Happy Valentine’s day! To be honest I never got these hearts, they’re hard, chalky and a waste of calories. Being born and raised in Massachusetts, NECCO* (New England Confectionery Company)products are everywhere, including the wafers, which my parents love but I never could appreciate or understand how anyone liked them. Sweethearts are just a heart version of the wafers but when Isaw Brach’s Heart’s I just had to compare and see if they did it better. (*NECCO will always have a place in my heart because of the most awesome candy ever: Skybar)
NECCO:
Almost all of the hearts were deformed in some way, either in shape or text. It was like there was zero quality control on the line, at least the shift that produced this box. Eating these was just as impressive as looking at them, they’re hard and chalky like I remembered.
Ethan and I did note that each color had a flavor and the saving grace was that the flavor for the most part was pretty strong, although keeping the chaulky undertone.
Purple was grape, Orange was orange, Pink was cherry (maybe), Yellow was banana, Green was lime and White was mint.
Brach’s:
We noticed Brach’s were thicker and the text was stamped on. There were much less deformations in this box too.
Unlike NECCO, all of the colors taste the same, which is a bland and faintly licorice flavor. The thickness of these hearts make them even harder to break and the experience is a disappointment.
Wrap up:
I guess it depends what you want to use these for. For presentation purposes, like maybe gluing these to a card, I’d go with Brach’s for their better formation and more consistanly readable text. For flavor, say in a dimly lit room and your valentine for to wear thier contacts, you’d want at least the flavors found in the NECCO hearts.
Loading ...
Happy Valentine’s Day Michelle & Ethan!! I always enjoy reading your blog ?
Thanks Kelly! Happy Valentine’s day, mate!
I love your blog even more now that I know I’m reading the work of a fellow Sky bar lover. I just ate one a few minutes before I read this post. I can only find them at Cracker Barrel, but I eat at least one a week. I’m from the South and most people haven’t even heard of Sky bars down here. I guess I need to spend more time getting to know New Englanders! ? I think you should do a “Glad there’s only one of” post on them; not because it’s bad but simply because if anyone tried to make a second rate version, they would fail miserably. Sky bars are too perfect to be imitated. As for this post, I think any kind of candy heart tastes like a generic antacid. However, I voted for NECCO because if I did buy them, I’d want to support the maker of my top two favorite candies (the previously mentioned Sky bar and the runner-up honeycomb goodness of the Clark bar). Anyway, keep up the good work! I really enjoy your blog!
Definitely a NECCO fan because I always felt bad for that company for some reason. Brachs was mainstream compared to them. They also made a roll of wafers that tasted remarkably like chalk.
I did a review on my blog that is similar to your concept this week, you may like it:
http://www.eyunta.com/?p=243
Maybe the Necco hearts are for those who can’t commit to a relationship. “He gave me conversation hearts but I can’t read them so I don’t know what he’s trying to say…”
For the record, I hate conversation hearts and Necco wafers but am now on the hunt for a Sky bar. Thanks for the suggestion.
Because I’m a rabidly partisan New Englander, I
You all have me to thank for boosting the per capita consumption of Necco wafers, BTW. I buy two wholesale shelf units (48 rolls) every October and use them to shingle the roof of my annual gingerbread house. Just doing my part for the New England economy.
Trivia: Necco wafers are the oldest consumer product in continuous production in the United States, and the Necco factory uses an in-house machine shop and the original blueprints to keep the antique machinery they’re made on running.
First time visitor here. I stumble across your site searching for a way to buy bulk yellow necco hearts. Enjoyed the article and am intrigued by the rest of your site. For the record, NECCO Hearts are vastly superior ?
I think I may know why this guy doesn’t like the hearts. Perhaps his teeth have been weakened by all these second rate snacks and he is unable to appreciate the devastating crunch that is NECCO. j/k keep it up
i vote for necco.
they have a ‘tarts’ version of their conversation hearts which are so awesome. i went to walgreens the other day and bought a giant bag of their regular hearts for 50 cents. i wish i had bought more.
i also like necco wafers.
I’m surprised you think the Brachs all taste the same. I can always tell the different flavours between the different colours of hearts. I like Brachs much better on the whole (though I am a huge fan of the Necco tart hearts), but I come from the Midwest, land of Brachs.
The flavors of necco are purple=clove, white=cinnamon, pink=wintergreen, orange=orange, yellow=lemon, green=lime, brown=chocolate, and black=licorice.
Brach’s, to me, tastes better. All those Necco hearts now taste like Pepto Bismol. Ugggghhhh…*bleh*
I think I have had both kinds, but noticed no difference. `:-P
The problem with Brach’s is that they were bought a while back by Farley and Sather’s, who proceeded to cut so many corners that their two labels taste the same: tasteless