Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Skittles (Fruits, Wild Berry, Tropical, Smoothies & Sour)Skittles are insanely tasty little morsels. Rather like little bits of Starburst covered in a candy shell. Skittles were first introduced in 1974 in the UK and parts of Europe. They spread to the States as an import for a while and then in 1981 Mars began making them in the States. Obsessive folks (perhaps I’m one of them and speaking from experience) like to divide up the colors and eat them. I usually eat mine in pairs of same flavors, but when it comes down to the end of the pack, there are certain acceptable combos (all the citruses can be paired and grape and strawberry can go together ... strawberry and lemon are also acceptable but never ever put orange and grape together). Original Fruit Skittles While the Skittles website asserts that the flavor distribution is random, I’ve always felt that there were fewer green and purple ones in most bags. But as you can see from the photo, it’s just the green ones that seemed slighted in this mix (and I’m not going to complain). I took copious photos of all of the bags as well, so if you’re curious they’re here. You might want to partake of some of my favorite Skittles commercials: Man with Beard, Skittles Leak, this one is from the previous campaign (one that I think captures a bit of the wonder of candy and magic better) and the original with great costumes ... oh, wait, those aren’t costumes, that’s what we used to wear back in the day. Wild Berry Skittles These have been around for a long time, but I never really noticed them. I never saw a reason to get anything other than the regular Skittles. All of the flavors were great. Sure I ate the grape ones last, if at all (always share!), but they were one of those candies you can eat in a dark movie theater without having to spit out mistakes. Wild Berry Skittles come in a super purple pack, so there’s no mistaking them at the store (not like the M&M Pirate Pearls and M&M Almond). The colors look vaguely familiar, but without the vibrant orange and yellow. Instead they have a mousy pink in the mix which just makes them feel bland.
Not enough of these flavors are actually berries and berries as a mix aren’t that interesting to me. Rating: 6 out of 10 Tropical Skittles As I was looking through a bunch of old commercials for Skittles online I realized that this was another flavor mix that I completely ignored. However, part of that may be that the flavors were different back then. The original mix of Tropical Skittles included two different flavors: Passion Punch (Blue), Mango Peach (Orange), Strawberry Watermelon (Pink), the new flavors are noted with an *.
I loved the look of these spread out on the table but again the proportion of “tasty” ones was too small to warrant buying the whole bag. (How long before Skittles goes the way of M&Ms and you can special order flavor mixes?) Rating: 6 out of 10 Smoothie Mix Skittles I’m not sure if a consumer wrote to Skittles and said, “I love your chewy little morsels, but could you make them with less flavor? I just can’t take it.” And of course being capitalists wishing to capitalize on all corners of the untapped Skittles market, they did. Smoothies in real life are great. They’re like shakes only made with lots and lots of fruit. At least when I make them that’s how they taste. Some folks put yogurt or ice cream or sherbet in there, so I guess that’s where the watering-down of the flavor comes from.
These are just too bland. Maybe if I’d just come out of a coma these would be good for easing me back into the world ... or might put me back into a vegetative state. Rating: 5 out of 10 UPDATE: Smoothies are discontinued. Sour Skittles While all the other bags were virtually identical in format (same size and weight and materials) this bag is different. It’s a little shorter than the others and made with a much thicker plastic (that’s annoyingly hard to open). I’m guessing it’s because these are rather different Skittles. Instead of all the sour being locked up under that candy shell, here it’s on the outside of the shell in a sparkly sanded coating.
The chew towards the end on all of these seemed grainier than usual. I don’t mind that as a feature though. I don’t like how messy these are. I like to line up my Skittles on my desk in little lines of each color as I dump small amounts out. These leave a dusting of sour on the desk. A word of caution as well, don’t ever get the sour powder in your eyes. It’s also very easy to just suck the sour off the outside, though it tastes the same on all of them, it also seems to lead to more tongue damage. UPDATE: The flavors changed, here’s a re-review. Rating: 7 out of 10 Other products: Notes: Related Candies
POSTED BY Cybele AT 8:04 am |
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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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oh boy, do i miss the mint skittles! the all blue mix had the best flavors. each one was a slightly different take on mint——toothpaste-y, starlight, mild, nearly altoid-like, quasi
tic-tac. wahhh!
In my opinion, the orange skittle candy coating taste just like the coating on an orange Tic Tac.
We only have the original and Sour Skittles in the UK, and I’ve got to say I vastly prefer the Sour variety. I don’t know what it is about the originals but I’m just not that fond of them. A little plain, the flavours are uninspiring, and I think I overate them as a kid.
I loved skittles until they changed the lime to apple and the grape to blackcurrant. I don’t think I’ve eaten them since.
“Man with beard” makes me want to vomit.
How would we ever teach fractions and ratios in elementary school if Skittles weren’t around?
The mint Skittles were awesome!
I beg my boyfriend to get original Skittles all of the time. I’m allergic to one of the colors in there just enough that if I eat a whole regular sized pack I get hives and have to get a Benedryl shot, so I haven’t had them in years. Yes I could in theory buy a bag and just eat a few and throw it out but…throw away candy? That’s just mean.
I enjoyed placidly sucking on a pack’s worth of Sour Skittles from time to time, but that “tongue damage” you mentioned in your review—what I perceived to be a sore or burning sensation toward the end of the pack—did seem extreme. Then came the time I glanced at in the mirror. My tongue was bloody!
I’m surprised at how many childhood memories candy inspires, but I guess that’s half the fun. My friend and I used these as our first cosmetics. A slightly damp Skittle made a fabulous lipstick, blush, and even eyeshadow. We were just sugar divas, I guess.
I shall be forever in your debt for the knowledge that there are gelatin-free Skittles somewhere in the world. Now to hunt them down…
Strangely, those tasty little mint numbers were also gelatin-free. I miss them, too.
...the red ones are strawberry???? and here I was for the past 25 years thinking they were cherry. boy, do I feel silly…oops!
It is interesting how the colors can mess with your mind thinking that bright red can be cherry
mmmm, mint skittles! they totally rocked.
good news about skittles sour, desipte the mess, is that the sour coating is vitamin c so one package of sour skittles is 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin c. (i learned that the year i worked on a marketing campaign from skittles sour and we got free boxes by the dozen. we ate a lot of them and never got sick!)
anne, ana & nix - I went back to the 99 Cent store tonight just to see if they had the Fresh Mint Skittles again. No dice. (But they still have the expired Popables.)
Judee - you are so right!
Terry - are the sours the same in the UK?
leigh - I really have to get some Aussie ones. I’ll order them up next time my co-worker goes next time.
Dave - I’ll admit that the commercial doesn’t make me want Skittles ... it makes me miss Humboldt County and the many bearded men there.
Suebee & aly - it’s amazing what you learn on the internet ... I found out after posting about Gummi Bears that the Haribo green ones are strawberry!
Joy - how come I never got to go to the cool school that taught math with candy!
baboo - holy moly!
lk - wow, I didn’t know that about the mint ones. I hear that used to make Licorice ones in Europe too
Sour Skittles in England are different. They don’t have the sugared sour coating on the outside; they’re smooth like regular Skittles. The chew itself is sour. The flavor combos are different. It’s been a while since I’ve had them but I think it’s strawberry, orange, lemon, apple and blackcurrant. I like them a lot better. Slower to get to acid burn stage.
LOL at the great costumes remark! Man, the 80’s. I still don’t understand why people thought half the styles from that period were a good idea. At least it should be good to give the kids from this generation a great laugh.
hello
skittles what can i say the best candy u can buy.
skittles r thu only candee i liyk and 4 uh good reysin, they r thu best candee duh…im a skittleholic. its almost worse then being an alchoholic, not as bad tho…more nice and decent but almost as bad
~~~always,
~~~~~mee <3333
Anyone remember Tart & Tangy Skittles??
I LOVED those! And miss them so much!
Who is the actor giving milk in the in the sour milk Skittles commercial?
Linda - David Groh plays the man being milked. He is best known for his role as Joe, the husband of Rhoda Morgenstern on Rhoda back in the 70s.
SKITTLES ROCK!
I think the skittles company should make a blue skittle in the “original” pack of skittles. I mean blue is in the rainbow and they are always saying taste the rainbow, when they don’t even give you the whole rainbow!!! Don’t get me wrong I like the skittles candy, I would just be happier with a blue skittle is that so much to ask!?!?!
The Tart n Tangy Skittles were the best!!!!!!!! I am with you Louis - I miss them!! Sad, but true - I am a 38 yo female lamenting the loss of a favorite candy!! Bring them back PLEEEAAASE!! I can’t handle the “cat tongue” effect of the sour skittles although I do like them.
So, Skittles are the only candy I eat on a semi-regular basis, maybe once per two weeks? And yesterday when I went to get beer, a new kind of skittles caught my eye… Skittles unlimited.
Now I expected to get a mix of existing flavours in here, but get this: They made skittles that taste like candy! I shit you not!! Red ones taste like red licorice, pink is bubble gum & so on… Brilliant, absolutely genious! I love it!
Unfortunately on the bag it says they’re for a limited time only… What a bunch of teases! It’s just not fair, is it? Why couldn’t they just ditch sour or maybe tropical flavours instead? Also so far I’ve only seen them in the small 61g bags, no big ziplock style reclosable bags.
Can I, like the m&m’s, find anywhere to order just the skittle flavors I like? I hate throwing so many away, but I only like certain flovors.What can I say, I’m pickie!
I was thinking I was the only one who ate them by color - good to know
Skittles rule!!!!
you are so wrong
Honestly, Why are there SO many Orange and Yellow Skittles, and so few Green, Red and Purple.
Green (lime) is my favorite, I just opened a bag, and guess what 2 greens, 3 reds, 2 purples, the REST ORANGE AND YELLOW!!
is there a surplus of orange and yellow food coloring or lack of the others? Honestly, Whats the deal??
I totaly agree with the last person. I love the green (lime) skittles. There always so few of green and red and purple. What is the deal. I did a science project on skittles flavors in bags. Guess what green had lest and red had most. It was insane. Why cant they just have the same amount of each flavor.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!! SKITTLES ROOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tropical ones aren’t so great, same with Wild Berry.
BUT ORIGINAL…I FEEL SORRY FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN’t EAT THEM!!!!!!!!!! <3<3<3
SKITTLE ROCK
TASTE THE RAINBOW
YA BBY
I LIKE THE GRAY ONES HOW BOUGHT U
Skittles are the best things in the world.
i would die without them.
my favorite kind are the wildberry ones.
Anyone agree?
SKittles are the best and anyone who doesnt like them should go die in a hole=]
I love skittles there so yummy!!!!!!
Does anyone know how many skittles are made in one year? Skittles rock! I am doing a math project on skittles and need a very large number.
i LOVED the old tropical flavors (especially the blue and pink). the new one are just not as good. are they planning on bringing the old flavors back ever?
Ahh, Skittles! In Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area these are also called (informally) Geek Snax and Coder Fuel: goodies that programmers & engineers munch during the workday.
I will never forget the first time I got Skittles, when I was a little kid and they were brand new. At the time I noticed that the outside colors did not match the inside colors! Yes, the distribution was almost random! You could never tell in advance what flavor you were eating.
I still prefer the original flavors and don’t have much interest in the wild berry or tropical varieties, and oddly enough, the sour version (with the vitamin C dust on it) gave me a mild upset stomach (I dose up on C every day anyway, but I take a buffered variety; so, perhaps too much sour for me?).
Here’s me wishing that Starburst had kept the Lime flavor that was in their original lineup (as I fondly remember from years past). But at least there are lime Skittles, which are pretty similar though perhaps a little less tart or something.
Last but not least, when I have a bag of Skittles on my desk I have to keep it hidden so it’s not constantly tempting me to eat the whole bag at one sitting. Then I’ll think of having a handful and dump them on my desk and then hide the bag again! Yes, all good things in moderation, and always save some for tomorrow!
love skittles. the sour are incredible! i cant taste a thing for hours after eating them and my mouth gets all “torn up” form the sourness. the wild berry and original are the other greats. They just came out with Chocolate skittles. ewwwww.. they are not good at all.
I LoVE SkItTlEs
I love Skittles. Both regular and sour. Eat a large bag of the sour ones in one night, however and your mouth will be sore…REALLY sore.
skittles are the best food in the world
choclate skittles are dumb
In Mexico City a few years ago you could get Skittles dusted with a sticky chile and lime flavored coating. They tasted a bit like the tamarind candy that is so popular here.
They weren’t terribly spicy, but had an excellent sourness. I loved them, although they always came stuck together (there is no way you would dare line them up in colorful rows on your desk) and the coating meant you could never tell which flavor you were eating.
I suppose they’ve been discontinued, because I haven’t seen them in years. There has been a scare about lead in chile candy recently - maybe the company that makes Skittles just didn’t want to be associated with that bad press.
Dear Skittle blogger,
Would you be able to answer or agree/disagree with this question?
Sometimes when eating Skittles (primarily the Original package), the colors will not taste the flavor they should, for example, I will go to eat a Purple Skittle and it will taste like Lemon, is it because they get mixed up in the factory? Are they like falling off the wrong conveyor belt into a different flavor thing?
I do remember Tart and Tangy Skittles. I loved them when I was 14. I tried to find them when I went back to the store but they were discontinued shortly after. Please make them again.
the kiwi-lime tropical skittle tastes exactly like artificial-watermelon flavoured lipgloss. this is not a good thing. but, the pineapple-passionfruit one is really good.
I agree that Skittles are among the best foods in the world. Too often I’ve eaten enough of them around lunchtime that I skip more respected food altogether. However, if the(fruity-Skittle-like) Oompas had been marketed properly, I believe they had a shot to offer me more lunchtime variety. They were so darn hard to find though, and now they’ve been discontinued. A lousy marketing effort on Nestle’s part. Boy were they good though.
The mango ones taste like a Tootsie Roll.
I’m disapointed that you don’t have chocolate skittles on here..I tried them and they were very good. Please put them in with the other skittles.
emily - This post was written before Chocolate Mix Skittles were released. If you see the list of “related candies” the review of that candy is there.
http://www.typetive.com/candyblog/item/skittles_chocolate_mix/
Unfortunately I can no longer eat Skittles because MARS’ is conducting animal testing. Herseys is a better option.
Angela
Angela - I would urge you to find out all the medical testing that goes on with all the products and services you use every day. (And Hershey’s makes no product similar to Skittles.)
And I’d like to say THANK YOU Mars for testing products on animals. Keep up the great work Mars, you create jobs and you sell wonderful, safe products.
What animal does your gelatin come from?
hi skittles r the best
I wanna know who the girl was in the Skittles Commercial ran sometime in 2005. The one where they’re all sitting on the rainbow and then one guy falls through it because he starts doubting it’s existence. The girl looks exactly like me, I fear it may be my clone. It’s driving me nuts, if anyone knows..PLEASE help.
i absolutely love all skittles they rock except sour they are way to sour but i like the blue sour one its yummy:)
im in LOOOOVE WITH YOUR SKITTLES!!!!!
skittlea are a very tasty fruit bite candy! skittles are the type of candy that makes someone’s day so perfect. You could be sad as ever but if you just go out and buy you a pack of sweet skittles then you’ll have a very nice day!
i hate skittles, i wouldnt give skittles the time of day and thats basically how i feel about it
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