More Like a Pillow than a Life Ring, but Still Tasty

Lifesavers Jellybeans

Easter has come and gone, and I’m on my way out the door to load up on half-price jelly beans: yah-yay-yay! But before I go, I thought I’d share a quick glimpse into a brand I don’t normally see except this time of year: Lifesavers Jellybeans (yes, they think it’s one word). I picked up a bag last week in a pre-Easter sale at my local grocery, and here’s the “tale of the tape,” so to speak.

They’re made in Mexico (what? that's a surpise?) for the Wrigley company of Chicago – go Cubs… The 14-ounce bag contains six flavors, not unlike a roll of Lifesavers candy. The big differences are that there’s no pineapple in the bean variety, and the green beans are “green apple” instead of lime. Like gourmet beans (think Jelly Belly and Gimbel’s), the gel center is has the same color and flavor as the candy shell, though the flavors are a bit more artificial.

The six flavors are cherry, lemon, green apple, orange, strawberry, and grape (cherry is scarlet, strawberry is pink). None are black, which is fine with me. The candy shell is quite soft compared to many other brands, and I find that the gel center is mushier than I prefer. The flavors, however, are sharp and well-defined without being tart or sour like some other brands I’ve sampled recently. Do note that the green apple is, as is common for the flavor, more tart than other flavors. One oddity is that the candies don’t have the classic bean shape; instead they tend to be like little flattened ovals. Many, at least in my bag, were somewhat misshapen and quite a few were stuck together. I don’t know that this is representative of the brand – perhaps I should get another bag after the holiday…

The irregularities in the shapes notwithstanding, these are tasty. I would personally, however, prefer a more robust texture instead of the soft candy shell and the mushy gel center. For taste, four stars; for texture, three – and that averages out to 3½ stars in my book. As they say, your mileage may differ!

copyright © 2017 scmrak