Monday, April 20, 2009

Good & Fiery

Good & FieryI have been waiting nearly a year to find these! I first read about them last year on Candy Addict’s list of new products coming out from Hershey’s. The release date of December 2008 came and went and I kept my eyes open but still didn’t see them in the stores ... not even on the internet. I thought maybe Hershey’s decided not to put them out.

Then last week I wandered down to the 99 Cent Only Store about a mile from my office to see what was new. I found a box. One box. Just sitting there, mixed in with the Sugar Babies and Care Bears Gummi Bears. I would have bought more, but this was all they had (and this one was a little dinged).

Good & FieryThe biggest question I had about these was which side of the confectionery line would they fall ... are they a licorice product like Good & Plenty or are they a jelly-bean-like Good & Fruity.

The front of the package was no help. It describes these only as Sweet and Spicy chewy candy. The side of the package pushed me in the direction of Good & Fruity when I looked at the ingredients. The first three are dextrose, sugar & corn syrup. Good & Plenty has wheat flour as part of the licorice.

So now I knew that I was expecting: Lemon, Orange, Apple & Cinnamon jelly rods.

All that confusion aside ... the box design is fabulous. I love the bold colors & graphic style (which is why there are so many photos in this review).

image

Good & FieryGood & Fiery are like their brethren Good & Fruity - little jelly bean rods. Long (about 2/3 of an inch) & tapered at both ends, they’re smaller than Mike and Ike and a bit shinier, too.

Lemon (Yellow) - bright and translucent, I was more than curious what the combination of lemon and cinnamon would hold. The candy shells on these is rather thin & crunchy. Now, the flavor ... at first it’s a little bitter. The shell is sweet, but the little sweet veneer wears off and I got a slight bitter hit, an organic type of woodsy bitter. I got lemon zest too ... and then cinnamon. At the very end there was a little twang of tartness.

It’s downright bizarre. It’s like eating a candle. Not in a bad way.

Orange (orange) - also starts with a slight bitterness but that moved into a very strong sweetness quickly. The cinnamon here is like an actual cinnamon stick - woodsy with notes of cedar and pine and then a strong snap of tartness then some more bitter at the end. There’s a warm feeling from the cinnamon but not a strong lingering one.

Good & FieryApple (red) - I had trouble telling the reds apart when I didn’t have another to compare it to (though usually the cinnamon ones were a bit fatter). This apple is sweet and tangy and has that nice combination of apple juice flavor mixed with that made-in-the-lab note of “green apple flavoring”. The cinnamon is a bit of a background here but makes it taste a bit like a McDonald’s Hot Apple Pie. (Without the “caution filling is hot” label.)

Cinnamon (dark red) - I was expecting the plain cinnamon to be like a Hot Tamale or Sizzling Cinnamon Jelly Belly. Instead this one went in a wholly different direction. The shell on these seemed crispier. The cinnamon flavor on the outside was soft. Then at the edge of the shell and the jelly center there was a burst of flavor - like an all cinnamon chai - it had a burning warmth and some really authentic notes of real cinnamon, not just the cinnamon oils.

This has to be one of the strangest ventures I’ve seen Hersheys’ take in quite a while. It’s like they subcontracted the folks who developed the Dots: Elements (Earth, Wind, Fire & Water) to come up with a brand extension for Good & Fruity. I’m completely puzzled by these though, because I think Hershey’s created a great new product with their Cinnamon Twizzlers Fire. Why couldn’t they have taken those and made a version of that like the true Good & Plenty?

Those who are disappointed by the soulless rebirth of Good & Fruity aren’t going to find any comfort here. Those who enjoy cinnamon with all the variations of the flavor might find some solace.

Joann from Sugar Hi reviewed them a few months ago, at least helping to disambiguate their candy category but didn’t dissuade me from trying them.

Related Candies

  1. See’s Cinnamon (Hearts & Lollypops)
  2. Cinnamon Imperial Hearts
  3. Gimbal’s Lavaballs
  4. Good & Plenty (Fresh from the Factory)
  5. Chocolate Dipped Altoids
  6. Hot Tamales and Hotter Tamales
Name: Good & Fiery
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Hershey's
Place Purchased: 99 Cent Only (Miracle Mile)
Price: $1.00
Size: 5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 99
Categories: Jelly, Cinnamon, United States, Hershey's, Kosher

POSTED BY Cybele AT 7:29 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I always enjoy cinnamon candy. I’ll have to watch for those!

    Comment by 3carnations on 4/20/09 at 10:09 am #
  2. I was excited to find these because I am a sucker for new candy, but after a few pieces I’m afraid I’m going to have to trash most of them.  Fruity desserts plus cinnamon are great, and cinnamon candies are great, and Good and Fruity are great, but this combination was disgusting.  The “like eating a candle” was dead on.  I only wish I’d seen the review before I bought my box!

    Comment by oohlookasquirrel on 4/20/09 at 11:47 am #
  3. these sound absolutely nuts

    Comment by alison on 4/20/09 at 5:29 pm #
  4. Sera's avatar

    Oh, a shame. I was really hoping for something like the Elements DOTS married with Spice Bean for this. Still, I’m eager to find myself some!

    Comment by Sera on 4/21/09 at 1:28 am #
  5. What a dissapointment. But, at least you still have your other favorite candies smile)

    Comment by Riel on 4/21/09 at 3:40 am #
  6. “It?s like eating a candle. Not in a bad way.”

    So, there’s a good way?

    Comment by Abi on 4/21/09 at 7:06 am #
  7. I love cinamon candy smile

    Comment by Bubbles on 4/24/09 at 2:20 am #
  8. Wow, that sounds ridiculously bizzare! I kind of want to try them because of the weirdness factor, but I may stay away…

    Comment by Debby on 4/24/09 at 6:17 am #
  9. Everyone, good and fruties are out!! I saw a box of them when I went to get groceries

    Comment by Riel on 4/24/09 at 4:38 pm #
  10. They taste kinda nasty. I’m hoping they grow on me.

    Comment by Sheila on 5/04/09 at 5:35 am #
  11. To me, they taste like eating a cheap cinnamon air freshener. So, yes, I can see the candle analogy. However, there is something addictive about them. But I won’t be buying another box.

    Comment by LB on 6/13/09 at 1:17 pm #
  12. im eating them right now and they are disgusting lol i thought they would be great i even bought two boxes-they are disgusting!!!

    Comment by Bethany on 7/03/09 at 9:59 am #
  13. Very dissappointed.  The apple and cinnamon are okay; but the orange and lemon are narsty.  No thank you and bummed I wasted my money/calories on this box o’ icky.

    Comment by KA on 7/18/09 at 6:40 pm #
  14. 3 months later, I still haven’t seen them and am still looking… sigh.

    Comment by Louis Gray on 7/30/09 at 1:11 pm #
  15. I love Good and Plenty! Now Good and Fiery I had to force myself to eat 25% of the box and now my body gag reflexes are kicking in. Honestly I’ll eat rust off a bumper but these are just gross…

    Its like a huge wad of Big Red Gum + Fresh Lemon + Orange what were they thinking and the triple cinnamon flavor burns????

    (The Apple cinnamon flavor one was almost ok).

    I just stop eating 4 minutes ago my stomach swearing at me now… Try at Your own RISK…

    Comment by jonathan on 8/09/09 at 8:59 pm #
  16. You guys are crazy. Good & Fiery are the bomb!!!! I truly, truly love these things. Sad thing for me is I cannot find them anywhere besides Chocolate World at Hershey. I was there yesterday and loaded up on them.

    Comment by Me on 8/10/09 at 9:06 am #
  17. These were TERRIBLE! If cleaning fluid had a taste, this would be it!

    Comment by John J on 8/24/09 at 6:03 am #
  18. I found these a couple of weeks ago at CVS Pharmacy.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!  I had to stop myself from eating the whole box at one time.  But judging from the other comments here, I suppose they will pass into oblivion soon.

    Comment by Joyce on 8/25/09 at 4:47 am #
  19. I just found these in ShopRite.  All I can say is MMMMMMMMMMM.  The box was misleading - i expected three pure fruit flavors and a cinnamon but was pleasantly surprised to taste the cinnamon end to all the flavors.  My young daughter crawled into my lap while i was eating them and i offered her a taste, i expected her to dislike them but she liked them too.  I hope these stay on the shelfs for a while.

    Comment by Jen on 9/07/09 at 12:21 pm #
  20. You people are nuts.  I cannot stop eating these things.  I don’t know what it is, I’m a total addict.  I love the blend of the cinnamon with the fruit, the texture and crackle of the shell is excellent and the cinnamon pop adds such a good finish to them…seriously have to pay attention as I’ve down whole boxes in one sitting before…SO GOOD.

    Comment by Chris on 11/09/09 at 2:48 pm #
  21. don’t like these. i love hot tamales, cinnamon bears, red hot dollars, etc. but wasn’t a fan of these.  i threw them away and it threw off my nightly candy fix!

    Comment by lisa on 12/09/09 at 12:15 pm #
  22. I found just one box at my local Big Lots and I’m hooked on them already!  I haven’t been able to find anymore, though I found a place online that sells them for $1.45 for the theater size, but the shipping is $12.99 (forget it!)I’ll have to look around some more.

    Comment by Nancy on 1/18/10 at 9:03 am #
  23. I found these for the first time last summer at a CVS and have been addicted since then.  I go in 2 or 3 times a week and buy 2 boxes for $3.  Today they were in a different location and I got the last 2 boxes.  The manager said they’re not going to carry them any more; he doesn’t know why.  Boo hoo!!

    Comment by Jeanne on 1/21/10 at 11:15 am #
  24. I experimentally picked these up a few months ago at the infamous Plaid Pantry in Portland OR’s Alphabet district and, like posts 16 thru 23 ( minus 17&21;),  I loved them and wish I could get a resupply in Seattle.  Any G&F sightings in Seattle?

    Comment by SeattleChris on 2/09/10 at 1:33 pm #
  25. Found In Seattle.  I read that someone found G&F at a Kmart store so I went to the only one in Seattle at 132nd N. Aurora and found them! and they have a 10 for $10 special on many standard box candies ( mix&match;).  So, I now have a nice supply.

    Comment by SeattleChris on 2/11/10 at 11:01 am #
  26. This candy is so nasty dont buy it lol!

    Comment by D3uce on 5/06/10 at 7:58 am #
  27. I agree…disgusting…I like Good & Plenty and Good & Fruity so I bought these expecting lemon, orange, apple, and cinnamon…separate flavors…they are gross, gross, gross. There is a very chemical flavor to them that I can’t get past. Nothing good about them at all. I tried to get them to grow on me but the box is going in the garbage. Disgusting! Truly disgusting!

    Comment by TB on 6/30/10 at 5:23 pm #
  28. These comments for G&Fiery; show that it is a case of a Love It or Hate It taste ( food, drink, candy, etc. ) - When in one camp it is hard to believe that anyone could be in the other.  I am in the Love It camp and as a Seattle movie goer I take a box to every film I attend ( no outside food in theaters - ha ) - hard to not finish a box before the film is half through.  I get my stock at the Plaid Pantry at Taylor&Valley; by Seattle Center.

    Comment by SeattleDavid on 6/30/10 at 5:46 pm #
  29. I bought some of these yesterday at Sears Grand. They taste like Good n Fruity meets Hot Tamale. They are ok.

    Comment by San Diego on 8/02/10 at 11:01 am #
  30. A couple months ago, I picked up a box of G&Fiery; for a friend who loves G&Fruity;, and she liked it, too.  I’ve gone back twice to the store where I bought it.  Nothing!  Not to be found elsewhere anywhere.  I’ve looked.  Does anyone know how to identify stores that regularly carry this candy?  Or are discoveries just sheer dumb luck, as other comments seem to indicate.

    You’d think it would be easiest to find in NYC, a place that boasts anything and everything can be found here.  But no!  G&Fruity; is impossible to find in my friend’s neighborhood but easy in mine, so I am her supplier.  She hates G&Plenty;, which is easiest to find.

    Comment by DClobo on 8/12/10 at 7:48 am #
  31. I added the comment that I love G&F and got my supply at Kmart - well, it seems they have discontinued stocking G&F - so, I guess Plaid Pantry is the only supply in Seattle.  Anyone find another store w/G&F in Seattle area?

    Comment by SeattleChris on 8/12/10 at 9:25 am #
  32. And now G&F have been discontinued at Plaid Pantry!  Are there any outlets in Seattle with G&F?

    Comment by SeattleChris on 8/18/10 at 9:52 pm #
  33. Ugggh. I saw the box and was excited. Then I tried them. the experience was so unpleasant. More like cleaning soolutions than candy. Yuk!

    Comment by jbwilo on 9/03/10 at 11:00 am #
  34. Great retro-look to “Good & Fiery” package but it is too bad that the candy tastes absolutely terrible. It’s not even worth it to separate the colors - every single chemical flavor is horrible! 

    No wonder the 99 cents store has such a huge supply! This product is a disaster.

    Comment by Terrible! on 9/15/10 at 11:16 am #
  35. Adding to my comment #28 - With the last two entries being from the “hate it” camp it made me try to think of another love it/ hate it taste.  I have travelled in asia and remember trying and hating Durian fruit.  From wiki “The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks.”  I’m glad to know I’m not the only one in the G&F “love it” camp but I do wonder if Hershey’s will keep or discontinue this.  Also, I’ll check out a local 99 cent store.

    Comment by SeattleDavid on 9/15/10 at 12:08 pm #
  36. These are on clearance at CVS. I love them!

    Comment by Rachel B. on 11/02/10 at 5:58 pm #
  37. found these at a rainbow foods while on vacation .....LOVE THEM!!!  Then, got home and cannot find them anywhere!!!  Anyone know how to get them online????

    Comment by annie on 1/01/11 at 10:31 pm #
  38. Nice review.

    I must say, Good & Fruity has been my preferred candy of choice since the 60’s. G&P is good along with a few hundred others but, I always come back to the G&F’s.

    With that said, I spent a few days in Vegas this past Christmas and saw the G&F’s in the hotle vending machine. I was curious to say the least. But, I knew I had to buy some before I left because I had never even heard of them beforehand.

    Well, being in Vegas and drinking before sun-up and ending well after sun-down, I didn’t quite have the appetite for them. The morning I left (yesterday, I purchased two vending boxes of them @ $2USD a piece. One for myself and one for my son who also likes G&F’s even though only 18 years of age.

    Dropped one box on his desk before I left for work this morning and the other is still in my suitcase.

    Came home and saw that he tore into them. Asked him how they were (he REALLY likes Hot Tamales) and he said they were OK.

    So while I now have the remaining full box at my side and after reading this blog, I’m kinda paranoid about popping one in my mouth! So, I’ll put it off awhile longer I suppose. I can really imaging chewing on a candle. Sorta like some of the licorise candy that tastes like soap I’m assuming!

    But alas, thanks for the review. Now to figure out what alcoholic beverage goes with a candle so I can get my fill!!!

    Comment by Dave on 1/04/11 at 5:27 pm #
  39. 1/04/11 at 6:27 pm should have been:

    “...With that said, I spent a few days in Vegas this past Christmas and saw the Good & Fiery’s in the hotel vending machine…”

    Comment by Dave on 1/04/11 at 5:33 pm #
  40. Sorry for a tri-fecta but forgot to address annie…

    http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds=17259,17311,17315,23628,23670,25041,26761,26849,27520,27732&sugexp=gsihc&xhr=t&q=good+&+fiery&cp=9&wrapid=tljp1294191451038016&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbo=u&tbs=shop:1&source=og&sa=N&tab=wf&biw=1346&bih=602&fp=c341562a61b59af3

    Comment by Dave on 1/04/11 at 5:39 pm #
  41. Sound good! ?

    Comment by Taylor on 3/26/11 at 10:58 pm #
  42. I found my box, while shopping at the English Creek ShopRite, on The Black Horse Pike; in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. It had been marked down, to 99¢ a box; in the mark down area. I expected; to find, normal sized, good & plenty styled candies, but they were much smaller pieces; almost the size of “over the counter” and RX medication capsules. The various pieces have a good distinctive flavors and a good chewy texture. But, might; by some, to be considered a possible choking hazard for small children, etc. My guess, they were developed as concession stand aka theme park or theater product; and didn’t sell too, well; except for whom ever requested them; maybe as a promtion, in the first place. The bit.ly link to hershey; seem to all to be pdfs for concession candy wholesale promotion and or ordering forms.

    Comment by JGadFly on 6/25/11 at 9:13 am #
  43. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this candy! When we see them we buy a ton of boxes! They are by far my favorite candy!

    Comment by shan on 8/06/11 at 5:26 pm #
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