Since joining the Candy Addict staff, I have found my usual proclivities for candy changing. One such change has been an added addiction to lollipops. I typically find myself inundated with so many candies that it’s nice to retreat to a lollipop, a candy that is small, filling, and pleasant if only for the fact that your hands can’t get sticky or gooey from consuming it.
At the All Candy Expo, there was an assortment of lollipops to sample, but one piqued my interest more than any other: the new Banana Tootsie Pop. I have long been a fan of Tootsie Pops, and banana seemed like a great flavor. I mean, who doesn’t like chocolate/mockolate and banana together?
So I grabbed a handful of the suckers each of the three days knowing that not only I, but also many of my friends would be delighted to see what the folks at Tootsie had whipped up for us.
The candy is a dark yellow, lacking in fragrance, and frankly, doesn’t seem like much to look at. But you don’t look at candy, you eat it; I was willing to forgive it’s aesthetic flaws in exchange for a great taste. Unfortunately, that trade-off never occurred.
The banana flavor isn’t very revealing, and when it does manifest, it shows up as a chemical banana flavor that I dislike. There are a lot of types of artificial banana flavors in the confection world, and this one most resembles the flavor of banana Runts.
Now, some people love banana Runts (I think they are the most popular of the five flavors), but I am not one of them. When chewed with the center, something I did because I didn’t think I could last that long without chewing, the poor flavor was slightly assuaged.
The main problem with the banana shell mixing with the Tootsie Roll center is that, essentially, all you’re tasting is the Tootsie Roll. The banana flavor is so muted that the center overpowers any banana flavor, which disappointed my thoughts of a harmonious melding of the two.
I’m sad that these were not as successful as the Pomegranate Tootsie Pops that debuted last year at the ACE. Lovers of this sort of banana flavor will most likely enjoy these, but I think a good number of us will stick to the original flavors.
Buy Tootsie Pops Online:
- at Candy Crate
- at Candy Direct
- at Old Time Candy
- at Amazon.com
I tried this lollipop, too, and I totally agree with your review – it’s right on the nose. Wish I’d tried those pomegranate ones!
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:21 pm[...] Addict posts a review of banana flavored Tootsie Pops. Sounds intriguingly [...]
June 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm[...] Addict posts a review of banana flavored Tootsie Pops. Sounds intriguingly [...]
June 7th, 2009 at 2:27 pmI love them and agree with your review; however, I’m a banana runt fan.
April 7th, 2010 at 1:09 pmI love the new banana pops and I don’t think they taste at all like banana runts (which I hate). The pomegranate pops were okay, but I didn’t feel like their flavor was distinctive enough. It was not truly a “pomegranate” flavor at all. The banana on the other hand is a refreshingly new taste in the tootsie pop line up. I hope they keep it.
I liked your idea of a cranberry pop. That might be really good!
July 20th, 2010 at 9:48 amIS THERE ANY PLACE WHERE I CAN BUY BANANA FLAVOR
October 21st, 2010 at 11:34 amTOOTSIE POPS ? THIS IS MY FAV AND I HATE BUYING A BAG OF POPS AND FINDING ONE BANANA, IF I’M LUCKY.
THANK YOU
Love the banana Tootsie pops! With I could don’t full bags of them. Never enough in the bags I buy.
February 4th, 2012 at 9:30 pmI recently bought 2 bags of tootsie pops and was dismayed to find 3 of these nasty things amongst the 2 bags. I tried the first one I found out of curiosity but the thing was just horrible… Bananas are best eaten fresh or baked in breads/muffins, in my humble opinion.
June 8th, 2012 at 12:21 pm