For some reason, spring always seems like Jelly Bean Season to me. I think it’s because lots of good jelly beans show up around Easter and then hang around for some awesome post-Easter sales.
To me, jelly beans are fun. There’s just something about them that speaks to the kid in me and makes me want to hop and play. I don’t know if it’s the bright colors, the fun shape, or the fact that I can peg my siblings in the head with them. Or all of the above. I just know I want to share the fun. Thus begins my spring hunt for jelly bean goodness.
Part I: Necco
I can usually find Necco jelly beans year round so I figured this would be a good place to start. I consider Necco jelly beans to be your basic jelly bean. There’s nothing fancy about them and they seem to be more about the sugar than the flavor.
The outside of each of the jelly beans has a sugary coating that’s harder than the inside, which is softy and chewy. The outside shell mixes with the inside when you chew, giving you a grainy sugar texture mixed in with the chewiness.
The Flavors:
Red: Well, ok, I’m going to call this red although in some lights it looks pink. I could call the flavor “red” too, but I think they’re going for cherry.
Orange: The flavor of the orange jelly bean is, unsurprisingly, orange. Given the amount of sugar on the shell coating, I was surprised to find the orange a little bit bitter.
Yellow: I only had one yellow jelly bean in my box, which may be a good thing. It had a very artificial lemon flavor. There was none of that nice tartness I associate with lemons to round out the sweetness, either. This was my least favorite flavor in the mix.
Green: I’m not always a fan of lime, but I gotta tell you this was my favorite of the three citrus flavors. The lime flavor was strong enough to balance out the sugar nicely. I wanted there to be a lot more of these in the mix.
Purple: As expected, the purple jelly beans turned out to be grape flavored. It’s the kind of artificial grape taste that reminds me of all the grape flavored stuff I devoured as a kid. I even checked to see if it turned my tongue purple (only a little). Very fun to eat.
Overall, lime and grape are my favorite flavors. I find the Necco jelly beans to be a nice snack that makes me nostalgic. If fancy or realistic-tasting flavors are your thing, you might want to skip these. But if you like a lightly flavored sugar chew, these might be for you.
I didn’t know Necco made jelly beans. How tiny are they–the size of a Jelly Belly or smaller?
April 12th, 2009 at 9:30 pm[...] eating. Both the original and sour flavors have a bit of a sugary shell – not as thick as the Necco Jelly Beans, but thicker than the Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans. Both have a good texture but be forewarned that [...]
April 23rd, 2009 at 4:01 am[...] jelly beans are what I remember. In terms of flavor, these jelly beans are similar to the Necco jelly beans I reviewed a while back. If you’re looking for super sweet, chewy jelly beans, look no [...]
May 26th, 2009 at 7:55 pm