Cup O Gold
This is another classic candy that takes the form of a chocolate cup with a creamy marshmallow filling. I cannot help but compare it to its East Coast counterpart the Mallo cup, which is a candy I go ga-ga for, as Cup O Gold shares a few similar traits, like also having coconut bits in it. That’s where the similarities end though, as Cup O Gold has bits of almonds tossed in there along with different forms of packaging. Cup O Gold carries one big cup, whereas Mallo Cup holds two. Look at it as the difference between a package of regular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the one Reese’s Big Cup.
I adore the packaging of Cup O Gold, with its 1970’s color scheme with browns, yellows and oranges and the gleefully grinning prospector (who, makes a large appearance on the boxes that hold the Cup O Gold. He’s just grinning in a small gold emblem on the individual packages). It makes me happy for many reasons I won’t get into, but it may have something to do with my weak spot for vintage design and old west films.
The flavor is nice, with the chocolate sweet and giving a nice chocolate and caramel flavor. There’s more chocolate-to-marshmallow here, so the marshmallow is less of a flavor and is more drippy and fresh than the Mallo Cup. You can still easily taste the marshmallow, which has a light vanilla flavor. It’s more like the infamous Valomilk that’s specific to the Midwest. I really have to concentrate to taste the coconut and almonds, as they’re mixed into the chocolate. The pieces are so small they provide more of a texture than anything.
Most people I meet prefer either Mallo Cup or Cup O Gold. My theory was that it was a classic East Coast/West Coast split on it. That is, until I gave one to my boyfriend (who is a classic Pennsylvania native) and declared he thought that Cup O Gold was the superior of the two. Traitor.
I do love the Cup O Gold, I just can’t get past the fact that I like Mallo Cup better. I think I like the size and ratio of ingredients better. I do pick one up whenever I see these in stores though, because unless I play the comparison game, these a a golden nugget of a candy. You don’t come across them often and you feel like you found treasure when you do.
