Surf Sweets Jelly Beans

These little organic treats were brought to me by the Easter Bunny (aka my mother), who also got me some Sweet & Sara marshmallows and Primal Jerky Strips. Yay for snacky vegan foods :D Anyway, these Surf Sweets jelly beans are certified USDA organic, are made with organic fruit juice, enhanced with vitamin C, and are naturally flavored and colored. They are also made in the USA.

So, the whole bag smelled like strawberry jam when I opened it. Sometimes strawberry is good in my book, sometimes its not. There are four colors, pink, red, orange, and yellow, so I'm assuming that means four flavors.

Pink: There's a nice little bunch of these strawberry flavored beans. They have very strong flavor, I'm really not too fond of them but they're okay.

Red: There is only one of these and its cherry. Yum yum yummy. I love cherry.

Orange: Only one of this color too. Eh, its orange. mostly sweet with a little tang.

Yellow: The majority of the beans are yellow. As far as I'm concerned, they are a little bland compared to the other three flavors. They are kind of just.. sweet.

These have that typical grainy jelly-bean texture.

Ingredients: Organic evaporated cane juice, Organic tapioca syrup, Organic grape juice concentrate, Pectin, Citric acid, Ascorbic acid, Colors added (including black carrot juice concentrate, turmeric, annatto), Natural flavors, Confectioner's glaze, Carnauba wax, Organic sunflower oil.

Nutrition: A serving is 19 pieces or about one package. 90 calories per serving, 0 calories from fat. Total fat 0g, Sodium 15mg, Total carbohydrate 22g, Dietary fiber 0g, Sugars 18g, Protein 0g.

Well, I like them enough to eat the whole bag but I wish the majority of the beans were red as that one was my favorite. Definitely a great Easter basket stuffer for vegans and health conscious parents. A 6 out of 10.

Whizzers Chocolate Beans

Finally, vegan M&Ms! Or vegan Smarties if you're in the UK. Actually, these are made in the UK, so it would probably make sense to say these are veganized Smarties. I ordered these from veganessentials.com. The simple packaging states "Whizzers Chocolate Beans. No Dairy, No Wheat, No Gluten. Free from Artificial Colours or Preservatives." The back describes these as "Chocolate centres in a crisp sugar shell. Chocolate centres contain 56% minimum cocoa solids." There are four colors, yellow, brownish-orange, pink, and green. The colors are dull compared to Smarties or M&Ms due to the natural coloring.

The taste is all there. The candy shell is crisp and sweet. It is a bit thicker than I remember the M&M shells being but its enjoyable. The chocolate center is decent. Its not the best tasting chocolate but then again neither were M&M's chocolate centers. Basically what I am trying to say is that these serve the M&M replacement purpose.

Ingredients: Sugar, Cocoa mass, Cocoa butter, Emulsifier (soya lecithin), Gum arabic, Glazing agent (carnauba wax), Flavouring, Natural colours (tumeric, copper chlorophyllin, carmelized sugar syrup, beetroot juice).

Nutrition (UK style): Per 100g: Energy 2119kj, 505kcal, Protein 3.3g, Carbohydrate 70.3g, Fat 21.8g. (The package is only 50g so there are about 252.5 calories total.)

The biggest difference with these and M&Ms are the colors. The flavor and texture are familiarly yummy and these candies turn out to be quite addictive. I am in the habit of sucking on the shell until it can easily be peeled off releasing the cool melty chocolate on my tongue. I am pretty content with this sweet vegan treat. An 8 out of 10.