Simple Hard Candy

Probably the second biggest complaint I get about some of the treats featured on candycritic.org is the idea that some may not actually be candy. Defining candy is kind of tricky, but I feel like this new review would be hard to argue. I can agree that potato chips, cookies and maybe even chocolate may not technically be candy, but I would be happy to debate anyone who felt these weren't. As for the treats that might be a little harder to argue that they're candy, my answer is simple, if you strongly disagree that something I've reviewed is not candy, you're welcome to make your own website and exclude them.

Check out my latest (truly) candy review.

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The Science and Magic of Hard Candy

 This is a really great documentary about how hard candy is made. Watching these experts do their craft is almost as much fun as eating the candy.

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Almost The Original, But Not Exactly

 

This candy made me think once again about the power of authenticity. I always find that authenticity in food, particular candy, is a strange battle. Just because a company did not invent a particular candy, doesn't mean that their version is less superior... right? The problem with this argument is that the original companies often do make the more superior version of most treats. I've had hundreds of variations of classic treats, but most of the time the original seems to be the better one. My only guess is that the original company has a reputation to uphold. The copycat companies can always move onto the next popular snack and make a copy of it instead, while the original company needs that treat to be the best it can be.

Check out my latest review where I taste a generic copy of a classic candy.

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I'm Getting Too Old For This

My birthday is this week, and I've decided that I'm okay with what many people call old people's candy. I'm also okay with kids candy as well, but I've come to terms with the fact that my taste is maturing. The other day I found myself going through Twitter, I saw a picture of some peppermints and I was excited at the idea of tasting them. I'm pretty sure that peppermints are not the kind of candy that the young kids are into, so I've accepted that I'm an old man. Fortunately I feel like I'm not too old to continue to eat kids candy, so I don't have to retire this website.

Click here to read a classic candy review that I likely wouldn't have reviewed 20 years ago.

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You can also buy my comic book, because it would be a nice thing to do on my birthday week.

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Hard Candy Is Real Candy - Butter Scotch Candies

One of the most common complaints I get about candycritic.org is that I review some things that others don't consider to be "candy". I will admit that I think I skirt the line a bit when it comes to things I'll review, chips and cookies are certainly on the border. What I consider candy, and what I'm willing to review on the site can at times be different. The thing is, I believe that there are several different interpretations of the word "candy". Sometimes candy is boiled sugar that is then hardened and often flavoured. However, sometimes candy is just a nice packaged treat that you find at store that makes you happy. It all depends on who you ask and when.

This week I'm off the hook, this week I'm actually reviewing candy by everyone's definition. This week I'm posting a hard candy review-a-thon. So that means every day this week I'll post a new review featuring a candy that is boiled sugar that is then hardened and often flavoured.

Check out our first hard candy review here.

Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up with the review-a-thon. You can also check out all our hard candy reviews from the past here.

Be sure to check out our Patreon page as well, for all kinds of extra content.

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Tom's Look At The Visual Side Of Snacks And Candy - Ross’s Edinburgh Castle Rock

If you are new to this feature on Candy Critic, let me say, even though this piece is about a candy package with a retro look (last time was Lucky Elephant) it’s completely by chance. Non-retro packaging will feature again!

This particular item was found at “Paisley’s, the Wee British Shop” in Bowmanville, Ontario (Canada, for any international Candy Critic enthusiasts). I was immediately struck by the simple, yet effective design with it’s tartan pattern. A cut-out window shows the candy’s muted, pastel colours. It made me think of sticks of chalk, which may not be the best mental association for food. The name of the treat, Edinburgh Castle Rock, also might suggest an extremely hard, dense candy. I was assured by the clerk that neither was it chalk nor was it hard.

The package features a classic script text for  the possessive of the company name: “Ross’s”. The script name is printed red on a yellow background that fades like a sky behind a silhouette of the titular castle. A solid, simple sans serif typeface in one uniform size spells out the product’s name against the blue cliffside castle. A sense of depth is created with a dark, silhouetted tree scape in the foreground. The tartan design is created with careful overlaps of three of the basic printing ink colours to create several secondary colours. The cutaway window cleverly ties the candies’ colour into the overall colour design.

While a look at the company didn’t reveal how long the company had used this package design, it did reveal that Ross’s has been making candy since 1880! The clerk at Paisley’s said she had a relative who would bring a box to gift the family when she (the clerk) was a child. The company is still a family run operation that uses classic recipes as well as explores new candy creations. The range of “rock” stick candy flavours is extensive and includes some intriguing ones such as haggis, marmite, pizza and rhubarb. It seems the three flavours featured in this box only scratch the surface!

Tom

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Why Would You Eat That?!! T-Shirt
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Candy In The Media - Watching Them Make Hard Candy By Hand

When people make candy the old fashioned way, I could just watch it all day long.  This is truly an art.

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Candy In The Media

Who would have thought that those simple looking sweets for Valentine's Day are so complicated to make.

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Candy In The Media

Man this is a depressing song.  I've learned two things about Dolly Parton listening to this song.  First of all she really gets sad around Christmas time, I mean she's really not that happy at all.  Secondly, I get the feeling that like many people, Dolly Parton does not like hard Christmas candy.  I wonder if she had the same experience as I did.  When I was a kid my mom would put out hard candy at Christmas and most of it wouldn't be touched, then it would sit in the bowl for months, forgotten. Eventually I'd be desperate enough to try and eat some but by then it would have hardened into a solid lump. I'd try and break pieces off, and I'd inevitably cut myself on the hard candy scaring my hands and my interest in Christmas candy forever.

(Thanks to Mark for his song suggestion)

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Wednesday's Japanese Candy Review

I'm starting to really run low on Japanese candy reviews.  This means I either have to stop doing a special Japanese review ever Wednesday, or I have to get myself some more Japanese candy.  The lazy man in me thinks just stopping this review would be the easiest.  The not so lazy man in me is thinking that maybe I should start highlighting some other treats from other places.  The ambitious person in me thinks that I should seek out more Japanese candy.  Today the lazy person is screaming the loudest, but I think by next week I'll re-think it through.

Click here to read this weeks Japanese candy review.

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8 Days Of UK Treats - Day 7

During one of my podcasts, we got into a discussion as to whether or not rhubarb was a fruit or a vegetable. According to Canadian law, we discovered that it is in fact designated as a fruit.  I'm assuming that it's because of the applications this fruit/vegetable is used for, mostly desserts.  I also imagine that scientists might argue against rhubarb being a fruit since you're pretty much just eating the stalks of leaves.  I can see both arguments in this issue, I can also tell you that rhubarb is a much too often overlooked flavour for candy.  There are thousands of candy companies that produce fruit flavoured treats, but very few that include rhubarb in these categories.

Click here to read a classic rhubarb treat review.

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