Farley and Sathers Gummy Sharks

I've never been a big fan of Blue Raspberry flavoring, but the coloring of these Gummy Sharks was very attractive so I thought I would give them a shot.  Additionally, recently I've had some positive experiences with Blue Raspberry gummies, including the flavors from Trolli Big Bold Bears and Albanese Krunch Bears.  These are vibrant and fun in appearance, but I think the positives stop there.  Unfortunately, the flavoring of these was terrible, a generic sickening sweet flavor.  Maybe the fun shape and color is enough for a child, but I suggest you look elsewhere for your sugar high.

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Texture: These have an ok texture, chewy with a marshmallow foam bottom, similar to the Haribo Frogs, but slightly less chewy.

Flavors: These are supposed to be Blue Raspberry, but they just had an unpleasant generic sweet taste.

Cost: $2.49 for 12oz bag at Pearl's Candy and Nuts.

Availability: These are not easy to find in convenience stores, but I have seen these in bulk candy bins and tourist locations many times, I don't think they are very hard to find.

Black Forest Gummy Worms

I've had gummy worms several times over the years and there is something really satisfying about pulling and biting the worms in half.  I'm not quite sure which brand I usually buy, since I they always seem to come from the bulk bins at candy stores, but I saw these on the shelf at Wawa the other day and decided to pick them up.  I definitely have not tried these before, the worm actually had a head and face, which was surprising and for some reason disturbing.   These also only came in three flavor combinations: lemon-lime, cherry-pineapple, and cherry-orange.  I remembered having other flavor combinations in the past, but it's been a while so I could be mistaken.  These were very soft and don't require a lot of chewing.  If you suck on these for a few seconds, the gummy starts to break down an disintegrate, they kind of melt in your mouth.  These had a slightly artificial taste, but it was still pleasant.  It kind of reminded me of the flavors of the Trolli Big Bears.  There was a waxy/greasy texture to these, but it wasn't bothersome.  I wouldn't mind having these again, but they are far from a favorite.

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Texture: These are very soft and melt in your mouth, definitely not as chewy as Haribo gummies.

Flavors: There are three flavor combinations: cherry-orange, lemon-lime, and cherry-pineapple.  All three were pleasant and sweet.

Cost: $0.99 for 4.5oz bag at Wawa.

Availability: These are readily available in any convenience store, at least in the Northeastern US.

Jelly Belly Champagne Bubbles

I was intrigued by the flavor "Champagne" when I saw these and I figured it was time to try another of the non-pariel gummies.  I wasn't a huge fan of the Haribo Berries, but I LOVE the Albanese Krunch Bears so I figured there was a good shot these would be halfway decent.  I was surprised when these arrived, they were much smaller then I expected, about the size of a Haribo bear, much smaller then the Berries I previously sampled.  These were tart and did remind me of the flavor of champagne, it was vey much like sparkly white grape juice, very authentically flavored.  The non-pareil coating was similar to the coating of the Krunch Bears, they were a sweet addition and did not dilute the flavor of the gummy itself.  Overall, I thought these were pleasant and unique, but I wouldn't necessarily purchase them again.  These were tasty enough to make me interested in trying the Jelly Belly version of the Berries though, which come in four flavors: Raspberry, Blackberry, Blueberry, and Strawberry.

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Texture: These are chewy with a nice crunch.

Flavors: Champagne flavored, tart and sweet.

Cost: $3.99 for 7oz bag at Pearl's Candy and Nuts.

Availability: I haven't seen these in any retail locations but they are available at several online retailers.