Lifesavers.  Who likes them?  They’re boring, right?

WRONG.  They’re excellent.  Yes, they’e everywhere, but that doesn’t make them bad.  I favor the “fruit variety” that boasts 10 different flavors, but hey, that’s for another day.  Today we’re looking at something a bit special, that most definitely is NOT commonplace: Life Savers Fruit Tingles.

Before we continue, what comes into your mind when you thing of a “fruit tingle”- what candy comparison?  I wasn’t sure if it was a sour thing, or something more akin to popping candy.  Maybe it was a Zots-like thing, where a powder coating foams up into a sour shower of bliss and eternal dreams?  Whatever you’re imagining, I bet it’s good as well.

Ok, so first impressions?  Sweetarts?  That was my best guess.  But open closer review, and finally a tasting, I realized they’re like none of these things I’ve mentioned.

They definitely look cool, but I have to be honest: I was flummoxed upon eating them.  I didn’t dislike them, but I just couldn’t get a handle on what was going on.  They’re not sour, and they’re not particularly fizzy at all.  In fact, if I had to compare them to something, it would be Bottle Caps, but with non-soda flavors.  Truly, I bought these KNOWING I’d love them, but I just didn’t.

The “tingle” aspect in them is sodium bicarbonate, so if you’re having heartburn, these are a good choice.  Which brings us full circle to my question of what they remind me of: I think it has to be Tums.  Yikes.

Ok, they’re better tasting then Tums, but they definitely don’t taste like Life Savers.  And that makes sense, because they have almost nothing to do with Life Savers.  Fruit Tingles hail from New Zealand, and have been around since the 1930’s, back in the days of CDs.  They were bought by Nestle who rebranded them Wonka in the 90’s, and about a decade ago-you guessed it-were branded as Life Savers, generally only available in Asia.

Why?  Why on earth would that be the case?  Too high level for the rest of the world?  More likely a licensing stipulation, but….who cares.  These things are mediocre at best.  they’re just not satisfying on any level for me.

And there you have it.