The Consumer’s Corner

I buy about one PayDay bar a year, and this year I found one that had chocolate on it! What a novel idea. Sure took ‘em long enough. This is a product that has been years in the making.

Nothing super exciting going on, just a regular PayDay dipped in milk chocolate. No caffeine, no taurine, just plain candy. Take note candy manufacturers, sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones. No need to get all freaky with a proven product.

I really enjoyed the PayDay Avalanche. The sweetness of the chocolate kind of covers up the saltiness of the peanuts. That’s one thing I never particularly cared for in a PayDay bar was the salt; but I understand that is there ‘thing,’ contrasting the sweet and the salty in one bite. The salt is still there, but much less predominate, and that’s a big plus for me.

260 very empty calories per 51 gram bar, 130 of those calories coming directly from fat. This isn’t a diet food. It’s delicious candy though. I give PayDay Avalanche a good recommendation; I’ll buy another one next year if they’re sill on the market. Enjoy!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

payday, payday avalanche, candy bar, candy, snacks

More ‘Limited Edition’ products, they never seem to end. I think I’ll start a blog called ‘Limited Edition,’ and review nothing but limited edition products. Does that sound like a winner? Wonder what the CTR would be like….

Anyways, this is review number two in what I’m going to call the ‘Frankenfood’ series from now on. The first member being NRG Potato Chips. What we have with Snickers Charged is Snickers meets Redbull. Those silly Snickers folk have taken one of the most time honored candy bars available today, and crammed it full of caffeine (60 mg), taurine (undisclosed), and B vitamins (10% RDA).

Does it work? Yeah, it gave my energy level a noticeable bump. The sugar doesn’t hurt in that department either. Just don’t go around thinking this will replace your favorite energy drink, or even a good cup of coffee; Snickers Charged doesn’t hold a candle to either of those in terms of upping your energy level.

How does it taste? Pretty much like a Snickers bar. Every other bite or so you get a hint of something bitter, and for a candy product, that’s a turn off. There is absolutely no reason to buy this over a regular Snickers unless you’re specifically looking for the energy enhancers; you get less for your money, and it doesn’t taste as good.

I’m going with the ‘thumbs down’ on this. Despite the energy bump, Snickers Charged just isn’t worth it to me. I’ll take a regular Snickers and a can of diet soda and get the same effect. Look for more Frankenfoods in the future, I’m sure this will not be the last.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

snickers, snickers charged, energy food, snacks, candy, frankenfood

‘Coffee Caramel & Chocolate Cookies Covered in Milk Chocolate.’ That’s what the wrapper says, and it sounds like a combination that would be hard to screw up. Turns out, it’s nearly impossible; this was one of the better candy bars I’ve sank my teeth in to in quite awhile.

The only disappointing thing about Twix Java is that ‘Limited Edition’ thing. Why make something that tastes so good only to yank it later? America is a coffee obsessed nation, and this bar pulls off the flavor with near perfection. Why take away a good thing? My hope is they’ll reconsider if it sells well. These Twix have just the right amount of ‘Java;’ not so much that it tastes like you’re eating a whole bunch of coffee ground, but the flavor is definitely noticeable. Blend it all together with the milk chocolate and caramel, and you have yourself a super tasty package of candy.

Easy recommendation for coffee fans, but I’d still say you’d be safe in trying Twix Java out even if you avoid the stuff. Simply delicious. They should be available wherever you buy your candy, so long as they have a decent selection. I’ll certainly be buying more, maybe by the case!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

twix, twix java, snacks, candy, food

Did a little research, and apparently these Razzberry M&M’s have been out for quite awhile, but I just started seeing them pop up in my neck of the woods. So, they may not be new to you, but they are to me, so I’m going to review them anyway.

The idea of fruit flavored M&M’s was a bit strange to me, but none the less intriguing. I’ve had some high end chocolates that were flavored, and pretty tasty, but I wasn’t sure something in a hot pink package with the ‘Razzberry’ moniker would be able to compare.

Most thankfully, my doubts were erased. The ‘Razzberry’ flavoring was subtle, so it wasn’t much of a departure from your standard M&M. Just a really big M&M; the limited edition Razzberry variety are roughly twice the size of a regular ‘M.’

My first impressions were not that I was eating a raspberry flavored product. My initial thought was ‘chocolate covered cherries.’ Just not as intense. I’ll probably be all alone in thinking that, but I enjoy my own company.

For a 1.5 ounce package, you get hit with a 210 calorie penalty. It’s worth it to give them a try. Prices will vary by location; anywhere from $0.50 to $1.00. I give them a mild recommendation, they’re not bad, but I’ll probably never buy them again. Mars was wise in making these a limited edition product.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

Related Articles:
Chocolate Mix Skittles

m&m, razzberry, candy, snacks, food, chocolate, candy

I wont run the reviews consecutively, I’m certain that would become quite boring, but I hit the Mother Load when it comes to ‘Now and Later’s. A near by c-store has the largest variety of flavors I’ve ever seen, and over a period of time I’ll eventually review every last one of them. Just let me know if I’m going over board!

Older readers should remember these from candies from their youth, the rest of us have probably only seen them sparingly. They seem to fade in and out of popularity. Any of the young readers out their that might want something to compare these to; just think Starbursts. Now and Later’s are just a bit more firm, and I think more flavorful.

Please, don’t think I’m kidding when I say ‘firm’ either; I mean it. If you don’t suck on Now and Laters ‘Now’ before you bite into them ‘Later’ (get it), these can very easily rip a filling right out of your tooth. Or maybe the whole tooth. That wouldn’t be cool at all.

To start with, I’ll hit a basic flavor; ‘Cherry.’ Tastes great, but nothing like any cherry I’ve ever had the pleasure of biting in to. That’s a common trait with a lot of these ‘budget’ candies; they’ll often taste good, but the names can be interchangeable. ‘Cherry’ could have very easily been a ‘Berry.’ Regardless, they’re good, and I think you’ll enjoy them.

Take this nutritional info with a grain of salt; I wasn’t able to find any official info so I grabbed some numbers off of a (very useful) diet information site. 9 of the individually wrapped pieces net you 120 calories. I really don’t think that’s all that bad for candy; you’re unlikely to sit down and eat 9 of them at a time anyway. Where these babies really shine is cost effectiveness; if you’re paying more than a quarter for the 1.26oz ‘bar,’ you’re paying too much. Excellent value, great flavor, and that combination equals a solid recommendation.

No Useful Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

now and later, candy, snacks, food

I enjoy a good stick of gum. In fact I’ll take spells where I’ll chew it constantly, all the way to making my jaws sore. I’m a bit OCD when it comes to things like that. ‘5 Flare’ by Wrigley caught my eye recently, so I grabbed a pack. Want a three word review? It’s cinnamon gum.

Longer version? 5 Flare is a really average stick of gum. With the special packaging, and the hideously over produced commercials, I was expecting something really intense; like Altoids Gum. Nope. 5 Flare is indistinguishable from Big Red, and that left me disappointed.

What did impress me was the longevity of the flavor. The unit of time to measure how long the flavor in 5 Flare lasts is hours, not minutes. This stuff will love you long time. Stays pretty soft as well. Thumbs up for that.

Packaging is interesting; very much reminding me of a package of cigarettes. When I first pulled out the package, my friend thought it was a small box of condoms. Before reading the box, I thought they were mints. Wrigley may want to work on that. Anyway, you get 15 sticks of individually wrapped sticks, at a charge of ten cents a piece. That is $1.50 for those of you who are not mathematically inclined. The Consumer’s Corner gives it a mild recommendation; it lasts awhile, but aside from that, there’s nothing special going on.

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

5, 5 gum, gum, candy, wrigleys

While out shopping a few days ago for ‘review material’, actually the same day I found Sour Nerds, I ran up on these as well. ‘Skittles Chocolate Mix.’ Or ‘Chocolate Mix Skittles.’ Take your pick.

When I was a fat little brat, I ate original Skittles like mad; I bought them by the one pound bag and kept them in my wonderfully convenient M&M dispenser. As with nearly all foods, constant access will lead to burnout, so I’ve gotten away from Skittles as I’ve aged altogether. I don’t think I’ve even tried but one of the other fruity varieties, though I plan on doing so soon. But ‘Chocolate Mix Skittles’ just seemed to ’strange’ to pass up; perfect for Consumer’s Corner review material.

To give them a three word description, I’d go with ‘crunchy Tootsie Rolls.’ The flavor and texture are very similar once you break through the candy ’shell.’ In my opinion, there really wasn’t a a very big difference in flavor between the different colors, except for ‘Vanilla.’ In a bag, you should get (from top to bottom in the picture) ‘Vanilla,’ ‘S’mores,’ ‘Chocolate Caramel,’ ‘Chocolate Pudding,’ and ‘Brownie Batter.’ Calories are a hefty 230 per 2oz serving.

Do I recommend them? For those of you who like to try new things just for the sake of trying them, sure. There’s not anything wrong them, but  they’re really not that great either. I’ll be sticking stick with the M’s for my candy coated chocolate needs. For the general consumer, if you can keep your curiosity from getting the best of you, I’ll say pass.

Official Site
(They’re not listed yet, but should be soon)

–Jeremy Hobbs

skittles, chocolate, skittles chocolate mix, chocolate skittles, candy, snacks

(Thank you to:
www.candyblog.net
www.typetive.com
for the photos.)

I’ll never hide my love for almost all things Wonka, they just produce great products that make my taste buds jump for joy. If they release something, I’ll buy it, at least once. No questions asked. Nerds, Bottle Caps, Runts, and Gobstoppers all hold very dear places in my candy coated heart. Bottle Caps are probably my favorite overall, but the other three run a very close second (I love them all equally, like you love your children).

While strolling through the candy aisles at my local convenience store, these jumped out at me. I saw ‘New Sour! Nerds’ sitting alongside this store’s usual Nerd collection. Needless to say, I was quite excited. My hand reached for that 1.65 ounce box faster than I could even think about it, and I gave my marvelous new find a thorough analyzation. ‘CSI’ style, baby. Only major difference in packaging was a shrink wrapping; much like those on cigarette packages. Found that a bit odd, but no big deal.

The flavors, as you can see in the picture, are ‘Lightning Lemon’ and ‘Amped Apple.’ Catchy, huh? The lemon was sour, or tart, as advertised. That should be a given with lemon candies. Not anything ‘painful’ though, just a bit more sour than your standard Nerd. Doesn’t taste all that much like a lemon, more like a lemon flavored candy; which it is. You all know how that goes.

Amped Apple was (pretty easily) my favorite of the two, and not really sour at all. Kind of made it an odd inclusion in this ‘extension’ of the Nerds brand, but it tasted great. More or less a standard ’sour apple’ candy flavor, it should be very pleasing to those who enjoy similar candies (Blow Pops come to mind). It would have easily fit along side any other Nerd flavor out there, ’sour’ or not.

180 calories per box, as each box contains three servings. Completely wasted calories, but it’s candy; you can’t expect a multivitamin. The box cost me $0.69, your results will certainly vary by location/chain. I’ll give these a general recommendation to the average consumer, and I highly recommend them to Wonka fans, and especially Nerd fans. Enjoy!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

wonka, nerds, sour nerds, candy

This is my very first review of an energy food, and it is an interesting one. Potato chips? Yup. I suppose this will kind of be a ‘two for one’ review; NRG’s as a snack, and NRG’s as an energy enhancing product.

As a chip, they’re just fairly basic spicy potato chips. The heat alone should be enough to get you woke up, and probably make your nose run a little as well. Mine did a full on sprint. They’re of the ‘rippled’ variety of potato chips, always slightly over cooked; all Golden Flake chips are. It seems to be their thing. The heat is added on top of a ‘barbecue’ base flavor; again pretty basic stuff. It’s good, but again, nothing super special. It’s not difficult to tell that flavor originality wasn’t high on the list of priorities.

Now the part you really want to read. The energy enhancement ingredients, and do they work? Yep, they sure do. Especially if you down the whole 3.5 ounce bag (an actual ’serving’ is just 1 ounce). ‘Can you taste the chemicals?’ Amazingly, not one bit. Caffeine is bitter, but the heat and ‘other’ flavorings were powerful enough that there was not a hint of a medicinal aftertaste. Same goes for the taurine and B-vitamins I suppose. Not sure what those chemicals taste like by themselves, but I’m sure they’re not very tasty.

You want numbers? Sorry, I can’t give them to you. Golden Flake is staying mum on how many milligrams the chips have per serving (that should so be illegal), only saying it’s comparable to a cup of coffee. You do however get a confirmed figure of 80% of B6 and 100% of B12. Vitamins in ‘tater chips? What is the world coming to?

Fat and calorie wise, these are all potato chips. 140 calories and 9 grams (3g saturated, 0 trans) per ounce. Not horrible, but could definitely be better. Lunch replacement/pick me up in a pinch, maybe? That’s up to you and your diet allowances.

Availability is limited right now to the south eastern United States, but they’ll ship you a case if you’re interested in purchasing them elsewhere. If you’re nice and contact them, they might even send you a sample. No promises though. Otherwise, expect to pay between $1 and $2 depending on how greedy your chosen retailer is. Eat up!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

snacks, energy, potato chips, food, supplements

I’ve written about Good Sense Sunflower Nuts (made by Waymouth Farms Inc.) before on another site I write for, and promised those readers I’d get back to them with the additional flavors Good Sense offers, and how they compared to the originals. Always a man of my word, I finally tried another variety; Honey Roasted.

Flavored sunflower seeds (from this point forward I’m will not refer to ’seeds’ as ‘nuts’) in the shells are not anything new, any sunflower connoisseur can tell you that several companies have produced a lot of different flavors over the years, the most popular probably being David’s. Personally, I’ve seen barbeque, Nacho Cheese, Salsa, and some kind of extra spicy one who’s name escapes me as of this writing. I never cared for them actually, they always tore my mouth up pretty bad. Still, it’s good to have options.

What about the lazy people though? Those of us who do not care to bother with all that shell busting and rude spitting? Did no one think we might like a little variety as well? A few extra flavor options? Before Good Sense began offering their products, I’m not completely sure I have ever seen a low/no sodium version of preshelled seeds, except in bird seed bags. That should be a given in any line. Let’s all give Good Sense a huge round of applause for offering consumers what they really want; quality products, plenty of variety, all at an exceptional price.

Let me touch on that ‘quality product’ part. Good Sense really did an exception job flavoring these seeds. Any seed eater knows that while very tasty, it’s not a strong flavor, and can be overwhelmed very easily. That’s why they’re a popular salad topping; adds texture without taking over. Kudos to Good Sense for realizing that, and not going overboard. The flavor of the seed is still the foremost thing you taste, accented by a salty sweet honey flavoring. Much more sweet than salty, just for the record. It was a bit different at first, but I really liked it, and will purchase them again without question.

Not sure where to tell you where to buy them (I get mine at Wal-Mart for around $2.00, but they may not offer them nationally), because I don’t see them at many stores. But if you’re interested, call 1-800-527-0094 and they’ll give you that information on where they’re sold in your area. Nutritional information can be found here. I hope you give them a try, I think you’ll be very pleased!

Official Site

–Jeremy Hobbs

sunflower seeds, snacks, honey roasted, good sense, waymouth farms