Morgan D.
Yelp
After driving past Cocoa Manor near Goodale Park seven thousand times, I decided it was time to try Anthony Thomas Candy.
I went to the Arlingate facility several times before actually gaining access (please note their business hours), but once I got into the candy shoppe and that nose tingling chocolate scent overtook me, my frustrations dissipated. I wandered from table to table, admiring the special Christmas chocolates, baby shower and wedding chocolates, thank you and get well chocolates, boxed chocolates, display case chocolates, marked-down Halloween candies, and a giant buckeye weighing over 200lbs and costing about $3,500. Yowza! I inquired about the big buckeye, and was disappointed to find out that it's solid milk chocolate, no peanut butter.
I grabbed a bag of Cherry Sours and hit the display case to handpick a small variety of candies. I got a chocolate graham, one raspberry and one lemon cream, two buckeyes, two caramels, two cherry cordials, two crunches, a chocolate covered orange peel, and a coconut flake to be split between myself and Greg. I tried to memorize what everything looked like as it went into the box; one of my biggest pet peeves about boxed chocolates is you never know what you're about to bite into. Right, Forest?
I have to admit that I'm not one for oranges, but the lady behind the counter suggested it, and I like trying new things, so I bought in. The orange peel was actually really good. It was chewy and fresh. I liked it a lot. I also loved the chocolate graham and the caramel candy. The raspberry cream was strange. It had seeds in it, and I didn't like the flavor. The buckeye was smooth and creamy. The other candies are waiting to be devoured.
I also broke into the Cherry Sours. They are delicious. I could easily eat the entire bag in one sitting. They have a crystallized sugar coating on the outside, and a chewy jelly-bean like center. They just slightly sour.
Cost per unit was totally reasonable.
Oh, on the way out of the store, I was also offered a chocolate buckeye pretzel. It's basically one of those peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets dipped in chocolate. If you like salty-sweet as much as I do, try a bag of these. They were yummy and reminded me a bit of that homemade puppy chow Chex mix candy.