Near the beginning of the month we reviewed two purported treats from Russell Stover: the Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkin, and the Peanut Butter in Milk Chocolate pumpkin. They each earned a rating of 5, which is in the TRICK category. But recently I discovered the Russell Stover’s pumpkin line extends to a third concoction, which involves candy corn, marshmallow, and white fudge. This seemed intriguing, in the same way that when I was high school we were all intrigued by making “suicides” out of random aggregations of different soda. So I plunked down my dinero at CVS and took home the Russell Stover Candy Corn Marshmallow in White Fudge Pumpkin. I subjected it to my usual rigorous testing, and am now prepared to share with you my findings.
- Packaging. As you’ll remember, I haven’t been very impressed with the packaging for RS’s suite of pumpkin candies. The cartoon jack o’lantern has a goofy face that suggests indigestion. And the characters in the foreground that are supposed to represent the candy flavor components look like childish scribbles. In this case, however, the image of a smiling candy corn and a smiling marshmallow comes across as somehow more whimsical than stupid. They’ve also added a small, flying bat. Whereas I awarded no points to the other versions, I’ll give this one a point.
2. Appearance of the Treat. Alert readers will recall that I dismissed the other RS “pumpkins’ as resembling excreta. This one, however, benefits from having a color other than brown. In addition, the shape better conforms to that of a classic pumpkin. This is inoffensive. It’s even, dare I say, somewhat appetizing. Two points.
3. Taste. I took a tentative bite of this pumpkin, feeling apprehensive after the last two versions. But as soon as it registered on my tongue, I knew this was a winner. Insert roaring crowd sound here. Seriously, people, this is amazing. The marshmallow center is light and fluffy and almost melts in your mouth. The candy corn flavoring is tinted a pumpkin color (which I thought was a nice touch), and manages to evoke all the good aspects of candy corn without the waxy, gross aspects. But most of all, it’s that white fudge which really makes this treat. It’s sweet without being cloying, and has a creaminess that suffuses your mouth. On top of all of this, it appears that the entire candy is enveloped in a thin white chocolate shell. I vacuumed this treat. I immediately wanted another. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it contains crack. 3 points.
4. Value. This one-ounce pumpkin set me back a mere 50 cents. What could you buy for two quarters that would give this much satisfaction? 3 points.
Steve’s Sweetoberfest Score: 9 out of 12 points, giving Russell Stover its first solid TREAT of the month! All is forgiven!
Chasing Phantoms 