I first learned about Mamba in high school. A friend of mine, who happened to be a vegan, was making her way speedily through a package of candy during English class. I rarely saw her eat candy as few are designed for vegan consumption.
My initial reaction was one of distrust. She had “shared†her vegan candy with me before, and aside from Jelly Bellys, I tended to dislike the products; however, the voracity with which she was consuming them made me think there might be something more to them than meets the eye. I asked for a piece and she reluctantly offered me a lemon fruit chew. From that day on, English class informally became “eat Mamba and try to learn Romantic poetry” class.
Several months ago, Mamba released a spin-off to the classic flavor set with a sour variety. I found them often living in Los Angeles and regularly consumed them there, but was unable to spot them with the same frequency in Texas. This past week, I finally saw them hanging out at a local bookstore. (Seriously, one, what is candy doing in a bookstore, and two, why is Mamba always around literature?)
Strawberry: The taste is floral with a soft strawberry edge. I don’t get a sour sensation as much as a tart one, but it still satisfies. The chew is easy, not sticky, and juicy. Not being a fan of strawberry flavors in general, I still really enjoyed it.
Orange: The piece is firmer than the strawberry and requires a little more effort to chew, but still isn’t sticky. The flavor is not strong, not tart, or even sour. It reminded me of a delicate orange flavor in the way oranges are naturally zesty. Also not being a fan of orange candy in general, I still enjoyed this piece as well.
Raspberry: Going for the trifecta of candy flavors I don’t typically like, raspberry was the last flavor in the package. Unlike the other two flavors, this one had a potent fragrance of fresh fruit. The taste is tart, much like how I would imagine a sour blue raspberry flavor to be, sans the sour component. It’s not genuine raspberry flavor, but it’s one of the closer candies to try to achieve this allusive taste, and assuredly is tasty nonetheless.
All fans of Mamba will know that the brand offers four flavors, but you only get three flavors in the larger version. Lemon, unfortunately, was excluded this time, which is a shame since it is my favorite of the bunch. You can occasionally find these at gas stations and the like where they sell just the individual packs of one flavor so you know what you are getting.
All these years and I still find myself devouring a packet of Mamba whenever I get the chance. It’s one of the few candies out there that, regardless of flavor, I always appreciate. The sour variety is no exception, even if it’s not consumed in the presence of “Ode on a Grecian Urn.”
Buy Sour Mamba Online:
- at Amazon.com
Oh man, I love Mamba. I’m going to have to keep my eye out for the sour ones, though you’re right, Mamba is sold in the weirdest places. The last place I saw it was in a shoe store. What?
December 4th, 2008 at 7:52 amI HATE that you only get three! When I bought these at my local 7-11 a few weeks ago, I got TWO Strwaberry packs and one Orange pack. I was pissed enough to not buy them again.
December 4th, 2008 at 12:18 pmAround here, you can only buy Mamba at ethnic (Italian, German) grocery stores, though I don’t know that there’s anything particularly “ethnic” about them. Anyway, anything with “sour” in the name has my name written all over it, so I’ll have to give these a try if I see them around.
December 4th, 2008 at 7:11 pm