Kandy Kritique -- Hershey's Bliss with Mint Meltaway centers

Here is a chocolate mint that's like a party for your mouth. Buttery rich chocolate outside, silky, creamy mint "icing" inside, and this is a soft mint, not an intense, toothpastey mint. The flavors partner delectably, making a combination that sets the tastebuds aglow, for everyday snacks or fancy parties, whether you're eight, eighteen, eighty, or 108. Very addictive, these squares of yumminess.

There's only one rating I can give these things

THIS CANDY HAS BEEN RATED D (Divine)

Kandy Kritique --Lindor Truffles Revisited

Tried the limited-edition flavors of Lindor Truffles -- these are also not so much ordinary candies as they are confectionary delicacies.

The Extra-dark-chocolate peppermint is bittersweet, bold-tasting, slightly fruity on the outside, with a creamy, mint-sparked "frosting" center. The two distinct taste sensations complement each other beautifully, creating a rich and unique candy delight that will appeal to pint-sized sweets aficionados and grown-up gourmets alike. These make Peppermint Patties seem like junk, and that's saying a lot.

Th milk chocolate with smooth white filling features a silky milk-chocolate shell and a creamy, satiny, alnost buttercream-like white-chocolate "frosting" center. The flavors of the two chocolate types mingle together in a heavenly mix. These things are mmmmmmmm-MINDBLOWING.


You can se where this is going.

THIS CANDY HAS BEEN RATED D (DIVINE)

Kandy Kritique -- Dove Tiramisu Promises

I never had tiramisu, so I don't know if these squarish foil-wrapped tidbits taste like real tiramisu. All I know is, these taste absolutely mind-blowing!
As soon as I unwrapped these plump little morsels, a deep, sweet, roasty chocolate-coffee scent caressed my nostrils. A rich, tantalizing scent. The funny thing is, I don't like actual coffee as a beverage, but I do like coffee-flavored items like ice cream or candy. These little gems had a creamy melt, a distinctive spark of coffee mingling with the chocolate richness, and a syrupy, caramel-esque center that tasted like the glaze on a gourmet pastry. Addictive little suckers, these are.

Now for the rating. What's a synonym for "addictive" or "absolutely mind-blowing"?

This candy has been rated D (Divine)

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 -- Starbuck's Truffles

The coffee bigwigs extend beyond java and tap into one of the world's tastiest sources of caffeine -- and do it very well, I may add.

I sampled two flavors of these confections.

These are little domes, kind of like Old-Fashioned Cream Drops -- but so much more sophisticated and sumptuous.

VANILLA BEAN -- A buttery, satiny "frosting" center given a pleasant crunch from specks of vanilla bean. A dusting of cocoa powder adds a bittersweet spark, and silky dark chocolate finishes off the piece. Complex, flavorful, satisfying. Had to summon all my willpower not to finish off the whole bag at a sitting

CHAI -- Same smooth "frosting" center. No tea taste that I could discern. Mostly, I tasted the spices -- mmmm, vanilla and cinnamon. Intermingled with rich milk chocolate, a very addicting, indulgent confectionary delight. Again, all I could do not to demolish the whole bag at one sweep!

You know what's coming!

This candy has been rated D (Divine)

Kandy Kritique -- Pez Revisited

OK, it's official. Pez have now joined the ranks of my favorite non-chocolate-based candies. Having reviewed grape, lemon, and cherry previously, I decided to try three other flavors.

ORANGE -- A cross between a Creamsicle and F&F chewable vitamin C (and I love F&F chewable vitamin C and eat it as a candy!). Smooth fruity-creamy taste with a spark of citrus, the hardened cake frosting (HCF) thing going on, but nothing close to tart. Wicked tasty

STRAWBERRY -- Strawberries-n-cream taste, a bright little zing of fruit, the HCF effect, not the least bit tart. Also wicked tasty

RASPBERRY -- If I had to choose a favorite flavor of PEZ candy, this would be it. Fruit-n-creme taste, the HCF sensation going on, a bright, fresh spark of fruitiness and some delicate floral notes. Delectable and crave-worthy.

Yes, this assortment of PEZ flavors gets a D rating. Still trying to find the chocolate and cola to try.

THIS CANDY HAS BEEN RATED D (DIVINE)

Kandy Kritique -- Lindor Dark, Extra Dark, and White Chocolate Truffles

Hi! I have been away from the blog for a while -- life was calling, and I had to answer, but I have returned.

Having tasted Lindor Milk Chocolate truffles and bestowing on them a D rating, I had to taste the other varieties in the line. Here's how it went

WHITE -- Smooth, sweet, mild, melt-in-the-mouth, with a spark of vanilla. Talk about your cake frosting! This definitely tasted like cake frosting. Really yummy cake frosting. Truly delectable cake frosting. It was all I could do not to polish off the whole bag at one sitting.

DARK -- More intense than the milk, and the shell paired well with that smooth, sweet ganache/mousse center. Simply scrumptious.

EXTRA DARK -- The shell was intense with fruity notes and an almost bitter finish. The perfect foil for the sweet "frosting" center. Definitely crave-worthy.

I like them all equally for different reasons, and they all have earned a rating of D


THIS CANDY HAS BEEN RATED D (DIVINE)