Aequare chocolates have an interesting story about the chef who started the company and how they’re single origin Ecuadorian chocolate and ingredients and blah blah. You can read their website for all that. What you came here to read is how they taste, right?

When asked if I wanted a sample of these to review, I checked them out and the answer was an immediate HECK YES. This is definitely my kind of thing. On the other hand, that means I’m a tough customer. Like, to start, I was not all that excited about the Dark Chocolate Cocoa Beans, because I don’t really see any reason to eat cocoa beans. I mean, there must be a reason that humanity invented the elaborate processes that turn them into chocolate, right?

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I have always known that Jelly Belly manufactures more than their trademark jelly bean; however, my knowledge of the rest of their product line is rather limited. I attribute this fact mostly to price issues.

As anyone who sees Jelly Belly products already knows, they are considered to be a gourmet line of candy widely accessible to the public. And while their candy won’t hurt your wallet as much as designer chocolate would, you’ll still be required to lay out a few more dollars for a product you could easily find cheaper, but most likely at a lesser quality.

One such product is their gummy raspberries and blackberries. These confections have arcane origins that originate in Europe, and the most association I have ever had with them was that a former boss of mine loved to consume the Haribo version.

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My dad introduced me to the majority of candies I have ever tried. One of his favorites which still exists today is Dots. First established in 1890 by Mason, they were all black licorice-flavored as Crows. In 1945, the original fruit-flavored Dots – which boast the title of most popular gumdrop in the world – debuted in small yellow boxes found in Tootsie’s Fun Size mix. My dad had me sample both of these versions and I didn’t care for either, not being a fan of black licorice and finding the fruit-flavored too sticky and stale.

When I was a teenager, Tropical Dots debuted, which I bought not so much because I thought they would be any good, but rather because it was like seeing the first two installments of a bad horror film; you feel obligated to watch the next one so you’ll be able to claim to have seen them all. To my surprise, I actually loved the tropical version and it has since become a staple candy in my cabinets.

All these years later, I was shopping in a Walgreens in Los Angeles and a purple, movie-sized box of Yogurt Dots tempted me from the checkout line, and for only a dollar too. Having reasoned that Dots have progressively improved with each new version (black licorice = yuck, fruit = eh, tropical = yum), I was excited to taste the newest spinoff.

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When I went to the All Candy Expo I saw all sorts of candy, from the simplest hard candies to the newest, most progressive gourmet chocolate bars. Out of all the candy I saw and tasted while I was there, some of best were the Medlow Fine Fruit Gels.

I have something to confess: I have a special soft spot for Pate de Fruit. Yes, I love chocolate with all my heart, as well as retro candies and other sweets that I have no need to mention. I swooned over the Pate de Fruit samples sent for my Charles Chocolates review, and some may remember my love for the Whole Food’s variety. There’s something about the simplicity and sophistication of this classic candy that just makes me go weak in the knees. So my discovery of the Medlow Fine Fruit Gels at the Expo was one of the many high points of the trip.

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Did you know Jelly Belly made other things besides jellybeans? I bet most people don’t. Jelly Belly actually makes over 100 other candies besides jellybeans. I picked up this Gummi Pet Rat, as well as the Gummi Pet Tarantula while at the Philly Candy Show recently so I figured I’d write up a review of them.

The Gummi Rat was ENORMOUS – it measures just over 9 inches, including the tail. The package claims the rat weighs only 3 ounces, but it felt way heavier than that. They come in Marshmallow, Licorice, Strawberry, and Orange flavors, (mine was Strawberry). It was actually quite delicious if you can get past the fact that you’re eating something modeled after a giant nuisance rodent, you’ll be golden.

The Pet Tarantula, which is 1.5 ounces, is a pretty decent mold of a spider. the one I received was Blackberry flavored (also available in Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple, and Strawberry), and was different than other gummi flavors I’ve had. It’s kind of a bizarre cherry flavor, but had a weird, minty aftertaste. Overall it’s pretty good, though not my favorite by any means, maybe because I felt like I was eating something that I made in my Creepy Crawler oven.

Each different gummi comes with a sheet of fun facts about the animal you are about to consume in gummi form. For example: Did you know that rats can fit through a hole the size of a nickel? Now you do. Don’t thank me, thank Jelly Belly. As an added bonus, each gummi contains 100% of you daily allowance of Vitamin C. They’re practically health food!

• JellyBelly.com

Buy Jelly Belly Gummis online:

• at Amazon
• at Candy Direct

candy, sweets, gummi, rat, tarantula, rats, jelly belly