I’ve been paying much more attention to companies and their products since becoming an active candy reviewer a few years ago. It’s amazing to me how some brands and products really stand out and other fade into the candy shadows. One of the companies that have really stood out to me is Albanese Confectionery and their line of gummi candies.

I first tasted their products with their popular 12 flavor gummi bears. I was impressed with them to say the least, and that says something since I’m not a big fan of gummi bears to begin with (unless we’re taking the cartoon show). I usually find them too rubbery and tasteless, but these proved me wrong.

So naturally I was excited to find some of Albanese’s other gummi candy. So here you have it, their Gummi Army Guys. Is this a cool idea or what? To start they’re just awesome to look at. The molds are great; really well done and the size is good too. I want to stick them to a window and re-create a war scene.

Firstly, the texture is awesome. The army guys are firm, chewy, yet not too hard so my jaw gets sore. The chew is terribly ideal and exactly what I look for in gummi candy.

The flavor is fruity and is very apple like. I’m immediately reminded of fresh apple cider. I’m really pleased with it as it’s not overly done and is really fresh and tasty.

These are too fun for words and I wish I had a younger brother to share there with, as I can see boys really appreciating the shape and flavor (not to say a little girl wouldn’t, mind you!). My boyfriend will have to suffice.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links:
Albanese Confectionery Website

It’s always so sad during the first few days past Halloween. The anticipation is gone, the costumes are gone, that wonderful haunted feeling….gone. The candy isn’t though, thankfully! In fact, the post Halloween candy sales are almost as exciting as the holiday itself. Ok, maybe I exaggerate a bit…

I found this unusual candy at Walgreens on sale. Seeing the ominous size of the package, I can see why. It’s huge! What drew me into this specific candy as opposed to all the other offerings was, well, come on, look at it! It’s a bona fide candy spin off! A candy of a candy! That’s something you don’t see everyday.

Inside this monster of a bag, there’s individual packets of the gummi corn. The amount in each varied greatly, so I don’t know how much quality control paid attention to these. The kernels themselves are very attractive. They’re the size of real candy corn but the colors are brighter and more ghoulish. The texture is firm when you handle, they’re not limp and squishy like most gummis on the market. In the mouth, the chew is firm, more like those “fruit snacks” than gummis.

Scary Cherry (pink and red): Very artificial and bitter. SOmething about it reminds of of Valentine’s Day “red” flavors. It’s berry like, but nondescript.

Ghostly Grape Punch (purple ad blue): This taste like a milder version of Welch’s grape jelly. Pretty tasty, especially considering I’m not a big fan of grape flavors.

Phantom Pineapple Orange (yellow and orange): I get light notes of both the pineapple and orange. It’s sweet and a little zesty, like both fruits. It reminds me of a fruity popsicle.

Bizarre Berry Kiwi (pink and green): I taste melon, a vague kiwi essence with a strawberry sweetness to it.

I have to give it to Brach’s, they made a tasty treat here and I’m happy I caught it before it disappeared until next year. But, like all spin offs, it doesn’t measure up to the original.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links:
Brach’s Website

One of the Halloween candies I routinely stock up on each year are gummi pumpkins. I admit that a good 75% of the reason is the fact that’s they’re cute little pumpkins and most of the time I’m not really taking the taste into consideration. This is a mistake really, if eating them is what you plan to do with them, which is what I do with them after I’m done cooing at how cute they are and squishing them with my fingers. Yes, pumpkins have that effect on me.

I’ve seen these made by several different brands, so it’s hard for me to pin down a specific one to review. I’ve had several over the years and it’s hard for me to really say if one is better than the other. They are all good in my book. These specific ones were samples from the All Candy Expo, but I’ve seen these in bulk bins at grocery stores. So they’re pretty easy to find if you’re willing to look.

The flavor of these is not pumpkin, sadly. Although that’d be a little strange now that I think about it. Instead, they’re the (next) best flavor in line: orange. It’s a nice fresh, slightly zesty orange, a little sweeter than a Lifesaver. The sugar coating gives a nice crunch and the texture is very firm and chewy. So much so that some tend to get stuck and all sticky in my teeth which is extremely annoying.

I also like how multi-purposeful these gummi pumpkins are. I’ve seen the used in many Halloween baking creations as they make wonderful toppers for cupcakes. Your imagination is the limit, really.

My favorite way to enjoy them is to leave the bag open and out on my table. I nibble on a few each day and taste enjoy them as the texture gradually hardens as they get a little stale. Strange, I know, but they’re fun and I always am disappointed when I find my bag empty. Which is always sooner than I expect.

Rating: Will Buy Again

If that isn’t a gorgeous candy package, I don’t know what is! It was totally on impulse that I grabbed these at the Mitsuwa in Los Angeles. The bright colors called right out to me. Whatever was inside, no matter how potentially nasty, had to be mine.

Thankfully, just as the package’s design suggests, these are watermelon flavored gummis. It’s nice that I can read the Japanese to know this, but I also appreciate the package’s intuitive design to bridge the language barrier and let anyone know what to expect from this candy.

The gummis are so adorable. Really, I had to sit there and just coo at them because they’re so cute. The gummis come in two colors, red and yellow. Each have a wonderful wedge shape to them and a green rind. They smell fresh and fruity and the texture is nice and firm.

Red: Color aside, this one is watermelon flavored. It’s very juicy tasting with notes of melon and peach (where I think most of the “artificial” aspect of candy melon flavors come from). It’s pleasant, kinda perfumey and very, very tasty.

Yellow: This one is much more tart and apple-like in flavor as opposed to the red ones. These taste more authentic because of the strong apple presence, but conversely less like a melon. I prefer this one over the red.

I think watermelon works as a great flavor for gummi candy and I can’t help but wonder why there isn’t more non sour varieties like this available. Just goes to show that sometimes you can judge a candy by its packaging.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Sometimes I come across a candy and I don’t really know what to make of it. The Clif Shot Bloks are a good example of this. They’re sold as an energy option for endurance athletes to eat for their training and events. The thing that interests me about them is that they’re gummis. Technically that means they are an energy candy, but what exactly is that? Is it still candy if it’s meant for something else then eating for pleasure?

I am torn on the issue of candy as athletic fuel. Granted, it’s well known scientific fact that sugar is a fast way to get an energy fix, which is necessary for many of the athletes who use these sort of products. It’s also a given that you’d want these products to taste good, too. So it’s really logical to make these energy supplements to taste like candy. Here lies the problem though: can these energy products really taste like candy? Would you eat them if you didn’t need the energy fix? I was curious to find out.

Strawberry: The shape of these are very large, about 1oz apiece. They’re square and reminds me of the approximate space and size of a standard chocolate bonbon. They’re semi-opaque, with a deep berry like pink color. The flavor is wonderful, especially considering this is meant purely as a form of quick-energy and not as something to savor. It tastes intensely of strawberry with a very thick, jam-like flavor. I also get some tartness in there, and it comes through as tasting like fresh apple cider. it’s so good. The texture is nice too. Thick, your teeth slice though it in the nicest way. It’s a little sticky, but only in your hands. The chew is firm yet quick, since you don’t want to be spending time chewing when you’re trying to deliver glucose to your muscles. What can I say, I’m impressed!

Cran-Razz: These are much darker than the strawberry, a very deep opaque berry purple. The taste is very jammy, but very bland. I get light notes of raspberry, but no hint of cranberry, not even a tart edge, to be found. It reminds me of how watered down juice tastes.

Cola: A nice deep brown color and looks yellow ish toward the ends where the gummi is a little translucent. It has an odd smell like the other, oddly fruity and a little salty. The flavor is a very spicy cola flavor, which is sweet and earthy with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and a twist of lemon. These have a very strong bitter aftertaste to them which I’m not too fond of though, which is a killjoy for me. Kinda like drinking a soda that’s gotten flat. It just feels like something is off.

As a workout boost these are a great option. But as candy? Personally, I wouldn’t eat them as such.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links:
Shot Bloks at the Clif Website