Another one of my Valentine’s Day gifts (My boyfriend warned me that this one might have gotten a little melted).

The packaging has a really nice texture. There are shiny foiled parts, but the white areas have a papery feel (which helped it photograph really nicely.)  The foiled areas photograph more olive-green than the metallic lime that they really are, but either color works well with the layout and design. I also love the font and typography choices this company made. Overall, I really like the design and I think they did a great job.

Inside, the bar was only a little bit melty (as seen in photo #2.) This chocolate bar smells sweet and salty, with a hint of freeze dried potato. 

Now, I’ve had chocolate covered potato chips before, if you haven’t you’re missing out! The combination of crunchy, salty chips and creamy milk chocolate is wonderful. This bar delivers the same great taste as the hand dipped chocolate potato chips I bought from a local Chocolatery.

There are tiny bits of salty potato chips throughout the bar that give it a really nice texture and crunch. (Similar to puffed rice or cereal.) The milk chocolate is very creamy, but it isn’t overly sweet. There are some cocoa powder notes in the after taste that can be a bit bitter, but that didn’t stop me from eating the whole bar.

This chocolate bar was sweet, salty, crunchy, and very satisfying. I enjoyed it a lot and would easily buy another one. (Although this one was a gift and I’m not sure where it came from….I’ll have to ask.)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Although Easter is a month away, Easter candy has already hit the shelves.

The packaging is the same bright lemony color as traditional Lemonhead packaging, and it features the grape, cherry, orange, apple, and traditional lemon mascots. Springtime novelty aside, the design is pretty typical for this brand. The logo and mascots haven’t changed much over the years, but I think this classic, familiar, look suits the product.

Although the package boasts “springtime shapes” all of the candies in my bag were chick-shaped. According to the website, I was supposed to have bunny shaped jellies as well, but this bag had no bunnies at all. (I guess quality control dropped the ball on this one.)

The candies all have a generic gumdrop/jelly bean scent. They smell like sugar and generic fruity flavors. Even when I smelled the individual flavors, none of them had a distinct fruity smell.

Inside there are 5 different colors/flavors:

• Red: Cherry - the flavor is a lot like a cherry Jolly Rancher, but it is much sweeter.
• Orange: Orange - has a nice clementine flavor and a citrus peel taste. I really liked these, and I normally dislike orange candies.
• Yellow: Lemon - Tasted a lot like lemon Pledge…this was pretty bad.
• Green: Apple - this one tasted like a very artificial green apple.
• Purple: Grape - is very mild and artificial, it’s the only flavor that is similar to it’s hard candy counterpart.

I love jellies and gumdrops, but some flavors of this variety are better than others. (Lemon was the worst in the bag, and I feel like orange was the best.) Would I buy these again? No, but I don’t regret my purchase. (Unless they made a bag with all orange.)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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This was another gift, so I am not sure where it was purchased. Although I think these were pretty widely available, and you might still be able to find some at shops like Target or Wegman’s. 

The packaging was difficult to photograph. (Since it’s a bright white and shiny I got a LOT of glare.) The design isn’t bad, but I feel like the elements do not work together. The 3-D character with almost-realistic cherries in his hand. against a flat background?  It feels really off. I think the weakest part of the 3-D design is the heart shaped “Be Mine” chocolate box. Maybe, had it been more detailed it would have made the design more successful. Still, the bag is festive and it gets the job done.

Inside, there are two different shades of red m&m’s. One is the classic red that is always used and the other is a deeper burgundy. (I’m pretty sure this is meant to mimic black and maraschino cherries.) I noticed that the candies varied in shape and size quite a bit. (Some are lumpy, and others are HUGE.)

Despite the different color or shape, all of the candies smelled the same. The scent is sweet, just like cherry cordials!

The chocolate seems smoother and creamier than any of the other flavored m&m’s I have had. As it melts in your mouth there is a silky texture that reminds me of handmade chocolates. The sugary outer layer adds a nice crunch, but the cherry flavor is the star here. It really does taste like a cherry cordial!

I was really impressed with the flavor and mouth feel, these are definitely worth trying.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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One of my Valentine’s Day gifts from my boyfriend. (It was too big to be included in my haul photograph.) I had never heard of these before, but the name alone sounds amazing. 

The plastic bag is simple, resealable, and the overall design and color scheme reminds me of Stacy’s Pita Chips.

Inside, they smell like basic boxed brownies. Nothing bad, but nothing really special either.

These. Taste. AMAZING! Although they smelled like basic brownies, they taste MUCH more chocolatey and concentrated. The crunch is crumbly, in a good way, and I feel like I should pour these into a bowl and eat them like cereal.

I really love these! I plan on buying more of these once I run out. They are great when you need a chocolate fix. (There are more flavors too!)

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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“Wet-face watermelon.” The name is a little quirky, but watermelon is one of my favorite flavors, so I’m excited to try it anyway.

Unlike the 4 red flavors, this one is easy to find in the bag. I’m not so keen on hot pink ink for the wrapper, but it does make it stand out. (Then again it is rare for me to really like pinks, especially bright ones.)

I couldn’t smell anything this time, but the taste was pretty strong. The flavor is more of an artificial watermelon that reminds me of jelly beans and Blowpops. This didn’t taste bad, but I’d rather have more of the Kabaya Ju-C Watermelon tablets I reviewed a few months ago. Those actually tasted like the real thing.

This time the tangy flavor from the Vitamin C takes away from the candy. The sour taste is not what I normally associate with watermelon which helps it seem less realistic and more artificial.

Surprisingly, watermelon is equally tied with blueberry for my least favorite. I’m disappointed that it wasn’t more realistic.

Something worth noting is that each one of these candies has 100% of your daily vitamin C, which might have been too much for my tongue to handle. After a few lollipops (and reviews) my tongue was raw and it felt like I had burned it. This might be something to look into…

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Time for a non-red flavor. This is Tooberry Blueberry.

Unlike the last two flavors I reviewed, blueberry is marbled with berry and cream colors. Unlike Mango Tango, some lollipops are marbled while others are perfectly two-toned (like this one).

The candy has a sweet berries and cream scent, and unlike the other flavors I reviewed, I can’t detect any hint of the Vitamin C.

This flavor is very mild and sweet. It tastes like indiscriminate berries and cream, but the creamy vanilla flavor overpowers everything. The taste actually reminds me of Lifesavers lollipops I had in the 90’s. (Do they even make those anymore?)

Tooberry Blueberry was the sweetest in the bunch, and it is actually my least favorite. After a while I got sick of the vanilla taste and just crunched it up. Kids may like this flavor a lot, but I think grown ups or adults might find it sickeningly sweet.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Next up, Pomegranate Pucker.

In my last Yummy Earth post I mentioned that there are 4 different “red” flavors (raspberry, cherry, strawberry, and pomegranate) and how that can be a little confusing/frustrating. Here is a perfect example of what I meant, this Pomegranate Pucker looks JUST like Razzmatazz Berry. Both flavors are the same exact shade of red, and the wrappers are both printed in the same red ink.

Since it is literally the exact same color as the previous flavor I reviewed, my photo looked the same as last weeks. (Which is why I left it out.) So if you were seeking out a specific flavor… the similarities could be a bit annoying.

This time the candy has a tangier, sour, smell. The scent reminds me of cranberry juice more than pomegranates, but it was still very appealing.

From the smell I was expecting the candy to be sour, but it was actually very sweet. The candy tastes more like a sweetened pomegranate cocktail than real pomegranates, but it is a very sophisticated. There are deep berry notes that actually make this taste more like a jam than a lollipop, and overall I was really impressed with the flavor.

So far this is my favorite of the bunch. This pomegranate lollipop has a deep, rich, flavor that I think a lot of adults would really enjoy.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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I’m interrupting my Vitamin C lollipop posts to review these Unreal Peanut butter cups. (Because I want to eat them right now.) I saw this brand reviewed on Candy Blog a few years ago, and recently I tried one of the candy bars.

This brand has a very unique look to it, mainly because of the alien-like font they use. (It’s a little difficult to read, but it says ‘UNREAL.’) The packaging is similar to Reese’s peanut butter cups, but with bold metallic yellows and blacks instead of orange and brown.

The peanut butter cups inside the wrapper are the same size as a Reese’s, but the chocolate is darker and less glossy. (Which is good because Reese’s barely use real chocolate these days.) These have a mild roasted peanut smell and the bottoms are imprinted with the brand name “UNREAL.”

When compared to a Reese’s cup, the chocolate to peanut butter filling ratio is different. There is more chocolate than with a typical peanut butter cup. The chocolate is a bit darker as well. The filling is MUCH smoother and creamier than commercial peanut butter cups. It’s like there is real peanut butter inside.

While I liked these more than Reese’s, I prefer the candy bar I reviewed before. Still, these are yummy and definitely worth a try.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Here is another Yummy Earth lollipop, Razzmatazz Berry!

Again, since the packaging is typical for lollipops, I’m skipping right to the candy. (I’ll be skipping this for the rest of the flavors too.) The only thing I will add is that there are 4 different “red” flavors. So if you’re looking for a specific one it might get a bit frustrating.

This lollipop is a solid red, berry, color. I thought it was odd that this flavor doesn’t have the circular indentation that the mango pop had. Maybe they aren’t all processed the same way? 

The lollipop smells sweet, there are a few floral notes, but overall it reminds me of raspberry jam.

Overall, the flavor is more like a mixed berry jam than a raspberry. I don’t get too many raspberry notes, and the overall flavor is a lot weaker than the mango lollipop I had the other day. Again, the addition of Vitamin C added a bit of sourness, but I find a lot of raspberries to be tart, so this helped make the mild flavor more authentic.

I actually preferred the mango flavor over this one, but Razzamataz Berry is still better than a lot of other lollipops I have had. 

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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(Reposting due to an error with Tumblr’s new format and the auto saving process. ;_;)

First flavor up, Mango Tango.

Since the packaging is typical for lollipops, there is a plastic wrapper protecting the candy and a paper stick to make it easier to eat, I’ll skip right to the candy itself.

This lollipop is marbled with yellow and orange, some are more marbled than others, and it smells like tropical fruit punch. It doesn’t smell like mango, but the smell is pleasant. It actually reminds me of the mango soft eating licorice I reviewed a few months ago.

Surprisingly, it tastes more like mango than it smells. This candy is sweet and fruity, with a hint of tropical fruit punch. Since these are Vitamin C lollipops there is a bit of a tangy sourness, but it doesn’t take away from the overall flavor.

I am not a mango fan, but I really liked this flavor. I don’t search the bag for them, but when I do pick a mango one I don’t regret it.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I teach art and Spanish at a local daycare (kids ages 2.5-5 years.) Well this semester I am also observing a 3rd grade classroom for my teacher certification. This means that I have a LOT of Valentines this year. So I put together a little goodie bag for each one of them.

One of the candies I am handing out to my little learners are these Yummy Earth lollipops.

This is just a teaser post for now, because there are 8 flavors that I’ll be breaking up into seperate reviews and posting throughout the week.

For now, enjoy the eye candy!

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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Here is my last Godiva Chocolate review! The (seasonal)  Pumpkin Patch Truffle.

Look at this Pumpkin Truffle! It’s so cute I can barely stand it. A plush leaf is glued to the top of the orange foil and a paper-covered wire mimics a vine/stem. I put this review off for a while, because it just looked too cute to eat, but the time has come.

The outside is a creamy milk chocolate, which feels much softer than any of the other chocolates I reviewed. I could practically reshape this truffle in my hand! 

Inside, there is a, fluffy, spiced pumpkin filling. The texture is a lot like the cookie dough truffle, but it is much more flavorful. I can taste all of the pumpkin pie spices, none of them are more powerful than another, and the filling is not overly sweet. There is just a touch of sweetness, so it blends nicely with the extremely sweet milk chocolate.

This tastes much more like pumpkin spice than pumpkin, but it is delicious and my favorite out of all of the truffles I reviewed.

© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net

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