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.
Color: Red, Flavor: Strawberry – While this strawberry jelly bean didn’t give me the flavor pow that I associate with Jolly Rancher hard candies, it was still quite satisfying. It’s really sweet to start but when the tartness kicks in, it really ups the flavor factor. I kept trying a few more to enjoy the kick at the end.
Color: Purple, Flavor: Grape – I liked this grape jelly bean way better than the Jolly Rancher grape hard candy. I always think that’s got kind of a funny bitterness to it. In contrast, you get some really good grape flavor here. Again, by far the best part for me is when the tartness kicks in and gives the grape taste a whole bunch of extra character.
Color: Pink, Flavor: Watermelon – I really love watermelon Jolly Rancher hard candies and these jelly beans just aren’t in the same ballpark. They are much sweeter, even after the tartness kicks in. They’re still good, but I missed the super intense watermelony goodness of the hard candy.
Color: Orange, Flavor: Orange – Of all the jelly beans, I thought the orange had the best balance between the sweet start and the tart finish. I’m not always a huge orange fan because I think that a lot times the orange flavor winds up bland or bitter. But this orange jelly bean actually has a good, interesting orange flavor. These totally wouldn’t get ignored and wind up orphans in the bottom of my candy dish!
Color: Aqua, Flavor: Blue Raspberry – It took me a while to figure it out, but I finally realized what the blue raspberry jelly bean reminded me of: Swedish Fish! Seriously, check it out. When I first chew them and I haven’t hit the tart part yet, they remind me of Swedish Fish. Overall, I’d say this is a pretty mild blue raspberry flavor, even with the tartness. But it’s still fun.
Color: Green, Flavor: Apple – Of all the jelly beans, I was most disappointed by the apple flavor. I still enjoyed it, but I was expecting the gung-ho green apple flavor from the hard candy. Not so, even when the tartness kicked in. Like the blue raspberry flavor, the apple flavor is really mellow.
Overall, I really enjoy this bag of jelly beans. For me, the tart finishes on all the flavors made these extra interesting and yummy.
[...] 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 [...]
May 1st, 2009 at 12:13 pm