ZOMG, Candy!

Hi dear readers,

On Monday, I start being a real person. What do I mean by that, exactly? Well, I graduated back in May, spent most of June traveling, and now that it’s July, it’s time for me to start my first full-time job. I start work on Monday.

Though I somehow managed to keep up my usual schedule of Monday, Wednesday, Friday reviews, Tuesday, Thursday news posts all throughout May and June, when I was doing a lot of traveling and moving and graduating from college, I need a break as I finish up this last little bit of life transitioning.

So, for the next two weeks, I’m taking a candy review break. Y’all will still get new week-daily content in the form of news posts, and I’ll be back on the 20th of July with my usual schedule of alternating reviews with news.

In summary, still posting Monday through Friday, but no reviews until July 20th. Sorry to be so lame, but I need the time to get settled in my new life. Have a great day!

Via AdFreak, a strange commercial for Cadbury’s Caramilk bar that explains how the bar is made via interpretive dance. Perhaps y’all can make sense of it? I watched it and still have no idea how the caramel gets inside the chocolate.

Ferrero found not guilty of accusations of hazelnut fraud (dun dun dun!!!)

Good to know that the company capable of churning out the adorable Kinder Hippos isn’t also shuffling money and hazelnuts around.

PS: Happy birthday, Mom!

According to Serious Eats, the Beatles were not Jelly Baby fans.

I bought some Marks & Spencer’s Jelly Babies last summer in England, but I don’t have a picture because I bought them for train ride sustenance and polished them off before I could photograph them. They were okay - interesting texture.

Via the NY Times, an article about a hyped-up chocolate called Xoçai that’s being sold via network marketing. I’m more than dubious about the claim that three pieces of Xoçai are the nutritional equivalent of a pound of spinach…

The Kitchn has a neat behind-the-scenes look at how Taza Chocolate (the 80% previously reviewed here) is made. Thanks to another Calhoun College chocolate tasting, I’ve now tried all three bars that they make, the 60%, the 70%, and the 80%, and I liked them all.

The gritty texture isn’t for everyone (my college master and a few others at the tastings hated it), but I think it’s worth a taste, and others liked it quite a bit. As my friend Nana put it in her comment, it tastes more authentic and natural.

Via the NY Times food section, a little blurb about a yummy chocolate shop in Brooklyn, Nunu’s. They make absinthe chocolate - sounds neat, but as it probably tastes like licorice, not for me.

From the photo that accompanied the article, it looks like Nunu’s has the same butterfly chocolate mold as Charles Chocolates (below photo). I wonder if Nunu’s are also filled with peanut butter.

And from The Moment, an accompanying recipe for chocolate salted-dipped caramels.

Hi dear readers! I got back from Europe on Wednesday, which was also the day my last pre-Europe-written review posted. I just spent hours sorting through and posting my commencement and Europe photos, including my new candy photos, and I’m too tired/jet-lagged to write a full candy review.

So today, you shall get a photo tease, below the break. Special thanks to my boyfriend and traveling companion for his infinite patience as I dragged him into every candy store/chocolaterie/confiserie that we passed. And we passed LOTS.

And we’ll be back to our usual reviews on Monday. Have a nice weekend!

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Via the NY Times Style Section, a jewelry photo shoot that incorporates candy!

If I’m interpreting the guide correactly, that M&Ms-like ring is $27,800. That could buy a ton of real M&Ms. Maybe even literally…

Ever wanted to eat a deity? Here’s a site where you can buy FSM (flying spaghetti monster) candy.

It looks like it wouldn’t be too difficult to make it on your own. I’d use Haribo Sour S’ghetti and gummi eyeball candy.