Candy Reviews, Valentine's Candy

Conversation Hearts from Brach’s, from NECCO and from the Enlarging Machine

February 1, 2010 by
Whether you prefer Brachs or Necco, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that Valentine's day wouldn't be the same without Conversation Hearts

Whether you prefer Brachs or Necco, one thing that everyone can agree upon is that Valentine’s day wouldn’t be the same without Conversation Hearts

Sharability: 10

Denture Danger: 2-7

Convenience: 10

Novelty: 10

Overall: 5

The classic Valentines Day candy… these candy hearts are so popular that both The New England Confectionary Company (NECCO) and Brach’s manufacture them, and now they are even made in an enlarged size. The candies themselves are definitely more of a novelty item than a tasty candy. In fact, eating too many can induce side effects of nausea.

Even though Brach’s and NECCO both make these conversation hearts they aren’t identical candies. The differences start with aesthetics. NECCO takes the gold in this category.

The Brach’s Conversation Hearts have a greater width making them look more generic and almost like their shape has been a mistake. The second difference is consistency; this award goes to Brach’s. Your teeth can sink right into the Brach’s hearts while the NECCO hearts put up a strong fight creating significant amount denture danger.

The third difference is taste. The corresponding colors don’t even have all of the same flavors. Both types of hearts have white wintergreen, purple grape, orange orange, green lime, and pink cherry, but the yellow in the NECCO group is banana while the Brach’s side steps the banana and chooses a somewhat more tasty but virtually indistinguishable flavor.

Another difference between the two is the short sayings printed on the hearts. Not only are the Brach’s sayings sloppier and harder to read, but some of the sayings are quite inappropriate, especially for Valentines day. While the NECCO hearts have classic sayings such as, “Let’s Kiss,” “Miss You,” and “Cutie Pie,” Brach’s hearts spread negativity with “No Way,” “See Ya” and “Good Bye” and aren’t as appropriate for the young ones with “Too Hot” and “So Fine” mixed in with the usuals.

I don’t understand why a Valentines Candy would have sayings on it that promote negativity.

The Large Conversation Hearts have a solely aesthetic advantage. They make reading the saying a little bit easier (even though many are still off-center or illegible), but eating one is way too much gross sugary flavor for one bite.

The first idea for conversation hearts originated back when Abraham Lincoln was president. Mottoes were a candy that contained a rolled up piece of paper inside the shell shaped candy that sported the sayings that influenced today’s conversation hearts.

Daniel Chase (the brother of NECCO’s founder, Oliver Chase) experimented with the idea of putting messages on candies with hand tools in the 1860s. He soon realized this process would be much too tedious to continue and thus he created a machine to print messages on the candies.

The first conversation candies were especially popular at weddings with their witty sayings such as “Married in satin, Love will not be lasting,” “Married in pink, He will take to drink,” and “Married in white, You have chosen right.” These long messages were not printed directly on the candies but were written the original way on rolled up pieced of paper inside the candies.

The idea for the modern day hearts came about in 1902 along with candies in other shapes such as baseballs and horseshoes. Today the heart shaped candies are so popular that during NECOO’s peak production periods, approximately 100,000 pounds of conversation hearts are made each day and all of these hearts sell out in about six weeks. Eight billion candy conversation hearts are produced every year just by NECCO; that is enough hearts that if lined up they would stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona and back twenty times… that’s a lot of hearts.

Despite the unsatisfactory taste of these little candies they still remain an almost necessary purchase for the Valentines Day season. Though the Brach’s might taste better, I’d recommend buying the not-so-negative classic NECCO Conversation Hearts; these candies aren’t really for eating anyway.

Sources:

  • http://www.necco.com/OurBrands/Default.asp?BrandID=8
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweethearts_%28candy%29
  • http://www.candyfavorites.com/shop/conversation-hearts-origin.php

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19 Comments

  • Reply Gayle Herbert Robinson February 2, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without the Brach’s or Necco’s hearts. I’m partial to the Brach’s. Maybe consumers can write to Brach and ask for them to ditch the negative expressions on the candy hearts. I’ll give it a shot. Great comparison!

  • Reply Kathy March February 6, 2010 at 11:20 pm

    I understand the Brach’s Valentine Converasation hearts have been discontinued? Is this REALLY true? WHY!!!!?????? They are the best candy of all time. I LIVE for Valentine’s Day, just for your conversation hearts! I buy out the stores when they are 50% to 75% off! PLEASE bring them back!

  • Reply c February 8, 2010 at 8:54 am

    Brach’s conversation hearts have a better flavor

  • Reply Marie February 13, 2010 at 5:07 pm

    I prefer Necco’s candy hearts 100% better. I love the crunchier candy. The softer candy feels like it’s old. I couldn’t find Necco’s this year:( I also disagree with “unsatisfactory taste”. Not every candy has to slam your taste buds!!! I’m often in the mood for the mild flavors…..I can eat more!

  • Reply Larry July 14, 2010 at 4:18 am

    What ever happened to the Brachs wrapped thin shell hard candies in assorted flavors?

  • Reply Melanie February 14, 2012 at 10:29 am

    THE YELLOW BRACH’S CONVERSATION HEARTS TASTE IS NOT UNDISTINGUISHABLE, THEY TASTE LIKE CIRCUS PEANUTS.

  • Reply Richard Shoemaker February 5, 2016 at 9:47 pm

    Im very disappointed with these nasty tasting conversation hearts from Brach’s. I will not ever buy these candies again! I got some from both Wal-Mart and Walgreen’s and they are horrible! One lady said i will feed them to my dog,but i won’t even do that,im going to throw them in the trash were they belong. If i were you Brach’s, i would bring back the classic original conversation hearts.

  • Reply Anne January 5, 2017 at 2:11 am

    I love both the Neccos and Brach’s, so I disagree with the author’s point that the flavors aren’t good. I happen to LOVE that sugary taste! I agree with another commenter’s suggestion that we should write to Brach’s and ask them to use more appropriate wording on the candues.

  • Reply Cheri Owens January 25, 2017 at 6:02 pm

    Was there ever a conversation heart from Necco or Brachs that had a clove taste? I feel like I remember eating and loving that flavor as a kid, but I just found a box of Brachs tiny conversation hearts and they all taste the same to me except for the white which is peppermint…and no clove. 🙁

    • Reply Jonah Half January 26, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      To our knowledge, there wasn’t but you might want to ask NECCO as these have been around for a long time!

    • Reply j January 6, 2018 at 9:04 am

      The clove flavor you are thinking of is NECCO wafers, not conversation hearts.

  • Reply Robert B. January 24, 2018 at 8:17 pm

    Brachs Conversation Hearts can you buy just one flavor.

  • Reply Flo April 24, 2018 at 6:48 pm

    Necco wafers have a purple one that is clove

  • Reply Laura Burton January 12, 2020 at 5:38 pm

    I wish NECCO made hearts in spearmint, wintergreen, clove, cinnamon, peppermint, licorice etc. Sad to see the wafers go.

    • Reply Jonah Half January 13, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      We wish they made any flavor of Necco Wafers. It was heartbreaking when the company closed!

  • Reply Paul Shannon February 3, 2020 at 3:39 pm

    The end of history. With NECCO going bankrupt and Brach’s having been acquired by Ferrara Candy Company. The original style and flavors have been changed and not for the better.

    The flavors now resemble a Sweet Tart. They are hard like year old classic candy hearts and the flavors are strange. The letter are molded into the candy, not colored on.

    Another American classic is gone.

  • Reply Katrina Horne February 2, 2021 at 3:02 am

    I have absolutely loved the orange, yellow & green conversation hearts my entire life! After those colors are gone, then it’s purple, pink and last are the white ones. I like when the orange & pink flavors get accidentally mixed together in the factory. It’s a great combination, but it rarely happens. I was so enraged when Brachs changed to the hard tart flavored hearts! I drove around town to find the original flavors. I also buy all of the discounted bags days after Valentine’s Day. Please NEVER change the flavors unless you can make the yellow ones have more of the banana flavoring. I miss that flavor from Necco. I loved those wafers too. I’m craving them now. My siblings tease me, saying I like ‘old people’s’ candies. I’m guilty of loving circus peanuts, those orange jelly slices with sugar, jelly beans, rootbeer barrels, those chalky peppermints, etc. I’ll take them over chocolate any day!

  • Reply Anna Wood February 16, 2021 at 3:55 am

    Why can you not find the soft hearts

  • Reply Micki February 28, 2021 at 4:16 am

    I think circus peanuts are banana flavored, it took us a long time to figure out what flavor it is though! I’m so glad those aren’t seasonal, my grandma always had those on her coffee table

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