Sometimes Foodie: Limited Edition Milk Chocolate Covered Pop Rocks

Limited Edition Milk Chocolate Covered Pop Rocks - The Fudge Factory: Wildwood, NJ

Okay, the package says that this is a Limited Edition product, and I had never seen it on the shelves before, but that doesn't mean it's new. About 8 years ago, when I had just started college, THIS was posted over on CandyBlog. I tried looking at the official Pop Rocks Facebook page to see if there was any kind of new promotion for this item, and there wasn't, but it is listed on their official website. (Although it just says Limited Edition and gives no other time stamp info.)

Is this an older item that's been re-released? Or am I about to eat 8 year old candy? I guess we'll find out once I open it...

Visually, this package just doesn't have the same appeal as other Pop Rock flavors. These itty bitty packets have always had a fun, pop-culture-y, 1980's flair to them, what with the bubble letters and bright colors, but this brownish orange color used to represent the chocolate coating just doesn't work with the usual Pop Rocks aesthetic. I don't find the package appealing, or fun to photograph, but the package's design is exactly the same as the one photographed on Candyblog back in 2006. That had me a little nervous, but the expiration stamp says 2015. Either Pop Rocks have a really impressive shelf life, like Twinkies, or these chocolate covered candies have been re-released sometime in the last few years. Either way, I'm gonna eat it.

I opened the package and poured the candies onto a plate. The Pop Rocks looked like little chocolate-coated Wonka Nerds, with nice shine to them, but there were a few stray candies that weren't coated at all. I didn't notice any scent when I had opened the package, but when I brought them closer to my nose I could smell sweet milk chocolate and a hint of cocoa powder.

When I first bought this package I was worried that the Pop Rocks were going to be fruit-flavored with a chocolate coating, which doesn't appeal to me, but it turns out that these little candies are chocolate through-and-through.

I popped a handful into my mouth and the chocolate was much higher quality than I had anticipated. The sweet milk chocolate coating began melting right away, and it reminded me of how Nestle Buncha Crunch used to taste before it got so waxy and mocklate-y. This isn't high end cocoa by any means, but it far exceeded my expectations. (Which were admittedly very low going into this review. I thought I was going to taste 8 year old grossness.)

Beneath the chocolate coating, there's a cocoa flavored Pop Rock that pops and sizzles, but I feel like there is less bang for your buck with this specific flavor. There were still some pops here and there, but it was a lot less than a normal un-coated flavor would have. To be honest, I'm not sure how old this candy is, so maybe a fresher pack would pop and fizz just as much as the rest of the Pop Rocks line, but this specific package fell a bit flat in the popping department. If any of you have ever had a chocolate flavored soda before, it tastes a lot like this.

It might not have been filled with popping action, but this cocoa flavored candy tasted pretty good. I enjoyed it way more than I had expected. The candy has some really nice milk chocolate flavoring and it isn't overly sweet, I'd say this is a must try for any milk chocolate fan. (Just check the expiration date.) Plus, these would make a great chocolate sprinkle substitute.