Showing posts with label raspberry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raspberry. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Nestle KitKat Framboise

KitKat Framboise

This is the last of the September KitKat series, and Framboise is definitely my favorite. Like Semisweet and Bitter Almond, this one also seems to be tailored to adults, although it's probably more kid-friendly than the previous two.

This fall, I'm taking a French class one night a week. In high school, I studied French all four years, but switched to Japanese in college. My French suffered as a result, but at least I still remember that framboise means raspberry. Don't ask me to say "last week" in French though, because I'm totally drawing a blank. Hopefully we'll get to that in this week's class.

KitKat Framboise

Both the scent and flavor of this KitKat were very strong (and pretty authentic). The flavor was more like raspberry liqueur than the actual fruit, but I was blown away by how the framboise came through the chocolate. It reminded me of Chambord, although I should note that the KitKat didn't taste boozy.

The milk chocolate was creamy and smooth, and the raspberry flavor between the wafers was tart and delicate. It was a little sweet, but I really enjoyed it. Raspberry and chocolate are a classic combination, and this KitKat is a great example of why it works so well.

A

KitKat website

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Orbit Mist Raspberry Lemon Dew

Orbit Mist Raspberry Lemon Dew

It's been a little while since I've done an Orbit review, but I am still on track for my goal of trying every flavor of Orbit available in the US. Raspberry Lemon is from the somewhat recent Orbit Mist line, which is supposed to be juicier than the regular Orbit gum.

I love the swirly fun inner packaging, but I don't love that all the boxes are the same shade of blue. One of my favorite things about Orbit is the fun, distinctive colors of the packaging. I love seeing a rainbow of colored gum packages in the checkout lane, and Orbit Mist just doesn't stand out as much.

Orbit Mist Raspberry Lemon Dew

The gum smelled like a fake lemony raspberry, leaning a little towards cleaning solution. The gum seemed crispy as I chewed it, and it was very juicy. The flavor wasn't realistic, but still pretty good. I was reminded of the flavored lemonades sold at American restaurant chains like Applebee's or Red Robin.

This was not a long-lasting flavor gum, and after a few minutes, I had to resist the urge to pop another piece. The flavor was definitely enjoyable, but once it was gone, the remaining flavor was very non-descript and mediocre.

The ladies at Gum Alert adored this gum, so be sure to check out their review.

B+

Orbit website

Friday, June 4, 2010

Mars Starburst Sour/Sweet

Sour/Sweet Starburst

Since I usually pay for gas with my card at the pump, I don't often go in gas station convenience stores around town. However, they tend to be treasure troves of new and old candy, and an easy place to find regional items when travelling.

These Starburst don't fall into the "new" category. I'm not sure if they are still in production, but they were purchased in a gas station, and there were only a couple of packages left. It was a risky move, but I went for it.

Sour/Sweet Starburst

Sour Green Apple was so sour that it prickled my throat. The apple flavor was very fake, but recognizable.

Sweet Blue Raspberry had a nice sweet (albeit fake) raspberry taste with hints of the tart zing of the fruit, and it was probably my favorite.

Sour Watermelon had an impressive sour punch, but I didn't think it tasted at all like watermelon. It's such a mild fruit that adding sour really makes it unrecognizable.

Sweet Strawberry reminded me of ChupaChups suckers, with a fake but familiar strawberry flavor. It did seem sweeter than the normal strawberry Starburst, and it wasn't as good.

This variety was nothing special, although the sour ones were quite sour. Maybe it's just bad execution, but this variety of Starburst didn't add anything to the brand. I'll stick with the original.

Have a look at Candy Blog for another review.

C+

Starburst website

Monday, May 3, 2010

Godiva Spring Chocolates + 1 Summer Truffle

Godiva Spring Truffles
This free truffle every month at Godiva thing isn't working out too well for me. At the end of April, I went in with the intention of getting two truffles (one being the freebie), and I came out with six. They had an assortment of new spring chocolates, but instead of the round truffle, these were flattened chocolates stamped with a pretty floral pattern. Finally, because I can't resist mango anything, I also got a mango summer truffle for "free."

I forgot to write down the flavors when I was at the shop, but according to some post-tasting research on a non-Godiva website, they are mandarin orange, pina colada, black raspberry, green pear, and lemon chiffon. I'm not sure I agree, and I plan on double checking, but please correct me in the meantime. You can think of this as a blind taste test.

Apple Godiva Truffle

I'll start with some controversy. Supposedly, the piece with the green and white pattern was Green Pear, but when I tasted it, it felt very apple. It was delicious - my favorite of them bunch - as it had a nice, subtle cinnamon flavor and a lovely caramel texture. It tasted like a rich apple cider in a melty milk chocolate shell. A+

There was no mistaking Black Raspberry (purple flowers). It was full of seeds! So many seeds, actually, that it was distracting. The dark chocolate shell was nice, but the filling was just a bit weak and didn't have the bite I look for in a raspberry sweet. The plentiful seeds were too much for me, but they did convey the feeling of jam. C+

The only white chocolate piece in the bunch, Pina Colada didn't have much flavor at all. All I could taste was a sweet white chocolate at first, then hints of coconut milk and a tiny bit of citrus. It was so very mild, and was my least favorite. C-

I believe the orange and yellow chocolate was Mandarin Orange, but it could have passed for lemon. The milk chocolate was quite good, but despite a crisp citrus flavor, the center was just a bit too sweet. Still, it was probably my third favorite out of the five. B

The last of the spring chocolates was Lemon Chiffon, in yellow and white flowers (I think). I know I said the green one was my favorite, but I may have to reconsider, because this chocolate was amazing. The filling tasted just like fresh lemon pie filling. I could taste the lemon juice, and the zesty, tart filling was just perfect with the buttery chocolate shell. A+

Godiva Mango Truffle

Finally, here's the bonus summer truffle: Mango. The dark chocolate shell had a nice snap, leading to a citrusy mango filling with a surprisingly authentic flavor. It was sweet and delicious, and even had some of the smooth, thick texture of mango. A

There were some outstanding chocolates in this bunch, and though I'm not sure I needed all of them, even the not-so-stellar flavors were fun to try (especially since I was guessing at flavors).

Friday, April 30, 2010

Nestle Raspberry & Passion Fruit KitKat

KitKat Raspberry and Passion Fruit

Even if a Japanese KitKat flavor sounds good, you never really know how it's going to turn out until you try it. I suppose this is true for just about everything, but personally, I'm not particularly good at knowing which flavors I will enjoy.

For example, I love a good caramel macchiato, but the KitKat was pretty gross. Ume soda sounded like a stinker, but it actually wasn't bad. And I never expected to like Raspberry & Passion Fruit as much as I did.

Nestle KitKat Raspberry & Passion Fruit

The bar was a gorgeous shade of matte brown and smelled like bittersweet cocoa with hints of fruitiness. While chewing my first bite, I was pleased with the stick texture and rich flavor of the chocolate. Raspberry and dark chocolate is a fantastic pairing, as the fruit really enhances the tanginess of the chocolate.

The fruit flavors in this KitKat were surprisingly authentic and delightful. The raspberry tasted just like jam, and though I couldn't specifically pick out passion fruit, there were some lovely tropical notes that helped to mellow the tartness of the raspberry. The combination of bittersweet chocolate and tart fruit was just perfect here. It was absolutely delicious and one of the best, most memorable KitKats I've had in a long time.

There are many other reviews of this KitKat, so have a look at Chocablog, Pocky Watch, and Jen's KitKat Blog for a start.

A+

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Maynards Juicy Squirts Sours

Maynards Juicy Squirts Sours

Before one of my Flickr contacts pointed it out, the thought hadn't occurred to me that "Juicy Squirts" is a funny name. It does sound a bit like something you come across online and can't unsee, but luckily, it's candy. Still, it's not something I want to search for on Google.

Maynards is part of the Cadbury family of brands, but it originated as a small family company in the United Kingdom. I have never seen the Maynards brand in the US, but over the border in Canada, they sell many kinds of gummies. For example, Sour Patch Kids are now part of the Maynards brand in Canada, but they are released by Cadbury Adams in the US (without much mention of that on the package).

Maynards Juicy Squirts Sours

Right away, I had a bit of an issue: half of the bag was cherry. There were four flavors included, but I only got 1 purple, 2 raspberry, and 3 apple. The remaining 6 or 7 gummies were all cherry. Unequal flavor distribution aside, the gummies were pretty large - about the size of my thumb. Each gummy was full of a different color (and flavor) juice, and it reminded me of the Gushers fruit snacks I loved as a kid.

Green was a slightly floral green apple, but I'm not sure what the red inner juice was supposed to taste like. Maybe some sort of red berry? In any case, the flavors went well together.

Purple was either grape or blackcurrant, but honestly, I'm not sure. It did taste a lot like fake grape, and was my favorite of the bunch. Maybe I'm just saying that because there was only purple in my bag.

Red (cherry-shaped) had a standard red, medicinal cherry flavor. My husband figures that the ingredients must be the cheapest, and that was why there were so many in this bag.

Red (raspberry-shaped) had a nice, mild raspberry flavor with a slightly sour bite to it. Again, I'm not sure what flavor the center juices were, but I enjoyed the piece.

Overall, I liked the firm, chewy texture of the gummies. My husband thought they were sour enough, but I hardly found them sour at all. Combined with the bad assortment, Juicy Squirts Sours just left me feeling disappointed.

C

These have also been reviewed at Candy Addict

Cadbury website

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Sour Razzles

Sour Razzles

Another birthday has passed for me, and I received a new crop of candy from two friends who obviously have a good handle on my interests. The stash included these Sour Razzles, a sour version of the famous candy that becomes gum. Despite growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I had never tried these before, so I didn't know what to expect.

From looking at the package, I think I assumed that they would be like miniature Blow Pops - a hard candy shell with gum inside - but this assumption was incorrect. Razzles look nothing like they do on the box. They reminded me of the dye tablets that come in Easter Egg decorating kits.

Sour Razzles

The Razzles smelled like citric acid and came in five flavors: Orange, Lime, Cherry, Blue Raspberry, and Lemon. They all had the texture of Sweet Tarts (or chewable vitamins) at first, and the nubs on the one side reminded me of candy blocks. It only takes about 10-15 seconds of chewing for the candy to turn into a soft gum. Here's a rundown of each flavor.

Orange packed a serious sour punch. This was the first one I tried, and after just a couple chews, I was puckering. It had a strong vitamin C flavor, but (as with all the flavors) shortly after becoming gum, had very little flavor at all. It was my favorite of the bunch.

Lime was much less sour and lacked the punch of the orange (or maybe I was used to it). When I spit this piece out to move onto the next, the gum was an intense shade of forest green.

Cherry was a full bodied, decent sour cherry flavor that had the same powerful tang as the orange. The sourness had a bit of a delay, but then came on very strong.

Blue Raspberry was sweet and blue-flavored at first, and then the punch of sour had a strong raspberry candy flavor. The height of the sour flavor was great, but then it faded to sweet. I should also mention that when I brushed my teeth that night before bed, my white toothpaste turned blue.

Lemon, which I had saved for last, was a disappointment. It was sour, but the flavor was completely fake and reminiscent of cleaning products. This was my least favorite of the bunch.

I would never choose these as a gum, but as a sour candy, the intensity of the sour flavors surprised me. Despite the weakness of the lemon and lime, I found it hard to stop eating these, and didn't mind spitting them out once they become gum and lost their flavor. They were fun to eat, and definitely would please kids (and adults) with a sour craving.

B

Razzles section of Tootsie Roll website

Monday, June 29, 2009

Schakolad Truffles

Truffles

Last weekend, my husband and I went for a walk at an upscale outdoor mall. We didn't buy any clothes or trinkets (admittedly, we weren't really the target market), but we did buy truffles.

Schakolad is a chocolate/candy chain store, and I had wanted to go there for a while, but this one never seemed to be open when I was in the area. We finally got a chance to go, so for a quick sample, we bought 4 truffles for $4.50. For the price, I was a little disappointed at the rather basic flavor assortment, but the chocolates certainly looked cute.

We selected Orange, Raspberry Cheesecake, Champagne Ganache, and Dark Milk Caramel. A couple of those aren't on the list from the website, but I'm not sure why. Here's a closer look at the flavors we chose.

Bitten Orange Truffle

Orange was a white-chocolate coated orange truffle with orange sprinkles on top. It smelled very citrusy, and the filling reminded me of orange Starburst, in that it was sour but with a little more sweetness. The filling had the consistency of thick frosting and melted nicely on the tongue. I usually see orange paired with milk chocolate, and the white chocolate with the orange made things a little too sweet here.

Bitten Raspberry Cheesecake Truffle

Raspberry Cheesecake was similar in consistency to the Orange truffle. However, there was no sourness here, just a very rich, milky filling with just a hint of raspberry flavor; my husband and I both wished the flavor had been stronger. I liked it better than cheesecake, though, because just when I had enough richness, the truffle was gone.

Champagne Ganche Truffle

Champagne Ganache was the cutest of the bunch, with the gold stars. The filling was excellent, smooth as can be, and with just a hint of a champagne sparkle to make it special. More champagne fizz would have been good with me, but my husband liked this one best. I did like that the chocolate was a nice, darker milk - sweet but not bitter.

Dark Chocolate Caramel

Even though it was arguably the least special of the bunch, Dark Milk Caramel was my favorite. The dark chocolate coating was tasty, but the milky, chewy caramel on the inside was perfect. It was like an ultra high-class Milk Dud, with that same kind of stick-to-your-teeth caramel but no cloying sugar aftertaste.

I'm not sure if I would buy truffles there again, but my husband and I both found the ones we had to be worth the price for a nice treat. If I did go back, I think I would try the butterscotch truffles.

B

Schakolad website

Monday, April 20, 2009

Skittles Crazy Cores

Skittles Crazy Cores

These have been out in the United States for quite some time now, and there are a ton of other sites that have reviewed them, but I might as well throw in my 2 cents. Everyone's tastes are different, so if your tastes are similar to mine, maybe you'll relate to my take on these.

I have loved Skittles ever since I was little, so a new variety is extra exciting. I remember when Tropical Skittles were introduced, and I devoured those, despite my feelings about banana flavored candy (hint: negative). So, when I saw that the Crazy Cores would include flavors I typically like, such as mango, peach, and lemonade, they sounded pretty promising.

Skittles Crazy Cores

Mango Peach, peach with an orange core, had a tropical feel and a nice amount of tartness. Peach seems kind of neglected in American candy, and this tasted like a passable mix of peach and mango. It was my favorite of the bunch.

Melon Berry, which was pink with a green core, tasted berry sweet and not too melony. It was my least favorite, and just didn't have that tart punch that even the Wild Berry Skittles carry.

Cherry Lemonade was red with a yellow core, and the outside tasted like a cherry cough drop. That was a big negative right off the bat, but I did enjoy the citrus zing of the lemonade core.

Blue Raspberry Lemon was blue with a yellow core, and a little perplexing. The coating had an almost perfumy taste to start with, and that was downright gross. But it faded quickly, leaving a classic blue raspberry flavor (like Blow Pops). The lemon was mellow and sweet, and could have used a little more sourness.

Strawberry Watermelon, green with a pink core, was my second favorite. The strawberry was like a good sucker - bright and a little tart. The watermelon core tasted fresh and light (and fake), and it wasn't too sweet.

I am not sure why there are two flavors with lemon-based cores, but these Skittles were at least enjoyable. The regular flavors are better, but the Crazy Core concept was fun to eat. After my third Skittle, I could feel a sugary film in the back of my throat, which one of my coworkers calls The Skittle Spits. Just thought I should warn everyone.

B-

Skittles Website

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Sour Patch Cherry and Blue Raspberry

Sour Patch Blue RaspberrySour Patch Cherry

There is a somewhat old-fashioned candy shop pretty close to my house, and oddly enough, I've never been there. I always mean to go, but parking is messy and the hours are weird. But my husband has been there, and he came back with, among other things, these two kinds of Sour Patch candy.

We are both big fans of Sour Patch Kids, and get them pretty much any time we go to a movie. I had never seen either of these flavors in normal stores, so I was quite excited to try these (although cherry is one of the normal flavors, I think).

Sour Patch Blue Raspberry and Cherry

Cherry was up first, and the little candies were red and shaped like cherries. They tasted good but not great, and not very sour. They seemed less sour than the cherry that comes in Sour Patch Kids. B-

Blue Raspberry was next, and it also wasn't very sour, but had a nice blue fruit snack-like flavor and firm texture. The pieces were blue and shaped like a raspberry (or a little bunch of grapes). I liked these better than the cherry. B+

Although these were fun to try, I'd rather eat the regular Sour Patch Kids. My husband said the candy store carries a peach variety, but it was sold out, so I'll definitely have to go for myself and try to find that.

Sour Patch website

Monday, April 6, 2009

Ice Breakers Rasberry Lemonade Bang! Chewy Sours


Bang! I love the Ice Breakers Sours series of candies, so when I saw these Chewy Sours at the store, it seemed like a good idea to try them. I thought they would be like Chewy Spree, but I was wrong.

The first issue was that they all stuck together in the package, so maybe they were stored at hot temperatures somewhere. They were also oddly shaped and not at all uniform. Even though they weren't what I expected, I was still pretty excited about them.


The candies smelled a bit like a cleaning product, mostly like citric acid. The coating, which looked like the regular sours, was good and sour and definitely lemonade flavored, but it all went downhill from there. These were chewy in the same way that licorice is chewy, which isn't a bad thing, but doesn't really make for a good, lasting chew.

The real issue I had with these was that the flavor of the licorice-type chew was that it was fairly flavorless. Once the sour burst (bang?) was gone, I was left with a sweet, oily, vaguely fruity wad of something that I didn't really want to be eating. It was very disappionting, and I'll stick with the regular sours. The idea of a chewy sour is good, but the execution in this case was poor.

C-

Ice Breakers Website

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Mike and Ike Tangy Twister

Mike and Ike Tangy Twister

After the last review of Mike and Ike I did, I was hesitant to try another kind, but temptation got the best of me. On a run to the drug store (I needed a can opener in a pinch), I picked up a box of Tangy Twister.

My expectations were fairly low, but they were cheap. When I opened the inner bag, I was pleasantly surprised by a fruity smell. Maybe it's because my expectations were so low, but I was almost blown away with how good these were (okay, they weren't THAT good, but you get the idea). I'll do a run down flavor by flavor.

Tangy Twister

Apple was pale green, and tasted like the Zours green apple flavor. It was pretty good! Very sour, with hints of Granny Smith apple, but it definitely wasn't a natural taste.

Raspberry, the dark red, was much better than the raspberry flavor in the Berry Blast variety. It was tangy with a raspberry-esque zing that reminded me of more expensive candy (Jelly Belly jelly beans).

Cherry was the lighter red, and it was also a lot like the Jelly Belly Very Cherry bean. It wasn't my favorite, but it definitely wasn't a bad cherry flavor. Once again, tangier than it was sweet.

Pineapple, in yellow, was pretty cool. It tasted like punch, the kind with lemon-lime soda and pineapple juice! Very sour, and delicious. It wasn't exclusively pineapple, but I really liked this one.

Citrus Punch, the orange, was so delicious. The taste was made up of a little orange, a little lemon, and thankfully, no floor cleaner. It was super sour and tangy, and just as good as the Pineapple.

Although the citrus punch, pineapple, and green apple flavors stood out most to me, I can honestly say that there wasn't a flavor that I didn't like. They were all sour and tangy, and that's how I like my fruity candy. These really made up for how much I disliked the berry flavors!

A

Just Born website

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Berry Blast Mike and Ike

Mike and Ike Berry Blast

The last kind of Mike and Ikes in my trio of reviews was sadly the worst. I am a big fan of real berries, but these were very disappointing. The back of the box claims that they are "bursting with fruit juice flavor!" That means exactly what it says - the flavor of fruit juice.

Once again, there are five flavors, and I'll take a look at them individually. I tried one of each to see without looking at the box to see if I could guess the flavors, but the only one I got was strawberry.

Berry Mike and Ike


Blue Berry is noticeably not "blueberry" and it fits, because it doesn't taste like blueberries. It reminds me of a Dum Dum flavor, I'm just not sure which one.

Wild Berry doesn't really mean much to me, either. This one is green, and doesn't really taste like a berry. It's just vaguely fruit punchy.

Strawberry is very Chupa Chups strawberry - if you've ever had one of those suckers, you'll know what I mean. It tastes like how a strawberry car air freshener smells.

Mixed Berry is pretty forgettable. It's certainly not bursting with flavor and it's just vaguely berry.

Red Raspberry doesn't really taste like raspberries, either. It's missing the tangy flavor that I love in raspberries and it just tastes sweet.

So, these were pretty disappointing and forgettable. At least my curiosity about the various flavors of Mike and Ike is somewhat satisfied. I heard the Tangy Twister kind is good...

C-

Just Born website

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Mike and Ike Italian Ice

DSC04570

I suppose this is part two of my three part Mike and Ike review series. Here we have Mike and Ike Italian Ice flavors, which have been out for a while and have been reviewed by many other people. I might as well toss my two cents in.

Italian ice isn't really something I have a lot, and it's not really something I think of as strong enough to have it's own variety of spinoff candy, but I do give them credit for being creative. There were five flavors in the box: cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon, orange, and lemon.

DSC04574

Orange had a good tangy outer shell, but the inside was really sweet and not orangey enough. It reminded me of watered down sherbet. Probably my favorite.

Cherry reminded me of Kool Aid, but it was pretty blah and I don't have much to say about it.

Blue raspberry definitely tasted blue and reminded me of a slushy. I didn't really get any raspberry notes from it though. Just blue.

Watermelon didn't taste like watermelon at all to me. I thought it was an overly sweet green apple before I looked at the box.

Lemon was okay, but not tangy enough, and was a little bit like a floor cleaner.

Overall, these weren't very impressive. I did like that they tasted like slushies, but maybe if I had Italian ice more often, I would better be able to compare them to the real thing.

C+

Just Born website

Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends

DSC04556

I'm not sure why, but I never used to like Mike and Ike, despite my love of fruity candy. I preferred Skittles. Somewhere along the line when I was an adult, Zours came out and I loved those, so when I saw Mike and Ike Lemonade Blends at a drugstore last weekend, I thought they might be worth a try.

The box includes five flavors: lime lemonade, strawberry lemonade, raspberry lemonade, and tangerine lemonade. I don't know if all boxes are like this, but mine seemed like it was about 50% plain lemonade, the other half being a pretty even mixture of the other four flavors. Here's a quick rundown of how each flavor tasted.

Five Flavors


Lemonade was not too sour, but a nice mix of sweet and sour with a nice lemony touch. It didn't taste like a cleaning product, which is always a risk with lemon-flavored candy.

Lime Lemonade was very similar to Lemonade, but with a hint of lime. Again, it had a nice sweet/sour balance. I think it's the sour coating, which seemed a little different from regular Mike and Ikes in that it actually offset the sweetness of the jelly center.

Tangerine Lemonade wasn't very tangy, but it was okay. The flavor wasn't very strong, so I assume that they were aiming for orange but fell short and called it tangerine instead.

Strawberry Lemonade reminded me of PEZ, but was pretty good. It tasted like a tangy fruit snack. This one was probably my favorite of the bunch.

Raspberry Lemonade tasted a little artificial, as raspberry candy often does. It wasn't bad, but the flavor wasn't true to raspberries.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this mix of Mike and Ikes. The slight sourness was nice. I don't know that I would buy these again, though, because there are many candies I'd rather eat. They were fun to try, though!

B+

Just Born website

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Dare Viva Puffs Raspberry

Dare Viva Puffs

My boss is very kind. Whenever she goes on a trip, for business or otherwise, she always brings something back for the lab to munch on. Most recently, she went to Ontairo, Canada, and brought us back some cookies. These Viva Puffs were one of the two kinds she shared.

Now, marshmallow fluff is not one of my favorite things. My mother likes it, but it really doesn't do anything for me. So, I didn't have very high expectations for these cookies. I guess that's probably why I liked them.

Raspberry Puff

These were pretty tasty! The marshmallow was soft and fluffy, as it should be. The raspberry filling, despite tasting slightly artificial, was delicate and not too sweet. The "chocolatey" coating was nothing special, but it got the job done.

My favorite part was the graham cracker bottom. It was chewy and soft, and I could have just eaten the cracker and been pleased. All in all, the cookies were enjoyable, but not something I'd look out for on my own. Plus, each cookie had 3 grams of fat, and they weren't very big or filling.

B-

Dare Foods Website

Friday, August 29, 2008

Orbit Raspberry Mint Gum

Orbit Raspberry Mint

I'm a big fan of raspberries. That fruity bite that only raspberries can give is just awesome. I even like the seeds.

This flavor of Orbit, while lacking that real raspberry bite, is pretty good. I remember liking it more in the past than I did this time around, but this is another fruit/mint fusion gum. The flavor is understated, but that's probably good, because going into Blue Raspberry Blow Pop territory would just be too much.

The texture is good; I didn't have any complaints about it being too hard or too soft. The flavor hung around a pretty long time, which is typical of Orbit, but it did lose its flavor before my jaw started to get tired from chewing.

This one might just barely make the top 5. Maybe it's number 6. I'll have to think about it.

A

Orbit Website

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews

Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews

I struggled mightily with the loss of the lemon Jolly Rancher. Never was there a better flavor. In any case, I just haven't been able to enjoy them as much since then. I'm not a huge fan of hard candy since it makes my teeth feel gross, so you'd think these fruit chews would be a good solution. I'll break down each flavor.

I'd like to mention first of all that the box my friend bought didn't have any Cherry in it, so I can't review that flavor. Way to go, packaging machine.

Blue Raspberry: There's nothing quite like that chemically enhanced raspberry taste. It reminds me of the Blue Raspberry Blow Pops I used to love as a child, nice and tart. However, and I'll have the same complaint for all of these, it was so grainy! Just like Air Heads taffy. I prefer a smoother chew, and the grainy, crumbly kind just isn't for me.

Green Apple: This one was sweeter than I was expecting, and it's a pretty good match for granny smith apples, but I wish it was more sour. Again, these things are too grainy!

Watermelon: This was my favorite of the three. Just like the watermelon Jolly Rancher, it was tart, juicy, and sour. I just couldn't get over the grainy texture!

I liked the small size of these, because with Laffy Taffy, I felt like there was just too much taffy in my mouth, but I wish these had a more Laffy Taffy-like smooth texture. I know a lot of people like Air Heads, so I'd recommend it to those people. In the meantime, I prefer the hard candy, but only once in a great while.

I'm still mad there was no cherry. And bring back lemon Jolly Ranchers.

C-

Jolly Rancher Website