Candy corn is available all year round, but in Autumn it seems to be much more prevalent. Perfect for a little something sweet to have with a nice cuppa tea.

What Is Candy Corn
Candy corn is, as the name suggests, candy that is shaped like oversized kernels of corn. It is sugar laden, so indulge with caution. In fact, candy corn is made primarily from sugar, corn syrup, binders (stuff that hold everything together), artificial coloring, and sometimes honey.

Ever curious as to how things are made, I sought out some recipes online for homemade candy corn. Several hours later, after reading through page after page of directions, complete with photos of ingredients and each stage of processing, I wiped the sweat from my brow and said “thank you” to the companies that cook this treat up in big batches and make it available at the store.

Teas That Go with Candy Corn
The sweetness of candy corn goes great with a variety of teas. Some of the combos of tea and candy corn I enjoy may not be your particular preference. A bit of experimentation may be needed on your part, but you might want to start with the ones shown here.

First is Gen Mai Cha, a Japanese green tea with toasted rice kernels added in. Some find this tea rather off putting, but hubby and I enjoy a cuppa here and there. A few pieces of candy corn balance out the lack of sweetness in this tea so you don’t get overwhelmed by either the toasted rice-ness of the tea or the sugariness of the candy.

Keemun from the Anhui Province in China is another good tea to balance with the sweet of the candy. This black tea has a slightly smoky flavor that I usually temper with some milk and sweetener. But when enjoyed with something sweet, I sip the tea straight. If you’re old enough, you probably remember the smell of the smoke from burning piles of leaves, raked up from their resting places in the yard and set aflame to be broken into tiny molecules that soared up freely into the Autumn sky. Well, that is this tea. So, what better to have with this seasonally popular treat?

Oolongs such as Ti Kuan Yin and Tung Ting are other options. You get multiple steepings, each with a changing flavor that again balances against the heavy sweet of the candy.

Black teas from Nilgiri and Assam along with Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) have strong flavors that can rise above the overwhelming of the tastebuds that sense sweetness. Even if you want a bit of milk in your tea, it will remain a solid presence in your mouth.

Green teas like Dragonwell, Sencha, and Ceylons are all good choices. Light, fresh, and naturally sweet, they are a perfect counterbalance.

Earl Grey and Darjeeling might seem as if they would clash, the former with its citrusy smoky flavor and the later with that characteristic fruity Muscatel character. However, I find that they both work well with sweet things that have a vanilla or caramel character. Yum!

More Candy Corn Options
Don’t miss out on other ways to use candy corn. First, you can glue them to a Styrofoam ring wrapped first in black tape to make a candy corn wreath, as shown in this article from Woman’s Day (and don’t forget to take a look at their article about how to preserve your masterpiece and keep the bugs away from it).

And then there’s this wonderful Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse ― a dessert made from cream cheese and other delectable ingredients that mimics the appearance, colorwise, of candy corn. Dude ’em up all nifty with bows and little spoons and get that “Awwwww… how cuuuuuute” reaction from your guests.

Bottom Line
Grab that bag of candy corn before the kids or your spouse can get to it, steep a pot of tea of your choice, and… mmmmmm… crunch munch slurp…

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