Haribo – Ginger Lemon

I remember when online shopping was still relatively new and in it’s infancy. I would go on specialty stores and online vendors just out of sheer curiosity to see what interesting and varied snacks and candies were available overseas. I would sometimes check how much it would cost to have the product shipped to me, only to reel from the fact that shipping was almost thrice as expensive as the product itself. As a poor student with no job, this was a tough pill to swallow. So I simply closed the window, and moved on with my life, hoping to forget it ever happened.

To be fair, shipping hasn’t gone done that much, but as people realize there is a demand for product from all over the world, they make their own storefront and sell product at a mark up but are located closer to the Frigid North, making the overall cost lower. It’s the abundance of these vendors that allows me to try new and exciting snacks that I once could only dream of.

Which brings us to today. I’ve actually wanted to try this for a long time. I still remember reading reviews about it online when I was younger, and wondering how it would taste myself, having nothing but the words of an online personality to live vicariously through. But no more! Now I will live vicariously through my own taste buds, my minds tongue!

Right off the bat, these smell how I expected. They smell very herbal – the ginger and the lemon hit the nostrils hard and I am instantly reminded of those natural remedies that people would give sick patients or people with sore throats. It’s not a bad thing, merely an observation.

The texture is kind of inconsistent even across pieces. Some are very soft, to the point that I am reminded of ginger chews that are very sticky and get stuck in those teeth crevices easily. The other end of the spectrum is that classic jaw workout texture that Haribo is known for. For the most part they fall into the latter, but a few are between that and the sticky soft ones. Not sure if its related to freshness at all, but thought that was worth pointing out.

The flavour is interesting combination of tart as well as spicy. The first flavour I taste is lemon, and a very straightforward one at that. It’s like lemon juice but it’s not particular sweet so it causes me to pucker a little. The ginger kicks in as I chew, and it gets stronger as I go along. The ginger flavour builds fairly quickly the more I chew and makes its presence known quite quickly. If you like that distinct ginger spice, you will appreciate this. I personally enjoy ginger as well as ginger chews, but don’t like how sticky they are. While these are sticky, the aren’t nearly as stick as classic ginger chews. The addition of lemon also helps to add a bit of depth to this so that it’s not just spicy ginger and there’s more notes to keep it interesting.

While not my usual choice of gummy or candy, these do have a somewhat soothing nature to them and I find myself enjoying these quite a bit. The ginger packs a punch and the lemon is slightly invigorating. It’s not too sweet so I could see myself sucking one of these down when I’m feeling down.