Sugar Savvy

Thanks to a comment on last week’s See’ Piece by Piece, I decided to take a look back at the See’s Candies’ pieces I have tasted since The Chocolate Box debuted.

It was quite a trip down taste memory lane. There were some candies I had totally forgotten how much I disliked, a few I rediscovered and some, that, well, are in between. I hesitate to really bad-mouth any pieces of See’s, because it is a big world out there and my lowest ranked piece could be your favorite. Look at the end for the bonus extra – the two candies you couldn’t pay me to eat again.

All pieces are ranked as compared to other See’s Candies on a scale of 1 to 10. To be honest, I’ve never given any candy a 10, partly because I’m just ornery, partly because I’m afraid that what if I gave a candy a 10 and then next week liked something better? My reluctance to over or under rate a candy resulted in fractional ratings such at 8.75. I think that says more about me than the candy.

Why my top 11? There was a three-way tie at the 8.5 ranking. We at Sugar Savvy would love to know what your top 11 See’s Candies’ pieces are. Leave a comment below and we will announce the reader favorites next week.

Favorites 11, 10 and 9 – Coming in at an 8.5 rating:

California Brittle

California Brittle appeared in See’s Piece by Piece number 12. California Brittle features toffee filling and nuggets of almond, is available in the stores coated in either dark or milk chocolate, but it is only available in milk chocolate on the See’s website. This was a great candy, mostly because of the perfection of the gold-colored, hard toffee-almond filling. The toffee was sweet but not overly so and flaky and crunchy.

Milk Chocolate Vanilla Caramel Patties

This candy made its debut in See’s Piece by Piece #9 flaunting its perfect caramel and creamy milk chocolate coating. The caramel is a bit more of the chewy rather than creamy style, with no graininess and no off notes. The milk chocolate enhances the candy’s sweetness without making it too sweet and blends nicely with the caramel.

Vanilla Nut Fudge

This fudge took me by surprise. I was totally wowed by nice, clean vanilla taste and a smooth but not creamy texture. It is positively crammed with walnuts. You can’t take even a tiny nibble without biting into one of the fresh tasting, crispy nuts.

Favorite Number 8 – With the rating of 8.75

Lemon Truffle

The Lemon Truffle was a tasty addition to The Chocolate Box. This candy was light and lively from the first bite, with a distinctive lemon tingle, the filling and its chocolate covering go well together with the deeper, warmer chocolate notes smoothing out the slight sharpness of the citrus. An unnecessary sweetness kept this candy from making the top rankings.

Favorite Numbers 6 and 7 – Rated a 9

Mocha Buttercream

Mocha Buttercream had been one of my favorites before I became a professional See’s taster and remains one. It is featured in See’s Piece by Piece #13. My tasting report is in full drool as I describe the layers of flavors in this candy, concluding “in the end it is like a long, tall, low-acid coffee latte with an extra heavy dusting of cocoa powder and chocolate shavings. And chocolate sprinkles.”

Milk Chocolate Bordeaux

Milk Chocolate Bordeaux is another long time favorite. I wrote about it with the Dark Chocolate Bordeaux in my very first See’s Piece by Piece. I didn’t use a numerical rating system in the first The Chocolate Box, but if I had, the milk chocolate one would rate a 9. See’s Piece by Piece #1 includes a full description of my See’s candy obsession and lots of background info on See’s Candies. This candy combines creamy milk chocolate with creamy brown sugar for a candy with a bit of pleasant tanginess behind the sweetness.

Favorite Numbers 5 and 4 – Earning a Rating of 9.25

Dark Chocolate Butter Chew

The Dark Chocolate Butter Chew was a mysterious brown lump I was handed as a sample at a See’s Candies’ store, something I would not have tried except in the interests in science. It was an alchemist’s delight as the See’s wonderful caramel was transformed into the wonderful chewy filling. This write up came with a warning. Do Not Attempt to Chew if You Have Loose Fillings.

Milk Chocolate Buttercream

The Milk Chocolate Buttercream was one of the most perfect candies I’ve ever had in my mouth and showcases See’s buttercream capabilities and reliance on real butter and cream. A chocolate lover’s piece of chocolate.

Favorite Numbers 3, 2 and 1 – Coming in at 9.5

Dark Chocolate Bordeaux

Dark Chocolate Bordeaux was a learning experience for me with See’s Candies. I had never tasted the milk and dark chocolate of their candies side by side before. I found the coating does make a difference and I thought that the dark chocolate coating tempered the flavor the brown sugar filling better than the milk, leaving a very balanced flavor in the mouth.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream

Just as with the Bordeaux, the Dark Chocolate Buttercream showcased a sweet filling better than the milk.

Raspberry Cream

The Raspberry Cream appeared in See’s Piece by Piece #5 with the Strawberry Cream, which had to be content with a 7.5 rating. The raspberry cream was an exceptional candy with an intense sweet-tart taste that was reminiscent of real fruit. The filling contained, freeze-dried raspberry pieces, fruit puree, butter and cream. It was so full of fruit flavor it should count toward your “five-a-day.”

Keep These Out of My Chocolate Box

Only two of the candies I tried did I rate a one – The Peanut Butter Patties and the Milk Chocolate Covered Cherries. But even though I did not enjoy the chocolate covered cherries, I really enjoyed getting to write about these “chorines of the chocolate box,” my connection to this candy and attempts to eat it without spilling the gooey contents.

Don’t forget to leave the names of your favorite (and/or least favorite) See’s Candies in the comment section below. Sugar Savvy wants to know what’s in your Chocolate Box!