Sweetly is a monthly UK subscription box jam-packed with American candy. The treats arrived in a simple cardboard box. The packaging is no-frills, but everything arrived in good condition.
I have to preface this review by saying that I am American, and so I was already familiar with most of the candies in this box. I also think that peoples candy preferences are largely dependent upon what they enjoyed in childhood and I find my taste in candy tends to differ somewhat from that of many of my British friends.
Short disclaimer out of the way, it’s on to the review!
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Everything in my box!
Gatorade is the original electrolyte-tastic sports drink! In the US, you can find Gatorade in innumerable colors and flavors in pretty much any big shop. Sadly, my box came with a can of orange flavor – my absolute least favorite.
I received Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae flavored Pop Tarts in the box. This flavor was certainly new to me. (For the record, I was a devotee of the brown sugar cinnamon flavor in my youth). The pastry was chocolate with white icing and sprinkles, and a filling that tasted like marshmallow, though I imagine it is supposed to taste like ice cream. This would make a very sweet breakfast and is maybe better suited as an afternoon snack.
Buddy Bars are peanut butter filled wafers with a milk chocolate coating. These are a tasty snack of crispy, peanut-buttery goodness. I loved these as a kid and, as it turns out, I still think they taste good!
I was familiar with the name Beer Nuts but had never tried them before, so this was a first for me. These are peanuts with a very light salty-sweet coating, named because they are meant to be served as a bar snack. The flavor of the coating was very very subtle and these basically tasted just like peanuts, which is not a bad thing, but I was expecting them to be sweeter.
The big hunk is a low fat and gluten free ‘chewy, honey-sweetened nougat with whole roasted peanuts’. This was good, sweet and very chewy, but kind of hard on the teeth.
Twizzlers are soft and chewy a cherry-flavoured candy which traditionally comes in a twisty rope shape. This box came with a pack of ‘nibs’, tiny bite size pieces. Tasty, but not as fun to eat as the original.
Appleheads are delicious, tart little candies.
Chewy Spree are fruit-flavored discs that have firm shell but are soft and chewable. They are also nice and tart.
Finally on to the really good stuff… the chocolate! Hershey’s Special Dark is simple, straight-forward dark chocolate. I know a lot of Brits don’t care for Hershey’s chocolate, but just call me an American, because I like the special dark bars.
Butterfingers: Bart Simpson’s favorite. The slogan for this candy bar is ‘crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery!’ which pretty much says it all. It has a flaky, sugary sweet, vaguely peanutty core (I don’t think it actually tastes anything like peanut butter) enrobed in a thin layer of milk chocolate. It’s one of my favorites, but man does it stick to your teeth!
Now this takes me back! Sky Bar is produced by Necco (The New England Confectionary Company) and I think it is only available in that region of the US. As a native New Englander, I remember having these as a kid and at the time considering them to be a very retro candy bar. I mean, just look at the packaging!
The bar is divided into four sections, each with a different filling: caramel, vanilla, peanut, fudge, so it’s perfect for those who like everything and just can’t make up their minds. Or for sharing, if you are into that.
My reaction to pulling Reese’s Stuffed With Pieces out of the box was one of pure shock and amazement. Is Reese’s Pieces inside pb cups a thing in the US now?! As a devout lover of Reese’s cups, I was excited to try this new creation. These are basically just the standard cups but with a little added crunch and over-the-top sweetness from the candy shell of the pieces. It’s all a bit of a gimmick, really, but I’ll take it nonetheless!
Overall I enjoyed the Sweetly box. Candy can be a very emotive thing, and it was fun to have a little stroll down memory lane while unpacking the box and munching on the contents. The box contained a nice mix of products and would be good for anyone interested in trying both classic and new kinds of American candy. Personally, I liked that there was a lot of chocolate and peanut butter items, as that combo is a fave of mine.
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