Chili Mango Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
The Good: Great realistic flavor, Environmentally responsible bulk, Taste does not fade
The Bad: Ouch for the tongue!
The Basics: Anyone who loves spicy foods will love the Chili Mango Jelly Belly jelly beans: the company got the flavor perfectly right!
As one whose palate continues to become refined as a food reviewer, I often find myself trying foods that are more trendy than I am actually interested in. I've often kvetched about the pomegranate phase and frankly, I've yet to taste how organic foods are actually more flavorful or in any substantive way better (outside the lack of chemicals, they truly just seem vastly more expensive to me). One of the more recent culinary delights I have encountered on my infrequent trips into the real world of late has been Chili Mango Salsa. So, when Jelly Belly ousted Jalapeno from their current fifty flavor assortment, it was of little surprise to me that they added the trendier new flavor, Chili Mango. Chili Mango Jelly Bellys are one of the rare examples of me being forced to admit the food is perfectly rendered, just not my tastes. As a result, I am happy to sing the praises of the Chili Mango Jelly Belly and for those who love that type flavor, advise them to stock up. But I won't recommend it as a general recommendation; it's just too spicy for me!
For those who might never have had Jelly Belly jelly beans, these are easily the best jelly beans on the planet, packing a lot of flavor into a very small size. Unlike most jelly beans which are only vaguely flavored and are more based on colors, Jelly Belly jelly beans have a wide variety of actual flavors, like Dark Chocolate, pina colada, the superfruit assortment, or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn).
Some might ask why Jelly Belly felt the need to create Chili Mango Jelly Bellys when they already had Mango. I honestly have no idea. Who needs ten pounds of Chili Mango flavored Jelly Bellys? I suppose anyone who would eat that much Chili Mango salsa and still want more. Anyone looking to burn away the taste of something bad in their mouth would also seem to be the ideal candidate for Chili Mango Jelly Bellys. Anyone who might like Chili Mango Jelly Belly jelly beans will likely find that this is the best way to get them in bulk in an environmentally responsible way for the least amount of money.
Basics
Chili Mango is a flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Jelly Belly jelly beans are approximately one half inch long by one quarter inch wide and they are roughly bean-shaped. These little candies are marketed to taste precisely like Chili Mango salsa (or whatever other combinations chilis and mangoes are used for) and they live up to that exceptionally well. In fact, they embody those flavors perfectly, which is the only saving grace of this terrible jelly bean.
Chili Mango flavored Jelly Bellys are available in a wide array of quantities, but the largest quantity available is the ten pound bulk case. This is a decent-sized box with a plastic lining and while some might wonder why anyone would need a ten pound box, I ask, "Do you know how big the jar would have to be to hold ten pounds of chili mango salsa?! This is much safer!" I suspect that for most people, a ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans, if not a two-year supply.
Chili Mango flavored Jelly Bellys are remarkably easy to recognize and distinguish from other Jelly Bellys, except in low lighting when they might be mistaken for Peach or possibly Tangerine. Chili Mango is a translucent orange color bean with tiny red spots on it, more like pepper than mixed in (which differentiates it from the Peach well, where the red is more of a swirl).
Ease of Preparation
These are jelly beans, not making your own chili mango salsa! In the case of the ten pound box, one might want to put them in a candy dish of some form as opposed to always going into the box. Then again, there is no law against eating them right from the box, not even a natural law. Eat them from the box if you so desire.
Taste
Chili Mango Jelly Bellys have a surprisingly robust scent. Opening the box, there was actually a very inviting citrus scent which greeted us. It also lulled me into the false sense of security thinking that it might be more Mango flavored than chili. I was wrong!
Chili Mango Jelly Belly jelly beans seem like they might be off at first. When placing them on the tongue, the sweet taste of mangoes washes over the tongue. The sweet, slightly sour, flavor of mango is perfectly rendered and the jelly bean is pleasant. . . for about three seconds. Then the fiery taste of red chilis kicks in and the flavor is spicy and unpleasant. The taste is spicy hot and utterly unpleasant. Chili Mango makes for a great gag bean because of the deceptive opening taste.
As well, Chili Mango flavored Jelly Bellys do not diminish in taste when you eat vast quantities of them. No, these taste like Chili Mango bite after bite, never fading and that only adds to the value of the ten pound case. In fact, this might be one of the best of the more obscure flavors, even if it is torture to the tastebuds to keep eating them.
Nutrition
Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone looking to them for nutrition needs to understand they are not the dip they are based upon, they are a sugary snack! Jelly beans, even Jelly Belly jelly beans, are not a legitimate source of nutrition. These are a snack food, a dessert, and are in no way an adequate substitute for a real meal. A serving is listed at thirty-five beans, with each Jelly Belly jelly bean having approximately four calories. This means that in a single serving, there are 140 calories, which is 12% of your daily recommended intake.
The thing is, Jelly Belly jelly beans are not as bad as they could be in the nutrition area. They have no fat and no protein, but for those who have ever dated a Vegan, these are Vegan compliant because they contain no gelatin! They have only one percent of the daily sodium with 15 mg and they are gluten free! The main ingredients are sugar, corn syrup and modified food starch, so it's not like this is an all-natural food, but they could be far, far worse.
Storage/Clean-up
Jelly Belly jelly beans have a shelf life of approximately one year and I have yet to run across a stale Jelly Belly (though that could have something to do with a package never surviving a year around me). They remain freshest when they are kept in an airtight container (the bag in the bulk box is sufficient if it is kept closed) and they ought to be kept in a lukewarm environment. Storing them in hot places is likely to make the beans stick together and be gross. Kept in a cool, dry place, the beans retain their flavor perfectly.
As for cleanup, unless one allows the Jelly Belly to get hot to the point that the waxy coating on the bean melts, the dyes on these do not bleed or denature, so there is usually no cleanup necessary, not even washing one's hands after eating them (You'll want to wash your hands just to minimize rubbing something this spicy into your eyes!). I've never had Chili Mango Jelly Bellys stain anything.
Overall
Chili Mango Jelly Belly jelly beans are a truly great, original jelly bean that truly torments the tastebuds with its accurate chili flavor. Even so, I can't recommend this near-perfect bean because I am just not a fan of large quantities of spicy foods.
For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Raspberry Jelly Bean Dips
Strawberry Jelly Bean Dips
BeanBoozled Assortment
9/10
For other food reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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