Sugar Savvy

Not too long ago I was standing in the danger zone — read: checkout lane — with my family, trying to figure out the best way to arrange my groceries on the conveyor so that the checkout lad could pack them in such a way that we’d get 12 out of 12 eggs intact at home […]

If you’ve ever been near the German town of Lübeck, you definitely know about Niederegger stores and cafés. If you haven’t been there, or have not heard or tasted their products, grab some the next time you run into them.
Niederegger is the most important marzipan producer in Lübeck, and according to some locals, it’s the […]

Amano is one of less than 20 chocolate makers in the United States actually making their own chocolate. This is to say that they begin with raw beans, roast and grind them, and then create small-batch, high quality chocolate bars. Hence the he name “Amano,” which translates to “by hand.” Chocolate savant David Lebovitz spells […]

These days, chocolate can be tasted with a discrimination similar to those of wine tastings. Here are some resources that I found to be helpful for planning my chocolate tasting:

All Chocolates

Tasting Basics

Selecting Chocolates

Flavor Notes

The Chocolate Review - if you register, they have a great PDF listing flavor notes
The Nibble
Real Simple’s Tasting Grid (PDF)

I started […]

Air popped popcorn is already a hard to beat healthy snack, but sometimes you don’t want to be bothered with plain boring white popcorn. You want something with a bit of punch, a dash of pizazz, or let’s just say it, covered in caramel or chocolate. If only I could have my cake and eat […]

Sometimes the shape of candy greatly affects its taste.  Take Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, for example.  The taste of a regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is quite different from the taste of a Reese’s Miniature Cup or a Reese’s Big Cup.
One factor as to why shape of the Reese’s affects its taste is the ratio […]

I spent the latter week of my spring break in Maine and managed to nab a factory tour of Haven’s Candies, which was definitely one of highlights of my break. Though I’ve taken tours of the Jelly Belly and Scharffen Berger factories, I’d never gotten anything as up close and hands-on as my tour of […]

Before ever being in Europe I have only vague recollection of Milka Bars. Upon spending some time there, I came to realize how popular the familiar purple wrapper chocolates are. According to a TV news study, a significant percentage of kids in France thought the purple cow was actually a real variety.
On my last trip to Europe, […]

Honestly, before I put one of these little candies in my mouth, I’d forgotten how much I liked Tootsie Pops. There is something about a Tootsie Pop that makes it different from any other lollipop, and these wonderful little candy drops let you enjoy that special quality without the awkward stick and the painfully distended cheek.
Packaged […]