Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Jolly Rancher Fruitas Enchiladas

imageI knew that Hershey’s was really pushing into the Hispanic foods arena more than any other large candy company. But more than just calling things Dulce de Leche, they’ve now created some Americanized versions of some popular candies in Mexico. There are a few assortments of Jolly Ranchers, but I picked up the Paletas sabor a Frutas Enchiladas. They’re hot and spicy fruit flavored lollipops.

They come in three flavors, Tamarindo (tamarind), Limon (lime) and Mango. Each pop is flat hard candy square, a little over a half an ounce each. They’re branded under the name La Dulceria Thalia. (I reviewed the Cajeta Elegancita earlier this year.)

Tamarind and chili flavors dominate all three of the pops. Tamarind, if you’re not already familiar with it, comes from the Tamarind tree, which looks kind of like the Locust tree and bears large pods that look like beans. The fruit pulp is popular not only in Caribean and Mexican cuisine, but also Southeast Asia and Indian (since that’s where the trees originated). The flavor of tamarind may be familiar to folks who like Worcestershire sauce and is most notable for it’s tangy, woodsy flavor.

imageThe pop is actually quite pretty. I think I used to have coat buttons that looked like this, deep raspberry red with flecks in them. It’s glossy looking and smells like a cross between fresh sour cherries and cedar shavings you put in hamster cage.

The flavor is pleasant, though not really candy like. It’s more savory. There are deep notes of berries and of course the slow burn of the chilis. A little coffee and tea and maybe sun dried tomatoes. The more you eat it, the less appealing it looks, as the chili is not that finely ground and makes it look like your rolled your pop in red sawdust after a while.

imageThis one really surprised me when I put it in my mouth. Seriously. Authentically. Lime. It was zesty and tangy and even fragrant. After a while the chili kicks in for a little burn, but the woodsy notes take a back seat here.

The texture after a while ends up being kind of like a tongue pumice. Great if you have a calloused tongue or maybe it’s just itchy and you want tasty way to scratch it.

The deep olive green color is a little disconcerting, but of the three flavors, I liked this one the best. The mix of lime and chili is a natural fit.

imageI love mangos. I’ve been known to go to the grocery store and buy them a half a dozen at a time and eat two or three a day. They’re a great fruit because they’re usually not too sweet, have a mix of textures in them and the flavor notes are a cross between concord grapes, rosemary, honeydew, bananas, loquats and apricots.

However, I’ve never been terribly fond of mango flavored things. (The same goes for apricot and peach flavored things, there’s just something that they can’t quite get in the flavor that just makes it feel fake and unpleasant.) However, I was encouraged by the lime and was looking forward to giving this one a go.

The taste was immediately tangy and got that balsamy quality that most mango flavors seem to miss. It had that fresh scent of pine and apricot and some serious burn behind it (or maybe my mouth was still tingly from the previous two) and it seemed a bit salty. Mango always goes nicely with some spice (we make a Mango Salsa at home with chopped onions and cumin). But this was just lacking a level, I think.

Overall, I was pleased with the flavor combos, but bothered by the texture of the chili powder. I know it’s traditional and I’m sure I would have complained if the candies were too uniform.

After trying things like Rockaleta and Gudu Pops, the uniformity of these was a treat. In fact, I have to say that the appearance of most Mexican candies is what turns me off. These were rustic looking but still appetizing. The La Dulceria Thalia outer wrapper was kind of a turn off for me (it reminds me of romance novels) but once you pop the pops out of there, there’s not mention of Thalia again.

Interesting note: these candies were made in Canada. Go figure.

Name: La Dulceria Thalia: Frutas Enchiladas
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Jolly Rancher (Hershey's)
Place Purchased: CVS (Silverlake)
Price: $1.39
Size: 5.2 ounces
Calories per ounce: 104
Categories: Hard Candy, Canada, Hershey's

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:00 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I don’t know, something with “enchilada” in the name just conjures up… dinner. Not candy. But I know it means something else - luckily, wikipedia to the rescue:

    Enchilada comes from the verb enchilar (= “to add chile pepper to”). Enchilada literally means “seasoned with chiles”.

    So now I know!

    Lollipops and hard candy are hard on my tongue as it is, I don’t need to add pumice-like scrubbing action! But the lime sounds intriguing…

    Comment by Tricia on 11/08/06 at 3:15 pm #
  2. I need to get my eyes checked. I read “large pods that look like beans” as “large pods that look like bears”.

    I was all set to hit wikipedia when my eyes finally started working right. I gotta admit, I’m a little disappointed. I’d love to see a tree with large pods that look like bears.

    And I think I’ll be skipping these.

    Comment by Bruce Anderson on 11/08/06 at 7:21 pm #
  3. I’ve eaten a lot of Mexican candy growing up, but the chili powder was always on the outside and not mixed in. It made for a really hot/tangy/salty outside, and a cooling, yet uninteresting center. I might actually prefer it mixed like in these candies, I don’t actually mind the texture of chili powder.

    Comment by Ace N. on 11/08/06 at 8:35 pm #
  4. Great review Cybele… much better than my review I must say.  I do prefer my lollipops sweet and not spicy though these were interesting to me.  I gave the remainders of my pack to my Spanish friends.  They loved them.

    Comment by Grommie on 11/13/06 at 2:08 am #
  5. Woa, these were intense.  My tongue is still on fire from the tamarind one I just tasted.  I’m a fan of the texture of these pops, but the burn is just way too strong for me.  I couldn’t muster up the stamina to finish one! 

    “It tastes like burning.” -Ralph Wiggum

    Comment by Jesse on 11/14/06 at 12:44 pm #
  6. I bought these today and tried them, sharing the bag with my coworkers…and went looking online for a place where I could review them.

    I have always been a BIG fan of “unusual” flavours in food, particularly unusual sweets. I like spicy and sweet together very much. I tend to make my hot chocolate with chipotle chili, for example. I like hot pepper jelly. I like sour and spicy too, in general.

    No surprise, these pops sounded AWESOME. I couldn’t wait to try them. For both the tamarind and lime, the first few seconds were pleasant. The lime tasted like lime and the tamarind like tamarind. Yum. But when the pops started slowly dissolving, they started tasting…like something I’d use to marinate chicken. Now, I think that would be some TASTY chicken, to be sure. But it doesn’t work as a lollipop.

    They were both awful. I threw them out. One coworker tried the mango one. She’s Jamaican. Loves mangos. Loves spicy. She hated the pop. Spit it out. Another coworker tried a lime one thinking it couldn’t be as bad as we assured her it was. After a few seconds, she spit it out too and declared I must hate my coworkers for bringing them those pops.

    Comment by Laura on 3/09/07 at 11:29 am #
  7. I picked up a tamrind-chili flavor in a gas station in Virginia. I loved it, and I have been looking for them ever since, even going in hispanic groceries, but no luck - any suggestions?

    Comment by Jody on 7/19/07 at 10:33 pm #
  8. I am also looking to buy some.  I tried them sometime last year and loved them.  Especially the lime.  I live in Illinois.  Any ideas?  Thanks!!!

    Comment by Susie on 11/02/07 at 11:07 am #
  9. please let meknoe where to buy these in columbus ohio i love these pops they are awesome. i can’t wait, my friend shared it with me and now i want to buy some for my self

    Comment by maria on 3/11/08 at 4:02 pm #
  10. Hi, all. I understand they were discontinued. Which I’m very sorry for it. Cause I did loved these unique lollipops. Maybe if enough people call Hesheys they might bring them back. what do you think of the idea?

    Comment by Victor on 3/12/08 at 2:30 pm #
  11. My brother knew these two guys who’s father is the manager at Hershey. and he brought in samples for these jolly ranchers one time. i thought they were soo good..i wanted a lot more. i dont know where i would find them now though

    Comment by lizzy on 10/18/08 at 4:28 pm #
  12. Can you tell how I can order the Fruitas Enchiladas on the internet or here csn I find them I use to buy them at the CVS store but they do not sell them anymore

    Comment by Rocky on 12/13/08 at 6:43 pm #
  13. I love Jolly?s

    Comment by Stephanny on 5/16/09 at 8:18 am #
  14. I would like to know where in Miami, Florida can I buy the Jolly Rancher Fruitas Enchiladas?. Is been a long time that I don’t buy them because I don’t see them at stores. Please let me know!
    Thanks,
    Zucel

    Comment by Zucel on 1/11/10 at 5:24 am #
  15. Where can I buy them at?? Had them once then wanted to buy more but can’t find them ! HELP

    Comment by gabrielle on 6/22/14 at 9:14 pm #
  16. I am dying to find these!! I even tried to contact the Hershey Company. Does anyone know where I can buy them here in Miami?

    Comment by Jacqueline on 11/01/14 at 4:40 am #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

Next entry: Chocolate Dipped Altoids

Previous entry: Rice Milk Chocolate Bars




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ABOUT

FEEDS

CONTACT

  • .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
  • Here are some frequently asked questions emailed to me you might want to read first.

EMAIL DIGEST

    For a daily update of Candy Blog reviews, enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

CANDY RATINGS

TYPE

BRAND

COUNTRY

ARCHIVES

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

 

 

 

 

Facebook IconTwitter IconTumblr IconRSS Feed IconEmail Icon

COUNTDOWN.

Candy Season Ends

-2537 days

Read previous coverage

 

 

Which seasonal candy selection do you prefer?

Choose one or more:

  •   Halloween
  •   Christmas
  •   Valentine's Day
  •   Easter

 

image

ON DECK

These candies will be reviewed shortly:

 

 

image