See's Candies (Nationwide)
food: 5/5
experience: 5/5
overall: 5/5
The epic chocolate review! Incoming: a bunch of reviews of chocolate!
Oh, See's, how I love thee. Thy wide selection of chocolate, thy free samples. Thy cute white costumes reminiscent of days past.
See's Candies started out in Los Angeles and has expanded all over the country. They're now rooted in San Francisco so they've made their way overseas into Asia, thanks to the SF Airport. Anyone who's been to See's knows that with every visit comes a little chocolate sample of heaven. Some people only come in for samples. Those people are not good people and there is a special place in chocolate purgatory for them.
Fan favorites include the maple chip bars (they come in dark chocolate, too - mmmm, dark chocolate), the turtles, the toffee, the Bordeaux (also in dark chocolate - mmmm, sprinkles)... and of course, the various flavored lollipops. For when you want that chocolatey goodness to last longer than a few bites.
But I know what you're looking for. You want the lowdown on the chocolate. Here goes.
Dark chocolate chip truffle: 5/5
Why would you put chocolate chips inside a chocolate, you say? Well, See's does it, so there. A milk chocolate exterior, with chocolate creme inside and tiny little crunchy chocolate chips makes this the perfect treat to satisfy my chocolate cravings. Except usually it makes me want even more said chocolates, so perhaps not after all.
Kona mocha: 4.5/5
Delicious description and delicious chocolate. There's a definite mocha flavor to it and the coconut adds just a hint of tropical flavor. White chocolate exterior improves the flavor profile as opposed to a milk or dark which would mask the mocha.
Bordeaux: 4/5
A classic, because it's so simple. Which is kind of the drawback. Still great, don't get me wrong, but it's just brown sugar buttercream with chocolate and sprinkles. I won't complain if there's one around though. It will get eaten.
Cocoanut special: 5/5
Another coconut. I love love coconut. The honey is present and not overshadowed by the coconut. The coconut is nice and flaky. Simple and perfect.
Cashew brittle: 5/5
I'm not a fan of peanut brittle myself. It just tastes basic and like something old people eat or something. But cashew brittle? Never had it before and this is my jam. It's crispy like a Butterfinger inside, with white chocolate complementing the sweet cashew flavor nicely. And coconut's in there too? Hells yea.
Cafe hazelnut truffle: 4/5
Tastes similar to their cafe au lait lollipops. Like a buttercream latte coated in chocolate basically. It's good, just simple. It's hard to make See's chocolate bad (barring the above "colorful" exceptions).
Dark nougat: 3.5/5
I'm all for dark chocolate and almonds but this honey nougat is super tough. The nougat tastes more like marshmallow with maybe a hint of honey.
Marzipan: 5/5
Honey toasted almond flaky interior with a dark chocolate exterior, this one's good stuff. The cashier said she didn't like it. I dunno what she's talking about. This is delish.
Almond truffle: 5/5
I almost passed on this one but I'm glad I didn't. The chopped almonds are mixed with white chocolate coating and the inside is dark chocolate buttercream. Um, could you ask for more? This is amazing. Definitely probably my favorite in the store.
Dark cocoanut cream: 4/5
Simple but good because dark chocolate is always good and so is coconut.
Dark chocolate butter: 3.5/5
Fairly simple, just a brown sugar buttercream interior with dark chocolate outside. I like dark chocolate though so I got one.
P-nut crunch: 5/5
Yummy crunchy peanut butter in a milk chocolate shell. Tastes like a better version of a Butterfinger.
Rum nougat: 5/5
I dunno how rum made this taste better but it did. Delish. It's got a tang to it that only rum could add. It also has some sort of fruitcake filling which tastes oddly amazing and not awful at all?
And now for some fruity flavors...
Strawberry cream: 5/5
Strawberry yogurt wrapped in milk chocolate. Boom. Hit. Done.
Orange cream: 5/5
A creamsicle wrapped in chocolate. Equally delicious.
Pineapple truffle: 4.5/5
A nice little taste of the tropics wrapped in chocolate. The pineapple isn't too strong, it's mellowed out by cream.
Lemon truffle: 5/5
Normally not a fan of lemon but I wanted to see how a lemon-chocolate concoction would taste. I'm glad I tried it. It tastes like a lemon meringue filling.
Raspberry truffle: 5/5
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Chocolate and raspberry is one of the best combos in the dessert world. This one is no different.
See's apple pie truffle: 5/5
An unexpected hit. I mean, it's apple pie, it's gotta be good. Cinnamon brown sugar apple filling surrounded by white chocolate? Um, yeah. I'll take one, thanks.
Blueberry truffle: 5/5
Well I'll be damned. The inside of this tastes exactly like blueberry muffins. Get on this one, folks. Good shit.
Apricot bon bon (middle): 2.5/5
A strong, artificial-tasting lemony apricot flavor. The exterior is very sugary and also artificial in flavor. Not my favorite at all. Brightly-colored neon food doesn't ever seem to taste good.
Cocoanut bon bon (left): 3.5/5
This one's a little better. It's got coconut which is the main reason but it's still got that overly-sweet, almost saccharine Easter-candy taste to it.
Orange bon bon (right): 3.5/5
And again with the Easter candy flavor. The inside tastes like orange cream but the outside is pure sugar. If you get any of these just scoop the inside out or peel off the frosting and ditch it.
Honorable mentions to the dark/milk chocolate turtles, the peanut/walnut squares, the chocolate caramels, the soft chews, and all the other unknowns that come in the generic one-pound box. You simple but you got See's chocolate surrounding you so you good. But really, you can hardly go wrong with chocolate here. I don't think I've met a See's chocolate I don't like. And I've met just about all of them in my day.
experience: 5/5
overall: 5/5
The epic chocolate review! Incoming: a bunch of reviews of chocolate!
Oh, See's, how I love thee. Thy wide selection of chocolate, thy free samples. Thy cute white costumes reminiscent of days past.
See's Candies started out in Los Angeles and has expanded all over the country. They're now rooted in San Francisco so they've made their way overseas into Asia, thanks to the SF Airport. Anyone who's been to See's knows that with every visit comes a little chocolate sample of heaven. Some people only come in for samples. Those people are not good people and there is a special place in chocolate purgatory for them.
Fan favorites include the maple chip bars (they come in dark chocolate, too - mmmm, dark chocolate), the turtles, the toffee, the Bordeaux (also in dark chocolate - mmmm, sprinkles)... and of course, the various flavored lollipops. For when you want that chocolatey goodness to last longer than a few bites.
But I know what you're looking for. You want the lowdown on the chocolate. Here goes.
Dark chocolate chip truffle: 5/5
Why would you put chocolate chips inside a chocolate, you say? Well, See's does it, so there. A milk chocolate exterior, with chocolate creme inside and tiny little crunchy chocolate chips makes this the perfect treat to satisfy my chocolate cravings. Except usually it makes me want even more said chocolates, so perhaps not after all.
Kona mocha: 4.5/5
Delicious description and delicious chocolate. There's a definite mocha flavor to it and the coconut adds just a hint of tropical flavor. White chocolate exterior improves the flavor profile as opposed to a milk or dark which would mask the mocha.
Bordeaux: 4/5
A classic, because it's so simple. Which is kind of the drawback. Still great, don't get me wrong, but it's just brown sugar buttercream with chocolate and sprinkles. I won't complain if there's one around though. It will get eaten.
Cocoanut special: 5/5
Another coconut. I love love coconut. The honey is present and not overshadowed by the coconut. The coconut is nice and flaky. Simple and perfect.
Cashew brittle: 5/5
I'm not a fan of peanut brittle myself. It just tastes basic and like something old people eat or something. But cashew brittle? Never had it before and this is my jam. It's crispy like a Butterfinger inside, with white chocolate complementing the sweet cashew flavor nicely. And coconut's in there too? Hells yea.
Cafe hazelnut truffle: 4/5
Tastes similar to their cafe au lait lollipops. Like a buttercream latte coated in chocolate basically. It's good, just simple. It's hard to make See's chocolate bad (barring the above "colorful" exceptions).
I'm all for dark chocolate and almonds but this honey nougat is super tough. The nougat tastes more like marshmallow with maybe a hint of honey.
Marzipan: 5/5
Honey toasted almond flaky interior with a dark chocolate exterior, this one's good stuff. The cashier said she didn't like it. I dunno what she's talking about. This is delish.
Almond truffle: 5/5
I almost passed on this one but I'm glad I didn't. The chopped almonds are mixed with white chocolate coating and the inside is dark chocolate buttercream. Um, could you ask for more? This is amazing. Definitely probably my favorite in the store.
Dark cocoanut cream: 4/5
Simple but good because dark chocolate is always good and so is coconut.
Dark chocolate butter: 3.5/5
Fairly simple, just a brown sugar buttercream interior with dark chocolate outside. I like dark chocolate though so I got one.
Mocha: 4/5
A spin on the regular chocolate bordeaux (which is delly), this one's filled with chocolate mocha buttercream instead of brown sugar cream. It's pretty damn good but it's a little simple. Interior tastes like their mocha pops.
P-nut crunch: 5/5
Yummy crunchy peanut butter in a milk chocolate shell. Tastes like a better version of a Butterfinger.
Rum nougat: 5/5
I dunno how rum made this taste better but it did. Delish. It's got a tang to it that only rum could add. It also has some sort of fruitcake filling which tastes oddly amazing and not awful at all?
And now for some fruity flavors...
Raspberry cream: 5/5
Like a Jamba Juice but less fruity and more sugary if that makes sense. Really good nonetheless.
Like a Jamba Juice but less fruity and more sugary if that makes sense. Really good nonetheless.
Strawberry cream: 5/5
Strawberry yogurt wrapped in milk chocolate. Boom. Hit. Done.
Orange cream: 5/5
A creamsicle wrapped in chocolate. Equally delicious.
Pineapple truffle: 4.5/5
A nice little taste of the tropics wrapped in chocolate. The pineapple isn't too strong, it's mellowed out by cream.
Lemon truffle: 5/5
Normally not a fan of lemon but I wanted to see how a lemon-chocolate concoction would taste. I'm glad I tried it. It tastes like a lemon meringue filling.
Raspberry truffle: 5/5
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Chocolate and raspberry is one of the best combos in the dessert world. This one is no different.
See's apple pie truffle: 5/5
An unexpected hit. I mean, it's apple pie, it's gotta be good. Cinnamon brown sugar apple filling surrounded by white chocolate? Um, yeah. I'll take one, thanks.
Blueberry truffle: 5/5
Well I'll be damned. The inside of this tastes exactly like blueberry muffins. Get on this one, folks. Good shit.
Key lime: 4.5/5
I love lime. I don't love lemon but I do love lime. This is delish. The key lime truffle center is like a Yoplait key lime yogurt mixed with thick white chocolate, coated with a limey white chocolate exterior. Yes to this one.
Dark chocolate cherry: 3.5/5
My go-to in my vegan high school days. (It's vegan, right? Eh who cares.) A little too sweet for me now, bordering on saccharine but without the nasty aftertaste. It's a very sweet cherry gel with a maraschino cherry middle.
Apricot delight: 5/5
I almost didn't get this cus apricot chocolate sounds just odd but wow. This is awesome. Toasted coconut and apricot make this a fruity delicious combo.
I almost didn't get this cus apricot chocolate sounds just odd but wow. This is awesome. Toasted coconut and apricot make this a fruity delicious combo.
Apricot bon bon (middle): 2.5/5
A strong, artificial-tasting lemony apricot flavor. The exterior is very sugary and also artificial in flavor. Not my favorite at all. Brightly-colored neon food doesn't ever seem to taste good.
Cocoanut bon bon (left): 3.5/5
This one's a little better. It's got coconut which is the main reason but it's still got that overly-sweet, almost saccharine Easter-candy taste to it.
Orange bon bon (right): 3.5/5
And again with the Easter candy flavor. The inside tastes like orange cream but the outside is pure sugar. If you get any of these just scoop the inside out or peel off the frosting and ditch it.
You’re making me crave some See’s now. I haven’t tried most of theses. I typically just get my normal flavors; milk butterchews, almond caramel and toffee-ettes and of course the lollipops for the kiddos.
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