Candy Hunting - New Products from Wrigley

This is the first of several posts detailing the new confectionery offerings that I learned about at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. Wrigley has a multitude of new products they will be introducing within the next year. While most of the introduction dates are listed as 2015, Wrigley and Mars products have a tendency to appear on shelves months before their intended release. For example, Skittles Desserts and Starburst Fruity Slushies were available in Fall 2013, while their introduction date is technically 2014. 

Skittles Orchards

Introduction date: 2015

Flavors include red apple, cherry, lime, peach, and orange. 

Skittles Orchards will be available in single serve bags (56.7 g), share size bags (113.4 g), theater boxes (99 g), and lay down bags (396.9 g). 

Skittles Flavor Mash-Ups

Introduction date: 2015

Flavors include Skittles Wild Berry (raspberry, strawberry, wild cherry, berry punch, and melon berry) and Tropical (pineapple passionfruit, banana berry, mango tangelo, kiwi lime, and strawberry starfruit). 

Skittles Flavor Mash-Ups will be available in stand-up pouches (255.2 g) and peg bags (204.1 g). 

These are similar to M&M's Mix-Ups (milk chocolate, peanut, and crispy M&M's in one bag), which are available in the UK. 

Skittles Originals Peg Bags

Introduction date: 2015

Starburst Superfruit Flavors

Introduction date: 2015

Flavors include raspberry pomegranate, strawberry superfruit, passionfruit punch, and blueberry acai. 

Starburst Superfruit Flavors will be available in single size packs (58.7 g), share size packs (113.4 g), and lay down bags (396.9 g). 

Starburst FaveREDs Minis

Introduction date: 2015

Flavors include strawberry, fruit punch, watermelon, and cherry.

Starburst FaveREDs Minis will be available in stand-up pouches (255 g). 

Life Savers Gummies Tangy Collisions

Introduction date: 2015

Flavors include strawberry/lemonade, orange/red apple, and pineapple/tangerine. 

Life Savers Gummies Tangy Collisions will be available in peg bags (198 g). 

Juicy Fruit Bubble Gum

Introduction date: July 2014

Flavors include Juicy Fruit Original and Juicy Fruit Sweet Strawberry.

Juicy Fruit Bubble Gum will be available in packs of 5 pieces. 

Juicy Fruit Fruity Chews 

Introduction date: July 2014

Flavors include Juicy Fruit Original and Juicy Fruit Sweet Strawberry.

Juicy Fruit Fruity Chews have a softer chew than normal Juicy Fruit gum, and will be available in 40-count bottles. 

Juicy Fruit Starburst Gum

Flavors include Juicy Fruit Starburst Cherry and Juicy Fruit Starburst Strawberry.

Juicy Fruit Starburst gum will be available in packs of 15 pieces.

Extra Dessert Delights Cinnamon Roll

Introduction date: May 2014 (I have already found this gum at Target)

Extra Dessert Delights Cinnamon Roll gum is available in packs of 15 pieces and multipacks of three 15-piece packs. 

Orbit for Kids Grape

Introduction date: May 2014 (I found these at Walmart back in March)

Orbit for Kids Grape gum is available in packs of 15 pieces and multipacks of three 15-piece packs. 

5 Gum Ascent

Introduction date: December 2013

5 Gum Ascent is available in packs of 15 pieces and multipacks of three 15-piece packs. 

Altoids Arctic

Introduction date: June 2014

Flavors include Peppermint and Wintergreen.

Altoids Arctic are 'curiously cool' rather than 'curiously strong' and will be available in 34 g tins.

Peeps Minis

Peeps have jumped on the minis bandwagon! They are offering three new minis varieties, Sour Watermelon, Strawberry Crème, and Chocolate Crème, which will be available year-round. There are 24 mini Peeps per bag, which has a zip-top closure. Finally, a way to reseal a package of Peeps to prevent them from drying out! 

The mini Peeps are obviously smaller than regular Peeps. They are also very flat. 

Peeps Minis Sour Watermelon

The mini Sour Watermelon Peeps taste exactly like the full-size Sour Watermelon Peeps. 

Peeps Minis Strawberry Crème

Strawberry Crème Peeps were available exclusively at Target for the 2014 Easter season. In comparison, the Strawberry Crème Peeps Minis have a stronger strawberry flavor and are significantly more vibrant than its larger counterpart. These are my favorite of the three Peeps Minis varieties. 

Peeps Minis Chocolate Crème

The Chocolate Crème Peeps Minis are similar to the Chocolate Mousse Peeps I recently reviewed, but without the chocolate layer on the bottom. The Chocolate Crème Peeps Minis have a strong aroma similar to hot cocoa. Unfortunately, the chocolate flavor is much more subdued compared to the aroma. 

Cadbury Dairy Milk Chips Ahoy! Cookie Dough

Place purchased: Food Basics, Windsor, Canada

Number of reviewers: 5

Appearance - 7.2

The Dairy Milk Chips Ahoy! Cookie Dough bar consists of Cadbury Diary Milk chocolate with large, beige-colored cookie dough pieces scattered throughout the bar. 

Flavor and Taste - 6.7

The bar tastes primarily of sweet milk chocolate. The cookie dough has a faint vanilla flavor, but otherwise is hardly noticeable in terms of taste. 

C: The cookie dough flavor is very mild. It's mostly just chocolate and sweet.

E: I like the chocolate and cookie dough combo less than I expected. It's very sweet, but the flavor complexity is lacking. 

L: The chocolate is delish. Can't really taste the cookie dough. 

S: Tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough. Good ratio.

Texture - 5.7

The milk chocolate is very smooth. The cookie dough pieces are grainy, reminiscent of cookie batter. 

C: The texture of the cookie dough pieces are a little like the pieces in ice cream, but then have a texture like marshmallows. Also, the pieces are very dry.

E: I'm not crazy about the texture. The dough part is very chewy, which reads funny in the chocolate bar. 

L: The 'cookie dough' is super drying.

S: Huge lumps of cookie dough, so it was gritty like cookie dough.

Aftertaste - 5.6

The aftertaste is chocolaty and very sweet. 

C: A little gritty and chocolaty. 

E: A little sour, but I think that's just the chocolate.

L: Kind of gets stuck in your throat from all the dryness. 

S: Slightly strange. Kind of artificial tasting. 

Overall - 6.2

The Dairy Milk Chips Ahoy! Cookie Dough bar was not bad. However, the bar was more like milk chocolate with grainy spheres than a chocolate bar highlighting cookie dough inclusions due to the lack of flavor from the cookie dough bits.

E: It's chocolate, but it didn't wow me. 

S: Pretty good. 

Lychee Mentos

Place purchased: eBay

Country of origin: Hong Kong

Number of reviewers: 3

Appearance - 6.3 

The Lychee Mentos have a very light pink shell with a white interior. 

Flavor and Taste - 5.0 

The Mentos start out as sweet and cooling, with a floral and soapy flavor. The flavor then becomes slightly fruity and acidic, but still has a strong floral note. The Lychee Mentos remind me more of elderflower than lychee. 

C: At first it's minty, then the lychee becomes prominent. 

S: Starts out as lychee, then becomes kind of minty and fruity. Reminds me of Ice Breaker Duos (fruit + cool). 

Texture - 7.3 

The texture is hard and crunchy at first, then it becomes chewy. 

S: A little harder than I expected. 

Aftertaste - 5.7 

The aftertaste is sweet, cooling, and floral. 

C: Cooling lychee. 

S: Sweet, minty, fruity, and a little soapy. 

Overall - 5.7

Overall, I was disappointed with the Lychee Mentos. Lychee is easily my favorite fruit, and I have tried nearly every lychee product I have come across. I was excited to see that Lychee Mentos were being sold in Hong Kong, especially since Mentos sold in Asia are typically phenomenal and taste very similar to the fruit they emulate (pink grapefruit, Fuji apple, pineapple, etc.). These Lychee Mentos fell short of my expectations. They were too floral and had a cooling sensation uncharacteristic of lychee fruit. 

Candy Hunting - New Bite-Sized Candies

Rickland Orchards Greek on the go! Caramel Bites

Place found: Walmart 

Price: $3.58

Rickland Orchards Greek on the go! Strawberry Bites

Place found: Walmart 

Price: $3.58

DeMet's Turtles Minis

Place found: Walmart 

Candy Hunting - Russell Stover Cake Assortment

Russell Stover Cake Assortment

One Red Velvet, Wedding Cake, Chocolate Cake, and Carrot Cake truffle in each box.

Place found: Publix 

Price: $1.00

Also new are Cookie Dough, Red Velvet, Wedding Cake, and Chocolate Cake Big Bites. 

Candy Hunting - New Summer Products

Twix Bites

Place found: Walgreen's

Fruit Vines Bites Strawberry

Place found: Walgreen's

Fruit Vines Bites Cherry

Place found: Walgreen's

Trident Layers Watermelon and Tropical Fruit

Place found: Target