Hello, I’m Sera. Welcome to my candy blog.
In case you haven’t guessed, I’m head-over-heels in love with confectionaries. It all started with my unusually large sweet-tooth, paired with an adventurous palate, and a need to document it all.
If you ever have any suggestions, ideas (or both!) I’m always open to them. You can reach me at: sera (at) thecandyenthusiast.com
NOTE: Please, please, please do not take any of the photos on this site. I spent a lot of time and energy taking the photos myself and I wish for them to remain original to the blog. Thank you.
My goal as The Candy Enthusiast is to try everything once so you don’t have to. I think that’s pretty sweet, don’t you?
A few hours from my place in central Pennsylvania is the Wilbur Chocolate Company. They make all sorts of confections, with their most famous is the Wilbur Buds. They come in two varieties, semisweet and milk, and can be purchased from their factory store in Lititz, PA or online on their website. I bought a mixed bag in their store, and took photos as soon as I got home. I was very excited to try them.
The buds are squatter, smaller Hershey’s Kisses. They have the form of a dollop of chocolate being plopped into a mold, with the cute signature chocolate curl on top. The bottom of the buds have a molded pattern to them, a swirl with “Wilbur” spelled out. I find they much more attractive than Hershey’s Kisses, and they fit better in your mouth because of their more squat, rounded shape.
Milk Chocolate: The buds are a nice creamy brown color which is a nice look for milk chocolate. The flavor begins very sweetly, with notes of cream and butter. The chocolate flavor eases in to become the full flavor by the middle and end of the bud. It’s very chocolatey, but rounded out by the milky flavors. It melts smoothly and creamy on the tongue.
Semisweet: Much darker in color than the milk chocolate. It’s got a subtle sheen and a nice, middle brown hue to it. The flavor starts out sweet, then the flavors of caramel, cream and coffee come forward, then a bloom of chocolate flavor with it’s nutty, and strong cocoa notes. It’s not as sweet as the milk, yet it’s as creamy in texture. Wonderful chocolate flavor that isn’t too sweet or too overpowering.
Be sure to check out Cybele’s post on Wilbur Buds over at Candylobg.net. She gives a wonderful review of them!
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Wilbur Chocolate Company Website
In my last post I wrote about Tubi’s Black Tire Tread, and I’m happy to inform you that Tubi makes a Tire Tread Red too. I didn’t know of the red variety for some time, and it wasn’t until I discovered it at a rest stop on the way home to my parent’s place. My boyfriend is the one who I pointed it out to, and since he loves good red licorice, we decided to try it. We immediately loved it and wished we had bought more.
The Red is made the same way as the Black, of a row of ribbons, piled three layers high and cut into squares.
The red flavor has the same wet, thick, chewy texture. The flavor is indeed “red” but I mean that in the best way possible. It’s sweet, and has nice notes of berries, mainly strawberry and cherry. It’s very juicy, with an edge of tartness.
This is a very well crafted and well flavored red licorice. It really tastes of something, as opposed to the likes of Twizzlers and most other main stream licorice chews. I like my candy to taste like
Rating: Hoard
Tubi’s Tire Tread Black Licorice is something I discovered back at the All Candy Expo, now the Sweets and Snacks Expo, back in 2007. I was immediately smitten and I now scoop the stuff up whenever I see it, which sadly isn’t very often.
First off, the name is very descriptive of the candy itself, and you have to look at it to figure it out. The licorice is made of little laces, which are lined up in rows to make a big ribbon. These ribbons are stacked three high and then cut into squares. They do look a lot like tire treads, with their black color and texture due to the ribbons stacks. It also provides a fun way to dissect the candy when you consume it. It’s very interactive and fun.
The licorice slice is very slick and thick. The chew is very dense and soft and the flavor is very rich of molasses and licorice. It has very rich sweet notes, with a very sweet aftertaste and herbal flavor to it. The taste is so lovely, I could eat it all day.
I highly recommend these if you’re a black licorice lover, or if you’re looking to try some awesome black licorice to see if it’s something you’d like. You really can’t go wrong with Tubi’s as far as I’m concerned.
Rating: Hoard
