Taveners – British Mix Gums

Sometimes I wonder what the thought process behind wine gums was. I mean, I know the official history behind them – they were basically created as a sweet and marketed as an alternative to alcohol, hence the names branded on the pieces. That branding has stuck to it until this day, and even now some brands of wine gums have wine and spirit names on the pieces.

I bring this up because while the official name is mix gums for this product, I’m 90% certain its going to be the same consistency and flavour of wine gums. Which I’m fine with – one of the reasons I love wine gums is they usually have a black currant flavour, something that’s very common in the UK but never caught on in North America. It’s one of the few mass market ways for me to get access to the flavour, and for that I love it. Oh and the other flavours are good too sometimes.

These have the texture of wine gums. They are a little less on the gummy side, but still a very much what you would expect from a typical wine gum. It has the firm outer candy exterior, while the inside is just a little softer and stickier.

The flavours I could find in this pouch are lime, lemon, raspberry, blackcurrant and grapefruit. I feel kind of jipped that I didn’t get orange. It’s not a favourite flavour of mine or anything, but I do still feel like I missed out on the truly assorted mix. The flavours for the most part are also very similar to most other wine gums, where the citrus flavours are ever so slightly tangy and tart, but mostly sweet. The raspberry is very much like a typical jam, and the grapefruit is pretty much standard affair in any other wine gums variety, tastes just like generic sweet flavour without much citrus or bitterness. I like it but I also don’t know why it’s considered grapefruit. Blackcurrant is usually my favourite flavour in these varieties, and this is no exception. Just the right amount of tart and sweet.

These are interestingly enough, gelatin free making them great for vegans. Not an issue for me but I’m all for accessibility in snacks and foods as long as it’s not too big of a cost to the flavour. Thankfully they aren’t much different from the gelatin packed wine gums of the traditional sort. They have a little less bounce in the chew, but still very solid overall. As a fan of wine gums, I would do these again. The flavour is as expected, and the textures are also not too far off from what I like about wine gums.