That's a lot of candy!If I mentioned the company Quality Candy, you probably wouldn't recognize it right away. But then if I said King Leo Peppermints or old-fashioned Candy Sticks, chances are you'd say, "Oh yeah! I know them."
King Leo and Gilliam Candy Company both fall under the
Quality Candy umbrella, and they're branching out with some new products.
They sent me a fantastically huge box of products-- too much for me to try by myself-- so I'll be giving some away. (See the end of this post for details.)
Some of their new products include Soft Puffs and Soft Sticks, in flavors like Key Lime Pie, Lemon, Orange and Cream, Pomegranate, Strawberries and Cream, Peppermint and Watermelon. I was anxious to try these because A) they looked tasty; B) I liked the flavor assortments; and C) I had no idea what to expect. Each little Puff is individually wrapped in the box, which I really like because you can put them out in a candy dish and not worry about someone's germy mitts getting all over the candy and passing along the H1N1 flu. You could also carry a few in your purse to ward off a 3-year-old's pending meltdown because you've foolishly taken him to a clothing store right around his nap time. Anyhow...
The box says, "Soft Right Out of the Box," which made me think these would be chewy, almost like a taffy. But instead, they were "soft" in a buttermint kind of way. They're almost sort of hard, but then smooth and melty at the same time. I was trying to think how they could describe these more accurately, but I'm having a devil of a time coming up with the right words. "Tender" seems to fit, but I hate that word. "Smooth" suggests more of a glass-like hard candy. "Buttery" would be weird with the fruit flavors and "Crumbly" might be too harsh. "Airy" might be a good fit. I don't know; I'm not trying to change their marketing. Just suggesting that "soft" might be a little misleading. No-Nuts agreed.
Onto the taste. These are yummy. Because the pillows are very pastel and pretty, it almost seems like they'll have a delicate fruit flavor. But no, these pack a juicy, fruity punch that is almost surprising. The lemon was bright and fresh, kinda sour, kinda sweet. The watermelon made me think of Wacky Wafers and made my tongue pucker. Very tasty.
As for the Gilliam's Candy Sticks, well these are just a classic, no buts about it. (You may recall that the
Sugar Baby had his first one recently.) These remind me of summer vacations through New England. They were always cheap, like 10 cents a stick, so you could buy a bunch of different flavors for less than a dollar.
Another new product line are their Chocolate Crunchy Patties in raspberry, lemon, peppermint and orange. It's difficult for me to describe these accurately, because it's been so hot here I've had to keep them in the fridge and I think that really affects the texture. The chocolate covering is laden with little hard-candy crunchy bits (very tasty), but it's the center I'm having difficulty with. Out of the fridge, they're like crumbly creams, almost like a thick York Peppermint Pattie kind of texture. They'd be better if the filling was softer, but maybe it is and they just got a little wonky from being in the cold.
Is your mouth watering yet? Good, because I'll be sending one lucky recipient an assortment of King Leo and Gilliam products. All you have to do is leave me a message answering this question: If you were to be a Soft Candy Puff, what flavor would you be and why?
I'll pick a lucky Yumster on August 30 at approximately 4:35 p.m. Fine print: Please live in the Continental U.S. and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you. You'll have 48 hours from the time I announce the winner to get me your mailing info. Thanks, and good luck!
