by Ken Shenkman
Editor Note: Way back in 2001, we published a Coffee Candy Review. For many years, INeedCoffee has wanted to update that article, but we also wanted the writer to be a candy expert. Fortunately, we connected with Ken Shenkman of Bulk Candy Store for a detailed article on coffee candies for coffee drinkers.
As a coffee enthusiast, you want rich coffee flavor with you as often as you can get it. But let’s face it; sometimes it’s just not feasible to carry around a mug of hot java. For those times, you might just consider coffee candy. Because they are made with real coffee, you can think of coffee candies as bite-sized chunks of coffee goodness in a convenient wrapper.
Coffee candy comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and textures, so it can be tough to find just the right one for you. With that in mind, I lined up our best-selling coffee candies and asked everyone at our store to let me know what they thought of each. While people’s individual tastes are different, there were some clear winners and losers. So without further ado, I give you the results….
Coffee Prims
Coffee prims are a rectangular-shaped hard candy in a bright metallic foil wrap. They are a popular item and did well with our tasters. Most people described the taste as “a good regular cup of coffee”. Smooth and flavorful coffee flavor accented with real milk in the mix.
The Verdict: A crowd favorite and a good choice for an everyday cup of coffee in a wrapper.
Coffee Prims
Coffee Rio
Coffee Rio candies are also rectangular-shaped candies, but not quite “hard candies”. They start off as hard candies but will soften a bit over time if you keep them in your mouth; sort of a hard/toffee candy. They are available in a few different varieties of flavors, each with its own unique flavor profile.
Coffee Rio Original – The consensus on these was that they tasted like a decent cup of regular coffee; smooth and flavorful, with the right blend of coffee flavor and sweetness.
Coffee Rio Café Latte – Another crowd favorite and the #1 pick for a few folks. This candy features what some say is the perfect flavor combination. Just the right amount of coffee, cream, and sweetness, all packed into a little package.
Coffee Rio Kona Island Blend – If you’re one of those people who like the bolder taste of Kona coffee, this one is for you. With real Kona coffee in the recipe, this one comes on strong. Not a big winner in our rankings as most of the crew like it a bit milder. This is a solid choice for those who like a really strong and slightly bitter flavor.
The Verdict: What’s most appealing about Coffee Rio is the variety of choices. Between the flavors, we tried and others that are available, you’re sure to find one that suits your tastes. They even have sugar-free varieties for those of you who are more likely to reach for the Splenda than a teaspoon of sugar.
*Coffee Rio
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Coffee Filled Bon Bons
These little bites are a very different kind of candy from the others we sampled. They have a hard candy shell with a chewy coffee center. They also seemed to evoke the biggest response from people, with most putting them toward the bottom of the list. Some people mentioned a slight chocolate flavor, giving this a bit of a mocha twist; others didn’t seem to notice. We’ll say it’s a subtle chocolate flavor. Most people stated that the coffee flavor wasn’t as strong as the other candies. One thing everyone agreed on is that these are really sweet.
The Verdict: Light on flavor, sweet and chewy. If you like your coffee very sweet and mild, this might be a good choice, but if you like more flavor, look at the other choices.
Coffee Filled Bon Bons
Bali’s Best Coffee Candy
This last candy was a latecomer to the game for us. We received samples just as we were putting this post together. Bali’s coffee candies are round, and hard candies are available in three varieties. They are made with cane sugar and coffee from the Toraja Province of the northern Indonesian Islands, which the manufacturer suggests is among the finest and rarest coffees in the world.
Bali’s Best Coffee Candy – The general consensus is that this is a good piece of candy. A mild/medium coffee flavor that’s not overpowering made this another crowd favorite, with a few scoring it as a 10.
Bali’s Best Latte Candy – Like the other latte candy, this one scored well with us. The word most often used to describe it was “creamy”. Medium coffee flavor, combined with that creaminess is why it received more than one “Just how I like my coffee” comment.
Bali’s Best Espresso Candy – This one has a very strong and not too sweet flavor, prompting mixed reviews from our team. The people who like their coffee milder (the Latte lovers) found this too strong for their taste. Those that enjoy a shot of espresso were quite happy with the strong flavor.
The Verdict: Overall, Bali’s got high marks from our group, especially the Latte. In fact, we think the product is good enough that we just placed our first order with the company.
*Bali’s Best
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Conclusion
After tasting all of these coffee candies, we learned a few things. First, we definitely have a Latte crowd in our office. Second, depending on how you like your coffee, there’s probably a candy out there for you. Finally, we discovered that we need to do mass tastings more often as it’s kind of fun.
Resources
Bulk Candy Store – All different candies, including the Coffee Prim Candy.
Coffee Candy Review – Our original coffee candy review was written way back in 2001.