A childhood song goes, “make a new friend but don’t forget the old. One is silver, and the other is gold.” It’s sage advice and inevitably comes to mind when enjoying the delicious new taste of Boyer Clark Cups. They may not be the exact taste, nor look, of Clark Bars from yesteryear, but they are a delightful tribute to one of the most famous candy bars first invented in McKeesport, PA., o
Purists might argue that Boyer Clark Cups don’t taste like what they recall and they are correct, but this applies to so many retro candy bars that have withstood the test of time and survived corporate consolidation. A Clark Cup is NOT a Clark Bar but is the closest you will get to the original formula, and it does save the Clark Bar from extinction.
Years ago, NECCO decided to switch the formulation of the Original Clark Bar to an organic formula made with Beet Sugar. Much like changing the original taste of Coca Cola, this change was not well received or, as the saying goes, “ no good deed goes unpunished.” Boyer Candy, on the other hand, paid tribute to the unique formula retaining it’s crunchy peanut butter and toffee center but enhanced it by changing its shape to mimic that of their other products such as the Mallo Cup. They have also, for lack of a better word, improved the flavor by turning up the peanut butter volume.
So many favorite candies disappeared in the past few years especially after the closure of New England Confectionary Company. Other companies purchased the rights to many of their brands - Spangler bought the rights to Conversation Hearts and a company out of Chicago hopes to revive the Sky Bar. We couldn’t be happier that a company with Pittsburgh roots decided to keep this tradition alive and bring a member of the Clark Bar family back where it belongs. One shouldn’t overlook the irony that one of Pittsburgh’s best-known candy bars hasn’t been manufactured in this city for decades but will soon be returning home.
Welcome back to the 'Burgh Clark Cups, and we hope our readers will give this delicious reincarnation a chance. Yes, it tastes slightly different, but it’s delicious.
