Monday, August 1, 2005

Haribo Gummi Bears vs Trolli Gummi Bears

This is my first “taste off” for CandyBlog. I’ve chosen Haribo Gummi Bears to go head-to-head with Trolli Gummi Bears. They’re both the “original” gummi bears that most Americans remember hitting big on the candy scene in the early eighties. I spent quite a bit of my allowance on these. My in-school supplier was a German girl I hung around with, Tina, who must have had them imported by the case by family members. She always seemed to be able to sell me a little 2 ounce packet of them when I needed a fix. Later I found a place in Georgetown (yes, all the way down in DC - I grew up in Pennsylvania) or at the White Flint Mall where I could get them by the pound. Eventually, by the mid-eighties everyone carried them and of course there were more brands available. But the two that I had first contact with were Haribo and Trolli. There are plenty of other brands, like Heide, Black Forest, Brachs and of course a Disney cartoon franchise.

Personally, before this taste test, I would say that Haribo was my favorite. Let’s see how they do…

Name: Trolli Gummi Bears
Brand: Trolli (now owned by Farley’s & Sathers)
Place Purchased: 7-11
Price: $.85
Size: 1.5 oz
Calories per ounce: 100
Type: Gummi

Trolli Gummi Bears come in five flavors. From left to right they are (as far as I can tell): Cherry, Orange, Lemon, Pineapple and Lime. The shape of the bears is a rather stylelized bear shape, with a large head, narrow legs and little bumps for eyes and a nose.

Trolli are soft, soft bears. Squishy and aromatic, they yield their flavor instantly on the tongue. Inside the package they look a little greasy, but they don’t feel that way once you pop them in the mouth, they’re far softer than Haribos with a better burst of flavor when you put it in your mouth. The cherry is very strong, and overwhelms all the other flavors in the package, all of them smell like cherry.

Name: Haribo Gummi Bears
Brand: Haribo
Place Purchased: Cost Plus
Price: $1.39
Size: 5.29 oz
Calories per ounce: 100
Type: Gummi

 

Haribo Gummi Bears are kind of freaky looking in these photos, they look a little evil. Trust me, in person they’re just cute as can be. Their heads are smaller than their body (as it should be) and they have softer curves and cute little dimpled ears. Their bellies have a little texturing that I think is supposed to be fur.

They’re far firmer than the Trolli Bears. What’s cool about them is that you can have them in your hand or pocket (yes, I sometimes stick candy in my jacket pockets not in any sort of wrapper so I can snack discretely when walking or in a meeting) without them sticking to anything. The Trolli bears have that oily coating that just makes lint stick to them. The flavors from left to right are: Berry (strawberry or raspberry, I can’t tell), Orange, Lemon, Pineapple and Lime.

Flavor for Flavor:

Red - this is the only color where the flavor is different in the brands:
Trolli’s red is robust cherry flavor, with a good woodsy undertone, nice tartness and aroma. Haribo’s berry is tart and sweet, but lacks a flavor punch (because I can’t tell what flavor it is).

Orange - the color and the flavor
Trolli’s orange is soft and has a good tartness and flavor, a slight bitter tinge to it, like orange oil.
Haribo’s is immediately zesty without any bitterness. Tart and sweet, with more flavor going towards the aromatic orange than juicy.

Yellow - lemon, one of the most enduring flavors in the world
Trolli’s lemon was sweet and tart with that same bitter zest tinge to it.
Haribo’s lemon was incredibly lemony, with all the notes: zest, sweet and sour. Flavor through and through, mellow but vibrant.

Clear - the puzzling flavor of the gummi bear world, I’m going with Pineapple here
Trolli’s is nice and sour but lacking flavor (I’m still tasting the cherry on most of these even though I segregated the other flavors over the weekend).
Haribo’s is intense, with a good sour punch that makes my salivary glands tingle. If I were only allowed one gummi bear flavor for the rest of my life, this would be it.

(The funnest part of the clear ones is that they remind me of invisibility. You know, like Wonder Woman’s invisible plane on the Superfriends. See, you can cast the whole cartoon with gummi bears! The Red Bear is Superman, the Orange Bear is Aquaman, Yellow is Batman and Green is Robin. It’s a perfect match!)

Green - everyone’s least favorite flavor, Lime
Trolli’s lime is very zesty with that slight bitter bite to it and a strong and smooth sour to it. Most lime things remind me of cleaning supplies and this one is no different.
Haribo’s lime gummi is the least flavorful of them all. It’s tart and much sweeter than the others and has an unnoticeable note of lime to it.

Since I’m not a fan of cherry, the Haribo Bears are a more logical choice for me because I’ll eat all the flavors in there (and their Pineapple is so phenomenal).

In the end, this test only confirmed what I already knew, Haribo is the bear for me. The slightly waxy outer coating and firmer bite might be a negative for some folks, but I find it to enhance their durability. The flavors are all intense and distinct. Trolli’s softer chew is compelling but the overwhelming intrusion of the cherry flavor on its companions is a real turnoff for me.

Other resources: About Gummi Bears, Huge Selection of Haribo Gummi Products, Gummi Bears TV Show, the largest Gummi Bear photos.

UPDATE: I should have known that Haribo would win ... Google Fight told me so.

UPDATED UPDATE: Haribo’s green bear is Strawberry ... kind of strange, but if you close your eyes and don’t look at the color it’s a little more obvious. (Thanks to the readers who pointed that out.)

POSTED BY Cybele AT 10:17 am Tracker Pixel for Entry     CandyReviewFarley's & SathersHariboWrigley'sGummi CandyGermanyUnited StatesHead to Head

Comments
  1. I like the Trolli ones better because of what you said… they’re a bit softer.  But I did notice the cherry flavor scent on all of them. 

    Speaking of going “head-to-head”, do you bite off the heads of the gummi bears first?  I do…

    I like the yellowbear in the Trolli pic - it looks like he’s tired and about to try to put his head on the shoulder of the orange bear.

    Comment by Bryan on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  2. Oops, sorry for the multiple comments. :-(  Please delete.

    Comment by Marvo on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  3. Cybele's avatar

    I like to bite off the ears, hands and feet first. I usually leave the head intact.

    I think the trick for me is to get Trolli gummies that aren’t the bears and I’m exceptionally happy.

    If you’re really fond of the softness of Trollis, check out the Haribo Gummi Clown Fish - they’re extra soft and are only three flavors (berry, pineapple and I think sour apple). I’ll try to post about them this week.

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  4. Cybele's avatar

    Marvo! I was deleting the dupe comments and I ended up deleting the actual comment! I’m so sorry!

    But you basically said that you liked Trollis too for the softness. I agree. Pineapple is just about one of my favorite flavors (well, everything is my favorite flavor).

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  5. Ah, pineapple, that’s the elusive flavor!  By the way, you can get your daily vitamin in gummi bear format at Trader Joe’s.  Great for those (like me) who can’t stand the smell or size of regular vitamins.

    Comment by Michelle on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  6. On the doctor who television programme when he refered to jelly babies was he talking about gummi bears?  and if so do you think they helped acclimate people after time travel?  Just curious.

    I had no idea these were so hard to come by in the 80’s.  I guess I was a pig and didn’t appreciate them as much as you did.

    Comment by crispin on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  7. “has an unnoticeable note of lime to it”

    Okay, I’ll bite: how did you discover this if it’s “unnoticeable”?

    I always thought the good doctor was talking about jelly beans. I first heard them called back when the Beatles hit the states. One of them liked them, and after the word got out the stages were sticky with thousands of them tossed onstage by fans.

    Comment by russ on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  8. As far as I understand the red flavor in Haribo is actually most likely blackcurrant. And I think the green is actually not lime… I believe it may actually be grape. Just examine the Haribo packaging a bit closer and you’ll see why I think that…

    Comment by Jamie on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  9. Oops… or red is raspberry. I forget now… but you should seriously get your hands on the other varieties of Haribo gummis. The gummi bear is the mere tip of the iceberg.

    Comment by Jamie on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  10. Cybele's avatar

    You know Jamie I was thinking something similar about the flavors when I was looking at the package - there’s a little border of fruits. But it shows all fruits - plums, grapes, bananas, lemons, raspberries, oranges, pineapples, apples and some others that I can’t quite figure out.

    For a while I was thinking that green was green apple, but I can’t quite get behind that either.

    I’ve got some other Haribo Gummi Clown Fish that I’ll try to post about later on this week (can’t do two gummi posts back to back).

    Crispin, I think Jelly Babies are slightly different than Gummi Bears - they might be closer to Swedish Fish. I’ll try to get a hold of some.

    As for gummis helping with the ravages of time/space travel, in Hitchhikers Guide, Ford Prefect advocates salted peanuts ... but I can actually see the new Jelly Belly sport beans being the best of all worlds, as they’ve got some sugars as well as minerals and salts for recovering from time travel.

    Michelle, I’ve been thinking about trying the gummi vitamins at TJs, my only problem is that I’d find them too good, eat them all at once and OD on niacin or something!

    Comment by Cybele on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  11. I’m with Bryan, I like the Trolli ones better because they’re softer. I personally love the clear gummy bear flavor, although I have to admit, I didn’t know what flavor it was until I read your review.

    EDITORS NOTE: I restored this comment after I accidentally deleted it, that’s why it appears out of order ... sorry.

    Comment by marvo on 12/31/69 at 4:00 pm #
  12. Were you able to try Trolli’s Neon Gummi bears while they lasted? Sadly they became discontinued recently and came in the colors blue, spring green, a pale greenish blue, violet, and a bright rose color. I loved them and have been unable to find, i hope you were able to try them.

    Comment by Maria Smith on 12/11/05 at 12:06 pm #
  13. I just found this candyblog and love it. I have to agree. Haribo wins over all. I also gre up with them but in the 70’s (oops, showing my age). A German deli near my house sold them and I could not get enough of them. Still can’t (get enough of them). Some I know don’t care for Haribo’s because they are harder, but that just makes them last even longer. Plus, I consider them the “adult” version of gummy bears. Cheers to Haribo!

    Comment by kelley on 12/28/05 at 5:13 pm #
  14. I just wanted to say that you guys have a good candy blog going here, i am a big fan of gummy candy and i must say haribo’s have been my favorite. I was born and raised over seas and that’s the candy i was brought up on in late 80’s even now haribo’s are a big hit over there. Now i live in the states and i have such a hard time finding haribo candies anywhere. I love the taste of haribo’s much better than any other gummy candy i have ever tried and yes i have tried lots and lots of them different kinds. One other gummy candy i really like are those trolli road kills they are very good too.

    Comment by stranger on 3/06/06 at 9:49 am #
  15. Cybele's avatar

    Hi Stranger!

    I’ve been having pretty good luck finding Haribo at Cost Plus World Market (which, unfortunately isn’t everywhere in the US).

    Also, those bulk candy places in the mall usually have them (you can tell by the shape of their heads if they don’t have them marked).

    I love, love, love the Haribo Grapefruit Slices.

    Comment by Cybele on 3/06/06 at 10:14 am #
  16. Haribo’s red gummi bear is actually a RASPBERRY favor!!!

    And the green gummi bear is actually LIME!!!!

    You can check that out at the official Haribo website~~~!!!!

    Comment by Anie on 4/01/06 at 4:16 pm #
  17. I meant the green gummi bear is actually NOT LIME!!

    It’s STRAWBERRY!!!

    (I emailed you also to point it out, looks like you’ve got it.)

    Anyway, sorry for the typo, and NICE BLOG!

    Comment by Anie on 4/03/06 at 8:53 am #
  18. Cybele's avatar

    I got your email Anie and looked it up ... you’re so RIGHT about it being strawberry! (Yeah, I was a little confused by your conflicting info at first.)

    Comment by Cybele on 4/03/06 at 11:08 am #
  19. Dear sir :
    We are interested in your products ( gummi bear vitamin )
    We are looking to have special offer for 5.000 pcs. Each
    Iteam ./ CIF ? amman.
    Thankyou
    D.aziz

    Comment by azizoti on 4/07/06 at 9:03 am #
  20. Wow, great review!  I have not yet tried the Trolli Gummi Bears but my favorite has always been Haribo (the freakly looking bears, hahaha, I didn’t notice its freaky look until you pointed out smile

    Comment by Golfy on 6/08/06 at 6:24 am #
  21. My favorite has always been Haribo. I like my gummies firm and chewy, and the texture of Haribo gummies is perfect. And they taste great. Whenever I buy gummy bears it’s always Haribo. I’ve never had a gummy quite as firm. If I get stuck with a different brand I stick in the freezer for a while to make them harder.  I do love the Trolli Sour Brites (worms) and Trolli’s original gummy worms (I’ve never seen Haribo’s version).

    I tend to not like the soft mushy gummies as much. Once, I was in a store where there weren’t any Trolli gummy worms or any kind and was craving those, so I bought the store brand sour gummy worms. Man, those gummies were so mushy I only ate a couple- they were more like solid goo (if that makes any sense). And I am a candy addict.

    Comment by Trish on 10/21/06 at 7:11 pm #
  22. Omg The Green One Is STRAWBERRY?! Heh…no wonder the packaging thingie said that! i thought i was typo…Lol. J/k

    Comment by Jojo on 10/24/06 at 12:58 pm #
  23. Haii. Btw Just Wanted To Say AWESOME ARTICLE!! haha. I Needed The Info For My Project And I Chose GUMMI BEARS!! Lmao. I’m Addicted To Them! Well, Good Luck On Future Articles! Byeee <33 =]

    Exx.Ohh.Exx.

    [[Jojo]]

    Comment by Jojo on 10/24/06 at 1:02 pm #
  24. I beg to differ—green is usually my favorite, except in gum.  Peppermint beats spearmint one to a million.  I’m not a big gummy bear fan, they’re a bit bland for me (sour gummy worms were great, though.)  But generally I organize my colored candy (particularly SweeTarts and ShockTarts) like this:

    Step One: Take all least favorite flavors (usually red, yellow, and orange.  Anything chocolate-flavored, except chocolate itself, I toss out.  Same with root beer and anything else brown.)
    Step Two: Count it out so there are equal amounts of least favorites.  Eat the extras
    Step Three: Return least favorites to bag
    Step Four: (anywhere from a second to a couple days after Step Three) Remove favorites (usually green, blue, and purple.)
    Step Five: Repeat Step Two for favorites
    Step Six: Return to bag

    Then I eat the least favorite first, one of each flavor each time I eat.  When they’re done, I repeat with the favorites.

    If anywone read all of that, they should know I have no current mental or eating disorders.  Not anymore, anyway *shifty eyes*

    Comment by Sophia on 11/12/06 at 8:56 am #
  25. do you know anything about gummy bear by Nestle?
    i’ll be really happy if you let me know

    Comment by ben on 2/27/07 at 11:44 am #
  26. I wouldn’t of even put Trolli vs Haribo, it’s a completely unfair fight.  The only time I’ll ever eat trolli is if I am absolutely, posititivly desperate, for gummi bears, I generally pay for it after I eat them.

    Trolli always gives me a stomach ache after I eat them, and it does to my friends.  They’re way too oily, and don’t hold the consistancy and genuine flavor of the other brands.

    Here some good vs. matches for ya:
    Haribo Vs Black Forest
    Black Forest Vs Farley’s
    HEIDI’s Vs Life Saver’s Gummi Savers

    Those particular brands, I would consider as top notch brands, but each have their own individual problem.

    Haribo: The pros:
    Haribo creates a delicious, unique and chewey gummi product, who has managed to take the candy companies by storm.

    Haribo: The Cons:
    Old unpurchased Haribo candy, regardless of when it expires gets hard, and almost unchewable, when it is placed into storage, and is most deffinately quicker to harden if the package is opened and exposed to air.

    Black Forest: the pros:
    Black Forest is a very formiddable opponnent with their product, using real fruit juice extracts, which delivers a sweet and tangy punch, and enough chew, that doesn’t overwhelm it’s customer.

    Black Forest: The Cons:
    The addition of Coconut Oil and Carnauba Wax can tend to be a little too waxy, and oily, but does not really effect the taste of the candy, and may even enhance the flavor.

    Comment by Joseph on 6/29/07 at 1:52 pm #
  27. Well, here’s the thing: I like my gummies firm and hard- that’s why I love Haribo brand gummies. Oftentimes, if I purchase a different brand of gummies that I find too soft (as is often the case with Black Forest and Trolli- besides Trolli’s worms and sour-brite crawlers) I’ll either refridgerate them to get them harder and more chewy or if I don’t mind the wait, open up the package and let it sit so the gummies get “stale” or harder.

    In the same way, I like my chewing gum firm too. I hate mushy gum. The Dentyne Ice soft gum is gross cuz it’s incredibly mushy. I prefer Trident, Extra, Orbit and most pellet gums.

    Comment by Trish on 7/02/07 at 2:37 am #
  28. Green is SOUR APPLE, not lime or strawberry.

    Why would it even be remotely linked to strawberry? Ridiculous. Think someone at their website is ill informed or lost in translation!

    I used to eat these all the time too in Germany, along with the brandy filled mon cheri chocolates. When the brandy touches your tongue it’s like inhaling a crisp mountain breeze.

    Comment by Lamont "you big dummy" Sanford; Commodities on 8/21/07 at 8:45 pm #
  29. Hello, I am looking for the German Chocolate Eggs that have a toy inside that you have to put together. I purchased some years ago. I am wanting to get some for family now. Any help would be great thank you….

    Comment by Jeffrey Newcom on 10/04/07 at 9:23 pm #
  30. Dear Gummy Bears,
    You are squishy. I love you. Especially when you dance, in my mouth.
    Love,
    Jen

    Comment by Jenny on 10/08/07 at 10:39 am #
  31. Haribo’s GREEN flavor is NOT strawberry OR lime.  But I got to say that it’d be hard to classify because it’s not a standard flavor here in the states.

    My friend’s boyfriend, who was an exchange student from Germany who’d buy Haribo candy by the case, told me that the green flavor was… I forget the German name, but he says that it roughly translates into “all fruits” which is a standard fruit flavor for candy in some European countries.

    I guess it’s their version of fruit punch, but just using different fruits.

    But dude—how could you think it was LIME???

    Comment by Alice on 11/09/07 at 1:07 pm #
  32. I would just like to say that the Trolli Gummi Bears have six flavors there are actualy two kinds of red, strawberry and cherry and the clear is grape.

    Comment by susie on 1/07/08 at 11:31 am #
  33. Cybele's avatar

    susie - when I wrote this review in August 2005, Trolli was owned by Wrigley’s and there were five flavors, as I wrote above. However, in December 2005 Wrigley sold their interest in Trolli to Farley’s & Sathers. It’s very likely they changed the flavors around since then. I’ll have to pick some up to see what the difference is these days.

    Comment by Cybele on 1/07/08 at 11:40 am #
  34. Agreed. Haribo are hands down the best gummy bears on earth.

    Comment by Ryan on 1/14/08 at 8:14 am #
  35. Haribo is a winner, not super sweet, just right, the clear ones, (pineapple) the best. However Black Forest also makes a very good gummi-bear

    Comment by russell webster on 1/19/08 at 7:23 pm #
  36. I don’t see any mention here of the difference in flavor between the “American version” and the “German version” of Haribo Gummi Bears.
    I used to eat these in Germany, in the 70’s, while visiting my Oma (and aunts and uncles and many cousins) and they were soooo wonderful…
    Then, back at home, my mom discovered them in various German delis in NY & MA.
    Now they have them for sale here, but they don’t taste as good as the German ones. My mom just brought me a bag from Germany and they are SO much yummier…I don’t know who makes the ones for the U.S., but they can’t even compare…

    Comment by sharon on 4/25/08 at 1:04 pm #
  37. Sharon is 100% correct… The flavor, consistency, and overall quality of American Haribo pales in comparison with the German Haribo.

    The German bears are still nice and firm, but they’re not unpleasantly tough like stale American bears.

    Also, German Haribo has an extra color/flavor.

    American Flavors:
    white - pineapple
    green - strawberry
    yellow - lemon
    orange - orange
    red - raspberry

    German Flavors:
    white - pineapple
    green - apple
    yellow - lemon
    orange - orange
    dark red - raspberry
    light red - strawberry

    In short:
    Haribo Goldb?ren > Haribo Gold-Bears.

    Comment by kate on 7/17/08 at 7:17 pm #
  38. Haribo is by far the best gummi smile  I of course agree though, that the American bears are not as good as in other countries (Germany). Although, the American bags say they are made in Spain or Hungary.  Anytime my friends travel to other countries, I always have them bring me back a bag of Haribo. The Twin cherries are smaller in other countries and the flavor is slightly off.  Either way, Haribo rules LOL

    Comment by Kerry on 8/20/08 at 9:50 am #
  39. Is it possible to form a Haribo gummi lovers group???  In which we can share our love of the gummi…and possibly bring samples for us all to enjoy???  :D
    Just a thought lol

    Comment by Kerry on 8/20/08 at 9:53 am #
  40. Sweet! I completely agree with you on the Haribo clear gummy bears. They are quality, they are the best by far. Pineapple is my favorite flavor. I have been converting my friends one my one, many didn’t see any difference over one gummy bear from another until I made them try Haribo. I also like their gummy pasta, you should make a point to try it if you haven’t already. Very good, although you can’t find it everywhere. Keep up the good work!
    - Shelley

    Comment by Shelley on 9/19/08 at 5:00 am #
  41. Definitely - Haribo all the way.  They’re the best - especially the pineapple

    Comment by Lynn on 9/29/08 at 10:00 am #
  42. green is definitely apple in Haribo gummibears. they are my faves!
    the clear ones are tasty toooo!

    Comment by FAYE on 10/16/08 at 12:08 am #
  43. Nope- green is strawberry when it comes to Haribo bears- at least here in the states. It says so right on the official Haribo website- as well as other sites. Plus, my (and your) tastebuds don’t lie. There is no way in heck that is apple in any way, shape, or form.

    Comment by Temperance on 10/16/08 at 2:16 am #
  44. There is also a difference in the Haribo gummis from Spain vs from Hungary, at least to me.

    Neither one of them taste like they did when I was a kid—is that memory, different production facility, or the fact that my mom used to keep them in a drawer with a sachet.

    Where can I get the GERMAN ones, I wonder?  I would like to see if they are the ones I remember.

    According to the site, they have production facilities in Turkey, as well as in Europe.  I would love a “Gold Bear World Tour” package with a bag from each facility!

    Comment by Stephanie on 10/20/08 at 10:43 am #
  45. I just consulted the Haribo website and the green gold bears are strawberry! GO FIGURE! But as soon as i read it i could totally taste it.

    Comment by Lauren Allison on 10/24/08 at 4:19 pm #
  46. ok.  i just had a taste test of haribo vs. black forest.  i must say, i preferred the black forest.  something about the real fruit juice in them made the flavors so authentic and so much more flavorful than the haribo.  i agree that the haribo pineapple ones are delicious, but overall the black forest were the winners.

    Comment by amy on 11/08/08 at 7:29 am #
  47. I have found that german Haribos can be found in the states through a few european or german food markets.  They have flavors that I have never seen, including two that are supposed to be good for the throat (“Haribo Bronchiols”).

    If one is going to make a comparison of Haribo to any other, I could not recommend strongly enough to check the place of manufacture and get ONLY the ones from Germany.  But that is just IMO grin

    Comment by Stephanie on 11/08/08 at 7:42 am #
  48. Both Haribo and Trolli taste great. But I have to admit, I start to feel sick when I eat a lot of the Haribo bears. The Trolli ones never make me feel sick. Also I love the smell of the Trolli bears, so I choose Trolli in the end.

    Comment by michael on 12/07/08 at 5:33 pm #
  49. Green haribos are the best

    Comment by Angie on 12/10/08 at 3:48 pm #
  50. I live in the Netherlands n there r a wide variety of gummi’s on display but Haribo is the most dominant. A pack of 300 gram Happy Cola cost abt 1,25 euro which is expensive for our standard.  A candy store chain called Jamin offers self-scoop service for 50 flavours n they r charging 99ct for 100 grams which is way too much !

    I hv discovered a store with the kilo bag filled with sweet sour gummi rings (peach, apple n a black-n-red/undefineable flavour)or very fragrant gummi worms (8 flavors) for 2 euro each !! Sadly tho, after 2 years, they started mixing it with marshmallows figurines which I absolutely detest *yikes* but I need to hv 500 grams of gummi’s daily, so I kept buying them.  Half the pack I simply disposed of or saved them for trick or treat.  It’s a waste.  If only the manufacturer would listen to my plea n go back to the former packaging of gummi’s n nothing else *sigh*.  They do come all the way from Germany though.

    Comment by Dutchie on 12/28/08 at 5:49 am #
  51. I love Haribo Gummi Bears; they are on the top of my list.  Have you reviewed Ferrara Pan’s “The Original Black Forest Gummy Bears”?

    Comment by Whit on 3/22/09 at 6:11 pm #
  52. I have decided that Haribo are my favorite.  They are the authentic Gummi Bear.  Today I found a box of “Trolli” and purchased them, but it’s been so long since I’ve had these that I forget what they are supposed to taste like.  They used to come in little white bags, but this was a colorful box with the Trolli logo on the outside.  Though tougher to chew, Haribo deserves the crown grin

    Comment by ECRoadRage on 3/24/09 at 4:56 pm #
  53. hello all,
    I would say I like the Haribo the best for the orange and yellow ones. I am not a cherry fan either, so these are the best for me!

    Comment by Nancy Woods on 3/25/09 at 9:35 am #
  54. What about Black Forest? I rarely got candy as a kid, but these my parents let us have from time to time. smile

    Comment by Rose on 4/29/09 at 7:46 pm #
  55. I am currently living in Germany temporarily.

    The green flavor here is Germany is now apple which my German wife says they changed over the last several years.  She does not like it.

    The flavor used to be Waldmeister (an herb I think), which is the flavor of green colored candies here in Germany.  Although, apple flavor seems to be popular.

    I grew up eating German Haribo gummi bears and whenever they became ‘American’ Haribo gummi bears I don’t know but to me the American ones are in the ballpark tastewise. My wife thinks otherwise.  And to me the German ones seem glossier to me as well.

    Comment by David on 5/27/09 at 3:37 am #
  56. The green Haribo gummi bear is apple not lime! That’s why it tastes funny for lime. You’re just conditioned to taste certain flavors with certain colors. Which makes me not want to believe your opinion on what things taste like. Just because a candy is green, doesn’t mean it’s lime!

    Comment by jane on 9/23/09 at 11:04 pm #
  57. According to Haribo, the green bear flavour is NOT apple and NOT lime.  The green Haribo bear is STRAWBERRY:

    http://www.haribo.com/planet/us/info/main/faq.php

    Comment by Whit on 9/24/09 at 2:57 am #
  58. When I was talking about apple I was talking about the flavor in Germany since several people were referencing the difference between Germany (or possibly Europe) and the U.S.

    In Germany you definitely can taste the apple flavor.  I am surprised they changed it.  I remember they changed my Starburst lemon for an apple several years ago and figured “these young people nowadays”.  Like I said my wife is a lifelong Haribo GoldB?ren freak but she ends up buying some other Haribo product.  Over there there tons of packages of different Haribo products and some have the same flavors without the green ones being apple so she goes for something different.

    On their German website they mention apple.  It seems like they changed it in 2007.
    http://www.haribo.de/planet/de/info/frameset.php

    Comment by David on 9/24/09 at 5:43 am #
  59. I am trying my hardest to find the clear gummy bear in bulk for a friend of mine who only likes the clear ones.  I never thought it would be so difficult to find them.  Do you have any idea where I can buy a large amount of only clear gummy bears?

    Comment by rob on 10/04/09 at 7:47 pm #
  60. Rob, I have never seen one flavor/color of Haribo bears here in the U.S..  I spent 9 months in Germany where Haribo has a lot more variations than they do here and I did not see that there either.  I asked my German wife if she had ever seen that before and she said no.  This somewhat reminds me of places where you can find M&M candies by color.

    Comment by David on 10/04/09 at 7:58 pm #
  61. Cybele's avatar

    Rob - you can buy single flavor pineapple gummi bears from Albanese. http://www.albaneseconfectionery.com They’re not listed on their website, but they’re really inexpensive, give them a call.

    I also really liked the Katjes Sour Ananas. But they’re not bear shaped.

    Comment by Cybele on 10/04/09 at 8:17 pm #
  62. Thanks so much!  I contacted Albanese and was able to order a 5 lb bag of only pineapple gummi bears!  Thanks Cybele and David!

    Comment by Rob on 10/05/09 at 3:12 pm #
  63. Hm, I finally tried Haribo after hearing good things about them…but I wasn’t impressed.  They’re pretty and cute, but I don’t know.  Their flavor doesn’t pack much of a punch.  I like Trolli a lot more.  They’re easier on the teeth too!

    Comment by Rita on 10/30/09 at 7:37 am #
  64. Rita,

    Actually I think it is what you grew up having. 

    I don’t know how old you are but back in the old days gummi (or gummy) bears (of any type) were hard to find.  My dad was in the U.S. Army in the late 60s and one of my first memories was living in Germany and having some Haribo bears.  I remember later having some Brachs gummi bears which I thought were terrible because of the taste and texture.  I’ve tried other brands (including Trolli) and I guess the taste and texture does not seem as good as Haribo.

    That being said Haribo in Germany is huge.  I would think that Haribo sells more gummi candy there then the other brands combined. I have visited Germany several times and in 2009 I was there for about 8.5 months.  They take their candy seriously there.  I am surprised by the amount of candy in the grocery store.  Compared to a U.S. grocery store when you go to the chips, soda or cookies aisle here we probably have 2 to 4 times as much of those things.  But when it comes to the candy aisle it seems like Germany probably has 2 to 3 times more things.

    Comment by David on 10/30/09 at 8:20 am #
  65. I have to say that the Haribo are hands down the best gummi bear out there on the market.  That said, there is a significant difference between the ones they sell in the US and the ones they sell in Europe.  In Europe, the Green is my favorite, sour apple - absolutely delicious!  I guess in the US however it’s lime, which would be kind of gross.

    I saw somewhere that there is a light red and dark red - I never knew this, but it actually says it on the bag that I have, however I’ll be dammed if I can find more than one light red in the bag, all the reds look pretty much the same to me, though I can taste a subtle difference with the one light red I found.

    I’ve tried the Trolli bears before and I have to say I’m not impressed, they are better than the crappy ones in the bins you find at movie theaters, but something about them has a chemical taste to me and I really don’t like the oily substance they are coated with!

    Comment by Steve on 12/01/09 at 8:20 pm #
  66. Having been had quite a bit of German gummi bears I have to say I can’t taste a big difference.  My wife is German and she says there is a difference although she buys the $7 big bag of Haribo bears here in the US and seems to enjoy them.  Regarding the apple my wife stopped buying them in Germany.  She said the green ones used to be Waldmeister.

    Comment by David on 12/01/09 at 8:49 pm #
  67. What is Waldmeister?

    Comment by Whit on 12/03/09 at 3:03 am #
  68. definition is further down.

    I don’t know too much about it but I had had a fountain drink that is somewhat sweet.  As an American it somewhat tastes like something you have had before but not exactly.  It is somewhat a common flavoring in that you could possibly find a Kool-Aid flavor of that flavor.

    My German wife did not know the translation of Waldmeister so she asked me to name the flavoring of green Jello (in the US) and I told her it was lime which she thought I was crazy.  She assumed it was the same.  Apparently most green colored candies in Germany are Waldmeister as opposed to here which are apple or lime depending upon the food/candy.

    If you google ‘Waldmeister’ or Woodruff you should find something, below a search on woodruff in Wikipedia.

    The plant is also known in English as Sweet Woodruff or Wild Baby’s Breath. “Master of the woods” is probably a translation of the German name Waldmeister.

    It is also used, mainly in Germany, to flavour May wine (called “Maiwein” or “Maibowle” in German), beer (Berliner Weisse), brandy, sausages, jelly, jam, a soft drink (Tarhun), ice cream, and a herbal tea with gentle sedative properties.

    Comment by David on 12/03/09 at 9:30 am #
  69. Okay, so I just had to comment on this one.  We learned all about Haribo in my sophomore year of high school in German.  We even ate gummy bears every day (sadly, they were the nasty Brach’s kind) and then every once in a while someone would bring in a bag of Haribo.  The funny thing was that my German teacher told us that Haribo bears were virtually indestructible (yes, Haribo gummy bears are now cockroaches…)  So we did a test, we set Brach’s gummy bears under the legs of one desk and had someone sit there all of class and did the same thing at another desk with the Haribos.  The Brach’s ones came out smashed and broken.  The Haribos were flattened but then magically puffed back up into shape.  It was rather strange and entertaining and gross and cool all at once.

    Oh yeah, our class definitely favored Haribo over Brach’s, which really tastes exactly the same as Troli to me.

    Comment by Terrrs-uh on 12/03/09 at 7:48 pm #
  70. Terrrs-uh,

    German engineering.

    The Trolli’s in Germany are somewhat 2nd class.  You see them at dollar stores, or drug stores priced lower.  Haribo is definitely everywhere and they have like 20 (maybe more) different variations of gummis.

    Comment by David on 3/13/10 at 1:52 pm #
  71. Black Forest gummie bears were the best when made in Germany.  Now they are terrible.  They had a distinct flavor befoe but not now that they are made By Ferra in the United States.  I remember buying some here and when I opened them up I remembered the smell and taste when I first ate them in Germany when I was there in the 60’s. Too bad as I now buy a store brand that I have no idea who makes them but are very very good.

    Comment by frank on 6/21/10 at 11:47 am #
  72. I’d be easier to take you seriously if you actually were able to discern one taste from another.

    Comment by SkeezyPete on 9/06/10 at 6:01 pm #
  73. Trolli are more flavorful and juicy. Haribo feels like you’re eating something that isn’t actually edible. Though they taste ok, I prefer cherry and Haribo doesn’t have cherry.
    My ideal bag of gummi bears is Red&White; Bulk Trolli Gummi Bears. Just Cherry & Pineapple, I don’t really need the rest wink

    Comment by Chris on 9/06/10 at 6:05 pm #
  74. I never thought gummi bears were very good until I tried Haribo’s. They’re my favorite bear, but their gummi bears are not my favorite of their candies. They have delicious strawberry gummies, and their pommes and s’ghetti are very good. I lived in Germany as a kid near a candy store I could walk to and ate the most delicious candy and ice cream every week. Never had enough allowence for all I wanted. I miss it.

    Comment by Jamie on 9/17/10 at 11:58 am #
  75. The Haribo green gummy bear was actually made to be strawberry! And i prefer Haribo.

    Comment by Heather on 11/21/10 at 1:50 pm #
  76. dude, really, you are a candy reviewer you schould be able to know the correct flavors, the red for Haribo is raspberry and the green is strawberrry maybe thats why you could barely taste the lime, the strwberry greens are acctually my favorite. Haribo is much better, i love that they are firm and they have better flavors

    Comment by Drew on 11/26/10 at 4:15 pm #
  77. The green Haribo isn’t lime but Strawberry regarding wikipedia as weird as this might seem

    Comment by YumYum on 1/31/11 at 6:10 am #
  78. the original german haribo gummy bears are different colors and flavors..i’m not sure if you tried ‘em before, but they’re softer and more flavorful than the ones made in the states.

    i’ve always like haribo better than trolli because the chewiness and flavor, but the haribo gummies from Germany..are wayyyy better than the ones in the states, which makes me love them even more!

    Comment by haribo fanatic on 3/06/11 at 1:49 am #
  79. the Haribo green is my second favorite (after clear. Then red, orange, and last is yellow

    Comment by Caity on 5/04/11 at 6:12 pm #
  80. The haribo Green is not lime, but strawberry. I know very odd but still delicious.

    Comment by Tripp on 5/08/11 at 9:09 pm #
  81. I love haribo, the texture is the clincher, i love the firmness. I have asbergers so I have texture issues… the texture of haribos is awesome.. I just like them better than other gummies, they are the only ones I eat now.

    Comment by Yourmothersir on 6/02/11 at 10:11 pm #
  82. The green in the Haribo is actually strawberry.

    Comment by gummynut on 1/16/12 at 6:39 pm #
  83. Sorry #80…just noticed you said the same thing.  So sad that we know this.

    Comment by gummynut on 1/16/12 at 6:41 pm #
  84. I like haribo hummus a lot better they have a lot more flavor to them.

    Comment by Lindsey rouse on 4/16/12 at 10:49 am #
  85. Ok idk about trolli cuz after I tried haribo once, there was no reason for me to continue with other gummy bears. And I agree with you that their white(clear) bear is PHENOMENAL! And I usually don’t even like pineapple. And straight from HARIBO.COM: (these are flavors in USA only)
    flavors:
    Red-Raspberry
    Orange-Orange
    Yellow-Lemon
    White(Clear)-Pineapple
    GREEN-STRAWBERRY(that’s why the “lime” flavor is unnoticeable… CUZ ITS NOT LIME) LOL

    Comment by Bob on 6/21/12 at 12:10 am #
  86. Haribo.  Red strawberry.  Yellow lemon.  Orange orange. White pineapple. Dark red respery.  Green is apple!!!

    Comment by David on 1/17/13 at 9:33 pm #
  87. I want a gummi give me a gummi <3

    Comment by bri bri on 2/16/13 at 7:35 am #
  88. GREEN IS APPLE! IT SAYS ON THE BACK OF THE PACKET!And there r 6 flavours

    Comment by gummigummii on 2/16/13 at 10:12 pm #
  89. I really love the Haribo bears when they are left someplace warm for a while.  They get really gooey, the way I like them.  Otherwise, I’m not a huge fan of gummy bears.

    Comment by Laura Miller on 2/17/13 at 9:57 am #
  90. Im currently.looking for bulk pineapple haribo gummy bears. They are almost as good as an orgasm!

    Comment by mike on 4/24/13 at 10:59 pm #
  91. There are actually 6 flavours in the haribo gummy bears.
    Dark red- raspberry
    red- strawberry
    orange-orange
    yellow-lemon
    white-pineapple
    green-apple
    did anyone else notice this??

    Comment by Lisa on 7/05/13 at 11:19 pm #
  92. haribo’s pineapple is my favorite too. i like haribo better too because it’s not so expensive and it tastes beeter too!

    Comment by Tomas on 12/16/13 at 7:30 am #
  93. Now all your gummi lovers ... try the cutting against Albanese Gummies. They are USA made and beat both these manufacturers HANDS DOWN on flavor. In fact they offer a 12 flavor bear instead of the normal 6 flavor bears. They have tiny bears called Cubs that are half the size of reg gummi bears!! Super cute and oh so flavorful!

    Go check out their website….. http://www.albaneseconfectionery.com

    Comment by Sandra on 1/03/14 at 3:26 pm #
  94. Cybele's avatar

    Sandra - Since this review was posted 8 years ago, I’ve reviewed a lot of the Albanese line, including a visit to the factory store.

    Comment by Cybele on 1/03/14 at 3:31 pm #
  95. My favorites have to be the gold bears! Better flavor variety as well as the trolli has this nasty powder residue on them. Cant stand the pineapple but love the raspberry and strawberry flavors of the haribo bears!

    Comment by AcidDreams on 4/17/14 at 1:44 am #
  96. Normally I give the pineapple ones to my husband lmao. But overall the best taste is the haribo bears. They have more flavor and variety. The trolli bears are just plain and ordinary. Not my sort of thing but hey everyone has their own opinion! But I suggest if you love gummies then go with the Haribo gold bears!

    Comment by AcidDreams on 4/17/14 at 1:47 am #
  97. i love gummys

    Comment by Lauren on 5/22/14 at 10:51 am #
  98. I love haribo gummy bear but

    TROLLI HAS THE BEST GUMMY WORMS

    OMG I COULD EAT THEM ALL THE TIME

    Comment by Cands on 9/11/14 at 1:04 pm #
  99. for haribu gummy bears, the red ones are actually flavored raspberry and the green ones are flavored strawberry. I’m sorry you don’t like lime or green colored candies

    Comment by emily on 1/19/15 at 10:35 pm #
  100. I love haribo bears, much better flavors for sure. ii made the mistake of buying trolli today and was very dissapointed. They taste artificial and like medicine all of them. I hav the package in front of me. It says the flavors are: Orange, Grape, strawberry, Cherry and Lime

    Comment by Lucyinthesky on 2/09/15 at 4:38 pm #
  101. Black Forest makes the best gummy bear.  Haribo are too firm.  Some of the generic gas station/drug store brands (2 for $1 kind) are pretty good but it’s hard to tell until the first bite.

    Comment by Drew on 6/23/15 at 7:01 am #
  102. Do you remember tart gummy bears? They were sold at my college bookstore in the 1980s but I can’t find a reference to them anywehre. I used to buy them in 5 lb boxes.

    Comment by Gwen on 10/27/15 at 5:35 pm #
  103. Haribo Gold Bears are the original and remain the king of gummy bears.
    They have the best texture, each flavor is good and they don’t get mushy easily so the flavors stay separate and distinct.
    I do wish they sold individual flavors. I’m dreaming about an all pineapple & strawberry mix.

    Comment by Max on 10/29/15 at 1:54 pm #
  104. give me a gummi bears please sir or maam

    Comment by shamy on 11/07/15 at 9:43 pm #
  105. The green gummy bears for haribo is strawberry. That’s why you can’t tell it’s lime.

    Comment by Angel on 11/21/15 at 10:12 am #
  106. Been eating Haribo gummy bears for 40 years, used to get them in Germany off-base. Clear bear Pinspple, COME OOOON….they are the BEST flavor in the world. If Haribo would make and sell just the Pinapple flavor in bulk they would be TRILLIONAIRES!!!

    Anybody ever have the honey shells? They were plastic shells filled with hard honey that we used to get at the stores that sold candy in Germany. I would love to find some place that sells them.

    Comment by Adena on 3/20/16 at 5:48 pm #
  107. Wow hard to pick but they are both good and i am doing a sience fair and this was the first website i went to thanks and they both taste delicous

    Comment by Mia on 11/04/16 at 11:23 am #
  108. What about the blue coloured trolls bear? What flavour is it?

    Comment by Jenny on 12/21/16 at 6:10 am #
  109. According to the package:

    Green = Strawberry
    Yellow = Lemon
    Orange = Orange
    Clear = Pineapple
    Red = Raspberry

    Comment by Hope on 5/05/17 at 6:00 pm #
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