Haribo – Fruity Penguins
It’s been far too long since I’ve had a dose of my favourite (so far) Haribo flavour of Tangfastics, and the delicious foamy crocodiles that come with it. Since I’ve been having trouble finding them for some odd reason, I figured I’d go scouring for the next best thing, fruity penguins. These little critters looked the same to me in the sense that they have a hard gummy top and a foamy bottom which helps to balance the whole thing out. I figured these are cuter, have 30% less sugar and are right in front of me. What could possibly go wrong?!
From what I can tell, there appears to be five different flavours. I don’t know which is which by just the colour, so I’ll just have to do it the old fashioned way.
The darker, deeper green is an almost nondescript flavour like some sort of apple flavour. The yellow flavour tasted like some sort of tropical flavour. It’s really hard to tell, but I get hints of pineapple and mango.The pinkish one seems to be watermelon. The normal watermelon flavour that Haribo uses is usually a bit bland, and it’s doubly so here. The orange one tastes like a melon too, so maybe cantaloupe? The dark red colour tastes like a berry, but not a raspberry or strawberry. I was hoping it would be blackcurrant but it’s got a deeper, slightly earthy flavour so I assume it’s blackberry.
I honestly can’t tell if there’s just these five or there’s more, since the colours on some of the pieces look eerily similar and the flavours are all kind of blending together after a while. Thankfully, if you are a fan of Haribo, as important as flavour is, the reason you come is for the texture.
In classic Haribo tradition, these gummies are tough and firm. They don’t yield to the bite without a fight and that’s how I like them. The foam on the bottom actually makes these softer when you chew it together; the foam part is soft and mushy but it contrasts with the firm tough gummy top to make for a nice middle ground. That being said these are still tough enough to give weaker jaws a good workout.
Two things make this guessing of flavours tougher – half the piece is that foamy gummy which doesn’t have much flavour and is just sweet, and the gummies themselves are 30% less sugar. They claim that they taste the same with less sugar, but I feel like the flavour is also a tad blander and more muted. It’s still tasty, but if you’re looking to taste specific flavours, it’s a bit tough.
Overall, I think that the texture is what makes these so great. The foamy backdrop against the stiff gummy front compliments well, and it all comes together to make one of my favourite style of gummies from Haribo. The flavour is a bit muted, but that’s to be expected when you consider that they are using 30% less sugar. It’s not bland enough that it takes away from the experience, but it still lacks punch compared to standard affair, like the golden bears. I would probably get these again if they were more readily available than my go to foamy crocs. Otherwise, I’d probably take the extra sugar hit and get those tangy little foam reptiles.
