The work of a candy reviewer is a Jeckyll and Hyde experience.
We get free candy. Awesome!
We need to describe it for people. Hard.
Companies send us their life’s work. Awesome!
We need to be honest when we don’t like it. Hard.
We get to eat a lot of sugar. Awesome!
We get chubby. Fantastic!
The Cream & Sugar Cream Filled Licorice is a microcosm of the difficulties Jonny and I face with Candy Gurus. The people who run “Itsugar” are super cool. They’re making and selling candy, doing the lord’s work. They are also probably hiring people and feeding families, making the American Dream happen on some level. All good things.
But these licorice pieces? Just. Need. so…much…more.
The good? I like the colors. They are bright and different. Even the shades are unique; the purple is some times light purple. You know those ridges on the licorice piece? Some in the package had thick ridges, others were thinner, and some had almost no ridges at all. I like the variety and it made me think these were made by real people and not just real machines.
Yet, just as the colors and shapes started strong, the flavors were weak. Or rather, not there. See all the colors here?
Yeah well they all taste the same. I could kind of discern a slight difference in the yellow piece, but the rest were absolutely nondescript. The cream center was a more plasticky version of the outside, just colored white and shoved in the middle. I could go on and on about the lack of … well…everything in these things, but I think the most telling thing is that my 8 year old who dare I say loves candy, would not eat an entire piece. She took a bite and then threw the rest out. Case closed.
As a lover of Red Vines and Twizzlers, I wanted so much more. Alas.
So here is my suggestion to Itsugar: Start again. If you aren’t going to use actual licorice flavor, then don’t call them that. How about “Twisty Colors” instead. For the flavors, go with some real stuff. Call the Yummy Earth folks – maybe they will license their ridiculously good flavors to you.
Not all is lost here. Let’s make this right. Mind you… I don’t actually have a lot of time to help. I CAN eat what you make. I will do that! You have my word!
These are insanely delicious. I’m an adult and I eat them like a kid. I started college almost to 30 and I buy these everyday after school (probably not the best idea.) But I REALLY want these to stay around so can you maybe tell them that there is a fan base because I can’t be the only one.. They can always make something else as well, but I really hope these can stay. I love the texture so much, and the yellow is the strongest you are right, but it is the BEST banana flavor they shouldn’t change a thing. I can taste the difference between all of them and yes it is subtle but maybe that is the beauty of them… Not overly flavored the way all modern fruity kids candy already is. These are perfect, please don’t tell the company to stop making them. Of course, the idea of making something new is great also like you said, I’d be interested in seeing what else they come up with.. But they should absolutely keep these around as well.