Jelly Belly is always coming up with creative and interesting flavors to add to their already impressive line of jelly beans. Back a few years ago I did the review for the new Dark Chocolate Jelly Beans and BeanBoozled for CandyAddict.com. After that I was then featured in the New York Times in a Jelly Belly article, so now I feel I’ve come full circle with my first official Jelly Belly review for The Candy Enthusiast.

The new flavor for Jelly Belly? Honey! This is the 92nd flavor (told you it was a big list!) of Jelly Belly bean for sale and is the idea of many consumers who’ve written and polled for it for some time now. It’s great to know Jelly Belly listens to it’s consumers.

These Honey beans are made with real wildflower honey and the flavor certainly reflects it. The beans are beautiful and they look like little hardened globs of honey. My photo makes the look more orange than they really are, as they’re more of a shade of amber. 

So how do they taste?

Really wonderful.

The first thing you get is a flowring sweetness that evolves swiftly into a full honey flavor. It’s as if you just liked the end of honey spoon, just not as intense. It’s amazing how well these beans capture the honey flavor, and they’re just delightful.

I found myself reaching for another and another, and I had to hide the rest of my samples so I was able to share them with my boyfriend, who is a big honey lover. Needless to say, he’s just as smitten with them as I am! These honey jelly beans I feel are really unique, so if you see them do give them a try. And if you’re one of the many who’ve written Jelly Belly requesting this flavor over the years, I can say you will not be disappointed. 

Rating: Hoard

Links Jelly Belly Website

The last and hopefully not the least of my Teenee Beanee reviews. I have to admit now that, I only ended up finding three of the four flavors mixed that Teenee Beanee offers. The missing one is the Luxor Licorice, which I am pretty bummed about missing, as I love licorice beans. No matter, I’m here to focus on the Island Breeze flavor mix, and that’s what I’ll do.

Again, the package is very pretty and fitting. It does feel very tropical. The description this time reads: ”Includes exotic flavors so authentic you can almost hear the sound of steel drums. Get ready, get set, get away!”.

The bag smells very fruity and tropical, like Hawaiian Punch when I opened it. It was a nice smell, and I found myself just sticking my nose into the bag and inhaling a few times even before reaching to eat the beans. The mix is pretty to look at, with the colors bright and almost neon.

Cabana Strawbana (red): Such a cute name! This bean tastes more starchy and sweet of fake banana than of strawberries, or any berries for that matter. It has an extra sweet edge which I think is supposed to be the strawberry part. But that’s only if I imagine really hard.

Kauai Pineapple Banana (yellow): Tastes more pineapple than banana. Heck, I don’t taste any banana here at all until the very end where there’s a slight starchy aftertaste. The pineapple is fruity, tart and authentic. I’m a fan.

St. Kitts Kiwi Lime (green): This has that immediate tart kick of lime that is followed by a sweeter, more tropical flavor of kiwi. It’s very floral and zesty with no hint of bathroom cleaner.

Martinique Orange Pineapple (orange): So very smooth and clean in flavor. The orange is weak, like Tang, lacking zest and tartness. I’m sadly not getting much pineapple here either, as none of this flavor reads as “tropical” to me. Just smooth, creamy, orange notes.

I liked this mix for what it was, a sampling of tropical flavors, even though they were a bit confusing with their flavors. That’s the trend I see with the whole Teenee Beanee line, in fact. The Island Breeze is my favorite of the trio I tried, and it’s something I don’t think I’ll be reaching for again. The jelly beans I normally buy are hard to knock out of the top slots on my favorites list, yes. That doesn’t excuse the fact that I had to think about what a flavor of the bean was in the Teenee Beenee mixes. I should just taste it.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Teenee Beanee Website

The second bag of Teenee Beanee beans I nabbed on that especially lucky was was the Country Retreats mix. The package, with it’s warm color splashes and bountiful harvest images, is very attractive. It does emit a sort of “laziness of days gone by” sort of feeling to it. I could see someone imagining themselves in that lawn chair depicted on the top, relaxing and snacking on these jelly beans. The description on the front hints at this idea with ”The new old-fashioned escape. Travel far from the crowded streets and discover a country hideaway that still makes classic desserts in their special homemade style. Enjoy a small slice of fruit-filled heaven.”

What excited me most about this mix was the unusual flavors: Strawberry Cheesecake, Peaches & Cream, Blueberry Cobbler, Apple Dumpling a la Mode and Banana Cream Pie. With most jelly bean mixes, you get the approximately the same flavors over and over again. I’ve yet to see the likes of Apple Dumpling a la Mode and Blueberry Cobbler in another mix (do correct me if I’m wrong!).

Upon opening the bag I was greeted with a very odd smell, that of different fruit and spices. It didn’t seem like jelly beans to me, but hey, who am I to judge? I poured a few out to try, and I have to admit, the colors of these are dreadful. Alone, each bean is fine, but together it’ not attractive at all. Pinks, blues and beiges. How drab.

Strawberry Cheesecake (pink ): This one was hard to peg. The only real hint I got was the color is pink. It has a light berry sweetness that could have read as blueberry. What I taste more of are the flavors of the graham cracker and cinnamon crust.

Peaches & Cream (light pink/orange ): Very peachy and fruity tasting. It’s light and refreshing.

Blueberry Cobbler (blue): This, like the Strawberry Cheesecake, just tastes lightly of berries and very sweet. I don’t get any flavor nuances other than that.

Apple Dumpling a la Mode (beige): A very light, creamy apple flavor with the dominant flavors of cinnamon and vanilla. The first of the beans that actually reminds me of the dessert it’s based on. 

Banana Cream Pie (light yellow): I think this is the only one out of the mix that can be this flavor, right? It’s odd. It’s very artificial and strange tasting. It has a brown sugar like sweetness to it. It’s not banana-like at all, but the color....

This flavor mix didn’t exactly help my lukewarm first impression with the Americana Medley mix I reviewed yesterday. If anything, I found these confusing despite the fact I liked the out of the box flavors. They were too similar with no real distinction other than the colors. Jelly Beans shouldn’t be like that.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links Teenee Beanee Website

When I first heard of the Teenee Beanee line of jelly beans made by Just Born, I knew I had to get my hands on them. This proved to be no easy task, as I soon discovered. I checked all my usual haunts, and then some of my unusual ones, in search of these elusive beans. I even heard that CVS carries them, only to check 6 of them in my surrounding area before giving up on my search. Emails to Just Born PR proved fruitless, as they were just as confused as I was about not being able to locate any. They became my candy “White Whale” for a long time. It wasn’t until I was visiting my parents in Upstate New York did I finally discover some. It was in one of the cheesy, baseball souvenir/dollar stores on the main street. I squealed with glee, enough so that it frightened my poor Dad, as I snatched up all the kinds they had.

This is the first of the three bags I found that day. The Teenee Beanee(R) Americana Medley(R) Jelly Beans. They’re described as “Classics from coast to coast. Sit back and enjoy a cross-country tour to six luscious locales”. I find myself both interested and confused. What are the flavors exactly? Locations in America do little to draw flavors to mind...other than Mississippi Mud. I doubt that was something they would include in the flavor mix, though. Pouring out a sample, the colors are nice with the whole rainbow represented, save a trade of blue for a pink.

La Jolla Lemon (yellow): I have no clue of La Jolla, but no matter. The lemon flavor is sweet with a tiny sour edge. It’s very pleasant.

Napa Grape (purple): This flavor was well done, as reminds me of a grape tootsie pop, but juicier.

Chesapeake Cherry (red): Ick. It tastes of cough syrup and cherry lifesaver. Juicy, bitter, cherry redness.

Savannah Strawberry (pink): Peaches come to mind for Savannah more than strawberries do, but who am I to judge? I’m impressed with the flavor as it’s sweet with bright berry notes and a good strong finish.

Indian River Orange (orange): Extremely juicy and sweet, no tang at all. It’s not creamy, as most mild orange flavors are. Just smooth and sugary.

Laredo Lime (light green): The lime flavor is extremely strong. It starts off a little like floor cleaner, but then turns more authentic and sweet as the flavor develops and finishes.

This first introduction to the line didn’t impress or gross me out, so it’s very middle of the road. Some flavors stood out more than the others, but as of not nothing would make me choose these over any of the other jelly beans I can get my hands on. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the other tag line on the bag that read: “Open up and discover a delightfully delicious land with liberty and flavor for all”. Liberty? In my jelly beans? Now there’s a thought! I am left eager to see what the other flavors have in store for me.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Teenee Beanee Website

Starburst has been busy with it’s new releases as of late, hasn’t it? I spied these on the shelves about the same time as I saw the new Sour & Sweet roll, and, in my typical Candy Enthusiast fashion, I had to try them. As I express before, I’m not too keen on sour candies, but I enjoyed the regular Gummi Bursts so much, I was actually eager to give these a try.

The sour variety have the same sort of eye-catching packaging as the original. This time with a nice spring green background showcasing the nice reds, oranges, and greens of the candies inside. They stand out nicely amongst all the other sweets in the store, and dare I say, more than the original flavor’s package.

Taking out the candies to examine and eat, I notice they do look and feel about the same as the the normal Gummi Bursts, but completely sanded with sugar. The “S” on top is no longer noticeable from this coating, which makes me sad, since I thought it was a nice visual detail. The pieces are squishy to the touch. Once in my mouth, the pieces are nice and gummi with the liquid center feeling slick and cool. Still didn’t get a “burst” with these, but that’s ok, it’s still a catchy name.

Green Apple: A medium sourness with nice fruity notes. It reads nicely as green apple, and not fake “Jolly Rancher” apple. I like it. The sour flavor wear offs with the sugar coating, and the chew then becomes lightly sweet and smooth.

Strawberry (red): I thought this one would be watermelon, but I was mistaken. The color threw me off! This is juicy, perfumey, and very “red licorice” in flavor. It tastes like a mix of the regular cherry and strawberry Starburst chews. The sourness isn’t too harsh, which is nice since no one likes sour strawberries. Right?

Watermelon (red orange): A nice floral, more berry-like flavor which is “red” and sweet. I ate this and felt confused, since I was pretty sure the last flavor was strawberry, yet this tastes more of berry than melon. Hrmmm.

Tangerine (orange): Oh yum! This is punchy, zesty, citrusy and captures that authentic tangerine tang. The sour really adds to it and it makes the flavor so realistic. The best of the bunch. Sadly, I only go tone of these in my whole bag. Why does this happen all the time? FAIL.

I liked these, though they aren’t going to knock the regular chews out of my top pick. Still, if I felt the need to eat something sour, I’d certainly choose these over the new Sour & Sweet mix. The flavors are so much better.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Starburst Website

The Lifesavers jelly beans are one of the flavors I looked forward to trying the most. Unlike Jolly Ranchers and SweeTarts, I’m actually a big fan of Lifesavers, ever since I’m a little kid. I ate every flavor in the roll when I was treated to one, even the green one that most people would try and trade away for another flavor. This was back in the day when the Five Flavor roll consisted of cherry, lemon, orange, pineapple and lime. Ah, those were the days.

There’s a large flavor variety of flavors in this one bag, eight to be exact. I like the fact that there’s lots to choose from, but at the same time, I feel a little overwhelmed. I think it’s funny how there’s flavors included in this mix that you can’t find in the normal Lifesavers hard candies, like the Peach. I could be mistaken though, as it’s been a bit since I last examined the rolls in the checkout lane in the supermarket.

The beans are a nice shape and are very bright and colorful. They are very glossy, and therefore I find them very attractive.

Strawberry (pink): very tart, fruity and jammy. It’s very syrupy sweet and really reads as a “pink” flavor.

Apple (green): Right away this flavor is very sour and zesty with strong apple flavors. It tastes like a tart apple cider with a slight artificial edge to it.

Peach (light orange): This flavor is very perfumey and juicy. It has an intense, and surprisingly authentic flavor.

Grape: The flavor is mild, but comes across as very rich, deep and jammy flavors. My thoughts immediately run to concord grape jelly.

Pineapple: This is like the real Lifesaver with a very authentic pineapple flavor combined with a good tartness.

Cherry: So loyal to the cherry Lifesaver, it’s incredible. Tart, fruity with a very acute fake metallic flavor.

Orange: Also very faithful to the Lifesaver candy, this is so bright and juicy. I love it! The flavor is so zesty I want to call it Tangerine as opposed to orange.

Lemon: So zesty, sweet and flavorful of juicy fresh lemons. Wowoza. This is what all lemon candy should taste like.

I really, really enjoyed these. I liked the ability to get some of my favorite Lifesavers flavors in a new texture. It’s exciting and makes me fall in love with Lifesavers and jelly beans all over again.

Rating: Will Eat Again

Links Lifesavers Website (Candystand)

More jelly beans! Yay! These are another variety on the market now for Easter that are based on a pre-existing candy and have taken the flavors and translated into jelly beans. The package is really attractive and even thought it uses the traditional SweeTart colors and design, it comes across still as very festive for the holiday.

The beans are about a normal size, like a chubby peanut. Right away I notice that the colors are odd. They’re pastel neon, if you can wrap your head around that, and are completely opaque. They do have the same faded “look” like the original SweetTarts. The beans are also not very shiny at all, which doesn’t make them as attractive as they could be. I’m reminded of wasabi peas when I look at the green one.

The texture of these are also pretty strange. The outer shell is crunchy and crumbly, and it dissolves almost immediately off the jelly center. It has this cool feeling to it and it melts away on the tongue.

Grape (lavendar): Very light in flavor, yet very sour. It’s dreadful, to be completely frank about it. It doesn’t taste like grape at all and it just reads as “medicinal” to me.

Cherry (pink): Flavor is very sour and tart. The taste exactly like the Flintstones Vitamins of my childhood.

Orange: Light creamy flavor that’s very mild. Think of it as a very watered down creamsicle.

Lemon: Nice and tart with a fake metallic edge to it. It tastes more like lime or bad lemonade powder to me.

Green Apple: This one is really well done. It’s not fake tasting at all to me, but very mild with fresh notes of apple and pear.

Blue Punch: Wow, a blue flavor that isn’t raspberry! It’s nicely mild, sweet and fruity. It’s very tropical and has that iconic fruit punch note to it. My favorite of the bunch.

These are great if you’re already a fan of SweeTarts, but since I’m not, I didn’t enjoy them. I wouldn’t even find them attractive in an Easter candy dish since the colors are so strange.

Rating: Not Worth It

Links Wonka Webpage

Just Born makes a lot of fun Easter candy, most notably the Marshmallow Peeps. They’re also the sweet masterminds behinds many jelly beans that I find around, like the Hot Tamale Spice Beans and ones that are sold as is, like the kind I am reviewing today.

I find that even though these beans aren’t associated with a specific brand, Just Born still makes the packaging appealing and festive. The rabbit tossing back a few beans in utter delight is a nice illustration and touch.

These jelly beans are lovely to look at. They’re the same size as the Hot Tamale beans: about the size of chubby peanuts. They have a beautiful sheen and the overall color scheme of the assortment is beautiful, festive and eye catching.

The texture is nice and chewy, and only slightly sticky. The beans last a good length of time in the mouth too, so they don’t dissolve too quickly, which is something I really appreciate.

Green Apple: Immediately tart with bright zesty notes and a rush of fruity flavor. It reads more like lime than apple to me. Very strange.

Cherry: Sweet, fruity and bitterly metallic. It tastes like a cough drop to me.

Pineapple: I’ve looked forward to this one so much! The flavor is very intense with sweet, juicy authentic flavors with that hint of pine.

Lemon: The flavor smacks you right away with a fresh lemon flavor. However, it lacks that zestiness I love in lemons. Instead it’s mild and sweet.

Orange: Like the lemon, this also lacks that zest I love in citrus fruits. It’s a smooth flavor with a mild presence.

Grape: This is very juicy, fake and metallic. It’s also strikingly sour.

Strawberry (pink): Very bright, fruity, and lightly perfumey. It reads as a delicate strawberry flavor, yet it wasn’t as jammy as I hoped.

Licorice (black): I love licorice beans and this one is no exception. It’ sweet with strong herbal and molasses notes to it.

What can I say, as odd as this mix may come off to some, it’s just perfect for me. It contains most of my favorite flavors and the texture is just spot on. This just might become my favorite Easter jelly bean mix.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Just Born Website

I was pleasantly surprised and excited to find that Jelly Belly was releasing a new flavor mix based on the Sunkist line of citrus flavors. A couple years ago Jelly Belly had bought out the Sunkist candy line and have since tweaked the Fruit Gems packaging and the flavors. Thankfully, for the most part, the flavors and idea of Sunkist candy is still faithful to the idea of tasty fruit and citrus jellies. These new Jelly Belly Beans flavor is no exception.

First, I like how the flavors are translated from one jelly candy to another. Sure, fruit pate and jelly beans have the same origins with Turkish Delight, but the fact that granulated sugar covers one and a panned shell the other, still makes them different in my mind. It’s fun to experience the flavors in a way that feels new to me.

True to all the Jelly Belly line, these beans are made with real juices, citrus oils and pulp. Or so totes the press release. Also, each 40 gram serving of this mix provides 25% of you DV of Vitamin C. I guess anything to make candy seem healthier, right?

Sunkist Lime: Pleasing with it’s bright light green color. The flavor is immediately tart, bitter and zesty. Unmistakeably lime.

Sunkist Pink Grapefruit: Wonderfully tart, sweet and juicy like a real grapefruit. It has that nice acidic edge to it along with bitterness you get from the pith. Beautiful.

Sunkist Orange: Very smooth and sweet flavor. I almost want to say it’s creamy because the flavor is absent of that citrus zest I associate with oranges.

Sunkist Lemon: The lemon is surprisingly sweet and juicy. No tartness or zest at all that I associate with lemons. Then I had another one and found it to be quite sour. Interesting.

Sunkist Tangerine: This has the tartness that I was expecting the orange to have. It’s still only a slight tartness, but it did carry that extra sweetness that tangerines have.

I wish I had some of the Sunkist gels on hand to compare these to. Alas I don’t, so I’ll save that for another day. These flavors stand beautifully alone as well, so if you’re a citrus lover, this is the mix you’ve been dreaming of. The press release says you can start seeing the mix in stores in February and March, so keep your eyes peeled!

Be sure to check out Cybele’s review of this mix as well.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Jelly Belly Website

As the years progress I’ve noticed that there’s more and more jelly beans appearing based on pre-existing hard candies. These Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans are one of the first I ever noticed, so I figured it was only fair I give them a try. I did have them as a part of a major jelly bean round-up sale last year for CandyAddict, but since I’m at my one blog now, these needed a revisit.

I guess now is a good time to mention again that I’m really not a fan of Jolly Ranchers. I reviewed the original candies here earlier, and I just can’t understand how anyone likes them with their overly fake and punchy flavors.

The jelly beans are pretty faithful to the original hard candies, unlike the other Jolly Rancher Smoothie blend jelly beans that you can also find this time of year. I found those dreadful and am not going to bother eating them again. You gotta pick your poison sometimes.

The beans are not that festively colored since they’re made to look like the originals. They colors are very dark and opaque.

Blue Raspberry: Very intense in flavor with strong floral, fruity, and bubble gum flavors that read as “berry” to our taste buds. There’s also a hint of fruit punch thrown in there too, which was a pleasant twist. It’s a horribly fake flavor, but I find it’s not as bad as the original hard candy.

Strawberry (red): This is surprisingly sweet with strong flavors of cotton candy and fruit. It’s slightly tart at the end, which is a bit jarring, but these are Jolly Ranchers, after all.

Orange: The flavor is exactly orange soda. Syrupy sweet with a hint of zest. It really got the saliva going in my mouth.

Apple (green): Very juicy with strong flavors of apple juice and pears. Oddly, this one is more sweet than tart.

Grape: If I closed my eyes and ignored the texture in my mouth, I’d call this the grape Tootsie Pop. It’s tart (see a trend here?) with a fake grape flavor similar to grape soda.

Watermelon (pink): The taste of this one is surprisingly mild, yet very sweet with a fake cantaloupe flavor that’s very perfumey. It’s not sour or tart at all like the normal Jolly Rancher, which I find a pleasant surprise.

They’re a nice set of jelly beans, especially if you’re a fan of Jolly Ranchers. However, I really don’t see myself picking these up again, as I I’m not a big fan of the candy in general and there’s other jelly beans on the market that I’d rather go for if I felt the need for something different. 

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links Jolly Rancher’s Website

I was utterly delighted when I received a sample of these in the mail from Just Born. I first remember seeing them in my friend’s Flickr photos, then Cybele gave them a wonderful review. I had reviewed an assortment of spice beans by Just Born for CandyAddict at about the same time, and I realized that they were probably the same set of jelly beans, just different packaging. Still, the candy brat in me wanted to have the ones with the Hot Tamale branding because they seemed so much cooler in my mind.

The beans are a nice size. Not as small as Jelly Belly’s beans, but no where near as large and many of the pectin varieties you see out there. I’d say well, they’re the size of a baked beans or a peanut. The panned shell is glossy and smooth with an even color. The texture is nice and chewy and doesn’t ever get sticky.

Peppermint (white): Very intense and fresh. It’s just lick sucking on a candy cane. It’s powerful flavor is refreshing and sweet.

Spearmint (green): More sweet and herbal than the peppermint. It’s grassier and not as intense. It’s a good balance of flavor too, it’s not powerful like a stick of gum.

Cinnamon (red): Very punchy and spicy, true to normal Hot Tamales. It has that signature kick to it, along with a warmth from the spicy burn. Thankfully these at not as fiery a Red Hots, otherwise I wouldn’t have enjoyed them as much.

Clove (yellow): Oh, how I love clove flavored beans! These come across as very earthy and spicy. They have great woodsy accents that really capture the taste of cloves.

Wintergreen (pink): My favorite of the bunch. It’s very bright, sweet and pleasantly herbal in flavor. It has nice spicy notes that remind me of a nice mug of root beer.

These are great, and a nice change from the Brach’s beans I love so much. I wish I could find them year ‘round, heck, even find them in stores near me. Maybe I can plead Just Born to supple me with more of them.

Rating: Hoard

Links Hot Tamale Website

I ventured into Wal-Mart the other week after a frustrating swag-less run to Target in search for Easter candy. An act of desperation, I assure you. I needed Easter candy and didn’t know where to look next, as Target usually has the best selection in my area. I was floored to discover a beautifully stocked Easter candy aisle, separated by color: pink, green, orange, blue, purple. Candy of all kinds were there, M&Ms, Peeps, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Russell Stover Chocolate Rabbits, Edible Grass, etc. The list goes on. Amongst this rainbow of every candy lover’s dream, I found these Gimball’s Easter Jelly Beans. I look at the flavors assortments for each flavor, and I found the yellow package to have the most appealing flavors for me.

Gimbal’s makes gourmet jelly beans year round, but I was pleased to find special varieties for Easter. The one thing I find appealing about Gimbals as opposed to most other jelly beans on the market, is the price. It’s remarkably cheaper than say, the likes of Jelly Belly. Exactly how much, I can’t say at the moment since I don’t have my receipt on me to make the comparison. Plus, I’m an artist, I don’t work well with numbers. That’s my excuse.

The bag lists the flavors on the back, showing four beans in a recipe for “Lemon Crumble” using all three flavors in the bag. Opening the bag I get this odd aroma of buttery fruit. Very....interesting.

The beans are beautiful to look at. They are the same size and approximate shape as Jelly Belly’s Jelly Beans.

Lemon Meringue: Fresh and tart flavor of lemons. The taste isn’t too powerful, too sweet or too tart. All the elements strike a nice balance. Towards the end an extra kick of sweetness shows up which I think is the “meringue” part of this bean.

Pineapple: Immediately juicy and tropical. It has an slight odd metallic taste to it, like pineapple juice from a tin can.

Buttered Popcorn: Very buttery and artificially so. Like “I Cannot Believe It’s Not Butter”, but in a jelly bean. It’s sweet, but has a strong salty edge to it.

A really nice replacement for Jelly Belly, especially if you don’t want to spend as much money on some jelly beans. They look practically identical, missing the logo on them of course, and have a strong satisfying flavor. I’m very tempted to go and try the other colored varieties now.

Rating: Will Buy Again

Links Gimbal’s Website

Ahh, I love this time of year. It means for me that the candy aisles in all the stores are filled with all different types of jelly beans. I love jelly beans (in fact, the NY Times asked me about them last year. Shameless plug, I know). I’m always interested in trying all the different kinds, and yes, I even have a soft spot for the spice flavored ones. Let’s just say I don’t discriminate.

One of the new varieties I noticed in the past two years is the Hawaiian Punch jelly beans made by Brach’s. I love how Brach’s makes their jelly beans, the texture and flavors are always really appealing to me. I don’t know quite how to classify them, as many Easter jelly beans are Pectin, and others....well, on the other side there’s Jelly Belly. There doesn’t seem to be any in between, but there is in my book. I don’t know quite how to explain it though. Pectin beans have always been about texture for me, that’s why you bought them. Jelly Belly you bought because the flavors were so intense. Now there seems to be a good selection of beans out there that have both going on. It all depends on what you like, really.

Anyways, Brach’s flavors and textures don’t disappoint. So I was eager to see how the Hawaiian Punch flavors translated into this traditional Easter treat.

Fruit Juicy Red (red): Tastes very mild, lightly fruity and sweet. The best way to describe it is “red” without the standard medicinal flavor to it.

Green Berry Rush (green with yellow flecks): This is the most “tropical punchy” flavor of the bunch. It has a strong fruity/berry flavor, yet still tastes like standard fruit punch.

Berry Blue Typhoon (blue): Tastes like very fruity and of sweet raspberry, yet not “blue” at all as it lacks the artificiality. It’s just very floral and juicy.

Lemon Berry squeeze (pink with yellow spots): This tastes like a raspberry lemonade with a little cherry thrown in; tart with a hint of something metallic.

Mango Passion fruit Squeeze (yellow with orange spots): This one is so tropical and exotic with a big hit of mango, peach and strong floral notes.

Orange Ocean (orange with yellow flecks): Very bright and orange tasting, similar to a orange Tootsie pop with a tad of pineapple tossed in.

I liked how these definitely tastes different and unique from the many different varieties of Jelly Beans I’ve had to date. I also like how the beans are based on a drink, as opposed to pre-existing candy, so it feels more original and less like a spin off. Worth picking up if you’re craving something new.

Rating: Might Eat Again

Links

I want to be perfectly honest here. I love, love spice beans. I realize that they’re the jelly beans we’ve all encountered as kids, probably visiting the Grandparents over the Easter holiday. We’d see a candy dish on the table full of jelly beans and eagerly grab a handful. As we shoved the colorful, sugary orbs into our mouths, we realized they were full of odd flavors: cinnamon, peppermint, and heaven forbid, clove. Flavors that are not suited to our sugar-oriented taste buds, and they’re promptly get spit into the garbage when the adults weren’t looking.

So yes, I am strange in this love of mine. In my defense, I didn’t eat them as a kid. I wasn’t ever exposed to them to be honest. It wasn’t until college where I noticed them in the candy aisles and decided to try them to see what the fuss was about. The rest is history, as so they stay.

Brach’s has always been one of my favorite varieties. I liked the flavors and textures, especially more than the other cheaper pectin spice beans I’d enounter. I was tempted by them a few times from the cheaper price tag, but I soon realized that you got what you paid for.

So why do I feel Brach’s are so superior? Firstly, these beans are large, like three to four times the size of Jelly Belly Beans, and maybe two to three of the Starburst and Just Born’s beans. They just have an satisfying size, even if you’re just looking at them. 

Ginger (orange): I hard a hard time placing this flavor at first. Which I found frustrating for a bit. It didn’t taste gingery at first, but then halfway though that gingery burn shows up a little bit. I’d say it’s the spiciest of the bunch, but it’s still pretty mild, all things considered. This was the flavor I was looking forward to least, but I did liked it after all.

Clove (purple): It’s woodsy, sweet and not as strong as I was expecting. I enjoyed the nutty and herbal chew. Am I the only one?

Licorice (black): Oh yay! I love licorice jelly beans. This reminds me of the licorice flavor in Good & Plenty; good strong flavor with molasses’ sweetness to it. No hints of anise here. I really thought this was a stellar flavored licorice bean. Yum, my second favorite of the bunch.

Spearmint (green):A nicely fresh, bright flavor that reminds me of toothpaste. Has a little grassy note to it.

Cinnamon (red): Was there any doubt? This one is wonderful warm and grainy, I felt like I was chewing some Big Red gum, minus the extremely intense burn.

Peppermint (white): I was nervous about this one at first, as I’m not big on peppermint. Thankfully, it’s a very light and delicate flavor. I liked this too since it didn’t overpower my taste buds which I find peppermint usually does.

Wintergreen (pink): Lovely grainy, clean, fresh, a little sweet and peppery. Can’t you tell I just love wintergreen? The flavor is strong, and has good spicy notes similar to root beer.

I always buy a few bags to keep me going for a few months past Easter, and this year is no exception. If you haven’t tried spice beans before, I really suggest giving them a try. You may just find you love them as much as I do.

Rating: Hoard

Links Brach’s Website