Fruity
I really love the candies that Brach’s makes for the Easter candy season. I think they have the biggest variety of candies out of all the candy makers out there. The have fruit jelly beans, spice jelly beans, licorice jelly beans, malted milk eggs, marshmallow chicks and rabbits just to name a few. I was super excited to find these Jelly Chicks & Rabbits, since these are new for me and I thought I’ve tried (yet not blogged) most of what Brach’s has to offer.
The jellies come in one of two shapes, either a rabbit or a chick. The bag is an assorted mix of flavors and colors, so it’s a nice rainbow inside the bag. The jellies are large, a tad larger than a quarter. The chew is think and dense, but thankfully not sticky.
Grape: Starts off very juicy flavor of grapes and “purple”. Its slightly medicinal, with a bit of thet grape cough syrup flavor. It’s not a bad grape, I actually kinda enjoyed it.
Lemon: This is bright and tart, with an excellent hint of zest to it. It’s a lovely lemon flavor that has a slight sweet side to it which balances out the zestiness to it.
Apple: Starts off very floral and perfumey. It reminds me of a scented candle. The the “apple” flavor blossoms, and you get this jolly rancher sour apple type flavor that I didn’t like. It tasted too much like a candle still to me.
Orange: Immediately tastes bright and juicy, with a great play of sweet and tart. Really nice orange flavor.
Strawberry: This tastes so “pink” and perfumey. It took me a moment to figure out if I should eat it or spit it out just because it tastes so floral. It kinda comes across as inedible at first. Disappointing, since strawberry is usually the “safe” flavor of the bunch.
Cherry: The cherry surprised me a lot. It is not overly bitter or strange tasting. It’s actually quite nice. The flavor is very fruity, jammy and “red”. It’s not bitter or too fake.
After trying all these candies, I felt a bit let down. The flavors I was expecting to love I really didn’t, and the flavors I thought I wasn’t going to like were just “meh”. Still, if you’re into this kind of candy I suggest giving them a shot. Since I am more of a chocolate and jelly bean person shouldn’t let me turn you away from something you know you enjoy. Either way, they’re pretty to look at as they’re colorful and cute!
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links Brach’s Website
I took a candy hunting trip to my local Target in search of good Easter fodder for this blog. I found a lot of options, too many in fact. It can be so hard to choose! This move theater sized box of Swedish Fish caught my eyes right away. I saw the word “Eggs” on it and knew that it was something new that I hadn’t tried before. I wasn’t sure how Swedish Fish eggs would work, but I was curious and had to find out.
The box is very colorful. It’s filled with springtime colors and a basket full of Easter eggs. “What, you never heard of candiar?” says the red Swedish fish sporting a pair of bunny ears. This package reminds me of what people say a bad acid trip is like.
The candy in the package is a mix of the candiar and small classic Swedish fish.
The red Swedish fish taste totally familiar. A bright, sweet cherry flavor. It has notes of bitterness, but they are rounded out with more fruity “red” flavors, so it’s hard to find them completely medicinal tasting.
The “candiar” is little round half domes. One side is flat so they can sit nicely on a surface without rolling around. The come in four colors: teal orange, chartreuse and yellow.
The teal colored ones taste…hard to say. They’re sweet, and fruity, but not really of anything specific. The yellow ones are clearly lemon. It’s a great lemon flavor that’s both sweet and zesty at the same time. I’m reminded of a lemon Starburst. The chartreuse candiar is lime. It is sweet and zesty, but it has a slight floor cleaner taste to it. The orange is, well, orange. The flavor is sweet with a slight tart note to it, and I’m’ reminded of tangerines. The size of the candiar is nice, and they’re very “poppable” My fiance and I couldn’t help but to keep popping them in our mouths.
Both my fiance and I really liked these. They’re a fun variation on the classic fish, and it’s nice to have so many flavors in smaller shapes. We plan on going back to Target to get more of these, we found them to be super yummy.
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links Swedish Fish Website
I first heard about the See’s Orange Cream lollypops last year when I saw Cybele’s review of them on candyblog.net from last year. I had made plans with my fiance to run to the nearest See’s store over the weekend to look for these lollypops, when I was thoughtfully sent samples during the week. They somehow read my mind! Thank you See’s!
You can find these Orange Cream lollypops in stores and online. They retail for $5.55, which isn’t a bad price as each package comes with 8 lollypops. They come in a compact little baggie that’s tucked into a decorative sleeve with the candy’s logo and information on it. It’s a nice cheerful orange color.
These lollypops are very similar to all the other lollypops that See’s makes. They’re large and square, and come on a sturdy stick with the the See’s logo printed on it. The orange foil wrapped on there pops are pretty. Once unwrapped the lollypops are a slight beige color. The smell slightly sweet.
The flavor is certainly creamy, which is always nice in a lollypop. You can immediately taste the flavors of vanilla and orange in here, and I am reminded of a creamsicle. It’s a I was expecting the flavor to have more intensity, since orange and vanilla are such powerful flavors. It it still very flavorful, but it’s just not a hit in the face like the root beer and cinnamon lollypops were.
I really liked these lollypops. They’re a fun way to have the “creamsicle” flavor without having the cold ice cream part. I also find the flavor very appropriate for Easter, it’s light and reminds me of spring. Due to their substantial size, they’re treats that will last a good long time, so it’s easier to savor it. What could be better on Easter Sunday than savoring a nice treat?
Rating: Will Buy Again
Links See’s Candies Website
These package of ZeroSH gummies that I found in Mitsuwa Market interested me in many ways. First was the name, because when I see “Zero” on things it makes me think of diet food. “Zero calories” and “Zero carbs” and the like comes to mind. Which, I realize sounds strange coming from someone whose favorite candy bar is the Zero bar. Second, was the very intense bright pink images on the package. It screamed pink grapefruit to me all the way down the aisle. These things together made me wonder things like “Are these zero calorie gummies?” and “Are these gummies made with artificial sweeteners?”. The only way to answer these questions, besides becoming fluent in Japanese, is to taste them.
The package makes them look similar to the Haribo gummi rings. Instead the shape is much different, more like a hollowed out oval. They have a dense coating of granular sanding sugar on the outside and they’re a nice shade of pink.
The flavor is very nice. It’s very authentic to pink grapefruit; bright, zesty and sweet. The granulated sugar coating gives it an extyra tartness which enchaes the flavor of the grapefruit. The coating also gives it a nice crunch and the gummi texture is on the tougher, chewier side. Overall I really liked it. Dense, chewy and authentically flavorful.
So as far as the “Zero” goes I really am no further along in figuring out. The candy didn’t taste like it was zero calorie or if it was made with artificial sugars. I guess the best way to conclude it is English words are cool to use, whether or not the meaning has any connection to the item it is selling.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Gimbal’s Fine Candies makes a bunch of really fantastic looking sweets. They are a company I’ve meant to try products from, but sadly they’re somewhat difficult for me to locate. Because of this, I’ve been waiting for the day where I have the luck to find some somewhere. Well, I was struck with candy luck the other day, as I found this bag of Cherry Lover’s jelly beans in my local Rite Aid. I immediately snatched it up and squealed at my good candy fortune.
These is an assortment of cherry flavored jelly beans. What impressed me right away is that “cherry juice concentrate” is one of the top items on the ingredients list. Yum! This made me very hopeful of having a more authentic taste as opposed to the medicinal one I encounter so much.
The beans are very pretty, and they’re even heart shaped! So cute!
Wild Cherry: Bright red. The flavor is classic red cherry, bright, fruity sweet. Thankfully there’s no hint of bitterness for the food coloring. Just a tasty, classic red cherry flavor.
Cherry Vanilla: White with red flecks. The flavor stars out like cherry, then this sweet, creamy flavor kicks in. I wouldn’t say it’s terribly vanilla, but when the two mix together ti does give off a cherry vanilla essence.
Black Cherry: Dark red. This one is very juicy, with strong, rich, notes of cherry that remind me of jam or a think juice. So yummy.
Chocolate Cherry: Dark brown. Immediately has notes of cocoa that are accented with bright cherry flavors. tasty.
Cherry Cheesecake: Pink with red flecks. Starts off sweet with creamy, rick, tangy flavors similar to cream cheese. The cherry flavor here is better and metallic tasting in comparison to the “cheese” flavor.
Bing Cherry: Bright red, hard to tell apart from the wild cherry. This flavor is more sweet than the wild cherry. The flavors are more metallic and deep than the wild cherry. Has more bitterness to it.
Cherry Daiquiri: Purple with red flecks. This starts off bright and fruity, more like a standard “berry flavor” than anything else. It tastes like there’s hints of lime.
Cherry Cola: Bright pink: Stars off sweet, then you get the intense, earthy flavor of cola. They’re sharp with an accent of herbs and lemon. Combined with the cherry it was very intense and it tickled my throat.
Kiwi Cherry: Pink with green flecks. The flavor is immediately very fruity with accents of pineapple and passion fruit. I wouldn’t call it “kiwi” per say, but mixed with the cherry it comes across as a very peachy flavor.
Overall, I really enjoyed these. My fiance too, was pleasantly surprised, and it’s the first thing he now grabs to munch on out of my candy stash. I plan to put these is a pretty candy dish when I have friends over, as they are terribly attractive to look at. If you are looking for a delicious, unique jelly bean, along with loving good cherry flavors. These are worth seeking out.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Gimbal’s Website
