not too sweet or oily in the least. I would buy the plain milk chocolate bar for those times when I want something mellow and comforting.
The cinnamon is spicy and warm. The coriander really works with the cinnamon and chocolate. I know this will sound weird but as a whole it reminds me of egg nog in a way.

If you are in Target and looking to try something new I would highly recommend this bar (of course if you just want to send me something for Christmas...)

Ghirardelli- Peppermint Bark

Eh, these are no Candy Cane Kisses


The bark is made up of a thin layer of milk chocolate with a layer of white chocolate upon it. The white chocolate has small bits of peppermint candy embedded in it.

The milk chocolate it pretty good. Smooth and milky with a nice melt. The white chocolate... well it's white chocolate. I may have mentioned a time or ten that I am not a fan of white chocolate. It's oily, it doesn't melt easily and to me it always has a funky after taste. The only thing that redeems it in the bark is the peppermints. Yes, once again I am sure bet to be a fan of crunchy peppermint.

Fan's of white chocolate or even those who are indifferent to it will probably love this bark. For me I am going to save my calories for the Candy Cane Kisses.

Edy's Samoa Girl Scout Cookie Ice Cream

When I was younger I had wanted to be a Girl Scout really badly- until I found out that they did not in fact bake the cookies or have an endless supply of said cookies. That pretty much killed any desire I had to pull on that rockin' sash and Baret.


But every year when those green glad army's of giggling girls desend on the parking lots of my local Mega Marts and gyms (ok I made that last one up- but think about it. I bet it would be a gold mine!) I have been known to spend an embaressing amount on Samoas and Thin Mints. Oh Samoas! the perfect cookie! Chewy, soft, chocolatly, and the toasted coconut!... hang on a second I need a personal moment................

Ok, I feel better now. Edy's (Dreyers to those of you out west) has a way of combining two of the things I love most, ice cream and Samoas. The ice cream base is a mild caramel that is studded with chunks of Samoa cookie. Honestly all things considered the ice cream it's self isn't all that special. it's not all that rich and is too airy for my tastes. The caramel flavor is on the weaker side but those addicting bits of cookie more then make up for where the ice cream it's self leaves off. Yes, it's that good.

If you love these cookies even a fraction of the way I do you have got to try this ice cream.

Lactaid Egg Nog

Now all I need is some Soco...

I admit it. I am an egg nog freak- no, check that. I am an egg nog SUPER FREAK!
I love the stuff. Spiked or not just as long as it's ice cold.

Unfortunately, lactose and I aren't the best of friends. Oh you have read the reviews you know I make exceptions for ice cream and cheese- However, I just can't handle milk, cream etc when it's drinkable.

I was thrilled when Lactaid came out with the egg nog. It is not as thick or rich as some of the better versions you can buy but the flavor is delicious! just the right amount of nutmeg, a hint of cinnamon.

If Santa leaves me that new Fender I may even share a glass.

Candy Cane Hershey's Kisses

Do you get these if you are on the naughty or the nice list?

When I saw these out last year I avoided them because I had thought they were made with white chocolate. I HATE white chocolate. Reading the label probably would have helped.

These kisses aren't chocolate at all. Much like the confetti kisses or the candy corn kisses they are a white fondant. After finally tasting them I am kicking myself for not paying better attention last year!

You know those generic mint melt-aways that are pastel colored and look like a kisses overweight and out of shape cousin? They are covered in nonpareils? you know like these:

They taste almost exactly like that. They melt smoothly. Have a distinct vanilla quality to the mint. The big differences are that of course the Hershey version is in the classic kiss shape and rather then having nonpareils on the bottom swirled, into the kisses are small bits of candy cane that provide an extra mint kick and crunch. I am going to have to stock up on these before they disappear!

Stacy's Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips

HMMM Cinnamon...
I wasn't sure what to expect from this chips. For some reason I kept thinking they would be like the Cinnamon Crisps from Taco Bell. I was expecting something heavy and light on the cinnamon and probably greasy to boot.

What I got was a thick and crispy chip that sort of reminded me of a grainier, bigger version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Not greasy in the least. One side of the chip is generously coated in a dusting of cinnamon that is heavy on the cinnamon and light on the sugar.

These are fantastic! crunchy, sweet, just a tad salty . I bet this are great with ice cream or even with hot chocolate.

I know cinnamon covered pita sounds weird but these are so good you should send me a bag as a thank you for the recommendation.

Grandma's Peanut Butter Cookies

Ah, the breakfast from my youth!
No really. Way back when in a galexy far, far away when I would drive the 45 mile trip to Universal Studio's Hollywood- almost always at some godforsaken hour of the morning. I would stop at the local mini-mart for gas and "breakfast"
Breakfast most of the time was a delicious and cheap bag of Grandma's Peanut Butter cookies.

I always thought these cookies were the perfect peanut butter cookie. The peanut butter is rich and peanutty (imagine that) but not overly sweet or oily. The texture is soft yet chewy and has this great sandy, crumbly bite.

I have also yet to come up with anything these cookies are bad with. smoosh ice cream between them- GOOD!. Break them up in ice cream, yogurt- GOOD! pair them with fruit so you don't feel so bad about having cookies for breakfast- probably good but can't say I ever tried it.

These are some good cookies!

IceBreakers Energy Mints

Mints with caffeine?- Sign me up!

I don't remember what caught my eye first, the cute tin or the fact that it was a caffeinated mint. Either way it left me in blue stained tongue happiness.

The mint is about the size of Certs. Actually we are going to keep talking about Certs because the best way to describe the taste would be to tell you that if a tube of Certs and a bottle of Scope had a love child it would be the Energy mint. The mint is way more more on the mouth wash side then crisp peppermint but it is oddly addicting.

While there is caffeine in the mint according to the package it takes 3 mints to get the same amount you would from a half a cup of coffee. As a hard-core caffeine fan (I drink Starbucks quad-lattes, I am pretty bad ass) that isn't enough to get my heart rate up but for those of you who like to actually sleep at night it could be the boost you need... The downside is thanks to the blue speckles (that kids is called freshness) in the mints if you do have more then one of them you WILL end up with a blue tongue.

Hershey Kisses Hot Cocoa Creme- Limited Edition

Hot Chocolate. Just the thoughts of it bring to mind the mental image of frosty cold days spent by a fire

11-9-08
FYI these are back for the 2008 Holiday season!


In my younger days that warm cup with big ass marshmallows melting in it would have been Swiss Miss instant cocoa made in the microwave with milk instead of water. Cursing the fact that I lived in Phoenix and it was 75 degree's in mid-December and the closest I was getting to snow would be scraping the walls of the mini-fridges mini-freezer (whose only real purpose seemed to be growing ice anyway)

Cut to many years later. Today's hot chocolate is almost certainly a Venti Brevy Hot Chocolate from Starbucks. And while it can get cold enough in my neck of the Atlanta 'burbs to ice over and cause frost- if not just the slightest bit of I-Can't_Believe-It's-Not-Snow I am not exactly living out the Cocoa sipping vision that the tart little Swiss Miss would like you to believe in.

No, I need a more modern form of Hot Cocoa to get through the balmy winter. Having tried and been disappointed by frozen hot chocolate (it looked a lot better being sipped by John Cusack in "Serendipity") and since warming up my plain old chocolate milk is just kinda gross I was relived when the good people at Hershey came out with this latest Kiss edition.

I was thinking I was really going to like this kiss. I also thought John Cusack was going to age better. Clearly my judgement has been off lately.

These kisses look exactly like all of they're cousins. The first hint that something is amiss comes with the texture. Remember this is a creme kiss and it has a gritty feel to it. The melt however is satisfyingly fudge like.

The flavor:
I went through about 5 kisses before I realized that what the flavor most reminds me of is to tell you to imagine a kiss size blob of cheap store brand chocolate cake frosting then cover that with salty low quality chocolate.

To be honest I hated these at first- but somewhere around Kiss 7 (I am dedicated folks) I decided that I liked them in that same weird way I like frosting straight from the can. It's kinda gross, it's too sweet and there is nothing but empty calories- but in it's own way it is so bad it's good.

I don't get hot chocolate from it at all but it's not bad of it's own merit.

Besure to check out the ever fabouslas Cybele's Review at Candyblog

Nissan Top Ramen- Oriental flavor

Everyone loves Ramen
I mean really how many other meals can you buy for about a dime? Like just about everyone else I had of course eaten more then my fair share in my poorer days. I actually found myself craving it today- I am sick and that is my official excuse.

Out of all the flavors they make the only one I have ever really liked is the oh-so-politically correctly named "Oriental" I ate two damn bricks and put in more time then a sane person ever should trying to figure out exactly what "Oriental" is supposed to taste like.
The packaging it's self proved completely useless. The photo is just a steaming pile of noodles. The ingredient list shows that if nothing else ramen is full of mystery chemicals with names like bad sci/fi characters. If I had to guess I would say it is most like soy and garlic.

Yeah, it's completely unnatural. It's not hip in the least and there is nothing that stretches the foodie boundaries but sometimes cheap, salty, ramen hits the spot.

And , if you wanna know I am one of those people that let the noodles seep and discard the soup.

Honet Nut Chex

It's a honey of an- oh wrong cereal!

Just with the name alone Honey Nut makes me think of Honey Nut Cheerios. Because of word association alone I was expecting that the Chex would taste like the Cheerios. They are both made by General Mills so it wasn't the craziest thing to assume.

Unlike the Cheerio version the Honey Nut Chex has a much subtler tastes. The honey didn't really taste like honey to me. The Chexs are glossy with sugary glaze but all you get from that is well sugar.
The nut comes off as the lightest trace possible of fake almond.

The cereal does hold it's crunch so long it can compete with Captain Crunch. I personally like my cereal on the soggy side but if you are patient enough it will get there.

Honestly as a cereal I wasn't crazy about it, it's not bad but it's just not bold enough for me. That said I think this would be a great addition to homemade Chex mix!

Yoplait Yogurt- Passion Fruit

Clearly I like yogurt

I was thinking about it and while I have had a ton of things that are Passion Fruit flavored I have never actually eaten a Passion Fruit. With that in mind I can't accurately tell you how true to life the flavor is- but I can tell you that it is on par with any of the other passion fruit flavorings I have ever had.
It's a strong, almost floral taste.

Personally, on it's own it is a little too sweet for me but I would be willing to bet it would make a fantastic addition to a smoothie.

Hershey's Kisses Ice Cream Popper's

I should probably thank my local mega mart for having all the Hershey products on sale these last 2 weeks.

I wasn't sure what to expect with these. The thing I have noticed with Breyer's ice cream is that it is really good or really not good. To clear that up- the flavors are usually pretty good but the texture tends to be gritty. Gritty and ice cream just don't belong together.

But I am happy to report I really liked these!
I tried the milk chocolate kiss with chocolate ice cream flavor. The ice cream was smooth and a deep cocoa taste to it. The slight bitterness of the ice cream was nicely off set by the traditionally sweet Hershey's milk chocolate.

I have to admit it would be way too easy to nuzzle my way to the end of these kisses.

Godiva Chocolate Pearls- 3 Flavor Round Up

I am surprised I stopped drooling long enough to write this

So I was at the check out at Barnes & Noble buying my copy of Stephen Colbert's "I Am America (And So Can You)" when I saw the Godiva display on the counter.

What actually caught my eye were the cute little tins the candy is packaged in. Probably sounds weird but I have about a zillion different craft projects going at any given time and I can always use little boxes to store things- and hey if I get chocolate along the way well that's just gravy. I could have bought just one but in the name of journalistic integrity I brought all three flavors- who am I to keep you out of the loop on the other flavors right? (work with me here I bought a lot of chocolate this week)

First up:

Milk Chocolate Pearls.
Creamy, rich. Starts to melt on your tongue immediately. Extremely milky finish.


Dark Chocolate With Mint
The first thing that hits you is a strong herby mint. The dark chocolate takes a back seat but in a way that compliments it rather then overwhelms it. The last notes are an almost bitter cocoa. Think of an Andes Mint but with high quality chocolate.


Dark Chocolate
My least favorite of the three. The chocolate that worked so well with the mint falls flat on it's own. The texture is almost gritty and flavor-wise it's one dimensional and weak. It tastes more like a bittersweet Toll House Morsel then some of Godiva's other candies. That being said I am willing to bet that these would be amazing baked into cookies.

Each glossy bead is about the size of your average pearl and they all start to melt on your tongue instantly forming your very own chocolate river down your throat.

Something I found interesting is that on the nutritional information they actually listed the serving size as being the entire tin. At 210 calories for a mere 1.5 ounces of (high quality) chocolate that might be more then most would want to eat in one sitting- but lets be honest chances are good that that is exactly what will happen. BUT they are so rich that I personally found myself satisfied with about 3 pearls to a serving. These would be great for a quick fix the chocoholics among us sometimes need.

I'm not saying I would ride topless through town to get them but I wouldn't rule it out.

Hershey's Cacao Reserve Milk Chocolate Truffles

You ever have one of those dates were you just weren't sure if you liked the other person or not?

Yeah, you went out and they didn't completely suck (of course that could have been part of the problem) but it could have been better.

That's how I felt about these truffles.
The flavor is decent. It leans more towards the taste of the Symphony bar rather then the classic Hershey bar or a Hershey Kiss. A little too sweet but that is basically a hallmark of Hershey's chocolate.
Deeply enrobed in the center of the truffle is a fudgy center that reminds me of solid hot chocolate. That part of the truffle is actually quite good. In fact even the after taste it leaves is pleasant. What's also interesting is that it is cool and creamy on your tongue.

What keeps it from being great to me is the waxy texture and melt of the outer shell. If only they could make the outer shell more like the Symphony bar in terms of mouthfeel and melt I might have a new addiction on my hands/hips.

This truffle has made me want to try the dark chocolate version so stayed tuned!

Lindt Petits Desserts- Lemon Tart

Lemon and chocolate! I really didn't need a lot of convincing to try these!

I was the weird kid who when asked what kind of Birthday cake I wanted my answer was always the same- lemon cake with chocolate frosting (if there had to be frosting at all) Sadly I was always told that I had to pick something else because no one but me liked lemon and chocolate together. I was pretty sure that much like with many other things my parents were wrong about me being the only person who liked lemon and chocolate together. And luckily through out the years I have been able to find enough examples to know beyond a doubt I am not alone.

That leads me to the Lindt Lemon Tart. It's a large bar comprised of generous sized squares of milk chocolate layered with lemon cream and pieces of crispy meringue.

The lemon is good. On the sweet side but smooth and still tangy. The bits of meringue are addictive! I loved the little bits of crunch they added.
The chocolate is the let down. First off it's a milk chocolate. I really prefer the bite of a bitter dark chocolate with lemon because the bold flavors compliment each other so well. The milk is just not strong enough to stand up to the lemon. It's not that it is bad chocolate (lindt is not my favorite but it is better then most) but the mellow milky taste is lost here.

If this were a dark chocolate lemon it would be outstanding. As it stands it's OK. I wouldn;t turn it down but I wouldn't go looking for it again.

Hersheys Kisses Limited Edition- Candy Corn

Well the Kisses are cute...

Once you open the wrapper they are layered in three colors just like real candy corn. And that's about the best thing about them.

There is no actual chocolate in the kisses, it's not even white chocolate. It's just flavored sugar. They are supposed to taste like candy corn (well duh!) I didn't get that at all. What they reminded me of is the malted milk center of a Whopper. The melt is a bit gritty but even.

It's OK. Too sweet for my tastes but I would love to use them to decorate cookies/cakes.

They are exclusive to Target if you just have to have some.

Check out Cybele's review over at her site CandyBlog for her thoughts and a really nice picture of a sliced kiss.

Hersheys Snackster

Because anything ending in 'ster has to be cool

Snackster's is a 100 calorie snack pouch with a mix of mini cookies, cereal and two types of chocolate chips.

The the mini cookies aren't bad. Actually they remind me of really tiny version of Wal*Mart's store brand cookies.
The cereal I am pretty sure they are Cocoa Puffs.
The chips are both semi-sweet and milk chocolate. The semi-sweet is good. The milk however is cheap and oily even for Hershey's.

Honestly there are better 100 calorie snacks out there. I can see kids loving these but they don't do anything for me.

Icebreakers Gum- Lift

Lift is a strawberry flavored gum that contains Vitamin C and green tea.

If you are a fan of the red Flintstones vitamins you will love this gum. Lift nails the Flintstones experience. The fake strawberry with the bitter aftertaste. The chalky, gritty texture.

Yeah, unless you REAAALLLLY love those vitamins you may want to stay away from this gum.

Icebreakers Gum- Center

Center is a spearmint flavored gum that contains ginseng and antioxidants from Vitamin C.

The pieces themselves are about the size of a chocolate covered Altoid. There is a hard brightly colored shell on the gum. The flavor is great! it reminds me of those spearmint leaves candies. Sweet and crisp.

Once you chew the gum you are left with a very small wad of gum- there is not enough to blow a bubble with but if you are trying to discreetly chew gum at work when your not supposed to it makes it easy to hide (uh, not that I do that or anything...)

The only thing I don't like about the gum is that for the first few chews it is really chalky. Once you have broken down the outer shell the gum it's self is smooth and not sticky.

Great gum!

Cheesecake Factory Fried Macaroni & Cheese

Yes, I know that fried mac & cheese sounds right up there with the innumeral atrocities to food committed by Rachael Ray...

But if you have not tried it yet your life is just a sad shell of what it could be.
Can I please shake the hand of the person who got the idea to deep fry the gooey goodness that is mac & cheese?!

I have had a few places versions but Cheesecake factory has had the best with consistent quality. They use 5 different type of cheese. The pasta is al dente and the frying creates a perfect sphere of crunchy, salty, cheese. It is served on a river of creamy red sauce (well, to be picky it's more like pink sauce)

I have no idea what it is but I am sure the calorie count must be horrific. Clearly this is a sometime food. They come served in balls of four and love them as I do even I can only eat about 1 1/2 balls so be prepared to share.

They aren't highbrow, they don't even pretend to have any sort of nutritional value- and your friends might even tease you about ordering them. I promise by the end of the first bite none of that is going to matter.

Hershey's 100 Calorie Pretzel Bars

Chocolate and salt!

I like the 100 calorie snack packaging. It's makes snacking feel just a little naughty... of course if you eat 3 of the 100 calorie packages you have completely voided the purpose but we aren't going to talk about that now.

The Hershey pretzel bars are good. They are broken up in packages of two 3 inch pieces. The layer of chocolate is thin and covers the vaguely cracker shaped pretzel evenly. It's a good hit of salty, sweet and crunch. The Take 5 bar is still my preferred PMS snack but this is like an almost healthy version! (that makes it OK to eat 3 of them right?)

Peach Citrus Fresca

Damn that is a big picture!

I am a new comer to Fresca. I have heard that there are some pretty heated debates out there about the new versions and the older version and since I have no opinion on it I am just staying clear of that whole thing.

In fact this is the very first Fresca I have ever had. I however, do love just about any type of grapefruit soda handed to me.

I would not have picked the Peach Citrus to start with- but my mother had it in her fridge and I thought what the hell.

I honestly can't decide if I like it or not.
That probably sounds like a cop out but I am honestly torn.

It has a nice middle of the road carbonation level. The grapefruit is tart but not too strong. It's the peach that gets me. Not surprisingly enough it is extremely artificial tasting. The best way I can describe it is to tell you that the flavor reminds me exactly of the way cheap peach scented candles smell. It's another one of those flavors that are so bad they are almost good.

In the end I don't think I would buy this flavor on my own but I could see them going missing from my mother's fridge on occasion