Wonka Kazoozles

While I'm on this binge of eating twists filled with sugar my friend Shane introduced me to Wonka Kazoozles. The ones he brought me were strawberry ropes with watermelon filling and they were thin. I didn't think much of them as a big draw of the Mike & Ike Twists are the thickness. However, I did find some Kazoozles cherry ropes with punch filling the other day so I decided to give them another try. Thank little baby Jesus I did because these ropes are bigger, thicker and exploding with an inner paste/gel that gives off a strong sugary odor as soon as the pack is opened.

Kazoozles - Delickoricious Chewy Candy

The candy is hard to describe other than it's a rope, so picture a long piece of rope licorice despite these Kazoozles definitely being more of a chewy fruit candy. The outer texture of the cherry candy is smooth, resilient and shines beautifully in different colors under different light (ok, that might be a stretch but right now, I'm seeing deep maroons and almost transparent reds mixed together). Inside is where the action is as the super sweet sugary paste, which even looks like a gel at the ends, bombards the taste buds with the sweet-sour 1-2 punch. The combination of the two different tastes and textures is near perfect, with the balance skewing to the paste over the the thin, but generous, outer cherry shell. I'm beyond ecstatic that I picked these up and gave them another chance because I just crushed two packages while writing this post and they were delicious.

I highly recommend trying these candies if you see them out. I wouldn't go as far to say order them right away, but definitely give them a shot if you too are riding the fruit twist addiction from which I am currently suffering (/enjoying).

From the company: 1 package/2 ropes contain 170 calories, 0g of fat, 43g of carbs, 29g of sugar and 0g of protein

Mystery Solved: Mike & Ike Blue Raspberry Fruit Twists

When I originally reviewed Mike & Ike Fruit Twists I joked about the blue raspberry flavor being a "mystery" because when I did the review, my research led me to find that this candy has been out for some time and I figured if I had not seen the blue raspberry flavor by now, I probably wouldn't for some time, or not at all. But it's times like these that show me there is really a "mystery" to the world and life itself. Yesterday while at Six Flags, I found the blue raspberry flavor. At a time when I wasn't looking for them, there they were. My brother and I entered the candy store to buy a mixed bag of gummi for the ride home and I was given a real fruit juice answer to a candy prayer I begged the sugar gods only weeks ago. And...

They are good. Better than, in fact, these Mike & Ike Fruit Twists are my favorite candy going right now. It takes years to become an all-time favorite, seeing as tastes can fade after the initial excitement, but right now I drool when I think of them. I'm making special trips to Walgreen's to stock up. I'm even buying them and putting them in the freezer to keep fresh, removing them hours before eating to allow time to soften up (they're chewier when a little cold). Now I get to taste the blue raspberry? Yes please.



Blue Raspberry: Bigger, Longer and Uncut


I can't even put the twist down to write this blog. They are addictive. I'm not a huge fan of blue raspberry flavored candy as sometimes the flavor comes off sour or overpowering but not here, not even slightly. It is the exact opposite as the strawberry takes over and visually, the filling looks more generous than in the shorter, watermelon, strawberry and green apple twists. The color of the filling is also pink where as the outer twist is blue, giving the candy a striking contrast from interior to exterior. But the taste reigns supreme here; they are as good as the other flavors, and these Mike & Ike Fruit Twists are a unique and extremely succulent candy, one of the best "new" options on the market.

From the company: 1 pack/container has 110 calories, 1g of fat, 25g of carbs, 16g of sugar and less than 1g of protein

My note: There is one twist to a package. The other flavors come 6 to a package and are shorter.

80's and 90's Soda Cans

My brother just sent me a link to The Chive where they are featuring soda cans from the 80's and 90's. I remember a few of these...

Click here to view their post.

La Semana de Gaseosas - Dia Cinco: Goya Fruit Punch

En la ultima dia de la Semana de Gaseosas, voy a revistar un otro producto de Goya y mi segun "fruit punch." Puedo comparar los dos. Quiero decir que esta semana fue muy divertido y trate unas gaseosas que no habia tratado sin la aydua de mi hermano porque me dio los Jarritos. Necesito visitarle pronto y comprar los Jarritos Mandarin. El me dio una botella de Madarin pero fue demasiado irresistible que no puedo esparar; lo bebi antes de revistarlo para el blog.

Refresco es la verdad!

Goya Fruit Punch is my second (for those who don't read Spanish) fruit punch this week. The inspiration behind this possible first of more theme weeks to come was an original delivery by my brother of a few bottles of Jarritos, including a pineapple and a madarin. Seeing that I drank those two before being able to have a Jarritos Week, I filled in the two empty spots with Goya. Not a bad choice at all and I like being able to do my first comparison, but Goya is bottled in New Jersey and is made with high-fructose corn syrup; Jarritos comes from Mexico and has cane sugar. I'm wondering if the difference will be noticeable in the two fruit punch options I was able to find.

It is. Not in a bad way, but in the same way you can taste the difference between regular and Mexican Coke. The Goya Fruit Punch is a little heavier. It is very sweet and reminds me of fruit punch drinks from my youth more than a soda because the carbonation is not intense and the aftertaste is an unidentifiable mixture of fruit flavors delivering that classic fruit punch flavor. The soda does not "pop" like the Jarritos did but the Goya Fruit Punch is smooth and steady, giving you exactly what you expect.

Now the comparison and it's a no brainer, the Jarritos is the winner. Not to say the Goya doesn't taste good but the Jarritos has more bubbles, a better bottle design, is sweeter but uses cane sugar, and is unpredictable where as the Goya is, like I said, exactly what you expect. I do think my review is tainted by the fact that twice in the same week I've had fruit punch sodas, so as a note to self I should not do same-week reviews like this because previous tastes might incite a bias in my opinions.

From the company: 12 oz has 190 calories, 0g of fat, 49g of carbs, 49g de azucar y 0g protein

La Semana de Gaseosas - Dia Cuatro: Jarritos Toronja

Desde fui un nino, me gusta azucar. Cuando estaba un nino siempre puse azucar en cereal, en fruitas y en muchos otras cosas pero solamente una cosa que no puedo recordar comiendo sin azucar: toronja. Tengo amigos que le gustan mucho la toronja pero a mi no me encanta porque es muy agrio. No me gusta beber los jugos toronja tambien. No odio la toronja, puedo ver los beneficios para el corazon y contra al cancer, y las fruita tiene vitamin C, que es muy buneo. Pero con esta gasoesa, no se que esperar.

"Make way for grapefruit. Go
grapefruit!" - Milhouse

Bam! This soda delivers. Despite not loving grapefruit, this soda is delicious. Maybe it's my adult taste buds, maybe its this blend of carbonated water and citrus toronja madness, maybe it's the sugar, but Jarritos Toronja is a refreshing blast of cool grapefruit. It has the grapefruit taste I remember from childhood but the overwhelming sour is missing, possibly obscured by the 54 grams of sugar! The soda is lively, jumps down your throat and the bubbles are just right. I guzzled a third of the bottle before I realized I needed to stop and its good right down to the last sip.

I wasn't a grapefruit hater before, and I'm still not an enthusiast, but I can see myself reaching for a grapefruit soda every once in an attempt to capture a taste of something different. I know there are a few brands out there that make grapefruit soda and I think before the week is out I may review another because this bottle is empty and I still crave a little more.

From the company: 8 oz has 110 calories, 0g of fat, 28g of carbs, 27g de azucar y 0g protein

La Semana de Gaseosas - Dia Tres: Goya Pineapple

Si me conoce, sabe que una de mis bebidas mas favoritas es una pina colada. Muy sabrosa! Cuando estaba en Las Vegas, solamente bebi pina coladas. Me gusta mucho las pinas, especialmente con marshmallow (no se la palabra correcta pero pina y marshmallow es muy delicioso!). He tomado gaseosas de pina antes, sin embargo soy muy cansado para tratar un producta nueva para mi: Goya.

SpongeBob doesn't live in
this pineapple

Luckily, my local mercado carries Goya sodas so I have a few to look forward to this week, including something called Cola Champagne...hmmm. Tonight it's the pineapple and I popped the screw on top old school and right off the bat was hit with a refreshing burst of pineapple mist. I couldn't resist, instantly grabbed for the first sip and was rewarded with a smooth pineapple surge of bubbles. The taste hits you right after that and it is very pineapple, minus that pinapple juicy wetness that makes the fruit one of my favorites. And I guess that is something I hold against the soda, that despite its spot-on pineapple taste it pales in comparison to the real thing. Other sodas have tastes that aren't easily replicated in nature however this is one of those rare cases. Don't get me wrong, the soda is a perfect pineapple but if I'm going to have a carbonated beverage I'm going to choose one that satisfies my craving for a soda and doesn't make me wish I just had piece of fruit instead.

From the company: 12 oz has 170 calories, 0g of fat, 43g of carbs, 43g de azucar y 0g protein

La Semana de Gaseosas - Dia Dos: Jarritos Tamarind

Primero, que es un tamarind? Fui al Internet para apprender que un tamarind es una fruita de Africa y tiene muchas usas, pero in este caso, la furita madura es dulce y usa en jugo, helado, y marmaleda.

My brother, having tried these flavors prior to me, was also confused about the origins of the tamarind. The first thing that strikes you about this soda, other than its name, is its color. It's like a dirty, orange, brown, and let's hope it's not that Mexican goodness. The color is not off putting however, since I have never seen a tamarind and they could very well be the same color. For this, Jarritos benefits from my ignorance.

"You know I don't speak
   Spanish, in English please"

Popping the bottle I had no expectations but nothing could have prepared me for what I tasted: nothing. The soda had no taste. The most peculiar thing and honestly, as I sit here drinking it I must be dreaming. It hits your lips...nothing. It hits your tongue...OK, there's something. It's as if you're drinking ginger ale and that first sip is uber fizzy. But then there's nothing. No taste. No aftertaste. No dulce. No fruit. I am more perplexed by tamarinds now than before.

I look at the label. Ingredients: carbonated water, natural sugar, citric acid, natural flavor (tamarind?), caramel color (ah that's what it is), and sodium benzoate. What is going on here? Is Jarritos messing with me? Right now my stomach is full of a soda I never tasted. I just burped. Nothing!

I highly suggest trying this soda just to try a soda with no taste. If there is a flavor I'm missing, can someone with a more refined palate please let me know what I'm supposed to be tasting?

From the company: 8 oz has 110 calories, 0g of fat, 29g of carbs, 29g de azucar y 0g protein

**UPDATE** I told my brother that it had no taste and he said I drank it when it was too cold. I don't know how to take that.