For Those Who Didn't Survive The '60s, Jelly Belly Soda Pop Shoppe Assortment Is Wonderful!

Soda Pop Shoppe Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!

The Good: Great realistic flavors, Environmentally responsible bulk, Taste does not fade
The Bad: No real nutritional value
The Basics: A delicious mix of jelly beans that taste remarkably like soda fountain drinks, the Soda Pop Shoppe Assortment is another Jelly Belly winner!


As a northern American living in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries, I missed out on a great number of things. I haven't had to put up with much in the way of warfare, economic strife has been pretty minimal, and I don't have any direct experience with things like automats and soda fountains. Instead, I grew up with synthesizer music, immunizations and all the science fiction on television I could ever want. So, when I'm feeling nostalgic for things I never directly experienced, I'm happy to go for the placebos. For example, when I want the soda fountain experience, I'll pop in Back To The Future and break out the Soda Pop Shoppe Assortment of Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!

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 Cotton Candy, Sour Peach, Orange Juice or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.

Who needs ten pounds of Soda Pop Shoppe flavored Jelly Bellys? I think anyone who wants the soda shoppe experience without traveling back to the fifties and sixties might get a kick out of it. Or just anyone who loves the flavors of soda pop but doesn't enjoy drinking a lot. Anyone who might like Soda Pop Shoppe flavors of 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

The Soda Pop Shoppe Mix is a collection of five unique flavors 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. This is a simple bulking of:
A&W Root Beer
A&W Cream Soda
Grape Crush
Orange Crush
7-Up

These little candies are marketed to taste precisely like different soda beverages and they live up to what they claim to very well, at least in principle. As a lover of soda, it is almost shocking how these beans capture the flavor and fizz of soda. It's actually quite amazing and this is an exceptional mix.

The Soda Pop Shoppe mix Jelly Bellys are available in a few 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, "Have you ever tried to fund a time travel adventure to go back to when there were soda fountains?!" I suspect that for most people, a ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans.


Generally, the flavors in the Soda Pop Shoppe Assortment are easy enough to recognize. Orange Crush is a more luminous opaque orange Jelly Belly than all of the other orange Jelly Belly jelly beans (save Orange Sherbet, which is also significantly lighter). The A&W Root Beer Jelly Belly is a translucent brown, so it is very recognizable as well. 7-Up is bright white with a hint of green to it, which makes it easy to pick out of any other assortment and it is easily differentiated from the translucent white of A&W Cream Soda Jelly Bellys. Only Grape Crush is in any way problematic, as its coloring is remarkably similar to that of Wild Blackberry. Of course within this assortment, there ought to be no problems with differentiating any of the beans.

Ease Of Preparation

These are jelly beans, not recreating a whole 1950s or early-60s Soda Fountain experience right in your home! 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, it's not like these jelly beans will lose their fizz if you leave them open and out! Eat them out of the box or in open containers around the house, if it so pleases you!

Taste

A&W Cream Soda Jelly Belly jelly beans are amazing. The moment one breaks the candy shell there is a sparkling taste in one's mouth followed by the deep, delicious taste of cream soda. This is one of those Jelly Belly jelly beans where it is hard to discuss the taste in much depth because this is a taste that tastes like what it is. A&W Cream Soda is a vanilla-flavored carbonated beverage with a vanilla taste that defines the taste of cream soda. The A&W Cream Soda Jelly Belly jelly beans taste exactly like A&W Cream Soda. It's good, it has a little sugary kick and it does hold up surprisingly well. These Jelly Belly jelly beans are an exact match for the soda's taste and, like with the Buttered Popcorn flavor, there is something unnerving about the difference in texture between what we know cream soda ought to feel like in our mouth (a liquid) versus the solid of a jelly bean! The A&W Cream Soda Jelly Belly endures in terms of taste very well, handful to handful. As well, these are distinctly different from the vanilla bean flavor of Jelly Belly and taste like cream soda, not just vanilla.

A&W Root Beer Jelly Bellys have no bouquet, so it is actually quite surprising how much flavor they pack into each and every bean. Sadly, this is a flavor where the flavor defines itself and there is no real comparison. These jelly beans taste precisely like A&W Root Beer. The amazing thing is that they seem to have something in the shell of each bean that simulates the fizz of root beer as well. As a result, eating these beans gives the consumer a pretty amazing and realistic root beer experience: one gets a slight bite, as if from fizz, on the tongue when the beans are initially placed there, biting releases the full flavor of root beer and after it is swallowed, the bean has a strong aftertaste that even comes from the back of the throat. It is incredible!

Grape Crush Jelly Bellys have a faint, grape scent which is actually pretty astonishing. When one opens the box, they get a decent wash of grape that almost smells like a red wine in their nostrils. As a result, the consumer is ready for something fruity and they are adequately prepared for the taste they have. Given how strong the aroma these have, it is unsurprising that each bean is packed with flavor. But, unfortunately, the smell does not make the taste of these Jelly Belly jelly beans any more authentic. These taste beautifully and fully of grape, but very few of them have any sort of fizzy aftertaste - or primary taste that makes them embody the soda more than, say, grape juice. The grape is clear, but that flavor is undiluted and undistracted from, making it a tough sell on the idea that it is truly Grape Crush. Even so, shell and center do taste like grape and that is a definite plus.

Orange Crush Jelly Bellys have a faint, orange scent. As a result, the consumer is ready for something with a little twist of lemon and they are adequately prepared for the taste they have. Given even a faint aroma like these have, it is surprising how much flavor they pack into each and every bean. Incredibly, this is a flavor that perfectly embodies what it claims to be, even if Orange Crush and non-brand-name orange sodas essentially taste the same. These jelly beans taste precisely like Orange Crush. The amazing thing is that they seem to have something in the shell of each bean that simulates the fizz of Orange Crush as well. As a result, eating these beans gives the consumer a pretty amazing and realistic orange soda experience: one gets a slight bite, as if from fizz, on the tongue when the beans are initially placed there, biting releases the full flavor of Orange Crush, including the orange aftertaste. What is equally incredible is that after it is swallowed, the bean has a strong aftertaste that even comes from the back of the throat. These taste just like Orange Crush soda.

7Up Jelly Bellys have a faint, citrus scent. As a result, the consumer is ready for something with a little twist of lemon and they are adequately prepared for the taste they have. Given even a faint aroma like these have, it is surprising how much flavor they pack into each and every bean. Sadly, this is a flavor where the flavor defines itself and there is no real comparison. These jelly beans taste precisely like 7Up. The amazing thing is that they seem to have something in the shell of each bean that simulates the fizz of 7Up as well. As a result, eating these beans gives the consumer a pretty amazing and realistic lemon soda experience: one gets a slight bite, as if from fizz, on the tongue when the beans are initially placed there, biting releases the full flavor of 7Up, including the lemony aftertaste. What is equally incredible is that after it is swallowed, the bean has a strong aftertaste that even comes from the back of the throat. These taste just like 7Up soda.

Nutrition

Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone looking to them for nutrition needs to understand they are based upon something that is pretty horrible for those looking for nutrition. 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! (Still, some militant Vegans are not fond of the use of beeswax in the shell, so know your Vegan before giving these as a gift!) 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 and this flavor is not even going to last six months or even three months!). 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 (always wash your hands before eating Jelly Bellys, these don't come from bottles or soda pumps). I've never had any of the Soda Pop Shoppe Mix Jelly Bellys stain anything.

Overall

A wonderful blend of jelly beans that contain a fizzy essence common to soda pop, the five flavors in this mix are wonderful (though Grape Crush is a little underwhelming, especially in comparison) and will keep one's taste buds excited. Stock up! The Soda Pop Shoppe Mix is well worth it!

For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Green Apple
Tangerine
Island Punch

7.5/10

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© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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