Gummy Storm Troopers

Haribo Techno Bears

My last product review from my Pearl's order is for Haribo Techno Bears.  I was drawn to these because of their metallic appearance, it made me very curious since usually a candy with this kind of gimmick would be cheap and terrible, but these were Haribo so they may actually be good.  Unfortunately, I wasn't really impressed.  I'm not sure if my batch was a bit older and stale or if the texture is always this way, but these were very tough, much harder then the Gold Bears.  These were about 1.5-2x's larger so they are more of a mouthful but the flavors were lackluster.  For the most part they seemed like lighter flavoring of the Gold Bears, the only new additions were the Apple and Sour Raspberry.  The Apple was boring and the Sour  Raspberry had a medicine taste to it.  As I said, it may have just been a stale batch since others have given this a positive review, but in my opinion, these are not worth it and the only appeal is the metallic coloring and the larger size.

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Texture: These were much harder then the Gold Bears, to an unpleasant degree.  It was too much work to chew these.

Flavors: There are 6 flavors: Pinapple (purple), Lemon (yellow), Sour Raspberry (blue), Orange (orange), Cherry/Strawberry not sure which (pinkish red), Apple (green)

Cost: $0.33/oz, 9oz bag, at Pearl's Nostalgic Candy, Chocolate, and Nuts (pearlscandynh.com)

Availability: These aren't as widespread as the Gold Bears, but they are easily located at candy shops and grocery stores.  Several online retailers also carry these at decent rates.

Haribo Saft Goldbaren (Juice Gold Bears)

I have read elsewhere that German Gold Bears, Goldbaren, are far superior to the Gold Bears imported to the US, which are actually made in Turkey.  Naturally, I decided I had to try these at some point.  In searching online, I found that there are actually two versions sold in Germany, the regular Goldbaren and the Saft Goldbaren.  I decided to try the Saft version first.

At first I thought saft translated to soft, but it actually translates to juice.  This makes sense since this version is actually 22% natural juices and uses natural colors and flavors.  As you can see from the image above, the colors are lighter and muted compared to the traditional coloring of gummies.  I actually think these are quite pretty.  When I opened this bag, a pleasant fruit smell wafted out.  I reached in at random and pulled out a yellow colored gummy, lime.  I was shocked, this tasted like a was eating a fresh lime or lemon.  I must admit, at first I was not a fan because I was expecting a more traditional sugar candy taste.  This was completely different and after eating a few, I realized that these are fantastic, I just had to get over my preconceived notion of what a gummy should taste like.

These are softer then the Gold Bears in texture, but still a bit firmer then other brands of gummies. They are about the same size as the Gold Bears, maybe a tad larger.  The flavors are unique and incredibly refreshing.  There are six: raspberry, black current, apple, pear, peach, and lime.  Though I was initially turned off by the realistic lime flavor, this was actually my favorite in the end.  All of the flavors were naturally sweet tasting and slightly tart, like real fruit.  The raspberry tasted like fresh raspberry, it was unbelievable.  These flavors were written directly on my bag.  I've seen some other online reviews only showing five flavors, leaving off the black current flavor in their listing.  I'm not sure if Haribo added this flavor later or if people are missing the difference between the raspberry and black current.  Though they are photographing as two very different colors (see the raspberry and black current right next to each other in the image above on the bottom left), in person they are easy to mix up and the flavors are similar.  I think the black current has more of a tangy sour flavor compared to the raspberry though.

Overall, while I still enjoy my traditional Gold Bears, I think I actually prefer the Saft Goldbaren.  Unfortunately, I don't believe these are available in the US and online retailers are the only option.  I purchased mine on Amazon since a 450g bag (about 1lb) through the Euro Food Mart seller was $10.98 with free shipping.  In comparison, the bulk rate for Gold Bears on Amazon is $14.98 for 5lb.  As usual, you get what you pay for and believe me, these are worth the price hike.  Be warned though, 1lb won't last as long as you think!

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Texture: These are a bit softer then Gold Bears, but still firmer then other brands.

Flavors: There are 6 amazing flavors: Raspberry (red), Black Current (reddish purple, very similar color to the Raspberry in person though it is photographing much darker), Apple (green), Pear (clear), Peach (Orange), Lime (yellow). 

Cost: about $0.69/oz, $10.98 for a 450g bag on Amazon

Availability: These are only available in Europe, possibly only Germany for all I know.  However, these can be easily ordered from online retailers.  The packaging seems similar to the regular Goldbaren packaging, which has different flavors.  Make sure you are ordering the Saft version.

"Gummy Bear Skin Rug"

Found this amusing photo floating around on the web, it was on various sites, but I believe it originated on Laser Bread's Flickr account.  There's some awesome stuff on there, so you should take some time to check it out.

World's Largest Gummy Bears' Big Bears

I finally made it through tasting all 11 flavors of the Big Bears.  These were very large, about 3-4 inches tall each so you really can only eat one at a time.  Check out the image above of the Big Bears compared to a Haribo Gold Bear.

I ordered these directly from the World's Largest Gummy Bear Website.  Other online vendors sell these, but by ordering directly, you can pick and choose your flavors for a 6 pack of the Big Bears. Other vendors have pre-made packs of different flavor selections, mostly of the traditional flavors like Cherry, Lime, Orange, and Blue Raspberry.  The shipping on these was extremely fast, I received these two days after ordering using the standard FedEx shipping rate.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the package, apart from the size of the bears, was the great bright colors.  When I actually opened the containers, the strong fruity smells were intoxicating.  The packaging is great, it is a snap shut clamshell that you can open, take out one gummy, and snap back closed to keep the gummies fresh for later.  Each bear is nestled in a bear shaped pop-out, keeping the flavors from mixing.  Additionally, once you have consumed all of the bears, these containers are great to save for Jello Jigglers or Gummy shaped Jello Shots.

All of the flavors were very intense and the bears had a firm texture.  For some reason, I expected these to be really soft, but it makes sense that they were very firm since the larger sizes would require more stability then a very squishy form.  Some flavors were better then others.  I HATED the Cola and Cherry Cola, they tasted like very flat Pepsi products, like glasses that were left out for days to fizz out before drinking.  My favorites were the Pineapple, which tasted like a pina coulda, and the orange and lemon which both had a nice zest to them.  I usually really like Grape, but this tasted like Welch's grape juice, which I didn't like, I was expecting the grape artificial flavoring usually used for candy and grape sodas.  On the other hand, I usually don't like Blue Raspberry, I usually think they are too sweet, but this one was pretty good, had some blueberry flavoring mixed in there too maybe.  If you are ordering a 6 pack, I recommend Pineapple, Lemon, Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Apple, and Orange.

When I first ordered these, it was really just for the novelty of the size.  I was expecting these to be very gooey and soft and to have horrible cheap flavors.  I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed at least 6 out of the 11 flavor options.  Overall, I think these would make a fun gift and while I can't comment on the texture of the larger sized bear options, I can say that there are some good flavor options available for any sized order.

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Texture: These were very firm, a good texture for a gummy of this size.

Flavors: There are 11 flavor options.  I recommend Pineapple, Lemon, Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Apple, and Orange.  Other flavors were not as great in my opinion, but I took notes on all of them throughout my taste-test, which took several days.  All flavors were very intense and smelled very fruity.

Pineapple (Clear)- tasted like a Pina Coulda, very good

Grape (Purple)- tasted like Welch's grape juice, I didn't really care for this

Lemon (Yellow)- slight zest, didn't have a "cleanser" taste like some lemons do, like a lemonhead but not sour

Cola (Brown)- very flat Pepsi, not pleasant

Cherry (Red)- typical cherry flavoring, ok for cherry candy lovers, nothing special

Lime (Light Green)- I'm not a fan of Lime candies, they all have that "cleanser" taste, this one did a bit too, but less then others, lime candy lovers will probably like this

Blue Raspberry (Blue)- nice berry taste, some blueberry flavoring in there too I think

Apple (Dark Green)- tasted a lot like a green Jolly Rancher

Bubblegum (Pink)- slight classic bubble gum flavor, overall just a very sweet taste, ok, not great though

Cherry Cola (Maroon)- VERY flat Cherry Pepsi, my LEAST favorite

Orange (Orange)- very intense orange, slight zest, reminds me of orange Jello flavoring

Cost: $11.95 for a 6 pack

Availability: These are available from several online retailers, including Vat 19, which sells all of the World's Largest Gummy Bear Products.   Ordering directly from World's Largest Gummy Bears, www.giantgummybears.com, allows you to make up your own 6 pack though.  Pricing is about the same everywhere, so you may be able to track down some coupon codes for free shipping or something with other retailers.

The Gummy Bear Song

Every time I search for something gummy related I get so many hits for versions of the Gummy Bear Song.  I watched it once and now I can't get the song out of my head, so annoying!

Gustaf's Strawberry Gummy Pigs

I ordered these Gustaf's Gummy Pigs at the same time as the Cows, otherwise, after the Cows, I probably would have stayed away from Gustaf's Gummies.  Luckily, these aren't too bad.  They have the same foamy light texture as the Cows, but the flavor is much better.  Unlike the Cows, I don't feel like I am eating flavored fluoride.  These are supposed to be Strawberry, but the flavor is more of a light fruit, not really identifiable as Strawberry.  They aren't as sticky as a traditional gummy texture, so if you have issues with gummies sticking in teeth and/or braces these may be an alternative gummy for you.  These are very cute, but I won't buy again unless I have a need for a pig themed candy for some reason, which I doubt.  However, unlike the Cows, the Pigs will likely be eaten at some point.  The Cows are already in a landfill somewhere.

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Texture: These are a light fluffy, kind of foamy gummy.

Flavors: These are supposed to be Strawberry.  I'm not really getting that, but they do have a pleasant light fruit flavor.

Cost: $0.33/oz, 9oz bag, at Pearl's Nostalgic Candy, Chocolate, and Nuts (pearlscandynh.com)

Availability: These are imported from the Netherlands so they can be found at specialty and candy shops only.