Head games
I stopped by a candy store in the neighborhood tonight, and I saw that they had not two or three but four varieties of the Ferrara Pan "Head" candies - Lemonheads, Cherryheads, Grapeheads, and Appleheads, the last of which was completely new to me. (The guy working the counter said he'd never seen them before he started working there, either.) Being the dork that I am, I picked up one of each - the better to review you with, my dears.Lemonheads: Lemonheads are, to the best of my knowledge, the original product in the line. And if they're not, let's just say they are, since they're easily the most ubiquitous and it just makes sense. The thing I like about Lemonheads is that they're nice and tart without ever being overpoweringly sour (even Captain Sour here has his limits, especially now that my teeth are starting to rebel against my youthful indiscretions). The little ones aren't quite as good as the big ones - with the big ones, you can really bite through the sugary crust, husk the candy, and then chew up the crust before sucking on and then crunching up the harder inner core, which all together makes for a pretty great candy experience. You don't really get that with the little ones because their size makes husking a virtual impossibility, and the crust is too thin to allow easy peeling and access to the candy within (without just crunching down the whole thing, of course). But they're still tasty, and the shell tends to be just thick enough to make them softer across the board.
Cherryheads: Naturally, Cherryheads are not as tart as Lemonheads, but they have a little kick to them. Part of the difference is that Lemonheads use real lemon juice. Cherryheads tout their "real fruit juice," but the juice in question is apple, and the cherry flavor is added. It's more robust than real cherry taste so it's hard to really complain, but it's not quite the same. Cherryheads seem a little harder and/or crunchier than their Lemon counterparts.
Grapeheads: Similar story to Cherryheads - they seem harder than Lemonheads (as I wrote this I got a nice soft shell, but it was more the exception than the rule), and the "real fruit juice" is apple again. The grape flavor is strong but quite obviously characterized by its artificiality. Fortunately, I like the fake-grape flavor conceived for grape candy (though I think only watermelon tends to bear less resemblance to the original fruit).
Appleheads: The moment of truth. It's rare to find something where it seems such a cinch that I'll like it and yet I've never heard of it before. Here goes...
...meh. Maybe there's a reason the apple flavor isn't used more often in candy. I love apple juice and apple cider, but despite being made with real apple juice, the Appleheads just seem underwhelming. The flavor is acceptably apple-like but doesn't really jump out; I suppose there's something refreshing about an understated candy, but after the other three Heads it just seems out of place. After a while they almost start to taste like lime, as though someone poured the wrong green mixture into the Appleheads vat. They're not bad or anything, but I won't bother stocking up.
Final rankings:
1. Lemonheads
2. Grapeheads
3. Cherryheads
4. Appleheads
posted by Flax @ 9:56 PM
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