Sugar Savvy

See’s Milk and Dark Bordeaux

Author’s Note: See’s Candy has 200 shops in 16 states. It offers 100 varieties of chocolate candies and other confections, many of them available for purchase by the piece. This one fact has determined the course of my life more than any other event except for maybe meeting my husband, or, well, maybe the birth of my children, but you get the idea.

My new column See’s Piece by Piece is not just an excuse for me to eat See’s Candy. (For that I really need no excuse.) It is also a public service. Hopefully Sugar Savvy’s reports will mean you never have to bite into a piece of See’s candy unwittingly and get a nougat when you really wanted a buttercream.

Each post will include a tasting report, photograph and a See’s fact or trivia item. For more information, to order online or request a catalog, please go to the See’s website. They have an extensive mail order business.

Why See’s? See’s is a good, dependable, readily available product (at least in the West and through mail order) that is well made and fairly priced. Most pieces are $14.10 a pound at the stores ($17.10 on the website). And they give free samples, even if you are only buying one piece.

Don’t get me wrong. This is good stuff, but it is not rarified or exclusive. This chocolate is like buying a new pair of shoes. It gives you a lift and makes you feel better without a really big investment. It is the chocolate you slip into when you want to wear something a little more comfortable. It is the little black dress with pearls of chocolate. It will always come through for you and a pound or two of it in its white and black box is probably the most-given hostess gift in California.

The See’s stores are retro-charming, with the walls, furniture and even the help decked out in sanitary white with black and white checkerboard trim that coordinates with the box design. Walk through the door and you walk back in time, transported by the wafting scent of chocolate and a hint of cardboard from the piles and piles of pre-filled boxes in every shape, size and configuration (all milk, all dark, assorted, etc.) that surround you.

The company dates back to 1921, when its founder moved to America from Canada and put his mother to work making candies. The business flourished and, as a copyrighted slogan of the company’s says, “a happy habit” was born. The business still uses images of a smiling Mary See, who lived to be 85 years old. I credit the chocolate.

Tasting Report

Piece Numbers Eight and Nine: Milk Bordeaux and Dark Bordeaux. (Note: the Bordeaux name is trademarked.) Piece numbers refer to product numbers shown on the website and on page 30 and 31 of the See’s catalog.

Description: Milk chocolate and dark chocolate versions both resemble a flattened round with sloped sides and are coated with chocolate sprinkles. Do not mistake them for the mocha, piece number 28, which is rectangular and covered with chocolate sprinkles.

Why These Pieces? They are my default pieces. They never disappoint. Favorite of many based on informal, extremely biased poll of women in my gym last Monday. The Milk Bordeaux is also one of See’s best sellers according to its website.

Free Sample at Time of Purchase: Awesome Walnut Square Bar

Taste:
Milk Bordeaux – Milk chocolate covering melts and is very creamy in mouth after initial chew. Creamy brown sugar taste. Despite sweetness leaves a pleasant tanginess on tongue. The filling is very smooth with no graininess. Might be bit rich for some. Would be great with a cup of coffee.

Dark Bordeaux – I didn’t expect such a difference in taste between the dark and milk versions of the same candy. The dark chocolate tempers the brown sugar flavor. The aftertaste is more of the dark chocolate without a pronounced tang. Very balanced flavor in the mouth. Did not taste as overwhelmingly rich or sweet.

See’s Trivia: The company says that the See’s factory was the inspiration for the famous “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel attempt to work in a candy factory.

Ingredients:
Milk Bordeaux –Milk chocolate coating (sugar, milk, cocoa butter, chocolate, soy lecithin, vanillin), brown sugar, sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, confectionary glaze.

Dark Bordeaux – Dark chocolate coating (sugar, chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla, vanillin), brown sugar, sugar, cream, butter, corn syrup, vanilla, salt, confectionary glaze.

See’s literature says the candy is made from “fresh, wholesome ingredients,” but does not mention any specific brands of chocolate or other ingredients. Sugar Savvy will continue to research this and present our findings in future See’s Piece by Piece reports.

Faith Kramer is the proud proprietor of Blog Appetit.