Friday, June 19, 2015

Skittles Orchards - Five Below - Marlton, NJ

Skittles Orchards - Five Below - Marlton, NJ
This package may say "new" but these have been out for quite some time now, and to be honest, I've been avoiding them and originally didn't plan on reviewing them.

I love Skittles and fruity candies, so why was I going out of my way not to buy these? Well, when Skittles announced that they were going to do an Orchard-themed mix I was initially interested, it sounds like a fun and refreshing flavor mix, right? But when I saw the flavor line-up I was really disappointed.


I've already discussed Skittles Packaging in plenty of other posts, so I am going to skip over the aesthetics and whine about how boring Skittles has become.


Skittles used to be so cool! They took some risks that didn't work out, like the Chocolate mix, but that was interesting and new. Everyone wanted to try it, even if it sounded odd. I'd compare the chocolate mix to a DeLorean, it might not have been the best idea as far as form and function, but it was interesting and people still talk about it to this day regardless of it's flop. By comparison, Skittles Orchards are a minivan or mid-sized sedan. They're so safe that they are incredibly boring. All Skittles did was take a bunch of fruity flavors from other mixes, that relate to fruit that grows on trees, and put them in a bag together. It's basically just a repackaging of a pre-existing product. It doesn't get more boring than that. Sure, you'd have to buy 2-3 different mixes to get the flavors in this bag, so there's some convenience there, but do they taste good enough to warrant not buying those other favors instead?



Lime
(green): Hello old friend! This tastes like the classic lime skittle, which is now in the Dark mix. It's sweet but zesty, with a pleasant lime flavoring. It's good, and I'm happy it's there, but it's not a new flavor.

Peach (pale peach): There have been a few mixed Skittles released before that involved peach, but there's never been a standalone peach flavored Skittle, until now. It's sweet and creamy, which reminds me of peaches and cream flavored oatmeal. It's mild, and enjoyable, but it doesn't really mix well with the other flavors.

Orange
(orange): Same as the version that's in the original mix. Nothing new to report here. Citrus-y, a little creamy, and zesty. Good, but boring.

Red Apple (bright red): Tastes more apple-juice-like than the normal green apple skittles, but it's kind of boring, since it's so similar. It's bright, and sweet, so apple lovers will really enjoy this one, but I'm pretty "meh" about it.

Cherry (dark red): This is another flavor Skittles has done before in different mixes, it's a typical artificial red cherry flavoring, and it's good, but again, nothing new.

Skittles, what happened to you? You used to be fun and you had such interesting flavors, but this Orchards mix is so boring! Other than the red apple flavor, none of you are new! Peach has been around in some form or another, and the others are available in the Original and Darkside mixes. None of these flavors are bad, but they aren't interesting or innovative, and I don't feel like the flavors are a fantastic enough mix to ever make me want to repurchase them.

This isn't a bad product, but most of these flavors are available in  better mixes with a lot more interest and mix-ability. I would consider this a C-class flavor of Skittles, and I'd never buy these over the original, or Darkside. This could be a cute gift for Teachers, since it has the apple-flavoring, and they even made a teacher specific-package at Target a while ago, but that's a pretty niche market. Skittles needs to go back to their wackier roots, like Ice Cream, Carnival, and even Chocolate. Try and make something wacky, new, and interesting again! (Skittles, I love you, but you need to step up your game.)
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