|
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wonka Sluggles
Honestly, it seems odd that Nestle hadn’t entered the gummi category up to this point, especially since the Wonka brand is all about straight sugar candy (every once in a while they have a chocolate product). They’ve returned to the Roald Dahl book for some inspiration on the name. They’re called Sluggles (I’m guessing a vamp off the Arthur Slugworth character combined with the critter theme.) But once I saw the package it kind of made sense. The says they’re from WONKA’S Edible Garden which sounds like fun! They come in four flavors: grape, orange, lemon & strawberry and say they’re made with natural ingredients and 25% real fruit juice. Yes, naturally flavored and no artificial colors ... from Nestle!
The Sluggles are shaped like little invertebrate creatures. The shapes I could discern looked like chitins, millipedes, snails and larvae. (They’re not exactly named on the package so forgive me if I gravitate towards the sea creature indentifications.) I was really excited about the flavor array, mostly because there was no cherry, but also because they included grape, which is pretty rare in the gummi area.
Most of the gummis smelled the same, as it’s a mixed bag. The flavor is immediately tangy with a nice berry flavor, though not specifically strawberry and lacking that fragrant floral note. The tartness has a slight fizzy quality to it towards the end. Though the colors are all natural, gummis use gelatin so are not for vegetarians ... and in this case the red coloring is cochineal in addition to beta carotene.
I had a little trouble telling these from the strawberry at first glance because the colors aren’t as vibrant. They’re mostly sweet with a light orange flavor to them, rather like orange drink with a little sprinkling of zest. While I sound underwhelmed, I thought these were the nicest of the bunch.
Wow, grape gummis! I can count on one hand the grape gummis that I know about (Albanese, the Japanese muscat varieties and the Big Bite Giant Gummi Bear). Since this is a naturally flavored assortment, the grape flavor is much more like concord grape juice (not that there is actually any grape juice in here, the 25% is apple juice) than “artificial grape candy”. It has the deep jelly flavor but is much more sour than a jam. The exterior of the candies isn’t greasy at all, rather soft & dry but the chew is pliable and has a nice soft but rubbery bite.
The lemon flavored Sluggles were a little on the sweet side for a tangy citrus. The zest was mellow, the whole thing reminding me more of canned frozen lemonade than anything made with real lemons. It’s kind of a boiled sweet taste. Still, they were tasty and all of the flavors went together well, I didn’t feel the need to look at the pieces before popping them in my mouth and any combinations of the flavors were acceptable. The other product in this “edible garden” line is Puckerooms, which I’ll review soon. The other new items introduced this year are two different flavors of Kazoozles (which are not exactly in the garden theme and are definitely not all natural). Ingredients:
The package I got is a “sales sample” so this may not be the final package, ingredients & nutrition info. They’re made in the Czech Republic on equipment that processes milk, wheat, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and sulfites. I think these are a great option for families that want to shy away from artificial ingredients but still want mainstream treat. (I also expect them to be priced very well.) The information from the All Candy Expo indicates that these should be hitting store shelves in June. Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:07 am
|
||||||||||||||||||
ABOUT
FEEDSCONTACT
EMAIL DIGESTCANDY RATINGSTYPE
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.
  SEARCHSearch the Candy Blog archives
    
FEATURED NEWS ITEMS
COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2024 by Cybele May Please do not use my photos without prior permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop Studios
|
|||||||||||||||||
SUPERB 
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
-
Comment by
JJR on 6/04/09 at 11:50 am #
-
Comment by
Sera on 6/05/09 at 3:13 am #
-
Comment by
SAO on 6/05/09 at 5:51 am #
-
Comment by
Kristin on 6/05/09 at 6:01 am #
-
Comment by
J on 6/06/09 at 1:25 pm #
-
Comment by
E on 6/06/09 at 5:54 pm #
-
Comment by
Rocketgirl on 6/15/09 at 4:44 am #
-
Comment by
Sara Ebare on 9/08/09 at 5:03 pm #
-
Comment by
Nick on 10/13/09 at 4:46 am #
-
Comment by
J on 10/25/09 at 1:07 pm #
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.Maybe they should make a “sluggle” shaped like a cochineal bug. Just a thought…
Awww, cute! Props for the Roald Dahl mention.
Natural colors and flavors with added juice at a good level wow. I can’t wait until this product hits the market, it will be a great alternative to the other artificial gummies flooding the market. The shapes are so cool!
One of the shapes is definitely a snail. They certainly look much more edible than real snails!
Don’t you guys remember when they would make the nerd gummies?! those were THE best! AND grape was a flavor in that too!
I found the Puckerooms at Target a few days ago. They are sooo good. A great pick-me-up for those marathon study sessions.
(hehe) At first glance, I was in deep assumption that these gummy pieces were a geared as the party treats best served at a bachelorette-type bash. These Wonka Sluggles are very suggestive, yes?
I’d like to try these as well, they do look pretty good.
J, I remember Gummi Nerds used to be my favorite as a kid, it’s a shame that they stopped making them.
These gummis are pretty tasty, when I saw that they were Wonka, I got excited thinking about the old days of the Gummi Nerds. I can’t really compare them though because although I remember I used to love Gummi Nerds, I can’t exactly remember exactly how they tasted compared to these since it’s been like 20 years since I’ve had them.
Nick, I think these taste EXACTLY like the gummi nerds!
Next entry: Dove Peanut Butter Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate
Previous entry: Hershey’s York Pieces