“Candy, candy, candy!”

That’s just about the only thought I had on my mind as I entered through the double glass doors of Candy Land Co. last Friday. My next thought was, “Just grab whatever looks good and run,” because I was running late for the Sprinter and needed to hurry on back to the station before the train took off without me.

Doing so proved unchallenging. Tall bins of candy lined every nook and cranny of the little shop, filled to the brim with a variety of colors and flavors. Jelly beans, sour gummies, taffy, jaw breakers — if you can think of it, there’s a chance they’ll have it.

Being a sucker for new flavors, I wanted to sample some candies I’d never known existed until that day, and was certainly not disappointed. My only indecision came from trying to choose which ones not to drop into my bag.

The checkout clerk was very kind, wishing me a good day as I dashed out of the store. I eventually settled on the following four flavors, giving them a taste and passing them out to other CAHS students to sample as well.

Albanese Gummies Sour Poppers

These colorful gummies come in five flavors: orange, green apple, cherry, blueberry and lemon. Each of them are delicious, but if you are searching for a candy with a sour punch, these may not be for you. “It’s kinda fell short [of my expectations],” junior Tian Tian Montgomery said. “It was … mediocre sour and more sweet.”

Haribo Happy Cola’s

Ignoring the unnecessary apostrophe in the title, this candy’s title is spot on. Each one is shaped like a Coca-Cola bottle, and although it isn’t quite the same, it has a taste very similar to the soda. “It kinda tastes like … lime and Coco-Cola,” junior Hannah Brittain said. “I think the texture is nice. It was very chewy and I like chewy candy. On a scale of one to ten, I think [it’s] maybe a six or a seven.”

French Burnt Peanuts

My personal favorite of the bunch, these bright red hard candies closely resemble raspberries. Their flavor, however, tells a different story. “It kinda tastes like chocolate,“ junior Marissa Harris said. “It’s really chewy at the end but it was, like, crunchy at the beginning.” Basically, these candies are little peanuts coated in a bumpy, chocolatly shell. “I’d give it an eight [out of ten],” Harris said. “I like it!”

Gimbals Scottie Dogs Red Licorice

As the title suggests, these candies are shaped like Scottish Terriers and taste just like red licorice. What the name fails to mention is how super-chewy they are. I ate nothing but the head of one puppy and spent a full minute chewing and another picking half of it out of my teeth. Junior Bryn Broyles had a similar experience. “Definitely chewy,” he said through a mouthful. “It tastes like Red Vines!”

Candy Land Co. is located at 356 W Valley Pkwy, right beside Regal Cinemas. Colorful lollipops painted on the windows make it hard to miss. With a wide assortment of new and classic flavors, there is guaranteed to be something for everyone. Although the pricing leans on the steeper side (a fist-size bag cost a little over $4), it certainly makes for a nice treat on occasion. If you ever find yourself in the area, I’d recommend stopping on by!