Candy Review: Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears

Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears

I previously reviewed all of the products from Surf Sweets, the gummi candy company that produces an assortment of organic, “healthier” candies that are also vegetarian and vegan friendly. At least, I thought I had reviewed everything they produce.

At the All Candy Expo, I approached the Surf Sweets booth and began chatting with the people there. It wasn’t long before they spotted my expo badge, clearly stating who I was and the publication I worked for. Being a writer for Candy Addict is like being a character on Saved By The Bell… some people will recognize Dustin Diamond and be amazed, but there are also a lot of people who will ask you to repeat exactly what’s the big deal.

Thankfully, the Surf Sweets people viewed me as the former. They put two and two together and realized I was the Robby who had reviewed all their products. Though it can be awkward interacting with people when you’ve written a negative review, I actually really enjoyed their products, and so it was a friendly chat.

Somewhere in our conversation, the mention of a new product came up. “A new what?” I asked to confirm I heard correctly. Yes, apparently between the time I had reviewed them and the ACE, they had released Sour Berry Bears. Because I could no longer claim I had eaten and reviewed everything they manufactured, I felt it essential to get my hands on some, which in reality was fairly easy since they gave me a complementary bag.

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Candy Review: Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Bars

Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Blue Raspberry Chew Bar

photos in this post courtesy of Anthemic Tangle

Courtesy of the All Candy Expo, I was able to try two of the Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars from Toxic Waste: the blue raspberry and the sour apple.

Blue Raspberry: I’m a Candy Addict who loves sour things and I’m telling you woohoo is this sour! The blue raspberry flavor started out really sour and just got more sour as I chewed. By the time I’d chewed enough to swallow, my eyes were watering. The flavor reminds me of a sour version of those blue Popsicles. Unfortunately, the first chew ended with a bit of a bitter taste and subsequent bites got progressively more bitter. I’d have liked it more if it just stuck with the sour. The texture was moderately chewy, taking a long time to chew any given bite.

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Candy Review: Twizzlers Sweet and Sour Filled Twists

Twizzlers Sweet and Sour

The last few Twizzler spin-offs haven’t really been anything special for me. Despite the popularity of the cinnamon variety, they just weren’t my thing. The same holds true for the less popular Rainbow Twizzlers. Actually, I don’t really care for any Twizzlers that aren’t the strawberry or cherry flavors.

At the All Candy Expo, I was given a complimentary tote bag to lug around all the goodies I would be receiving, and it happened to be already filled by an assortment of products, including those donated by Hershey’s. I guess they were trying really hard to make sure no one in press missed any of their new products.

It wasn’t until I began cataloging my hoard that I even noticed the red and yellow Twizzlers in my bag. “New Twizzlers Sweet and Sour Filled Twists” the wrapper advertised. I wouldn’t have every picked these up at a store, but since I was given them it couldn’t hurt to try them.

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Candy Review: Sour Patch Chillerz

Sour Patch Chillerz

I was pretty excited to snag a sample pack of these new Sour Patch Chillerz at the All Candy Expo. Excited – yet conflicted.

You see, while Sour Patch Kids are one of my most favorite candies ever, and the thought of a new flavor variety fills me with joy, these ones promise a “cooling effect.” That usually means the presence of menthol, which is definitely one of my least favorite flavors. It never fails to make me think of cough drops, especially when combined with any kind of fruit flavor. “Burning throat pain” is just not a sense association I want attached to my candy, thankyouverymuch (unless that candy is an Atomic Fireball, of course).

But nothing ventured, nothing gained – I tore open my pouch of Chillerz (is that “z” really still cool?) and was greeted with a nice fruity scent – with only a very faint whiff of menthol. In this low of a concentration, it was actually – pleasant.

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Candy Review: SweeTarts Jelly Beans

SweeTarts Jelly Beans Bag

photos in this post by Anthemic Tangle

For the fourth part in our Spring Jelly Bean Hunt, I bring to you SweeTarts Jelly Beans!

The first thing I noticed about these jelly beans was the texture. They’re a lot softer than other jelly beans I’ve tried and they aren’t as chewy. Not that this is bad, it’s just different. Overall, the flavors reminded me of regular SweeTarts, but with some variation in the intensity of either the sweetness or tartness.

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