Well, it has been a while since my last journal so I'm just turning up to let everyone know I'm alright and still lurking about unseen. This has actually been a pretty busy month for me - I managed to get our garden planted full to the brim with potatoes and despite some problems with her nest, our duck continues to brood so we haven't lost hope of getting some babies in the near future!

Unfortunately, I never did get any playtest feedback yet for Babyfur RPG so I don't really have any concrete updates to discuss at this time continue to quietly tinker with the rules on my own - Do try and let me know your thoughts, however.

With this installment of Kaffre talks Candy, I have officially exhausted the imports aisle at my local Bulk Barn, but have also managed to locate a convenience store that stocks a variety of Asian candies that should extend the life of this particular journal feature. Or I could decide to take Zee-Zee's advice and start reviewing other kinds of things (I've already cheated somewhat by including cookies in #6).

Finally, I know I say this every journal, but I really hope to get some pictures or story updates to post later this month to share with everyone. *crosses claws*

Well, I guess that's it for this month's update so without further ado...

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Name: Invite
Manufacturer: Solen
Size: 58 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Invite consists of two small bars bundled together in the same wrapper. The individual bars are comprised of a crunchie cookie-biscuit topped with a small quantity of caramel and then enrobed in a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: A product I've never heard of, but based on the picture appears to be a Turkish version of Twix. The bars themselves appear broader and flatter than Mars' Twix, however (more than my sitting on them slightly should account for). It also seemed chewier and less sweet than that product. Judged purely on its own merits, Invite is a decent enough bar and one I'd probably buy again, but given the circumstances involved, I think I'll probably stick to Twix.

Name: Kit Kat Chunk Double Caramel
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Kit Kat Chunky consists of a single large wafer cookie (about half the height of a standard Kit Kat Chunky), but the indentation in the centre of the bar is more pronounced. This is because one half of the bar is covered with a thin layer of caramel before being enrobed in chocolate while the other half appears to be topped with a sort of crumbly caramel flavoured substance that I can't readily identify.
Opinion: A product I don't think I've even seen before, but decided to try anyway, this bar wasn't as bad as I feared as the taste was mainly that of a standard kit kat with rather nice overtones of caramel flavour. nevertheless, I found the two-part construction of this bar a little off-putting and as a result of that, feel that I'll probably stick to the regular Chunky for the mostpart though I shan't be too averse to trying this item again.

Name: Mars
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 52 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Mars bar consists of a nougat base covered with caramel with the whole thing being enrobed in chocolate. The bar I bought melted somewhat in transit, but the bar typically has a blocky, but polished appearance.
Opinion: To be completely honest, I can't remember whether I've tried this product before or not. Fortunately, despite my general indifference to caramel-flavoured sweets this product was surprisingly good - I think the nougat had a mellowing effect on the taste of the caramel. Overall a decent enough candy. I don't think it's likely to find a regular place on my shopping list anytime soon, but I'll probably eat one again at some point.

Name: Panda Soft Licorice (Original)
Manufacturer: Panda
Size: 32 gram stick
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Panda Soft Licorice consists of a thickish bar of licorice about twice as wide as it is high. This outside is black while the inside is a rather unappetizing greenish brown.
Opinion: This product is one that I've had before and always enjoyed. An import from Finland, it has a strong licorice flavour combined with an unusual texture and flavour which I suspect derive from the molasses used. I don't normally distinguish between liquorice and anise flavours in candy as I, personally, enjoy both flavours and hence don't much care one way or the other, but due to the relatively short ingredient list for this product (five items), the presence of anise seed oil was quite obvious so some licorice fans may decide to steer clear. Overall, I appreciate the depth of flavour this candy offers and while it's not something I buy with great frequency, I feel it's an item that will continue to find its way into my shopping basket for the foreseeable future.

Name: Pocky, Green Tea
Manufacturer: Thai Glico
Size: 40 gram box
Where Purchased: Beaver Variety and Takeout.
Description: Pocky consists of thin biscuit-sticks that have been lightly dipped in a flavoured compound of some kind. In this case, a sickly-green coating.
Opinion: I'd had the ubiquitous chocolate Pocky once or twice before, but hadn't even see this variety before. The cookie portion was tasty, if a bit plain. The green stuff, on the other paw was a matter of some contention with me positing that it taste like white-chocolate with a very slight tea flavour to it, but those I shared them with disagreed, finding the tea taste to be overwhelming. In any case, while I found this product to be an interesting one, it held no special appeal for me and I feel I'm unlikely to purchase it again.

Name: Pontefract Cakes
Manufacturer: Haribo
Size: 160 gram bag
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Pontefract Cakes consist of a flat, vaguely circular, pieces of liquorice-flavoured candy that have been embossed in the style of a coin (in this case, with the words "HARIBO ORIGINAL" and a picture of what I presume is meant to be Pontefract Castle).
Opinion: While I have, in fact, tried these candies before, I wanted to give them another try before scribbling up a review. The candy has a nice, but somewhat subtle, licorice taste that's not too sweet and in fact has a bit of saltiness to it as well as another flavour I'm having trouble identifying. The downside, for me, is the texture which has an odd chewiness to it that's reminiscent of a gummy. Overall, I found these candies to be fairly tasty, but I don't think I'm likely to buy them again as there are no shortage of other licorice-type candies that I like better and lack the unusual texture of this product.

Name: Sherbet Fountain
Manufacturer: Tangerine Confectionery
Size: 25 gram tube
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Sherbet Foutain consists of a plastic tube with a plastic tub with a removable plastic top. The tube contains a white powdery candy and a piece of licorice for use as a dipper.
Opinion: Sherbet Foutain is a product I've seen many times, but always avoided to the rather intimidating-looking packaging (it resembles some kind of spray cannister). Fortunately, the product is fairly simple. Sadly, the licorice piece was stale to the point of being brittle and tasteless and I had to throw it away. The powder candy, however, was interesting - I've never been a fan of most powdered candies, finding them either too strongly flavoured, but this product has a relatively mild lemon flavour that I rather like. I'm still unlikely to puchase the stuff again because I find powder candies in general to be messy and inconvenient, but happily recommend it to others.

Name: Toblerone (Honey and Almond Nougat)
Manufacturer: Mondelez
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Toblerone consists of eleven small triangular segments connected at the bottom. The chocolate constains small crunchy flecks of what I presume is almond nougat.
Opinion: I've had this product in the past, but didn't remember much about it. The chocolate is smooth and sweet and the slivers of nougat do add an interesting texture while the segmentation allow the bar to be readily broken up into conveniently bite-sized pieces. Overall, I thought this item was quite tasty and can't really remember why I buy them so infrequently, but while this item won't be joining my regular candy list just yet, I probably will grab it a bit more often in future.

Name: Tunnock's Caramel Wafer
Manufacturer: Thomas Tunnock Limited
Size: 30 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Tunnock's Caramel Wafers consist of a large caramel-flavoured wafer cookie coated in a layer of milk chocolate. In appearance, it resembles a slightly shorter version of Nestle's Coffee Crisp bar in its plainness.
Opinion: A product I've not seen before, but decided to review on a whim. First, the four thin layers of caramel lent the bar an interesting chewiness as opposed the crispiness of most wafer-type bars while at the same time delivering a surprising amount of caramel-flavour without much in the way of stickiness. Overall, a quality item, but one that I'm not sure I'll be trying again (due to my general ambivalence toward caramel).

Name: Wine Gums
Manufacturer: Waterbridge
Size: N/A (200 gram bags)
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Wine Gums consist of stiff, gummy-like candies that come in a variety of colours and flavours (raspberry, lemon, lime, orange, and blackcurrant), and are formed into a a variety of shapes (circle, ovate, kite, and rod) which have been stamped with the names of different beverages (chablis, claret, gin, hock, port, and rioja).
Opinion: A British import I've frequently enjoyed, but was hesitant to review as I wasn't sure of the manufacturer until recently (many companies manufacture the candy and I generally buy it loose). In any case, the candies have a nice stiff texture that I appreciate in a gum candy and taste that's somewhat difficult to describe. The fruit flavour comes through well but is neither too sweet nor too tart and has a distinctive but pleasant aftertaste (perhaps the spinach/nettle extract or beeswax). In any case, I find this product to be quite tasty and will continue to purchase them on a semi-regular basis for the foreseeable future.