One of the least-liked flavors in the tasting party, faring even worse than either of the ginger ones, was Jasmine. Even the nicest comments it received were not exactly raves:
“grows on me”
“strangely good, like drinking tea”
But most comments ran along the lines of:
“too sugary - needs more flavor”
“buttery/not fully balanced”
“funny taste, not horrible, but not good”
Despite this initial disappointment, I still believed that jasmine held potential to be a good candy flavor. After all, I’ve enjoyed floral flavored ice creams, and my husband likes to nibble on tropical flowers when he can get his hands on ‘em (you should have seen him in Hawaii!).
These comments challenged me to find a flavor to pair with the jasmine to give it a little more body and balance while not competing with its pretty fragrance. Eventually I hit up on the idea of using honey flavor, and the response from testers has been very positive! Both components are shown off to their best advantage and neither overwhelms the other.
It shows me that even a nearly-universally deplored flavor might just need a little patience and creativity to turn it into something special. Look for Jasmine-Honey to be released in the not-too-distant future!
