Trader Joe’s, like Costco, takes other company’s products and repackages them for sale in their stores-this kind of product is called a “White Label”. It’s a genius idea, and frankly, TJ’s does it very well. I saw these things for months before I finally decided to give them a spin.
They’re fruit jellies. Or fruit gelee. Or Pates de fruits. Whatever, you get the idea: they’re soft, “gel” like candies made with fruit flavors-natural flavors and colors. This variety includes Orange, Mandarin, Raspberry, Blueberry, Lemon, and Grape.
Yes, I have 5 pictured but there’s 6 flavors : that’s part of the problem. Or should I say, it’s a feature. See, these are truly naturally sourced, which means the colors are bit more muted than normal candies. I like this, but it makes it difficult to tell the similarly colored flavors apart. That’s a minor price to pay though, right?
They give you a metric shit ton per container, so the value is certainly there. I don’t even remember what I paid for them, but it was very affordable.
I like these. I don’t love them, they’re certainly not my favorite pate de fruit, but they’re definitely the most accessible. In America’s land of mass distributed candy, the only thing that comes to mind that’s “comparable” are Sunkist Fruit Gems, but these are vastly superior to those.
The keyword here is “subtle”. The sugar coating on the outside isn’t sour, nor does it really help the flavor-I wish it wasn’t there, but it’s not a nuisance (except to Mrs. Guru, who sure as shit doesn’t like it, as it ends up on our couch cushions all the time). Once you pop them in your mouth, you could go two ways: bite and eat, or slowly suck, and enjoy the texture. I do the latter, as that’s what I find unique about these things, the feel. Then they slowly break down, and that’s that.
The flavors, again, are subtle. Honestly, I had a bit of a hard time identifying them when I didn’t look at the color of the jellie first. Truth be told, even that didn’t help sometimes. But who cares? They’re good.
I’d recommend these to anyone who’s a fan of truly natural candies, as well as fans of fruits de pates. Even those who are neither might enjoy these-but don’t expect your socks to be blown off. Just a good, solid candy here. Again, kudos to TJ’s for latching on to a quality candy maker.
Head on over there and buy a container next time you’re stocking up on trail mix and cheap cheese.
It is very difficult to not buy one of these when I go to T.J’s These jellies are delicious! You say to yourself; “Ok, I’ll just eat 3…LOL…30 pieces later you feel guilty…Very sugary but the fruit taste is so natural and yummy…I was disappointed yesterday when I couldn’t find them at my local T.J’s…Try them, you’ll like them.
So I am not alone. I hope they’re never discontinued. Whole Foods had some fruity heart a few years ago and I was addicted. So here I go again. Half a container in one sitting.
Try this: Take just one and close the box. Put it inside the cabinet and close the door. (Leave the box out at your own peril.) Let whatever you took melt in your mouth until chewing is irresistible. Pause. The sweetness and flavor linger for a while. That’s very enjoyable. If I eat one after another, the flavor experience is … mixed. Slowly enjoying just one is also good for relieving dry mouth; better than the expensive specialized stuff. YMMV of course.
Have you guys ever tried prickly pear jellies in this style?
Ev-
No, but that sounds delicious. Where do we find them?
Did you get the e-mail I sent?
Ev, I didn’t. Try sending to jonny@candygurus(dot)com
How do you feel about eating half, or more, of the container in one sitting? As is my style.
Wow, that’s impressive. I never got through half, but I damn well killed a fourth of it at a time, no problem. I’m glad I’m not alone!
Maybe not these, but I wholeheartedly condone over eating candy, no matter what the package size.
Ask you teeth how they will feel