Guardian Writers Pick International Candies Available Before Halloween
Espresso chocolate, Thai Heartbeat candies and Lebanese Patchi chocolates are among the picks, all ordered online
By AXY Lifestyle Desk ·
Key points
- The Guardian's Filter US section published a roundup of international candies on October 20, 2026, with picks from several staff members.
- The writers say the listed items were available online and would arrive before Halloween as of publication.
- Picks include Italian espresso chocolate, a nutty Russian-linked toffee, Thai Heartbeat candies and Lebanese Patchi chocolates.
- The Guardian discloses that it earns a commission on some affiliate purchases.
Guardian staff have published a list of international candies that American shoppers can buy online and receive before Halloween, a holiday that falls on October 31. The roundup, published on October 20, 2026, by The Guardian's Filter US section, asks colleagues to name sweets from abroad that readers can try without travelling. The writers say they checked availability, and that as of publication every item on the list would arrive before the holiday. The Guardian notes that it earns a commission when readers buy through affiliate links, a disclosure that appears alongside the piece.
The list is a set of personal recommendations rather than a formal taste test or product review. Contributors include Michael Sainato, a labour reporter for the Guardian US; Ivan Kuraev, an engineer; and Maya Yang, a breaking news reporter and live blogger. Each describes a candy tied to a memory, a trip or a family tradition. Taken together, the picks show how much of the candy people grow up with depends on where they live, and how little of it travels.
Why American Halloween candy looks so familiar
The Guardian opens the piece by contrasting its picks with the candies that dominate American Halloween bowls each October. It names Twizzlers, Snickers and Almond Joy, and says the words 'have no meaning outside of the US.' It also describes a market shaped by a small number of large manufacturers, naming Hershey, Mars and Mondelez. The writer calls this a 'hegemony,' a word that signals a market where a few companies hold most of the shelf space.
That concentration has a practical effect. Large brands can afford wide distribution, heavy advertising and seasonal displays that make them the default choice in supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations during the Halloween season. Familiar products also carry emotional weight for many buyers, who associate them with childhood and with particular holidays. Smaller or foreign brands often have to rely on specialty stores, international grocers or online retailers to reach shoppers, which is why the Guardian's list is framed around ordering rather than browsing.
The article does not claim that American candy is inferior. Its argument is narrower: that a wider range of sweets exists, and that many readers have never had the chance to try it. For shoppers who want something different from the usual seasonal options, the piece offers a starting point.
Espresso chocolate and a seasonal treat
The first pick is Italian chocolate with real espresso in the centre, which the Guardian describes as both a sweet treat and a caffeine boost. Caffeine is a stimulant found naturally in coffee, tea and cocoa, so a chocolate that includes espresso adds to the amount already present. The writer, Michael Sainato, says Italian shops tend to stock the candy in winter, and that it can be hard to find outside those months.
Sainato also compares the product with other Italian and Ferrero brands that have become familiar in the United States, including Nutella, Kinder, Ferrero Rocher and Tic Tacs. In his telling, this espresso chocolate has not been introduced to the US market in the same way. That gap is part of its appeal for travellers who bring it home as a souvenir, and it explains why the candy is recommended as something to seek out rather than something always on hand.
Seasonal availability is common among imported foods. Products that sell well only at certain times of year may be produced in limited runs, and retailers may stock them only when local demand peaks. For buyers, this means that a candy praised as unique may also be one that is hard to repeat, which is worth remembering when placing an order.
Nutty toffee, vintage packaging and childhood memory
Ivan Kuraev describes a nutty toffee with a more toasted flavour than its American counterparts. He says it may be almost burnt in taste, and warns that it can crack teeth. He also acknowledges that some people may object to a rodent mascot on the wrapper. Kuraev says the texture and vintage packaging are part of the charm.
He links the sweet to Russian tea time, a habit he describes as a fixture in Russian homes. He says the candy was always offered in his family when he was growing up in the 1990s, and that he now buys it on Brighton Beach and is glad to see it available online. Brighton Beach, a neighbourhood in Brooklyn, New York, has long been home to a large community of Russian speakers, which helps explain why shops there stock such products.
Kuraev is candid about the limits of his judgment. He writes that childhood memories are fallible, but still believes the candy tastes the way it used to. That honesty is typical of food writing built on nostalgia. Taste is shaped by memory, habit and place, so a product can feel unchanged to someone who has eaten it for decades even as the wider market shifts around it.
Thai Heartbeat candies and school days in Abu Dhabi
Maya Yang recommends Thai Heartbeat candies, hard sweets she remembers from her childhood in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. She says the candies were everywhere: in school, in the bowls teachers kept in classrooms, and in supermarkets and baqalas, a term she explains as local corner stores. In Gulf usage, a baqala is a small neighbourhood shop that sells daily essentials, and it is a familiar part of daily life in many parts of the region.
Yang describes the candy as a reward after recess in the heat, handed out before pupils returned to air-conditioned classrooms. She prefers the lychee flavour, though she says strawberry and orange are also fruity, sweet and tangy. She also recalls sneaking extra sweets into uniform pockets when teachers were not looking, a small detail that conveys how ordinary the candy was in her school years.
Her account reflects the everyday role that sweets can play in childhood. A cheap, widely shared treat can become a marker of a time and place, especially for people who move between countries.
Patchi and the Gulf chocolate tradition
The last pick is Patchi, a Lebanese chocolate brand. The writer, Yang, describes its gold- and silver-wrapped chocolates as a fixture in homes across the Gulf, served to guests and at weddings, baby showers and other celebrations. She names milk chocolate squares filled with wafers or hazelnuts as her favourites. She also notes that many chocolate shops have opened and closed across the United Arab Emirates, while Patchi has remained a constant.
Yang links the brand to what she describes as third-culture kid identity. This term refers to a person who grew up in a country different from their parents' home country, and who may feel a strong connection to several places. For many people in that position, a familiar chocolate can serve as a reminder of a shared childhood, a sense of continuity amid frequent change.
The Patchi recommendation shows that a candy can carry meanings well beyond its taste. For these writers, the products are tied to hospitality, migration and community, which is part of why the Guardian asked staff to choose their own favourites rather than rank products on a single scale.
What shoppers should check before ordering
For readers who want to follow the list, the practical steps are straightforward. Check the ingredient list and allergen information on each product, since recipes and labelling standards can differ between countries. Compare delivery estimates with the Halloween date, and note that the Guardian's statement that items would arrive in time was made as of publication, so shipping times can change. Imported food may also be subject to rules about what can be brought into the country or shipped to a home address, so buyers should confirm the terms of the seller and the relevant rules before ordering.
It is also worth watching whether these brands expand their presence in the US. Analysts who follow the confectionery market often note that imported products can move from specialty shelves to mainstream retailers when demand is steady. That outcome is not guaranteed, and nothing in the Guardian's article suggests such a change is planned. For now, the list serves as a guide to sweets that are available today, and to the stories that make them worth trying.
Questions and answers
Which international candies did Guardian staff recommend for Halloween?
Guardian staff recommended an Italian chocolate with espresso in the centre, a nutty Russian-linked toffee, Thai Heartbeat hard candies from Abu Dhabi and Lebanese Patchi chocolates. The writers say all the listed items are sold online.
Will the candies arrive before Halloween?
The Guardian says that as of publication on October 20, 2026, every item on its list would arrive before Halloween on October 31. Shipping times can change, so buyers should check delivery estimates before ordering.
Why are these candies hard to find in the US?
The article says many of these products are not sold widely in the United States. The espresso chocolate, for example, is stocked mainly in Italian markets and tends to be seasonal, and the writer notes it has not been introduced in the US like other Ferrero products.
Does the Guardian earn money from these recommendations?
Yes. The Guardian says it earns a commission when readers buy something through an affiliate link, and it discloses this on the article.
Topics: Halloween candy, international candy, Guardian Filter, Patchi, Thai Heartbeat, Ferrero, Hershey Mars Mondelez, Abu Dhabi
Sources: The Guardian Lifestyle