Hard candy by mail?
June 13, 2022 7:35 AM Subscribe
I am looking for better hard candy than I can find locally. What can I order by mail, bearing in mind that it is summer?
I would like fancy kinds of hard candy, but locally it is difficult to find anything beyond the very cheapest kinds of those fruit candies with filling and the most basic kinds from that "Old Fashioned Candy" brand. I do also have access to some coffee/espresso candies from Japan which I like pretty well but I would accept recs for particularly good/fancy versions.
I'd say that my favorite hard candies ever have been various European citrus candies and my least favorite have been root beer barrels. I am not a huge fan of candies dusted with sour or hot powders although candies that are sour or spicy are sometimes okay depending on the flavor profile.
It is wretched midwestern summer now so anything that comes unwrapped in a bag runs the risk of arriving as a sticky mass.
Also, do you make your own hard candy? Do you recommend a recipe book?
I would like fancy kinds of hard candy, but locally it is difficult to find anything beyond the very cheapest kinds of those fruit candies with filling and the most basic kinds from that "Old Fashioned Candy" brand. I do also have access to some coffee/espresso candies from Japan which I like pretty well but I would accept recs for particularly good/fancy versions.
I'd say that my favorite hard candies ever have been various European citrus candies and my least favorite have been root beer barrels. I am not a huge fan of candies dusted with sour or hot powders although candies that are sour or spicy are sometimes okay depending on the flavor profile.
It is wretched midwestern summer now so anything that comes unwrapped in a bag runs the risk of arriving as a sticky mass.
Also, do you make your own hard candy? Do you recommend a recipe book?
Seconding Lofty Pursuits, I've enjoyed both their videos and their candy.
posted by PussKillian at 7:52 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by PussKillian at 7:52 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
oceanjesse sent me a big bag of these Spelari Italian Citrus candies for the metafilter holiday gift exchange last year and they were so completely delightful I've been keeping them in stock at my house ever since. They're flavorful, individually wrapped, don't get sticky, don't have any gross sour powder or anything. Just sunshine in a wrapper. This is an amazon link but you can get them from lots of other suppliers.
Great question and I'll be watching for other responses with interest!
posted by mochapickle at 8:14 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Great question and I'll be watching for other responses with interest!
posted by mochapickle at 8:14 AM on June 13, 2022 [3 favorites]
Have you checked your local Marshall's? Mine has the metal tins of European fruit pastilles that I loved as a kid (and, um, now). They are dusted with powdered sugar, not sour or anything. Flavors include blackberry, mixed fruit, and the best one obv, lemon.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:19 AM on June 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:19 AM on June 13, 2022 [6 favorites]
I don't know enough about brands to recommend any specific brands, but Economy Candy does seem to offer a number of options. Eataly has a few more.
posted by praemunire at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 9:08 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
I don't know if it's fancy enough for you but I love maple syrup candies. There's probably a nicer company to order them from but I've ordered these a few times and they're great.
posted by randomnity at 9:34 AM on June 13, 2022
posted by randomnity at 9:34 AM on June 13, 2022
I'm partial to Cambridge & Thames fruit drops (enough so that I sent a couple tins to my dad as a present, as he's been relying on hard candy for dry mouth). I particularly like the fact that they make nice mixed tins--citrus, tropical, or garden fruits are all quite nice. (I'm not much of a berry fan but YMMV.)
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:01 AM on June 13, 2022
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:01 AM on June 13, 2022
(The Cambridge & Thames drops sound like what Lawn Beaver mentioned above, or else those are Cavendish & Harvey--I can't find specifics about the differences, since they're apparently both German-made fruit drops. I've gotten the C&T tins on the ground at Ocean State Job Lot, if you have those.)
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:05 AM on June 13, 2022
posted by dlugoczaj at 11:05 AM on June 13, 2022
I'm not sure if you'll like these because they do have a slightly sour powder, but I wanted to mention Napoleon Bon Bons because this seller will include an ice pack with your order. Maybe you can find another hard candy on there that you'd like? I will say the Napoleons are not too sour to my taste (though I do like sour stuff). They're my favorite hard candy by far!
posted by GoldenEel at 11:28 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by GoldenEel at 11:28 AM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Well I certainly didn't NEED any hard candy, but I ordered a few from Lofty Pursuits because I just couldn't resist.
posted by BekahVee at 11:30 AM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by BekahVee at 11:30 AM on June 13, 2022 [5 favorites]
I don't know how difficult it is for you to order from Canada, but no hard candy in the world is as good as Stilwell's Humbugs.
posted by zadcat at 1:15 PM on June 13, 2022
posted by zadcat at 1:15 PM on June 13, 2022
You're in the Twin Cities, yes? Might be worth a drive to Jordan for Minnesota's Largest Candy Store (I haven't been, but have heard good things). Note: their website says no plastic, only cash or checks.
posted by cinnamonduff at 6:16 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cinnamonduff at 6:16 PM on June 13, 2022 [1 favorite]
Sciencegeek's answer just reminded me that Japanese stores used to have these utterly delicious hard candies flavored like green tea. Sorry I have no particular links for you as to current source though.
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:14 AM on June 14, 2022
posted by bluesky78987 at 7:14 AM on June 14, 2022
I live locally to Lofty Pursuits so I don't need to necessarily use the website, but the link is to their candy page. Note that they "15-20" days unless you are a Patreon supporter, then it is "2-3" days.
They make candy canes for Christmas. They sell yo-yos, frisbees, and kites (where "Lofty originally comes from)
If you are ever in the Tallahassee neighborhood they also have great ice cream (not sure how you'd ship that) and they serve breakfast and lunch with locally-sourced stuff (and maybe dinner, I'm not sure).
On top of all that, they have their own marching band!
posted by TimHare at 7:10 PM on June 14, 2022
They make candy canes for Christmas. They sell yo-yos, frisbees, and kites (where "Lofty originally comes from)
If you are ever in the Tallahassee neighborhood they also have great ice cream (not sure how you'd ship that) and they serve breakfast and lunch with locally-sourced stuff (and maybe dinner, I'm not sure).
On top of all that, they have their own marching band!
posted by TimHare at 7:10 PM on June 14, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by gauche at 7:38 AM on June 13, 2022 [6 favorites]