Necco Sweethearts: New Moon Fire & Ice Special Editions

Here's something that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. As everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows, Eclipse -- the third film entry into the Twilight saga -- comes out on June 30th. And with that in mind, there has actually not been quite the merchandising push prior to its release as there was with New Moon. I am not sure if there won't be as many Eclipse-related items, or if they are just releasing them closer to the actual movie.

Necco has been the chief candy maker for all of the Twilight confections since the first movie. And when I saw these at the store, I found myself wondering if it was a product I'd overlooked around the time of New Moon's release -- and it turns out that it was. The Fire & Ice Sweethearts were apparently introduced at TwiCon last summer (don't get too excited and start making plans to go -- apparently there will be no 2010 events run by TwiCon). In any event, it seems they are back just in time for Eclipse. (In fact, these boxes are dated 2010.)

Unlike the Forbidden Fruits Sweethearts mixes -- which featured three different boxes, each with a different main character on it, but the same candy inside -- the Fire & Ice mixes are completely different.

The boxes have Jacob representing Fire, and Edward representing Ice. Even though the candy is still branded as New Moon, the Fire & Ice comparisons actually come directly from a chapter in Eclipse. How do I even know that? "Gigi!" you might be screaming at your computer, to the horror or amusement of co-workers, family or friends -- "you didn't actually read the books, did you?"

DON'T JUDGE ME, DAMMIT! I decided a few months ago that if I was going to bag on the series relentlessly, I should at least read it and make educated disparaging remarks. I still say I have read better-written pamphlets from the pharmacy -- but yes, I did actually end up liking the story itself. I know, I know...even I am kind of ashamed of myself.

Anyway, let's get to the review before I embarrass myself further. The boxes are marked "1 of 2" and "2 of 2," with Fire being placed first. So that's the order we'll review them in.

Texture-wise, these hearts are the same as every other Necco heart made since the dawn of time. It's pressed dextrose...so there is only so much we can reasonably expect. They are chalky and crumbly when you bite into them; grainy and slow to melt if you hold them on your tongue.

So how did they taste?...


FIRE:



The Jacob-inspired Fire mix consists of two flavors: "Steamy Chocolate" and "Hotter Than Apple Pie." Kind of a weird combo if you ask me (and they didn't), but whatever...

The flavors are supposed to have an "intense surge of heat," according to the box. Also unlike the Forbidden Fruits mix, these hearts are not sparkly -- but that makes sense, as Jacob is a wolf and the sparkling is restricted to the vampires.



Like all other Sweethearts Necco makes, each heart is branded with little words or sayings. Mine said things like "Team Jacob" and "Howl." The printing is just plain unreadable or missing off of most of the pieces.

"Steamy Hot Chocolate": This heart has a flavor that I can best describe as "essence of chocolate syrup." If you have ever been so desperate for a chocolate fix that you hit that bottle of syrup that had been lurking in the fridge for far too long...well, it sort of tastes like that. It's clear that chocolate is the flavor they are aiming for, but it's more like the idea of chocolate than the real thing. It does indeed get a little warm in your mouth. Not sure why, though it's vaguely cinnamony. And it's not all that interesting, let alone intense.



"Hotter Than Apple Pie": You know those horrible cinnamon-apple scents some stores use in their restrooms? Imagine sucking on that. It's mostly a cinnamon taste -- think cinnamon from uncooked instant oatmeal. As for the apple, it's fake, chemical-tasting, but mercifully it's barely noticeable.The only redeeming thing about this flavor was eventually the aftertaste died. (But it took its sweet time.) Absolutely horrible.

I am sincerely hoping for better luck with the Ice mix...



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$0.99

CALORIES:
160 calories per 40 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
necco.com




ICE:



Ice is mascotted by Edward, with his fashionably mussed-up hair and slightly tortured emo gaze. He's sensitive, damn it! And you stonehearted bastards don't care!! (Well, at least he doesn't whine like a certain young Anakin Skywalker we could mention. Yes, folks, I am still bitter about whiny teenage Skywalker from Episode II.) These hearts do sparkle -- like Edward -- and also have nearly unreadable sayings like "Risky" and "Bite me."



The two flavors are "Raspberry Freezeout" and "Lime Frostbite." And the box smells like a convenience store Squishy gone horribly wrong.

"Raspberry Freezeout": Like all modern raspberry flavored items, it's a frosty blue rather than a reddish hue. This one starts off pretty good. For the first few seconds it's like every "blue" squishy on the planet...and then the aftertaste kicks in. I don't know how many old ladies' perfumes they had to swipe to make this flavor, but if Bubbe or Grandma asks for a bottle for her next gift-getting occasion...well, I have a good idea as to why. I actually could not finish an entire heart. Talk about sucking.



"Lime Frostbite": This was hands down the best flavor in the bunch. It tasted as if they'd made candy out of lime "juice" mix. It's a little tangy, a little sweet. It's very artificial, but it still tasted pretty good. These I would actually eat on their own.

This mix is getting a higher rating only because of the lime.



PURCHASED FROM:
Albertsons Supermarket

PRICE:
$0.99

CALORIES:
160 calories per 40 pieces.

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Processed in a facility that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and soy.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
necco.com

Necco Sweethearts: New Moon Special Edition

Necco did a Twilight-themed version of the conversation hearts that was released around the time Twilight was released on DVD. Now it seems Necco has decided to jump on the stake early with New Moon, because they have released these Sweethearts (and the similarly themed Sky Bar) well before the movie's release date of November 20th.

The themed boxes have each have one of three different images. Mine is a Jacob box, because the Twihards at my local WalMart snapped up all the Edward and Bella boxes before I got there. Jacob, as best I can guess, is the third wheel in the Edward and Bella relationship -- and he's a werewolf. I may not like my vamps sparkly, but I personally would always pick a vampire over a werewolf. Maybe it's just because I am not a fan of men with back hair...



Anyway, there are four different flavored hearts in this collection: Secret Strawberry, Orange Obsession, Tempting Apple, and Lemonessence. Each heart has an outer layer of sparkle added to them. The sayings on them were actually pretty poor quality in my bag. In fact, the majority of the hearts were either blank or the lettering was so smeared they were unreadable. Some of the sayings that I could figure out included "True Love," "Bad Guy," "U R My Life," "Dazzle," "My Love," and "Soul Mate."



I started with Lemonessence.
Essence of Lemon would be a better description. It is lemony, but there is no zing, none of that sour pucker that can make lemon flavor so good. It's sort of sweet, and sort of medicinal. Eh...well, at least there were sparkles.



Secret Strawberry:
The strawberry and the apple were hard to tell apart from each other. As it turns out, the strawberry are more pink. They also taste exactly like children's chewable vitamins. It is a super-fake strawberry flavor. Yuck.



Orange Obsession:
Again, children's vitamin is about the best way to describe the flavor -- but in this case, it would make a really good children's aspirin. The orange is mild, and there seems to be some vanilla notes to them. Sort of like a chalky Creamsicle. These were the best of the bunch.



Tempting Apple:
This sort of tastes like apple juice...well, it tastes more like some industrial food laboratory's vague idea of apple juice. This one was actually so bad it was kinda good.

I am not a huge fan of Sweethearts to begin with, and this collection did not exactly make me gushy with love. In fact, I'd be quite happy never to see these again. Blecch.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart

Sky Bar: New Moon (Special Edition)

The Sky Bar is one of those classic candy bars that have been around since roughly the dawn of time. (Or since 1938, if you want to be all picky about it.) The classic version is a bar that has four segments, each with a different flavor filled center. The original four fillings were Fudge, Vanilla, Peanut, and Caramel.



This version is tied into the "Twilight" sequel "New Moon," and features only three different flavors: Peanut Butter, Creme, and Caramel. Yes, dear lovers of the Keeper of the Unicorn Forest, rejoice...because now you can look at your beloved sparkly vamps while eating chocolate embossed with the Cullen family crest. It's a banner day, I am sure! (You know, as someone who owns a stuffed tribble, a life-size cutout of Captain Kirk, and has actually physically drooled on the very gracious Mr. Leonard Nimoy, maybe I shouldn't taunt the Twihards as I do.)

Since I have never had a classic Sky Bar, I couldn't tell you if it is a big loss that the fudge segment is missing, nor can I tell you if the flavors that are represented are better or worse in this version. As best I can tell, on the classic version, the bar as a whole is smaller and each segment narrower.

Let's go through each segment as it's listed on the package.

But we'll talk about the chocolate first, since the same chocolate enrobes all the pieces. The milk chocolate is very sweet, but also very smooth. And I have to give points to Necco for still using real chocolate. It's cool on the tongue and has a very light vanilla note. It has a soft bite and not much snap.

And now, on to the fillings...


The first is Peanut Butter:

The generous square is embossed with a howling wolf. The peanut butter is crumbly and yet very oily. You know the kind of peanut butter found in off-brand cups? Like that. Not impressive.



The next is Creme (called Vanilla in the classic version):

The segment is molded with a heart that says Bella (awwwwwww). This is the segment I was least looking forward to because it's flavored with vanillin (i.e., synthetic vanilla) rather than real vanilla. It strikes me as odd that Necco went to all the trouble of making real chocolate, and then used fake vanilla for the filling...

Oh yeah, how does it taste? Did I mention I am more of a Trekkie myself? OK, it's sweet...in fact, it's throat-burningly sweet. And the vanilla -- whoops, vanillin -- comes off like an edible version of Vanilla Fields perfume, only less good. Not merely unimpressive, but downright nasty.



The final segment is caramel filled. This is the segment that features the Cullen family crest. Texture-wise, it was an interesting one. It's more liquidy, and it's also slightly gritty. It reminded me more of the center of a Cadbury egg rather than the thicker, more ribbony caramel I expected. Extracted from the too-sweet chocolate, I liked the caramel on its own. It's salty and buttery, and if it were paired with a Euro-style milk chocolate it would be excellent. It was by far the best part of this bar.

I have to wonder if the smaller portions of the classic bar would have done the fillings and the chocolate more justice. Maybe this was a case of bigger not being better. It's not the worst bar I have ever had. And I would still like to try the classic version (so there may be a second review in the future), but the Volturi can keep this version.

Be sure to sink your teeth into Cybele's review and Jim's review.



PURCHASED FROM:
WalMart