papabubble

I thought hard candy was only for dull old people until I discovered Papabubble. Stop by and see the artists at work and try a few flavors. The strawberry is my particular flavor but they all range from good to amazing. The place can get packed on weekends.

The sweet candy smell wafting down the street is what first drew us into papabubble. The candy is unique and quite good; it’s also a plus that it’s made in the store, so you know it’s not mass-​produced in some far-​away factory. I think it’s worthy of four stars and not five because I believe the second batch of candy we just purchased was not as good as the first batch we purchased and additionally the lady working the register wasn’t very nice or helpful the last time we were in.

Cute hip candyshop! Love the candies! :) They look so cool and the shop has an great vibe. The candy tastes nice and looks amazing.

If you’re just visiting Amsterdam, buying a bag of candy from this amazing little shop is a must.
First off, the candy is beautiful. Yes, candy, beautiful. How they make it is an art form of its own. I was lucky enough to encounter a demonstration they were doing for a school fieldtrip one morning after stepping off a KLM redeye.
Essentially, they start with giant strips of colourful, slowly solidifying sugar, layer, wrap and press it into the shape they want and then roll it from a giant wide cylinder down into the tiny long one and cut it into the hard candy pieces you buy by the bagful with kiwi/​strawberry/​faces/​animals in the middle.
I like to stock up and give bags as housewarming gifts to people I stay with or as edible, ever-​fresh presents when I return instead of stupid souvenir items that just gets dusty in the closet (clogs, keychains with clogs on them, life-​sized windmills).
Obligatory slapstick joke: It’s the best damn hand-​rolled thing you can legally bring home from Amsterdam.