Does Bigger Mean Better for Starburst?

Starburst Jumbo Jellybeans

Starburst Jumbo Jellybeans

To be honest, I've never been a fan of jumbo jelly beans, probably because most of them I've tried have come from tourist-trap souvenir shops and had the consistency and taste of stale cardboard. I'd rather eat a cheap bag plucked from a truck stop display, if you get my drift. Then again, Starburst jelly beans have been relatively reliable, so I decided that a bag of Original Starburst Jumbo Jellybeans was worth a try. I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised.

When Starburst says "jumbo," they seem to mean it. Where it takes about twenty of the company's conventional, "gourmet-sized" beans to make a one-ounce serving, they say that five of the big guys will do the trick. Like most "consumer" jellybeans (as opposed to true gourmet beans like Jelly Belly), the flavor is entirely in the shell and the filling is just super-sweet candy. The Starburst version of that gelatin-like substance is, like the company's fruit chews, sweet and just slightly tart.

The beans themselves come in six flavors: cherry, grape, green apple, lemon, orange, and strawberry. Truth be told, the green apple tastes a lot more like lime than apple, and the two reddish flavors (cherry and strawberry) are virtually indistinguishable. The grape and lemon are relatively powerful, though. Texturally, the candy shell is slightly soft (hardening with a couple of days exposure) and the core is typically gummy and a yellow-white color.

As for price, I paid about three dollars for a twelve-ounce bag. Price, however, is fluid these days...

The downside of "jumbo" is the lack of different flavoring in the filling. The "standard-size" original beans, because of a larger surface area to weight ratio, have a more identifiable flavor that lasts through the whole bean. The jumbos, not so much.  That quibble aside, however, Starburst Jumbo Jellybeans remain a cut (or two) above the bags you find on pegs in convenience stores and at truck stops, and the flavors are  stronger and more recognizable than the versions you find in mass markets (such as those made by Ferrara Candies). If you're of the generation that likes a little tartness in your candy, these will do the trick. All in all, I'd prefer the more distinct and lasting flavor of the regular-size beans, so I'm gonna knock half a star off for that slight deficiency (3½ stars).

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