Like a kid in a candy store...

Like a kid in a candy store. Literally.

Sometimes on the road that beckons the best things are actually quite close to home. No need to travel thousands of miles to get to one of the sweetest places on earth. I’ll bet a lot of folks who read this blog have made the jaunt up to the Republic of Boulder to visit the Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory. Even more have made the pilgrimage out to Golden (“Where the West Lives!”) to partake in the serious business of brewery (as in Coors) visitation. Now, I’m as big a fan of Sleepytime Tea and Silver Bullets as the next person but if you haven’t been to a certain other factory, right here in Denver, then your Colorado must-sees education is sadly lacking.

Sad to say I didn't qualify as a "candymaker" so I guess

I'll have to just settle for 'candyeater"!

I’ve lived in Denver since 1971 and until last Saturday I too had never made the effort to go see where one of Colorado’s finest chocolatiers and candy makers produces their delicious wares. I speak of the  Hammond’s Candy Factory just off of I-25 and 58th. Since 1920 when Carl Hammond first set up shop they’ve been turning out handmade confections to delight the sweet tooth of folks young and old. And they offer free tours at the end of which they hand out free samples! As my friend Larry would say, “Good times!”. Being a Saturday when we visited there were lots of kids oohing and aahing as the cooks poured tubs of chocolate and molded giant gobs of candy into Candy Canes (‘‘tis the season) of mind-boggling assortments. One of those giant gobs weighs about 70 lbs. and produces  nearly 1,000 Candy Canes. And yes, that curve of the Candy Cane is really done by hand, one at a time.

Did I mention the free samples at the end of the tour? Well, there’s more! They have a really nice, and impressively-stocked gift shop that’s fun to wander around. Seems lots of folks were doing more than just wanderin’ as the lines at the checkouts attested. But who can complain about waiting in line at a candy factory? Not me, and for good reason. I couldn’t have spoken up to complain if I had wanted to as my mouth was kinda full of the aforementioned samples. In today’s world that seems like its fraying at the edges it was very nice to indulge in a little (o.k., a lot) of sweetness made the same way it was almost a century ago.

So, if you and yours are looking for a fun escape from teas and brews, I recommend visiting the Candy Factory hiding in plain site in our own backyard. Who knew?!? Here's a short snapshot of my visit...