Meiji – Poifull Fruit Mix

Jelly beans get a bad rap. Most people I talk to express disgust when offered them, often citing how they get stuck to your teeth or they are too sweet, or the flavour is on the shell only and the centre is just a gelatinous bean. While I understand all of these complaints and more, I have a special, soft place in my heart for them. That being said, today’s product seems to sidestep a lot of those common complaints.

Poifull has been around since I was a kid, and was one of those rare treats that I considered premium, given how expensive they were for a small little carton. Especially when you considered that the alternative jelly beans were so much cheaper. But these aren’t just any jelly beans, far from it. I feel like a gummy with a candy shell is a more apt description for what these are. They go more for the chewy centre than they do the sticky centre that cheaper, or standard jelly beans do.

The first thing to notice is these are very fruit smelling. Artificial fruit sure, but they still smell very tasty. They come in four flavours – strawberry, green apple, lemon and grape.

As far as flavours go, they are fairly generic, tested and true flavours. The strawberry is more of a nondescript berry flavour, and the green apple is strong, distinct as it often is. Lemon is only a bit tart and mostly sweet, and grape is the usual concord flavour affair. In general the flavours are what you’d expect from any standard confection, but slightly sweeter. It’s a good thing these are small, as too much would probably give you a sugar high.

The texture is what makes these shine though. Typical jelly beans are very sticky and soft on the inside, but these are a gummy centre. With the somewhat soft candy shell, you end up with a very bouncy, chewy centre and doesn’t really stick to your teeth, but give it a nice firm chew that appeals to gummy lovers as well as jelly bean lovers. I feel like the main complaint people have against jelly beans is that the centre usually has no flavour and is just too sticky, but this little bean addresses both of those issues and solves them readily. Combined with the vibrant flavours, you end up with a real good combo that makes these a bit addictive. I guess it’s a good thing they aren’t that big.

Poifull, and jelly bean candies in general are something I can’t seem to outgrow. I know most people are very iffy on jelly beans, but these are unique enough that they would appeal to anyone, especially gummy lovers. I’m not too clear on the ingredients but I believe they have collagen, and most likely gelatin. Just to be safe, I’d probably avoid these if you’re vegan or have dietary restrictions. For everyone else, give these bad boys a try.