Thursday, February 16, 2006

SweeTarts Rope

There are a few new red licorice products out lately. Both Twizzlers and Wonka are in on this new explosion, perhaps fueled by Airheads’ new products.

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The SweeTarts rope is one of those new products. Kind of like the Twizzler Twerpz, these are a cherry red licorice tube filled with a blue, sour paste which is then dotted with little crunchy Nerd bits.

The texture mix is really interesting. You have the rather bland chew of the licorice, which is soft and clingy. Then you have the soft, frosting-like sour paste that doesn’t have much flavor in it’s own right, but has these little crunchy bits that are powerfully packed with more sour.

I tried eating this several ways. I tried the traditional bite and chew method, which mixed the flavors and textures and variations of sour and sweet very nicely. Then I tried squeezing the rope until the blue sour paste came out. That wasn’t as satisfying because I couldn’t get most of the paste out that way.

I was tempted to find a sharp knife and slit the straw open and scrape out the blue goo ... but then I thought that was a little too evil and I just ate the rest of it the normal way.

The photo on the package of the cross-section shows colored Nerds in there, but I think they kind of dissolve after a while.

I think this is a fun new candy and I’d probably eat it under the right conditions, but in order to get me to buy it again, it’s gotta come in a citrus flavor variation. Given the choice, the Twerpz are gonna win out. I like the filling in those a bit better (it’s more like a Starburst fruit chew).

If you’ve tried them and want to tell Wonka what you think, they have an online feedback survey. This product was manufactured in New Zealand. I don’t think I’ve picked up a Nestle product in a long time that was actually manufactured in the United States. On another strange note, the Rope was rather hard to photograph. Something about its matte texture just sucked the light in and gave it this weird velvety look in the photos. They’re not really that alien looking.

UPDATE 4/5/2009: It appears that the SweeTarts Rope has been discontinued. However, Nestle is introducing a new product called Kazoozles that looks an awful lot like these. Keep an eye out for them.

Related Candies

  1. Candy Tease: Spring 2009
  2. Wonka Tinglerz & Nestle Buncha Crunch
  3. Wonka Nerds Jelly Beans
  4. Head to Head: Chewy SweeTarts vs Chewy Tart n Tinys
  5. SweeTarts: Chicks, Ducks & Bunnies (2006)
Name: SweeTarts Rope
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Wonka (Nestle)
Place Purchased: 7-11 (Hollywood)
Price: $.85
Size: 2.1 ounces
Calories per ounce: 104
Categories: Chew, New Zealand, Nestle

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:28 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Yeah, I noticed right away that the color of the rope sure does look extra artificially “red” or something.  The texture combination sounds intriguing though…

    Comment by Bryan on 2/17/06 at 12:13 am #
  2. I am *addicted* to these. I can’t quite explain what makes this candy so addicting but I think it has a lot to do with “mouth feel.” I love squeezing the paste out with my mouth but then having nice crunchy bits inside. I know “paste” and “candy” aren’t normally two words that go along together well but in this case it does.

    The only thing I’ve noticed is that this is so sugary I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack from eating a package. I had to swear off from buying them for that reason.

    Comment by bitchkittie on 2/22/06 at 1:01 pm #
  3. I LOVE THIS CANDY!...I was just telling my fiance that I havent had a favorite candy until this came along! I THINK I AM IN LOVE! I have a really hard time finding it here where I go to school…I am having to resort to buying them by the box…I am ok with that!!!

    Comment by Valerie on 4/06/06 at 1:46 pm #
  4. Where can I buy these by the box?

    Comment by Jason on 4/06/06 at 10:22 pm #
  5. Cybele's avatar

    Hi Jason & Valerie - you can definitely get them online by the box - try CandyWarehouse.com - they have a HUGE selection of Wonka candies.

    Comment by Cybele on 4/07/06 at 2:19 am #
  6. Random that these were made in NZ!! We can’t get them here, we have a nerds rope which is like the chewy bit (grape i think) with nerds on the outside. I never tried one, they look kinda gross to me, but I’m a chocolate/lolly fiend if ever there was one, and I’ve never seen these anywhere here

    Comment by Nicola on 7/19/06 at 7:51 pm #
  7. I had a pack of these from OSU’s bookstore, and I tell you, they left an aftertaste of vomit. This is a horrible horrible product.

    Comment by Upgrayedd on 11/07/07 at 11:56 am #
  8. I am so glad that I found your blog! I’ve been lurking here for about 2 weeks, and finally decided to comment. All of your reviews are excellent, and I love the quality candy pics you post. Top Notch!

    Comment by amber on 11/07/07 at 12:18 pm #
  9. I enjoy most SweeTarts varieties, so I was game to try these. It’s an odd treat, but not so bad for something different; everyone above has described them adequately.  However, having eaten at least twenty of them by now (packages of two per), in at least a third of the ropes, I bit down on hard “Nerds that wouldn’t crack or give.” Hmm?  I picked them out of my mouth, and examined them. PLASTIC! Tiny pieces of plastic: non-soluble, clear hard glue-like plastic, a few pieces as big as full-sized Nerds. I tried re-eating them to make sure it wasn’t ultra hard sugars or organic ingredients. I started collecting the pieces (to make sure I wasn’t in error, or freaking out, etc.). Absolutely no doubt about it- plastic! Please dissect your ropes and probe for this “special ingredient,” whatever it is. Is anyone else finding this to be the case? I’m still eating the bunch I bought… just cautiously, like fish fillets with bones- and yes, collecting the plastic bits, not quite enough to fill one rope yet.  I think I’ll let Wonka know.  (Maybe they’re sweeping the Nerds off the floor and dumping them in the “frosting” or something… hmm. Well, there ought not be plastic in my candy, after all.) Cheers.

    Comment by Yuan on 11/17/07 at 5:52 pm #
  10. This is the best new candy I’ve tasted since I was a kid, when every candy was new to me. I am a big lover of gummy bears; I absolutely love Nerds; I was ecstatic when Nerds Rope came out; and I have been kind of freaking out about SweeTarts Rope ever since I found them randomly one day at Sam’s Club. I have converted people who don’t call themselves candy lovers. The sour of the Sweetart batter is so amazing, and mixed with the Nerds, it’s almost too much—but just right. I can’t eat more than two per day, which is perfect for a candy fix. Typically I will just have one and be in heaven. The twizzler part is kind of a non-event for me, as it’s just a carrier, so-to-speak, but it still works. I have noticed the hard “plastic” pieces that Yuan mentioned, but I have to believe that they are not plastic, as they do eventually dissolve in your mouth. Perhaps I’m wrong, and I’m digesting plastic polymers that will one day give me cancer. Let’s hope that’s not the case. I bet they’re just hardened pieces of gelatin or something, but I do usually spit them out. Anyway, if you’re a sour fan, you have to give these a try. The texture mixture of the nerds and sweetart batter is awesome.

    Comment by SourSugarFreak on 2/08/08 at 1:02 pm #
  11. To be truthfully honest with you the taste at first is splendid, nice and soft. However, the integrity of the normal SweeTart taste doesn’t last and as soon as you swallow the candy there is a sharp “Acid Reflex/Heart Burn” taste that takes refuge in your throat. Seriously…this is not a hyperbole. I am food critic.

    Comment by Mark on 2/19/08 at 3:59 pm #
  12. I ADORE THESE. Im all about the sweet tarts. At first they were really hard to find and i could only find them at 7-11, but no i see them at more places. If your haven’t tried, please do. they are awesome.

    Comment by leah on 2/21/08 at 4:04 pm #
  13. I just discovered these when I was in Hawaii last week. I don’t know how I missed them all these years. I try every new candy that hits the market (okay, the ones I find anyway). I really didn’t think I’d like them, but I LOVE them. Now I’m trying to find them in N. California and I’m coming up short. Any suggestions?!?

    Comment by Patyon on 2/27/08 at 11:32 am #
  14. They left a weird residue on my hands afterwards.

    Comment by Alex on 3/02/08 at 5:40 am #
  15. Im addicted to this candy, but the store nearby stopped carrying it. Im looking to buy it in bulk. I am looking for the NEW ZEALAND wonka ropes.

    There is two versions of this candy. The good one is made in New Zealand, with real sugar. These are the real deal.

    Then there is the “MADE IN MEXICO” nerd ropes you can buy here in the United States, at places like WalMart. Avoid these. These taste AWFUL and arent nearly as good as the New Zealand version of the same thing. The one I had made in Mexico had melted nerds inside, and was very tough and chewy and had a waxy/plastic taste. It was like eating a bad twizzler or something.

    The new zealand wonka ropes are great, where can I find them in bulk? Im not interested in Mexico made ropes, yuck

    Comment by Richard on 3/23/08 at 10:23 pm #
  16. I got a free pack of these at the movies, and now I’m hooked.  They are so hard to find, though.  I found them once at WalMart, and have not seen them anywhere since.  I’ve never been a fan of SweetTarts, but I love the ropes.

    Comment by Candygirl on 3/27/08 at 7:14 am #
  17. I love most of the SweeTarts varieties. At first they were really hard to find and i could only find them at 7-11, but no i see them at more places. If your haven?t tried, please do. they are awesome.

    Comment by Jogos on 3/30/08 at 6:07 pm #
  18. I love the sweet tart rope,  it has become my favorite candy, however the grocery store doesnt carry them any more and Sam’s club seems to have gotten rid of them also…  HELP where can I find them

    Comment by stephanie on 4/16/08 at 1:22 pm #
  19. I found the SweeTarts ropes at QuikTrip gas/convenient store yesterday.  Yeah!  I’ve been looking all over for them and couldn’t find them.  They seem to taste better than they did when they first came out.  Not so much acid.

    Comment by candygirl on 4/16/08 at 4:49 pm #
  20. My boss just brought me two packages of these. Although I like the texture blend, we both agree they taste like vomit. Ten minutes later, my mouth tastes like I just threw up. This is the first time in my life I have thrown away candy.

    Comment by Amy Jo on 5/02/08 at 11:31 am #
  21. I’m so disappointed that these are discontinued.  I became addicted to them.  My boyfriend did too, we started calling them “crack ropes”!

    Comment by Kim on 5/15/08 at 7:25 am #
  22. I have finely found them at cvs, and asked the manager to PLEASE continue to order them, for I will surely be into buy them.  As for addicting…Damn straight

    Comment by stephanie on 5/15/08 at 5:46 pm #
  23. BEST. CANDY. EVER.

    Comment by Matt N on 5/22/08 at 11:41 am #
  24. These have been discontinued. Please write to them and tell them to bring them back. Email to nestleusa.com. Maybe if enough people email, they will bring them back.

    Comment by Debbie on 6/05/08 at 12:10 pm #
  25. I bought some of these at the Sugar Mountain store in Niagara Falls, Ontario and they were AWESOME.  I tried to get some more at the Ottawa store but they didnt have them in their database.

    Bring these back Wonka/Nestle!!!  grin

    Comment by Bruce M on 7/11/08 at 7:24 am #
  26. I was contacted by the wonka company, and was told at the present time they have no intention of bring these back, they say there just isn’t that big of a demand for them,  well from what i see, and hear, that is a big mistake.  Everyone i have spoken to about them have loved them. Wonka needs to listen to their customers.

    Comment by stephanie on 7/11/08 at 7:35 pm #
  27. This is disgusting!! It tastes exactly like puke… literally!!

    Comment by Kaj on 8/20/08 at 8:57 am #
  28. Well there is no accounting for taste, because some people just plain don’t have any!!!!!

    Comment by stephanie on 8/20/08 at 3:41 pm #
  29. i hate to throw away candy- but this tasted like barf-

    i would give it someone as a prank…


    but i will never eat it again and warn my friends and family about its nasty taste!

    Comment by Cathy on 9/08/08 at 5:10 pm #
  30. I too LOVED this candy.  BUT I ALSO NOTICED THE VOMIT / ACID REFLUX “TASTE”.  How weird is it that even though I noticed that after taste I’ve still been searching for this candy?  Glad to finally find out they are no longer being made.  I can quit looking for them now.

    Comment by James Noob on 10/12/08 at 11:51 am #
  31. We call them “crack sticks” because practily every one who we’ve given them too wants more almost imeditly.

    Wonka told us they are discontinued because of poor sales. We had trouble finding them around here so It seems to us like it was a poor marketing stragity or porr distribution rather then popular opinion.

    Okay if you love this candy and want it to come back call Nestle/Willy wonka and tell them this.
    1-800-358-1971 Mon-Fri 8am - 8pm EST

    As for those who say it taste like barf/vomit and I have heard this from my niece. What are you eating that makes you puke taste sweet and tangy with a bit of crunch?? Because if I had the choice between puke and a sweettart rope the rope would win every time.

    Comment by James on 11/24/08 at 5:36 am #
  32. this is crack.  i’m addicted and can’t find them any more.  it’s a great combo, one of those who’da thunk it!  it’s not quite twizzler it’s softer and sweeter, better than a twizzler.  and it’s mushed up sweetarts with bites of nerds.  yum, i miss them can’t find them anywhere anymore.

    Comment by Lana on 12/31/08 at 11:09 am #
  33. I know where to get them, and I’m not tellin, nanny nanny noo noo.  they are mine, all mine I tell ya, and you can’t have any. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    P.S. HAPPPY NEWYEAR!!!!
    SUCKERS!!!!!!

    Comment by STEPH on 12/31/08 at 5:22 pm #
  34. I love this candy and i cant find it so i resulted to the internet so please bring this back to us…... I love it

    Comment by Rocio on 1/13/09 at 7:10 am #
  35. I LOVE this candy and they don’t sell them anywhere anymore. I cried.

    Comment by Jackie on 4/04/09 at 1:25 pm #
  36. Wonka has a new candy out called Kazoozles (cherry) and these taste very similar to the sweet tart ropes without the crunchiness from the nerds though.

    Comment by Debbie on 5/06/09 at 2:40 pm #
  37. Cybele's avatar

    Debbie - thanks for the update. I knew that Kazoozles were coming (as noted above in the post) but I wasn’t sure if they were just a rename of the same product. Looks like a tweak in the formula.

    Comment by Cybele on 5/06/09 at 2:43 pm #
  38. The crunchiness of the Nerds is what made the SweetTart ropes so good!  I’ll try the Kazoozles though, just to see if they’re as good.

    Comment by candygirl on 5/06/09 at 2:55 pm #
  39. i love sweet tarts rope! but i dont know where they sell them in california…. who knows?//

    Comment by Hrag on 5/07/09 at 11:16 am #
  40. Cybele's avatar

    Hrag - SweeTarts Rope has been discontinued (please see the note above at the end of the post). There will be a new product called Kazoozles rolling out. Also, look for Twizzlers Sweet & Sour Twists, which are similar but don’t have the crunchies.

    Comment by Cybele on 5/07/09 at 11:35 am #
  41. hello fellow candy lovers.  i have tried the new kazoozles and they are wonderful.  i miss the nerds in the middle but Kazoozles are a nice product that should satisfy your cravings.  they have two flavors.  one is just like the sweet tart ropes, red with a blue center.  the other is pink lemonade.  both rock!  enjoy.

    Comment by chenders on 7/11/09 at 5:38 pm #
  42. KAZOOZLES SUCKS IN COMPARISON!!! SWEET TART ROPES WAS THE BEST CANDY INVENTION SINCE THEY STARTED ADDING SOUR CRYSTALS TO CANDY IN GENERAL!!!! THIS IS BLASPHEMY.  NOW ALL WE HAVE LEFT IS NERDS ROPE WHICH IS USUALLY STALE AND ONLY TAKES UP HALF THE PACKAGE!!!!!!!!! I DEMAND TO SEE WONKA….NOW!

    Comment by Joe on 4/03/10 at 1:12 am #
  43. I miss sweet tart ropes sooo bad they were my favorite candy ever and I love candy so that is saying a lot. I have tried the Kazoozles and they are terrible in comparison.

    Comment by Shannon on 9/12/10 at 6:26 pm #
  44. I love sweet tart rope !!!!!!! 2 christmas ago we ( my family and i) were playing a game and i got a BIG box of them they lasted a few days !!!!!! They were so good !!!! Now i cant find them anywhere !!!!! If anybody knows where to get PLEASE tell me in some way ! ugh i miss them so bad =(

    Comment by amber on 12/30/10 at 11:27 pm #
  45. Does anyone know where if you can still buy these?

    Comment by Shane on 1/31/11 at 10:58 am #
  46. I find it rather funny that you have never been able to buy these in new zealand, yet they are made here…

    Comment by Lauren on 1/16/12 at 11:43 pm #
  47. I actually really liked these.  The definitely had a bit of an odd after taste but for some reason, I couldn’t stop eating them.  I’ve even looked online for them and can’t find them in any stores!  I received my fee sample from Smiley360 and wish I could get more!

    Comment by Kristie on 3/13/15 at 6:03 am #
  48. 5:58am EST March 17, 2015 : saw a commercial for Sweetarts Ropes during the tail end of Adult Swim (just before Cartoon Network programming started). It was not aimed at children, just pictures of the package and product with a woman’s voice narrating. Couldn’t tell if it had nerds in it, but the ropes were red with apparently blue paste inside. First time I ever saw an ad for them.

    Comment by jwoolman on 3/16/15 at 3:15 am #
  49. Those were Kazoozles you saw in the commercial. They are made by Wonka as well. They’re just like these but without the Nerds. These have not been produced since 2009, when Kazoozles hit the shelves.

    Comment by Jenna on 3/31/15 at 12:20 pm #
  50. ong thank god sweet tart ropes are back. Favorite.

    Comment by Dawn on 4/12/15 at 4:11 pm #
  51. But, they’re called Kazoozles now and they have no nerds in the paste!

    Comment by Jenna on 4/12/15 at 5:36 pm #
  52. My kids love this candy. I really hope they come out with different flavor combinations and take this candy to the next level!

    Comment by Samantha on 4/19/15 at 6:00 pm #
  53. You guys were all right - SWEETTARTS ROPES ARE BACK!!!!! Thank the candy gods for this! This is an epic comeback!

    Comment by Jenna on 4/26/15 at 8:51 am #
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