Gummi Candy
SweetTarts is keeping up with their holiday offerings with these adorable Holiday Gummies. I saw these in Target in their holiday section, among dozen of other seasonal candies. I gravitate toward candies like these since as far as I know, SweetTarts doesn’t usually release gummies for the “normal” months. Therefore, these feel more unique to me than the Snickers, Kitkats, Kisses etc that come in just holiday theme packaging. It’s what’s inside that counts, guys.
The package does a wonderful job of matching the coloring scheme of SqeetTarts with the colors of the season. It’s a very attractive package to look at. The gummies come in the holiday shapes of bells, stockings, Christmas trees and stars. So very cute! I realize that Wonka is trying to be politically correct in calling these “Holiday” gummis, but it seems odd when the gummis have such blatantly Christmas iconography. Just saying.
The red gummis is bright and zesty at first, like sour cherry. It has bright “red” notes of strawberry and cherry. It’s tangy and sweet, and the flavor isn’t too metallic, although since it’s so tart it’s very “Jolly Rancher”. It’s a nice red flavor though, I could eat this one all day as opposed to others I’ve had.
The green ones start of sweet and mellow with nice juicy notes of melon. Only as you chew it does the more zesty tones and flavors of sour apple burst trhough. It’s a very juicy flavor and because of that it’s very tasty. It’s hard to top popping them into you mouth.
These were tastier than what I was expecting, and I really enjoyed them. I can see these looking really cute in a candy dish or as cupcake toppings. If your into sour gummi candies, I recommend giving these a shot.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Wonka Website
It’s not often that I get a good sampling of candy from a foreign country. Usually you find isolated samplings of them in stores, a Haribo product here, a Cadbury product there. This only give you a small sliver of their confectionery offerings, that you hardly get a good picture of the flavor preferences of that country. Ingrid’s Candy Shop is an online store that specializes in Swedish candy, and they offered me the chance to taste what Sweden has to offer. I was super excited since I really only knew of Swedish fish and they few candies you see displayed at IKEA. I selected a few candies that sounded good to me and eagerly awaited them in the mail!
Brio frukt (look like chiclets) “Square shaped fruity candy from Malaco”: These candies look like chickets, square, colorful and shiny. The come in pastel colors of green, white, yellow and pink. The texture of these is very thick and stick, like a hardened Starburst or HiChew. The green tastes like pineapple: sweet, juicy and fresh. White is sweet and tastes of green pear with delicate juicy notes. Yellow is immediately sweet and zesty of lemon. Orange is sweet and tastes of tangerine, with a very juicy edge with a hit of zest. Pink is sweet with light floral notes and hints of berry. A very “pink” flavor. I really liked these a lot, one of my favorites in the sampling.
Gelehallon “Raspberry gelee with sprinkled sugar on top 
”: They’re about the size of normal gumdrops, but they’re more vibrant and squishier. They have a nice coating of granulated sugar on them and they smell fruity. The texture is very soft and chewy, and is easy to chew. The flavor is…fruity, then it gets very bitter. It must be from all the red food coloring because it tastes very much like a cherry medicine to me. For some that’s a good thing, but for me, I’d rather not eat something that tastes like something I take when I’m sick.
Hallon lakrits skallar “This licorice head is a hybrid candy that have a mix of raspberry flavor with lakrits. Delicious sweet chewy candy!”: These are large gummis. They’re easily an inch and a half long. They’re skulls with the top half red and the bottom black. It’s raspberry/licorice flavor combination. The chew is very dense and stick, and it’s hard to eat at first. The licorice part is salty, to my surprise. You really taste the salt over the licorice and raspberry flavors. It’s disappointing since I love liquorice but the salt really dominates too much. A nice candy if you’re into that though.
Swedish Fish “The original”: The green fist tastes a generic fruity flavor at first, then I get hints of lime and pineapple. The chew is wonderful dense and thick, and isn’t too sticky so it’s easy to work with. Yellow tastes like lemon right from the start. It’s zesty, sweet, with a nice tart edge to it. Orange starts off with this strange artificial flavor similar to floor cleaner. It’s floral and bitter. I taste some notes of orange in there, but the “fake” note to it just makes it taste too chemical for me. Red is very fruity, like a mix between strawberries and raspberries. Light, sweet and refreshing.
Stora colaflaskor “Big cola bottles that are chewy & sweet” Thew chew on these is much softer and chewier. It’s a nice relief from the harder gummis. The flavor is a very mild, very flavorful cola. Complete with good accents of spice and fizz, with a rounded molasses edge to it. it’s very nice, It’s sweet and flavorful. I really liked these.
Sura körsbär “Sura körsbär is basically sour cherry’s, Now this one is one of the best sour candies that I have ever eaten, it’s a promise!”: They’re right. these are pretty awesome. They’re large gummis, and they have a very dense and compact sanding of sour sugar on them. The chew is very dense. You do have to work it some to take a piece off. The flavor is immediately sour, and it’s a nice, intense sour too. It really sits you upright in your chair, as so tp speak. The flavor is very cherry, but a bright, fruity cherry and not a thick and syrupy cherry from a medicine bottle. The gummi becomes sweet once the sugar coating wear off, and it becomes sticky to chew. I really enjoyed these.
Zoo “This one is a must in your candy bag, one of Malaco’s best sweets!” These candies are small and look like sitting moneys. So no wonder they’re called “zoo”. The texture is very plastic-y, I’m reminded of Twizzlers, but denser. The flavor is like a nice red candy strawberry. Notes of berries, but more of a “red” flavor really. Tasty, I really liked them.
Cocobat “Cocobat is mint coco with licorice” The texture of these is quite dense. It took some chewing to get them going. The inside is way more flavorful than the outside. You immediately taste the cream once you chew through the licorice exterior. it tastes…sweet? It’s hard to lay a finger on the flavors since this candy is really more about texture to me. I tired the other colored licorice tube (the ones with the green) and it tasted fruity to me. Tasty for sure!
Djungelvrål “These jungle ape’s are salt lakrits that turn sweet. Swedish licorice that top’s the list” These are very salty to start. Very salty, so they were hard for me to eat at first. Once the salt melts away you get a flavor of a nice herbal licorice with notes of anise and molasses. The chew is dense and sticky and I had to pick a lot out of my teeth. Still, for salty licorice, I liked it. The salty part will take some getting used to, but the licorice itself is very tasty.
Punschpraliner “is a swedish classic! Punch cream covered with chocolate and sprinkles.” These look like squat gumdrop sized Nestle Snowcaps: chocolate coating with white non pariels. They smell rich and sweet of the chocolate. The texture is soft and chewy and smooth from the chocolate. You get a slight crunch from the sprinkles. The flavor is very complex with notes of vanilla, butter and rum. It reminds me of rum raisins in a way, it’s a very buttery flavor. Tasty, unique.
I really enjoyed trying all these candies from Sweden. It’s rare to get some a taste of another country without actually going there yourself. It was interesting to see a pattern with the candies styles and flavors, and I felt it gave me a sense of Sweden’s candy sensibilities. The seems to love red fruit flavors, and they’re also a big fan of licorice. Both things I understand! If I had to choose a favorite it’d be the Sura körsbär. I’m usually not a fan of sour candies but these are so awesome and tasty! I extend a huge thanks to Ingrid’s Candy shop for letting me try these amazing sweets.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Ingrid’s Candy Shop Website
I love gummi pumpkins! They’re pretty tasty and come October, there’s so many varieties to choose from. I tend to prefer the ones with the granulated sugar coating on them, as I really like that texture. What lured me into these gummis that I found in Cost Plus World market was the fact it’s a mix of black (ish) and orange pumpkins. Something new, horray!
So, from looking at the package, it’s difficult to say who made these gummi pumpkins for Coat Plus World Market, since they’re packaged completely in their branded packaging. I have a inkling they’re the Juju Pumpkins that Zachary Confections makes. Still I’m sure there’s other manufacturers out there out there that I am unaware of.
These pumpkins are attractive to look at. The colors are vibrant and pretty. The back, upon closer inspection, is actually a dark purple. The pieces are well formed and have nice fluting on them like real pumpkins. They’re a nice size too, not too big and not small. I’d say around the size of a large gumdrop.
The grape pumpkin tastes like concord grapes. It’s thick and juicy with rich notes of grape and raspberry. I’m reminded of a mixture of concord grape juice and grape cough medicine, but in a good way.
The orange pumpkin is, of course, orange flavored. It’s bright and orangy, and reminds me of the Brach’s orange slices. The flavor is sweet and there’s no hint of tartness at all. Fun and tasty.
I really liked these, and they’re a fun “stand in” until I find the ones with the sugar coating. I prefer the orange ones to the grape flavor, which in a way makes this package hard for me to pick through since I go after all the orange ones first. I’m sure these would look super nice as decorations in a candy bowl or on top of cupcakes!
Rating: Will Eat Again
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, which I’m sure comes as no surprise as I run a candy blog. It’s not just the candy however. I love the costumes, the foliage (which I sadly miss out on now that I live in LA), the pumpkins, the stories….I could go on and on! So knowing October was just around the corner, I took a trip to Target to see what candy they had in for the season. I found a few things, one of them was these cute Lifesavers Gummis Spooky Shapes!
It has a fun Halloween styled package, using ooze green and purple color scheme what has gotten popular along with traditional orange and black. In the corner is Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy holding trick-or-treat bags. All smiling. Kinda creepy. The box has a strange triangular opening in the back where you pull out the sealed plastic bag that keeps the gummis fresh and safe.
The aroma of the gummis is unmistakeable. They’re Lifesavers all right. It’s the smell I remember from when I was a kid. It’s fruit punchy with a strong hint of cherry. The shapes are cute: smiling jack-o-lanterns, witch heads, black cats, ghosts.
The red flavor is the exact same as the red Lifesaver. It’s cherry, with a strong fruity flavor and a very heavy metallic edge to it from the food coloring. It’s somewhat bitter but full of nostalgia.
Light purple is berry. It starts off tasting like grape, but a floral sweetness takes over which reminds me more of raspberries and strawberries.
Green is bland at first, then the bright, somewhat tart flavors of green apple kick through. It’s tangy and apply, in the Jolly Rancher sort of way.
These gummis just reminded me how much I miss the 5 flavor Lifesavers from my youth: lemon, lime, orange, pineapple and cherry. Nostalgia aside, I liked these flavors and the came across as fun and the shapes were certainly in the spirit of Halloween. The jack-o-lantern one is my favorite!
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Lifesavers Website
Everyone has their preferences with candy, and that’s the beauty of it all. I have preferences just like everyone else, but I also enjoy trying everything because I’m a big foodie like that. One candy that’s always in my stash are gummis. Both my boyfriend and I are big fans of gummi candies, so we’re always looking for new kinds and well as keeping the classic favorites around. When I saw these VanSlooten Sun & Fun gummis, I was interested since I’ve never seen anything like these before.
The come in a convenient tube with a removable top. The package design is simple, yet eye-catching. The photos of the gummis are pretty spot on in representing the candies on the inside, so it’s not a sad surprise when you do go about opening the package. The top was a little hard to remove at first, but once I practiced it a few times I had it down. The package smells fruity and sweet, but not of any particular fruit.
Green: Hard to lay my finger on this place. It isn’t lime or watermelon, but it has juicy fruity notes and a pleasant flavor. My best guess is it’s apple.
Beige/Brown (Cola): Sweet with spicy notes to it, like a good cola should. It reminds me more of Pepsi than Coke, as the spice flavor is more predominant.
Red: Sweet and floral, and surprisingly mild. Not really sure what this one is supposed to be. I get soapy notes every so often. Whatever it is I’m not quite sold on it.
Orange: Orange, but more like an orange cola flavor. It has some strange spicy/bitter notes to it that remind me of some orange candies I taste around Halloween.
Green/Maroon: This one is sweet and tasty. Has notes of “red” and berries. I think it’s trying to be strawberry or cherry, but the taste is so nondescript that I cannot place my finger on it.
These proved to be interesting all right. The flavors seemed kinda benign and muddled, but that didn’t stop me from eating them after the tasting. I shared them with my friends, like I do all my candies, and they liked these too. One especially with smitten with their dense, chewy texture. When I really sit down and think about it, I finally touched on what these remind me of: wine gums. Regardless, if you’re a gummi fan, these are a fun variety to try!
Rating: Might Eat Again
