Brachs
These was the second bag that was included in my free samples from Farley and Sathers Candy Company. I know that Brach’s produces many kinds of hard candies that span a whole range of flavors, so I was intrigues why they decided to send me one of the most classic hard candies out there: the lemon drop. These a updated though, since they’re also sugar free and use Splenda as the sweetener. I usually tend to avoid sugar free candies since they have a seemingly unavoidable bitterness in the aftertaste, but like any candy, these deserve a try before I pass judgment.
Each lemon drop is individually wrapped, which makes them excellent for candy bowls or quick pick-me-ups in your pocket. They’re about the size of a quarter, shaped like a lemon and have a raised rinds texture on them. They’re very cute.
The flavor starts out immediately fresh, tart and zesty. The flavor is sour of lemon with and smooth sweetness to make it much more bearable. The flavor reminds me of the yellow fruit snacks I used to eat as a kid, which was one of my favorite flavors at the time. I don’t really get any weird flavors from the Splenda which sweetens these drops. I do get hints of that funny bitter taste it has sometimes, but it’s quickly overridden with the nice sour flavors of the lemon. The texture of the candy doesn’t hurt your mouth at all, and it easily becomes smoother as you suck on it.
These are excellent and I plan on keeping a bag in my desk drawer. These are great for those moments when I need something to occupy my taste buds while I’m tackling a particularly annoying assignment. The flavor is fresh and zesty, and something any lemon lover would enjoy.
Rating: Will Eat Again
Links Brach’s Website
When I was a kid growing up in northern California, I recall going grocery shopping with my Mom at a specific, locally-owned store in town. This place stood out in my mind because the lady who owned it loved children, and she always allowed me to take one Orange Slice candy from her candy bins. This makes a huge impression on children, of course, which is why I remember it to this day. I have a fondness for this candy, which made me very excited when Farley and Sathers Candy Company asked to send me some free samples in the mail. One of the samples was a collection of some new or revamped candy by Brach’s. I’ll be reviewing the others after today, but for now, we’re going to start with my new, re-vamped favorite: Mandarin Orange Slices.
The slices are large, about an 1 inch and 1/2 long and about 1/2 tall. The “sections” are rounded and use high relief style, they protrude pretty stylistically from the center of the candy, unlike most candy molds. It has an dusting of granulated sugar on top, which seems to be more finely ground then the earlier versions of these. It smells slightly of orange.
The flavor is immediately fruity and flavorful. You get a mild taste at first of sweetness and oranges, then it grows as it sits in your mouth. The orange flavor grows more juicy and tangy, giving it a more tangerine taste to me. It’s ends with with a very zesty note, which I like a lot. The gummi has a thick and sticky shew which really makes the candy feel substantial. Thankfully it isn’t sticky enough to for it to adhere to my molars. The flavor does come across as different compared to my memory of this candy. Sure I’ve had it in recent years, but not having one for a side by side comparison I have to go by memory. The older ones I recall being more sweet, whereas the new ones incorporated some of the tartness you get with citrus fruit. A tasty decision.
It feels like they made this candy more “natural” and “grown up”, but it’s still something I would have begged for as a kid. I wasn’t a sour fan as a kid, but the tartness really appeals to me. These are lovely and something I plan on buying once I see them in stores.
Rating: Hoard
Links Brach’s Website
I love spice beans, so I was curious to give those purposely looked over spice gumdrops of my youth a try. The Brach’s variety are lovely, coming in six different colors/flavors, but no mention as to what exactly those flavors are! The drops themselves are beautiful. They have a great tall dome shape with a even coating of granulated sugar. The quality control on these must be really tight, since I didn’t get a single “deformed” one in the whole bag, most impressive! The texture is fantastic too, a good chew that isn’t too hard or soft. It’s a little sticky, but not overly so. Literally the ideal gumdrop. The granular sugar coating is also terribly fine, it feels and melt just right on your tongue. I believe I’m falling in love!
White: A light fresh wintergreen. Lovely all around.
Green: A bright zesty peppermint! My mouth felt immediately clean.
Red: I can’t place this one. I was expecting cinnamon, but it doesn’t taste hot or spice at all. It just tastes….red.
Orange: Orange. Surprised? I was! I wasn’t expecting a fruity flavor. It’s a good juicy flavor, reminds me of the orange slices Brach’s makes.
Yellow: Spicy, more like a cinnamon/allspice combination. A little hot, but has a good woodsy herbal essence to it.
Purple: It took a few moments of chewing before the flavor came out> It’s clove, but not a “spicy” clove. Instead it’s very creamy and sweet. A pleasant and tasty surprise.
I looked up these flavors on the website afterward to find this out:
“Brach’s(R) Spice Drops are jelly candies in six different flavors and colors sanded in sugar for an enhanced flavor experience. The flavor varieties include; Orange, lemon, cherry, mint, grape and licorice. Make Spice Drops an everyday personal treat, share them in your favorite candy dish or surprise and delight in baking and decorating.”
I find it interesting how the lemon and grape flavors tasting more like spice than fruit to me. Maybe they were tainted by the other spicy flavors in the package? Who knows. Regardless if I was able to correctly identify the flavors, there were really tasty and I am definitely going to finish this bag.
Rating: Might Eat Again
Links Brach’s Spice Drops 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
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