Lollyphile's Hot Licks

(Lollyphile lollipops on display at Miette Confiserie)

By Tamara Palmer

The lollipop could be a wild frontier for flavor and experimentation, but folks might be hard-pressed to name anything more adventurous or memorable than maybe that disgusting tequila one with the worm in it.

Enter Lollyphile, the brainchild of San Francisco's Jason Lewis, offering pops in three showstopping flavors: Absinthe, Maple-Bacon and Wasabi-Ginger.

The Wasabi-Ginger (not pictured) is hot off of the presses, but I was to have my introduction to the whole Lollyphile family at once. I was admittedly putting off trying the Maple-Bacon for a while, wondering at several points when the best time of day to consume such a thing would be—breakfast?

Turned out that the fear was unjustified. The consistent element I discovered across the three is that Lewis has a subtle touch with these outrageous flavors; they're all smooth and not shocking to the taste buds. They don't need to be eaten at a certain time, though an after dinner Absinthe pop might be classy and Wasabi-Ginger (which should really be named Ginger-Wasabi for its proportions) might actually soothe an uneasy tummy. (And, yeah, the Maple-Bacon would be a perfectly lovely and creative addition to a breakfast potluck.)

Lewis is doing his part to foster camaraderie among fellow purveyors of underground confections and satisfy those on a quest for further hard-to-get strangeness. He recently started the sweet of the month club Candyphile. He's taking orders until November 21st for Candyphile's inaugural shipment over the December holidays, which is set to include Valomilk, a classic chocolate marshmallow treat from Kansas.

He's also got more flavors planned, and I, for one, won't be scared to try them. Preferably immediately.