Superman. Superglue. Supersize. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. When you throw the word “super†onto the front end of an otherwise unassuming word you’re really setting a high standard for whatever follows. It goes without saying that had better be an exceptional male, unparalleled adhesive, mammoth girth, and phenomenal califragilisticexpiali – well, you get my drift. So, understandably, I had some pretty high expectations for the descriptively named Emily’s Super Sour No Belly Sugar Free Jelly Beans.
Now, I’m not an insanely crazy sour fanatic. I’m more of a middle-of-the-road sour fan. I like red and orange Sour Patch Kids, for example, but not really green, and definitely not yellow. So when my sour-dusted shipment of No Belly Jelly Beans arrived directly from Can You Imagine That! Confections/The Sandy Candy Factory I was fearful that these self-proclaimed Super Sours might even be too much for my tender palate. I was mightily surprised then, when I opened the bag and was not greeted by an overwhelming sour aroma. Not even a hint of that citric Sour Patch scent that induces uncontrollable face-puckering and Pavlovian salivating.
But scented or not, these are some good looking beans. The same size as an average Jelly Belly and in a pretty, sour-dust-muted rainbow that includes a hue I lovingly refer to as toothpaste blue, they feel slightly softer than most jelly beans and have a high smoosh quotient. The sour powder gives the beans a nice little punch – this coming, I reiterate, from a moderate sour fan. The sour flavor is present only in the powder, though, so once that dissolves, a sweet fruitiness remains. Because of this, all the flavors seem equally sour, as opposed to, say, Sour Patch Kids, where some colors (read: yellow) are far more potent than others (namely red).
And now, for the requisite breakdown (in no particular order):
Pink (strawberry): Oooh, it looks like pink lemonade – I hope so. Nope, just plain strawberry. Not very sour, but pleasant. Pink lemonade would be really good, though.
Orange (orange): Mmm. I don’t drink soda, but it reminds me of the Orange Crush of my childhood. If I had to pick a favorite, this would be it.
Green (green apple): It tastes like a sweet, candy-like green apple. It’s good, but I think it’d be great if it was a tart green apple flavor.
Red (cherry): Yum, cherry. Good, delicious, ever-reliable, cherry… with a strong medicinal end. Bummer.
Blue (fruit punch): A very familiar blue flavor that I can’t quite put my finger on. Not bad.
Yellow (lemon): A sweet lemon, not really tart. Tastes like a yellow Dum-Dum.
Purple (grape): Holy Robitussin, Batman! Grape cough syrup from start to finish. Yech.
These No Belly Jelly Beans are noticeably chewier than most jelly beans and they don’t have the harder outside shell, a textural contrast I quite enjoy. My initial reaction was, “Well, they’re no Jelly Bellys†(ironic, I would later learn, as they were in fact created by the same genius of a man who invented Jelly Belly Jelly Beans), but they’re a pretty amenable choice if you’re looking for a sugar-free sour candy, and a great option for a sour-dusted jelly bean.
As for whether the degree of sour lives up to the “super†promise, however, I kind of think not. At least if you’re a hardcore sour lover. They are, I will say, more sour than Jelly Belly Sour Jelly Beans because of the sour dust, but if the actual pectin portion of the beans (especially the green apple and lemon – and, dare I think it, my pink lemonade dream) were to be “soured-up,†like their Jelly Belly counterparts, I think we could be having a whole different conversation.
Emily’s Super Sour No Belly Sugar Free Jelly Beans (say that five times fast) can be ordered over the phone or via email, as detailed on the company’s fun website which boasts, in addition to the No Belly Jelly Beans and their signature Sandy Candy, some of the most creative candy options I’ve seen including kits to make your own candy jewelry, sushi, tacos, and more. (And be sure to check out the highly amusing picture of the Candy Man himself, blissfully bathing in his sugary creations.)
With a title like “No Belly Jelly Beans” they are asking to be sued by Jelly Belly for Keyword Spamming (LOL, an Ebay offense). Anyone who searches for Jelly Belly without quotes will get a hit on these. Jelly Belly already makes sugar free Jelly Bellies too… but they aren’t “Super Sour”. At least these don’t look like Jelly Belly brand jelly beans. It is like how Starbucks sued Conga Coffee and Tea just because their logo involved a green circle, the Indian coffee chain Starstrucks, Korea’s Starpreya (which Starbucks lost), Star Bock Beer, Sam Buck’s (the owner’s name), Char Buck roast, HaidaBucks (a sandwich shop!), oh and DoubleShot Coffee (in Oklahoma…um, hello DoublesShot is what ALL coffee places call their two shot esspressos)! If Starbucks can sue over these piddly infractions, think about what Jelly Belly could do to “…Belly Jelly…”. The name does make you think of Jelly Belly along with giving you a giggle at the same time for its parody nature. I have a feeling they will be changing that “No Belly” name soon.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:27 pmOf course… if the David mentioned on their page is David Klein, the inventer of Jelly Belly candy, it is very unlikely that any suing will occur. :) The picture of David, in a tub full of candy, says “David came up with the idea of Jelly Belly’s
over 25 years ago.” Roxy, the inventor of Sandy Candy is his daughter.
There are also those sour Jellies called Spanks, that David Klein invented.
April 11th, 2008 at 7:42 pmwhere can we find these? :)
April 12th, 2008 at 8:50 pmDisregard… I just read the last paragraph. :)
April 12th, 2008 at 8:51 pm“Emily’s Super Sour No Belly Sugar Free Jelly Beans (say that five times fast)” that was my first thought, those look really good! I must find out more about them (check for carb count)
April 14th, 2008 at 9:56 amEven if Jelly Beans taste bad, I love them! They are so addicting!! I have had these before and the grape REALLY DOES taste the cough syrup! EW!
August 7th, 2008 at 1:46 pm