A Candy Perfume

This one seems even more unlikely than candy jewelry: candy perfume. It does, however, exist, and I'm so glad that Rosa at ZOMG, Candy! made me aware of it. It sounds like this candy is the result of a collaboration between BENEO, a Belgian innovator in health and nutrition, and Alpi, a Bulgarian confectionery company. The candy is made with ISOMALT, a sugar replacement made from sugar beets, and geraniol, which is derived from roses, lavender and vanilla. In essence, the geraniol, after being consumed in the slow-dissolving candy, will be secreted through the pores, creating a long-lasting perfume effect.

For a more scientifically accurate explanation, here's what BENEO has to say about the new product.

Hershey's In Some Hot Water

A group of people protested in front of the Hershey store in New York yesterday.  They were apparently accusing the company of using child labour in the production of the companies treats.

Click here to read more.

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Naomi Campbell is Not a Diva

Or this is what she told the world after an advertisement from Cadbury suggests that she was.  I've never met the woman so I can't say for sure, but I'm sure the people at Cadbury where just joking around and didn't mean any harm.  Maybe they could do a follow up campaign, lay off here possible "divaness", and focus on her lack of humor.

Click here to read more about the ad.

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Creative Gummy Bear Art

I love this photo of a gummy bear skin rug.

Found on Boing Boing, click here for a bigger version.

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Diamonds and Pearls and... Chocolate?

I just had to share this: Heather over at Candy Addict found this awesome jewelry company that makes... wait for it... Chocolate Jewelry! The collection includes earrings, necklaces and a chocolate ring. Each piece features a chocolate malted milk ball, decorated with edible gold leaf.


Check out the entire collection on Wendy Mahr Jewelry's website.

I Don't Understand Japanese Anime.

There I said it, I've seen a few Japanese Anime movies in my day, and only about half of them made any sense at all.  I still consider myself to be a geek/nerd, but I just can't get into this genera.  This became abundantly clear to me when I saw a new advertisement produced for Meiji in Japan for their gummy treats.

Click here to learn about the ad.

Click here to check it out for yourself, warning it doesn't make any sense.

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Little Japanese Coloured Dots

Some Japanese candies are really clever, some taste fantastic, other are down right terrifying.  These can easily be identified as one of the most mundane Japanese candies that I've ever eaten.  Sure there was a bit of thrill when I took my first bite, but that's just because I couldn't read the package so I had no idea what I was eating.

Click here to read today's Japanese Degashi review.

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Can Jello Shots Be Classy?

Jello shots don't normally have the reputation for being something one would serve on a silver tray at a "function".   However this idea seems to be changing.  The folks at Martha Stewart look into the idea of Jello shots as being a classy treat. And I'd say if the folks at Martha Stewart are even looking into this, then it's on the way to be appropriate.

Click here to read more from Martha Stewart

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The Candy Expo Is Over

It's been a few years since I've been able to make it down to Chicago to enjoy the largest candy show in North America.  I'd really love to go back and check it out some day.  When I did go I had a great time and I got to meet a lot of really great candy people.  Now all I get to do is read about it later and feel a twinge of jealousy when I see the free swag they had on offer.

Here's Serious Eats show wrap up.

Here's an article about what Jelly Belly brought to the show.

Click here to read about how sweet treats are vanishing from the show.

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Stop Cravings By Thinking About Food

In what I can only describe as one of the most bizarre ways to stop cravings, Friends Eat suggests a technique that involves regularly visualizing the food you want to eat, but shouldn't.  They also suggest doing these visualizations while eating other food that doesn't taste as good as the food you want to eat.  I can see how this might work, but I'm not %100 convinced.  As of late I've been getting many tips and trick on how to stop cravings, so I think a Candy Critic experiment is in order.  Check back later.

Click here to read more about mental dieting.

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Chocolate University: Is it Worth Enrolling?

A couple of months ago, Chris discovered an article about Chocolate University online and he shared his initial thoughts on the program. A curriculum that revolves around tasting chocolate can't be too bad, right?

After looking over a preview of the first lesson, however, I have to say that I'm a little more skeptical. The program is 40 weeks long ($19.95/month), with one lesson arriving conveniently in the students' inboxes each week. The first two weeks deal with milk chocolate, the next two with dark chocolate, then chocolate tasting, a couple of weeks focused on specialty and single origin chocolates, and then a few weeks of a chocolate play-off of sorts.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a purist, so starting with lessons on milk chocolate makes me wary right off the bat. This might be simply a personal preference: I can understand how milk chocolate could be a considered the ‘lowest common denominator’ and therefore a suitable starting point for chocolate neophytes. In my opinion, however, it seems much more logical to analyze and appreciate chocolate in a more pure form, before introducing the additional milk, caramel and vanilla notes that exist in milk chocolate. (Again, I'm no expert, and Bryn Kirk certainly does have credentials- she spent 10 years in R&D for Ambrosia Chocolate Company.)

Curriculum aside, I have significant doubts about the cost-benefit value of enrolling in this course. I recently read Discover Chocolate by Clay Gordon, founder of chocophile.com. In 150 pages, Gordon provides a complete understanding of chocolate, covering every aspect from cocoa harvest to wine pairings. His writing is sophisticated yet approachable, unlike the rather dumbed-down version provided by Chocolate U. In the first chapter alone Gordon provides a thorough and interesting guide to chocolate tasting, something Chocolate U fails to do in their eight page first lesson. Further, because I borrowed it from my local library, this guide to connoisseurship was completely free. Call me crazy, but the idea of paying $19.95/month for something I can get for free doesn't seem like a particularly 'sweet' deal.

Another Japanese Degashi Review?

The thing about Degashi is, in Japan it's really popular.  I find this interesting because much of the world is interested in Japanese treats and Japanese culture, so it's always cool to find out what Japan is into.  It's as if eating these treats I'm given the inspiration that feeds the machine that inspires a great deal of the world.  I just hope my candy musings can inspire a little as well.

Click here to read the latest Japanese review.

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"Rock on Candy Critic"

A few years back the folks at Chocotelegram sent me some chocolate to review. They sent me chocolate letters spelling out the words "Rock on Candy Critic".  At the end of the review I asked anybody if they could come up with an anagram for this true statement and I finally got one from regular contributor Mikey:

“Accord city corn ink.”

I don't know what it means but I appreciate the effort, thanks Mikey!

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Volkswagen's Edible Ad

Making the rounds on the internet is the news that Volkswagen's created a magazine advertisement that is completely edible.  It's a pretty cool idea and if I can find one I'm going to give it a taste.  What I'm wondering is why no candy companies came up with this idea first.  It seems like the perfect fit.

Click here to read more about the edible ad.

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Greek Birthdays Are Pretty Cool

Here in Greece the tradition on your birthday is a little strange, compared to what I'm used to.  Here, rather than simply receiving gifts, on your birthday it is your duty to bring in sweet treats for your friends and co-workers.  I like this tradition, particularly today.  For today, for a friends birthday, I got a couple of really yummy almond cookies.

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The Difference Between Americans And Canadians

If you go abroad one of the things you'll discover is that most people assume that Americans and Canadians are pretty much the same.  In some cases that's relatively true, we speak the same language, we enjoy watching television, we both drink beer (although Canadian beer is much better).  But there are a few differences that set us apart, and we can now add snacking preferences as one of them.  According to a survey Canadian snack fanatics prefer salty foods to sweet, Americans prefer sweet.

Click here to read about the survey.

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The Brownie Origins Are a Mystery

According to this article I found in Friends Eat, the origin of the brownie is a bit of a mystery.  All they're fairly sure about is that it was created in the US, and that it probably happened in the early 1900s.  Not only is the origin a bit of a mystery, but according this article the definition is also a little hazy.  Apparently the only thing a brownie really needs is dark chocolate.

Click here to read an article that leaves you with more questions than answers.

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Japanese Review-a-Thon Update

I forgot to mention yesterday when I started this review-a-thon, that it's not just about Japanese candy.  It's a little more specific than that.  This review-a-thon is about Japanese Degashi candy.  Degashi can best be described as retro Japanese penny candy.  It's not the stuff you'll find in every store in Japan today, but it's treats that many people have fond memories.

Click here to check out the latest Degashi review.

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Food Art

I tend to be a fan of all things whimsical, so when I stumbled upon this post featuring the work of Christopher Boffoli I just fell in love. Tiny people and food- what could be cuter?


The post on My Modern Met also has a great little interview with the artist (it goes a but deeper than my "oh that's adorable". Enjoy!

Do You Think You're Turning Japanese?

Well it could be true, it could also be that you're just super excited because it is day one of the Japanese Candy Review-a-Thon!  Yup I've got a stellar line of up strange and fun Japanese candy set up for this week, and maybe even a little beyond.  Every day I hope to show you something from Japan that you've never seen before.

Click here to read today's Japanese candy review.

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