Party Idea! Host a Mexican Candy Tasting Party

Are your taste buds ready to explode? Do you want to dance with fire? You know it! The array of neon-colored Mexican candies had long tempted me at my local Latin market, so finally some friends and I held a proper tasting — and it turned into quite a party. Read on for our review of these out-of-control sweets!

For the most part, Mexican candies are an explosion of extreme flavor, ranging from sour, sweet, salty and spicy, with some individual pieces embodying all of these sensations. They are not for the faint of heart. Some are incredibly funky. The kind of morsel where you think, "Do I like this? Hmm... Wait a minute, something interesting is happening here, I'm unsure, but I'm going to continue . . . " I've had meals in remote parts of SE Asia with a similar thought pattern, where I felt like I got through the meal, triumphed over it, survived it even. Tastes so different to a Western palate, that my dining companion and I high-fived after it was over.

Perhaps it's the Southern California girl within me (grew up pretty close to Mexico), or my junior-high afternoons of loading up on super sour candy right before jazz dance class (all that sugar and Michael Jackson, I was in heaven!), or just my innate predilection for all things simultaneously sweet, sour and spicy. Whatever the reason, I love the intense flavors of candies from Mexico.

For our tasting party, I gathered an assortment of candies, multiples of each for myself and three friends to taste, score and take note of. I scribbled away our assigned score of 1-5 and made an average of each candy's final number. I can think of no greater way to while away an afternoon. Which candy made the grade? We all had a clear favorite.

Mexican Candy Tasting Final Scores (1-5 Stars) & Notes

• De La Rosa Peanut Mazapan: 5 stars. #1 candy by all tasters, like a Mexican peanut halvah. Sandy and pasty, perfectly sweetened and lots of peanut taste. Crumbles in the hand (see it in the below photo, with the red and white striped background).

• Pico Buzzy: Unrated, first candy tasted (forgot to score). Strange, yet oddly delicious — salty, sour tamarind crystals. My sister-in-law had a great idea to sprinkle this all over a lollypop. I thought it'd be perfect to rim a cocktail with this crazy stuff.

• Chamoy Teco: 1.8 stars. Came in a small bag, like fast food ketchup. Tasted like hot, sour, sweet ketchup. Maybe better as a hot and sour sauce, on tofu. Confusing as a candy. Very savory.

• Dolche De Leche Chocolate Coin: 1.3 stars. Some of the waxiest, foulest "chocolate" I've ever had. One friend still likes it, as he says, "I love any chocolate." BLEGH.

• Cremino by Bicolor: 2 stars. This is a Neapolitan bar, with vanilla, strawberry and chocolate side by side. I think it's fantastic, sweet and familiar. Love the dinosaur on the package. Great vanilla section.

• Ante Limon: 3.5 stars. A tiny sack of salty lime powder, resembles something illegal. We all agreed its sour saltiness was a great palate cleanser. It could be another great treat to pair with a margarita. Sister-in-law noted this took her right back to childhood; she's also a Southern Cali girl who grew up eating Mexican candy.

• Mango Fizzle, by Neo USA: 2.75 stars. This mango gel concoction burst out of its small cup upon opening, several tasters claimed very flavorful. I felt it akin to tapioca balls in texture, very chewy and gummy. One taster called it 'refreshing.' I thought it'd be better refrigerated.

• Tangy Chili Powder: 4 stars. Grainy textured red powder, the lovechild of pop rocks and nerds. Its "easy to share" (as it said on the package) qualities were noted as we poured a little into the palm of our hands. It definitely had a sweet and saltiness, then a big hit of funk. Undetermined where the funk comes from. We are left confused, but intrigued.

• Pulpamindo: 4 stars. Extra hot, sour and stinky tamarind candy, texture like a deranged fruit-leather. This is a bold candy — we all are excited by it. My husband even said he was disgusted at first, then mellowed into curiosity then pleasure at the taste, but swore he'd never eat it again. "Maximal Flavor" candy.

• Nucita: 3.6 stars. All tasters felt the flavor closely resembles strawberry Quick milk. I loved this stuff! Very nice. Others said it was too sweet, I thought it was just right. Delicious even. I noted, "overwhelmingly good." Wow! Then again, I'm a sucker for strawberry milk, as evidenced here and here.

• Pico Buzzy: 3.3 stars. Sweet, sour, funky, pleasant, however, the powder gave us sticky hands. Not as good as the other powdered candies.

• La Vaquita: 3 stars. Cinnamon, vaguely caramel-flavored lollipop. I thought it mellow and tasty. Not too sweet.

• Atomic Sour Bomb: 3.5 stars. A red lollipop with sour burst in the middle, my mouth is puckering right now as I type this, it was so sour. Very tasty, like a blowpop on the exterior, but with a crazed sourness within.

Are you a fan of Mexican candy? If so, do tell us about your favorite type and why you love it!

• Buy Mexican candy online: Mex Grocer

(Images: Leela Cyd Ross)

Comments (18)

Thanks for the great write-up! Mexican candies are amazing. It looks like this survey focused on mass-produced products, but if you can find a place that also carries the more artisanally-produced stuff, be sure to give that a try as well. It is usually sold in bulk or cut from a large loaf, and will have more understated flavors than the packaged stuff.

This is a great writeup. I'll definitely be hitting up the small latino grocery store across the street, especially for the de la Rosa.....

I like Kranky- chocolate covered cornflakes.

My favorite still..........mango or watermelon flavored lollipops covered in chili powder, or as we call them "Paletas de Chile". I like how they are hot and spicy in the beginning and then gradually turn sweet at the end.

I'm guessing something like this might also work for candies from other countries...

It's been about 5 years, but as a social worker in Los Angeles I spent some time in WIC offices and I recall seeing advisory posters that warned of many Mexican candies containing dangerous amounts of lead. I don't know if that is still the case or how these things would get past the folks at the FDA, but it might be something to look into. Salud!

Oh man... Mexican candy is the best!

@SamPS... I remember years back they said we shouldn't eat mexican candy because of the crazy amounts of lead. I'm 28 and have been eating it my whole life. I'm still alive and kickin. I'd like to think it's just made my immune system stronger. ha! Cheers :)

im with Happiness, im sure you could do this with any other culture/country/region. My sister and I were visiting Seattle and we are originally from the south west, so Latin american candy isn't anything new to us. However some of the Asian candy at the Uwajimaya in China Town proved to be a lot of fun to sample. I had to go back and buy more for gifts for everyone back home!

Tip for Uwajimaya candy: make sure to read the English translations if there is one, some of them are priceless. My favorite: "Its translucent color so alluring and taste and aroma so gentle and mellow offer admiring feelings of a graceful lady."

Most candy from Mexico has been embargoed in NYC because of lead levels. At low levels lead poisoning is not something you notice you would immediately notice unless it is acute (which require a very high dose)- it causes significant cognitive impairment over time. It can also be very dangerous if a woman was exposed to lead prior to pregnancy- lead is stored in bone- and during pregnancy that lead makes its way into the blood stream. Very dangerous for mom and a developing fetus.

Whip up some leche quemada (like a pecan praline) to go along with all the prepackaged stuff. You've probably seen these on the counter next to the register at Tex-Mex restaurants.

As a tequila lover, my favorite Mexican candy is Borrachitos.

Aside from LEAD DANGER, most Tamarind products are legally considered too foul to eat. Not that that ever stopped me.

I used to live on the TX-Mexico border, and most of the candy sold in the US is fine. I worked in a facility that hosted birthday parties, and often had talks with the health department about what was allowed and what wasn't allowed from across the border. Packaged candies sold on the US side (imported) were of little concern. One of the big issues were the candied apples covered in chile powder. Very popular, but could not come from across as there were issues with some Mexican Chile Powders containing lead. Same story with some of the popular chip varieties from across the border.

i love this idea! i want to do one for japanese candy (my fave)

What about the other candies in the pic? Did you liked Rollo de Guayaba?
Chamoy Teco is used on Potato Chips, tastes aweeesomee!

I am from So Cal, my parents are Mexican and I grew up on Mexican Candy. Some honorable mentions:

Pelon Pelo Rico - Sweet, salty, sour tamarind candy that comes in a push up tube. My all time favorite.

Carlos V - Mexican chocolate bar. I often shave it and use it to garnish cakes.

Zerpetina - Sweet, salty tamarind candy that comes in thin strips rolled into a spiral. A close runner up for a favorite.

Peloton - Dehydrated mango covered in chile powder. omg my mouth is watering thinking about it.

Duvalin - Chocolate Hazelnut candy creme. Comes in atiny plastic bowl with a little paddle to scoop it out. Also comes in strawberry vanilla.

I could go on and on... :)

Also, the chile and lemon powdered candies are meant to be eaten with fresh fruit. Sprinkle some on a sweet orange or fresh watermelon, pineapple... Yum!!

My husband and I finally picked up an assortment of Mexi-candy this week for our own taste test. Some shown above, as well as some others.

I have to be honest. We both have a pretty experimental palate, but we found most of it gross! The different crystals weren't too bad, but they definitely needed to be used on something. I also admit that there was something intoxicating about sucking on some Pulparindo (though my husband loathed it). However, anything that was supposed to be milky or creamy or gummy was gritty and...weird.

We loved our Asian candy tasting, so I guess that makes up for this one. Anyone have suggestions for future international confectionery tastings?