Russel Stover International and American Collection

Elegant chocolate squares, often mixing two chocolate types (milk and dark, milk and white) and a creamy filling for a rich taste sensation. Tried New York Cheesecake Ganache, Swiss Lodge Mocha Creme, and French Vanilla Creme. All had a creamy melt and a satiny satisfying richness. More filling in each piece would have earned these candies a D rating, but as it is, they merit a rating of IST

Kandy Kritique -- Nips

These are hard caramels, not as brittle as traditional hard candies. As you suck the round tidbit of yumminess, it releases waves of buttery, sweet rich caramel (or coffee) flavor, and the Chocolate Parfait variety releases a creamy burst of chocolate "icing."
The thing with these candies is, you LET THEM DISSOLVE IN YOUR MOUTH rather than chew or crunch them. If you do chew or crunch, they have a Krazy-Glue type effect on your teeth. I had to take a point off their rating for that.
Still, a confectionary delight.

This candy has been rated IST (Insanely Tasty)

Kandy Kritique -- Rudy's Orange Slices

These candies are pretty to look at. Plump, bright orange-colored wedges resembling stylized citrus fruit segments. The wedges sparkle with a sanding of sugar crystals.
As for the Flavor Factor? These candies are as yummy as they are pretty. Soft, tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth, and the sugar grains add a nice crunchy contrast. These are strictly sweet candies, with no tart citrus zing whatsoever, more like sweet orange marmalade than like a fresh orange section. Lack of that fruity spark is what keeps me from rating these confections D, but they are great-tasting, by and large, and I think they deserve a rating of IST.

This candy has been rated IST (Insanely Tasty)

Kandy Kritique -- Werther's Original Caramels

Part of the enjoyment factor for these candies is the fact that they are chewy like gum but can be swallowed and don't lose their taste -- and what a taste it is.
These sticky little candy cubes boast a rich, mellow flavor with milky, buttery and burnt-sugar notes.
They lacked a little spark of salt to balance out all that sweetness, which is what keeps them from being rated a D, but they certainly are yummy and rate an IST.

This candy has been rated IST (Insanely Tasty)

Kandy Kritique -- Raisinets

Another classic. In theory, grapes (which is what a raisin is a dried version of) and chocolate ought not to mix -- but mix they do, and very well, in these bite-size morsels which are a staple at the concession stands of movie parlors across the nation.
The slightly tart fruity spark of the raisin is a perfect foil for the sweet richness of the chocolate, making for a complex and thoroughly enjoyable flavor blend. The chocolate is a bit waxy, though, without much "melt," and that is the only thing that prevents me from rating it a D.
It does, however, garner a rating of IST, because these little pellets of yumminess ARE insanely tasty.

This candy has been rated IST (Insanely tasty)

Kandy Kritique -- Reese's Whipps

In the novel "Feed," by M.T. Anderson, which is set in a near future in which everyone has an Internet linkage implanted in their brains from birth, there's a scene where the main character snacks on chocolate mousse from a tube. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Well, for the time being, dessert mousses in a tube are only fantasy, but the Reese's Whipps bar, which is very real -- and very yummy -- is a close approximation of the mousse-in-a-tube experience.
The peanut-butter nougat is like a solid block of peanut-butter mousse -- fluffy, sweet, and delectable! The peanut butter lends richness to the airy "mousse," and there's a slight spark of salt that balances the sweetness very nicely.
The chocolate is a little waxy and slightly bland, not really adding much to this bar, not a lot of interplay between the chocolate and the peanut butter "mousse." It's like the bar is all about the peanut-butter taste and the chocolate is just there as a carrying case for the filling. That is the one thing that keeps me from rating it D.
As it is, though, this confection is worthy of a rating of IST.

This candy has been rated IST (Insanely Tasty)