Another treat from Tia

One of the items in Tia's Goodie Box was this roll of Necco Wafers. Necco are (is?) made in Revere, MA by the New England Confectionary Co. I've been aware of Necco rolls, of course, but I have no solid memory of eating them as a child. I vaguely imagined I found them chalky and dissatisfying, but I was game to try them as an adult to see what I thought.

Upon inspecting the packaging, I was horrified to discover that one serving = one roll. No way would I be eating the whole thing in one sitting. In fact, I ended up sharing the remainder of these with my coworkers, some of whom are bigger Necco fans than I.

I was pleased to discover that each color was a different flavor. They're not tasteless at all, though I still found them a little dry, hard, chalky, and dull. They taste like old Valentine's Day candy hearts. I suppose that could be comforting if you startle easily. They'd be a good candy for the brittle (not unlike the Necco, actually) elderly or infirm - you know, people who need to be kept calm.

My Necco rainbow breakdown:

Red - very little flavor, like a candle's scent - or the scent of flame? Peppermint, then.
Orange - faintly, fairly orange.
Yellow - mild, mild, mild with an almost-citrus whisper at the end.
Green - clear-tasting, like some kind of nontoxic pine cleaner. Lime.
Violet - Sort of soothing, like cinnamon if it weren't at all spicy.
White - blank + vanilla, like a page from a book rendered as candy; again there is a sense of almost-spice, and finally - cinnamon?

They grew on me. I have no contempt for the Necco. I even had a few extra, beyond what my taste-testing required. But I didn't finish the roll. I left that to the more diehard, true fans. It seemed only fair.

The final word on Necco? Jane said it well when she commented, "Sure do taste old-fashioned...Candy's come a long way."