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Monday, August 01, 2005
Haribo Gummi Bears vs Trolli Gummi BearsThis is my first “taste off” for CandyBlog. I’ve chosen Haribo Gummi Bears to go head-to-head with Trolli Gummi Bears. They’re both the “original” gummi bears that most Americans remember hitting big on the candy scene in the early eighties. I spent quite a bit of my allowance on these. My in-school supplier was a German girl I hung around with, Tina, who must have had them imported by the case by family members. She always seemed to be able to sell me a little 2 ounce packet of them when I needed a fix. Later I found a place in Georgetown (yes, all the way down in DC - I grew up in Pennsylvania) or at the White Flint Mall where I could get them by the pound. Eventually, by the mid-eighties everyone carried them and of course there were more brands available. But the two that I had first contact with were Haribo and Trolli. There are plenty of other brands, like Heide, Black Forest, Brachs and of course a Disney cartoon franchise.
Personally, before this taste test, I would say that Haribo was my favorite. Let’s see how they do…
Name: Trolli Gummi Bears
 Trolli Gummi Bears come in five flavors. From left to right they are (as far as I can tell): Cherry, Orange, Lemon, Pineapple and Lime. The shape of the bears is a rather stylelized bear shape, with a large head, narrow legs and little bumps for eyes and a nose. Trolli are soft, soft bears. Squishy and aromatic, they yield their flavor instantly on the tongue. Inside the package they look a little greasy, but they don’t feel that way once you pop them in the mouth, they’re far softer than Haribos with a better burst of flavor when you put it in your mouth. The cherry is very strong, and overwhelms all the other flavors in the package, all of them smell like cherry.
Name: Haribo Gummi Bears
 Haribo Gummi Bears are kind of freaky looking in these photos, they look a little evil. Trust me, in person they’re just cute as can be. Their heads are smaller than their body (as it should be) and they have softer curves and cute little dimpled ears. Their bellies have a little texturing that I think is supposed to be fur. They’re far firmer than the Trolli Bears. What’s cool about them is that you can have them in your hand or pocket (yes, I sometimes stick candy in my jacket pockets not in any sort of wrapper so I can snack discretely when walking or in a meeting) without them sticking to anything. The Trolli bears have that oily coating that just makes lint stick to them. The flavors from left to right are: Berry (strawberry or raspberry, I can’t tell), Orange, Lemon, Pineapple and Lime. Flavor for Flavor:
Red - this is the only color where the flavor is different in the brands:
Orange - the color and the flavor
Yellow - lemon, one of the most enduring flavors in the world
Clear - the puzzling flavor of the gummi bear world, I’m going with Pineapple here
(The funnest part of the clear ones is that they remind me of invisibility. You know, like Wonder Woman’s invisible plane on the Superfriends. See, you can cast the whole cartoon with gummi bears! The Red Bear is Superman, the Orange Bear is Aquaman, Yellow is Batman and Green is Robin. It’s a perfect match!)
Green - everyone’s least favorite flavor, Lime
Since I’m not a fan of cherry, the Haribo Bears are a more logical choice for me because I’ll eat all the flavors in there (and their Pineapple is so phenomenal). In the end, this test only confirmed what I already knew, Haribo is the bear for me. The slightly waxy outer coating and firmer bite might be a negative for some folks, but I find it to enhance their durability. The flavors are all intense and distinct. Trolli’s softer chew is compelling but the overwhelming intrusion of the cherry flavor on its companions is a real turnoff for me. Other resources: About Gummi Bears, Huge Selection of Haribo Gummi Products, Gummi Bears TV Show, the largest Gummi Bear photos. UPDATE: I should have known that Haribo would win ... Google Fight told me so. UPDATED UPDATE: Haribo’s green bear is Strawberry ... kind of strange, but if you close your eyes and don’t look at the color it’s a little more obvious. (Thanks to the readers who pointed that out.) POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:17 pm Haribo • Wrigley's • Farley's & Sathers • Head to Head • Gummi Candy • United States • Germany • Candy • Review • 
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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COPYRIGHT NOTICEAll content (text and photos unless otherwise credited) is copyright 2005-2008 by Cybele MayPlease do not use my photos on your own site without permission directly from me, they represent what I ate in preparation for these reviews and are not to be used for other purposes. Design by Hop StudiosPowered by ExpressionEngine
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VOTE IN THE POLLWhich do you prefer?
Total Votes: 419
Milk Chocolate 
41% (172)Dark Chocolate
26% (111)Really Dark Chocolate (70%+)
18% (76)White Chocolate
14% (57)Carob!
1% (3)
 
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SUPERB
YUMMY 
TASTY 
WORTH IT 
TEMPTING 
PLEASANT 
BENIGN 
UNAPPEALING 
APPALLING 
INEDIBLE 
I like the Trolli ones better because of what you said… they’re a bit softer. But I did notice the cherry flavor scent on all of them.
Speaking of going “head-to-head”, do you bite off the heads of the gummi bears first? I do…
I like the yellowbear in the Trolli pic - it looks like he’s tired and about to try to put his head on the shoulder of the orange bear.
You know Jamie I was thinking something similar about the flavors when I was looking at the package - there’s a little border of fruits. But it shows all fruits - plums, grapes, bananas, lemons, raspberries, oranges, pineapples, apples and some others that I can’t quite figure out.
For a while I was thinking that green was green apple, but I can’t quite get behind that either.
I’ve got some other Haribo Gummi Clown Fish that I’ll try to post about later on this week (can’t do two gummi posts back to back).
Crispin, I think Jelly Babies are slightly different than Gummi Bears - they might be closer to Swedish Fish. I’ll try to get a hold of some.
As for gummis helping with the ravages of time/space travel, in Hitchhikers Guide, Ford Prefect advocates salted peanuts ... but I can actually see the new Jelly Belly sport beans being the best of all worlds, as they’ve got some sugars as well as minerals and salts for recovering from time travel.
Michelle, I’ve been thinking about trying the gummi vitamins at TJs, my only problem is that I’d find them too good, eat them all at once and OD on niacin or something!
Oops… or red is raspberry. I forget now… but you should seriously get your hands on the other varieties of Haribo gummis. The gummi bear is the mere tip of the iceberg.
As far as I understand the red flavor in Haribo is actually most likely blackcurrant. And I think the green is actually not lime… I believe it may actually be grape. Just examine the Haribo packaging a bit closer and you’ll see why I think that…
“has an unnoticeable note of lime to it”
Okay, I’ll bite: how did you discover this if it’s “unnoticeable”?
I always thought the good doctor was talking about jelly beans. I first heard them called back when the Beatles hit the states. One of them liked them, and after the word got out the stages were sticky with thousands of them tossed onstage by fans.
On the doctor who television programme when he refered to jelly babies was he talking about gummi bears? and if so do you think they helped acclimate people after time travel? Just curious.
I had no idea these were so hard to come by in the 80’s. I guess I was a pig and didn’t appreciate them as much as you did.
Ah, pineapple, that’s the elusive flavor! By the way, you can get your daily vitamin in gummi bear format at Trader Joe’s. Great for those (like me) who can’t stand the smell or size of regular vitamins.
Marvo! I was deleting the dupe comments and I ended up deleting the actual comment! I’m so sorry!
But you basically said that you liked Trollis too for the softness. I agree. Pineapple is just about one of my favorite flavors (well, everything is my favorite flavor).
I like to bite off the ears, hands and feet first. I usually leave the head intact.
I think the trick for me is to get Trolli gummies that aren’t the bears and I’m exceptionally happy.
If you’re really fond of the softness of Trollis, check out the Haribo Gummi Clown Fish - they’re extra soft and are only three flavors (berry, pineapple and I think sour apple). I’ll try to post about them this week.
Oops, sorry for the multiple comments. :-( Please delete.
I’m with Bryan, I like the Trolli ones better because they’re softer. I personally love the clear gummy bear flavor, although I have to admit, I didn’t know what flavor it was until I read your review.
EDITORS NOTE: I restored this comment after I accidentally deleted it, that’s why it appears out of order ... sorry.
Were you able to try Trolli’s Neon Gummi bears while they lasted? Sadly they became discontinued recently and came in the colors blue, spring green, a pale greenish blue, violet, and a bright rose color. I loved them and have been unable to find, i hope you were able to try them.
I just found this candyblog and love it. I have to agree. Haribo wins over all. I also gre up with them but in the 70’s (oops, showing my age). A German deli near my house sold them and I could not get enough of them. Still can’t (get enough of them). Some I know don’t care for Haribo’s because they are harder, but that just makes them last even longer. Plus, I consider them the “adult” version of gummy bears. Cheers to Haribo!
I just wanted to say that you guys have a good candy blog going here, i am a big fan of gummy candy and i must say haribo’s have been my favorite. I was born and raised over seas and that’s the candy i was brought up on in late 80’s even now haribo’s are a big hit over there. Now i live in the states and i have such a hard time finding haribo candies anywhere. I love the taste of haribo’s much better than any other gummy candy i have ever tried and yes i have tried lots and lots of them different kinds. One other gummy candy i really like are those trolli road kills they are very good too.
Hi Stranger!
I’ve been having pretty good luck finding Haribo at Cost Plus World Market (which, unfortunately isn’t everywhere in the US).
Also, those bulk candy places in the mall usually have them (you can tell by the shape of their heads if they don’t have them marked).
I love, love, love the Haribo Grapefruit Slices.
Haribo’s red gummi bear is actually a RASPBERRY favor!!!
And the green gummi bear is actually LIME!!!!
You can check that out at the official Haribo website~~~!!!!
I meant the green gummi bear is actually NOT LIME!!
It’s STRAWBERRY!!!
(I emailed you also to point it out, looks like you’ve got it.)
Anyway, sorry for the typo, and NICE BLOG!
I got your email Anie and looked it up ... you’re so RIGHT about it being strawberry! (Yeah, I was a little confused by your conflicting info at first.)
Dear sir :
We are interested in your products ( gummi bear vitamin )
We are looking to have special offer for 5.000 pcs. Each
Iteam ./ CIF – amman.
Thankyou
D.aziz
Wow, great review! I have not yet tried the Trolli Gummi Bears but my favorite has always been Haribo (the freakly looking bears, hahaha, I didn’t notice its freaky look until you pointed out
My favorite has always been Haribo. I like my gummies firm and chewy, and the texture of Haribo gummies is perfect. And they taste great. Whenever I buy gummy bears it’s always Haribo. I’ve never had a gummy quite as firm. If I get stuck with a different brand I stick in the freezer for a while to make them harder. I do love the Trolli Sour Brites (worms) and Trolli’s original gummy worms (I’ve never seen Haribo’s version).
I tend to not like the soft mushy gummies as much. Once, I was in a store where there weren’t any Trolli gummy worms or any kind and was craving those, so I bought the store brand sour gummy worms. Man, those gummies were so mushy I only ate a couple- they were more like solid goo (if that makes any sense). And I am a candy addict.
Omg The Green One Is STRAWBERRY?! Heh...no wonder the packaging thingie said that! i thought i was typo...Lol. J/k
Haii. Btw Just Wanted To Say AWESOME ARTICLE!! haha. I Needed The Info For My Project And I Chose GUMMI BEARS!! Lmao. I’m Addicted To Them! Well, Good Luck On Future Articles! Byeee <33 =]
Exx.Ohh.Exx.
[[Jojo]]
I beg to differ--green is usually my favorite, except in gum. Peppermint beats spearmint one to a million. I’m not a big gummy bear fan, they’re a bit bland for me (sour gummy worms were great, though.) But generally I organize my colored candy (particularly SweeTarts and ShockTarts) like this:
Step One: Take all least favorite flavors (usually red, yellow, and orange. Anything chocolate-flavored, except chocolate itself, I toss out. Same with root beer and anything else brown.)
Step Two: Count it out so there are equal amounts of least favorites. Eat the extras
Step Three: Return least favorites to bag
Step Four: (anywhere from a second to a couple days after Step Three) Remove favorites (usually green, blue, and purple.)
Step Five: Repeat Step Two for favorites
Step Six: Return to bag
Then I eat the least favorite first, one of each flavor each time I eat. When they’re done, I repeat with the favorites.
If anywone read all of that, they should know I have no current mental or eating disorders. Not anymore, anyway *shifty eyes*
do you know anything about gummy bear by Nestle?
i’ll be really happy if you let me know
I wouldn’t of even put Trolli vs Haribo, it’s a completely unfair fight. The only time I’ll ever eat trolli is if I am absolutely, posititivly desperate, for gummi bears, I generally pay for it after I eat them.
Trolli always gives me a stomach ache after I eat them, and it does to my friends. They’re way too oily, and don’t hold the consistancy and genuine flavor of the other brands.
Here some good vs. matches for ya:
Haribo Vs Black Forest
Black Forest Vs Farley’s
HEIDI’s Vs Life Saver’s Gummi Savers
Those particular brands, I would consider as top notch brands, but each have their own individual problem.
Haribo: The pros:
Haribo creates a delicious, unique and chewey gummi product, who has managed to take the candy companies by storm.
Haribo: The Cons:
Old unpurchased Haribo candy, regardless of when it expires gets hard, and almost unchewable, when it is placed into storage, and is most deffinately quicker to harden if the package is opened and exposed to air.
Black Forest: the pros:
Black Forest is a very formiddable opponnent with their product, using real fruit juice extracts, which delivers a sweet and tangy punch, and enough chew, that doesn’t overwhelm it’s customer.
Black Forest: The Cons:
The addition of Coconut Oil and Carnauba Wax can tend to be a little too waxy, and oily, but does not really effect the taste of the candy, and may even enhance the flavor.
Well, here’s the thing: I like my gummies firm and hard- that’s why I love Haribo brand gummies. Oftentimes, if I purchase a different brand of gummies that I find too soft (as is often the case with Black Forest and Trolli- besides Trolli’s worms and sour-brite crawlers) I’ll either refridgerate them to get them harder and more chewy or if I don’t mind the wait, open up the package and let it sit so the gummies get “stale” or harder.
In the same way, I like my chewing gum firm too. I hate mushy gum. The Dentyne Ice soft gum is gross cuz it’s incredibly mushy. I prefer Trident, Extra, Orbit and most pellet gums.
Green is SOUR APPLE, not lime or strawberry.
Why would it even be remotely linked to strawberry? Ridiculous. Think someone at their website is ill informed or lost in translation!
I used to eat these all the time too in Germany, along with the brandy filled mon cheri chocolates. When the brandy touches your tongue it’s like inhaling a crisp mountain breeze.
Hello, I am looking for the German Chocolate Eggs that have a toy inside that you have to put together. I purchased some years ago. I am wanting to get some for family now. Any help would be great thank you....
Dear Gummy Bears,
You are squishy. I love you. Especially when you dance, in my mouth.
Love,
Jen
Haribo’s GREEN flavor is NOT strawberry OR lime. But I got to say that it’d be hard to classify because it’s not a standard flavor here in the states.
My friend’s boyfriend, who was an exchange student from Germany who’d buy Haribo candy by the case, told me that the green flavor was… I forget the German name, but he says that it roughly translates into “all fruits” which is a standard fruit flavor for candy in some European countries.
I guess it’s their version of fruit punch, but just using different fruits.
But dude—how could you think it was LIME???
I would just like to say that the Trolli Gummi Bears have six flavors there are actualy two kinds of red, strawberry and cherry and the clear is grape.
susie - when I wrote this review in August 2005, Trolli was owned by Wrigley’s and there were five flavors, as I wrote above. However, in December 2005 Wrigley sold their interest in Trolli to Farley’s & Sathers. It’s very likely they changed the flavors around since then. I’ll have to pick some up to see what the difference is these days.
Agreed. Haribo are hands down the best gummy bears on earth.
Haribo is a winner, not super sweet, just right, the clear ones, (pineapple) the best. However Black Forest also makes a very good gummi-bear
I don’t see any mention here of the difference in flavor between the “American version” and the “German version” of Haribo Gummi Bears.
I used to eat these in Germany, in the 70’s, while visiting my Oma (and aunts and uncles and many cousins) and they were soooo wonderful…
Then, back at home, my mom discovered them in various German delis in NY & MA.
Now they have them for sale here, but they don’t taste as good as the German ones. My mom just brought me a bag from Germany and they are SO much yummier...I don’t know who makes the ones for the U.S., but they can’t even compare…
Sharon is 100% correct… The flavor, consistency, and overall quality of American Haribo pales in comparison with the German Haribo.
The German bears are still nice and firm, but they’re not unpleasantly tough like stale American bears.
Also, German Haribo has an extra color/flavor.
American Flavors:
white - pineapple
green - strawberry
yellow - lemon
orange - orange
red - raspberry
German Flavors:
white - pineapple
green - apple
yellow - lemon
orange - orange
dark red - raspberry
light red - strawberry
In short:
Haribo Goldbären > Haribo Gold-Bears.
Haribo is by far the best gummi
I of course agree though, that the American bears are not as good as in other countries (Germany). Although, the American bags say they are made in Spain or Hungary. Anytime my friends travel to other countries, I always have them bring me back a bag of Haribo. The Twin cherries are smaller in other countries and the flavor is slightly off. Either way, Haribo rules LOL
Is it possible to form a Haribo gummi lovers group??? In which we can share our love of the gummi...and possibly bring samples for us all to enjoy??? :D
Just a thought lol
Sweet! I completely agree with you on the Haribo clear gummy bears. They are quality, they are the best by far. Pineapple is my favorite flavor. I have been converting my friends one my one, many didn’t see any difference over one gummy bear from another until I made them try Haribo. I also like their gummy pasta, you should make a point to try it if you haven’t already. Very good, although you can’t find it everywhere. Keep up the good work!
- Shelley
Definitely - Haribo all the way. They’re the best - especially the pineapple
green is definitely apple in Haribo gummibears. they are my faves!
the clear ones are tasty toooo!
Nope- green is strawberry when it comes to Haribo bears- at least here in the states. It says so right on the official Haribo website- as well as other sites. Plus, my (and your) tastebuds don’t lie. There is no way in heck that is apple in any way, shape, or form.
There is also a difference in the Haribo gummis from Spain vs from Hungary, at least to me.
Neither one of them taste like they did when I was a kid--is that memory, different production facility, or the fact that my mom used to keep them in a drawer with a sachet.
Where can I get the GERMAN ones, I wonder? I would like to see if they are the ones I remember.
According to the site, they have production facilities in Turkey, as well as in Europe. I would love a “Gold Bear World Tour” package with a bag from each facility!
I just consulted the Haribo website and the green gold bears are strawberry! GO FIGURE! But as soon as i read it i could totally taste it.
ok. i just had a taste test of haribo vs. black forest. i must say, i preferred the black forest. something about the real fruit juice in them made the flavors so authentic and so much more flavorful than the haribo. i agree that the haribo pineapple ones are delicious, but overall the black forest were the winners.
I have found that german Haribos can be found in the states through a few european or german food markets. They have flavors that I have never seen, including two that are supposed to be good for the throat ("Haribo Bronchiols").
If one is going to make a comparison of Haribo to any other, I could not recommend strongly enough to check the place of manufacture and get ONLY the ones from Germany. But that is just IMO
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