It’s not hard to find candy that’s colorful and flavorful, but what makes it harder is when you want it to be all natural, free of the major allergens (wheat, soy, dairy, nuts) and vegan. So Goody Good Stuff is here to fill that hole in your life.

I picked up this sample of their Sour Mix & Match at some trade show and have been hanging onto it until it hit the stores.

Now here’s the thing, their marketing says that these are vegan gummis. Instead of gelatin, which is made from pigs, cows or fish, Goody Good Stuff is using a new gelling agent called gellan. (I first noticed the ingredient in Halal Mentos.) Gellan is made from bacteria, not vertebrates. It sounds like a great idea, however in practice gellan is closer to agar (that jelly stuff in petri dishes) that’s made from seaweed than gelatin. Gelatin is a protein; gellan is polysaccharide. They’re simply different, they do different things and behave in different ways.

At first glance jelly candies and gummis look very similar, but they don’t behave the same way. Gummis tear sharply - you can pull a gummi apart and it will make flat edges where it breaks. Pull apart a jelly and it just, well, pulls. It doesn’t bounce, though sometimes it might jiggle nicely. The great thing is that both carry fruit flavors really well, they create a smooth texture and often a glass-like appearance.

So with all that chemistry aside, I’ve got a handful of candy to taste. There are quite a few different pieces in this mix and match, but I could only review three versions because I needed at least three tries to taste the flavors. They’re like little bulbous, rounded planks - about an inch and a half long.

Without any clue as to what the flavors are supposed to be, and that these are British (which is always a little different in the fruity flavors), I can only describe what I’ve got.

Green & Peach - it tastes like peach. Both ends taste the same as far as I’m concerned, but there’s a weird “ketchup” note to it that I find a little disturbing. The peach is tangy and light with a good sour bite at the start. The jelly center is smooth and doesn’t stick too much.

Red & Yellow - tastes like strawberry lemonade. The lemon is strong, sour and zesty with a slight floral note I attribute to strawberry.

Orange & Blue - is shocking. The blue is amazing for a natural product. It’s zesty and well rounded and tastes mostly like grapefruit but maybe with some pineapple thrown in.

For those who were curious, here’s what’s inside:

Ingredients: Glucose syrup; sugar; modified corn starch; Acidulant:  malic acid, citric acid; Gelling agent: gellan; flavours;  Acidity regulator: trisodium citrate; concentrates of fruits and plants (orange, elderberry, lemon, aronia, black currant, apple, kiwi, spinach, nettle); caramelized sugar syrup; elderberry extract, fructose, invert sugar syrup.

These look and taste like there is no compromise. The colors are intense and I’d say kind of unnatural looking. The shape is fun and easy to grasp. They’re not messy at all, the sugar crust stays on so well there were scarcely ten grains in the bottom of the bag of these I had. They’re sour, but not that searing kind that’s likely to create blisters on the tongue after a serving.

I feel like kids or grown ups who have had true gummis before may be disappointed with the texture based on my expectations.

They also make a few other products that I’m quite eager to try: Strawberry and Cream, Cola Breeze, Sour Fruit Salad, Tropical Fruit, Koala Gummy Bears while the ones that I found less interesting were Summer Peaches and Cheery Cherries. These should be available in Stop & Shop on the East Coast and Booths and ASDA in the UK.

Related Candies

1. Sweet Earth Chocolates
2. Surf Sweets Gummi Swirls
3. Organic Zootons
4. Sjaak’s Vegan Chocolate Assortment
5. St. Claire’s Organic Mints & Tarts
6. Organic Surf Sweets

I liked these Black Sugar hard candies from Japan because they were so nicely made. They had a deep color of amber and a striated crystal, almost like Tiger’s Eye. The taste was a little weird though, they were a combination of Black Sugar (like molasses) and vinegar. Probably good for a sore throat, but a little too savory for me.

I’m headed off to the Buckeye State, which has always proved to be a rich source of candy for me. Above is a photo of Harry London Buckeyes, an Ohio specialty.

My plans of interest to Candy Blog readers are: Aldi, the Spangler Factory and Albanese Confectionery Factory Store ... perhaps some Fanny May when I get to Chicago on the second portion of the trip. Plus whatever else I see along the way.

So while I’m off doing that, I’m just going to post new reviews on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Don’t worry, they’ll still be something every day, including Eat with Your Eyes and other special treats. Of course if I run across something extraordinary I’ll be tweeting.

One of the most popular new items at the Sweets & Snacks Expo was Jelly Belly’s Cocktail Classics mix.

The five flavor mix reminds us that It’s five o’clock somewhere (and has trademarked the phrase, to boot). They’re based on popular fruity cocktails: Pina Colada, Strawberry Daiquiri, Mojito, Peach Bellini and Pomegranate Cosmo. They’re non-alcoholic and available in a variety of packages like 9 ounce bags, 1 pound tubs (best value) and this gift box that actually guarantees that you get the same amount of each flavor.

Pina Colada - a Pina Colada is a fruity tropical blend of strained pineapple and coconut cream along with rum.
The jelly bean version is a little bit of a milky yellow color. The flavor at first is a tart but not too tangy pineapple, nicely floral and authentic. Then as the center takes over a creamy coconut flavor comes to the front. A little more coconut than I would have liked, especially because it became so sweet.

Strawberry Daiquiri - a plain daiquiri is rum, lime juice and sugar (served over ice or chilled). Later it became a slush drink or frozen daiquiri. A strawberry version varies and can be the frozen variety with just a few strawberries thrown into the blender but sometimes strawberry liqueur is added.
The jelly bean version looked like a smoothie, a soft medium pink with speckles. The flavor is mellow, more like jam than fresh strawberries. There’s a hint of tartness from time to time, but no real note of the lime or rum flavors.

Mojito - this drink has become very popular lately, it’s a mix of white rum, sugar (preferably cane juice), lime, seltzer water and muddled mint.
The jelly bean version is light green, slightly transparent and speckled with darker green. It’s kind of chaotic, which matches the drink itself. The spearmint and lime notes come at once, so it’s minty and tangy and zesty all at once. The second wave of flavor from the jelly center has a little bit of a rum note to it. This one succeeded best in capturing the combination of notes that an actual drink has. But Mojitos aren’t really a favorite of mine.

Peach Bellini - is a mix of peach puree and sparkling wine.
The jelly bean version is orange. I’ve never actually had a real bellini, so I can’t comment on this candy simulation in that respect. The peach notes are quite strong, but pretty authentic (having eaten half a peach this morning). The tangy, sweet and fuzz blend well. There’s a white wine note in there, kind of like a white grape juice with a weirdly realistic alcohol bite to it.

Pomegranate Cosmo - Cosmo is short for the original name of the Cosmopolitan cocktail. It’s a mix of vodka, Triple Sec (orange), cranberry juice and lime juice. I’m guessing the pomegranate version just subs out the cranberry juice for pomegranate juice.
The jelly bean version is a pale garnet red. The flavors aren’t quite distinct. I felt like it was simply a nice raspberry jelly bean, I wasn’t getting the orange & lime notes, just what they were pushing as pomegranate flavor.

As with most Jelly Belly flavor mixes, I love the quality of the jelly beans themselves. In this instance there were really only two I cared to eat, the Pomegranate Cosmo and Pina Colada, but given dozen of other great flavors that Jelly Belly makes, I’d still stick with the citrus mix. For me, it wouldn’t make sense to buy this mix. As a theme it’s fun and certainly pretty. The value for the box shown here is pretty bad - it’s 4.5 ounces and costs $5.99 on the Jelly Belly website - that’s over $21 a pound. So if you’ve got to have these, get them in the tub or bulk.

Related Candies

1. Jelly Belly Sunkist Citrus Mix
2. Cholive
3. Jelly Belly: Lollibeans
4. Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe
5. MarieBelle Chocolates
6. Jelly Belly - Full Line

Maison Pecou Jordan Almonds. ‘Nuff said.