We recently reviewed (and LOVED) original Carambars, so the natural progression from there was for me to appeal to all my friends who live in France, in an effort to get more.  Turns out that’s only one person.  The good news is, she’s a legend, and sent me a couple new bags to check out.  This week we’re looking at the Atomic variety.

It’s not difficult to tell from the bag that these are a sour variety of fruit flavored Carambars.  What’s interesting though, is that they truly have unique flavors, and don’t bear any real resemblance to any sour candies I’ve had stateside.

First off, how awesome are the colors?  Slightly dull, they have a strong old school vibe going on.  A French July 4th vibe, if you will.  But back to the flavors-check this out:

In the bag, we have:

BLUE: Cola Cherry/Lemon

RED: Blood Orange/Red Fruits

YELLOW: Pineapple/Peach/Lemon

Umm…still trying to process this.  Each “kind” of flavor in this bag is a combo of 2 or 3 flavors.  And now it becomes painfully clear why they tasted so unique to me.  Ordinary, I’d think these combos would sound a bit like a train wreck, but I’m here to say that’s not the case-they’re great.

It’s hard to make out from the photo above, but when you open one, a little sour powder falls out, as it’s basically filling the center of the long tube.  It’s a satisfying eating experience, biting into it, and being able to discern the dry sour powder center from the chewy body of the candy.  Yum.

I love these.  If I had to make a choice, I’d probably still favor the amazing original flavor, but these are a VERY close 2nd.  It should be noted that these too have lame “dad” jokes inside every wrapper, so if you speak French, you’re in for a treat-a little extra something to add to your repertoire.

These don’t seem to be available on Amazon, unlike the original variety, but if you see them in the wild, bag ’em!