Sour Patch Jelly Beans

Just last weekend, I was searching for fizzy Skittles at my local Target store. I didn't find them, but I did find Sour Patch jelly beans. This really helped me contain my disappointment.

Jelly Beans have always been a favorite of mine at Easter and year round. Not so much the classic jelly beans, but Jelly Belly or Starburst jelly beans. My all time favorite movie candy is Sour Patch Kids, so everything fell into place when I saw this bag of beans.


The jelly beans looked a lot like Sour Patch Kids - same colors, same bumpy texture. All four of the original flavors were there: lime, orange, lemon, and redberry, whatever that is. There were no loose sour crystals on the beans, though, just a solid sour coating.

Yellow was a sour, citrusy lemon that falls in the middle of the fake---slice of lemon spectrum. Orange was a sweet, tart, orangeade kind of flavor, but I really enjoyed it. Green tasted just a bit more floral and sweet than the original lime flavor. It's my favorite of the original Kids, but somehow wasn't here. Red simply tasted red, and was my least favorite of the four.

If you like Sour Patch Kids, you'll like these jelly beans. I had a hard time resisting them, as did most of my "helpers." Though Starburst jelly beans have a larger variety of flavors, Sour Patch jelly beans are definitely one of my favorite candy spinoff beans.

A-

Sour Patch Kids website

Wonka Giant Chewy Nerds

Ever since I saw this review of Cybele's, I've wanted to try Giant Chewy Nerds. They were actually quite hard to find, but a chance meeting at a gas station brought us together. My husband and I split them on a long car ride.

Nerds were a favorite candy of mine as a child. The idea of sugar-coated-sugar kind of makes my teeth hurt now, but I still appreciate the bright, tart flavors. I'm also a long-time jelly bean fan, hence my eagerness to try these.


The selection I'm holding for the picture is a pretty accurate representation of what was in my bag. There were very few yellows and greens and far too many oranges and reds. I refer to them as colors, because I couldn't find a flavor guide anywhere on the package.

Purple was definitely a fake candy grape, but in the best way. It was my favorite because of its bright, tart flavor, without a trace of cough syrup like some grape candies.

Orange was very sour, and went a little into the realm of cleaning product for me. There was an odd aftertaste, probably from the sour center, that I didn't appreciate. As I mentioned, my bag was mostly orange.

Red was sweet, and a mild berry. It tasted more like strawberry than cherry, and was pleasant.

Yellow was sour but sweet in the middle, and reminded me of Lemonheads. I didn't get a good idea of the flavor since there were only 2 or 3 in the bag.

Green was a bit ambiguous. I thought it was apple, but my husband thought it was watermelon. I think he was right, but either way, I liked the flavor. Again, there were only a few in the bag.

These were fun candies with a neat texture, but some of the weaker flavors put me off from buying these again.

B-

Wonka website

Wonka Sweet Tarts Jelly Beans

A friend and fellow candy fan picked up these jelly beans, in search of something different from the usual Starburst jelly beans. Those are delicious, but it's always fun to try something new.

Every candy seems to have it's own jelly bean this time of year, and they are all fairly similar (though some taste better than others). However, these were different! The beans were coated with a different kind of coating than a usual jelly bean. It was like they were coated in Sweet Tarts, so the coating would dissolve in the mouth with a sharp burst of tartness and a cooling sensation. The chew on the inside was good, too, sweet and gooey.


Green Apple tasted like green Laffy Taffy or Now and Laters. Not bad, but not my favorite.

Lemon rode the thin line between Lemon Heads and Lemon Pledge. Tart and juicy, but not terrible authentic.

Cherry tasted just like a pink Sweet Tart. It was a little floral, but other than that, not really cherry.

Blue Punch was always my favorite Sweet Tart flavor growing up, but here it was a little oversweet.

Orange tasted like Tang, but with extra vitamin C. Not too sour, just tangy. I think this was my favorite.

Grape was not an authentic flavor, either, but it wasn't a medicinal grape, which was greatly appreciated.

So bravo to Wonka for capturing the essence of Sweet Tart in these jelly beans! They were surprisingly good and quite addictive! On flavor alone, these were probably just a B, but because they were fun to eat...

B+

Wonka Website