Sugar Savvy

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 […]

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 have to start by saying that I was rather disappointed in the Limited Edition “Razzberry M&M’s” that Mars recently marketed. I just couldn’t get past the overwhelmingly artificial smell and taste of the raspberry flavoring. So when I heard that they were coming out with a new “Wildly Cherry” flavor I didn’t have high […]

Here in the US, the Kit Kat is manufactured under Hershey’s. Elsewhere in the world, Kit Kat is made by Nestle. My Kit Kat Hazelnut Cream was given to me by my friend Katie, who bought it for me while in Egypt last Christmas, so it’s made by Nestle. And because it’s probably manufactured in […]

When I was 3 years old, I “ran away” from home with my older brother, Ricky, and next-door neighbor, Jimmy (both 4). Well, we didn’t really run away so much as take a self-guided field trip to Tiffany’s Drug Store (no relation to the jewelry store, fyi) to load up on provisions, i.e., sweet, sweet […]

Again with the Das Caramelini … they keep sending and we keep reviewing (and chewing).  (Enter “das” in the search field our our site here to see 6 previous reviews of Das salted caramels in a variety of flavors.)
To avoid redundancy, I will simply say that the remarks and opinions put forth with regard to the other […]

When I was told that a sample Galaxy dark bar was on its way to me in the mail, I never expected the 125 g (4.4 oz) behemoth that finally arrived. It was ginormous!
The bar’s wrapper reminded me of Dove chocolates. A quick Googling revealed that Galaxy and Dove are actually the same company. It’s […]

Over the course of my life, I have taken in no small amount of toffee – of the butternut crunch genre.  From Almond Roca to Lula’s, to See’s -  I rarely miss an opportunity to sample an English, California, or whatever they want to name it, nut and butter based toffee, coated with chocolate and then […]

Recently, I took a culinary press trip to Jamaica sponsored by the Jamaica Tourism Board.  Shortly after my return, I was sent something that I wish I’d sampled while in country, as they say. It was a package of three dried cocoa balls, nutmeg and a grater, along with instructions on how to make “Jamaican […]

When I tasted Hi Chew for the first time, I really couldn’t believe it. With one bite, they easily became my favourite candy. Literally the best tasting candy I’ve ever eaten. These Starburst-like chews from Japan come in several different flavours, all of which are remarkably authentic.
Blueberry tastes just like blueberries. Strawberry tastes mostly like […]