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Haribo

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Candyology 101 - Podcast Episode 17 - Haribo

Candyology101-17-Haribo

There are a lot of gummis out there, but none are like the original Haribo from Germany. In this episode Maria and I geek out over our favorite Haribo candies.

You can listen right here or download the MP3 file. Do check out the show notes on our Candyology101 website.

 

 

POSTED BY Cybele AT 4:32 pm     CandyHariboGummi CandyHighlightRadio Interviews

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Haribo Sour Bears

Haribo Sour BearsHaribo makes the number one selling gummi bear in the United States, the Haribo Gold Bear. But Haribo makes a wide variety of other gummi candy, including sours. This year Haribo introduced the Haribo Sour Gold Bears which brings together their assortment of five flavors with a sour sand coating.

This new product follows the trend where the sour version of an established candy gets a sour sanding. This has happened with Skittles, Sour Patch Kids (original candy was Swedish Fish) and Sour Punch Straws (Red Vines). I’m not sure why the sour can’t just be in the candy, though I appreciate the texture change.

Right now they’re available in stores in the regular peg bags and in bulk, but I expect they’ll come in other variety packages soon. I picked mine up at Cost Plus World Market, but I know that they’re in pretty wide release. I’m a little irritated at the size of the bag. The bag is the same size it’s always been, but it seems like there’s less and less candy in them. This bag holds 4.5 ounces, but years ago it was 6 ounces.

Haribo Sour Bears

The back of the package helpfully lists all the flavors with their colors: pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, lemon and orange. Though some of the Haribo gummis use real fruit juice and natural colorings, these use a blend of natural and artificial flavors and artificial colors.

Haribo Sour Bears

Raspberry (red) - this is one of those bears that make me love Haribo. Their red is raspberry, not cherry. The flavor is more on the tart side of the berry flavors, more like an actual raspberry than a raspberry jam. There are seed notes, but less of the flowery perfume that the standard bear delivers.

Orange is fun. The outside starts nicely tart, but not too puckery ... it’s just enough to give my jaw a little tingle. The sour flavor continues with the gummi itself, though not every flavorful in its own right. It’s missing a lot of the orange peel notes that are usually in a Haribo Bear, but this is still fun.

Pineapple (pale) - this has always been my favorite flavor in Haribo bears, and this one is no different. The first touch to my tongue reveals that this is not ordinary sour sanding on the bears ... there’s actual flavor. The pineapple is floral and tangy and zippy, more like fresh pineapple than the canned stuff.

Lemon (yellow) - this is sharp but with a lot of zest and juice notes. It’s not quite as sour as I’d hope a sour bear should be, but it still holds up well as the chew goes along. This one definitely showed that the centers are not just the same Haribo Bears with a sour coating, they’re actually more sour on the inside.

Strawberry (green) - yes, the package confirms that green is strawberry - it’s not lime and it’s not apple. This one is a little disappointing, the sour levels seem uneven and less on the berry spectrum and kind of veers off into watermelon. However, it goes well with all the other bears even if it’s not as intensely flavored.

I liked or loved every bear in this assortment. They’re tried and true classics with a little bit more intensity than the standard Gold Bear. They’re sour, but it took most of the bag over three days to finally burn a hole in my tongue. I’m sad that these didn’t come out 30 years ago, but I’m glad they’re here now.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Juicy Gold Bears
  2. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  3. Gimbal’s Sour Lovers
  4. Candy Source: Albanese Candy Factory
  5. Goody Good Stuff Sour Mix & Match
  6. Haribo Saure Dinosaurier
  7. Katjes Saure Ananas (Sour Pineapple)
  8. Sour Gummi Bears
  9. Haribo Fizzy Cola


Name: Sour Gold Bears
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: Cost Plus World Market (Farmers Market)
Price: $1.89
Size: 4.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 102
Categories: Candy, Haribo, Gummi Candy, Sour, 9-Yummy, Turkey, Cost Plus

POSTED BY Cybele AT 2:15 pm     CandyReviewHariboGummi CandySour9-YummyTurkeyCost Plus

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

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Haribo Happy Cola Gefullt

Haribo Happy Cola GefulltCola is an American flavor, invented in 1886 as a tonic mixed with soda water to cure a variety of ailments. The flavor is a combination of kola nuts, spices and citrus. (If not those actual ingredients, there are detectable flavor notes of them.) Though the drink is wildly popular in North America, it is rare in other forms. It’s not a common candy flavor, though it makes good candy. However, Europe seems to have embraced it and Germany has many excellent candies that utilize the unique combination of citrus and spice.

Haribo may have made its name and reputation on gummi bears, but there is one place where I think they do a much better job of creating an exclusive line of candies: Happy Cola. The Happy Cola line is a small group of cola bottle shaped and flavored products. They include the classic Happy Cola, Super Happy Cola (larger sized pieces), Fizzy Happy Cola (sour sanded gummis) and now the Haribo Happy Cola Flüssig gefüllt. These are liquid filled cola bottle gummis.

Haribo Happy Cola

I first heard about these from CandyBrain.de and knew I had to track them down. This involved a candy swap with Kristian, as you may have noticed, I’ve had quite a few European candies featured since November and he has been featuring the American candies on his blog.

They’re a little different from the regular cola bottles, they’re a layered gummi. The bottom is a foamy, stiff marshmallow then there’s the honey-like goo and the top layer is the standard Haribo cola gummi. They’re about 1.3 inches high.

Haribo Happy Cola

The effect of all the textures and their variations of flavor work really well together. The gummi itself is soft and chewy, but a bit stiffer than the American-made Trolli or Albanese. The marshmallowy bottom is creamy and has a vanilla note, giving it an ice cream note. The filling has a honey flavor to it with an extra little burst of spice and tartness.

It’s a nice combination and something that Haribo could easily expand to include other kinds of soda like ginger ale and root beer (though I had the root beer Haribo introduced years ago and thought they were horrible, but then again, many Europeans don’t actually like root beer).

Related Candies

  1. Sugarfina: The Gummis
  2. Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe Gummi Bottles
  3. Morinaga HiCHEW Fanta: Grape & Orange plus Cola
  4. Napoleon BonBon Cola
  5. Haribo Maoam Fruit Chews
  6. Eat with your Eyes: Haribo Cola Wheel
  7. Haribo Happy Cola
  8. Fresh Cola Mentos
  9. Ramune & Cola Bubble Ball


Name: Happy Cola Gefullt
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: candy swap with CandyBrain.de!
Price: $1.00 retail
Size: 6.17 ounces
Calories per ounce: 96
Categories: Candy, Haribo, Cola, Gummi Candy, 8-Tasty, Germany

POSTED BY Cybele AT 3:21 pm     CandyReviewHariboColaGummi Candy8-TastyGermany

Friday, September 6, 2013

Haribo The Smurfs Gummi

Haribo The Smurfs Gummi CandyI couple of years ago I found out that Haribo had a Smurfs candy, but it wasn’t sold widely in the United States. I did track them down when I was in Germany, and bought a single one, for half a Euro at a Christmas Market in Schmalkalden (here’s a photo of me buying it). The individual pieces were large, about half an ounce (see photo) and a generic berry flavored jelly candy.

Now that the second Smurfs movie has been released worldwide (and a third planned since the first one has already made a quarter of a billion dollars worldwide) Haribo did decide to release a version to the United States in pouch packaging. I picked this bag up at Cost Plus World Market about a month after the movie came out.

This version has smaller candies in the traditional gelatin-based gummi style. The bag a little more expensive than usual Haribo candies at Cost Plus - not the sticker price, but the fact that the bag holds 4 ounces instead of the usual 5 ounces for products like the Gold Bears or Happy Cola.

Haribo Smurfs

The candies are shaped like the Smurfs. They’re predominantly blue with different colors on top. Most are clear on top, to emulate the standard white Smurf Phrygian cap. Papa Smurf has a red hat and Smurfette has blonde (yellow) hair.

The pieces are big, about an inch and half tall.

The blue flavor of the Smurf body is berry. I’d say it might be raspberry and it might be strawberry, it’s hard to tell. It’s jammy and it’s tart and overall, has a good flavor. The colored head coverings are a different flavor though.

Haribo The Smurfs Gummi Candy: SmurfetteSmurfette’s hair is lemon. It’s mild and pleasant, not as intense as the Haribo Gold Bears, but still goes well with the berry blue body.

The standard clear headed Smurf is pineapple, which I love and think goes great with the berry.

Papa Smurf’s red hat is, well, hard to distinguish. If I had to say, maybe it’s raspberry and the body is strawberry ... maybe they’re the same.

The candies are well done, a little monotonous because of the mostly single flavor but the molding and different shapes are pretty good. If you’re keen on Swedish Fish, this might be a fun treat, though they are a gummi, not a jelly candy so they’re not for vegetarians. They’re flat, not dimensional like the Au’some 3 Dees candies that have also come out with licensing agreements with characters from Nintendo, Monopoly and Kung Fu Panda. Maybe the time has passed when I would have been interested in a Smurf themed candy, but for someone who really likes them, and you’re planning on screening the movie, it’d be a fun themed snack.

Related Candies

  1. Candy Tease: Sweets & Snacks Expo - Part 1
  2. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  3. Angry Birds Fruit Gummies
  4. Life Savers Gummies Spooky Shapes
  5. Trolli Gummi Bear-Rings
  6. Au’some Easter 3-Dees Gummy
  7. Haribo Happy Cola
  8. Disney Pixie Perfect Gummies


Name: Smurfs Gummi Candy
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: Cost Plus World Market (Farmers Market)
Price: $1.89
Size: 4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 94
Categories: Candy, Haribo, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, Turkey, Cost Plus

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:59 am     CandyReviewHariboGummi Candy7-Worth ItTurkeyCost Plus

Monday, May 13, 2013

Haribo Juicy Gold Bears

Haribo Juicy Gold-BearsWhen I was in Germany a couple of years ago, I picked up a bag of a new Haribo variety of gummi bears called Saft Baeren. They were made with real fruit juice and had a much softer, juicier texture than the traditional Haribo Gold Bears.

Well, Haribo has decided to sell a version of those bears in the United States as Haribo Juicy Gold-Bears. They’re coming out now and feature more than 20% fruit juice and no artificial colors.

They’re a little different from the bears that I tried. First, the version I tried was made in Germany, and as I found out from my taste test, the German Haribo products are usually the ones I prefer because they’re more intense and have a better texture. This bag was made in Turkey. Second, the flavor variety is a little different. The original version had five flavors, this one has six. The flavors are black currant, pear, lime, apple, raspberry and peach. No orange, lemon, pineapple or strawberry.

Haribo Juicy Gold Bears

Black Currant (Purple) is deep and jammy, slightly bitter, in an authentic way with a dry note to it.

Apple (dull green) is very, well, green tasting. It’s an authentic apple flavor, like juice, but it’s also very green, like someone threw a dash of wheatgrass in there or something.

Peach (orange) is fascinating. It’s more apricot if you ask me, and that’s probably a good thing. It’s quite tangy and has a lot of that balsam note that gives peach their fuzzy flavor. It’s a dense and nuanced flavor, done very well, far better than any other peach candy I’ve had.

Haribo Juicy Gold Bears

Raspberry (red) is a great bear. It’s tart and juicy and has a light tannic quality that’s kind of jammy and lightly floral.

Pear (clear) is tangy and a little bland compared to the others. It’s like a baked pear.

Lime (yellow) is actually pretty boring. It’s not as vibrant as the citrus flavors in the original Gold bears.

Overall, the flavors are good, even great, but the actual flavor variety is a little weird. I’m all for not using mainstream flavors, but this mix is just a little too strange for me. There were only two that I liked, and I found myself picking them out of the mix, which is something I never do with the standard Gold Bears. I think the fact that they’re using natural colors and lots of real juice is great and I hope that trend continues ... now if they could just do an all citrus mix of bears that way. However, I know that these flavors, since they’re so specific and so rare in a mix sold in the US, are going to be someone’s favorite.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  2. Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis
  3. Grether’s Pastilles Blackcurrant
  4. Goody Good Stuff Koala Gummy Bears
  5. Bissinger’s Pink Grapefruit Gummy Pandas
  6. Trader Joe’s Gummy Tummies


Name: Juicy Gold Bears
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: samples from Haribo
Price: $1.49 retail
Size: 4 ounces
Calories per ounce: 101
Categories: All Natural, Candy, Haribo, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, Turkey

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:26 am     All NaturalCandyReviewHariboGummi Candy7-Worth ItTurkey

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Haribo Hot Sticks

Haribo Hot SticksI saw these Haribo Hot Sticks first on the Candy Gurus site and knew I had to have them.

They’re a strange combination of flavors, at least to the American palate. The package describes them as Fruity-Spicy & Liquorice. They’re sugar crusted gummis in three flavor combinations: Hot Orange + Liquorice, Ginger-Lemon + Liquorice and Raspberry-Jalapeno + Liquorice.

Haribo is a global confectionery brand, but this package is for the German market, with the majority of the package information in German and a smattering in English.

Haribo Hot Sticks

There are three flavors, but I have trouble telling them apart. The raspberry was easy, since it was pink, but the orange and lemon versions were more difficult.

The texture is soft and bouncy, the sugar crust is fine and adheres well to the candy, so well that there was barely any in the bottom of the bag. Each has a licorice end, and that flavor was consistent across all the pieces. It was very sweet with a mild anise flavor. I’m not usually the keen on Haribo’s licorice, but this gummi version was mild and traditional.

Hot Orange + Liquorice - the orange end had a little tangy citrus note and at first, I had trouble detecting anything else, but soon the warming spice of what I can only guess is hot pepper started. It was really just the heat, there wasn’t much of the vegetable note to it. The licorice combined well with it, mostly evening it all out and providing a more lingering sweetness.

Ginger-Lemon + Liquorice - this was the flavor that drove me to find the Hot Sticks. I love Haribo’s Ginger Lemon gummis, so the addition of licorice sounded great. The earthy flavor of the ginger balanced very well with the herbal notes of the anise-licorice. The tartness of the lemon cut the sugary sweetness of the grainy coating.

Raspberry-Jalapeno + Liquorice - I have to admit that jalapeno is not one of my favorite flavors. The raspberry and jalapeno flavors were well balanced here. The tangy and floral berry notes came right out, but so did the green vegetable flavors of jalapeno along with the very warm notes of the pepper. When I just ate a bite from that flavored end, I found it slightly too hot for me. However, when eating as a whole candy, with the soothing woodsy note of the licorice, it’s interesting ... still, it was a bit chaotic. Of all the flavors here, this one was the least successful. But it could just be that I’d never tried that combination before and it was too jarring for me to appreciate.

Overall, it’s a really fascinating mix. Each bite is different, and because the flavors are separated on different ends, you can kind of control how much of a mix you get. I’ll probably stick with the much more mundane Lemon Ginger, but the addition of licorice, especially this particular version of a gummi licorice, is quite good.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  2. Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis
  3. Haribo Pearlico Lakritz
  4. 12 European Licorices
  5. Ginger Chews: Hot Coffee
  6. Darrell Lea Licorice & Ginger
  7. Cowgirl Chocolates Buckin’ Hot Habanero Caramels

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:26 pm     All NaturalCandyReviewHariboGingerGummi CandyLicorice Candy7-Worth ItGermanyMel and Rose

Monday, December 31, 2012

Haribo Tropifruitti

Haribo TropifruttiWhile most Haribo mixes are just different shapes and flavors of the standard gummi, the Haribo Tropifruitti is a bit different.

The gummis are a tropical flavor mix, as you’d expect. The shapes are that of pineapples, toucans, bananas and palm trees. In addition, the texture is a little softer and less chewy than the more rubbery gummis.

I picked up my bag at Cost Plus World Market. It was $1.89, but sometimes they have sales for $1.25 a bag or so if you’re a bit Haribo fan it’s worth waiting for. This particular gummi candy is made in Spain, unlike most other Haribo gummis available in the US, which are made in Turkey.

Haribo Tropifrutti

What’s most interesting about these gummis is not the flavor variety but the style of the gummi itself. It’s very different from the tough and clear version of the Gold Bears. These are muted in color and have a sort of chalky exterior. They not shiny or terribly translucent. The coating is a little like a jelly bean, it has a small crunch to it, but not the same graininess. The interior is also not as chewy as a regular gummi, it’s a cross between a jelly and a gummi. It’s soft, pliable, sticky and juicy.

Banana (Yellow) - this is an exceptionally uncommon flavor for a gummi, so I relished trying it. It’s a good flavor, it’s a little like a slight unripe banana, in that there’s a light tartness to it. But what’s missing is that overly fake banana note that comes with the too sweet artificial banana candies.

Currant (Darker Red) - has an interesting balsam note to it, it’s less about the florals and more about the woodsy seed flavors. It’s definitely not what I would consider a tropical fruit. 

Haribo Tropifrutti

Watermelon (Green) - It’s lightly tart with a well rounded juice flavor and a little dash of artificial Jolly Rancher to it.

Pineapple (Clear) - this is one of my favorite flavors, especially in Haribo gummis. This did not disappoint. It’s sweet, had a strong floral note and a distinct tartness.

Orange Mango (Peach) - tastes a bit bland, like a punch drink. It’s more citrusy than mango, but barely either.

Strawberry (Pink) - smells like cotton candy, it’s light and barely flavored, but so are many strawberries.

I like the change in texture and thought the Pineapple and Banana were really good, but the vibrant flavor profile I’m accustomed to with many other gummis was missing. So maybe this is for people who don’t like a lot of flavor ... like the Haribo equivalent of jelly beans.

Related Candies

  1. Haribo Gold Bears from Turkey and Germany
  2. Haribo Ingwer-Zitrone Gummis
  3. Haribo Raspberries Gummi Candy
  4. Short & Sweet: Tropical Flavors
  5. Haribo Saure Dinosaurier
  6. Katjes Tropical Gummis & Yogurt Gums
  7. Starburst Baja California & Tropical


Name: Tropifruitti Gummi Candy
    RATING:
  • SUPERB
  • YUMMY
  • TASTY
  • WORTH IT
  • TEMPTING
  • PLEASANT
  • BENIGN
  • UNAPPEALING
  • APPALLING
  • INEDIBLE
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: Cost Plus World Market (Farmers Market)
Price: $1.89
Size: 5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 101
Categories: Candy, Haribo, Gummi Candy, 7-Worth It, Spain, Cost Plus

POSTED BY Cybele AT 1:48 pm     CandyReviewHariboGummi Candy7-Worth ItSpainCost Plus

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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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