Thursday, March 18, 2010

Wonka SweeTarts Jelly Beans 2010

Wonka SweeTarts Jelly BeansWonka introduced a line of jelly beans back in 2006 (original review). They were matte, opaque pastel jelly beans with a strange grainy shell but familiar SweeTart flavors.

This year the product seems to have been reformulated, though there’s no mention of it on the package which is also redesigned. Readers alerted me that they were different this year.

The 2010 version of SweeTart Jelly Beans are more vibrant and come in the current SweeTart flavors of Cherry, Lemon, Grape, Blue Punch, Green Apple and Orange.

Wonka SweeTarts Jelly Beans

I noticed the color difference before I even took the bag home. They’re more opaque and shinier with consistent colors. They’re at once familiar and a little different.

The version I’ve had before had a grainy and cool-to-the-tongue shell. When I saw these and remembered the comments, I was wondering if Wonka was just using the Spree Jelly Beans which have a harder shell.

Wonka SweeTarts Jelly BeansThe shell is more crisp than the previous version and the flavors seem a little more distinct and intense. They also seem to be more faithful to the flavors of the chalky original SweeTarts disks. But what’s missing is probably the tangy hit that the real SweeTarts have.

As you’ll notice, I found quite a few abnormal ones in my bag. These were a few that had distinctive shapes, quite a few were just larger than what I’d call normal or smaller than what I would have thought should be the target. They all tasted fine - the narrow ones obviously had more shell to them proportionally.

Wonka SweeTarts Jelly Beans - RejectsThey’re still nice - the grape is much better as it is tangier now. I enjoyed the citrus flavors even though they weren’t particularly sour. Green apple is okay, though bland and I usually pick out the cherry and blue punch ones but if I ate them it’s not the end of the world.

In the end, the update is definitely different but I wouldn’t call it an improvement. I think it brings them more in line with what I’d expect from a product extension but still not as good as actual SweeTarts. Now if they could only do the SweeTarts Chicks, Ducks & Bunnies with all the flavors of SweeTarts we’d have something to talk about.

The versions I’ve tried before (2007 & 2008) were made in Canada. This bag was made in Mexico. There are no allergen statements on the bag, so they may be nut free/gluten free and contain no animal-derived products.

Related Candies

  1. Lemonhead & Friends Jelly Beans
  2. Big Tex Giant Jelly Beans
  3. Hot Tamales Spice Jelly Beans
  4. Smarties Jelly Beans
  5. Wonka Nerds Jelly Beans
  6. Lifesavers Jellybeans
Name: SweeTarts Jelly Beans
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Nestle
Place Purchased: Rite Aid (Echo Park)
Price: $1.50
Size: 14 ounces
Calories per ounce: 95
Categories: Jelly, Sour, Mexico, Nestle, Easter

POSTED BY Cybele AT 11:42 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I really like these, maybe a little too much seeing as I’ve already eaten two bags in the last month.  I also tried some Mike and Ike beans, but thought these were much, much better.  The pink is my favorite, but grape is super good too.  I’m not normally a big grape fan.  Personally, I think these are a million times better than the regular old SweeTarts disks.  You do get a few “wonky” pieces in each bag, but they’re still ok in my book.

    Comment by Kay on 3/18/10 at 3:56 pm #
  2. I kinda dig the deformed ones—adds an element of the grotesque. It’s like “yes—I’m having a mid-morning snack that consists of sugar and citric acid, but the world is a carnival anyway… so I suppose it’s alright”.

    ... but I still like the Starburst ones better… and the powdery ones from the gas station (but I think it’s because I like the stale…).

    Comment by perry on 3/19/10 at 5:14 am #
  3. I’m so sad that they redid these! I kinda liked them for their softer shell. Now I’ll just have to buy a bag of the new kind!

    Comment by Molly on 3/19/10 at 5:18 pm #
  4. I like these. I can’t say I’ll give them up for my starburst jelly beans but they’re a nice treat.
    I didn’t get many deformed ones in my bag except for the green ones. I didn’t like the green ones though so I don’t really care if all the green ones look like horror movie extras.

    Comment by Emily on 3/24/10 at 6:00 pm #
  5. Wonka SweeTart jelly beans are gluten free!  I just called, and the modified food starch on the ingredient list is from corn, potato, rice, or tapioca.  Enjoy!

    Comment by JC on 3/26/10 at 12:40 pm #
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