Walking the Canadian Candy Aisle

A few weeks ago I took a little vacation back up to the Great White North and visited some family. A great time was had by all, but I didn't get away without checking into the local Shoppers Drug Mart and seeing what candy there was to see. Seeing as today is the Victoria Day holiday in Canada I thought now would be a good time to share what I saw.

I've been a Canadian transplant living in the States for about 8 years now and my memory isn't always as reliable as it should be so I was interested to look with a more discerning eye specifically to see what candy and chocolates are to be found walking the Canadian candy aisle. Sure there are a few items that cross over from the States up to Canada but I was surprised to see really how few there were, particularly when a lot of them are from the same companies.

Let's start though by having a look at the big British player in Canada that you don't often find Stateside: Cadbury.

These of course are the standard Cadbury classics, Milk chocolate, and Milk Chocolate with Fruit & Nut. Most Americans will be familiar with these only probably not in this small bar size.

 Caramilk has always been a favorite of mine. The name says it all, milk chocolate and caramel. The combination is great, the caramel is really gooey, but the design is smart and lets you eat it in squares and stay clean. As for the Caramilk Secrets and Thick. These are new iterations of the bar to me, and I'd be interested to try them.

Crunchie is one that a lot of people will have tried. Its such a unique candy bar that its definitely made the rounds. If you're not familiar, its a golden honey flavored sponge toffee covered in milk chocolate. Really one of a kind.

For the life of me I can't remember what a Mr Big actually tastes like, but I know there was a very brief period where I counted it as one of my favorites. I think it's a combination of wafer and peanuts AND rice crispies that makes it original. Its also apparently the biggest candy bar produced by Cadbury. Great bang for the buck.

I've already talked about my love for Wunderbar on the blog before. If you have a chance this is definitely not one to miss.

In my mind Crispy Crunch is up there alongside Coffee Crisp and Crunchie as one of the best and most popular Canadian chocolate bars. It's got a snap and flaky-ness similar to Butterfinger, but is more about the textured experience rather than butterfingers melty goo.

These small sized Clusters are new to me as well, but the entire trend of making bite sized chocolate pieces has only gotten big in the past few years so I suppose my missing out on them isn't too surprising. I'm not exactly sure what the simply titled Clusters is exactly, since as far as I know there isn't a full sized chocolate bar associated with it. I'll have to check it out when I get a chance.

The other big player in the (mass produced) Canadian chocolate market is Nestlé. Oddly though, other than a few crossovers like KitKat and Crunch, they have a wildly different group of products available in Canada than they do in the States. Lets have a look.

Does this exist in the States??? Looks delicious!

The "real" Smarties Kind of like original M&Ms. Their tag line back in the day was "when you eat your smarties, do you eat the red ones last?" Good stuff :)

 Kit Kat is everywhere. Feel free to check out my review.

Never one of my favorites I can see why some people like Aero bars. The chocolate is light and its definitely the most airy chocolate bar I've ever had. I've had the original and mint, but never seen the dark chocolate version before.

Coffee Crisp is a true classic.If you like coffee and chocolate, you'll love this bar.

More bites. This time for Coffee Crisp and KitKat, yum!

Another nougat, peanut and caramel bar. A commenter recently posted on the WTCA Youtube channel that this bar is akin to Baby Ruth, and I'd kind of agree. Apparently this one is available in limited quantities in the States.

There are of course a few outliers and some that I didn't get to like the ever popular Mars Bar, and for coconut fans Bounty. I've never had a Mars Caramel before...

 

 Hershey does have a presence in Canada, its just overshadowed by Cadbury and Nestle. I thought this Cookies 'n' Mint bar sounded good, and I don't believe its anything I've seen here in California.

 Yes Kinder is big in Canada too. But they're much more prevalent than they seem to be down south.

While I'm not particularly familiar with Kerr's. Scoth Mints in general are really popular in Canada. They're kind of the same size and shape as a Mentos, but full on mint, with a bit more of a chalky flavor. They're really good and I'd recommend you try some.

 The only other group of candy that I had to mention here is one you'll see not just walking down Canadian candy aisles, but also in movie theaters, and corner stores. Maynards is the brand behind the popular Wine Gums. But they've also got a lot of other 'theater' style candies.

I'm mostly used to getting thee in the rolls instead of this kind of big bag, but even though I've had these a lot of times and always want to like them, I never seem to...

 

 Love the Swedish Berries, the only thing that tops them is Swedish fish ;) I'm not a huge watermelon fan, but these sour ones are very good.

 Never had the Cherry Blasters and I don't really intend to. BUT I love Fuzzy Peaches.

 Yuck.

I'm about to say something controversial but I stand by it. Gummy bears are simply not as good as gummy worms. 

I'm sure there's more if you look in other stores, but that  was all I saw that stood out while walking the Canadian candy aisle. Let me know what you like in other countries. And I have a feeling we'll be seeing more Canadian candy and chocolates here on WTCA in the coming months.

Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles - video review

A quick review for you today. Let's have a look at Lindt's Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles.



Ah, so delicious. These maybe my favorite Lindors... maybe. Check out the full written review here or all of our reviews at the Reviews Page.

Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles review

A quick review for you today, we're looking at Lindt's Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles.

 In typical Lindor fashion these truffles come sold in bag form usually, but I picked mine up as an individual solo chocolate, so I don't have a ton to talk about with regards to the packaging. Its orange, which I guess thematically works, and has the typical Lindor floral patterning. It also clearly says that its peanut butter flavor. Pretty functional.

Opening the chocolate up we find a standard Lindor chocolate. Great smelling little ball of chocolate, with a small impression on the top and depression on the bottom. I always thought the size here was decent, and even though I just opened it, I kind of like how all Lindors look essentially the same once they're unwrapped. It's comforting.

Biting into the chocolate there's that great Lindt quality at work again. The chocolate is rich and smooth. Its think enough to be noticable but definitely not overpowering. The Lindor here is filled with peanut butter. Well its not really like regular peanut butter. Its a touch sweeter than regular peanut butter, and much creamier. The consistency is perfect, unlike say the peanut butter filling of the Russell Stover Peanut Butter egg. This is thick enough not to drip out, but so very very smooth that in traditional Lindor fashion it has a slight melting quality that's just great. And while its sweet, its not sugary sweet, its more a richness. Maybe like there is some chocolate mixed into the peanut butter.

I'm definitely a fan of this Lindor. It's as smooth as you could want and tastes great. If you haven't ried it definitely pick one of these up!

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles - 5 / 5

Lindors are manufactured by Lindt & Sprüngli Inc, for more on Lindt please check out http://www.lindtusa.com/

Old Ads kool-aid

Again we find ourselves here to take a look at some fun old advertising. Today we;ve got two fun ones for something that again is not specifically technically candy, but I feel like falls into the same catagory as all the best candy: Kool-Aid!

Sure as a kid I always liked Kool-Aid, but I rarely got it at home. I'd have to go to friends house to actually drink the stuff. Mostly Kool-Aid was famous for the awesome advertising. Who else had the guts to have their mascot break through walls every commercial?! It was genius.

So I've got a bit of a weird relationship to Kool-Aid now that I should probably disclose. So I really got into Kool-Aid in my 20s after I'd moved to California. I started reading the X-Entertainment blog and just loved the way Matt wrote up his Kool-Aid reviews. The guy has honestly been a blogging inspiration for me. Anyhow, I started actually collecting the different Kool-Aid packages myself because I loved the artwork so much, I think I have around 40 or 50. One day I do a post here just showing off the collection, but that's a different post. My point is, that I love Kool-Aid, even though my wife and I decided to cut it out of our lives a while back (even made with Splenda its just a heck of a lot of sugar), I have a deep and lasting affinity for all thing Kool-Aid.

Speaking of the Kool-Aid, and the Kool-Aid Man, lets get into the ads... Although you'll see he is breaking his way into both of these ads in typical fashion oddly enough neither ad is actually for Kool-Aid the drink.

Kool-Aid man had a comic book? And its free? Why didn't I know about this before? Maybe when I read this ad as a kid I didn't put one and one together but a Kool-Aid Man comic sounds awesome. He's taking on the evil Thirsties, who look a lot more like electricity with a HUGE green tongue and I think that's great. Not sure why exactly he's coming out of the tv... oh wait, he's coming out of the tv and into the comic book you're reading the ad in... very high concept there. Anyhow it looks very kool. I wonder if he actually steps on tongues regularly in the comic... like is that his power. tounge stepping? Sure he'd be pretty heavy and all but you'd think a giant talking pitcher of Kool-Aid could work something more magical than a tongue stomp.

And the next ad is pretty awesome as well. I totally want to play the Kool-Aid Man video game. 125 points is not that hard to get. Especially if you find some double points packets. Also theres a 30 point + $10 option which makes it much more affordable to kids. Not that I had an Intellivision or 2600 (we had a Vic 20, then went right to Commodore 64), but I definitely want to experience the thrill of breaking down a wall and shouting "Oh Yeah!!" in game format... Here's a look at some of the gameplay I found on YouTube.

Seems pretty awesome. Even though I don't totally get whats happening, I know I want to play it.

These two ads were pulled from What If...? #40, and What If...? #41 respectively.

That's all for the ads today, next week I'll be back with a few classic ads for M&Ms.

100 Grand - video review

Another day, another review :) today we're looking at 100 Grand.



I'd say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. A very solid bar. For more, check out the written review, or all of the reviews on the Reviews Page.

100 Grand review

Its review time again, and today we're looking at 100 Grand.

Now I know this chocolate bar has been around for quite a while, but I have never had it before. Why you ask? well, growing up in Canada we just must've been deprived ;) No really, there we're actually quite a few chocolate bars, especially on the Nestlé slate that we didn't get up north that are common in the States, and 100 Grand is one of the big ones.

For some reason I've never been attracted to the 100 Grand packaging. I don't really know why, there's nothing really wrong with it, I just don't like it. Red with white writing, seems plain enough. Maybe its the stupid yellow border that bugs me. If its trying to evoke a "richness" then I don't think its doing a good job. On the packaging it describes the bar as "Chewy Caramel $ Milk Chocolate $ Crispy Crunchies" and I have to say I am a bit charmed by the use of dollar signs to break up the description.

Onto the bar itself, this is one of those chocolates that gives you two for the price of one, which is generally a good thing. However since this chocolate bar is on the small side in general, cutting it in half seems a bit silly. Would only one of these halves be enough for a person. I think more likely you'd eat it all anyhow. Oh well... Aside from that, I think it looks good. Lots of crispies on the outside make me think of a Nestle Crunch bar, only perhaps with smaller more jam packed rice crispies. The chocolate smells very strong, and very rich. Overall the bar itself makes a good impression.

Biting into the chocolate bar there are a few things that happen at once. The caramel is thick and prominent. Its not too thick, I'm just surprised at how much there is in the bar. Its a big lump of caramel covered on three sides by a relatively thin layer of chocolate and crispies. Like I was saying though the caramel is abundant, but good. It pulls well and has a good consistency and flavor. The chocolate is rich but not too notable since there is so much caramel. But the flavors mix well together, and the crispies especially add a nice texture to the experience. Frankly this is a pretty darn good tasting chocolate bar.

Despite my initial misgivings I think this is one you should try out. The flavor speaks for itself. I don't know how "rich" the bar really is, but I really am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this chocolate bar.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates 100 Grand - 4 / 5

100 Grand is a product of Nestlé, please find out more over at http://www.nestleusa.com/.

Old Ads bubble gum pt 2

Well here we are again in my ongoing series talking about some of the coolest old candy ads out there. Today I'm continuing on talking about some old bubble gum ads I found among my comic books. If you haven't yet, please go check out part 1 where we looked at 3 awesome Bubble Yum ads.

Today though we're starting with the other big dog in the gum world, at least for me, Hubba Bubba.

 Talk about your wordy ads. This is like a novel. I'm not sure what the Wrigley people were thinking when they approved this ad, because it is way too busy. Ok though, lets have a look at this: Gumfighting Dos and Don'ts. That's pretty cute, I can imagine the tv ad for it now, an old west showdown. That's pretty cool. Their big selling point though is definitely the "no stick bubbles" which is of course trade-marked. I know I hated when gum got stuck to my face, so they have a point, you need a good gum for avoiding that. But for all of these kids bubble gums, I don't think any of them stuck to your face, it was only adult gum that did that.

I like the gumfighting stance, the 93 degree arms akimbo (by the way dummy, that means bent). And I really like the paper bag kid. He just can't win when he's not using Hubba Bubba. Its obviously a pretty sorry fate to those people silly enough to try gumfighting with another brand.

Finally I'm kind of amused that Hubba Bubba only comes in Original and Mint flavors. Seriously, mint? That's not one I remember...

These days Hubba Bubba comes in flavors ranging from Outrageous Original, toSweet and Sassy Cherry, Strawberry Watermelon, and Mystery Flavor (for real...). They've also got Bubble Tape, and more branded stuff, but rest assured Hubba Bubba continues to this day.

The same unfortunately be said for the next ad, for Bonkers!
 

 

 Bonkers is not gum. Lets just get that out of the way. Its a chewy candy that looks an awful lot like gum. I'm trying to remember what it tastes like, but while I remember the commercials, I can't actually recall if I actually ever had it. It was a Nabisco product that had its time in the 80s and then ran its course. The commercials on tv had uptight people eating the candy and then going nuts as it "Bonks You Out!", this was often accompanied by a huge piece of fruit landing on them. I think that's what this ad is trying to show us too. The person in the middle here is a cartoon of the spokeswoman for the candy. It always amazes me to think that there was a time when it was hip to have old people as your spokesperson for kids. Maybe it was a reaction to the Where's the Beef? lady.

 Anyhow, the ad is fun, if a bit busy. It takes place in the town of Bonkerville where the population is "bonked out!" from all the fruit falling from the sky. Notice the blimp in the top corner there... do you think they're suggesting that the blimp is dropping the giant fruits on people eating Bonkers? My guess is no, its just a weird magical phenomenon that when you have this candy giant fruits fall from the sky. Speaking of which, why would anyone eat this thing if they knew they we're going to get clobbered with a giant strawberry or something? I know they always seem to end up laughing, but I would be scared of huge falling fruits. Here's a question for you, since there are 3 flavors, which one would you rather have fall on your head? giant strawberry, giant grapes, or a giant orange? My vote is for grapes, at least then you could dodge and weave in-between them.

The last ad I've got for you is a two in one for Rain-Blo and Super Bubble.

These are both third rate gums in my opinion, and the ad is cheap, BUT I do like kites, and this is giving me a chance to get a cool one, even if it has a lame brand on it. I was always a sucker for mail-away offers, even if the product was a bit weak. The kits sound good: made of nylon with a fiberglass frame, a streamer tails. That's a pretty classic design. But $4.95 plus two proofs of purchase? that's too much for this. I'm pretty sure Rain-Blo were the hollow gumball style gum that you'd get at halloween in 3 packs, but I never bought the stuff intentionally. As for the kite, yes its cool, but no its not worth the cost, especially if you have to buy the gum.

There's not much in terms of the picture on the ad. Although that kid is pretty multi-talented, flying two kites at once with the same hand, while blowing a bubble, all the time wearing his sunglasses. Honestly he's kind of an ass with those shades on. We'd have to get James Spader to play him in the movie.... maybe the gumfighter kid could come by and kick his butt. Now that would be entertaining.

Rain-blo and Super Bubble are still around. It was bought from Hershey in '03 by Farley's & Sanders Candy Co. My vote still remains that you should stay away from them though. There are better things to eat out there.

These ads we're pulled from What If...? #21, Web of Spider-Man #2, and Silver Surfer #2 respectively. 

Alright, thats all I've got for today, I'll have another post next week looking at some fun Kool-Aid ads! Until then keep those arms akimbo (that's bent dum dum...)

Cinco de Mayo

Just a quick note today to wish everyone a happy Cinco de Mayo. I hope all your dreams came true. Question, whats your favorite Mexican chocolate or candy?

 

Anyone else like the Carlos V?

 I personally get a bit annoyed with a lot of the candy, sure its sweet, but there's far too many rice based gummies. And despite how great they look, they taste pretty gross after one or two.

Skittles Blenders - video review

Once again its review time here at WTCA, and today we're taking a look at Skittles Blenders!



Not as great as I was hoping for there... you can read more detail on this in the written review, or check out all of the reviews on the Reviews Page.

Skittles Blenders review

It's review time again and today we're looking at Skittles Blenders!

If you'll recall Skittles original flavor was the first review here on Walking the Candy Aisle, and I'll let it be known that generally speaking Skittles are some of my favorite candies of all time. These Blenders are something of a new phenomenon though and I'm excited to dig in.

The packaging holds with the Skittles look and adds a bit. Yellow background this time, with the wonderful rainbow exploding from the letter I. Here we getour first look at the colors to be found inside, and in light of all my bemoaning the absense of a blue color in the original variety pack, I'm happy to say here we've got Blue, Green, Yellow, Pink, and Red. On the back we see learn more. As you'd expect Blenders are mash ups of flavors, and on the back they informs us about the flavors to expect inside. these include "Watermelon Green Apple Freeze", "Strawberry Lime Blast", "Mango Lemonade Freeze", "Melon Berry Blast", and "Cherry Tropicolada"

Skittles are chewy sugary candies with really strong flavors, so at least to me a mash-up seems like it might be a bad idea. The intense flavors are a signature of the candy and I worry that mixing multiple flavors together might make for a lessening of any one single flavor... And really when you eat regular Skittles you usually eat multiple flavors at once in a handful. Isn't that already a mash-up?

The candies themselves have the distinctive "S" emblazoned on them (perhaps so we won't get them mixed up with M&Ms), although I'll say that at least in my bag the lettering seems to be somewhat faded overall. I'm excited to 'taste the rainbow' and opening the bag gives a huge waft of the distinctive fruit smell Skittles are famous for.

The candies have a great consistency, hard shell with a nice chew to them after you bite it a few times. But what you're really here for is to talk about the flavors. These are definitely mash ups but as I feared the mix is off. And really how could it not be, Strawberry Lime tastes way more like strawberry and I'm not really getting any lime off of it. Watermelon Green Apple tastes a lot like green apple, maybe with a subtle hint of watermelon but neither of them are flavors I really like so I'm probably bias on this one.The Mango Lemonade is actually the first mash up that kid of works. I can tastes both flavors and the tart Lemon, mixed with the mango tang is pretty decent.  The Melon Berry as well has a pretty good mix, although I'm not sure what the berry flavor actually is. Finally for the Cherry Tropicolada, the mix is off again and I'm surprised to say it tastes much more like tropicolada than cherry. With all of these I'm not sold that these are really complimentary flavors. Or if they are the mix isn't even enough for my tastes. Also and more importantly the candy isn't as bold as I'm used to with Skittles, I think they're trying for subtlety but I'm honestly not a fan. Sure these are alright, but they're not what I want out of my Skittles.

If you want tropical Skittles flavors I'd say go get a bag of Skittles tropical, or if you want berry, go get Skittles berry, but I don't think you should bother to get Skittles Blenders. Its not really bad, but in terms of an actual flavor blend I feel like this is really a mixed bag. So I suppose that's the bottom line, they're not by any means terrible, but they just aren't flavorful in the way that I'm looking for in my Skittles, and I'd rather go with another Skittles variety over this.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Skittles Blenders - 3 / 5
 

Taste the Rainbow!

Skittles Blenders are copyright WM Wrigley Jr Company - find them online http://www.skittles.com/