I remember when the Lifesaver gummis were first introduced into the candy world sometime when I was still in school (around the early 1990s in case you’re interested). The had a very sassy ad campaign with the new Lifesaver gummis dancing in a very colorful nightclub. Or should I say Gummisavers? This was also about the same time as Lifesavers Holes were on the market. I kinda wish those survived over the gummis, but I digress….
These are the sour variety of the Lifesavers Gummi line, which is made up of the new set of the “Five Flavors”. This one comes in one of those grab bags, as opposed to the roll you normally see in the checkout counter. I like the design of it, it’s very eye-catching and enticing.
Tangy Cherry (red): Very cherry and reminds me of the Lifesaver right away. It has that bright, syrupy taste and the following sweetness all paired with the sourness of the granular sugar coating.
Tangerine (orange): Immediately reminds me of the orange Lifesaver. Very citrusy with a hint of lemon in it so it’s a little more zesty than the standard orange flavor. The sourness pairs perfectly and it tastes terribly juicy. It even leaves that slight sour numbness in the mouth afterward. Easily Best of the bunch.
Watermelon (green): The most sour and artificial of the bunch. It’s that Jolly Rancher flavor, all the way. What more do I need to say?
Strawberry (pinkish red): A little lighter in color than the cherry and it’s hardly noticeable at first. It’s odd because it tastes more general “berry” to me than strawberry. It’s very fruity with a well balanced sweet/sour.
Black Raspberry (purple): Starts off sweet and gradually turns a little tart, like a real blackberry. I get more “juicy” berry flavors than “floral” ones, but it tastes very authentic with a deep sweet blackberry essence.
I like these, I felt they improved on the flavor of the regular Lifesavers Gummis which always came across as bland to me. I look forward to trying out the other kinds now.
Rating:Might Eat Again
Links:
Lifesavers Website (Candystand)
This candy is totally new to me. Until I saw it just before buying it, I hadn’t any idea such a thing existed. That was the novelty, the new candy terrain to be discovered. It also sounded pretty promising, as I’m a fan of its cousin the NERDS Rope. Surely this would be an interesting twist on that. Or at least that’s my hope.
Each rope is about five inches long and looks like red licorice with a blue green goo on the inside. It smells very sour and well, tart. Like a red licorice injected with some sass. I could see this really appealing to kids.
The texture is awesome. You get the nice chew of red licorice and the smoothness of the inside, which is just slick and not slimy. It reminded me of frosting and it has a little bit of graininess to it like chunks of sugar that missed getting mixed in. The licorice is more rubbery and isn’t sticky.
The flavor starts out nice as a good fruity red licorice-like chew, then the goo comes in with a sour berry like flavor. It all goes wrong from there. An intense flavor of soap comes through and just washes all the candy flavors out. Seriously, this aftertaste of fake, perfumey, waxy soap just kills this whole thing, it’s really nasty. I couldn’t finsih my first log because I felt like I had bitten into the bar that was sitting in my shower.
So nasty ICK.
Rating: Inedible
Links:
Wonka Website
I first became familiar with Sour Punch Straws during my freshman year of college. My roommate was intent on searching them down and hoarding them for special care packages she’d send to her friends at home. It was during this time that I tasted them for the first time and now whenever I have them, I am overcome with an extreme sense of nostalgia.
The packaging is very approachable with bright colors and puckering smiley faces on them. It feels very comical to me, as the expressions are of pleasure yet there’s electric bolts shooting from their mouths. It makes me very optimistic about the sourness of the straws, to say the least.
Sour Punch Straws come in many flavors, but I figured the tastiest one to start with would be the Strikin’ Strawberry flavor. They come nicely packed in a tray that pulls out easily from the wrapper. The straws are long, about 6 inches and about 1/4 inch diameter, and are very brightly colored with a sanding of granular sugar. The smell of the straws is tart and fake, and reminds me more of “cherry” then “strawberry”
The sandy sugar coating is the sour part, but I wouldn’t call it “punchy”. Instead, it’s a nice “sassy” sour, noticeable and certainly the starring trait of this candy, but not anything over the top. The chew is dense as I’m reminded of a good red licorice stick. As for the strawberry flavor, it’s not really. It tastes more “red” than anything, with strong artificial flavor and little indication of any specific fruit.
I like how these are flavorful yet don’t burn my mouth out like really intense sour candy tends to. My interest is piqued and I’m eager to check out the other Sour Punch Straw flavor offerings.
Rating:Will Buy Again
Links:
Sour Punch Website
