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review The Chilli Alchemist's Melliculus Tropicus Popping Candy

Hey guys, this week marks the first of the samples I'm reviewing for The Chilli Alchemist. Four different flavours and heats of chilli popping candy.
I did review a sauce from them last week but that was from my own funds. These are freebies they were kind enough to post me. Here goes, copied from my blog as always:
 
Hello again everyone and welcome to the first of my popping candy reviews. Today we're starting with the mildest one, the Melliculus Tropicus.
 
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The label is in a shade of black that hides all kinds of hidden symbols behind the Chilli Alchemist logo and the name that you see. I'm fairly sure none of them have any specific relevance to the product in question but they certainly add intrigue, while being subtle enough not to draw the eye away from the important details.
 
Those being the name and the fact that this is apparently medium hot. So, if you're looking for an exciting new dare, this particular popping candy isn't it, but “medium” heat seems quite high up on the scale to start the range. We'll soon see if it holds up to that promise.
 
So that's an interesting detail but what defines the look of the packaging is definitely the name, starting out with a bold green and white gradient for “Melliculus”, then switching to yellow and orange for “Tropicus”. Both using the alchemist's signature font, which also makes for a far more readable ingredients list than that of their Magnum Opus.
Or maybe it's just the text size.
 
The green is used to represent both the heat and the hint of lime, it being both the colour of the fruit and that generally associated with mild chilli. Hence why we see it again on the lid.
 
The yellow and orange, however, is more symbolic of tropical drinks and beaches, giving us just a hint of the flavour we're to expect. Scotch Bonnet, Coconut and Lime, if the ingredients are to be believed, though not necessarily in that order.
 
And that's all I can really say about the label. The Chilli Alchemist's sense of style comes through more in their use of vials and test tubes, like the one this comes in, than in their labelling which, while possessing a hint of the arcane, is generally quite simple.
Not that there's anything wrong with letting the elegance of the container pull its weight.
 
So it's time to pop the top (actual pop not guaranteed) and get a better look at the contents.
 
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Pretty boring actually. Aside from the occasional little chilli fleck, it's a very dull, white, generic looking popping candy. But the taste, that's where it shines.
 
The main flavour of this is definitely coconut, which I don't normally enjoy when it's that upfront but the distinctive taste of the scotch bonnet and the creaminess of cocoa butter both blend into it so wonderfully that it becomes a whole new beast.
The slight hint of lime then creeps in behind to provide a fruitiness that makes the entire thing resemble a virgin pina colada (rum makes it a different drink). It's got both the pale, coconutty creaminess and the sweet and subtle but strongly acidic fruit notes. It does taste a lot like a tropical beverage.
 
But the creaminess isn't entirely coconut and the fruit isn't actually pineapple. It may resemble pina colada but it's still entirely it's own thing and the chilli is noticeable, even if only as part of that creamy, coconutty flavour.
Well, that and in its heat.
 
It's not quite the two and a half that I normally think of as “medium” but still in the same general area with a good strong
[SIZE=300%]2/10[/SIZE]
[SIZE=300%]Heat[/SIZE]
which is definitely a high starting point for the Melliculus range but one that anyone who likes chilli should still be perfectly ok with.
 
In my experience it hits a bit at the back of my throat but also quite noticeably at the base of my nasal passageway on the roof of my mouth. In part, at least, because of how the explosive nature of the sweet sends the heat upwards.
 
Overall, this is a delicious experience for anyone who likes both chilli and popping candy and should be safe for almost all heat tolerances. Its flavour is unique and tropical with the specific chilli factored in well and, while I would personally just eat it from the tube, I could definitely see this going marvellously over white chocolate ice cream or pressed into the icing of a victoria sponge. Just bear in mind that, if you do put it on anything, it needs to be served quickly to retain its snap.
 
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