The Revolution Staff brought back the holiday candy taste test to round out 2023. We tried interesting candies from the likes of cherry Hershey’s Kisses to possum-flavored candy canes from Archie McPhee.
Froot Loops Candy Canes — average rating: 7.12/10
Anna – delicious and Froot Loop-y, 8/10,
Eva- Actually tastes like Froot Loops, 7/10
Emi- It tastes like Oranges and lemons, 6/10
Jacob – Tangy and citrusy. A bit of a lime flavor, 8/10,
Sophie – Tastes like I’m eating a real Fruit Loop, 8/10 kinda sour, lemon/lime, 7/10
Harry – tastes just like a Fruit Loop, nothing special, but still a solid candy cane, 8.3/10,
Kayla – Surprisingly tastes just like Fruit Loops 7/10
Eric- tastes just like fruit loops(the box didn’t lie) solid cane for sure, 9/10
Tenzin- Tastes just like Froot Loops, 7/10
Archer – is just froot loops, 9/10
Tink- taste like fruity pebble, 8/10
Blake – tastes like fruity pebble, 8/10
Butter Candy Canes — average rating: 3.17/10
Jacob – Smells like butter to a sickening level. The taste of fat is extremely overpowering, it’s hard to last more than a couple of seconds. Tastes like “I can’t believe it’s not butter.” 3/10.
Harry – Pretty horrible, but I expect worse, so I’ll stick with my 3/10.
Sophie – Smells like movie popcorn, tastes like I put my mouth up to the butter dispenser at the movies, tastes…. thick. 3/10.
Eric – Definitely not better than the fruit loops, but once again, of all the ingredients to make flavors, “butter”? The taste is just repulsive and the smell is very off-putting, like mashed potatoes. 3/10.
Hot Tamales Candy Canes — average rating: 7.18/10
Emi- Tastes like cinnamon but its not really spicy, 5/10
Eva- no complaints, 10/10
Harry- Spicy with some sweetness on top, definitely would eat again, my favorite so far, 9/10
Kayla – Tastes more like cinnamon, but not super spicy. Not a huge fan, but not the worst. 5/10
Sophie – Doesn’t taste exactly like a hot tamale, not really as spicy either, better to chew, would totally eat a full one, 9/10
Tink- Not good, not spicy.
Jacob – Stale, smoky flavor. Not very spicy. 4/10
Blake- Tastes like cinnamon and is kinda overpowering, 5/10
Tenzin- Tastes pretty good with a bit of spice. 8/10
Eric- I like the candy Hot Tamales already so I’m kinda biased but interesting, 8/10
Anna – Yummy, could be a bit spicier but I love cinnamon. 9/10
Archer – Spicy, I love it. 7/10
Cherry Hershey’s Kisses — average rating: 7.08/10
Emi- Just tastes like chocolate, 6/10
Kayla – Not a huge cherry flavor, but delicious. 9/10
Jacob – Very fake-tasting cherry, doesn’t exactly mix well with the chocolate. 5/10
Eva- Good amount of cherry, not too overpowering 7/10
Archer- Interesting but I like it. 8/10
Harry – Eh, pretty artificial cherry taste, but the chocolate saves it. 6/10
Sophie – Less cherry than expected, good texture, probably wouldn’t eat another one. 5/10
Eric- I like the cherry flavor since it doesn’t mash with the chocolatey flavor too much I’d give it a 7/10
Tink- Not a cherry fan. 4/10
Blake- Tastes like a mix of cherry and chocolate , the flavors melt together to form a sweet chocolate flavor. 10/10
Tenzin- Tastes pretty good. 9/10
Anna – Can’t go wrong with cherry filling and milk chocolate. 9/10
Amaretto Hot Cocoa Milano Cookies — average rating: 7.50/10
Emi- I don’t really like chocolate, but the cookie is good. 6/10
Eva- Very good. 9/10
Jacob – Nutty, but a little bland. The lemon is a nice touch. 7/10
Kayla – It tastes just like a Milano, no almond at all. 8/10
Tinkk- Too much chocolate. 7/10
Harry – Just tastes like a normal Milano cookie, I don’t taste anything else. 8/10
Eric- Tastes good, the flavors kinda overlay each other creating a nice blend of flavor something I’d dip in coffee for sure. 9/10
Archer – Tastes good; I like it. Can’t go wrong with a Milano. 9/10
Blake – I overall enjoyed the taste but didn’t really get the hot cocoa that I was expecting. 9/10
Tenzin- The chocolate tastes good. 9/10
Anna – Faint almond aftertaste and yummy shortbread, but it is a little dry. 7/10
Mac & Cheese Candy Canes — average rating: 2.21/10
Anna- Smells plastic-y, taste is buttery on top, and then slightly minty – definitely not like mac and cheese, but everyone’s being a bunch of babies. 6/10
Emi- So disgusting, tastes rancid. 0/10
Eva- I could smell it from several feet away. 0/10
Blake – As someone who would go in debt for mac and cheese, I was extremely disappointed , Not really mac and cheese, but a sweet, tacky taste. 2/10
Tinkk- Nasty. 1/10
Sophie – Smells like literal doo-doo, I cannot put that thing near my nose again. Tastes more like butter than the butter cane. It would be fine if it didn’t smell so bad. 0.5/10
Tenzin- Tastes like the butter candy cane if it had a worse smell. 2/10
Jacob- Smells like the mix in a Kraft Mac & Cheese, and it made me gag. Tastes like the butter one, but smells much worse. 2/10
Eric- Tastes a lot like the butter candy cane which was already pretty horrid. So I’ll go ahead and lock this in at a 4/10. Additionally, it doesn’t taste like mac & cheese so the taste just brings disappointment.
Archer- This feels wrong to have in my mouth. 4/10
Kayla – Smells even worse than the butter, but tastes just like the butter one. Kinda disappointed, I was expecting a strong cheese flavor. 3/10
Harry- Tastes a lot like the butter one, but a stronger taste, Not necessarily something I crave. 2/10
Sugar Cookie White Chocolate Truffle Lindt – 9.32/10
Tenzin- Really good, the inside just kinda melts in your mouth. 10/10
Emi- It’s really good and I like the crunchy part. 10/10
Eric- I like Lindt chocolates but this flavor is too sweet for me, so I’d give it a 6/10. But hey, at least this brand didn’t collaborate with that possum brand.
Sophie – So incredible, I want every dessert I have for the rest of my life to taste like this. It’s like happiness all wrapped up in white chocolate. If I had one critique, it’d just be that it’s INSANELY sweet. But other than that, I would eat 20 more of these. 10/10
Jacob- Awesome. It tastes like a great Lindt chocolate, and the sweet and creamy white chocolate seals the deal. I need to buy some of these! 10/10
Kayla- Delicious, I would eat an entire bag of these. 10/10
Eva- White chocolate when it’s actually good. 8/10
Harry- Very good texture, with a mix of crunchy and soft white chocolate, taste does not disappoint either. 9.8/10
Tinkk- 10/10
Archer- Amazing. I love it. I would eat it all day. 10/10
Blake- Very green flag in the sense that its perfect texture wise and taste. 9/10
Anna- I love it! Tastes like the white chocolate version but it’s not too strong in sweetness, creamy and I would actually spend money on this. 9/10
ELF Candy Canes (3 flavors)
Cotton Candy — average rating: 5.69/10
Tenzin- Doesn’t have a stronger taste of cotton candy. 6/10
Harry – Not much flavor, boring ? 5.4/10
Blake – Very generic cotton candy flavor. 5/10
Eva- Boring. 5/10
Eric- It brings the feeling that Santa is actually coming ? 7/10
Jacob – Watered-down version of cotton candy, only a little sweet. Buddy would be disappointed. 6/10
Emi- I thought it would be better because I love cotton candy ice cream, but it doesn’t taste the same. It still tastes good. 6/10
Anna – The least offensively flavored candy cane I’ve had in one of these reviews; it’s a nice balanced cotton candy, not too sickly sweet. 6.5/10
Kayla – I can barely taste the cotton candy, but it’s there. Wish it had a stronger flavor, but not bad. 6/10
Sophie – Kinda boring, lame., It’s just sweet. 5/10
Tinkk- No flavor, but 5/10
Archer – Pretty strange, but I liked it.
Peppermint Hot Cocoa — average rating: 7.57/10
Tenzin- Tastes good but can’t really taste the chocolate. 6/10
Anna- The smell is underwhelming, but the taste is great! I love hot chocolate and this hits the spot. 7.8/10
Harry- Not bad, Just decent, I don’t have much of an opinion. 7/10
Emi- It’s not bad, it just tastes minty with a hint of chocolate. 6/10
Eva- Very peppermint mocha adjacent. 10/10
Kayla- Doesn’t really have a smell, but tastes just like peppermint hot chocolate! Has a bit more peppermint flavor than chocolate. 8.5/10
Tinkk- I don’t really taste chocolate. 6/10
Jacob- Very pepperminty as a candy cane should be, and the hints of chocolate complement it really well. The chocolate flavor could be better, though. 9/10
Sophie – Tastes like Starbucks peppermint mocha, would eat a full one. 6/10
Archer- Ooooo, yumby. 7/10
Blake- Tastes like cocoa and peppermint, very pleased. 10/10
Maple Syrup — average rating: 7.60/10
Tenzin- Tastes really sweet in a good way. 7/10
Harry- Tastes pretty spot-on to maple syrup. 7/10
Emi- Tastes like a tree and is sweet. 8/10
Eva- Pretty okay. 7/10
Tinkk- The syrup tastes really good. 9/10
Kayla – Very strong syrup flavor, but almost feels wrong to eat without pancakes. 7/10
Sophie- Smells exactly how maple syrup tastes, I feel like I woke up on Christmas morning and my mom is making pancakes downstairs. Tastes like I just ate a pancake. Love this – keep up the great work. 8/10
Anna- Smells like it came straight out of a maple tree. Tastes just like maple syrup but less sugary. 7/10
Archer- Mmmm syrup. 8/10
Blake- Tastes like syrup and is overall nice.
Possum Candy Canes — average rating: 2.04/10
Tenzin- Tastes like if dried meat was candy. 1/10
Anna- Meaty, the smell is IN my nose and it needs to not be in it. It is disturbingly sweet – the meat taste is ok but the aftertaste is like burnt hair. I love meat but this is morally wrong. 3/10
Archer- Eugh no. Absolutely not! 0/10
Emi- Tastes like pulled pork and dog food. It was an 8, but the aftertaste makes it a 5. It just feels wrong to eat a meat taste not in actual meat. 5/10
Eva- Actual roadkill. 1/10
Kayla – Honestly, it just tastes like pulled pork. It’s better than I expected, but still not good. 4.5/10
Harry- Smells very strongly of wet cat food, I will give them props, they got the meat taste down. 1/10
Jacob- Smells like roast beef or another deli meat. Salty, porky, and not that bad. The skunky aftertaste makes it a little worse. I don’t get why everyone hates this. 6/10
Blake- Not even the worst mental breakdown could drive me to eat this. It’s very meaty in the way that it’s processed. 0/10
Tinkk- Nasty. 1/10
Sophie – Literally can already smell it, smells like dog food, just tastes like meat, but it feels illegal to eat. I genuinely feel nauseous, I’m gagging. 1/10
Eric- Someone should let the producers of this product know it was a bad idea honestly, the smell combined with the taste leaves you feeling miserable and alone. So I’d have to give it a 1/10
Pickle Candy Canes — average rating: 5.89/10
Tenzin- 4/10 not the biggest fan of pickles. 4/10
Emi- Doesn’t even taste like pickles; it tastes like dill cheese. 5/10
Sophie – Just tastes like dill, it’s lowkey not that bad. 7/10
Eva- I like pickles a normal amount. 6/10
Kayla- I didn’t like pickles to begin with, and this candy cane just made me dislike them even more. 3.8/10
Jacob- Tastes like a real pickle, just a little bland. 6/10
Eric- Definitely tastes like pickle, no weird aftertaste here. So I’d give it a 6/10 I probably would never buy it again if I had the chance.
Anna – It’s actually pretty good, the pickleness is tastefully subtle. 6/10
Tinkk- It’s ok. 5/10
Harry – Doesn’t taste like pickles, but actually one of my favorites. 9/10
Archer- Not terrible; I liked it. 7/10
Mint Truffle Hershey’s Kisses — average rating: 6.65/10
Tenzin- I’ve never tasted dark chocolate mixed with mint before and it’s not that good. 6/10
Anna- The dark chocolate and mint combo solos every time. The balance of flavors, creaminess is amazing. 9.5/10
Sophie- The only way to describe these – gorgeous deep green aluminum with beautiful snowflakes, wrapping up a thick and creamy dark chocolate kiss with the sweet strong taste of minty goodness. It’s giving creamier Andes chocolates with more mint. Love. 9/10
Kayla- Super strong mint, but I wish there was more chocolate. Overall, pretty good. 8/10
Emi- Dark chocolate is nasty and the mint cream is also nasty. 2/10
Eva- Good balance of chocolate and mint. 8/10
Harry- Very rich dark chocolate flavor, and some nice mint flavor. 8/10
Tinkk- I don’t like dark chocolate.
Eric- I’m not a mint fan so my rating is going to be a bit low yet, I feel like this one is definitely saved by the chocolate. In that case, 6/10
Jacob- The mint and dark chocolate go together very well. Nice minty flavor that’s strong enough without being too overpowering. Would buy and eat again. 10/10
Final Thoughts
Anna- These ones are better than the ones we did last year. But even now, I can still smell the possum and it needs to go. The guy who made possum candy canes must have been going through something when he thought the Universe needed candied roadkill.
Emi- None of them are really that good, and they just gave me a stomach ache. Most of them just tasted similar and I can still smell the possum.
Eva- I need water.
Kayla – My favorites were the Peppermint hot chocolate candy canes and the sugar cookie Lindt truffles. I would definitely buy those. I’m glad that there were good ones mixed in with the awful ones. I would never want to taste anything like the butter or mac and cheese candy canes again.
Tinkk- It was a really fun thing to do, but most were nasty and not really good.
Harry – Would not recommend!
Archer- I like mint. Mint good. All of them were good, in fact, except possum– possum was the worst, it was the ONLY one I had to spit out. It sucked.
Eric- “The possum one was kinda good,” said Jacob Miller. Hearing this reminded me of my hatred for the possum candy cane. This was a fun experiment but moving forward I’m putting the Fruit loop candy canes in my cart and calling it a day.
Jacob- Either the Lindt or Mint Truffle Kisses were the best. The possum was nowhere near as bad as I was expecting, and in retrospect I should have been more afraid of the Mac & Cheese.
