Don’t you get sick of us reviewing delightful candies from around the world that are impossible to order from the US?  We do too.  We’re not going to stop trying to find places to procure these little lovelies, but we are going to slow down on writing reviews of candies that y’all can’t get.  It’s a tease.  And no one likes a tease, except the weirdos in the crowd.  Talking to you, Larry.  And Jamie.  And Dave.  Lots of others too, but hey, let’s move on!  The following are some recent candies we were graciously sent by some of the Candy Gurus faithfuls out there….

Haribo Drajelli, sent by who else?  The Candy Gurus’ #1 Euro connection, Sweet Susie.  These are a “non pareil” covered jelly style gummy.

Cross section:

I’m not sure the gooeyness is coming through, but it’s there.  Usually I’m not one for this style of gummy, which is more of a “gelee”.  But I liked these, especially the crunch of the  nonpareils.  On that note, if these are nonpareils, then what’s a pareil?

Next up from Susie? More Haribo of course!

Oh lord.  Could these BE any better?  Sour-REALLY sour- gummies, but a different kind of gummy.  Closer to the less chewy and easier to rip apart consistency of Haribo Tropifrutti, these are a totally original sour treat. #wishicouldbuyinbulk.

Next up, from Susie again, Katjes Gelee-Fruchtz.  Gelee.  Damn gelee!  I hate those!  Right?….

Wrong, I suppose, since I plowed through this bag.  I guess it comes down to flavor-when it’s right, I absolutely don’t mind the gelee soft fruit thing like I thought I did.  My brother will be proud, he’s always sung the praises of the gelee. to the point of buying those weird fruit slice looking things.  I’ll stick with these.

These are truly outstanding-which I should have guessed, coming from Katjes.  Another bag I wouldn’t hesitate to buy again.

 Noah, my buddy who lived in Thailand for a few years, brought these back for us:

They’re both tamarind candy.  For those who don’t know what tamarind is, it’s a fruit that’s inherently sour and a bit sweet.  Very big in Mexico as well as some Asian countries.

The variety below claims to be spicier, and is packed with salt.  The one under it also claims to be spicy, but has no salt.

Whoah.  I have mixed feelings about these, but generally give them the thumbs up.  The ones packed in salt are tasty, but inevitably some salt sticks to the candy, which makes it way too salty.  And for me to say something’s too salty…you know it’s damn salty.  The one below it without salt is the one I prefer-and it’s really good.  Tamarind is delicious, but the bottom line is that this is good for me in small quantities only.  It’s just too intense otherwise.

We’re in the home stretch now.  Here’s another Euro delight, this time from Trolli:

Sour apple gummies.  If they were made by American “Trolli”, they’d suck for sure.  But from the real German company?  Gold, like everything else they make.

Representing red, yellow, green, and (orange?) apple varieties, these are perfect.  Small, potent, tart, sweet, robust…they’re just power packed.  The smell is wonderful too, very authentic.  I can’t say enough about the size of the pieces, I wish all gummies were this small.  When the flavor is there, you don’t need a huge bite.  A little goes a long way.

Finally, I present to you a timely offering from Haribo, their Christmas variety:

These guys are foam on one side, gummy on the other-kind of a typical Haribo option, but always good.  The shapes are of holiday items, which makes them inherently more holidayesque.  Good times!  A huge thanks to al of our readers who sent us candy to try, with a special nod to Susie- you go, girl!

And so, dear readers, we’re gonna leave you longing for these sumptuous treats to wrap up 2011.  If any of you find any of these, please let us know.  Otherwise, know that 2012 will continue to bring quality candy reviews from two middle aged alt.dads that you can-for the most part-click to buy.

Happy new year, y’all!