There are a lot of confections I call traveling candies. They’re candies that both deliver that sweet boost as well as some other function. I often use hot cinnamon for long car rides to keep me focused and of course coffee items like Nips or Coffee Rio are great for a teensy caffeine boost without fluids.

I also tend to get motion sickness, so ginger candies are a great way to feed my sweet tooth and soothe my tummy.

Here’s a candy from The Ginger People that combines both the soothing spice of ginger and the kick of coffee: Hot Coffee Ginger Chews.

The chews are just like the other ubiquitous Ginger Chews that are available unbranded at Asian markets or from The Ginger People or Chimes. (They’re all made in Indonesia.)

The soft little translucent chew is coated with a tapioca starch & sugar mixture. They still stick to the wrapper and don’t really look like much when pulled out. Sometimes I can find one that’s still block shaped, but most are smashed.

The scent is rather bland. Just sweet and maybe a little woodsy. But I popped one my mouth and the immediate sweetness gave way to quite a few flavors. There’s a strong root & earth component from the ginger then a very strong spicy warm feeling. The coffee kind of kicks in from the background - it’s rather weak coffee note but not tamed by any milk here like so many coffee candies do. It’s a brewed black coffee flavor.

It makes me wonder why I don’t throw sliced ginger into my coffee. It’s a really nice combination - the sugar is sweet but more like barley sugar with a mellow malty or toasted flavor to it.

The cumulative effect of these after a half a dozen is a strong and lingering warm sensation. (And a few little bits stuck in my teeth.)

The drawbacks to these are, first, that they’re vexing to get out of their wrappers. The plastic/mylar stuff is hard to tear open, and never quite opens the whole way. Not exactly easy to open yourself when driving. (This is what navigators were invented for ... not directing you where to go, but to unwrap & hand you your candy.)

Each piece has about 20 calories and no fat. If there’s caffeine in it, it’s not enough for them to note on the package (it’s a coffee extract so it’s not like some candies where you consume the whole bean). Their website says they’re gluten free (but the package doesn’t). They’re made in a facility that processes peanuts. Should be considered vegan, there’s no Kosher or Halal certification.

Related Candies

1. Compartes Chocolates
2. Mitchell’s Candies
3. Candy Dump 2008 part 2
4. VerMints
5. Anis de Flavigny
6. Sweetriot!
7. Ginger Bears
8. Peanut Butter Ginger Chews

Name: Ginger Delight
Brand: The Ginger People
Place Purchased: Whole Foods
Price: $4.99
Size: 8.5 oz
Calories per ounce: 80
Type: Turkish Delight

When I was a kid I read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. In it, Edmund is lured into the White Witch’s carriage with promises of Turkish delight. I found something called Turkish Paste at Middle Eastern markets and decided that’s what was in the book.

Turkish Delight is basically jellied sugar. Usually just a mixture of sugar, a dash of corn starch and a little flavor. Typical flavors for Turkish Delight are aromatic in nature (there’s no sour tang, just sweetness, smooth texture and scent). Most common are rose and lemon.

At Whole Foods over the weekend I found that The Ginger People have created a Turkish Delight with the scent of ginger and even smooth little ginger pieces. First thing to know about Turkish Delight is that it’s very messy. The little jelly squares are usually cut into cubes and then dusted generously in confectioners sugar and corn starch to keep them from sticking. You can’t help but get it everywhere, so I recommend wearing white when consuming Turkish Delight so as not to look like a slob.

The cubes are not heavily fragranced, but upon biting into them they’re smooth and delicately flavored with ginger. Occasionally there’s a little treat of a smooth pieces of ginger in there. There’s no bite to it, which I was a little disappointed with, but that’s not really Turkish Delight’s style.

Turkish Delight is not an everyday snacking candy, it’s a special treat or for specific occasions. I’ll probably buy this again, but not anytime soon.

Rating: 7 out of 10.