Bissinger's: A Finer Sweet Tooth
It’s been a while since we last reviewed candy here. And now might seem an odd time- not in the traditional season. But our lack of reviews doesn’t stem from a lack of consuming sugary snacks, merely from a relative dearth of interesting items. We keep our eyes open though- at places like the Fancy Food Festival, where we learned about today’s crafter, Bissinger’s.
At first blush, they seem to offer many of the standard chocolate varieties- toffee, bon bons, barks. But what we’ve been enjoying are a bit off the beaten path, starting with the Blueberry Acai Gummy Pandas. They make other flavors as well- Raspberry Yumberry, Pomegranate White Tea, Goji Guava, Pink Grapefruit, and Apricot Green Tea- but our favorite was the nicely balanced, adorably shaped little guys in blue. Antioxidant boost aside, they tasted great- real, probably due to real fruit. We just wish that they made a variety pack- and were more widely available. $14 for one pound is a bit steep, but these are a classier sort of bear. These went the fastest, perhaps because they were the easiest to eat.
Speaking of classy, how about a Kreta olive oil truffle? Seriously- it works. Now, it isn’t the sort of chocolate that you’re likely to want a lot of, it’s more an interesting flavor combination that is fairly mellow, and goes nicely with wine. The salt adds both crunch and flavor, and the texture of these is perhaps the best part. We wished for dark chocolate, but the milk chocolate here is decent. And $18 for 9 pieces is quite reasonable, for a good gift to anyone who thinks that they’ve tried every type of chocolate.
Finally, Bissinger’s offers an upscale take on chocolate raisins! A very appropriate Northern California treat, we were impressed with the chocolate-covered wine grapes. We appreciated the dark chocolate, and the Shiraz infused grapes- meaning that they taste almost oddly juicy and a little alcoholic, and are a great after-dinner snack with a dark red wine. And, at $16, they are an easy addition to a party that is a good conversation starter. The packaging could have been better, though, and we would love to know more about where the wine (and grapes) come from!
