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Gummi Candy

These are chewy.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Brach’s Triple Fruit Gummies

Brach's Triple Fruity GummiesBrach’s, which calls itself “America’s Candy Maker” has been busy churning out new varieties of their classic candies as well as their original line of goodies. When I saw all the fun new things they were coming out with, I search and searched my local stores. When I couldn’t find them, CandyWarehouse.com was good enough to help me out by providing some samples for me.

The new Brach’s Triple Fruit Gummies are an interesting take on the divisive seasonal icon. They’re traditional gummis in the classic candy corn shape (as the package notes with a picture to remind me how it looks) and come in three layers of flavor: lemon, orange and cherry.

Brach’s did have what they said were gummi candy corn about 5 years ago, they were really little jelly candies in different fruit flavors. That particular bag of Brach’s Gummi Candy Corn I found was available in trick or treat packaging, but I’m not certain if these Triple Fruit Gummies are available that way.

Brach's Triple Fruity Gummies

The size is the same as a standard candy corn kernel. They stand easily, as they don’t have a slight convex base, instead it’s slightly concave and creates a pretty good flat rim. The pieces are layered, just like fondant style candy corn, though these are much more vividly colored. The base is a hot pink (cherry) the middle is orange and the top is yellow (lemon). The layers are pretty diffuse, so it’s a slow mixing of the colors instead of distinct bands. The gummis smell like fruit punch and a little like cherry.

Brach's Triple Fruity Gummies

They’re soft, which is a nice texture for a gummi, but odd for these colors because they’re rather fleshy looking because of the opaque quality. The flavor is overall tart with a light fruity note. The cherry permeates the whole thing, though there is a less cherry note on the top layers, I wasn’t getting the citrus that I thought the description promised.

They’re decent, certainly fun looking, but not the flavor of gummis I actually wanted. It’s a good effort on the edge of the candy corn sphere of confections. Brach’s undeniably makes a nice candy corn, but this isn’t candy corn, except in shape. It’s missing all the other qualities in texture, subtlety and divisiveness.

Related Candies

  1. Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frog
  2. Candy Crush: Mixed Fruit and Sour Gummies
  3. Sugarfina: The Gummis
  4. Life Savers Gummies Spooky Shapes
  5. Trolli Gummi Bear-Rings
  6. Brach’s Gummi Candy Corn
  7. Disney Pixie Perfect Gummies
  8. Brach’s Chocolate Candy Corn & Halloween Mix
  9. Big Bite Gummy Bear


Name: Triple Fruit Gummies
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Brach’s
Place Purchased: Samples from CandyWarehouse.com
Price: $5.00
Size: 11 ounces
Calories per ounce: 103
Categories: Candy, Halloween, Brach's, Ferrara Pan, Gummi Candy, 5-Pleasant, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:57 pm     CandyReviewHalloweenBrach'sFerrara PanGummi Candy5-PleasantUnited States

Monday, September 15, 2014

Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frog

Albanese Rainforest Gummi FrogAlbanese Confectionery is a small family-run confectionery company in Indiana. They started in 1983 and though their candies encompass chocolate covered nuts, nut mixes and chocolates. But in the past ten years, Albanese has become known for their extensive line of gummis that not only come in a wide variety of flavors, but also in some innovative shapes.

I finally picked up Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frogs at Lolli & Pops, since I was able to select them from the bulk bins instead of buying a 5lb bag on the internet (there were probably other options in between). There are three different flavor combinations: blue raspberry & orange, strawberry & grape and, sour lemon & sour green apple.

The pieces are quite large, about the size of tree frogs I was familiar with seeing in Northern California.  (One lived in the shower of a house I shared in Arcata Bay bottoms.) The gummis weigh about a half an ounce each. They’re two inches long and their armspan is 2.5 inches.

Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frog

My first little buddy is the blue and orange one. The blue body is blue raspberry with orange legs. The flavor has a wonderful sour bite to it, and a good pliable chew that’s not too tough. The legs are juicy, like an orange gummi should be, and a little more sweet than the body.

The yellow and green one is sour lemon and sour green apple. The green apple legs are absolutely sour, and it seems to emerge the more you chew. The flavor goes on, all the way until it’s completely dissolved. The green apple flavor is very Jolly Rancher. The lemon is equally good, with strong zest notes as well as that metallic Country Time Lemonade powder flavor. (I used to eat lemonade mix as a kid because it was cheaper than Fun Dip.)

Albanese Rainforest Gummi Frog

The final frog has purple legs and a red body. The red parts are strawberry. It’s nicely tart and chewy, but not too tough. The legs are grape, and those have the same tart note, the flavor takes quite a while to develop and is very mildly “grape soda.”

The pieces are quite large and two is more than a serving as far as I was concerned. I liked the flavor combinations and the molding and design is well done. I can see children and adults enjoying these. They’d also fit well in theme parties or as decorations. It might be fun if Albanese considered wrapping them individually for Halloween treating.

Note, I did not have the nutrition information for the Rainforest Frogs specifically, so I used the Gummy Army Guys. I think that Albanese should include the ingredients and nutritional information on their website, since so many of us buy their candies in bulk bins and do not have access to that information otherwise.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo The Smurfs Gummi
  2. Wonka SweeTarts Gummies
  3. Albanese Chocolate Dipped Gummi Bears
  4. Trolli Gummi Bear-Rings
  5. Candy Source: Albanese Candy Factory
  6. Albanese Gummy Army Guys
  7. Flix Sour Gummy Pop Corn
  8. All Gummies Gourmet Fruity Fish (Swedish Fish knock-off)
  9. Albanese Gummi Butterflies


Name: Rainforest Gummi Frog
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Albanese Confectionery
Place Purchased: Lolli & Pops (Glendale)
Price: $3.75
Size: 4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 99
Categories: Candy, Albanese Confectionery, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:20 pm     CandyReviewAlbanese ConfectioneryGummi Candy7-Worth ItUnited States

Friday, September 5, 2014

Haribo Funny Mix

Haribo Funny MixAs part of the new trend of morsel snacking (morselization), more candy makers are creating mixes of existing candy to capture consumers. The Haribo Funny Mix is a combination of existing candies into a new variety.

I picked this up on London not really because of the mix idea, but because it was Halal, which means that the gelatin used is not porcine in origin. I’ve had Haribo’s Kosher grapefruit slice gummis before and found they had a slightly different texture and was curious if there was any difference here. The package says it’s made in Turkey, which is where most Haribo candies sold in the US are made. Haribo makes a range of Funny Mixes, which contain different mixes of sugar candy, including a version of jelly candies that are vegetarian.

The mix consists of:
Mini Gummi Bears
Blackberries & Raspberries
Mini Cola Bottles
Mini Gummi Worms
Mini Hearts

Haribo Funny Mix

There’s nothing new in this mix that I haven’t tried before, but the variety is well done. There’s a good mix between the gummi items and the other novelty pieces like the berries and foam-bottomed frogs. Since most of them are mini sized, they tumble out of the bag well and would do well mixed in with other candies or eaten at the movies or while gaming.

A quick review of each of the items:

Mini Gummi Bears are great. They’re firm but very flavorful and wonderfully consistent in their bouncy texture. There isn’t a flavor I don’t like in the standard mix, which is a huge plus when grabbing from a mix like this, I don’t even have to look.

Cola Bottles are great, they’re a little spicy, lightly tart and just the right size for a single bite.

The Blackberries & Raspberries are my least favorite item in the mix, in fact, I skipped them. Luckily they’re easy to spot either visually or simply by touch if you’re reaching into the bag. The candy beads are simply too sweet, they’re crunchy but grainy and offer no flavor. The center doesn’t pack much punch to mix in with the textural addition and the colorings also give it a weird flavor.

Gummi Worms are not overly large and are pretty much like the Gummi Bears, except they’re a little larger.

The Mini Hearts have a white foam base. I only got one of these, and found it similar to the Frogs that Haribo has made very popular.

I like the minis and in general, all the candies in the mix are great. I like having the mix of fruity flavors plus the cola ... but the berries are a bit of a dealbreaker. This is a very attractive mix, though, so if you’re looking for something fun to put in a bowl for kids or folks coming over to watch a game, it’s a good option since there’s something for everyone (who likes gummis).

Related Candies

  1. Wonka Randoms Gummy Variety (and some Rowntree)
  2. Morinaga HiCHEW Mini
  3. Candy Crush: Mixed Fruit and Sour Gummies
  4. Sugarpova: Sporty & Splashy
  5. Sugarfina: The Gummis
  6. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  7. Storck Mamba Sour Gummies
  8. Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis


Name: Funny Mix
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: Lidl (London)
Price: ​​​£ .99 ($1.60)
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 104
Categories: Candy, Haribo, Cola, Gummi Candy, Turkey

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:24 pm     CandyReviewHariboColaGummi Candy7-Worth ItTurkey

Friday, August 29, 2014

Chocolate Covered Banana Gummi Bears

Chocolate Covered Banana GummisIn general, covering anything in chocolate probably makes it better. Along those lines, there are plenty of examples of confections that are simply candy covered in chocolate. Chocolate covered gummi bears have been around for quite a few years, but in a rather limited concept: it’s a fruity gummi bear (who knows what flavor) covered in chocolate.

At Lolli & Pops, a new chain of candy stores, I found Chocolate Covered Banana Gummis. So instead of the flavor gamble of most chocolate covered mixes, this was just one kind of gummi bear ... the Albanese Banana Gummi Bear.

Chocolate Covered Banana Gummis

They’re easily identifiable as Albanese bears, as the little A on the belly can be seen clearly on many of the bears, even with the chocolate coating. (To confirm this, I also melted the chocolate off of a couple just to be sure. For the record, the Banana Bears are a transparent yellow, not white.) The bears are enrobed, not panned. This means they have a flat side, so though they’re lacking some of the 360 degree qualities of regular gummi bears, they also don’t have that glaze seal on them that can make it waxy.

They smell sweet and milky, kind of like breakfast cereal. The banana flavor is recognizable, not exactly artificial and not as caustic as Circus Peanuts. They taste rather creamy but have just a slight tangy bite, like a not-quite-ripe banana. The chocolate is thin and creamy, with a good melt but not an intense cocoa infusion overall.

By itself, a banana gummi bear is a little bland. And the milk chocolate itself is milky and sweet, but also not extraordinary enough for me to eat it on its own. But together ... yes, I ate my quarter pound portion of these with no trouble at all. They’re passable on their own, but a new confectionery treat together.

Related Candies

  1. Bonomo Taffy Nibbles: Vanilla and Banana
  2. Sockerbit Swedish Candy Selections
  3. Albanese Chocolate Dipped Gummi Bears
  4. Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips
  5. Candy Source: Albanese Candy Factory
  6. Chocolate Covered Gummi Bears
  7. Meiji Gummy Choco
  8. Elvis Reese’s Peanut Butter and Banana Cup


Name: Chocolate Covered Banana Gummi Bears
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Albanese Confectionery
Place Purchased: Lolli & Pops (Glendale)
Price: $3.75
Size: 4 ounces
Calories per ounce:
Categories: Candy, Albanese Confectionery, Chocolate, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, United States

POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:24 pm     CandyReviewAlbanese ConfectioneryChocolateGummi Candy7-Worth ItUnited States

Monday, July 28, 2014

Wonka Randoms Gummy Variety (and some Rowntree)

Wonka RandomsWonka, a Nestle company, has been trying get traction with some newer candies over the past decade. There have been many introductions, but none have the staying power of some of the classic candies under the Wonka label, like Runts, SweeTarts and Nerds.

The new Wonka Randoms are billed as an Endless Gummy Variety because there are dozens of different shapes and colors possible, each bag is likely to be a unique mix of possibilities.

There are five different colors/flavors and three different textures.

The easiest version to spot is the transparent molded shapes which come in yellow, orange, pink, purple and red. Some also have a foamy white bottom with a transparent fruity top layer. Then the third version is also a foamy bottom, but they’re usually dome shaped and have a dollop of goo in the center under the transparent layer.

Wonka Randoms

The variety of shapes is quite charming. Most are mundane and realistic, such as trains, crowns, ships, alligators, unicorns, pieces of candy (how meta), paintbrushes, footprints and bicycles.

The Pink are Strawberry, or something similar. It’s bright and tangy with a mellow jam quality instead of fresh fruit. They’re soft and with a balanced and dense flavor.

Orange are Orange. It was ordinary and a little disappointing, as it tasted more like an orange popsicle than a good, zesty orange gummy. The package says that the flavors and colors are all natural, and includes real orange and lemon juice.

Red is Cherry. This one was admirable. It had a light black currant note to it, a bit of tangy bite and less sweetness than the others.

Purple is Grape. I was rather surprised this was a flavor. I didn’t care much for it, as it was rather like eating generic purple jelly on toast at a diner. It was tangy and had a fruity note, but didn’t taste as good as some other grape gummis I’ve had from Japan.

Yellow is Lemon. It’s a very strong lemon flavor, with a blend of tartness, zest and sweetness. It had a concentrate note to it (which I always associate with aluminum, for some reason) but was very flavorful.

The Marshmallow Whip ones were very similar, but a bit bouncier from the aerated gummy base.It gives it a creamier note, but also dilutes the overall intensity of the flavor.

The Jam Filled were okay, the jam was mostly sweet, without much of its own flavor contribution. It definitely made the pieces a quicker chew, less dense.

Rowntree's Randoms & Wonka RandomsSince Nestle is a global company, they have a much larger presence in Europe. Many of the Wonka products we know in the United States are under the Rowntree brand in the United Kingdom and parts of Europe. I first saw Rowntree Randoms in London when was there back in March and picked up a few little bags.

The Rowntree packaging doesn’t state where they’re made, but the Wonka Randoms are made in the Czech Republic, which is also where previous Wonka gummis (such as the Squishy Sploshberries and Sluggles) were also manufactured.

Rowntree Randoms

The molds and flavors were the same as far as I could tell.

Overall, the idea of so many different shapes in a single bag is delightful. The actual flavor variety doesn’t quite float my boat - I like pineapple and a wider range of citrus flavors in my gummis. These look great in a bowl and are fun to share. Many parents will appreciate that they use naturally derived flavors and colors. They’re not gluten free and there’s no statement about other allergens like peanuts and tree nuts.

Related Candies

  1. Life Savers Berry Bites Gummies
  2. Sugarfina: The Gummis
  3. Wonka SweeTarts Gummies
  4. Angry Birds Fruit Gummies
  5. Wonka Springy Double Yummy Gummies
  6. Wonka Whipped Wingers Gummies
  7. Wonka Squishy Sploshberries Gummies


Name: Wonka Randoms
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: Target (West Hollywood)
Price: $2.79
Size: 10 ounes
Calories per ounce: 101
Categories: Candy, Nestle, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, Czech Republic, Target

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:55 am     CandyGoo FilledReviewNestleGummi Candy7-Worth ItCzech RepublicTarget

Monday, June 30, 2014

Marks and Spencer Percy Pig

Marks and Spencer Percy PigThough most of the confectioners I was searching for in London were chocolate related, I knew I needed to pick up a package of Percy Pig Soft Gums from Marks & Spencer. It wasn’t hard to find them, as it was hard to walk more than three blocks in central London and not run across one of their food stops.

They’re described as Soft gums made with fruit juice. Made without artificial colors or flavorings. Though they call them gums, they’re actually gummis, as in, they’re made with gelatin. The texture is a hybrid between marshmallow and gummi.

Marks and Spencer came up with the idea for Percy Pig in conjunction with one of their contract manufacturers, Katjes, in Germany. Marks & Spencer wanted something fruity and foamy. The look of the candy was based off of the existing Tappsy panda-faced licorice line from Katjes. 

Marks and Spencer Percy Pig

The color is definitely close to what I’d call pig skin pink. It’s a light color that’s more like putty than actual artificial pink common in most candies here in the United States. The scent is rather berry-like, a little floral with a tangy sort of yogurt note.

The texture is soft and easy to bite, they’re not too tacky or stiff. The flavor is much more intense than the similar Haribo foamy gummis I’ve had over the years. They’re wonderfully well done, good tartness, good jammy berry flavors (strawberry and raspberry). The ears are a little more tart and less creamy (marshmallowy) than the face.

It’s a great product and I can see why Brits are so fond of them. There are plenty of similar products on the market now, but for a long time they really occupied a niche that was not well served by the existing candies available. I would love more flavor variations, but since I know that Katjes makes them, they have lots of other yogurt gums and other foamy gummi candies in their repertoire ... some also in amazingly cute shapes.

For some more history on Percy Pig, you can read up at this feature article on The Independent.

Related Candies

  1. Katjes Tappsy mit Schoko-Geschmack
  2. Sugarpova: Sporty & Splashy
  3. 12 European Licorices
  4. Katjes Tappsy
  5. Puffy Candy Corn
  6. Van Slooten - Autodrop Total Loss
  7. Katjes Tropical Gummis & Yogurt Gums


Name: Percy Pig
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Katjes
Place Purchased: Marks & Spencer (London)
Price: £0.90 ($1.50)
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 96
Categories: All Natural, Candy, Katjes, Gummi Candy, 8-Tasty, Germany

POSTED BY Cybele AT 3:27 pm     All NaturalCandyReviewKatjesGummi Candy8-TastyGermany

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Maynard’s Sour Patch Kids Soda Popz

Maynard's Sour Patch Kids Soda PopzYou would think that a candy as special as Sour Patch Kids, first introduced in the 1970s in North America, would be available all over the world by now. Sour Patch Kids are basically sour sanded Swedish Fish (also introduced originally by Malaaco but now made by Cadbury/Adams, now part of the global Mondelez/Kraft snack empire) and have become a sort of genre of candy all on their own. There are a dozen different varieties, from single flavor (watermelon), fruit & berry shapes and odd flavor combinations.

Back in 2012 Mondelez introduced Sour Patch Kids to the United Kingdom under the brand Maynard‘s, which was already known for its kid-friendly sugar candy lines. They weren’t a straight-up import though, the flavors were tweaked to include blackcurrant and instead of being a jelly candy, they were made with gelatin ... now they were gummis.

I actually wasn’t aware of this history before I went to London. All I knew was there were some new Sour Patch Kids flavors not sold in the United States: Maynard’s Sour Patch Kids Soda Popz. The flavors are Cola, Orangeade, Cherryade, Tropical and Apple Fizz. They were easy to find but rather pricey for the 160 gram bag (5.64); they retail for £1.48 or about $2.50.

Maynard's Sour Patch Kids - Soda

What originally interested me was the cola. There are Haribo sour sanded cola gummis, but no vegetarian options as far as I knew. Well, if you read closely above, the Maynard’s version contains gelatin (though it’s bovine, so if you avoid pork products, you can still eat these though they’re not marked Kosher or Halal).

Cola was definitely the star here. It’s quite tangy at the start and though I was thinking these might have some sort of fizzy component, they’re just sour sanded. The cola flavor is well rounded with some spicy notes as well as a good lemon and lime zesty citrus bite. The flavor seemed a little more intense than the Haribo Happy Cola, but still didn’t quite rival the excellent Cuba Libre gummis I got last year from Sugarfina.

Orangeade was going to be my second favorite by its description, because I used to like orange soda. But this was strange. The sour start was good, but the flavor got strange after that. It’s sweet but not very orange and there’s a darker note in there, almost like there was a mix up and some tropical flavoring was dumped in there.

Cherryade is weird. At first it tasted like a medicinal cough drop, then it was pleasantly sour, then it went back to the cough drop. It’s almost like a Dr. Pepper, the cherry flavor is that far off from the wild cherry of Life Savers. Of course I’ve never had British cherry soda, so this might be a great imitation.

Apple Fizz is interesting, but only in a disappointing way. At first it tastes like a sour Jolly Rancher, with a little note of actual apple juice ... but then it tastes like I’m chewing on a vinyl children’s wading pool. It’s pretty awful.

Tropical actually tasted like blackcurrant, if that’s possible, with some guava thrown in for soupy sweetness. Definitely distinctive, definitely one I avoided.

For a late entry into the sour sanded gummi, these aren’t good enough to compete, at least in the US. Now, if Cadbury/Adams wanted to make a jelly version of these for the US, I’m absolutely interested. The flavors, however, should be more like our popular sodas: Cola, Cherry-Cola, Root Beer (or Grape if the sourness is an issue), Lemon-Lime and Dr. Pepper (or whatever that flavor is).

Maynard’s Sour Patch Kids Soda Popz are not gluten free.

For a local opinion, hop over to Grocery Gems for a review.

Sour Patch Kids - Now Including BlueWhile I was pondering Sour Patch Kids, I saw at the store that there’s actually a new flavor in the current mix. Thankfully they didn’t boot a flavor out of the standard berry, lime, orange and lemon mix, instead they’ve just added in blue raspberry.

I picked up a box, mostly to compare the texture of the gummi version to the jelly version. But I figured I’d give the old blue a try, too. My initial impression without trying them was that blue raspberry was going to be too close to the Swedish red flavor and wouldn’t be distinctive.

Sour Patch Kids - Now Including Blue

The sourness of Sour Patch Kids is distinctive - it’s tart, it’s sandy, but the powder is actually less grainy in the North American version than the UK. It’s immediately sour, but not such a thick crust that it doesn’t dissipate quickly. Mostly I was tasting this for the new blue flavor, but I reminded myself why Sour Patch Kids are fantastic.

Blue is a light raspberry flavor, there’s a strong sweetness to the center with a light floral flavor ... but this is pretty much the profile of the red one (Swedish Fish flavor). It’s not quite as intense, but if you gave these to me with my eyes shut, I don’t think I could tell the difference. In fact, I separated out a pile of blue and red mixed, and at them without looking and really didn’t know the difference. The lime, lemon and orange are easy to pick out, even though they’re all citrus.

There’s no problem, as far as I’m concerned, to simply have another berry flavor in the mix, even if it’s not distinctive. I’ve always wondered why they didn’t have grape though. My favorite will always be orange, it’s zesty and soft and sour. All the right things in all the right proportions.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Happy Cola Gefullt
  2. Sugarfina: The Gummis
  3. Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe Gummi Bottles
  4. Morinaga HiCHEW Fanta: Grape & Orange plus Cola
  5. Kanro Pure Lemon Cola
  6. Napoleon BonBon Cola
  7. Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis
  8. Fresh Cola Mentos
  9. Haribo Fizzy Cola


Name: Maynard’s Sour Patch Kids Soda Popz
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Cadbury
Place Purchased: Sainsbury (London)
Price: £1.48 ($2.50)
Size: 5.64 ounces
Calories per ounce: 94
Categories: Candy, Cadbury, Kraft/Mondelez, Cola, Gummi Candy, Sour, 5-Pleasant, United Kingdom

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:34 am     CandyReviewCadburyKraft/MondelezColaGummi CandySour5-PleasantUnited Kingdom

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Katjes Tappsy mit Schoko-Geschmack

Katjes TappsyTappsy is a line of cute candies from the Germany sugar-candy company Katjes. Katjes is know best for their licorice, but also do a great job with jelly and gummi candies, often mixed with a marshmallow texture.

The Tappsy line features a simple Panda face with contrasting ears and often nose. Sometimes they’re done in fruity flavors and sometimes in licorice. This particular version. the Katjes Tappsy mit Schoko-Geschmack are chocolate flavored.

They’re not available in the United States, or at least not easily. I got these from a candy swap with Kristian at CandyBrain.de, but I did notice that Sugarfina (more on them here) posted about them after our small quake last week

Katjes Tappsy

They smell like cocoa, like I just opened a can of Nestle Quik. The shapes alternate. Some faces are cocoa with licorice ears and noses, some are licorice faces with cocoa ears. The marshmallow faces are very easy to bite and chew. It’s soft and mild but ultimately bland. The cocoa keeps it from getting too sweet, but also gives it a sort of cardboard flavor as well. The licorice as ears is so mild, all I could tell was that it wasn’t cocoa.

When it came to the licorice faces, the chew was a little more like a Swedish Fish than the dense cross between a marshmallow and a gummi. The flavor is more intense but not great. There are anise notes and a little deep earthy flavor of molasses and licorice. The ears are good here, just a little light texture and the flavor is completely overpowered.

I found them passable, not great. They weren’t strong enough in their licorice flavor and for the cocoa part, I think I would have preferred a true licorice flavor there too, like Griotten. I’ll probably finish the package, and I’ve come to find I rather like them when they’re stale and a little more stiff and chewy.

(If you’d like a review via video and stronger language, check out CandyGurus review of the chocolate and licorice varieties.)

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Hot Sticks
  2. Sockerbit Swedish Candy Selections
  3. Van Slooten Flowers & Butterflies Mix of Sugared Liquorice
  4. Haribo Pearlico Lakritz
  5. 12 European Licorices
  6. Haribo Pontefract Cakes
  7. Katjes Saure Ananas (Sour Pineapple)
  8. Licorice Assortment
  9. Katjes Tropical Gummis & Yogurt Gums


Name: Tappsy mit Schoko-Geschmack
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Katjes
Place Purchased: candy swap with CandyBrain.de!
Price: $1.50 (approximately)
Size: 5.64 ounces
Calories per ounce: 113
Categories: Candy, Katjes, Gummi Candy, Licorice Candy, 6-Tempting, Germany

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:31 pm     CandyReviewKatjesGummi CandyLicorice Candy6-TemptingGermany

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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.

 

 

 

 

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