Friday, September 5, 2014

Chili Mango and Pineapple Jelly Fruit Slices - The Fudge Factory: Wildwood, NJ (Part 1)

Jelly Fruit Slices - The Fudge Factory: Wildwood, NJ
Two weeks ago I finally went to the shore for the first, and most likely last, time this year. Since I knew I'd only get one day in Wildwood this summer, I made sure to hit up all of my favorite shops and buy tons of boardwalk treats. My first stop, The Fudge Factory.

Some of you might remember that I reviewed some fudge from this shop last year, because it's the best place to get fudge on the Wildwood Boardwalk, and I got a few new flavors to review this year, but I also spotted these little jelly fruit slices. Normally I would pass these by, but there were a bunch of interesting flavors I had never seen before (at least not in jellied fruit slice form) so I had to grab a few to photograph and review.

First up, Chili Mango and Pineapple.



Out of all of the flavors that were available, which were a lot as you can see in the photo above, the Chili Mango was definitely the most interesting and exotic. After trying candies like Super Ginger and drinks like Jin+Ja, the combination of spicy and sweet flavors has really grown on me, so I bought two slices to photograph and review.


The Chili Mango slice is a pale yellow-orange color with a bright orange and white candy rind. The entire candy is coated in a thick layer of sanding sugar, just like a gum drop, and you can see little flecks of chili powder inside the translucent jelly slice. Although there seem to be a few specks of chili powder on the outside, I don't think these are dusted with any additional chili powder. (I think it's just transferred from the jellies sitting and touching one another.)
As far as scent goes, this smells more like plain gelatin than anything else, which is kind of chemically and unappealing, but there's a faint sweetness from all of the sugar.

I took a bite, and the jelly center was really soft and tender, while the outer-rind was a bit stiffer and crumbly. (Kind of like a cured/dried cake icing.) At first I could taste a sweet and tangy mango flavoring, which was a bit on the artificial side, but then the heat started kicking in.

Looking at the section I took a bite from, you can actually see all of the specks of chili powder in there! The heat isn't over whelming, but it's still quite impressive for a fruity candy slice. After two bites I can feel a cayenne pepper-like burn on the sides of my tongue and in the back of my throat. The sweet artificial mango and spicy pepper flavors work nicely together, and I ended up feeling sad that I had only bought two slices of each flavor.

I wouldn't say this candy is for everyone, but If you enjoy moderately spicy foods (about a medium to medium-high salsa on the spicy scale) then this is perfect for you! I know I'll be buying more next summer to share with friends and family.

Next up, a more traditional fruity flavor, pineapple. This might not be the most exotic flavor in the world, but I had never seen it in jellied fruit slice form before and I decided to give it a try.

The pineapple slice has a red-ish brown and white rind with a translucent yellow interior.It has the same, generic but sweet, aroma as the chili slice, but there are no signs of any mix-ins.

I took a bite, and the textures were the same as the chili slice, but the flavor was hard to place. If this were given to me without any kind of label I think I might have a hard time guessing what this was meant to be. It tastes fruity, and tropical, but it's hard for me to imagine that this is pineapple. There are no tart or acidic notes, just a sweet and slightly tangy fruit-punch-like flavor. Real pineapple is one of my favorite treats, I really love it in dried/dehydrated form, and this just can't compare to the deliciousness of the real fruit. 

Out of the two flavors, I'd say the Chili Mango is a must try, especially for you spicy food lovers out there. It's delicious, sweet, and, rather than  using chili spice as a gimmick, the flavors really work well together to create a deliciously addicting candy. As for the pineapple, I'd say it falls flat, but it was still enjoyable.
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