Confessions of a Novelty Confection Fiend

[Jason Perlow]

I like Joyva's chocolate covered Halvah, which I am eating right now.

Incidentally, Joyva Halvah has new packaging, obviously meant to de-emphasize its middle eastern heritage, although the Brooklyn, NY based company is owned by Russian Jews and is a kosher product. The mustached genie wearing the turban which was always a major element of the packaging has now been relegated to a tiny graphic the width of a pencil eraser.

Joyva - company history (click)

[cakewalk]

I like Joyva's chocolate covered Halvah, which I am eating right now.

Incidentally, Joyva Halvah has new packaging, obviously meant to de-emphasize its middle eastern heritage, although the Brooklyn, NY based company is owned by Russian Jews and is a kosher product. The mustached genie wearing the turban which was always a major element of the packaging has now been relegated to a tiny graphic the width of a pencil eraser.

Joyva - company history (click)

How can anyone hope to de-emphasize the middle-eastern heritage of HALVAH, for goodness sake!!??!

Anyway, chocolate covered halvah even beats out chunkies. And that's saying something.

[Stephanie]

How can anyone hope to de-emphasize the middle-eastern heritage of HALVAH, for goodness sake!!??!

Anyway, chocolate covered halvah even beats out chunkies. And that's saying something. 

Ah, but Joyva pales in comparison to FRESH halvah. One of life's sinful little pleasures. Both Economy Candy and Sahadi sell several varieties in nice thick slabs (they'll slice off chunks for you); I particularly like the marble halvah covered in chocolate.

[Wild Pegasus]

Porkpa: As I indicated earlier in this thread, Coffee Crisp is my all time fave. But, not only are they unavailable in the USA, they are becoming increasingly hard to get in The Great White North.  I'm in Ottawa now.  If I can score some Coffee Crisps I'm PM you and send them along.

Coffee Crisp hard to find in Ottawa? You can find them pretty much anywhere in Ottawa that sells candy bars. You can get them by the case at Costco. There's also three different versions of them. There's regular, orange and something like an extra chocolate version available.

[kpurvis]

I was in Canada recently and discovered the Aero, which I'd never seen. But the disappeared one I really miss is Russell Stover's cashew patty. It was flat, the chocolate had a nice snap, and since it was just nuts robed in chocolate, the cashews really stood out. It disappeared without warning about 10 years ago and I've been looking ever since.

[Lesley C]

I highly recommend the mint Aero as well.

I have no idea if the bubbly green filling contains any cocoa butter, but it sure beats a breath mint.

[Tmnoland]

one I really miss is Russell Stover's cashew patty. It was flat, the chocolate had a nice snap, and since it was just nuts robed in chocolate, the cashews really stood out.

Russell Stover's Pecan Turtles are not bad at tall. And, (though the name is not that appetizing) their Pecan Logs are Jim dandy.

--Therese

[ChocoKitty]

Porkpa: As I indicated earlier in this thread, Coffee Crisp is my all time fave. But, not only are they unavailable in the USA, they are becoming increasingly hard to get in The Great White North.  I'm in Ottawa now.  If I can score some Coffee Crisps I'm PM you and send them along.

Coffee Crisp hard to find in Ottawa? You can find them pretty much anywhere in Ottawa that sells candy bars. You can get them by the case at Costco. There's also three different versions of them. There's regular, orange and something like an extra chocolate version available.

Orange Coffee Crisps?? How long have those been out? I've seen the regular and the extra chocolate one, but the orange (which sound heavenly, by the way).

I buy bags of Coffee Crisps and Canadian Kit Kats every time I go to Windsor (I'm in the Detroit area). BTW, whatever happened to Coffee Kit Kats? I saw them a few times, and now I can't find them anywhere. Any leads?

[mamster]

I've never seen orange Coffee Crisp, but they do have regular Coffee Crisp in Seattle. ChocoKitty, do you need a care package?

[Wild Pegasus]

Orange Coffee Crisps?? How long have those been out? I've seen the regular and the extra chocolate one, but the orange (which sound heavenly, by the way).

I buy bags of Coffee Crisps and Canadian Kit Kats every time I go to Windsor (I'm in the Detroit area). BTW, whatever happened to Coffee Kit Kats? I saw them a few times, and now I can't find them anywhere. Any leads?

The Orange Coffee Crisps have been out for awhile now. A couple of weeks ago I bought a couple of Raspberry Coffee Crisps at Shoppers Drug Mart. Wasn't impressed since they tasted like a Voortmans iced wafer covered in chocolate.

I vaguely remember a coffee flavoured Caramilk or some other bar but not a Kit Kat.

[Wild Pegasus]

I buy bags of Coffee Crisps and Canadian Kit Kats every time I go to Windsor (I'm in the Detroit area). BTW, whatever happened to Coffee Kit Kats? I saw them a few times, and now I can't find them anywhere. Any leads?

Still haven't seen the coffee Kit Kats but I noticed at Costco on Merivale Road yesterday cases of Orange Kit Kats.

[jhlurie]

Thought I'd dredge this old thread back up for fun, since I recently bought a bag of new mint-type-things I'd never seen before.

Also see Son of "Confessions of a Novelty Confection Fiend", from when this topic was temporarily lost after a board crash.

Spearmint Altoids

At first I was seriously dissapointed with Spearmint Altoids. Later on it occured to me that the taste of Spearmint just doesn't work as well in a mint as it does in gum. No matter what do NOT bite into one of these--they are much more tolerable if you suck on them.

X-It Lemon Mints with Green Tea extract

A smooth silky taste which doesn't overwhelm you.

Intense Peach Smint

Usually I find fruit flavored mints unpleasant, but these Peach Smints are great. Not too sweet, with some real tartness to them.

Dragonfire Gum

It's got Malitol--which is a downside for me--but putting that aside this is the best spicy flavored gum I've ever had. A real biting cinnamon, it reminded me of an even stronger "Big Red".

[col klink]

I'd thought I'd add a new novelty for me:

Though I've only tried "For Skinfresh." Because of the packing though, it doesn't read that way.

[jhlurie]

Just consumed today (one of them, not the whole box!):

Surprisingly good. I was skeptical, since Nestle has tried to extend the Crunch brand before and did a horrible job (anyone remember the "White" Crunch bars? Yuck!)

The caramel ribbon nicely complements the "crunch" portion of the bar.

Edited February 2, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[jhlurie]

I've long been a champion of Chocolate Velamints, but I was still relatively surprised at how good these puppies, new at my local convenience store, were:

Vanilla Velamints

Like Chocolate Velamints, they have a creamy texture and taste and smell surprisingly like the "real thing".

Also, fresh in from "Brand Extension Land" comes yet another form of Altoids: The Breath Strip.

Cinnamon and Peppermint Altoid Breath Strips

[aliwaks]

i can't get enough of these things.  still hoping for the golden ticket.

the wonka bar is amazing....also big fan of the pocket listerine should be a prerequisite for all food service employees (sometimes you just can't find the time to brush mid shift after either absent mindedly eating a garlic chip or sneaking an illicit smoke and gum is just so unseemly)

back to topic at hand I will most definately reach for any shiny new confection..though will not always eat it myself last week I bought a tube of squeezable pudding (brownie flavor) but had our sous chef "Big Crazy" eat it.

also a huge fan of these english red currant chews whose name I cannot rememeber (anyone?) that are ridicluously expensive ( like $6 a tin) love love them snatch them up whenever I can find them then guiltily hoard as long as possible and any sort of flowery pastille in a pretty box will eventually make it's way into my hands.

I did buy some Italian licorce pastilles once because the tin was so attractive they tasted soooooooooooooo bad...only a fan of strong salty licorice ( I know you are out there) could warm up to these bits though they provided endless hours of amusement ...I would offer then up like want to taste something terrible and nine out of ten times the offeree would partake.

OOOOH one more thing the Bertie Botts every flavor beans kept them up at the bar one night presented them as a game of chance ...could get cherry could get Booger....I got cherry freind got ear wax V. fun.

hmmm I really seem to enjoy getting other people to eat groww stuff...harks back to 6th grade when I gave some guy in 50 cents to drink my backwash..didn't every one have a kid like that in thier class?

[elyse]

also a huge fan of these  english red currant chews whose name I cannot rememeber (anyone?) that are ridicluously expensive ( like $6 a tin) love love them snatch them up whenever I can find them then guiltily hoard as long as possible and any sort of flowery pastille in a pretty box will eventually make it's way into my hands.

Grether's?

Anyone ever had a Vlnky from the Czech Republic? It's an example of where "and sometimes 'Y'" comes in.

Sorry, it's a candy bar.

Edited May 5, 2003 by elyse (log)

[jhlurie]

New one... GINGER flavored Altoids (Click here for photo)

Amazingly good. In fact I was shocked how good it was.

My record with Altoids (in the order they came out in the U.S.):

Original: A big fan, although in time I grew somewhat tired of them.

Cinnamon: At the time it came out I thought it was an amazingly effective product extension... and I still do.

Wintergreen: Didn't catch my fancy, although they're not horrible.

Spearmint: I thought they were very convincingly "spearmint", but also that they didn't work at all as a breath mint. The taste was just TOO overwhelming.

Really, this Ginger flavor is the first time in this progression that I think that a new flavor is better than the one before it.

One thing... I really like Ginger. And this REALLY tastes like Ginger. So I'm guessing only people who like Ginger will love it.

[KNorthrup]

The Italian deli on the ground floor of my office building has an unconventional candy selection and they've recently added black licorice tubes (soft, about the diameter of a white board marker) with apricot middles. I think they're Australian. Hate licorice more than I love apricot, so I haven't tried them but it seems a pretty brave thing to bring to market.

[elyse]

Okay. I just bought the new Kit Kats and a dark Reeces. White chocolate KK was bland. Actually it tasted like white chocolate, and if I had wanted something that tasted like white chocolate, I would have bought white chocolate. A Brasilian product named BIS does a much better job. The dark KK, I just ate, and it tasted like... dark chocolate. Both too over powering.

[Allura]

DH brought home a dark chocolate kit kat, which claims to be limited edition. Not bad. Had it in the fridge, since my apt melts choclate otherwise. Better than regular kit kats, definately. Sweeter than the Valhrona 70% bar I stash for chocolate emergencies, but not bad at all.

[torakris]

DH brought home a dark chocolate kit kat, which claims to be limited edition.  Not bad.  Had it in the fridge, since my apt melts choclate otherwise.  Better than regular kit kats, definately.  Sweeter than the Valhrona 70% bar I stash for chocolate emergencies, but not bad at all. 

Japan has a new kitkat flavor called double berry a combination of strawberry and blueberry.

I haven't seen the banana flavored one for while maybe they got rid of it.

http://www.breaktown.com/breaktown/products.php

third from the top

[Suzanne F]

Maybe this has been mentioned already (sorry, I didn't read this whole thread): Snickers ALMOND Bar! All the good parts of a Snickers -- junky cheap milk chocolate, caramel, and "nougat" -- and yummy roasted almonds instead of the disgusting peanuts.

It seemed to me that the almonds were not evenly distributed, though; more at each end than in the middle. Anyone know if this is a clever trick of candybar manufacturers?

[jhlurie]

Japan has a new kitkat flavor called double berry a combination of strawberry and blueberry.

I haven't seen the banana flavored one for while maybe they got rid of it.

http://www.breaktown.com/breaktown/products.php

third from the top

So the Hello Kitty Kitcat is for the famous 13-year old girl market in Japan?

I'm not sure how I feel about Berry in Kitkat. You are going to have to buy one and report on it at some point. It could just be... I don't know... weird. Banana flavored Kitkat never made it west, as far as I can tell.

Edited June 18, 2003 by jhlurie (log)

[hjshorter]

Maybe this has been mentioned already (sorry, I didn't read this whole thread):  Snickers ALMOND Bar!  All the good parts of a Snickers -- junky cheap milk chocolate, caramel, and "nougat" -- and yummy roasted almonds instead of the disgusting peanuts.

It seemed to me that the almonds were not evenly distributed, though; more at each end than in the middle.  Anyone know if this is a clever trick of candybar manufacturers?

Snickers Almond

I haven't noticed uneven almond distribution. Maybe I'll do some "field research" when I take my daughter's prescription to CVS today.