Candy Blog

At the National Confectioners Association’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago this past May, I stumbled on a confection that seriously did stop me in my tracks. It’s the Melville Candy Company’s lollipops with sour strips.

These rectangular beauties look like stained glass windows and they’re made from scratch in Massachusetts. (I’m not sure which is more earth-shattering: that something is made in the USA or that these lollipops look like chards of stained glass.)

I ended up eating a small stained glass window every night on my train ride home from the convention. I can attest that these lollipops not only look good, but taste good, too. The cherry flavor is my favorite.

I’m an adult, though, and not the best judge, so I corralled my kids and some of their friends who happened to be in our driveway for a taste test. All but one little redhead gave these pops a thumbs up. (Little red wasn’t thrilled about the fact that the green lollipop was lime flavored. She was hoping for apple. Happens.)

The kids agreed that one of the coolest things about these pops is the texture. The sandpapery sour strip encased in a smooth lollipop lends itself to an interesting mouth feel. Bottom line, they’re just fun to eat.

Melville's orange Sour Strip Lollipop could easily double as a Halloween party favor by dressing it up with a simple witch’s hat made out of black construction paper. Or poke several dressed-up pops into a domed-shape piece of Styrofoam, place Styrofoam in a bowl, cover with Oreo cookie crumbs, and say hello to a sweet graveyard centerpiece.

The other cool thing about these lollipops is the stick. Each one includes the product’s ingredients, allergen information, and Melville’s phone number. In fact, all Melville Candy Company lollipop sticks include this information. It’s a great safety feature before and after a lollipop is gobbled.

Melville’s Sour Strip Lollipops come in a variety pack with seven flavors: orange, lemon, lime, cherry, raspberry, grape, and watermelon.