I know, I know, more jellybeans (I just reviewed the Starburst Sour Jellybeans), but can you blame me? When you find the right jellybean, it’s the perfect combination of crunch and chew and sugary goodness! So, when Candy Addict’s very own Brian professed that Nerds Bumpy Jellybeans are his favorite Easter candy this year, I knew I had to try them. First, if Brian says they are good, then the probability that this is true is extremely high. Second, I am a fan of Nerds, especially of Nerds rope, because you get that crunchy and chewy dual bang with the rope. Do you see where I am headed?
I won’t keep you in suspense – these Nerds Bumpy Jellybeans are keepers. They are kooky and bizarre and incredibly tasty! There are five flavors. The flavors aren’t listed on the packaging, but you can guess that they are the usual suspects: red (strawberry), yellow (lemon), orange (you guessed it, orange), green (watermelon), and purple (grape). As indicated by the descriptive title, these beans sport bumpy exteriors, which makes them a little odd looking and even a tad ugly, but who cares! They rock! The hard candy shell is crunchy but won’t break your teeth. The interior is chewy but smooth, and there’s a perfect balance between crunch and chew.
Here is a breakdown of each of the five flavors:
Red: This one is strawberry, though it’s a little hard to tell. It definitely does not have that sickly sweet artificial strawberry flavor, which is a bonus. The flavor is strong, however, and lingers (in a good way).
Yellow: Lemon! This one is a bit sour, which I appreciate, since I love sour candies. It isn’t terribly sour, though, and really, if the packaging indicated these were supposed to be sour jellybeans, I would be upset, because they aren’t sour enough to define themselves that way.
Orange: What other flavor could the orange bean be but orange? Mmmm, this one has a nice, slightly sour orange flavor that reminds me of an orange soda, like orange Crush. I really like how these jellybean flavors are unique and distinctive.
Green: This is watermelon flavor, but just barely. In fact, all of us at Candy Addict debated whether it was lime, watermelon, or green apple and we had to email Wonka to find out. Even though the watermelon flavor is subdued, it’s still quite tasty.
Purple: Grape! Nice, strong, sour grape flavor. Like the orange, I am reminded of soda – grape Crush! Again, not cloyingly sweet, which means I can eat more without making myself sick. I think the grape is my favorite flavor, though I must confess I usually toss a bunch in my mouth at the same time.
I wholeheartedly recommend Nerds Bumpy Jellybeans, especially if you are already a Nerds fan. In fact, I like them so much I’m going to give them a CandyAddict.com Awesomely Addictive Candy Award! I found these mixed in with the Easter candy, but wouldn’t it be great if they were offered all year?
UPDATE: An email from Wonka tells us that these are offered year round as Giant Chewy NERDS!
Buy Nerds products online:
- at Candy Direct
- at Old Time Candy
- at Amazon.com
Yep, these are great. I already ate an entire bag this candy season. Trying to keep them away from me until after-easter sales when i’ll pick a few bags up to hold me through the year. ;)
March 21st, 2008 at 8:43 amGreat article Mariko! Although you may be right…I could have sworn that the flavors were Green Apple and Strawberry for green and red. I think the thing that throws off the taste is that once you get through the candy shell there is a sour layer right before you get to the chewy jelly center. If you suck the candies without biting into them, they have that classic Nerds flavoring uncorrupted by the sour.
March 21st, 2008 at 8:56 amAs Mariko said, these are me new favorite Easter candy. I hope they keep coming back year after year. I may be stocking up at the post-Easter sales :) One of the things she didn\’t mention is how the outside nerd crust mixes with the inside jellybean to give it a new, almost gum-like texture. it\’s really phenomenal – taste, texture, everything.
March 21st, 2008 at 9:11 amI am so jealous, those look so good. Maybe like Boston bean texture for the outside, and I suppose jelly bean inside. *mouth waters* I think I will be keeping my eyes open for this when I go out this afternoon. With luck I will find them.
Is anyone going to do a Cadbury Creme Egg review? they have an orange cream one that I haven’t seen before that my boyfriend has and has eaten one out of the three they sell in a package. I’m really trying to watch what I eat and those look like they would put a nice layer on top of what I already have. I’m debating if it is worth it…
March 21st, 2008 at 9:11 amI vote Nerds Bumpy J-Beans as the breakout candy hit of the season! You think they’ll be around after Easter?
March 21st, 2008 at 10:01 am@JGarrett – we reviewed Orange Cadbury Creme Eggs last year
March 21st, 2008 at 10:01 amGreat review, I think these are one of my favorite new Easter candies. Although I would say the green flavor is Watermelon, the yellow is Lemonade and the red is Strawberry.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:17 am*blushes* wow, seems that I should have been a member last year. I feel behind now. Thanks for the link next time I’ll do a search.
March 21st, 2008 at 2:24 pmI already wrote on another candy blog that my husband and I are addicted to these. We’ve gone through three bags in the past week and a half or so, and I just bought three more tonight (3 for $5 at Target!).
I swear, they’re laced with crack or something.
March 21st, 2008 at 10:12 pm3 bags for only $5 at Target? I’m SO there tomorrow!
I’m really glad you gave these the Awesomely Addictive award ’cause I haven’t found a candy this addictive in a long time (well, I am kinda addicted to the new Milky Way with more caramel…it has LOTS more caramel)! These are a hit with everyone I’ve shared them with or have brow-beaten, oops, I meant convinced, into buying.
People, get these, but get two bags, ’cause if you think the one you buy will last long enough to fill any Easter baskets, oh, you are so wrong…
March 21st, 2008 at 10:28 pmIt is the time of year for jellybeans! Hm, I wonder why I think those are an easter thing. Maybe they are rooted in ancient Pagan traditions because they look like brightly colored bunny poop. Yes! They are the present that the Easter Bunny does not mean to leave behind! *looks shifty-eyed* Was that too gross? :)
March 24th, 2008 at 3:28 pmWow, these are good. I found them on Clearance at Rite Aid. I am not a big Jelly Bean fan (too chewy and stick in your teeth), but I like gummies (go figure). The sugar Nerd coating actually helps the inner jelly bean not stick to your teeth (some kind of physics thing). I tested this by removing all of the Nerd coating and eating the jelly bean part… and it stuck in my teeth! These are really good… but almost too sweet to be Awesomely Addictive.
March 31st, 2008 at 4:17 pmI almost bought these marked down after Easter at Walgreens, but the ugliness threw me off.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:26 pmNow I wish I would’ve tried them (I haven’t found the Giant Chewy Nerds anywhere yet).
THEY ARE BACK! THEY ARE BACK!! They are called “giant Nerds” or something like that. I saw them as “regular” size candy bags at my local gas station. They are not limited edition amd they don’t mention “Jelly Bean” in the title… but there is a diagram that states is has “jelly bean” innards.
They look exactly the same otherwise. The package is even the same purple color!
They may be here to stay!
April 7th, 2008 at 10:42 amI wish Easter was here so that I could find these!! They look really really good!!! They must be good if they have this many great reviews! I am going to have to get some! Thanks!
August 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pmI first tried these a Halloween or two ago when they were released in the Wonka “Creepy Treats” pack as “Giant Chewy Bumpy Warts.” It was only the purple ones but man were they fantastic!
Then I found them this Easter as “Nerds Bumpy Jellybeans” and I’m ecstatic to find them at convenience stores now branded as “Giant Chewy Nerds” in smaller packages.
Seriously: I take a handful saying “this is all” and I keep going back for more. From a Halloween Addict to a Candy Addict let me tell ya: They’re addicting!!!
AllHallowSteve
August 28th, 2008 at 7:06 pmHalloweenAddict.com
I am completely addicted to this candy. I eat at least two packs a day. The Nerd Rope is a very close second!
January 15th, 2009 at 2:08 pmThis is the best candy out since I fell inlove with the stick you dipped in the powder flavors when I was a child!!! My husband and I bought some red and green for a dollar a bad of christmas clearance and we are hooked!!! We since baught the pink and purple for valentines day!!! Wheres the club to autodel??? We have stopped smoking and these helped!!!
February 15th, 2009 at 2:08 pm