Turtles - video review

Another Christmas classic for review today, we're looking at Turtles.


For more on Turtles please check out the written review, or all of our reviews over on the reviews page.

Turtles review

Today we've got another Christmas review for you, lets look at the ever popular holiday favorite Turtles.

While technically this may not be a holiday themed treat, for some reason it is heavily marketed at the holidays. Perhaps its the odd inclusion of pecans as the central nut... Would consumers not accept pecans at other times of year? It seems like we're ready to have all sorts of nuts at the holidays. Kinda weird. Anyhow in case you were wondering, while this is branded under the DeMet's Candy Company logo elsewhere, here it is a Nestlé product.

Looking at the package I have to admit right off the bat I'm a fan. While I don't usually go in for the corny old timey 1920s look of red and white (or silver) stripes, this has a classiness that is somehow charming. Possibly I'm just used to seeing it every year for my whole life so I don't mind. Either way I think the effect works, especially around the holidays when everyone is a bit more lenient on cheesy stuff.

If you haven't had it before, this is a chocolate filled with pecans and caramel. Its designed to look somewhat like a turtle. And although there have reportedly been a few attempts at making it more distinctly turtle-like over the years for the most part you'll see Turtles as they appear on the package, kind of blobby and mounded with a few protrusions. I like how on the packaging picture you can see the caramel dripping. That kind of gooey-ness is exactly what I'm looking for.



Looking at the other side of the package we see what is possibly one of the coolest mascots ever. Its the fancy Turtle guy. Now obviously this guy just exudes class. Top hat and tux, a red bow tie, and to complete the ensemble an actual to goodness monocle! Why don't all turtles dress up like this?! Its hilarious and adorable. I mean this guy, Mr Monopoly, and Mr Peanut should definitely be hanging out. It all totally works for me.


Over at the DeMet's website you can also get a full view of him, and he is totally awesome :)

 Ok, let's get into the actual chocolate here. As you can see its not too big, definitely smaller than a candy bar, but its bigger by far than your average box of chocolates chocolate, and at the holidays that's what Turtles will be directly competing with. I also appreciate that there are three in each package; its tiring seeing how many chocolates have transitions to two small halves of chocolate in every wrapper.

Biting into the turtles, we get into the goods... or not so good in this case. The chocolate is totally unremarkable, the caramel is not gooey, despite the promises of the packaging, but the pecans are the biggest problem here.

I wondered earlier to myself why there weren't more candies and chocolates based around pecans. I mean peanuts just totally dominate the field... Where are the cashew, or walnut, or pistachio flavored chocolate bars? Well if this is an indication, I think I know. Those other chocolate bars don't exist because peanuts are simply way better when paired with chocolate than any other nut. Case in point, this turtle tastes pretty bad.

Perhaps bad is too harsh a word for it; this is more a case of a totally unexciting chocolate. There's nothing to engage with here, the chocolate isn't terrible, but isn't anything special. The caramel isn't gooey, but it is sweet and its not like rock hard... I just am not digging the Turtle at all though, there's nothing grabbing me and saying 'this is where you're supposed to be paying attention and caring!' I have a sinking feeling that this would be a pretty decent chocolate if only it was filled with peanuts instead of pecans.

This is  a disappointing chocolate through and through. I don't think I'll be getting this one again, and suggest you skip this one for your holiday treats.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Turtles - 2 / 5

Turtles are a DeMet's Candy Company / Nestlé product, please find out more about them at http://www.demetsturtles.com/

To Fondue or Not Fondue

Chocolate fondue never had hardware like this before!

I saw these Cadbury Fondue pot / cooker sets at ye old Dollarama. What really interests me though is the advertising on the side!

I asked and of course the Dollarama does not carry the actual fondue packets, but if I can get my hands on it I'd love to review it for the blog. Let me know if you've come across these in your travels. Generally speaking I consider fondue pretty horribly unhygienic and steer clear, even if it is tasty; for this though I'd make an exception.

Hi-Chew - video review

Another fun review for you today, here we've got a look at Hi-Chew!


For more on this please check out the full written review or all our reviews on the reviews page.

Hi-Chew review

Welcome all to yet another awesome review from the Candy Aisle. Today we are looking at Hi-Chew.

I'll be reviewing multiple flavors of Hi-Chew here, so if that bothers you... get over it. We're talking general terms about how good or bad this candy is, hopefully you can draw larger conclusions about specific flavors for yourself. Today I've got the flavors Grape, and Mango.

According to the wiki page Hi-Chew was developed in the 30s and 40s in Japan as a bubble gum that could be swallowed. You see, in Japanese culture its rude to be seen taking something out of your mouth after its been chewed, so traditional western gum wouldn't work. So what we get now is a cross between gum, and a Starburst. I'm definitely excited to get my teeth into this one. I see it in the stores all the time but just never get it.


Each piece of Hi-Chew comes individually wrapped. This seems to be a standard Eastern tradition with candies (or cookies), but man its sure a waste of wrapping paper. As for these specific ones, I like the design work, Both the grape and mango wrappers have nice pictures of the fruit in question, and I really like the logo. Its fun, and kind of cartoony, but being all caps its got an impact as well. Its almost like some kind of superhero font.

Getting into the "fruit chew" itself, there's a few small things to note. While a bit bigger than a Starburst, the candy has the same tackiness to the surface. Again according to the wiki all Hi-Chew (barring a few exceptions) have a colored flavored center surrounded by a white outer layer. Apparently the white layer does not have any flavoring in it. Why is it included if its got no flavoring? I just don't know.

Here's a good look at the end though and you can see obvious where the flavoring is and get a  sense of size. It looks, and smells very good. In fact the smell is almost too much. Very strong and fruity.

A number of people have noted that this candy is very reminiscent of the 80s and 90s powerhouse Bonkers. Well it certainly looks the same, and people are incredibly nostalgic for that (I expect a revival any day now). I personally can't remember the taste of Bonkers, but I thought the comparison should be mentioned :)

 

Biting into a Hi-Chew is quite an experience. The first thing to note is that this is just packed with flavor. Its intense, and fruity; I'd say even more so than Skittles or a Starburst, but along those same sweet and fruity lines. The next thing you'll notice is that this really is much more gum-like than a Starburst. While a Starburst will dissolve in your mouth after say 4 or 5 bites, a Hi-Chew will last around 10 bites. Its a weird, but not unpleasant experience. I'm trying to put my finger on exactly what it is... but its tricky.

So you know how even though a Starburst will last for 4 or 5 bites its really just dissolving right away, and the 4 or 5 bites are actually just getting through the volume of the candy. Well Hi-Chew doesn't feel like that. This actually feels like gum in that it stays solid and whole in your mouth for a number of bites before even starting to dissolve.

I like this candy, its strongly flavored and may be too much for some, but I am a huge fan of Skittles and other strongly flavored fruit snacks so this is definitely up my alley. I like the fact that some of the flavors are more unusual in the western market. Even mango isn't too common, and we all know grape is a dying candy flavor. I like how bold this is. It doesn't pull any punches and should be commended for that. While it may not be for everyone, I can definitely recommend Hi-Chew.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Hi-Chew - 4 / 5

Hi-Chew is a product of Morinaga and Company, you can find out more official stuff about Hi-Chew at http://www.hi-chew.com/

Old Ads Gum

We've got yet another fun series of posts planned for this month. Don;'t expect this to impact either the Xmas reviews, or the regular ones. But today we kick off another look at some fun old candy ads!

Welcome to the advertising of yesteryear. Before we knew any better, when times were simpler and people thought giving kids all the candy they could eat was totally ok... So maybe that's a stretch, but candy advertising has certainly changed over the years. One thing that hasn't changed though, appeal to the kids and they will force their parents to buy it for them.

Lets start things out with a few ads for bubble gum :)

We all know Bubblicious is the Ultimate...well unless you're a Hubba Bubba fan, but this ad clearly states that this is a "taste that towers above the rest". I find it interesting that the Bubblicious skyscraper is Orange flavored, but then down below the package that's meant to sell you on it is original flavored. I'm not a huge gum person but I hardly ever bought straight 'bubble gum' flavored gum.

I'm thinking probably this building would be the Bubblicious headquarters if it existed... how I wish we lived in a world where buildings were made out of gum. The workers would of course have to eat their offices, carving something nice and functional. Sure it'd probably be pretty gross after a while...but you know the trick, just add a tiny bit of sugar and it'll all get its flavor back again.

Ok, now I'm going to try not to make \any inappropriate jokes about this ad. So we probably shouldn't mention the graphic explosion of juice from the gum.... Kids, that's what you should expect here though. Juice explosions in your mouth. How about the odd fact that this gum obviously is named after Punch & Judy, the abusive puppets you may have seen as a child. Remember when spousal violence was ok for kids??? I wish the mascot for Punch & Juicy was the characters Punch and Judy. That would be awesome. Instead we get a wobbly bubble, who is obviously way too happy about the situation. 

These are spme pretty awesome flavor names too, "Oozin' Fruit", "Burstin' Regular". But they seem to have lost their nerve with the new flavors "Very Cherry", and "Great Grape".. Come on guys... this gum is just begging for a "Poppin' Cherry"and "Gushin' Grape" .... maybe next time :)

These ads are from Marvel's Magik limited series issue #1, and  The Amazing Spider-Man limited Canadian PSA series #4 respectively. Look for another post on old ads next week right here on the blog!

Halloween 2012 Wrap

Halloween has sadly come and gone. In the States people are getting ready for Thanksgiving before the major Christmas onslaught and here in Canada we've got a little breathing room before things get crazy again. At Walking the Candy Aisle though we've got some big plans for the blog through the end of the year. Expect full tilt coverage on the Christmas candies you love, and a starting look at some of the Canadian chocolates and candies you may or may not be so familiar with.

As for Halloween, it was definitely a success here. And considering the fact that my family and I have only really just moved to a new country I'm amazed so much content went up. In case you missed it, here are the various Halloween themed reviews that posted on WTCA this month. Please click through to any you may have missed.

Cadbury Screme Egg - written - video
Cadbury Screme Egg Snack Cakes - written - video
Russell Stover Milk Chocolate Pumpkin - written - video
Marshmallow Brooms - written - video
Scary Eye - written - video
Russell Stover Caramel & Marshmallow Pumpkin - written - video
Peeps Marshmallow Pumpkins - written - video

I hope you all had a great Halloween. Here's hoping things keep going strong through until next Halloween :)

Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane - video review

Kicking off the Christmas review season in style today with a look at Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane flavor.


Very nice :) Remember to check back here on Friday for a regular candy review! For more on this product please check out the full written review, or all of our reviews over on the reviews page.

Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane review

The holiday season is upon us and today we kick of our holiday reviews with a great starter, Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane!

These delectable little treats come in a number of varieties, but the basic concept is milk chocolate in a bell or drop shape, covered in foil with a cute little flag poking out the top. They have been around for ages and have come in a number of flavors, including white chocolate, dark chocolate, with almonds and more. These ones are flavored like peppermint candy canes! Kisses almost always come in a bag like this. The bag holds maybe 30 or so Kisses inside so this is definitely one you'll have for a long haul. In fact at holiday time they make for great snacks in a bowl for visitors.

I like the bag we've got here, it's thematically appropriate, frosty white with the red peppermint bands of candy canes along the sides. I like the snowflakes, and of course the kisses themselves are prominently displayed. This is one of the few candies that advertizes itself by showing more wrappers, instead of the actual chocolate. Kinda weird, but it works because you end up remembering what the wrappers are and picking your favorites out of a crowd. mmm... a crowd of kisses, that's nice :)

In case you still are a bit mystified just imagine a standard chocolate chip grown through terrible experimentation to ginormous size. Thats what this is, the godzilla of chooclate chips.

I really like the packaging here, it fits the standards for all Kisses, foil wrapped tightly around the chocolate. Here we see red candy cane shapes peppered over the wrapper, and the trademark little flag coming out the top. Often the flag will just say Hershey's on it but in this case it actually says Candy Cane. I think thats a good idea since so many people are likely to be sharing Kisses around the holidays, and not everyone might pick up on the design on the wrapper.

Getting the chocolate out if its wrapper, you can see how good this looks, even if you're not a fan of candy canes you have to be a little impressed with how well they've done the pin-striping on this chocolate. The smell of peppermint is very strong and it has a good undercurrent of chocolate.

Kisses are big, for tiny chocolates, but small for a sweet snack, I think part of the thing that makes them so great is that they actually look a lot like chocolate chips. Everyone knows that eating a chocolate chip is like nothing. No big deal. So eating a Hershey's Kiss shouldn't be a big deal either. And compared to the size of some candies and chocolates you'll see around the holidays its not, but these are exactly the kind of chocolates that you'll eat 4 or 5 of then only realize it after the fact.

Biting into the Kiss is good. The chocolate isn't too strong here. Probably a good thing considering Hershey's chocolate is pretty middle of the road (or bad depending on who you ask). The main sensation is a texture of smooth chocolate, accented by the surprising pops of actual hard bits of peppermint candy cane. This really is surprising! I mean I saw the coloring on the outside, but a part of me just thought it was decoration. Nope, this really is peppermint candy cane . Little bits of it are flecked just under the surface of the Kiss.

The distribution isn't too even over the surface of the Kiss, and some Kisses have certainly more peppermint than others, but overall the effect is a good one.

I've never been a huge fan of actual candy canes, mostly due to the messy form factor, and the fact that it inevitably gets stuck in your teeth, while this may get stuck in your teeth, the individual pieces are so small I'd doubt it, and the chocolate really isn't very messy at all. Definitely not as sticky as a candy cane gets.

If you like candy canes this is a great way to get the fix, without the mess; and you'll get some chocolate to boot. I'm a fan of this and think that you should check it out, especially if you expect guests to drop in over the holidays. This is a much easier, and more affordable holiday treat than say Lindors, and the flavor is great. I'm looking forward to trying more holiday themed Kisses.

Walking the Candy Aisle rates Hershey's Kisses Candy Cane - 4 / 5

For more on all things Hershey's and Kisses, please visit http://www.hersheys.com/

It's Begining to Look A Lot...

Like Christmas Candy time!!!

I was of course wandering down the aisle this week, and my goodness the Christmas stuff is out already!

There's some good stuff out already, but I expect more to be hitting the shelves around town soon. I picked up a few select goodies for review here, and you can expect some great stuff coming down the pipe for the holidays here at Walking the Candy Aisle. Starting most significantly with double reviews from now until Christmas. One regular and one Holiday themed (at least through November). Then I may switch over full time to Xmas candy.

A few specific Holiday treats jumped out at me that I thought I'd share.

Nice Kinder packaging here.  I'm thinking about kicking off the new year doing some stuff on Kinder here on the blog. Maybe now's the time to dig in.

I've been seeing these 3-Dees all over the place lately, but they just seem so dumb that I've been trying to avoid them. I mean fruit gummies come and go every day... are these so different? Anyhow, these certainly got the licenses.

Now here's a gift box I'd like to receive!

You knew it had to happen right. I mean the Angry Birds are EVERYWHERE!

I get that Mini Eggs are everywhere now, but why exactly are they Christmas themed??? What animal lays its eggs in the middle of winter?! That seems totally reckless for both chickens and rabbits.

Hooray for alcohol chocolates! Both Lindt and Baileys themselves have gotten into the game. Awesome. I can't wait to try (and review) these for the blog!

Something that could surely only be made and sold in Canada, the Reese Half Pound Peanut Butter Cup!!! Holy Moly that's a big peanut butter cup!

Zami launching into competition with Kinder comes out swinging with these holiday themed Winne the Pooh ornaments inside milk chocolate eggs! Is this a good idea or a terrible one?

And holiday themed Kit Kats. These are essentially just Kit Kat minis (the same size as the 2 stick ones) but they've got a picture of jolly old Saint Nick on them. I picked one of these up immediately.

 Very cute. I like the smile, and the mittens.

Weird thing to break a kit kat across the middle... but that's how this was designed. Still tastes just as good though :)

I'm looking forward to a great Christmas here on the Candy Aisle blog. I hope you'll stick with me and enjoy the festive season!