Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Mango Mango Gummies - Trader Joe's

Mango Mango Gummies - Trader Joe's
We're right in the middle of pumpkin season, so reviewing this right now makes absolutely no seasonal sense, but I'm going to do it anyway!

I bought a bunch of Trader Joe's candies for our most recent Candyology 101 podcast, so there are going to be some random Trader Joe's reviews sprinkled in among all the pumpkin posts. I figured this would be a nice break for those of you tired of all the pumpkin spice hype, and it'll help me clear out more room in my food stash, so here we go! (Or should I say man-go? ThatwasbadandIshouldfeelbad.


As usual, there's nothing new to talk about as far as the packaging's form and function. This is the same as every other plastic hang-style gummy candy out there. We've got a thin cheap plastic bag with a full color print that's been heat sealed for freshness. It serves it's purpose, and keeps my gummies fresh and safe, but it's not much to talk about.

The design is colorful and bright, and the illustrations are modern and clean with a bit of a retro flair. To me, this is a modern day love letter to the designs from the 1970's, and I like that. It's a lot less awkward than other Trader Joe's designs, and the bright colors really stand out on the shelves. I'd say this is a successful design, and one of the better one I've seen in the Trader Joe's candy aisle.

Inside the bag we have three different versions of mango-shaped gummies. They all smell sweet and authentically fruity. You want to know a secret?


I don't even like mango! Fresh mangoes are one of my least favorite fruits, and I typically shy away from anything that's mango flavored. Why did I buy these? I honestly thought I would hate them and that it'd make good fodder for the podcast, but guess what? I LOVE THEM! What is happening? Who am I?

First up, the Mango-Mango, which is a amber colored mango-shaped gummy with normal mango flavoring. This gummy is a bit stiff, it's pretty similar in texture to a Haribo gummy bear, and the flavoring is just...wonderful. It's sweet, intense, tangy and easily my favorite of the three. It's just so good! I want to liken it to the ripest sweetest mango you've ever eaten, but it's even better than that. It's so hard to describe, because it tastes like mango, only better. I think you guys get the gist of it, so I'm moving on to the next flavor.

Mango and Yogurt, the same delicious gummy as the mango-mango, but with a yogurt flavored portion at the bottom. This was my least favorite in the bag. The yogurt portion is tart and tangy, like "plain" frozen yogurt, and for me, that creamy tanginess just got in the way of the delicious normal mango portion. It made me feel like I was eating a less flavorful and less ripe version of the previous gummy candy. I don't want the B-team, I want the A-team. So even though this flavor wasn't bad, I found myself picking around it. (To be fair, my fro-yo loving sister liked them quite a bit. So if you're into yogurt flavored sweets, this might be your favorite.)

Lastly is the Mango Passion-fruit, which is the same amber gummy but with a red-colored portion at the bottom. This has that same delectable flavor as the mango-mango, but there's this sweet almost berry-like finish. It makes the gummy less tangy and more sweet and jammy, which is enjoyable, but of the three, I still prefer the classic Mango-Mango version.

Even though I have an obvious preference for the original mango flavored gummy, the variety makes this more fun and snackable, I wouldn't change a thing about it.

I've given mango plenty of chances and I've never had a real mango taste as good as this candy. If this is what mangoes are supposed to taste like, then I can understand why everyone else loves them so much. I will definitely be buying more bags of these in the future and I want to share them with all my mango-loving friends. (As well as my fellow mango haters.)
© Maria Smith http://poison-and-antidote.net
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1 comment:

  1. I bought a bag today, and Trader Joe’s has changed the recipe. The new recipe is nasty...artificial tasting and way too soft. From another website, I learned that the gelatin was removed because it was animal based. Trader Joe’s has ruined a good product by making it vegetarian. I have been buying these gummies for years, but I won’t be buying them any more.

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