Another Belated Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #89

Greetings once again loyal journal-readers and welcome to another long-overdue Kaffre Journal!

As with my last journal almost 3 months ago, I have no real excuses to offer for my tardiness except my own laziness with regards to writing and not really having anything much to talk about... My family acquired a new puppy I'm not the primary caretaker, but I am the main one who watches him during daylight hours so that keeps me busy for a few hours per day, but also helps me get more fresh air and exercise than I have.

In entertainment, I'm currently watching the anime 'Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni'. Astute readers may remember me watching it a year or so ago, but I stopped after S1 because it was pretty scary, I didn't understand what was happening, and I was watching dub and couldn't find 'Kai' in that format. However; Kai is more mystery than horror, it exists to explain what was going on in Season 1, and it turns out only S1, Gou, and Sotsu were ever dubbed. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my decision to continue with the franchise and intend to continue watching its animated installments which, at a rate of 1 episode per day, will keep me busy until mid July at which point I intend to try it's sister series 'Umineko No Naku Koro Ni'.

I skipped the Spring Rocks show this year as it's mostly custom jewellery and doesn't really real in the kind of raw stones I like to collect. Guess I'm waiting for 'Gemstorm' 5 months from now to satisfy my rock collecting desire - Unless, of course, I find something cool myself.

Anyway, I guess that gets all of you guys up to date with my life. I'll try to post journals more regularly fromn now on, but thanks for reading! *hugs*

And now... *drumroll*

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Kaffre talks Candy #89

Name: Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag.
Where Purchased: No Frills.
Description: Consists of ordinary looking potato chips - the colouring agent being approximately potato coloured.
Opinion: A limited time option I grabbed up. The chips do an impressive job emulating the flavour of cheesy garlic bread having a rich garlicky flavour with a distinct cheesy element adding to the savoury flavour. There's also a heavy buttery flavour that I found off-putting and slightly gross at first, but by about halfway through the bag it had grown on me. Overall, I liked these chips and would consider buying them again, but they're not even my favourite garlic/cheese flavour and definitely won't be entering my regular rotation...

Name: Pringles, Chili & Lime
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Co.
Size: 156 gram tube.
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: A limited edition product my sister wanted to try. These chips have a zesty citrus-y flavour that I found quite enjoyable and while there was definitely some 'heat' from the chili, it wasn't very intense and indeed almost seemed like a bit of an afterthought. Overall, I liked these chips and would probably buy them again, but I'm not really sure I'd choose them over my usual 'go-to' flavours like salt & vinegar...

Name: Pringles, Mexican Street Corn
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Co.
Size: 156 gram tube.
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: A limited edition product my sister wanted to try. I'm not a huge fan of corn Mexican or otherwise, but this product evidently seeks to emulate a particular recipe incorporating sour cream, lime juice, cayenne pepper, and cheese and while I haven't tried the dish and thus can't vouch to authenticity, the chips do offer a nice citrus flavour with a pepper-y kick a combination I quite enjoyed. There seems to be some attempt at cheese and sour cream as well, but I only noticed them *after* looking up the recipe and they may be psychosomatic. Overall, I liked these chips and would definitely consider buying them again.

Name: Pringles, Street Taco
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Co.
Size: 156 gram tube.
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: A limited edition product my sister wanted to try. I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food and have no idea what the distinguishing characteristics of a 'street taco' are, let alone vouch for authenticity, but the packaging cites: pork carnitas, onion, garlic, cumin, and thyme. The first thing I noticed was that these chips are saltier than I expected with a sort of bouillion flavour similar to those used in other 'meat' flavoured chips, but... different (I'm not sure I've ever tasted pork bouillion), I can definitely taste garlic and thyme as well which adds to the rich savoury taste. Overall, I liked these chips well enough and would definitely consider buying them again, but I'm not sure I like them any more than the more standard varieties...

Name: Tyrell's Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar Crisps
Manufacturer: KP Snacks Limited
Size: 40 gram bag.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe.
Description: Consists of fairly normal-looking kettle-chips.
Opinion: A British import I thought sounded appealing. These chips are light and crispy with a delicate, but authentic salt & cider vinegar flavour that I found quite pleasant and while not exactly 'mild' didn't burn my tongue or the corners of my mouth the way North American salt & vinegar chips so often do. Overall, I liked these chips and would definitely consider buying them again in future as I'm a sucker of S&V chips and these are an excellent example of them!

2025 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #88:

Greetings Journal-readers!

First, I'd like to apologize for not posting a journal in a few months. I don't really have any excuse for the lapse save my own procrastination. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or worry I may have inavdertently cauused and as recompense please accept a double-sized installment of Kaffre talks Candy.

November and December were... pretty normal with nothing out of the ordinary happening. I was mostly just busy with holiday preparations (though we didn't really *do* much of anything). Most of the money I typically use to get myself something was taken up by my Definitive Edition Ars Magica book which, combined with all the extras, taxes, and shipping was more expensive than I expected, but I did grab a WWF plushie expending my collection with another feline: a lion! Also, not to worry, my gift budget for family was unaffected!

In early January, I contracted a nasty respiratory infection which left me all, but incapacitated for the first half of the month - stupid asthma! Fortunately I've since recovered completely and will hopefully be feeling better as we enter the Year of the Snake!

February, a new fastfood place opened at the mall, Amaya Express, reactivating my mission to eat something from every franchise there. It was my first encounter with quick-service Indian food and I thought it was pretty good. Beyond that, the month was has been pretty ordinary apart from the heavy snowfall and unseasonable cold we got during the midpart of the month, but which is now mostly melted away.

Anyway, I guess that's it for this journal. Apologies again for lengthy hiatus and I promise to do my best to ensure that the next journal is, more or less on time!

And now...

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Kaffre talks Candy #88:

Name: Cheetos Smoky Barbecue
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay/Lotte
Size: 82 gram bag
Where Purchased: Asian Market
Description: Consists of an extruded corn snack similar to cheetos, but yellow.
Opinion: A Korean product I decided to sample on a whim. The flavour isn't really like anything I would describe as 'barbecue', sporting a sweet, yet smoky garlicky flavour that was nevertheless reasonably pleasant but also a bit unusual to my palette. Overall, I thought this product was OK, but I don't think I'd buy it.

Name: Chips Ahoy Chewy (Hot Cocoa)
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 281 gram package
Where Purchased: No Frills.
Description: Consists of soft-baked chocolate chip cookies except that the cookies themselves are a bit darker than usual, have a chocolate filling and have marshmallow-flavoured chips. Flavoured to taste like hot chocolate.
Opinion: A limited edition holiday snack I got a chance to sample. Although slightly stale by the time I got to try them, these cookies actually do an impressive job replicating the rich, warming taste of hot chocolate which I'm guessing probably involves the addition of some sort of milk flavour to distinguish them from 'regular' chocolate. I actually don't care for marshmallows in my hot chocolate, but that's more of an issue with texture (I dislike bubble tea for the same reason) and they don't bother me at all in cookie form. Overall, I liked these cookies and would probably buy them again, but do wonder if they wouldn't wear out their novelty quickly.

Name: Dorito's Spicy Tropical Fusion
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Freshco
Description: Consists of triangular tortilla chips with a slight brown colouration from the flavouring agents used.
Opinion: A limited edition (and I believe Canada exclusive) flavour developed by chefs Minh Phat, Siobhan Detkavich, and Andre Bhagwandat and incorporating red chilli, pineapple, and jerk seasoning. The flavour seems petty authentic too which is a bit unfortunate for me. The chips have a pleasing flavour that is sweet and spicy (but not too hot) with a definite hint of pineapple. Unfortunately, I'm not the biggest fan of 'jerk' seasoning finding it's 'smokiness' to be rather acrid and unpleasant, but here the sweetness of pineapple helps cut through the worst of it. Overall, I thought these chips and would consider purchasing them again...

Name: Dr. Pepper & Cream Soda
Manufacturer: Pepsico.
Size: 591mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage.
Opinion: An item I spied at random and decided to sample. The flavour is very much what it sounds like bearing the characteristic sweetness and vanilla overtones of cream soda while also unmistakably tasting like Dr. Pepper. While definitely weird at first, this item grew on me very quickly. Overall, I liked the item and would buy it again, but I don't really know whether I like it better than regular Dr. Pepper (or cream soda).

Name: Kit Kat Chunky (Choco Extreme)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of a chocolate flavoured Kit-Kat chunky wafer topped with a small amount of chocolate and then enrobed in more chocolate.
Opinion: An interesting product I decided to snap up on a whim. This item definitely delivers on what it promises, having a substantially richer, chocolatey taste than the standard Kit-Kat, but there's not really much to say about it. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but at the same time, I'm not really sure I prefer it to the standard issue Kit-Kat Chunky.

Name: Lay's Holiday Table Chips (Jerk Chicken)
Manufacturer: FritoLay
Size: 220 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of special potato chips with a slight orange cast.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to grab, these chips are flavoured to taste of 'savoury blackened chicken with peppery jerk seasoning'. As promised, these chips do deliver a sweet, smokey, and peppery flavour reminiscent of jerk seasoning. The flavour itself was pretty pleasant and while definitely on the spicy side, weren't too much for me, but jerk seasoning has this... acrid aftertaste (possibly from the roasted hot peppers) that I really dislike and it is present in these chips. Overall, I thought these chips were OK and while I won't be buying them again I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to those who enjoy 'jerked'.

Name: Lay's Holiday Table Chips (Tikka Masala)
Manufacturer: FritoLay
Size: 220 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of special potato chips with a slight orange cast and darker flecks.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to grab, these chips are flavoured to taste of tumeric, cumin, and tomato puree. In practice, the taste is a bit like barbecue in the sense that they combine heat, sweetness, and a tomato-y flavour, but mellower with a sort of creaminess. Overall, I enjoyed these chips and would definitely consider buying them again, but I also don't really think I'll miss them too much.

Name: Lay's Holiday Table Chips (Turkey Dinner)
Manufacturer: FritoLay
Size: 220 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consist of special potato chips with a slight orange colour from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to grab, these chips are flavoured to taste like 'slow-roasted turkey, herb-infused stuffing, and rich, savoury gravy' which is both oddly specific and rather vague and correspondingly actual taste is difficult to describe they do have a savoury herby taste that superficially reminds me of the bouilion taste of 'roast chicken' chips, but perhaps a bit richer and less salty. There was the slightest touch of 'heat' as well which I assume was meant to be for the gravy. Overall, I liked these chips and while the flavour was a bit generic they still pretty tasty and I would definitely consider buying them again.

Name: Mint Maltesers Mini Reindeers
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 59 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of 5 individually-wrapped malted-milk candies shaped a bit like cartoon reindeer and then coated in sweet mint-flavoured milk chocolate.
Opinion: A limited edition holiday item I wanted to sample. These candies offer a sweet and creamy mint-chocolate flavour while retaining the wonderfully crunchy texture and sweet malty flavouring of Maltesers which to my mild surprise actually paired quite nicely with the mint. Overall, I liked these candies and, although perhaps a bit expensive for what they are, I would definitely consider purchasing them again next Christmas if available.

Name: Oreos, Coca-Cola with Popping Candy
Manufacturer: Christie, Brown & Co.
Size: 303 gram package (24 cookies).
Where Purchased: Freshco.
Description: Consists of normal 'oreo' sandwhich cookies except that one half of the 'sandwich' is red and marked with the Coca-Cola logo and the creme centre is perhaps a bit thicker and has pink flecks in it.
Opinion: A limited edition product that I got for my birthday. This product was an interesting one in addition to the classic sweet and crunchy taste of Oreo cookies there was also the unmistakable taste of Cola (though I wasn't quite able to tell if it was from the 'cookie' part or the 'creme' part) while the 'popping candy' in the centre provided an understated 'fizziness' reminiscent of carbonated beverages. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying it again. It it was very weird at first, this product grew on me quickly and honestly, even if it hadn't I think I'd still be impressed by the creativity....

Birthday Journal #43 + Kaffre talks Candy #87

Greetings loyal journal-readers and welcome to my very latest Journal!

First, I'd like to apologize for missing September I just sort of kept procrastinating on it until it was October... Oops!

As it happens, however, not a lot happened that I didn't discuss - we managed to make it to Poutine Fest on the final day of the event. There didn't seem to be quite as many vendors as in previous years, but it was still a fun outing I decided to try the 'General Tso's Tofu Poutine' and wasn't sure I'd like it, but found the crisp yet chewy tofu in it's rich sweet and sour sauce to be an excellent counterpoint to the saltiness of the fries, gravy, and cheese.

We missed being able have Thanksgiving with family this year, but did finally, managed to wrangle my brother into going to Gem Storm! I bought: unpolished amber, sheet obsidian, coprolite, magnesite, biotite mica, and we visited the 'crack your own geode' stall where we got a truly lovely one this year - smokey quartz with calcite! Oh and my brother won a door prizes! Specifically, he received a 1 million year old fossil vertebra from a whale. He gave it to me to take care of for now...

Oh and I shouldn't forget my birthday present to myself: https://www.backerkit.com/c/project.....ef=bk-ec-44778 it's a super-deluxe edition so it's probably not worth going in for a physical copy unless you happen to be a huge fan of the franchise already, but even a $1 donation entitles you to steep discounts on the 5E pdf library so I thought it worth bringing up for those among my fans who might, theoretically be interested.

Well, that just about gets us up to date. I don't really have any plans for my birthday or Halloween, but will probably try getting a slightly fancier class of takeout next time I'm in the city. I also have a couple of pieces of Government ID that need renewing...

I guess that's it for now thanks for reading my journal, but be sure to finish before... *poofs into newborn kitten*

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Kaffre talks Candy #87


Name: 1/2 Moon (Candy Corn Flavour)
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 282 gram box containing 6 cakes.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: 1/2 Moon consists of a round chocolate cake around 10cm in diameter the has been cut down the center then made into a sandwich with bright orange cream filling.
Opinion: A limited time item that I was a little nervous to try. Fortunately, however, the candy corn flavour, if present at all, was far too mild for me to detect any difference between this item and the more standard vanilla cream. I don't have the virulent hatred of candy corn that some do, I just don't feel it would pair well with chocolate cake... Overall I liked this product and would but it again, but at the same time wouldn't choose it over the regular snack cakes and I'm not even sure if I should recommend to fans of candy corn who would likely just be disappointed...

Name: Coca-Cola, Quebec Maple
Manufacturer: Cola-Cola
Size: 4-pack of 355mL bottles
Where Purchased: Metro
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage naturally flavoured with maple.
Opinion: An item I bought over a year ago and sort of forgot about, but I checked and it is still available at some retailers. This product was one I was a little reluctant to try despite rather liking maple flavoured foofs because I wasn't really sure how it would pair with the taste of cola. As it happens, however, the maple is little more than an aftertaste that hits you as the fizziness starts to fade and is quite pleasant. Overall, I liked the product, but I'm not sure if I'd purchase it again or choose it over regular coca-cola...

Name: Doritos Late Night, Fully Loaded Nachos
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of tortilla chips with a slight orange colour with green-brown flecks from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited time offering, these chips have a tangy cheesy flavour reminiscent of quaeso and I can definitely taste jalapeno as well, but any other flavoursthat might be present are beyond my ability to isolate and frankly, I'm not sure what else to expect - tomato maybe? Overall, I did like this product and would consider buying it again, but at the same time, I'm not sure I like them better than the standard Nacho flavoured doritos...

Name: Doritos Spicy Garlic
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of tortilla chips with a very slight orange flavour from the colourings used.
Opinion: A limited time, Chinese-inspired flavour I grabbed up on a whim. I didn't really notice much garlic, but the chips were very near my threshhold for spiciness and while pleasant enough, I found these rather one-note and they had a 'dryness' to them as well as heat that I found frustrating as it didn't really feel like the flavour quite fit the medium. Overall, I liked these chips and might buy them again, but even as I acclimatized myself to the drying heat of the chips, I found their novelty wearing off...

Name: Eskimo Mints
Manufacturer: Valeo Foods
Size: 150 gram bag.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of blue lozenge shaped mint hard candies individually 'bowtie' wrapped.
Opinion: A product produced in Italy for an Irish market, these mints despite the potentially offensive name, these mints offer up a fresh and refreshing mint flavour that's not too sweet or too bitter and is generally enjoyable. Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider buying them again - they're good, but not really anything special and there are countless similar candies out there.

An August August 2024 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #86:

Welcome loyal journal-readers and welcome to my illustrious, but somewhat belated, August journal!

Let's see, where to begin...

I finished Higurashi Season 1 and while I actually enjoyed that series a fair bit, it's not quite what I was expecting - plus my family social circle now contains someone who hates horror so I'll probably be watching the series alone anyway so switching over to subs for S2, if I decide to watch it, isn't a problem as I actually prefer them. I've also watched Centaur no Nayami which is a pretty run-of-the-mill SoL, but the thought put into the clothing and accommodations for the various non-human characters was interesting and some of the jokes were fun. I also got around to Hazbin Hotel which was both fun and features some lovely musical numbers.

My nephew's 9th birthday was... less successful. Scheduling conflicts made it impossible for everyone to see him at once so he wound up with, a couple of different lacklustre birthdays - he made him a cake, gave him his presents, and played a few games. He seemed to enjoy it anyway, but it felt very rushed and disappointing to me, but I take solace we did the best we could with what his parents were able to arrange under the circumstances.

In other news, the crowdfunding for the Ars Magica: Definitive Edition has apparently been pushed back from September 10 to October 15 so if you were planning to pledge, there're a few more weeks to prepare for the launch! As exciting as that is, there's also going to be some kind of open license which, depending upon how it's implemented could be exciting. Ars Magica isn't a huge name in the RPG scene, but it is highly influential, was instrumental in the creation of both WoD and D&D 3e and I believe the mechanics could be adapted to other settings and genres (license permitting).

Finally, I never understand why it works out this way, but the coming weeks are chock-a-block with interesting events in my area. There's garlic festival, ribs festival, fall fair, poutine feast, AND Gemstorm. Plus, I have a birthday and dentist appointment! I probably won't able (or even want) to attend them all, but I might be attending any of them which is exciting (especial effort will expended for poutine feast and gemstorm).

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal! *omni-hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #86

Name: Doritos Late Night, Sizzlin' Cheese Burger
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 150 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of tortilla chips with a slight orange colour from the type of flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited time offering, these chips have a savoury sort of flavour that's difficult to describe - cheese and onions definitely shine through as does pickle. There's something else too, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Despite initially finding them a bit... busy for my liking, these actually grew on me rather quickly. Overall, I enjoyed these chips, but I'm not sure they're something I'd buy again.

Name: Lay's Cheddar Cheetos Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama.
Description: Consists of fairly normal looking potato chips with a bright, but rather uneven orange colour due to the flavourings used.
Opinion: This limited time offering again integrates another Lay's property, Cheetos. The flavour is, to my recollection, very faithful to cheetos, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Honestly, I'm not even sure it's an 'uncanny valley' effect, Cheetos sort of have a 'fuzzy' flavour, salty, vaguely cheese-like flavour that is kind of tasty and kind of gross on an extruded cornmeal snack, but on a potato chip it's only gross. Overall, I thought these chips were OK, but I don't think I'd buy them again the flavour just doesn't fit with the medium for me...

Name: Lay's Cool Ranch Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama.
Description: Consists of fairly normal looking potato chips with some dark flecks on it.
Opinion: This limited time offering involves another Lay's property - in this case: Cool Ranch Doritos. The chips themselves are, unsurprisingly very similar to the doritos product their based on and, somewhat unusually for this kind of product I didn't really notice any 'uncanny valley' effect and took to these right away. They have pleasant tangy and herby 'ranch' flavour, but in contrast to the 'cool' part of their name, they do have a bit of a peppery kick, but that may be in comparison to other doritos flavours. Overall, I enjoyed these chips and would, buy them again, but I don't actually think I like them better than the doritos version.

Name: Oreos, Star Wars
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 303 gram package (3 rows of 7 cookies each)
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of normal 'oreo' sandwhich cookies except that the filling is blue or red depending on whether the individual pack you bought was 'light-side' or 'dark-side' and the cookies themselves are decorated with appropriate characters - my box was 'light' and featured: Yoda, Obi-Wan, Luke, Chewbacca, Han, C3P0, R2D2, Leia, Mace, and Rey (I needed help identifying the last two due to my lack of familiarity with that franchise)
Opinion: A special edition item I picked up on a whim despite only having watched the original trilogy. To my minor disappointment, these cookies taste pretty much identical to your standard oreo which is to say quite good, but I don't really think I'd buy them again except perhaps to find out who was included in the 'dark-side' (Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, Kylo Ren, Bobba Fett, Storn Trooper, Jabba, General Grievous, Count Dooku, and Scout Trooper - I don't recognize most of those...)

Name: Ruffles Double Crunch Zinger Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 180g bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of ruffle-cut potato chips (with a rather extreme iteration) with an orange colour. Flavoured to resemble a KFC sandwich of the same name.
Opinion: A limited time item I decided to grab on a whim. While I am unfortunately unable to vouch for the authenticity of the flavouring, but the promised 'hot & spicy' is just about right for my palate and they do have a definite savoury zinginess to them that I thought added a nice element to set them apart from other 'hot' flavours. Unfortunately, the double-crunch was hit or miss - the chips were certainly crunchy, but also rather brittle with much of the bag being reduced to small shards. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again.

June and July Journal 2024 + Kaffre talks Candy #85

Greetings journal readers and welcome my combined June and July journal!

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for not putting out a journal last month. Unfortunately it just sort of slipped my mind until it was too late for me to do anything for June, but honestly not much wound up happening anyway.

Lessee, my sister's birthday happened, but none of her (rather optimistic) plans really materialized there were vehicular issues, people became unavailable unexpectedly, etc. I think we rallied admirably, but she was definitely disappointed to we'll probably have to attempt the outing again sometime in the coming weeks and month - wish us luck!We rescued another baby starling and it went about the same as last time - we were able to successfully raise it until it was getting comfortable flying at which point it was attacked and slain by a cat. Everyone was pretty upset, but at the same time it wasn't exactly unexpected since it's basically just a replay of what happened with our previous attempt to rear a baby bird. I comfort myself with the knowledge that few hatchlings actually make it to adulthood, but it's still pretty disappointing...

In other news, I'm currently watching 'Higurashi'. It's a bit different from my usual anime tastes, but I've kind of been enjoying it thus far. Unfortunately, I selected to watch the dub which normally wouldn't be a problem except that Season 2, 'Kai', doesn't have a dub so I'll have to switch over to sub if I decide to continue which is, honestly, a little annoying. The weirdest thing is, Kai, is the only Season that's lacks a dub for whatever reason.

Finally, in one of those annoying little autistic things that I have to deal with, my 'special interest' just shifted - back to TTRPGs. This is almost welcome as Ars Magica: Definitive Edition will be crowd-funding in September and will incorporate some kind of Open Development which could be very exciting for me as it's a system I know well and was pretty passionate about. Unfortunately, however, I'm finding myself obsessed with the 'old' World of Darkness games. They're not 'bad' per see, but the dense metaplot and strange cosmologies were always hard for me to wrap by head around - even more so than the regiones in Ars Magica - granted the actual Magical and Faerie realms are worse probably similar to the Umbra/Dreaming/Shadowlands, but Ars Magica games rarely, if ever, take place in either of those locations.

I guess that's about it for the last two months, I hope it wasn't too depressing! Now please enjoy the newest installment of 'Kaffre talks Candy!'

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Kaffre talks Candy #85:

Name: Coca-Cola Spiced
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 355mL can
Where Purchased: FreshCo
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like raspberry and 'spice'.
Opinion: A limited edition product, I decided to sample. There's a definite raspberry flavour, but I didn't really notice anything that could be described as 'spicy' or 'herby' though for raspberry, it's not very sweet so that could be the work on a spice. Overall, I enjoyed this product, finding it to be a nice refreshing summer beverage, but I'm not sure whether I'd buy it again or not...

Name: Coca-Cola Y3000
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 300mL bottle
Where Purchased: FreshCo
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage flavoured to taste 'futuristic', supposedly with the assistance of AI.
Opinion: A limited edition product, that I sampled. This product has a refreshing, but interesting flavour that's difficult to describe. I got definite notes of cherry and vanila, but there was something else too and flavour seemed to almost change from cherry to vanilla or, perhaps more accurately, the vanilla was almost like an aftertaste. Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider buying it again, but I kind of hope it's *not* the cola of the future...

Name: Lay's Honey Butter Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 165 gram bag.
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of normal-looking potato chips.
Opinion: A limited edition 'Korean inspired' flavour, these chips are have a rich flavour that, initially, reminded me a bit of a 'crunchie'. Which is to say that they're mostly sweet, but I do think you can sort of taste the more subtle aspects of the honey and butter. While 'barbecue' and 'ketchup' do contain a certain sweetness, these chips still required some getting used to. Overall, I thought these were OK and am glad I tried them, but I don't think I'll be purchasing them again...

Name: Pretz (Salad)
Manufacturer: Glico
Size: 118g box in 8 packs of 12.
Where Purchased: Freshco
Description: Consists of biscuit sticks similar to Pocky, but instead of the end being dipped in chocolate are similar, the entire stick has a chip-like flavouring.
Opinion: A Japanese import I picked up on a whim, these have an... interesting flavour. My first thought is that it was some kind of cheese, but upon further reflection I now believe it's meant to be ranch or a similar creamy buttermilk-based salad dressing or something in that vein albeit a good bit saltier - a pleasant enough flavour, but not as interesting as I had been hoping for/expecting. Overall, I thought this product was pretty good, but I'm not really sure I'd buy it again.

Name: Takis, Blue Heat
Manufacturer: Barcel
Size: 280g bag
Where Purchased: FreshCo.
Description: Consists of small tortillas that have been rolled into tight cylinders and deep fried before being dusted with a deep blue powder.
Opinion: A Mexican import I was urged to try. While this snack definitely has some heat, the more dominant flavour is a zesty citrus-like flavour that paired very nicely with both what 'heat' there was, and the salty crunchiness of the chips and I quite enjoyed. Overall, I enjoyed these chips quite a bit, bu don't know if I'd buy them again - it should be noted that the 'blue stuff' stains one's fingers terribly...

May-be a new Joural? + Kaffre talks Candy #84:

Welcome once again loyal journal-readers (I'm not actually sure there are any, but no matter) and welcome once again to my shiny new, May 2024 journal!

So what happened this month? Well, chronologically, I finished reading the Power Pack 40th anniversary miniseries "Into the Storm". It was a pretty entertaining story, Tattletale and Kofi got some character development, we learned a bit about more about Snark society via Djinna and Mayhem, and the kids got their hands on a Time Tesseract! The story itself, however, didn't really feel like it went anywhere though they were admittedly somewhat constrained by the story being set in the past limiting their ability to make any major changes to the kids' continuity.

After that, I attended a smaller mineral show in my area. It was fun, but it really catered more to jewellery and only a relatively two or three stalls actually sold minerals - I bought Specular Hematite, Flint, and a nicer sample of Labradorite than I previously possessed. I considered grabbing another piece of Bismuth as well - I really like the form of the piece I currently own, but it has a very uniform colour and I was hoping to grab one with a richer palette, but I didn't really see any I liked and I'd have had to break a $50 so I decided to pass for now...

I got very sick and had to miss my brother's birthday celebration, but did send him some money and called to wish a Happy Birthday anyway. Speaking of birthdays, now that spring is behind us, we're starting to see lots of baby animals, kittens, chicks, piglets, baby raccoons, and more! It's been busy, but rewarding taking care of them - even the raccoons; getting them to wildlife sanctuary after their mother's death.

Oh, I also finished watching S1 of 'The Owl House', a series I started watching when it first came out, but then just sort of dropped. It was pretty good, but I'm reluctant to continue - the characters, setting, and humour were good, but I just didn't care about the nominal plot which apparently gets a lot more focus going forward - I probably will watch the remaining seasons eventually, but for how a hiatus will do me good!

Hmm I guess that's it for now. Thanks for putting up with my journals! *hugs* See you in June with a brand new installment!

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Kaffre talks Candy #84:

Name: Barr Bubblegum
Manufacturer: A.G. Barr
Size: 330mL can
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a blue carbonated soft-drink flavoured to taste like 'bubblegum'.
Opinion: A Scottish import I mistakenly grabbed before noticing that it was 'sugar free'. The product has pleasant enough artificial fruit flavour that is indeed reminiscent of bubblegum and, more importantly to me, does a pretty good job covering up the aftertaste of the artificial sweeteners used. It was quite light as well and might be a good choice for a refreshing beverage to enjoy in hot weather. Overall, I liked this product well enough, but I don't think I'm likely to buy again though if you're looking for a sugar-free soda, but hate the taste of artificial sweetener, this might be a place to look!

Name: Crispers (Smokey Bacon)
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 145 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consist of thin, flat, crackers with a wavy, but rectangular shape and a faint orange colour.
Opinion: A limited time flavour I decided to sample. Like other 'Crispers', these cracker-chips are delightfully crunchy and do manage to deliver a smokey flavour that is quite nice albeit, unfortunately, short-lived though that too is common to the brand. Overall, I liked this product and would purchase it again (in fact, I have), but I'm still partial to Salt & Vinegar or Dill Pickle...

Name: Curlywurly Squirlies
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 95 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe.
Description: Consists of segments of Curlywurly (a British confection consisting of chocolate-covered caramel arranged in a sort of lattice or loose braid.
Opinion: Longtime readers of my journal will be aware that I am generally indifferent to caramel, but way back at the start of this project, I actually gave Curlywurly a pretty good review. It may be a result of the differing proportion of chocolate to caramel, but the chocolate flavour didn't really come through and the texture of the caramel felt rather too stiff for my liking. Overall, this item was OK but I don't think I'd buy it again except, perhaps, to test whether this batch was bad...

Name: Loads of Cheesy Garlic Bread Chips
Manufacturer: PC
Size: 200 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of thick-cut ruffle style potato chips with a slight orange colour.
Opinion: Despite a rather unorthodox inspiration, these chips are actually pretty conventional in flavour having a savoury cheesy flavour reminiscent of staple British flavour 'Cheese and Onion' and similar products there is a definite hit of garlic, but it's really more of an aftertaste than anything and while slightly off-putting at first, I got used to it pretty quickly. Overall, I thought these chips were quite good especially for a 'store brand' and would consider buying them again.

Name: Penguin Biscuits (Orange)
Manufacturer: McVitie's
Size: Pack of seven 24.6 gram cookies
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of two chocolate biscuits with orange-flavoured chocolate creme sandwiched between them and enrobed in milk chocolate. Comes individually wrapped in packages of seven.
Opinion: An item I finally grabbed because the shop was out of Club bars, this product provides a pleasantly crunchy sandwich cookie that, despite having a lot of chocolate, manages to not be too rich and instead a rather nice crunchy tea biscuit. The orange flavour was just right not too subtle or too intense and the jokes on the wrapper are suitably groan-inducing. Overall, I liked this product and would buy it again though there are other orange-flavoured chocolates I like more.

April 2024 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #83

Welcome kind journal readers!

So what happened in April? Well, my mother's memorial was kind of a mixed-bag as we were late getting to the appointed location and missed the other guests, but still has a nice enough time reminiscing with my siblings, eating, and listening to music. I haven't had the opportunity yet to chat with the other party that went before us, but it sound like they enjoyed themselves too despite missing us.

As for next month? Well, there's a rock and mineral show organized by the lapidary society - it's not as big as Gem Storm and is more geared towards jewellery than the sorts of items I usually go for, but it is free and coincides with a pottery show and art show occurring in the same facility at the same time so I'll probably make an effort to attend. My brotherès birthday is also coming up, but I'm not really sure what we'll do for that. Also, having kind of messed up Mom's posthumous birthday celebration, I'll probably want to do something special for Mother's Day, but again I haven't really decided upon any specifics as yet...

Well, anyway, I guess that's about it for this month's journal. Thanks for reading and be sure to come back next month! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #83:

Name: Kurkure (Chilli Chatka)
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 115 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of extruded chickpea/corn/rice meal pieces formed in irregular, but vaguely cylindrical pieces and dusted with brownish seasoning,
Opinion: An Indian snack produced under license in Canada which I grabbed on a whim. While superficially similar to Cheetos, Kurkure are denser and crunchier. Ostensibly flavoured with garlic, chilli, and paprika, the only thing I really picked up on was 'heat'. They're not unpleasantly spicy or anything, but the flavour was definitely less complex than the other flavours. Overall, I liked this item and would buy it again, but I do think I preferred 'Masala Munch'

Name: McVitie's Gold Billions Wafer
Manufacturer: United Biscuit
Size: 39 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a cream-filled wafer cookie covered with a layer of caramel-flavoured white chocolate and with a milk chocolate base.
Opinion: A British product I've never seen before and decided to sample. While this product sounds rather 'busy' in terms of different flavours and textures, that proved not to be the case as the different aspects of this product complimented each other brilliantly. The dominant flavour is definitely caramel with chocolate adding a nice counterpoint. I'm not sure I tasted the vanilla creme, but it may have kept the wafer from being too dry. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would consider purchasing it again in future.

Name: McVitie's Salted Caramel Club
Manufacturer: United Biscuit
Size: Seven 22 gram bars.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of crunchy biscuit (cookie) bars topped with a thin layer of caramel-flavoured stuff and then enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: A new item I nearly missed during my most recent trip to the importer. Longtime readers will know I don't really like the texture of caramel, but fortunately this bar doesn't seem to have much or any, but does have a moderately intense, and surprisingly (but not overly) salty which goes quite nicely with both the chocolate and the caramel. Overall, I enjoyed this item and will consider purchasing it again next year.

Name: Penguin Biscuits (Mint)
Manufacturer: McVitie's
Size: Pack of seven 24.6 gram cookies
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of two chocolate biscuits with mint-flavoured chocolate creme sandwiched between them and enrobed in milk chocolate. Comes individually wrapped in packages of seven.
Opinion: A British product I grabbed due to a lack of Club bars. Despite the rather chocolate-heavy description, these cookies actually have a light and refreshing mint flavour in a nice crispy sandwich cookie. The mint flavour registers a happy medium that seems just right for a product of this sort. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely purchase it again, but there are plenty of other mint flavoured cookies that I also enjoy.

Name: Terra Sea Salt & Vinegar Vegetable Chips
Manufacturer: Hain-Celestial
Size: 141 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of chips of taro, sweet potato, batata, and parsnip. Some reddened by beet juice.
Opinion: Another item I grabbed on a whim. As with the other varieties of Terra chips I've sampled, the flavouring was pretty uneven and not very intense, but the diversity of flavours and textures provided by the different vegetables went a long way towards compensating for that lack and was my favourite part of the experience. Overall, I did like this product and would purchase them again in the future, but I think I preferred the 'Screamin' Hot' flavour to these.

March-ing Journal 2024 + Kaffre talks Candy #82

Hello again loyal journal-readers, and welcome to my shiny new March Journal!

So just a quick little journal this month as, if I'm being honest, not a whole lot has actually happened in the last month, but I would like to get back into the habit of posting these journals regularly again though I feel I'd have more motivation if there were some kind of creative outlet like I used to incorporate, but I found thinking of novel topics to be taxing. Any suggestions?

Beyond that, my brother had his debit card stolen and his account nearly emptied. Fortunately, it didn't have much money in it at the time so he only lost like $200, but still annoying. On the plus side, while he hasn't managed to locate my terrabyte drive yet, while searching he did manage to find his cellphone which has been missing for a few weeks so that's some minor solace, I suppose.

I had my dentist appointment and got two fillings. While my brushing is quite good, apparently my enamel is getting quite thin. Still it was pretty routine appointment and I don't think I was in the office more than 30 minutes so that was some small relief. I grabbed a small amount of groceries while I was in town too, but that was really the only time I went into the city since my last journal that will *not* be the case in April, however, where at least two visits are in are in order one of which is my late mother's birthday on 4/20 it will be the 9th such party since she passed in 2014, but everyone's treating it as the 10th (she died after her birthday that year) so we'll be doing something special - we're just not sure what yet...

Beyond that, I'm gradually getting out of my funk and watching a bunch of TV shows I just kind of stopped bothering with. Right now I'm almost up-to-date with 'Bluey' and just finished Season 2 of 'Hilda'. Once I'm done with those, I think I'll try to finish 'Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty (RBUK)' as I remember liking the humour before I just sort of stopped watching non-anime programs and later TV in general in favour of YouTube content.

Anyway, I guess that's about all I really have to say about my rather humdrum existence for this month so thanks for reading! *hugs*

And now, I proudly present...

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Kaffre talks Candy #82:

Name: Crush, Birch Beer
Manufacturer: Crush
Size: 355mL can
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: A reddish/pink carbonated beverage.
Opinion: Despite perchasing this item at an importer, I suspect it may be Canadian due to the size and the packaging. Regardless, the smell and flavour are very similar to that of rootbeer, but lighter and with a sort of fruity aftertaste. I found it a bit medicine-y - similar to 'dandelion & burdock', but not in an unpleasant way. Overall, I liked this product and would consider purchasing it again in the future, but there are other pops I like better.

Name: Hershey's Cookies n' Creme with Graham Clusters
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a flattish bar of white chocolate embedded with many small fragments of 'cookie' (to a cursory inspection, they do resemble Oreo crumbs) as well as graham cracker bits. The bar is divided into twelve segments (three columns of four) allowing it to be readily broken up into bite-sized pieces.
Opinion: Limited edition I opted to try, this bar was, in a word, 'disappointing'. I like Cookies n' creme and I like graham cracker so at a minimum this item should be tolerable, but I actually found it pretty acutely unpleasant. I'm not quite sure what I disliked, but I think maybe the sweetness of the 'white chocolate' amplified the sort of dusty flavour of the graham crackers in an unpleasant sort of way. Regardless, I didn't care for this product at all and would not purchase it again.

Name: Nipits
Manufacturer: A.L. Simpkin & Co. Limited
Size: 12g tin
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Resemble bits of black pencil crayon lead about 1cm long.
Opinion: OK so this is actually a medicinal product that I mistook for candy. These pure licorice pellets have a surprisingly strong and lasting flavour, but unfortunately they just don't taste very good having a bitter and medicine-y taste. On the plus side, it *does* seem effective at 'clear(ing) the throat' thus in the name of fairness my overall review is: not a candy and not to be mistaken for one. I can't say I noticed my voice being any 'clarified' though...

Name: Twirl (Mint)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 43 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of two bars of textured mint-flavoured chocolate (similar to 'Flake') enrobed in Cadbury chocolate and sold bundled together in a single package not unlike Twix.
Opinion: A limited edition British product I decided to sample. As with the regular 'Twirl', this items tends to crumble when bitten filling one's mouth with a shower of chocolate slivers which, due to a high surface area impart an intense mint flavour as they rapidly melt in your mouth. The mint flavouring was pleasant and fairly intense without being overwhelming. Overall, I liked this bar and would definitely purchase it again, but obviously that will depend on your feelings about mint-flavoured chocolate.

Name: Yorkie, Honeycomb
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of five rather thick chunks of chocolate with small slivers of honeycomb toffee in it molded together so that the individual pieces could be broken off and eaten independently.
Opinion: Another limited edition item I decided to sample. As with other 'Yorkie' products, the flavour and texture of this bar are both different from other chocolates - not in a bad way, but it's definitely noticeable it almost reminded me more of fudge than milk chocolate... As for this specific item, the toffee bits gave a nice texture and I think made the bar a tad sweeter, but otherwise didn't really contribute to the taste. Overall, I liked this product and would purchase it again, but while I'm glad I tried it, I'm not sure I prefer it over the regular Yorkie...

February Journal 2024 + Kaffre talks Candy #81

Greetings loyal journal readers and welcome to my journal for the month of February!

Well, as usual not a lot of interest really happened this month, I tried truffles for the first time in the form of a sauce deposited on fries at a fastfood restaurant - definitely an acquired taste, but ultimately I did enjoy the meal.

More seriously I conducted a very thorough cleaning during which it appears that my external hard-drives are missing - I think I may have taken them to my brothers and left them there, but he has proven unable to locate them. While the loss of books, movies, music, etc that I've painstakingly downloaded over the years does hurt, physical media just isn't as important as it was 10+ years ago when I started compiling it and it's all replaceable with enough effort. What's really taken the wind out of my sails in the loss of all of the pictures, stories, and other content that all of you have produced over the years and would take forever to recover even if all of it were still available (which it isn't). I haven't completely given up on the possibility of finding the drives yet, but it is a bit upsetting...

Well, anyway, thanks for taking the time to read through my journal *kerhugs* And now I proudly present...

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Kaffre talks Candy #82

Name: Aero (Strawberry Scoop)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Resembled the standard Aero except that the aerated chocolate filling is pink and flavoured with strawberry.
Opinion: A limited edition item I grabbed up on a whim. The bar has noticeable, but thankfully fairly mild strawberry flavour - leaving aside my indifference towards strawberry, I'm not sure how well it would pair with chocolate anyway (it is possible the flavour was more ice-cream-y). Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider purchasing it again, but I think I prefer the more standard versions of the Aero bar.

Name: Chips Ahoy Chewy (Confetti Cake)
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 408 gram package
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists three compartments of cookies housed within a plastic tray. The cookies themselves are small soft-baked chocolate chip cookies except they feature white and milk chocolate chips and 'confetti'.
Opinion: A limited edition item to celebrate the brand's 60th birthday. This product is very similar to the ordinary 'Chips Ahoy Chewy' having a chewy texture and an unusual, but not at all unpleasant aftertaste. It does have a noticeable hit of that extra-sweet vanilla often found in 'cake' flavoured items, but it's not as overpowering here as it usually is. Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider buying it again - not sure it's much improved, however.

Name: Coca-Cola Ultimate
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like '+XP'.
Opinion: A limited edition product made in collaboration with 'Riot Games'. The flavour is vaguely fruity, but I can't quite identify the individual components - I think there was cherry and possibly banana or pineapple, but (possibly due to the carbonation or added sugar) rather artificial tasting. Overall, I liked this product and would buy it again, but I'm not sure whether I prefer it to the standard Coke.

Name: Coffee Crisp (Pumpkin Spice Latte)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of a single large coffee-flavoured wafer cookie coated in chocolate. The bar itself is blocky and plain-looking from the outside.
Opinion: A limited edition item I decided to try. I should probably begin by admitting that I've never had anything with 'pumpkin spice' in it and so cannot comment on the authenticity of this product, but it tasted pretty much like your typical Coffee Crisp except that it seemed a bit sweeter and had a sort of aromatic quality that is pleasant enough, but difficult to describe and rather subtle compared to the chocolate and coffee. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but I can't say I like it better than the normal variety of Coffee Crisp...

Name: Kit Kat Hazelnut Flavour
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 41 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of four small wafer cookies covered in, and joined by, a layer of chocolate.
Opinion: A Limited Edition product I decided to sample. This bar initially tasted pretty much indistinguishable from the standard bar, bar the chocolate flavour gradually morphed into something more akin to nutella which while not as dramatic as some of the other Kit Kats I've seen made for a pleasant experience. Overall, I liked this bar and would purchase it again though that really does depend upon one's attitude towards hazelnut and nutella in particular.

2024 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #80!

Greetings everyfur and welcome to my very first journal of 2024!

Let's see what's happened in the time since my last journal... well, I had a dental appointment that found a cavity, but that's set to be sorted out in March when I go in for a filling. Tacki drew me a lovely piece of Gift Art as reward for frequenting his Picarto Streams which I will post here at some point, but if you can't wait, go check out his gallery it should still be near the top of the queue!

One interesting thing that happened was that, after my dental appointment, I stopped for lunch at the mall and being distracted with other matters, forgot to request that tomato be omitted from my meal and... I didn't hate it. I can't say I liked the taste, but I didn't feel the need to toss it or eat around it either it was just sort of there. I'm a little curious now whether my tastes are changing or whether it was something to do with the variety or how it was prepared this time....

Interestingly, despite the intense cold to the west and south, SE Ontario has been pretty mild we've had a few days where it dipped to -23 C, but for the most part it has been unseasonably warm this winter and with next friday marking the mid-point in the winter, that seems pretty unlikely to change. Hopefully not jynxing anything.

Finally, I've decided to celebrate the 80th installment of Kaffre talks Candy with a double-length 'Chips' spectacular! Well, not really my backlog was getting long and a lot of the items on it are/were limited time items that probably aren't available anymore, but the 80th anniversary provides a nice pretext.

Well, I guess that's all I really have to talk about for now, hope you all had a good January and see you in February!

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Kaffre talks Candy #80:

Name: Doritos Tangy All-Dressed
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of triangular tortilla chips with a deep orange colour to them.
Opinion: Another item if Lay's flavour-swap promotion. These triangular tortilla chips have are flavoured to taste like 'All-Dressed' chips (all-dressed chips are a combination of Ketchup, Sour Cream & Onion, Barbecue, and Salt & Vinegar and are considered a staple flavour in Canada). As with the other flavour-swap items, I found this product a bit unsettling at first, but it grew on me much more quickly than I'd have expected - it probably helps that I *like* all-dressed chips. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but I'll not really miss it either.

Name: Filipo Adobo Chips
Manufacturer: President's Choice
Size: 200 gram bag
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consists of ripple-cut potato chips covered with a slightly brown powder. Part of the 'World of Flavour' line.
Opinion: An item I grabbed on a whim despite having no idea what adobo was. As far as I can tell, adobo sounds more like a marinade or sauce than an actual dish and is comprised of vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, bay leaves, and sometimes garlic. The flavour was interesting somehow managing to be sweet, sour, and savoury at the same time while also having a slight peppery kick. Despite being a bit unusual, the chips were pleasant and grew on me quickly. Overall, I did like these chips and would consider buying them again, but also feel that they have the potential to get old rather quickly.

Name: Guiness Rich Chili Crisps
Manufacturer: Bert's Snacks Limited
Size: 150 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of thick-cut kettle-chips with a dark cast from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A British import I thought sounded interesting and decided to sample. I don't eat a lot of chili and don't drink at all so I'm not really confident in my ability to judge authenticity, but these chips are *very* malty so malty in fact that it's almost off-putting, but there is definitely a hint of tomato as well which probably makes the whole thing a bit more reminiscent of 'chili'. Despite finding them a bit overwhelming at first, these chips did grow on me very quickly. Overall, I liked these chips and would definitely purchase them again.

Name: Lay's Hot 'n' Sweet Chili Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 165 gram bag
Where Purchased: Loblaws
Description: Consists of ruffle cup potato chips with a slight orange tint. Part of a 'flavours of India' promotion.
Opinion: Limited Time item I decided to sample despite not really being familiar with the flavour they're seeking to emulate. In any case, the chips were rather interesting - they started out sweet, but that faded quickly and as it did, they became progressively 'hotter'. While 'BBQ' also combines 'sweet' and 'hot', the presentation here is quite different being 'cleaner' and less nuanced. Overall, I liked these chips and would consider buying them again, but there are quite a few other flavours that I like better.

Name: Lay's Nacho Cheese Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of potato chips with a vivid, deeply unnatural orange colour to them. Inspired by a Doritos product of the same name.
Opinion: Part of a flavour-swapping promotion. These chips, unsurprisingly, taste very similar to the tortilla chips they're based on, but the texture is quite different which was a bit unsettling a first but grew on me quickly. The taste is a vivid, slightly 'hot' queso flavour that I thought was quite nice. Overall, I liked this product and would probably buy it again, but there are other flavours prefer...

Name: Lay's Spicy Dill Pickle
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of ordinary looking potato chips tinted orange and flecked with green. Inspired by a Miss Vickie's kettle chips flavour.
Opinion: Part of a flavour-swapping promotion. These chips are pretty much what they sound like basically your standard dill-pickle chips, but with just a bit of heat to them. While by no means overwhelmingly spicy, I did find that spiciness seemed to detract somewhat from the dill pickle flavour, but that's largely a matter of preference. Overall, I liked these chips and would definitely consider buying them again...

Name: Lay's White Cheddar Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of pretty ordinary-looking potato chips. Inspired by a Smartfood (popcorn) product of the same name.
Opinion: Part of a flavour-swapping promotion. Since I don't really like popcorn, I can't vouch for accuracy, but these chips have a creamy buttery sort of flavour more than 'cheese' which was a bit disappointing, but they were still pretty tasty. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good, but I'm not sure I'd buy them again or not as there are too many flavours I like better.

Name: Pringles, Hot Ones: Los Calientes Verde
Manufacturer: Pringles Manufacturing Co.
Size: 156 gram tube.
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consist of special potato chips made from a potato-based flour and baked in a very specific and consistent shape that lends itself well to 'stacking'.
Opinion: A limited edition I was asked to pick up for a relatives' birthday party. I'm not usually a fan of hot sauces for the simple reason that 'hot' just isn't all that interesting a flavour. These chips, however, while quite hot have a zesty citrus flavour with a peppery kick that I quite liked. Overall, I thought these chips were pretty good and would consider purchasing them again, but there are other flavours I prefer.

Name: Ruffles Original Recipe KFC Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 180 gram bag
Where Purchased: Walmart
Description: Thick ruffle-cut potato chips with a slight orange colour due to the flavouring used.
Opinion: Limited edition product my sister bought. These chips have a savoury herby flavour similar to a lot of other 'poultry' flavoured chips save perhaps a bit saltier and a bit spicier - not overwhelmingly so, but it is noticeable. It's been far too long since I've eaten anything from KFC for me to judge the veracity of the reproduction, but I found them reasonably tasty and would consider buying them again though they are far from my favourite flavour of chips I do like to mix things up now and then...

Name: Walker's MAX Pepperoni Feast Crisps
Manufacturer: Walker's
Size: 70 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of ripple-cut potato chips with a slight orange colouration from the seasonings used. Part of a Pizza Hut cross promotion.
Opinion: This limited edition British product is a pretty typical example of 'pizza' flavoured chips which I'm usually pretty indifferent too. The ripples do make these a bit crunchier than most examples. They also struck me as less intensely flavoured than I remember, but that might be illusory. While by not means spicy, these chips to have a touch more 'heat' than other pizza flavoured chips - probably in an attempt to better emulate pepperoni. Overall, these chips were OK and I'd consider buying them again, but there are a lot of other varieties I prefer.

December Journal 2023 + Kaffre talks Candy #79
Hello again loyal journal-readers!

Despite being a pretty good boy this year, Kaffre didn't really get much from Santa Claws this year - I got myself an otter plush and selection of biscuits, but otherwise my gifts were all practical, but unexciting - socks, winter gear, etc. Kaffre, for his part, is still without a pet, but will hopefully be mollified by the new additions to his plush collection for a few more years until he is old enough to be responsible for another creature.

Christmas Day was busy as I wound up going to not one, but two Christmas dinners on maternal and paternal sides of the family, but it was enjoyable even if exhausting. I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done early - my nephews and sister got plushies too (narwhal, rhino, and fennec respectively) so things weren't nearly as hectic as usual either giving me time to catch up on some reading and watch a bit of anime so that was nice.

Hmm I guess that's about it for now, thanks for reading, everyfur! *hugs* And now without further ado, I proudly present - Kaffre talks Candy #79

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Kaffre talks Candy #79

Name: Aero (Intense Orange), Share Bar
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Resembles a larger version of the standard Aero (segments form 4x8 grid rather that 2x5).
Opinion: An orange-flavoured Aero apparently distinct from that way back in KtC#19! As is typical of British chocolate, this is a bit sweeter than we normally see in North America. As per usualy with flavoured chocolate, your opinion of the product will by necessity be coloured by your feelings about the flavour used in this case, I found the orange flavour to be fairly mild so if might be a good choice for people who aren't sure how they feel about orange chocolate. Overall, I am a fan of both Aero and orange flavoured chcolate so I did enjoy this bar and would purchase it again that being said, there are both orange-flavoured chocolate and Aeros I like better so I'm not sure how often I'd go for it...

Name: Kurkure (Masala Munch)
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 115 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of extruded chickpea/corn/rice meal pieces formed in irregular, but vaguely cylindrical pieces and dusted with an orange-brown seasoning.
Opinion: An popular Indian snack produced under license in Canada which I grabbed on a whim. These are a bit denser than similar snacks like cheese puffs or corn twists and have a very pleasantly crunchy texture to them as well. The flavour is complex and apparently derived from tomato, garlic, chili, and mustard, but also somwhat generic and just a bit spicier than is ideal for me, but not enough to detract from my enjoyment as I can simply eat them slowly. Overall, I liked this item and would consider purchasing them again.

Name: Lion Licorice Gums
Manufacturer: Tangerine Confectionery Limited
Size: 150 gram bag
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of dense rectangular gummies with diagonal grooves on the 'top'.
Opinion: An item I'd not seen previously and decided to snap up. The candies have a mild, but pleasant licorice flavour that I found very reminiscent of pontefract cakes (including the characteristic aftertaste). These have a firmer bite, however which makes them more appealing to me personally. Overall, I liked these candies and would probably buy them again as while not my favourite licorice, they are interesting.

Name: Teaberry Gum
Manufacturer: Gerrit J Verburg Co.
Size: 12.5 gram pack
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of 5 sticks of pink chewing them that are individually wrapped.
Opinion: An interesting-looking product, I decided to sample. Apparently, 'teaberry' is a synonym for wintergreen and this gum has the same mild vaguely minty flavour that one would expect from the latter name. The pack I got was a tad brittle, but still tasted quite nice though it took me a while to pinpoint the familiar, but elusive flavour. Overall, I did like this product and would consider buying it again, but it's really not as 'interesting' as I thought it might be - not fair to punish the gum for that, of course, but the point is there are plenty of wintergreen flavour gums out there to try instead...

Name: Terry's Chocolate Orange (White Chocolate)
Manufacturer: Mondelez (Chocolate Works)
Size: 147 gram sphere
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of 20 wedge-shaped segments of orange-flavoured white chocolate that have been arranged radially around a central point and fused together.
Opinion: A variation on the classic holiday orange that I hadn't seen before and decided to snap up. This product delivered a smooth orange flavour that works suprisingly well even in the absence of chocolate flavour- I did think this was a bit sweeter tasting that the 'Original' oranges (possibly due to lacking the inherent bitterness of chocolate), but it wasn't very noticeable as the orange flavouring typically overpowers everything else though in these products. Overall, I liked this item and would definitely purchase it again, but at the same time it doesn't really distinguish itself and I'd just as soon grab one of the other oranges next year.

Post-Birthday Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #78

Welcome everyfur and welcome to my November Journal!

As you can see plainly see I'm not (as much of a) baby any more, but I want to offer heartfelt thanks to everybody who sent hugs and other birthday greetings!

Typically for me, I didn't really do anything for my birthday - I did go grocery shopping a few days later and treated myself to some items for my collections: manga, a few rocks, and a deck of cards). It wasn't planned, but I also wound up having to get lunch at the Mall and tried 'Villa Madina' the food itself was good, but by the time I got to the bottom of my salad it was just lettuce which was a bit of a flaw albeit one that's probably my fault maybe I'll try something else if I go again...

In other news, my nephew has a Birthday coming up soon too - his *actual* birthday is midweek so I'm not exactly sure when the party is scheduled, but I've already got his presents ready to go so all I really have to do is make travel arrangements once I do know the date - and possibly help with cake stuff...

Apart from that, I do have a bit of holiday shopping to attend to, but I think I have a pretty good handle on that this year - hopefully that confidence turns out to be well-founded - find out in my December journal next month!

Hmm I guess that's about it for this month. Thanks for reading! *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #78

Name: Kit Kat Chunky (Drumstick)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 48 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consist of a standard Kit-Kat chunky wafer topped with a layer... stuff with a texture and flavour reminiscent of vanilla ice cream, some caramel, and pralines before being coated in milk chocolate. Intended to taste like Nestle's Sundae cones.
Opinion: A random product I picked up on a whim. I'm not the biggest fan of ice cream or caramel, but am familiar with the product being emulated and found this to be almost uncannily accurate with a creamy vanilla complimented by the sweetness of caramel. I ate mine at room temperature, but think the uncanny valley effect might be ameliorated by chilling the bar prior to consumption. Overall, I liked this product and would buy it again, but it does feel like something that might get old fast...

Name: Mars (Cookie Dough)
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 44.2 gram bar
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: This Mars bar consists of a cookie-dough flavoured nougat base topped with caramel and enrobed in chocolate. The bar has a blocky, but polished appearance.
Opinion: Being rather indifferent to both caramel and nougat, Mars Bar isn't usually a go to for me, but I did pick up this interesting-looking variant. It was sticky and chewy as might be expected as well as very sweet. The cookie dough flavour was stronger than I might've expected, but I felt that the caramel taste was stronger still and kind of overpowered it at times. Overall, I thought this bar was pretty good. I'm still not a fan of Mars, but I do think people who enjoy that product would appreciate this variant as well.

Name: Reese's Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 120 gram bar
Where Purchased: FreshCo
Description: A bar of chocolate filled with Reese's peanut butter and divided into 12 segents (3x4).
Opinion: Grabbed on a whim, this item unsurprisingly tastes very similar to the iconic Reese Peanut Butter Cup, but probably because the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter is slightly different, the whole thing had a strong 'uncanny alley' effect that took a bit of getting used to. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but given it's similarity to the Reese's Cups I'm not really sure there's much point seeking it out apart from improved sharability and/or portion control inherent to the bar format.

Name: Terry Orange Bar (Dark)
Manufacturer: Carambar and co.
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a large bar of dark chocolate that has been molded into an usual shape that resembles two adjacent columns of eleven orange slices.
Opinion: As with the iconic Terry Oranges this bar combines the bitterness of dark chocolate with a pleasant dose of orange flavour which combine much better than I would have thought. Overall, I liked this product and would purchase it again, but it remains my least favourite of the three Terry bars, n but it might be worth checking out for those who are bigger fans of dark chocolate than I am.

Name: Twirl (Caramel)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 43 grams in two bars.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of two bars of textured Caramel-flavoured chocolate (similar to 'Flake') enrobed in Cadbury chocolate and sold bundled together in a single package not unlike Twix.
Opinion: Another limited edition item that inadvertently left to languish in the fridge. This product is pretty muh what one would expect from a caramel-flavoured Twirl - the high surface area of the crumbly chocolate delivers an intense burst of caramel flavour as it melts pleasantly in your mouth - I found the item to have a coffee-like aftertaste which didn't bother me (I like coffee better than caramel), but might be offputting to some. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again despite my general indifference to caramel.

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.

Greetings journal readers and happy summer!

With all of drama currently going on here, I just wanted to clarify that I'm still here - sort of.

We recently changed ISP and I'm currently having trouble getting on the internet via my antediluvian laptop so I may be even less active than usual. This also means that 'Kaffre talks Candy' is on hiatus. Unfortunately, some limited time items will probably be gone before my reviews go up, but let's face it - that's been a recurring problem from the very beginnin...

I guess that's it for now! *thanks for reading hugs*

April/May Journal 2023 + Bonus double-length Kaffre talks Candy!

Hello again everyfur and welcome to my journal for April & May of 2022! *hugs*

While not a lot has happened these past two months, I've been somewhat bogged down in the various monotonous activities of daily life. That's not to say that nothing of importance happened, however...

As I happened to be in town anyway, I attended 'Spring Rocks', but found it somewhat disappointing as the bulk of the emphasis was on locally made jewellery with only 2 kiosks selling mineral samples - I grabbed a piece of Cubic pyrite and a particularly pretty piece of Amethyst (I already have a lot). I considered a few other items too, but decided that Gem Storm in October would be a better opportunity to expand my collection!

My brother's birthday was this month as well, but our planned outing was disrupted by rain and renovations to the Ferry dock so we went home without really doing what we'd planned, but it was still fun and we made up for this by grabbing lunch at a highly regarded local food truck near his house on our way home so all was not lost!

My sister convinced me to buy a Nintendo Switch for the house which I kind of feel might've been a mistake - I don't game much these days an a number of other unexpected expenses have since decimated my savings, but I am soon due a Tax Rebate (a couple of years, actually) which will hopefully let me replenish my already meagre savings.

Well, I guess that's it for now thanks for reading *more hugs* and how without further ado, I proudly present an extra-special double-length installment of Kaffre talks Candy! Not for any special reason, I'm just working through a backlog of old items I need to write up so I can include newer items in future!

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Kaffre talks Candy # 76:

Name: Aero Truffle, Nanaimo
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 105 gram bar
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Resembles a scaled up version of the standard Aero (3x7 pieces rather than 2x5), with usual aerated chocolate interior replaced by what appears to be white chocolate flavoured to taste like a Nanaimo bar (a Canadian dessert comprised of three layers: a wafer and coconut base, a vanilla custard centre, and chocolate ganache topping).
Opinion: This also sat in the fridge awhile, but I've seen them for sale recently. I don't think I've ever had a 'real' Nanaimo bar so I can't vouch for authenticity, but this product was pretty tasty the vanilla and coconut gave the bar a light and refreshing taste while the ganache added a satisfying hit of chocolate. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would consider buying it again.

Name: Caramilk Golden Caramel Chocolate
Manufacturer: Cadbury.
Size: 80 gram bar.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe.
Description: Consists of a slender bar of beige, caramel-flavoured white chocolate that is divisible into 18 square pieces along a 3x6 grid. Perforations perform adequately.
Opinion: Another item that was forgotten in the fridge, I should first note that this item is *not* a Caramilk (what we in Canada call Caramello/Dairy Milk Caramel), but rather something more akin to Nestle's 'Caramac'. The bar consists of has a pleasant caramel flavour that's both sweeter and smoother than what I remember of Caramac (though it has been some time since I last purchased one). Overall, I liked this bar and while not the biggest fan of caramel, I believe I would purchase this again.

Name: Coca-Cola Move
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 8 x 300mL bottles.
Where Purchased: Freshco.
Description: Consists of a brown carbonated beverage.
Opinion: A limited edition product I decided to sample. 'Transformation' flavour tastes like a refreshing blend of vanilla and coconut that, while a bit unusual at first, grew on me rather quickly. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again - in particular, it seems like it would be good fit for a hot summer day.

Name: Coffee Crisp Vanilla Iced Cappucino
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of a single large coffee-flavoured wafer cookie coated in chocolate. The bar itself is blocky and plain-looking from the outside.
Opinion: A limited edition bar that I decided to snap up. This is, unsurprisingly, quite similar to the standard Coffee Crisp save for a rather mild vanilla flavour and, I believe, being a bit sweeter. Overall, I liked this product (it *is* still Coffee Crisp) and am glad to have tried, but I'm not really sure I liked it any better than the standard Coffee Crisp though that is one of my favourites and a pretty high bar for me...

Name: Dairy Milk (Mini Eggs)
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 100 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a slender bar of Cadbury milk chocolate with bits of Cadbury Mini-Eggs (candy-coated chocolate pieces) embedded in it, that has been divided 24 square segments along a 3x8 grid.
Opinion: Another item I recently found loitering in the fridge. This product was an interesting one as in addition to the pleasantly crunchy texture afforded by the candy pieces, the chocolate used in the mini-eggs was sufficiently distinct from that of Dairy Milk to be distinguishable in terms of both flavour and texture. Overall, while it took a bit of getting used to, I enjoyed this product and would consider buying it again in the future.

Name: Hershey's Birthday Cake Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 95 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a slim bar of white chocolate with a large number of colourful, sprinkle-like flecks embedded in it and divided into 16 pieces on a 4x4 grid.
Opinion: Another bar that languished in my fridge for far too long. The chocolate was a bit waxy, possibly from being stored so long, but the 'sprinkles' provided a nice crispy texture. The predominant flavour was a very sweet, almost sickly vanilla, but there was also a bit of tartness that seemed to add to the frosting-like flavour. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to do so.

Name: Hostess Unicorn Cupcakes
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 206 gram pack of 6 cupcakes.
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of small yellow cupcakes with pink confetti filled with vanilla creme filling and topped with purple frosting and decorated with a series of pink twirls.
Opinion: Limited-time item I grabbed on a whim. This product, apart from being made with confetti cake and the frosting colours seems to be pretty much identical to Hostess' standard Vanilla Cupcake in being very sweet, but not quite to the point of being sickly. Overall, I enjoyed this product and would consider buying it again, but it's so similar to the main version that there's not much point seeking it out unless you happen to be a big fan of unicorns.

Name: Ruffles Mozzarella n' Marinara Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 180 gram bag
Where Purchased: Freshco.
Description: Ruffle cut potato chips with a slight orange colour from the seasonings used.
Opinion: A limited edition item I grabbed up as a quick snack. While ostensibly flavoured to taste like mozzarella sticks and their customary accompaniment, I found these to have a rather generic 'cheese' flavour which is probably for the best as mozzarella is so mild and any marinara taste is so mild I can't be sure I wasn't imagining it. That being said, the chips are quite tasty and seemed less 'sharp' than other cheese flavoured potato chips and the ruffles make them extra crunchy. Overall, I liked this item and would consider buying it again.

Name: Ruffles Poutine Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 180 gram bag
Where Purchased: Freshco.
Description: Ruffle cut potato chips with a slight brown colour from the seasonings used.
Opinion: A limited edition item I grabbed up as a quick snack. Intended to taste like Poutine (a Canadian fast-food staple consisting of fries with gravy and cheese curds), these chips have a savoury salty flavour similar to bouillon which certainly works to represent gravy. While I've sampled similar chips before - 'Fries n' Gravy' and 'Beef & Onion' these chips, being ruffled are a bit crunchier which is nice. Overall, I liked this item and would probably buy it again, but it's similar enough to existing flavours that I won't miss it too much.

Name: Smith's Scampi Flavour Fries
Manufacturer: Walkers.
Size: 27 gram bag.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of puffy rectangular 'cereal snacks' with a orange colour from the seasonings used.
Opinion: A British import I hadn't seen before, but decided to grab on a whim. I didn't have high hopes for this item as scampi are apparently a type of crustacean and I don't really care for sea food. I was, however, pleasantly surprised - the pieces are light but crunchy and have a savoury lemony flavour with a slight peppery kick that I quite enjoyed. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying them again in the future...

2023 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #75

Welcome to my (very much delayed) first Journal of 2023 *doles out backlog of hugs*. I sincerely didn't mean to be so long without posting anything, I just got super busy in December and somehow missed that month and then just fell out of the habit of writing them... I shall endeavour to be better in future!

So what have I been doing during by break from journal-ing? The answer, disappointingly, the usual: napping, playing, chasing bits of string. Actually, I have been sleeping a lot - I got a new mattress and had quite forgotten what it was like to sleep without being incessantly poked with springs leading to a lot of oversleeping...

I have been a bit lax in sampling novel snacks and candies which has only further discouraged me from writing up new journals (for lack of content if nothing else). I still haven't done any drawing or writing or watched any of the anime I had meant to (new 'Urusei Yatsura' and 'Girl's Last Tour') though I have been making some progress on some of my mobile games and have started reading through some 'Power Pack' comics (currently a little over 1/2 way through the original run) and while I'm not normally a big fan of superhero comics, I have been enjoying them a lot.

Well, that about gets everyone up to date on my activities these past few months so thanks for reading *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #75:

Name: Galaxy Salted Caramel
Manufacturer: Mars-Wrigley
Size: 135 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a slim bar of milk chocolate with caramel filling. The bar is divided into 16 wavy-shaped segments along a 4x4 grid. Despite the rounded edges, the bar breaks neatly along the perforations...
Opinion: A British import that languished in the fridge for quite some time. As typical of Galaxy, the chocolate is smooth, creamy, and luxurious with a distinctive taste that I can never quite place. I found the amount of caramel to be ideal and it seemed to be of good quality albeit, unfortunately, not very salty. Overall, I ,liked this product and might consider purchasing it again in the future.

Name: Galaxy Smooth Orange
Manufacturer: Mars-Wrigley
Size: 42g bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a slim bar of milk chocolate. The bar is divided into 6 segments which are slightly wave-shaped, but bar seems to break along them nicely anyway.
Opinion: Another British product that sat in the fridge for a long time. As usual, with Galaxy, the chocolate was of good quality having a smooth creamy texture. The orange flavour is less intense than I expected, but it blends well with the rather sweet chocolate resulting a rather different flavour profile than other orange flavoured chocolate that I've sampled over the years. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again in the future.

Name: Hostess Cotton Candy Cupcakes
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 206 gram pack of 6 cupcakes
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of small yellow cupcakes filled with a pink creme filling and topped with a pastel blue frosting and decorated with a series of pink twirls.
Opinion: Limited-time item I grabbed on a whim. The first thing that struck me about this product was that it was far less sickly sweet than I was fearing with the snack cakes having the artificial 'blue raspberry' flavour typically ascribed to cotton candy, but not really seeing and sweeter than the typical Hostess cupcakes. Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider purchasing it again, but ultimately I'm just not a big enough fan of either Hostess cupcakes or cottoncandy for this to really appeal to me.

Name: Kit-Kat Double Chocolate
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 112 gram bar
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Scaled up version of the standard Kit-Kat with 9 segments instead of the standard 4 and topped with a thin layer of chocolate flavoured fondant before being enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: This product seemed a bit redundant due to the entire bars being coated in milk chocolate, but the topping in this case is surprisingly distinct having richer flavour and much sweeter. Overall, I liked this product and would purchase it again, but can't really say I like it much better than the standard Kit-Kat...

Name: Terra Screamin' Hot Vegetable Chips
Manufacturer: Hain-Celestial
Size: 141 gram bag
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of chips of taro, sweet potato, batata, and parsnip. Some reddened by beet juice.
Opinion: An item I grabbed on a whim. I liked how the different vegetables gave a variety of flavours and textures, but the actual seasoning was rather uneven though on the whole the amount of 'heat' is pretty much ideal for me and can, of course, be adjusted by eating more or fewer at once. A lot of the chips in my bag were broken, but that may have been simple bad luck on my part. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying it again.

October and November 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #74

*poofs back to normal age* Hi everyfur and welcome to my special combination October/November Journal!

After missing Poutine Fest in September due to familial commitments, I had fully intended to skip Gem Storm as well, but wound up going for not one, but two days during which I purchased the following items for my collection: Bismuth, Ulexite, Pumice, Tektite, Crinoid Stem (Fossil), Hackmanite, Wernerite, and a Ruby in Fuchsite as well as going halves on a split your own geode with my sister. My brother was, unfortunately, not able to attend but the nephews enjoyed the Children's Mine though not so much the 45-minute trip by bus...

As you might have gather from the fact that I bought anything, I have also managed to resolve the issues with my bank account and thus regained access to the money therein. Unfortunately, getting Direct Deposit set up took a bit longer, but honestly the Pre-Paid Debit Cards aren't that bad - I just can't send money via E-transfer and living in a rural area I don't really have easy access to an ATM so I buying things was a bit of a challenge. Fortunately, the matter should be rectified and I look forward to having my next payment put directly into my chequing account!

As per usual, I didn't really do anything specifically for my birthday as I usually just combine things with a Halloween Party, but that didn't happen either this year as the nephews were with their mother and my brother and I were quite ill with a severe, but fortunately short-lived gastrointestinal bug. Kaffre did get to go Trick or Treating in a fashion - his mommy put him in a Hello Kitty costume and took him around the neighbourhood with his friends so he managed to collect a respectable store of candy and will doubtless appreciate it now that he can eat solid food again...

I don't really think anything significant has occurred yet in November as I've not gone anywhere or really even done much, but I did want to give everyfur an update since my last journal was, unfortunately, a bit sparse...

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my journal! *hugs tight*

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Kaffre talks Candy #74:

Name: Bugles (Tomato)
Manufacturer: Cheetos/Lays
Size: 65g bag
Where Purchased: Beaver Variety
Description: Consist of extruded cornmeal snacks formed into the shape of a slightly flattened cone with the wide end opened.
Opinion: A Chinese product I bought and then forgot about. I'm not the biggest fan of tomato and these may have been slightly stale, but they still afforded a pleasant salty crunch and the tomato flavour wasn't so overpowering as the chips I reviewed a while back. Overall, I can't really say I enjoyed these a would not buy them again, but that's expected and they might be worth looking into for people who actually enjoy tomato.

Name: Caramilk Salted Caramel
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of a rather plain looking bar of chocolate divided up into 10 segments (two columns of five). The individual segments have rounded tops and consist of a quantity of caramel encased in a piece of milk chocolate.
Opinion: Unsurprisingly, this product is very similar to the standard Caramilk. The caramel was noticeably saltier which improved the taste for me, but unfortunately not the texture which I still find too gooey. Overall, I thought this product was superior to the standard version I would consider buying it again, but still not the biggest fan.

Name: Coca-Cola Marshmello
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 355ml can (taller and narrower than standard)
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety.
Description: Consists of a brown carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like strawberry and watermelon.
Opinion: A Limited Edition product I snagged at a local convenience store. My first thought was that this item was extremely effervescent and had a fairly strong watermelon scent. The flavour was pleasant enough, but I found the watermelon largely overpowered the strawberry and didn't notice much cola flavour at all (possibly for the best). Overall, I thought this product was an interesting one and a glad I drank it, but I'm also not really sure I'd buy it again - I'm just not that into the flavours it uses.

Name: Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 355Ml can
Where Purchased: Midori.
Description: Consists of a brown carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like orange and vanilla.
Opinion: A Limited Edition product I bought quite some time ago and then forgot in the fridge - still, it may come back at some point. This product has a sweet orange flavour that's both mellowed and complimented by the vanilla with the result being a pleasantly refreshing beverage ideal for hot days. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying it again in the future were it available.

Name: Hershey Cristal
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 87 gram bar
Where Purchased: Neat Things
Description: Consists of a thin bar of dark chocolate (40% cocoa) with small red 'crystals' (presumably some kind of rock candy) embedded in it.
Opinion: A Brazilian import I decided to sample on a whim. The chocolate itself was very dark, but I didn't find it overly bitter either. The 'crystals' while conferring a crispy texture, didn't really seem to have any flavour of their own, but if I'm correct about them being sugar, they could potentially have the effect of sweetening the bar while retaining the bitterness of the chocolate. Overall, I liked this product and would consider purchasing it again in the future.

*poofs into tiny newborn Kaffre by some eldritch enchantment*

September Journal 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #73:

Hi again, loyal journal-readers and welcome to my (somewhat belated) September Journal! As it so happens, September was unexpectedly eventful for me. As promised, I was able to head into the city and grab my nephew a present for his birthday after missing the party back in August, but while there I was alerted to a mysterious $400+ charge (as it turns out, a subscription service has automatically renewed itself) and naturally called the bank to investigate. During this, I botched my security questions and my bank account was locked - the information the bank had on file was comically out of date, but that too was my fault. I should have the ID necessary to unlock it in a few weeks, but it was still frustrating experience and one I hope some of you can learn from - make sure your personal information is up to date!.

Sadly, I also had to miss Poutine Feast this year. Not for budgetary reasons, but because the days I had planned to attend I got roped into various family tasks that precluded extended absences from the house. It wasn't really a big deal though as my nephews were unable to attend being with their mother that week and my siblings (who both did attend) experienced bad weather, long waits, and many items being out of stock - I would note that they went pretty late on the penultimate day while my plan had been to go much earlier. I'll plan more carefully for next year while simultaneously endeavouring to make sure next month's outing to Gem Storm goes as smoothly as possible! Garlic Fest I *did* attend, but likewise declined to buy anything as most of the vendors were selling raw garlic this year which I'm less interested in.

As far as anime goes, I really enjoyed S2 of Made in Abyss despite not really being a fan of the Iruburu Arc in the manga. With the benefit of hindsight, I do think the issue was the slow rate of release. I can appreciate that the chapters have been getting longer and longer, but waiting months for between installments does make it hard to remain invested in the story let alone keep track of any relevant themes. I have learned fro this, however, and intend to read the upcoming arc much more carefully. Once MiA is over, I had planned to watch either Nichijou or Girl's Last Tour, but with a new Urusei Yatsura series beginning on October 14, I'll probably just wait for that series to begin instead. The MiA videogame arrived ahead of schedule, but as I'm still between consoles (and television sets) it remains un-played in its box at the moment.

Well, I guess that's it for this month. Thanks for reading *hugs* and be sure to check back next month to see how my trip to the lapidary convention went as well as to give much needed birthday hugs and pettings to newborn Kaffre once my birthday rolls around on the 29th of October!

Now without further ado, I proudly present...

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Kaffre talks Candy #73:

Name: Crush, Lime
Manufacturer: Canada Dry/Mott's
Size: 355mL can
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Pale carbonated beverage flavoured to taste like lime.
Opinion: An item I grabbed some time ago and finally got around to sampling. Exhibiting a nice blend of sweet and acidic, this beverage was enjoyable and has a pleasing, if slightly candy-like lime flavour. I would definitely consider buying it again and think it could potentially be a good summer option...

Name: Hershey's Chocolate Hazelnut Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of chocolate with bits of hazelnut embedded in it. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A limited time item I decided to grab up. Initially expecting something akin to Nutella, I was a little surprised at the rich chocolatey flavour that seemed very different from the Hershey standard formula I'm not normally the biggest fan of nuts in chocolate, but the hazelnut fragments were so small they didn't really bother me though I'm not sure they added much either. Overall, I liked this bar and would definitely consider buying it again...

Name: Hershey's Cotton Candy Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of blue 'white' chocolate. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A limited time item I decided to grab up. I'm not really sure what flavour 'cotton candy' is supposed to be and haven't had any in ages so I can't really vouch for authenticity, but this bar has a pleasing candy-like flavour that is pretty close to what I remember cotton candy tasting like. Overall, I liked this bar and would consider buying it again, but also feel it's a bit gimmick-y and might lose its appeal quickly.

Name: Hershey's Salted Caramel Toffee Bar
Manufacturer: Hershey's
Size: 39 gram bar.
Where Purchased: Dollar Tree
Description: Consists of a slender bar of slightly yellow 'white' chocolate with bits of toffee embedded in it. The bar is vaguely divided up into five vaguely ice-cream cone shaped sections.
Opinion: A limited time item I decided to grab up. The bar has a flavour reminiscent a creamy and mild caramel flavour with the toffee bits adding a bit of crunch to break up the texture and just a touch of saltiness. Overall, I liked this bar and would consider purchasing it again.

Name: Tootsie Roll Mini Bites
Manufacturer: Tootsie Roll
Size: 190 gram bag.
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of roughly 3cm long segments of tootsie roll that been given candy coating. The colour is more coffee/caramel than standard tootsie roll.
Opinion: An item grabbed up on a whim, I found this product to taste identical to the standard tootsie roll - sweet, chewy with a sort of understated chocolatey flavour. Its texture, while still quite firm, wasn't as dry and hard as regular tootsie rolls can sometimes be. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely consider buying it again you probably get less candy for your money that way than the classic candy, but I personally found it easier to enjoy.

August Journal, 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy # 72:

Greetings loyal journal-readers and welcome to my shiny new August journal! See how august it is? Anyway, August was a pretty quiet month for me all things considered. My grandmother and nephew both had birthdays, but she was in Newfoundland at the time and events beyond my control meant I was unable to attend his party. I will, however, hopefully be able to see him soon-ish and grab an age-appropriate (7) present for him! The only other thing worth noting is that I have started drawing again - nothing serious just little doodles of of random babyfur characters and I keep getting the proportions really bad, but it is at least some progress in resuming my artistic endeavors! I've also considered returning to Twitter, but it's far too late to reclaim my old account and I'm not sure whether it's worth the effort of creating a new one...

By contrast, September looks to be a super busy month! The new 'Made in Abyss' videogame drops I don't currently have a PS4 or a TV to play it on, but pre-ordered it months ago nonetheless. I've also got a Dentist appointment and there's not one, but TWO local food festivals I want to attend. The village near our home has an annual Garlic Festival that's always fun - I don't usually buy anything myself, but if the toum vendor returns this year I might grab a tub. Later in the month, Poutine Feast returns to my area and if things go according to plan, my sister and I will finally be able to drag our brother there and enjoy the festival as a family. I would like to bring nephews too, but that might not be feasible due to school and one of them being an *extremely* picky eater who probably wouldn't enjoy it.

Well, I guess that's about everything I have to say for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs* be sure to check back next month for updates and lots more yummy candy (and other snack) reviews!

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Kaffre talks Candy #72

Name: Coca-Cola Dreamworld
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: Consists of a dark coloured carbonated beverage whose flavour was inspired by 'dreams'.
Opinion: This limited-time product has an interesting 'fruity' flavour it's somewhat muddled, but I can definitely pick up hints of pineapple and something else possibly mango? Overall, I thought this product was an interesting one and I would definitely consider purchasing it again, but I also feel that I would probably grow tired of it very quickly.

Name: M&M's Crispy Chocolate Bar
Manufacturer: Mars
Size: 107 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: M&M's Chocolate Bar consists of a flattish bar of milk chocolate with M&Ms candies and rice crisps embedded in it. The top features a raised M&Ms logo and illustration of 'red' The bar has near grooves near the edges, but are irregular and not us useful for breaking off pieces.
Opinion: Another product I'd purchased some time ago and only just now got around to eating. The bar was composed of a very light that, while a bit sweet for my liking seemed to be of good quality. The M&Ms and rice gave the whole thing a pleasant crispiness that compliments taste nicely. On one level, I did think the rice redundant since it already has M&Ms to give texture, but the effect wasn't bad and I'm sure the rice is cheaper. Overall, I liked this bar and would purchase it again.

Name: Oreos, Neapolitan
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 374 gram pack.
Where Purchased: Freshco
Description: This product resembles the standard oreos except that the cookie portion is the colour of an ice cream cone and filling includes has layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry frosting.
Opinion: A limited time product I decided to sample. As one might expect of what if effectively a triple-stuffed cookie, this was very sweet, but the different flavours complemented each other in a way that kept any one from being too intense - I definitely tasted 'strawberry more, but that's probably because I don't eat it as often as the other two components. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again.

Name: Reese's Big Cup with Pretzel
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 36 gram cup
Where Purchased: Neat Things
Description: Resembles a standard Reese's cup (despite the 'big cup' designation, diameter is unchanged though it is 'deeper') that has had bits of pretzel added to the filling.
Opinion: Similar in concept to the 'potato chip' Reese cups I reviewed back in #68, this product seeks to add a bit of texture and saltiness to the classic peanut-butter cup, but I personally found this product to be the better of the two mostly because the changes are so much more pronounced thus becoming it's own thing rather than a slightly weird peanut-butter cup. Overall, I rather liked this product and would consider buying it again, but a not sure whether I prefer it to the standard version....

Name: Uncle Ray's Mesquite BBQ Chips
Manufacturer: Uncle Ray's LLC
Size: 127.5 gram bag
Where Purchased: Sunshine Variety
Description: Ripple-cut potato chips with a brown/orange cast to them from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A pleasant, albeit very sweet, barbecue-flavoured chip. Normally, I'm not the biggest fan of 'sweet' barbecue chips, but these are actually pretty good having nice smoky flavour as well as tomato and paprika giving it more depth than expected. Overall, I thought these were pretty good and will consider purchasing them again.

July Journal 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #71

Greetings loyal journal-readers and welcome to another obscenely late journal. I had hoped to get this one out in a timely fashion, but a combination of my internet connection being tenuous for most of the month and had almost exhausted my backlog snack reviews. Anyway, enough excuses, let's get to the heart of the journal!

Beyond that, things went pretty normally. We finally finished my sister's birthday plans by seeing 'Jurassic World II' - I only watched the original Jurassic Park so I had no idea what was happening or who most of the characters were, but it was kinda fun anyway. We tried getting dinner afterwards, but everywhere we tried to getting food from kept closing before we had chance to place our orders

I've also been watching the new season of "Made in Abyss" - despite my initial concerns, I think they've actually done a pretty good job of adapting the manga. It's hard to say how effective they were until the arc is complete, but at the very least it looks like they'll manage to avoid sticking us with 2 or 3 consecutive episodes of nothing but flashbacks!

I haven't really made any progress on art or drawing, but I haven't been completely idle and in addition to watching anime, I recently started supplementing Duolingo's extremely limited Latin course with 'Cattus' which giving less instruction is simultaneously less limited in scope - I think I actually understand most of the cases now even as I struggle to actually identify them when not made obvious by the verb or preposition...

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs* I promise to make a concerted effort to release my August journal in a timely fashion!

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Kaffre talks Candy #71:

Name: Caramello
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 47 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Caramello consists of a rather plain looking bar of chocolate divided up into 10 segments (two columns of five). The individual segments have rounded tops and consist of a quantity of caramel encased in a piece of milk chocolate.
Opinion: Apparently this is what they call 'Caramilk' (Dairy Milk Caramel to British readers) in Australia and the United States (where it's produced under license by Hershey). I've already reviewed the Canadian kind, but to reiterate - I'm not the biggest fan of caramel, but I don't really mind too much here as the caramel is in small discrete quantities which prevents if from being too overpowering or messy. Overall, I thought this item was OK, but I'm not sure I'd but it again.

Name: Crispers, Jalapeño
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 145 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: consist of thin, flat, crackers with a wavy, but rectangular shape and a slight orange colour.
Opinion: A limited time flavour I decided to sample. These cracker-chips have a subtle savoury taste and while not having much 'heat' individually, I found that eating three or four at a time was about the perfect spice level for me. Overall, I liked this product and would definitely purchase it again though I like most varieties of Crispers and wouldn't necessarily choose these over any of those other varieties...

Name: Lindt Excellence Caramel & Sea Salt
Manufacturer: Lindt
Size: 100 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shoppers Drug Mart
Description: Consists of a flattish bar of dark chocolate divided into squares along a 5x10 grid and flavoured with caramel and salt.
Opinion: While I usually rather like dark chocolate, I don't think it works particularly well here as the bitterness of the dark chocolate almost completely obscured the other flavours which sees kind of a waste. Overall, I that this product was OK, but despite being good quality chocolate, I don't think I'd purchase it again.

Name: Kit-Kat Salted Caramel
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 112 gram bar
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Scaled up version of the standard Kit-Kat with 9 segments instead of the standard 4 and topped with a thin layer of salted caramel flavoured fondant before being enrobed in chocolate.
Opinion: This product had a pleasing enough caramel flavour and is salty enough to keep the bar from being too sickly without becoming overly salty. Longtime readers will know I'm not the biggest fan of caramel but I have found that I don't mind salted caramel - it tastes less sickly sweet and even seems less sticky. Overall, I rather liked this product and would consider purchasing it again in the future.

Name: Oreo's 110th Birthday Chocolate Confetti Cake
Manufacturer: Christie
Size: 345 gram package
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: This product resembles the standard oreos except that filling consists of a combination of chocolate and vanilla flavours and both cookies and filling are flecked with coloured sugar in multiple colours.
Opinion: A special anniversary product that I grabbed up for review. The product does indeed deliver the extremely potent vanilla flavour that has become associated with 'birthday cake' flavoured snacks in the last few years, but with a bit of chocolate flavour as well while the crunchy, but rather bland cookie keeps it from being too sickly sweet and adds some texture. Overall, I liked this product and would consider buying it again, but it's been so long since I had ordinary Oreos that I'm not sure whether I prefer these or not...

June-ral 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #70

It's officially been summer for a few days now and with only a few days of June remaining, I decided it was time to finally get off my luxuriously silky tail and post a monthly journal!

I finally did manage to do Birthday stuff with my brother - specifically we went to the theatre to watch 'Sonic 2" (not a great film in my opinion, but it was fun spending time with by brother and nephews) after grabbing a quick dinner at Dairy Queen. Upon returning home after a few days in town, however, if became apparent that our internet was down and defied all attempts to fix it ourselves so we finally relented and called our service provider. During the interim, I was without internet which is why I may have seemed quieter than usual this month.

After finally getting to celebrate my brother's birthday from back in May, my sister's is coming up on the 28th and she has plans to see the new Jurassic Park film which could certainly be fun. Next month is also when the 2nd Season of "Made in Abyss" drops. I've read the manga and more or less know what to expect, but am a bit nervous - I like the arc being covered, but worry it may not adapt well to an animated format. Looking forward to it either way though!

I haven't really made any progress when it comes to art or stories, but I do feel that my motivation has shifted from a vague desire to something a bit more... concrete? We shall see if anything comes of it in the weeks and months to come.

Well, I guess that's it for now *hugs* - thanks for taking the time to read my journal and see you next month!

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Kaffre Talks Candy #70:

Name: Aero Truffle, Tiramisu
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), with usual aerated chocolate interior replaced by what appears to be white chocolate flavoured to taste like Tiramisu (espresso and mascarpone).
Opinion: A Christmas gift I only just got around to eating. While I was expecting a much stronger coffee flavour, this bar was still quite tasty giving a creamy sweetness more akin to french vanilla than espresso, but also truer to the dessert that it where the cream cheese also mellows the taste of the coffee. Overall, I enjoyed this bar and would probably consider purchasing it again in the future.

Name: Bar-B-Q + Sweet Chili Heat Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of normal-looking potato chips with red-orange cast due to the flavouring agents used.
Opinion: A limited time 'Mash-Up' flavour combining Lay's Barbecue Chips with Sweet Chili Heat Doritos. Probably the least interesting of the flavour mash-ups as both of the constituent flavours are similar in being defined by 'sweet' and 'hot'. This isn't to suggest that there is no difference these have a smokiness that Doritos lack and the sweetness is different than what one usually gets with barbecue chips. Overall, I thought these were an interesting product and would consider buying them again, but won't miss them when they're gone.

Name: Dill Pickle + White Cheddar Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of normal-looking potato chips.
Opinion: A limited time 'Mash-Up' flavour combining Lay's Dill Pickle Chips with Smart Food White Cheddar Popcorn. While perhaps the most disturbing sounding of these flavour mash-ups, this was probably my favourite of the line - as with the other products, I found that the 'chip' flavour dominated, but I like Dill Pickle chips more than Ketchup or Barbecue while the popcorn also has a milder flavour than Cheetos or Doritos, but nevertheless manages to nicely compliment the stronger flavour. Overall, I liked this product and would probably buy it again, but at the same time I don't really think I'll miss it either.

Name: Ketchup + Cheese Chips
Manufacturer: Lays
Size: 220 gram bag
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of normal-looking potato chips with red-orange cast due to the flavouring agents used.
Opinion: A limited time 'Mash-Up' flavour combining Lay's Ketchup Chips with Cheetos. While I know that many people add routinely add ketchup to Kraft-dinner or grilled cheese sandwiches, my dislike for that condiment made this combination a bit intimidating. As it happens, however, I could barely taste any Cheeto and found these to taste pretty much identical to 'classic' ketchup chips (which I'm not a huge fan of). Overall, I thought these were OK and might potentially buy another bag to see if this one was defective, but otherwise I'll have to pass on these.

Name: Terry Orange Bar (Cookie)
Manufacturer: Carambar and co.
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a large bar of milk chocolate with some kind of cookie crumbs embedded in it that has been molded into an usual shape that resembles two adjacent columns of eleven orange slices.
Opinion: Yet another item scrounged from the fridge, this item initially struck me as the bar equivalent of the 'toffee' oranges, but I'm not quite sure how accurate that is - the 'cookie' bits provided a pleasant crunchiness, but didn't really seem to have any flavour at least one that wasn't completely overpowered by the orange. Overall, I liked this product and would purchase it again in the future.

Victoria Day Journal 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #69:

Well, May is very nearly over so I figured I should put out a journal before I have to start thinking about June and somehow develop an even more serious backlog of snacks and candies to review - BIS had lots of new items!

As it happens, however, nothing especially noteworthy has happened in May - My brother's Birthday was on the 19th, but attempts to arrange some kind of get together keep falling through due to events beyond our control - hopefully we can cobble something together before my sister's birthday next month though.

In other news, while I haven't drawn anything (and have no way to share it here if I did), I do have a few writing projects on the go and will hopefully be able to post something over the next few weeks months. *crosses claws for luck* I feel an itch to return to art in some capacity as well, but at this point, I'm not at all when, how, or even if it will occurr.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for reading my journal. Hopefully you found something in it to be useful despite its brevity and now without further ado....

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Kaffre talks Candy #69:

Name: Dairy Milk Smores
Manufacturer: Cadbury
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: Shopper's Drug Mart
Description: Resembles a larger version of the standard Dairy Milk with the squares arranged 3x8 and having tiny pieces of gram cracker and marshmallow embedded in it.
Opinion: A limited time product I bought long ago and forgot in the fridge until now. The taste was smooth and sweet as is typical of Cadbury, but the graham cracker pieces give a bit of crunch as well as a slight savouriness while the marshmallow, while contributing little to nothing in terms of flavour or texture does lend the product a deep, rich, almost fudge-like feel to it. Overall, I liked this product and will consider buying it again should Cadbury ever cycle it back into rotation.

Name: Little Debbie Zebra Cakes
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 369 gram box (10 cakes)
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of octagonal segments of 'yellow cake' with vanilla creme sandwiched between them. This is then enrobed in white chocolate and decorated with fudge 'stripes'. Bundled in packs of two.
Opinion: An item I have had before many years ago, but didn't really remember very well. I can't really say I noticed and difference between the white and black frosting (possibly because the vanilla cream filling overpowered it), but the whole thing did seem less sweet than the majority of 'Little Debbie' products which was nice. Overall, I thought this was OK and might consider purchasing it again in the future.

Name: Simpkins Caramint Travel Sweets
Manufacturer: A L Simpkin & Co.
Size: 200 gram tin
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consist of caramel coloured lozenge shaped hard candies covered in a fine white powder
Opinion: A British import I grabbed up. These candies have an interesting flavour that's neither caramel nor mint, but sort of reminds me of 'humbugs' in terms of their creamy, but mild minty flavour with an equally subtle caramel aftertaste that I found to be quite pleasant. Overall, I like this product and may buy it again, but there are other varieties I'd also like to sample...

Name: Terry Orange Bar (Original)
Manufacturer: Carambar and co.
Size: 90 gram bar
Where Purchased: Giant Tiger
Description: Consists of a large bar of milk chocolate that has been molded into an usual shape that resembles two adjacent columns of eleven orange slices. The two halves break apart easily, the individual segments not so much.
Opinion: Another product I forgot about in the fridge, but one I know to still be available. This bar tastes pretty much identical to the standard 'Terry Chocolate Orange' having a smooth, but fairly intense orange flavour. Overall, I liked this item and would buy it again, but would note that, while the package is nominally resealable, I'd personally be more reluctant to leave this out for any length of time and so would only recommend people who *really* like orange flavoured chocolate.

Name: Violet Crumble
Manufacturer: Robern Menz (Mfg) Pty Ltd
Size: 50 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a bar of honeycomb toffee coated in chocolate.
Opinion: An Australian product I decided to grab. While superficially similar to Cadbury's 'Crunchie' (which it predates by 14 years), this bar is lighter softer and less sweet making for an overall more leisurely experience. Overall, I liked this product and would probably purchase it again, but given the ubiquity of Crunchies here, I'm not sure it's different enough to be worth the effort of seeking it out.

April-Foolish Journal 2022 + Kaffre talks Candy #68

Just a quick little journal for April before the month rolls over into May in a few days...

Firstly, let me apologize for being so very late in getting this journal posted. Unfortunately, I was very ill for the last week or so and wasn't quite up to writing a journal (or doing much else). I'm much better now though!

Secondly, I'd like to let everyone know that I have permanently deleted my Twitter acount and thus am no longer accessible on that venue so beware of imposters and copy-kittens!

Thirdly, nothing has really happened this month - normally, my siblings and I would get together to celebrate our (late) mother's birthday, but with everybody being sick that simply wasn't feasible on the 20th, but with any luck we can squeeze something in next month.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for taking the time to read my journal *hugs*. And now, I proudly present - Kaffre talks Candy!

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Kaffre talks Candy #68

Name: Galaxy Cookie Crumble
Manufacturer: Mars Wrigley Confectionery
Size: 40 gram bar
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of a slim bar of milk chocolate with 'cookie bits' embedded in it. The bar is divided into 6 segments which are slightly curved, but the candy seems to break along them reasonably well anyway.
Opinion: British product I hadn't seen before decided to sample. The milk chocolate itself was very creamy almost like Dairy Milk, but not quite as sweet. The cookie bits, are very dark and provide a pleasant bit of texture as well as a hit of sweetness that complements the chocolate nicely. Overall, I liked this bar and would consider buying it again in future.

Name: Lay's Chicken and Tomato
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 165 gram bag
Where Purchased: Freshco
Description: Consists of plain looking potato chips with a slight orange cast from the flavouring used.
Opinion: A Chinese inspired flavour I decided to sample. As with 'Cucumber', the chips boast an impressively 'fresh' tomato flavour that was paired with a savoury taste that I presume represents some kind of chicken dish. The two flavours are generally pretty distinct, but sometimes blend into something akin to 'Barbecue'. While an interesting flavour, I'm generally not the biggest fan of tomato and probably won't be purchasing these again...

Name: Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies
Manufacturer: McKee Foods
Size: 459 gram box (12 cakes)
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: Consists of two soft-based oatmeal cookies with a portion of vanilla cream between them in a manner similar to an ice-cream sandwich. The 'pies' are individually wrapped.
Opinion: Product I've eaten occasionally, but never thought to review. The chewiness of the cookies makes them an excellent vehicle for the vanilla cream while also providing a pleasant texture. The flavours compliment each other nicely with the oatmeal helping to mitigate the sweetness of the filling. Overall, I rather enjoyed this snack both for being economical and having a fairly unique taste. As such, I will probably continue to purchase them on a semi-frequent basis.

Name: Reese's Big Cup with Potato Chips
Manufacturer: Hershey
Size: 73 grams in two cups.
Where Purchased: Bulk Barn
Description: Consists of two roughly disc-shaped milk chocolate shells filled with a peanut-butter flavoured substance with bits of potato chip embedded in it. The diameter is noticeably greater at the top than at the base the and sides are scalloped to facilitate peeling, Noticeably larger than the standard cups..
Opinion: A mysterious product I grabbed on a whim. Despite the somewhat unsettling concept, this item tastes pretty much indistinguishable from the standard Reese cup albeit perhaps a bit saltier. The chips do impart some crunch, but I don't think it really improves the texture of the product. Overall, I thought this was OK, but am unlikely to purchase it again..

Name: Tic Tac (Coca Cola)
Manufacturer: Ferrero
Size: 98 gram bottle
Where Purchased: Metro
Description: white candies with the 'coca cola' logo on them in red. Supposedly flavoured like the classic beverage..
Opinion: An interesting product I picked up some time ago. The flavour is pleasant, but somewhat nondescript and while it definitely bears a resemblance to very flat coca-cola, I'm not really sure I would have guessed the flavour on my own. I'd probably buy this item again as they *are* tasty in their own right.

March 2022 Journal + Kaffre talks Candy #67

Apologies for another slightly belated journal, but, in my defence, not much has really happened so far this month.

With some prompting from my siblings, I ordered a 6-month subscription to 'Bokksu'. I initially thought it might prove a convenient source of material for Kaffre talks Candy, but the items included don't really look like things you'd find at a typical east-asian grocery and thus of limited usefulness for that feature. I am considering the possibility of reviewing the items on Twitter instead, but will probably just enjoy them on my own instead.

One of the barn kittens we captured, socialized, and were seeking to re-home (fluffy male colour-point) somehow managed to break his foot, but fortuitously a woman who worked at the veterinarian decided to adopt him so he got a good home while we avoided a bill at the same time.

My root canal went just fine though the freezing lasted much longer than it was supposed to. I think the new guy may have scratched my incisor, but I'll discuss that with my regular dentist when I see her in May.

Finally, a younger cousin of mine passed away recently. I haven't really spoken to him in many years, but perhaps due to my existing depression, the news hit me harder than expected - I'm sure I'll be fine, but hugs would be appreciated.

I guess that's it for now thanks for reading *hugs*

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Kaffre talks Candy #67:

Name: Coca-Cola Starlight
Manufacturer: Coca-Cola
Size: 500mL bottle
Where Purchased: No Frills
Description: Consists of a dark red carbonated beverage whose flavour was inspired by 'space'.
Opinion: An interesting-looking limited-edition product, while carrot and blackcurrant are cited on the label, I can't really say I noticed either of those with vanilla seeming to be the dominant flavour though there's definitely something else. I should also note that there was no detectable cola flavour either it tastes very 'clean', I guess. Overall, I enjoyed this product and will definitely consider purchasing it again in the future should it reappear.

Name: King Peppermint (Original)
Manufacturer: King.
Size: 44 gram roll
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of 21 white mints shaped a bit like thick coins with the maker's logo stamped on them.
Opinion: A Dutch product I decided to sample. This product has a mild and pleasing mint flavour albeit with a slightly chalky texture - they do tend to get bitter if you suck too long, but I usually crunch mine before that happens or the extra hit of mint. Overall, I thought this product was good, but somewhat generic and don't know whether I'll buy it again or not.

Name: Kit Kat (Fruity Cereal)
Manufacturer: Nestle
Size: 42 gram bar
Where Purchased: Neat Things
Description: Consists of a standard Kit Kat, but covered with 'white' chocolate that's bright pink, but marbled with other colours.
Opinion: A birthday gift from my sister. This item has a fairly intense, but somewhat vague and very artificial 'fruit' flavour that while definitely off-putting at first, I do feel has the potential to grow on me. Overall, I think this was an interesting product that I would consider purchasing again in the future...

Name: Lay's Cucumber Chips
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 165 gram bag
Where Purchased: Freshco
Description: Consists of plain looking potato chips with small flecks of green here and there.
Opinion: A Chinese inspired flavour I decided to sample. These chips deliver a surprisingly authentic cucumber flavour that, while somewhat short-lived, tastes quite fresh and is fairly intense considering the mild target. Overall, while unsettling at first, I liked these chips and would consider buying them again though I do get the feeling that the novelty might wear off quickly...

Name: Oor Wullie's Braw Iron Brew Chew Bar
Manufacturer: Rose Confectionery
Size: 11 grams
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Yellow strip of flexible yet brittle candy filled with sherbet.
Opinion: Irish product I grabbed on a whim. My first impression of this product is that it was very sour as I ate, however, a more nuanced vaguely fruit flavour was detected - ostensibly Irn Bru or at least a store brand knock-off, but it's been too long since I've drank it to verify. In any case, I thought this product was pretty good, but don't whether I'd buy it again as I'm not the biggest fan of sour candies and this one is somewhat difficult to obtain here.