Sugarfina Candy

Mmm, candy.  I don't often blog about candy, I'm not really sure why.  It certainly isn't because I don't eat a lot of candy.  I do.  I won't say more, in case my dentist, mother, or anyone who thinks I'm a quasi-responsible adult reads this.  But yes.  Candy.  Yum.

Sugarfina is a fancy candy store, or, as they call it,  "a luxury candy boutique for grown-ups".  They have locations across the US, and a few outside, about 25 in total.  They also distribute online, and through partnerships with others.  I haven't ever visited in person, but, I've tried their products from a number of different sources.

Sugarfina is known for very nice candies, including gummy candy.  Just in gummy candy alone, Sugarfina has three different categories: sweet, sour, and cocktail.  Yes, they have an entire lineup of cocktail inspired gummies, most containing high end alcohol.  These are not designed for children they are non-alcoholic.  Sugarfina doesn't actually produce any of the candy they sell, but, they do curate the collection, and draw from candy makers worldwide.   They package it in signature clear boxes, with nice labels, all packaged up into a fancy outer box.  Portions are small.  Price tags are not.  They lean into the "luxury" branding well.

Gummy Candy

I love gummy candy (probably my favorite type of candy).  But, I'm VERY particular about my gummy candy.  I want it to have a certain type of chew to it.  The chew is just as important as the flavor.

I recently received a box of Sugarfina gummy candies as a gift, and I was quite excited. 

The flavors were wonderful, but, sadly, the chew wasn't right for me.  If you aren't as ridiculously specific about how you like your gummy candy to chew, I'm sure these are great.

Aqua Box.

My box of 4 selections was beautifully presented, a lovely shade of aqua, with a lid that hinges back, and a fabric pull tab.  (Side note I will totally be re-purposing this box after I finish all the candy!)

4 Selections.

Inside, each of the 4 selections was in its own plastic cube.  And they were all celebratory booze inspired, although considered non-alcoholic.   My lineup was:

• Royal Roses
• Cheers to Us
• Peach Bellini
• Bubbly Bears

These small cubes are available for $7 each, or, as a "Bento Box" with 4 for $.

Royal Roses.

"These beautiful roses are blooming with all-natural flavors of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, and black currant."

Each flavor was a slightly different shade of pink.  They were certainly pretty gummies, but, I wasn't into the flavor, nor the chew to them.  Somehow both too soft AND too chewy at the same time, if that makes any sense ...

**+.

Cheers to Us

I'm pretty sure these are the regular Champagne Bears, just, with a different name.

They came in two flavors, both with Dom Pérignon, one a brut, one a rose.  The champagne flavor was slightly floral, slightly alcohol-y, and fairly subtle.

But they were very chewy, just like Haribo gummy bears, in the way I don't like.  My friend liked the chew to these though, but he didn't like the flavor.

**+.

Bubbly Bears.

"Champagne Bears with a sour twist. Our classic Champagne-infused gummy bears are dusted in sweet and tart sugar crystals for a sophisticated taste that really "pops." Made with Dom Pérignon Vintage Champagne."

They also make "Champagne Bears", just sans the sour component.  The two colors are indeed different flavors, made from Brut or Rose.

The flavor of these was quite lovely.  A really subtle flavor of champagne, with a hint of sour.  I liked these more than I like most champagne.

But, they were a bit too soft for me.  I pondered leaving them air exposed for a little while to get chewier. ***.

Peach Bellini.

"Peach with a pucker... These all-natural gummies are filled with a juicy peach center, then dusted in sweet & sour sugar crystals for a mouthwatering taste sensation. If you love sour peaches, you'll be totally smitten with these unique peachy hearts."

There is a totally generic brand that makes sour peach gummies that I love.  So, I was quite interested to see how Sugarfina would re-make a classic love of mine.

Like the others, the flavor was wonderful.  It tasted like peaches.  And they were cute, little hearts.  But .. again, too soft for me. ***.

Truly Hard Seltzer Passion Fruit Bears.

Not from my previous collection, but I also got to try the Truly Hard Seltzer bears.  Booze inspired gummy candy is not new for Sugarfina, so, when they decided to partner with Truly for a collab, it made complete sense to me.  Hard seltzer is definitely a fad right now, and so, hey, why not capitalize on it?  Truly bears are available in 4 flavors: mango, passion fruit, pineapple, and watermelon & kiwi.

Well, I didn't taste any booze.  Nor any seltzer-like fizz.  They were fruity, but again, the chew to them wasn't quite right for me.  Fine bears, but, the collab was kinda lost on me.

***.

Chocolates & Cordials

"Sweet indulgence is yours for the tasting.  Indulge in premium dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate & pink chocolate candies from around the world."

Since I struck out on the gummy candy, I moved on to chocolates.

Cocktail

Just like the gummy candies, there is a cocktail collection of chocolate based confections as well.  I didn't get to try the single malt scotch cordials (cask strength!), nor the maple bourbon caramels (!), but I did try the others.  These actually have enough alcohol in them that you cannot buy them under age, and, there is a warning against consumption for pregnant women.  And, uh, you can tell.

Jamaican Rum Snowballs. (Germany)

"These creamy truffles are infused with Jamaican rum, then finely dusted in powdered sugar."

Well, hello, rum!  These are indeed rum balls.  Wow.

I tried my first one around 8am, with my cup of coffee, barely awake.  Let's just say, I was not expecting so much rum!

Once I got over the punch in the face from the rum, I enjoyed it.  Creamy milk chocolate, slightly crispy shell, and, well, rum.  I'm not a big fan of milk chocolate though, so I was happy to share these with co-workers.

***+.

Limoncello Cordials. (Germany)

"A white chocolate shell holds a tiny shot of limoncello, an Italian liqueur made from fresh sweet lemons."

These were pretty tasty.  The center was sweet liquid limoncello, and the shell was crisp and sweet.  Nothing particularly complex here, but, fun.

***+.

Assorted

A few months later, I found Sugarfina at an event, offering up candy samples.

Candy Samples!

They had a number of different items, and were offering individual samples with a few pieces of a given candy in a little pill cup, or, they had big jars of candy, tongs, and cellophane bags to fill up.  "Take as much as you want!  Don't by shy!", they called out.

My Bag-o-Goodies!

You know what I did.

The selection included two items I'd had before (Champagne Bears and Royal Roses), plus a few new ones to me: Sugar Lips, Blue & White Sugarfina Pearls, and Champagne Bubbles.  I skipped the Champagne Bears since I didn't like them before, and took a few Roses to give them another try, but mostly loaded up on the new items.

Sugar Lips:
"Hey sugar lips. You'll want to pucker up to these sweet & sour gummy lips in delicious natural flavors of Watermelon, Strawberry and Bubble Gum.  Kissably-soft and chewy, these sugar lips are dusted in sweet & sour sugar crystals for a lip-smackin' mouthwatering smooch sensation."

The lips came in three colors, all hues of red/pink.  I first grabbed a pinkish one, and bit in.  I tasted watermelon immediately.  It has been a LONG time since I've tasted "watermelon", as I'm severely allergic.  Fear ran through my entire body.  Did I finish chewing?  Spit it out?  There was no way they used real watermelon extract right?

I calmed down, didn't go into anaphylaxis, and looked it up online.  "Natural and artificial flavors".  Let's go with artificial?  Phew.

Anyway.  I can't say I enjoyed the watermelon one.  It tasted like soap to me.  I also didn't have any more of the watermelon ones, just in case.  No reason to risk things like that. **+.

The most red one was strawberry I guess.  I would have guessed cherry.  But, point being, kinda fruity, sweet and sour coating.  It had a nice chew to it, and I liked the large size of the lips.  This was very enjoyable to eat.  ***.

Blue & White Sugarfina Pearls:
"Tiny milk chocolate droplets are coated in a delicate sugar shell, in dazzling Sugarfina hues.
Made exclusively for Sugarfina, these beautiful milk chocolate pearls are coated in a mix of shimmery aqua and pearlized white candy shells, so gorgeous they belong in a jewelry box."

These were just basic chocolate pearls.  They had a slightly crispy candy shell, standard milk chocolate inside.  Pretty with their shimmery colors, but, otherwise, not particularly notable.  ***.