Archival Collection · Seventh Edition
Handmade pastilles with the taste of a 1960s candy counter
We press small-batch confections the old apothecary way in Galena, Illinois: horehound steeped overnight, violet folded into warm paste, honey-lemon lozenges cured eleven days on marble. Every tin carries its own batch card, kettle number, and tasting window.
- 1911 Founded on Main Street
- 11 days Marble cure per lot
- 7 lots In the current ledger
Flavor & Occasion Ledger Tags
Seven archival lots, sorted by the families our gift buyers ask for most.
- Vintage apothecary pastilles 07
- Honey lemon throat lozenges 01
- Anise squares and clove drops 02
- Keepsake gift tins for hosts 05
- Holiday sweet assortments 06
- Wintergreen mints for the candy dish 03
- Small-batch confections, kettle cooked 04
- Floral violet and rose pastilles 09
- Horehound and sassafras heritage candy 08
- Care package treats for faraway family 10
- Tasting boxes and pairing guides 11
- Retro candy counter memories 12
The Archival Collection
Seven lots on the ledger, each with its own batch card
Every lot lists the ingredient family, kettle number, batch size, texture profile, and the occasion it was built for. Filter the ledger below to see only the confections that fit the candy dish, the gift tin, or the after-dinner service you have in mind.
Showing 7 of 7 archival lots — All seven archival lots
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Lot 01
Honey Lemon Lozenges
Citrus & Honey · Kettle 2
Wildflower honey cooked with Meyer lemon peel into a lozenge that holds its shape for nine slow minutes.
- Texture
- Hard lozenge, nine-minute dissolve
- Batch size
- 140 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Hostess tin, teacher gift, pantry staple
Cured 11 days Tasting notes -
Lot 02
Anise Squares, Pressed Twice
Spiced · Mould Table 1
A firm square stamped on the mould table, dusted with fine sugar and aged so the anise settles into the cane.
- Texture
- Firm stamped square, clean snap
- Batch size
- 96 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- After-dinner service, espresso pairing
Pressed twice Tasting notes -
Lot 03
Wintergreen Mint Tins
Botanical · Kettle 1
Pale mints pressed from a wintergreen leaf infusion that keeps the cool note clean rather than sharp.
- Texture
- Cool short bite, chalk-free finish
- Batch size
- 120 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Classic family candy dish, desk tin
Leaf infusion Tasting notes -
Lot 04
Horehound & Honey Lozenge
Botanical · Copper Kettle 3
The oldest recipe in the ledger: horehound steeped overnight, then cooked dark with raw sugar and a spoon of honey.
- Texture
- Dense herbal lozenge, slow melt
- Batch size
- 78 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Connoisseur box, winter pantry tin
Steeped overnight Tasting notes -
Lot 05
Violet & Rose Pastille Tin
Floral · Kettle 2
Petal-soft pastilles layered with violet essence and damask rose water, finished in fine sugar.
- Texture
- Soft pastille, thirty-second give
- Batch size
- 110 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Keepsake gift tin, wedding favor guide
Slip-lid tin Tasting notes -
Lot 06
Sassafras Root Beer Drops
Botanical · Pull Bench
Amber drops pulled by hand from a sassafras root infusion, with vanilla bean folded in at the end of the cook.
- Texture
- Pulled hard drop, airy bite
- Batch size
- 132 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Retro candy gift box, care package treats
Hand pulled Tasting notes -
Lot 07
Clove & Orange Pastille
Spiced · Kettle 3
A warming clove pastille with a scent of bitter orange peel, packed in the letterpress tin our gift buyers request most.
- Texture
- Soft spiced pastille, warm finish
- Batch size
- 88 tins per kettle run
- Gift suitability
- Holiday sweet assortment, host gift
Letterpress tin Tasting notes
No lots match that family just now. Choose another flavor family above.
Tasting Deck
Flavor profiles, read the way a confectioner reads them
Each family opens on the tongue differently. Use the deck below to compare the opening note, the middle, and the finish before you choose a tin.
Horehound, wintergreen, and sassafras
The botanical lots open bitter-green and finish sweet. Horehound leads with a wet-wool herbal note that long-time candy counter customers recognize instantly; wintergreen arrives cool and almost weightless; sassafras lands between root beer and birch bark, with the vanilla bean softening the tail.
- Opening: bitter herb, cool leaf, or root bark
- Middle: cane sweetness with a resinous edge
- Finish: dry and long, clearing the palate
Violet and damask rose
Floral pastilles are the most delicate thing we press. Violet reads powdery and faintly sweet, the way a grandmother's dressing table smelled; rose sits underneath with a soft, jammy weight. Both are finished in fine sugar so the paste never turns gummy in the tin.
- Opening: powdery violet, rose petal
- Middle: light sugar paste, almost marshmallow
- Finish: short and clean, faintly perfumed
Anise, clove, and bitter orange
Spiced lots are built for the end of a meal. Anise squares are stamped firm so they crack rather than crumble; the clove and orange pastille is softer, with the orange peel cutting the clove before it turns medicinal. Both hold up well in a holiday sweet assortment.
- Opening: licorice seed, warm clove
- Middle: cane sugar, faint citrus oil
- Finish: warming and slightly numbing
Wildflower honey and Meyer lemon
The citrus and honey lots are the friendliest entry into the collection. Meyer lemon peel is steeped in the honey syrup rather than added as an oil, which keeps the brightness soft. The lozenge holds its shape for the better part of ten minutes.
- Opening: warm honey, soft lemon peel
- Middle: caramelized cane, faint floral
- Finish: gentle and coating, mildly tart
| Archival lot | Texture profile | Sweetness | Best occasion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey Lemon Lozenges | Hard lozenge, nine-minute dissolve | Medium | Pantry candy dish, hostess gift |
| Anise Squares | Firm stamped square, clean snap | Low | After-dinner service |
| Wintergreen Mint Tins | Cool short bite, chalk-free | Low | Everyday desk tin |
| Horehound & Honey | Dense herbal lozenge, slow melt | Medium | Connoisseur box |
| Violet & Rose Pastille | Soft pastille, thirty-second give | High | Keepsake gift tin |
| Sassafras Root Beer Drops | Pulled hard drop, airy bite | Medium | Retro candy gift box |
| Clove & Orange Pastille | Soft spiced pastille, warm finish | Medium | Holiday assortment |
Interactive · Palate Matcher
Build a tasting and gift summary in three choices
Choose a flavor family, a texture you enjoy, and the way you plan to serve the tin. The summary panel assembles a pairing draft you can copy for your own gift notes.
Which flavor family pulls you in?
How long should it last on the tongue?
Where will the tin live?
Craft Ledger
Five steps between a herb garden and a sealed tin
Our kettle room still works to the 1911 method, with the same marble curing table and a hand-crank press that has been rebuilt twice. Nothing in the ledger is hurried.
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01
Infusion
Horehound, wintergreen, sassafras root, and anise seed steep overnight in spring water. Violet and rose are handled cold so the perfume survives the cook.
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02
Copper cook
Cane sugar and glucose go into a copper kettle with the strained infusion and are brought to hard crack on a gas flame, stirred by hand with a wooden paddle.
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03
Marble cure
The paste is poured onto a cool marble slab and turned with a bench scraper, then rested eleven days in the drying room until the texture settles.
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04
Mould press
Squares and pastilles are stamped on the hand-crank press; lozenges are rope-cut and rolled on the bench. Every piece is turned by hand before it is counted.
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05
Parchment and tin
Finished pieces are packed in parchment, sealed in a slip-lid tin, and given a letterpress batch card with the kettle number, press date, and tasting window.
My grandmother kept the lozenges in a violet tin on the hall table, and the whole staircase smelled of horehound and honey every December.
Marguerite C. · Galena, Illinois · Customer since 1968
Regional Heritage
A confectionery that grew out of a Galena apothecary
In 1911, Ada Caldwell kept a small apothecary on Main Street and pressed lozenges in the back room for customers who wanted something gentler than a patent tonic. Her nephew added the clove and violet pastilles in the 1930s, and the family kept the marble table when the soda fountain next door closed in 1962.
The upper Midwest still shapes what we make. Cold cellar air is good for curing, the orchard botanicals arrive from neighboring counties, and the long Illinois winters remain the season when a tin of horehound disappears fastest from the family candy dish.
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1911
Ada Caldwell's back room
Honey-lemon lozenges and horehound squares are pressed behind the apothecary counter and wrapped in waxed paper.
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1934
The violet tin arrives
Floral pastilles join the ledger, packed in the violet slip-lid tin still used for Lot 05.
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1962
The soda fountain closes
The neighboring fountain sells its counter and mould table to the Caldwell family, and root beer drops enter the collection.
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1974
The press is rebuilt
The cast iron hand-crank press is refitted with a new brass gear and keeps stamping anise squares to this day.
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1998
Heritage candy craft, catalogued
Every kettle run is written into a bound ledger with batch sizes, textures, and tasting windows for later reference.
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Today
Seventh edition of the collection
Seven lots, three copper kettles, one marble table, and gift tins that leave Galena for kitchens across the country.
Gift Pairing Guide
Three ways to build a keepsake gift tin
Our gift buyers tend to fall into three habits. Each pairing below names the lots, the serving idea, and the note we print on the batch card.
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Pairing I · The Hostess Tin
Violet, Rose & Honey Lemon
A soft opening followed by a friendly citrus finish. This is the tin that goes to a dinner party and comes home empty.
- Lot 05 violet and rose pastilles
- Lot 01 honey lemon lozenges
- Suggested pairing: dry sparkling cider
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Pairing II · The Connoisseur Box
Horehound, Sassafras & Anise
The botanical and spiced lots, arranged darkest to lightest, for someone who remembers the old candy counter and wants the full range.
- Lot 04 horehound and honey lozenge
- Lot 06 sassafras root beer drops
- Lot 02 anise squares, pressed twice
- Suggested pairing: espresso or anise cordial
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Pairing III · The Holiday Assortment
Clove, Orange & Wintergreen
Warming spice beside a cool mint, packed for the December table and for care packages headed to family in colder states.
- Lot 07 clove and orange pastille
- Lot 03 wintergreen mint tins
- Suggested pairing: strong black tea with milk
What travels inside a gift tin
Each tin is lined with parchment, filled by weight, and closed with a slip lid that has not changed shape since the 1930s. A letterpress batch card records the kettle number, press date, texture profile, and the eleven-day cure window so the recipient knows exactly what they are opening.
- Tin sizes in the ledger
- Quarter pound for the candy dish, half pound for the hostess tin, full pound for the holiday assortment
- Shipping seasons
- October through April for chocolate-adjacent lots; the hard lozenges travel year round
- Care package treats
- Parchment twists packed separately so the recipient can split the tin without opening the seal
Counter Questions
What gift buyers ask at the marble counter
The questions we answer most often, gathered here so you can plan a gift without waiting on a reply.
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How long do the pastilles keep?
Hard lozenges and pulled drops hold their texture for nine to twelve months in a closed tin. Soft floral pastilles are best inside five months, and each batch card prints the tasting window for its lot.
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Which tin suits a classic family candy dish?
The wintergreen mint tin is the traditional pick because it stays crisp in open air, and the honey lemon lozenge is the one most households refill through the winter.
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Can I plan a holiday sweet assortment in advance?
Yes. December assortments are assembled from the clove and orange pastille, the wintergreen mint, and the violet and rose pastille, and the ledger closes for the season once the November cure is packed.
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Do you publish allergen and craft details for each lot?
Every lot lists its ingredient family and batch details, and the craft advisory page sets out the shared botanical, dairy, and tree nut handling in the kettle room. Read it before ordering for a household with allergies.
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What makes these confections nostalgic rather than novelty?
The flavors come from apothecary and soda fountain traditions rather than a modern flavor lab: horehound, sassafras, anise, violet, rose, and clove were all standard candy counter notes between the 1950s and the 1980s.