In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past year or so, the latest big food fad to hit grocery stores is… No, not bacon. Darn it all, why do you people always want to talk about bacon?

The OTHER big food trend of the past couple of years is the so-called “superfruit.” The theory behind superfruits is that certain fruits like pomegranates and goji berries contain high levels of nutrients such as antioxidants, which just might help to prevent cancer and other diseases.

Though there’s considerable debate about whether superfruits are really the disease-fighting powerhouses the companies marketing them claim they are, I guess any trend that encourages people to eat more fruit can’t be a completely bad thing. (That argument probably doesn’t hold water when applied to fruit-flavored candy, though.)

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Three years ago, I found myself working as a “Mad Scientist” for a similarly-named company. Donning a white lab coat, goggles and a goofy pseudonym, I traveled far and wide to spread scientific curiosity and slime to as many schools and birthday parties as possible. These “Mad Science” programs had all sorts of themes. They were all interactive, and messy.

One of our most popular themes was “Taste and Smell,” and it wasn’t hard to see why – the “class” involved scented slime and a taste test. The blind, nose plugged taste test was supposed to demonstrate that what we call “taste” is really 80% smell. We used generic jelly beans. The results were undeniable – without their distinctive hues and scents, the flavors couldn’t be distinguished. Grape was identical to lemon!

While taste may be mostly smell (and I’ll admit the two are linked, but I’m skeptical of the 80% figure!), the part that’s not smell makes quite a difference. Especially when it comes to jelly beans. Consider Jelly Belly – even with your nose plugged, there’s no way you’d ever confuse the warmth and mildly salty tone of their Buttered Popcorn flavor with the rich fruitiness of their Strawberry Daquiri. As far as I’m concerned, the beloved little beans have nothing in common with the blandly syrup-flavored variety utilized by Mad Science.

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photos in this post by Anthemic Tangle

For our third entry in our Spring Jelly Bean Hunt, today we bring you original and sour flavor Starburst jelly beans!

Original Flavor
These jelly beans are a bit on the sweet side, but they’ve got enough flavor that you know what you’re 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 for some reason they stick to your teeth a bit.

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photos in this post by Anthemic Tangle

In the last installment of our Spring Jelly Bean Hunt, we looked at Necco’s entry in the field. Today, we’ll give the Jolly Rancher brand a shot and see how they measure up.

I love Jolly Ranchers. I had a good time eating Jolly Rancher lollipops. So I felt downright gleeful when I saw the Jolly Rancher Jelly Beans waiting patiently for me to buy them at the store.

As soon as I opened the bag, I knew I was in for a treat. This incredible fruity, sweet, candy smell leapt out of the bag enticing me to dive right in and get my jollies.

Just a general note here on how the Jolly jelly beans work: These guys don’t have a sugary outer shell to contend with. They all start out really sweet, and then get tarter as you chew them. I found that it was much better to eat at least two jelly beans at a time, rather than eating them singly.

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all photos in this post by Anthemic Tangle
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.

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