Hello everyone!
I've got a confession to make: I'm not a big fan of pre-made candy sets. They usually include the worst candies and only a few decent ones to get you started. I remember those New Year's 'gifts' from my childhood, where caramels and old candies were the norm. Giving something like that to your kids with your own money? No thanks! So, I usually bought the candies I liked and assembled my own gifts. Luckily, you can find plenty of packaging options nowadays.
But when I saw this adorable image from Soviet childhood, my heart skipped a beat. And I love the chocolate from Krasnaya Presnya Factory – it's a great brand. So, after browsing the set a few times, my hand was already reaching for it. And then I spotted it at Chisty for a steal – 199 rubles instead of 349 rubles at Magnit. How could I resist? I bought it.
Here's a rundown of the set's contents. You can buy it at Chisty or Magnit for around 199 to 349 rubles, depending on the discount.
General information:Where to buy: Chisty, MagnitPrice: from 199 to 349 rubles with discounts.Weight: 211 g.Manufacturer: Russia.Composition:The box is a candy-shaped one, featuring adorable Soviet kids on a festive background with a Christmas tree and pinecones. There's even a New Year's greeting. I think people in their 30s and 40s will get a nostalgic kick from this box. I sure did!
There are some candy images on the sides, but not all of them:
On the back, you'll find a detailed list of the set's contents. I still managed to get it wrong – the overall composition, expiration dates, weight, packaging dates, and more:
The box is sealed with glued-on flaps, so you can't open it without damaging the packaging:
So, before I bought this, I quickly scanned the contents and when I saw 'Special' chocolate on the first page, I thought of a chocolate bar and decided that was worth half the price alone. That's the chocolate I had in mind when I thought about this set:
But my disappointment was huge when I saw this 'chocolate' in the set instead of a whole chocolate bar:
The complete set of candies looks like this: There are 13 different candies in total, some of which I'd never seen before. Well, I'll try them and see if I'll buy them separately: Now, let me tell you a bit about each candy individually.
1) Special Truffle. The appearance is nice, the cocoa powder isn't too abundant, but the truffle itself is made of very dense chocolate, no softness. It's really hard to bite into it with my teeth, not my favorite. I'd give it 4 out of 5.
2) Lavender Bouquet.Oh, if I love candies with white filling and lavender on the packaging, I'm not a fan of this bouquet. It's extremely sweet and cloying, not my thing at all. But it's fresh and tastes good already. Unfortunately, I'd give it 2 out of 5.3) I've got to say, the Misha bear is a classic Soviet candy that's spot on. The filling is super tasty and the wafer is crunchy - I give it 5 out of 5!4) I tried the Laskinaya Post and it looked super fresh, no cracks in the glaze or white residue. The filling has a soft, creamy texture that I'm not a big fan of. It was way too sweet for me and I wouldn't buy it separately. From me, 2 out of 5.
5) The Great St. Petersburg was a big wafer candy covered in glaze. The glaze looked a bit rough, but the taste was good. The candy itself was tasty, not too sweet, and the chocolate seemed fresh. Still, something was missing, so I gave it 4 out of 5.
6) The Mini Baltic Totik was another wafer candy that looked fresh and tasted great. The filling was chocolatey, and I really enjoyed it. From me, 5 out of 5!
7) I was a bit skeptical about the Perro wafer candy with a thick, light filling. But in the end, it turned out to be pretty tasty, and I was pleasantly surprised. The filling has an interesting flavor, and I'm actually thinking of buying them separately. I'd give it a solid 5.
8) And then there's the Belochka wafer candy - and it's a clear winner in this bunch! It's the most delicious chocolate wafer candy with a moderately soft filling, similar to those in chocolate bars, but way better in terms of taste and with tiny pieces of nuts. Of course, it's a solid 5 stars!
9) The Caravan of the Desert wafer candy is a chocolate wafer candy with a soft filling and pieces of wafer crumbs. It's fresh, moderately soft, and the crumbs have a nice crunch to them. I really enjoyed this one, and I'd definitely recommend it - it's a solid 5 stars!
10) And finally, there's the Belochka a la Truffle wafer candy. After enjoying the Belochka in the paper packaging, I was expecting a lot from this one too. But unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations (It's delicious, but not enough to make me want to repeat it. And when you cut it open, you can see peanuts, which kind of cheapens the flavor. From me, it gets only 3 stars).
11) I've got a strong feeling that all the 'Special' candies are made from the same chocolate, just with different shapes. This one's as hard as the Special chocolate and the truffle, but it's got a layer of glaze on top. If you like the Special chocolate, you'll love this. I wasn't a fan, though (check above). 4 out of 5.
12) The Great Clown was a massive spherical candy with a soft but not runny filling. It was a bit of a challenge to cut into it, but I think it would be fine to bite into. The chocolate on top was dark and delicious, the filling was gentle and soft, and overall, I really enjoyed this one. 5 out of 5.
clown clown 13) The Toffee.
I'm not a big fan of toffee, to be honest. It's always been a bit of a tough candy for me. But this one was actually pretty soft and crunchy, and really tasty. It's easy to break into, and you can tell it's a fresh candy. I was surprised, but I'd give it 5 out of 5.
Out of 13 candies, 7 were an absolute hit with me, three were a 4 out of 5, one was a 3, and two were 2s. The candies that were complete duds, I would've tossed them out, no question.For the price, I found some new candies I'm happy to buy on a regular basis, so I'd definitely recommend the set, but I'd give it 4 stars. Taste is super subjective, and what I liked or disliked might be different for others. I wouldn't be ashamed to give this set as a gift or receive it as one myself.
Loads of chocolate candies - they're all chocolate, except for the toffee one;Plenty of wafer candies;No caramels in sight;All the candies are fresh;The packaging is really nice;The discounted price is a bonus.I'm not going to say it's a con, but the weight of the 'Special Chocolate' one wasn't listed, and I got it wrong thinking it was a full-sized chocolate bar, like the ones I'm used to, but it's actually just a tiny candy.
After trying all the candies in the set, I'm still pretty happy with it, even considering my mistake. I'd recommend buying it while it's still on sale.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
P.S.