Birthday 2023 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #77

Greetings journal readers!

As you might have guessed, I've gained access to another laptop that, while inferior to my old one in nearly every other way, *does* allow me to access the internet - at least for now. Yay!

Per usual, I haven't really been a very busy kitten over the past few months - most of my plans for September and October fell through. I was too sick to attend PoutineFeast and was forced to go to Smoke's when I recovered as consolation. Transportation issues almost saw me miss GemStorm as well, but I did manage to get a few hours in and expanded my collection with: Amber, Native Copper, Sulphur, a Septarian Nodule, Galena, Labradorite, and Fulgurite - they didnt have all of the minerals I wanted and I'm a bit disappointed with my amber sample (maybe I should have waited until next year for that), but there's always room for multiple samples of the same mineral - I have loads of amethyst, for instance!

On the other paw, my maternal and step grandmothers both had their 80th birthdays in August and I was able to attend both of those as well as a very nice Thanksgiving with the former so that was fun at least.

Of course it *is* my birthday today which means that, once again I'm going to.... *poofs into tiny newborn Kaffre* "Mew?"

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Kaffre talks Candy #77

Name: Aero Truffle, Brownie
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 105 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Resembles a scaled up version of the standard Aero (3x7 pieces rather than 2x5), but made of dark chocolate and with the usual aerated chocolate interior topped with more dark chocolate albeit with a different consistency.
Opinion: This item certainly delivers a rich chocolate-y flavour, but the bitterness of the dark-chocolate, while mitigated somewhat by the aerated chocolate interior, nevertheless detracts somewhat from the 'brownie' theme they're going for. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying it again, but I'm not really sure how well it manages to emulate 'brownie'. Would recommend to dark chocolate fans, however.

Name: C. Howard's Scented Gum
Manufacturer: C. Howard Co.
Size: 12 gram box.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree.
Description: Consists of 8 pieces of dark purple chicle style gum.
Opinion: This gum very closely resembles 'Thrills' in having a strong floral flavour reminiscent of rosewater that unfortunately fades rather quickly. That being said, the pieces are more pillow shaped and seem a bit denser as well. Overall, I liked this gum and would buy it again, but the greater availability of Thrills in Canada means I'll probably go for that instead most of the time.

Name: Frank Feels Stuffed Chips
Manufacturer: Canadian Tire.
Size: 200 gram bag
Where Purchased: Canadian Tire.
Description: Consists of thick ruffle-cut potato chips with a slight brown colour and flecks of green.
Opinion: A snack I picked out after being dragged to the hardware store. Flavored to taste like 'turkey stuffing', this product is surprisingly authentic having a savoury herby flavour (particularly sage) that is a bit strange to get from a potato chip, but despite being a bit saltier than I thought necessary, I did find myself adapting pretty quickly. Overall, I liked these chips and would definitely buy them again and encourage others to as well...

Name: Reese's Big Cup (Reese's Puffs)
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 34 gram cup
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Resembles a slightly larger version of the standard Reese's Peanut Butter Cup (in terms of depth, diameter appears the same) except that cup also contains pieces of the Reese breakfast cereal.
Opinion: A Product we stumbled upon by chance while hunting discounted Easter Candy. The flavour of this product was, naturally, similar to the standard Reese Cup (if perhaps a bit sweeter), but the cereal added a pleasant crunchiness as well as some added density resulting in a more filling snack. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would purchase it again.

Name: Smarties, Orange Cream Pop
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 38 gram box
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of orange-flavoured chocolate pieces coated in an orange coloured candy coating.
Opinion: An item I decided to pick on on a whim, I'm not *quite* sure just how this product differs from the 'Smarties, Orange' I reviewed back in KtC#45, but based on that older review, it seems like the orange flavour on these might be milder since I wasn't sure at first whether it was 'real' or not. At first though, this seems to defeat the presumptive purpose of the product, but there is a certain logic to it - orange flavoured chocolate is a bit controversial so a very mild iteration might possibly sell better. Regardless, I *do* like orange chocolate and would but this item again given the opportunity.