Tag Archives: Chewy

Gimbal’s Sour Lovers Chews

CandyDirect.com is currently running a special on Gimbal’s newest candy creation Sour Lovers Chews, so I decided to give them a try, and boy was I impressed. I am, by nature, a chocolate lover. If given the choice between a chewy or hand candy, and a chocolate bar, I will choose the chocolate bar every single time. But after trying this new sour candy, I can honestly say that I would choose these new Sour Lovers over the majority of chocolate bars.
The package claims, “Intensely Sour and Real Fruit Flavors! Experience the Long-Lasting Mouthwatering Flavor of Sour Lovers. Made with Real Fruit Juice and high in Antioxidant Vitamin C. Absolutely 100% Deliciously Sour!”
For most candies, this description seems too good to be true. The fact is, most candy does not have a “long-lasting mouthwatering flavor,” but that is not so with Sour Lovers. As soon as you bite into this new candy you will have a sour and fruit flavor explosion erupt in your mouth. The external sour sanding and delightfully sour centers are perfectly balanced with the delicious real fruit flavor. You can really tell that this candy was made with real fruit juice and not some chemical flavoring.
Sour Lovers are perfectly sour; not over powering, but not so weak as to be unnoticeable. They come in twelve deliciously sour flavors including Pomegranate, Fuji Apple, Grapefruit, Watermelon, Meyer Lemon, Tangerine, Baja Margarita, Sour Blueberry, Mango, Bing Cherry, Strawberry Daiquiri and Georgia Peach. Each flavor is unique from the others, and equally delicious. I especially love Pomegranate and Sour Blueberry with Baja Margarita and Watermelon coming in right behind as my favorite flavors. Each flavor is fantastically unique and all are sure to please.
This wonderful candy is peanut free, tree nut free, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, transfat free, gelatin free and soy free. So they are perfect for all those special people in your life with dietary restrictions. And since they are in the shape of a heart they are sure to put a smile on your loved ones.
I have consumed a lot of candy in my life, candy of all types, shapes, and sizes, and I can say that I am sold on Gimbal’s new Sour Lovers. I will definitely be eating more of these in my near future. They get my seal of approval.

by Matthew Rogers

To celebrate the launch of Sour Lovers Chews, Gimbal’s and Candy Direct are running a special promotion: For a limited time you can get TWO 11oz bags of new SOUR LOVERS CHEWS -or- 14oz bags of CINAMMON LAVABALLS for just $7! Shipping and handling included!


Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge

Was this candy invented by the sewer-dwelling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles themselves? Is Shredder somewhere on the loose in a candy factory somewhere in America? Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge is a chewy taffy bar that makes eating a “box of boogers” look safe. I’m a little bit confused about the connection between eating candy and marketing nuclear warfare (there’s a cartoonish, googly-eyed mushroom cloud on the cover resembling the destruction at Hiroshima—and boy, doesn’t that just make you want to chomp down?). But hey, candy is candy, so I ripped open the wrapper of the blue raspberry variety with hopes that this candy would not kill me. It was stretchy and chewy like a taffy should be, but I was a bit ill by the super-sour taste. But if Toxic Waste bars are meant to make you think of highly toxic chemicals in your mouth, they are right on target. This tastes like what I’d imagine sour antifreeze candy to taste like, and it’s the exact color of toilet bowl cleaner. Sour candy fans may get a kick out of this, but it tame enough that you won’t curl up in pain. Try the sour apple and cherry Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge bars for comparison, but don’t blame me if your body develops a serious chemical imbalance.

Made by Candy Dynamics in Indianapolis, Toxic Waste candy not only puts out sour taffy, but also Sour Dip & Lick Lollipops, Sour Candy Spray and Hazardous Hard Candies. What I do love about this candy is that on the wrapper, there’s a little logo that says, “Toxic Waste Candy sponsors a cleaner planet,” urging you not to litter. Now isn’t that just ironic? The crazy picture of Professor Sauernoggin (makes me think of sauerkraut) on the wrapper is also a hit.

Gimbal’s Jelly Beans

San Francisco–based candy company Gimbal’s was born in 1898. (Yes, that’s Gimbal’s, not gumballs.) Brothers Alexander, Louis and Eugene Gimbal Joined forces to cook up some of the greatest candy in town. In fact, they first made a name for themselves by using a steam-production process under the name “Pacific Steam Candy Factory.” Making penny candies and nickel candy bars, not much has changed outside of the price. They still have the old-fashioned goods, but also some innovative candies in the works.

Good thing for Gimbal’s, some candies never get old. Take jelly beans, for instance. These are not just a sweet treat for Easter baskets anymore, but are yummy any day of the year. Gimbal’s Jelly Beans are of the gourmet variety, and they come in 41 flavors like tiramisu, java, buttered popcorn, baja margarita, key lime, boysenberry, french vanilla, passion fruit, peach, chocolate, lemon meringue, blue Hawaiian, tutti frutti and hot cinnamon—and that’s not even half of them. You may be thinking that these sound a lot like the Jelly Belly flavors, and they are very similar. But there are some different ones—and besides, there’s no copyright on candy flavors. That would be so limiting! The Java is a standout flavor—tastes just like a cup of gourmet flavored coffee. Perfectly Pear is divine, and Orange ‘n Cream tastes just like a Dreamsicle. You might be knocked off your feet when you taste the Butted Popcorn jelly bean. It’s strikingly similar to a movie theater bucket of buttery goodness. Strawberry Daiquiri was a bit over the top in flavor, and tasted artificial. But each flavor is so much it’s own, that you have to taste them all (with a big gulp of water in between) to really make a judgment call. I love Gimbal’s Jelly Beans, and will most definitely be a repeat customer. You should satisfy your gourmet tastes with a bag of your own.

Shock Tarts

It’s very hard to find good sour candy these days, but luckily for those who love both sour and sweet candy there is now a solution.  Shockers have this unique taste because at the first instant, when you put it in your mouth it tastes sour and shocking, but then it turns a little sweet. What I like to do is just suck on the candy until all the sour taste has died down, and then I chew on the remaining candy, which is deliciously sweet. They are very chewy, yet they don’t stick to your teeth.

Another great thing about shockers is that they package is a long tube that you just unwrap and pop in whatever flavor comes out. I kind of find it suspenseful, because I never know which is going to be the last flavor. Hopefully it will end up being green apple because that is my favorite. I personally think it is the sourest one and I love how it just holds the sour flavor longer than the others.

“Every flavor is super sour, but still different, and that’s what makes shockers my favorite candy,” says Whitney a sour candy connoisseur. Indeed all the flavors are uniquely wonderful. Orange has just this citric taste that makes my mouth tingle with joy. Cherry may not taste exactly like a cherry, but it sure does burst in my mouth. Blue raspberry has this way of just melting into the sweet candy, and eventually melting away. Grape is unfortunately kind of rare in some rolls making it a bit more enjoyable to eat. Green apple is tremendously sour and I just love that. Luckily for me that was the last one!