Delightful Bites: Poorboy Candy

Good morning readers :)

Before I begin today's review, I should come right out and say it: I have a problem. It's called ACA, or Artisan Candy Addiction. I'm highly addicted to locally and/or handcrafted sweets and can never seem to get enough of them. I never said it was a bad problem though, just that I thought I should admit it and share it with you all. The more you know, the better.

Earlier this year, February of 2012 to be exact, Poorboy Candy was founded by two longtime friends, Kevin Halgrimson & Mike LaPoint. They envisioned starting a company focused on creating small-batch artisan caramels made with only the finest quality ingredients-and I'm here to tell reiterate to you all-their vision turned into a sweet, sweet reality, and it really shines through their delicately-made caramels. Based in Champlain, MN, they've set out to make a name for themselves-starting out by getting their luscious caramels in various stores across the city. According to an article by Heavy Table, their unique name "refers to the struggles that small businesses face when they start up, when doing even simple things seems to involve a blizzard of regulations and expenses." I couldn't have said it better myself and I have to repeat myself once again-SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES. Fortunately for me, my parents own a small business, so I am in the loop and can agree that small businesses are the real ones struggling these days. It's up to us to change that around.


Now on to the review (Please save your drooling for the end):

❈1lb. of caramel heaven-mix&match caramels

❈A little peek of what's to come inside

❈Some pamph- *OMG-LOOK at the cute button* let. Yes, I get distracted easily

❈DING DING DING-jackpot! Look at home many pieces you get inside of the box. Worth every single penny.

❈Close-up of the sweets. Even though the wrapper is opaque, I still wanna eat it up already.

❈The five flavors Poorboys offers:

1. Espresso Infused caramel mixes a rich, bold taste of espresso with our Classic caramel.

2. Fleur de Sel caramel incorporates traditional hand-harvested French sea salt.

3. Chocolate Infused caramel infuses deep, dark chocolate directly into our Classic caramel

4. Classic caramel is rich and buttery with a hint of vanilla

5. Turtle Pecan caramel is a layer of our Classic caramel loaded with pecans then layered with our Chocolate Infused caramel.

❈Wrappers removed, let the drooling commence!

❈Cross picture of the product-so hard to only eat half for this photograph

❈PACKAGING: two words-vintage & charming. I love Poorboy's typography and selection of the colors of their logo and wrappers. The word -CHILDHOOD- immediately went off in my head like an alarm. The colors are so beautifully chosen and they all mesh well together, it's really quite inviting. Not bright or dark, the wrappers are neutral colored so it screams "EAT ME," in the most pleasant way possible. In addition, each of their caramels is individually wrapped with their logo & the flavor of each is also labeled so you know what you're really enjoying all in a white box. With their eyecatching packaging, adults and kids alike will sure enjoy and savor each and every bite of these sweet goodness. And, they make for great gifts to give to your loved ones, friends and for any special events.

❈TASTE: Amazingly smooth, not sticky, and the "perfect"bite. If you were to look up perfect/perfection in the dictionary, you'd see Poorboy Candy's logo right there with flashing yellow and red lights. With so many tantalizing flavors, the ONLY real problem is deciding which flavor to eat first and how to keep yourself from finishing the entire box in one sitting. Of the 5 flavors I sampled, the turtle pecan was my favorite (a difficult decision I might add) with a crunch of pecan in every bite, followed by the espresso (just that subtle kick of espresso flavor), fleur de sel (nice pieces of sea salt), classic & chocolate infused (like a softer tootsie roll, but not as artificially flavored). With each bite, you'll truly realize how much love goes into each and every one of these handcrafted & individually wrapped caramels created by Poorboy Candy.

❈RANDOM: It's only been a day since receiving their lovely package in the mail--more than 3/4 of the generous 1lb box has been consumed. If that right there doesn't tell you how delicious these were, I don't know what does. You won't ever get this much flavor packed into a sweet if it's made by a machine, but rather by human hands & supporting the artisans that made it. Like I always say, nothing is more satisfying than buying homemade and handcrafted goods, where the profits go directly to the artisans creating their goods and not to million dollar corporations. Keep up what you're doing Mr. Halgrimson & LaPoint, you've got a million dollar recipe on those hands of yours. Oh oh-I almost forgot to mention-their caramels is a FAVORITE amongst one of my favorite celeb foodies Andrew Zimmerman.

Please do yourself a favor and grab a box of these caramels for yourself. While the name might suggest differently, these are goodies to be enjoyed by everyone, not just poor boys, and I can vouch for that ;).

Want to get your hands on some Poorboy Candy for yourself or someone you know?

Check them out at: Poorboy Candy

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Have a sweet day,

-Sandy

FTC: This product was generously sent to me for the purpose of conducting a review, but all reviews and opinions expressed are my own.