Everything You Wanted to Know about SweeTARTS but Were Afraid to Eat

The only thing Sweet and Tarty about these is everything

Reviewed by Matty

August 8, 2015

Visit DylansCandyBar.com

See, what I do is try every freaking possible Sweetart form factor so you don’t need to rot your teeth finding the one you might like best.

What I do is stare and consider, taste and pucker, suck and chew, and swallow all those calories and fat because I love you. Literally, I love you. I’m like that guy on TV who tells you Jesus loves you only I’m the Jesus.

So I met a good guy who works for a company that I work with too in my other life and this guy also works with Nestle and Nestle makes Sweetarts so he sent me some. Not just some but lots. of varieties. I had no idea how many there were of them. As you can see.

Sweeties1

Jonny said “you should do a Sweetarts throwdown” and thus this post was born.

I’ve always kinda liked Sweetarts. (I’m talking about the actual SweeTARTS on the bottom of the package picture above.) They are an OG sour candy and there’s nothing ‘tart’ about them, unlike other candies that call themselves such. These are actually sour. Which of course I love.

Let’s run down all the goods I got, yes?

Starting with the Soft & Chewy ropes, which I started by not liking then changed to really liking.

SweetiesSticks

These are rebranded from Kazoozles, which Jonny (also) liked oh so many years ago. The flavor is more defined cherry than the other SweeTARTS red colored candies have. They are also the least tart. Nor sour. Still, they are more tart than any other red-ropes-like candy. They have a soft filling, surprisingly not gross. I’d like to see them aged, with more chew.

Next up we got the “Chews.”

SweetiesTaffy

These look like Laffy Taffy (Nestle makes those too by the way) and kinda taste like them too, though as far as I can tell there’s only one flavor (at least the 3 I tried were all red). They are more tart than Laffy Taffy, which is good, but I can’t give them more than an “ok”. I couldn’t fill a blog post about them. And because they are just enough like Laffy Taff, that I don’t care for, I put these at the bottom of the pile.

I should have started this review with these little ones:

SweetiesMinis

They are awesome. Small, a rounder & slightly bigger tart n tiny-like puppy, these are much more sour and chewy. Again, flavors aren’t the main plot line. It’s the sour chew. They felt like an old friend only I’m not actually sure if there are other candies like this. Get em – you can pop 10 in your mouth at one time and over indulge wonderfully.

Ever had the Giant SweeTARTS?

SweetiesGiants

They’re good too, but honestly they used to be better. Years ago these were more chalky, almost like a Razzle, and then they would come together while you were eating and become really chewy. The sour/tart always forefront of course. The newer version is just as tart but it doesn’t start as chalky and fall-apart like the original. It just kinda starts stickier and chewy. Not as novel. Still – good. Can’t eat more than one though. Maybe 1.5.

And then we get to the basics.

SweetiesNormal

SweetiesBig

These aren’t as great. Which is hilarious since I started the review saying “I always kinda liked them.” But now? Eh. Pedestrian. Espesh when you got these Chewy Sours:

SweetiesSours

Just like the mini guys, only… wait for it … w a i t  f o r  i    t …. only bigger! These are great. Very sour. Very chewy. I wanted more.

Luckily, my friend gave me like 17 packages of them.

Want your share? Buy em yo!

Zolli Candy

46 Comments

  1. erol

    yes yes yes yes

    Reply
  2. Deborah Delany

    I love Sweetarts. I always have them by my bed at night. They always help when my throat is dry.
    My favorite though is the giant Sweetart suckers. But they are the hardest of all the Sweetarts IMO

    Reply
    • Stephanie Ballew

      The suckers are smarties, not sweet tarts

      Reply
  3. T Mars

    My kid showed me a SweeTart from her Halloween bag that had the word TENDER on one side and ROUGH on the flip side. Seems perverted to imprint that on candy marketed for children.

    Reply
    • Geo

      honestly allowing children to consume these to begin with is just wrong

      Reply
    • F.y.i

      Only a perverted person will view it as that. Others will see it as another way of saying hard & soft. Seek help immediately!

      Reply
  4. Vickie

    The grape ones from the sweet tart roll are my absolute favorite however, there are very few to each roll maybe 2 or 3 if you are lucky. I would love to know why.

    Reply
  5. Dean

    In a typical roll of originals there are always 1 third blues, which I like least.
    Why ?

    Reply
    • TB

      HATE the blue ones, too!

      Reply
    • Heather

      I agree 100% & also want to know WHY?

      Reply
  6. Sweetart lover

    Sweetarts are Sweetarts if you all r unhappy with your purchases that is sad because they are amazing no matter what. I havent found that the green are harder and i have 15 boxes in my bedroom right now so it probably is caused by temp., location, and time 🙂

    Reply
    • Rhonda Sweeney

      I have boxes too. I like the softer original ones, if that’s what you are talking about. My teeth can’t take the hard ones. Any suggestions on softing them? The purple ones tend to be soft and the shipment. Help!!!

      Reply
  7. Deb Collins

    They were never as hard in the past as they are now 🙁
    Everybody knows it
    I’m wondering if sealing them in a tight bag or jar with a slice of apple or something might help. I bought 9 boxes for myself and friends and everyone had to toss most of them. Especially the greenies 🙁

    Reply
  8. Sherry

    Ok, I was born in 1961, and I used to buy the giant sweet tarts in 1972 from a local sweet shop across from my school. The lady always stocked the giant ones that were sold in individual packages. The were mounded on the top and bottom like a giant aspirin shape. Nobody talks about these but my sister and our friends remember them well. They were NOT chewy. They were chalky, and we sucked on them until they were soft enough to rake off some moist powder with our teeth. We would do that till they eventually fell apart, then we would put the whole nugget in our mouth and let it melt. Why can’t they make these again. Anybody else remember these?

    Reply
    • Cheryl

      ‍♀️I DO! They were my favorite, still would be if they were available!

      Reply
    • Riley

      My mom has raved about these since I can remember. I wish I could try one!

      Reply
    • ck

      i think youre talking about bleep blips or bleeps

      Reply
    • Mary

      I remember them well, they were the best!! Always bought them at the old corner store. Grape or Cherry individually packaged, I would definitely still buy them if they made them. Can’t even find a picture of them.

      Reply
    • Patti

      MY FAV!!!! No one I know remembers them!!!

      Reply
    • Sara A Rosales-Guerra

      I loved those too!

      Reply
  9. Anonymous

    I like to take the OG roll tarts and use a mortar and pestle to make a sort of crumble.
    You end up with a kind of chunky pixie stick.

    Reply
    • Matty

      great idea

      Reply
  10. Christopher Rush

    Glad you mentioned the old giant ones, they were just like the regular ones, but big. About the hardness, I’ve noticed the ones in the box from dollar store or Wally, are softer and smaller than the ones in the roll. Also think it has to do with how much heat they sit in. Ate some I found in my car and they were like rocks.
    Btw, how about some SPREEs!! Love Um, but notice dispite color, they all taste the same.

    Reply
  11. Down with Berries and Cherries

    The regular Mini Chewy are EXCELLENT, but I really dislike the Berries and Cherries.

    Reply
    • Shamie Mills

      We would lick those til our tongue bled! The “puffy” tarts were the best . . .in pink and purple only!

      Reply
      • Patti

        MY FAV!!!! No one I know remembers them!!!

        Reply
  12. NoybNoybNoyb

    Regarding the “hard” sweetarts – it is my observation that the green sweetarts are most often the hard ones – and therefore my least favorite. I wondered (to myself until joining this conversation) if it was related to the coloring/flavoring used in the green ones. Anyone else agree that the green ones are almost alway “hard”? Still a huge fan of sweetarts – just bummed when there are too many green ones in my roll!

    Reply
    • Tbone

      I will share a further observation. Blue are almost always softer. I think is gas to be related to ingredients…either coloring ir flavoring.

      Reply
      • babetteateoatmeal

        ive found that too. ive gotten a lot of sweetart boxes and most typically red and blue are the softest ones, purple is kindof in between, and green and yellow are pretty hard. i love the soft ones so i always save blue and red for last

        Reply
  13. Matty

    #sweetarts 🙂

    Reply
  14. Nancy

    I love sweat tarts so much! They are so amazing and I love everything about them. I am so blessed to be able to work at the factory that makes the treat we live. Reply#sweettarts, if you enjoy them as well.
    Sincerely,
    Nancy

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      Agree nancy.

      Reply
    • Shelby

      So I recently started eating sweet tarts and noticed this texture difference! I definitely like the soft ones better and it’s taking me some time to figure out which are hard and which are soft! I agree with all the comments that the blue are the hardest. They are also my fav. I think the green are hard too. I buy them in a box and the dollar store. I don’t know what made me buy them the first time, but it was a mistake because now I’m hooked on the damn things and they give me canker sores in my mouth because I’m goofy and I eat the whole box!!

      Reply
  15. Anoymous

    I never was a fan of sweat tarts. Once I tried on the ropes my thoughts changed. Now I’m a OG fan!

    Reply
  16. Bruce

    I have loved Sweet Tarts most of my life. I am 62 years old now. I find it much easier to eat the mini chewy ones but I also need to watch what I eat. I need to be careful on how much sugar I consume. In reading more material I find out that there is no sugar in them. That really surprised me.

    Reply
  17. Joshua Nemeschy

    I am glad to know I am not the only one who gets disappointed when the sweettarts are “hard”. I absolutely cannot stand that. I actually emailed sweettarts and they didnt really have an answer other than “Sorry that happened to you, here are some coupons” I sort of thought that it was maybe almost like a staleness. Too much air getting to them. But It seems to be totally random. So usually what I do is test the waters, buy one box so i don’t waste a bunch of money. Then when i find one that melts like they are supposed to in my mouth. I go buy all that I can of that date code. It isn’t surefire, but its the best way that I have found so far.

    Reply
    • Dave

      Hi I’m pretty sure I’m speaking for most of the sweet tart lovers. Grape is the best and there’s not enough of them in a pack. There’s way too many green ones and I honestly throw them out the window. Ty

      Reply
  18. Suzanne

    The sweet tart Originals why does one dissolved quickly and the other one stays hard please answer that question thank you

    Reply
    • Matty

      I don’t really know. I don’t make them, I only eat them.

      Reply
    • Shelby

      This is my exact question. Did you ever get an answer for it?!

      Reply
  19. Afrodite Dornfest

    I love the original sweet tarts but I really love them when they’re not as condensly pressed or “hard”. Quite often once in a while I will find a sweetheart that once bit into dissolves Easily and melts in my mouth I love that soft little bite. And I’m wondering why it occurs? From what I can surmise it is due to not as many ingredients being as compressed into the form of which they are made.

    Reply
    • Matty

      You may be right. But your username is cool enough that it doesn’t matter either way!

      Reply
    • Kate

      Yes I know what you mean – they are chalky in texture (but delicious in the flavor). I’ve found them more in the boxes from Dollar Tree than anywhere else.

      I’m very surprised that the ULTIMATE of ALL Sweetarts – Sweetart Sour Gummies – are not on this list!

      Reply
      • Matty

        Me too. Lame.

        Reply
  20. runnin4sweetsrexburg

    The best Sweetarts are the Giant Chewy Sweetarts. The are sometimes hard to find, but they are worth looking for!

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *