Sunkist Citrus Assortment Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
The Good: Good taste, Minor nutritional value, Environmentally and economically responsible bulking.
The Bad: Somewhat limited nature of the assortment.
The Basics: A decent assortment, the Sunkist Citrus Assortment of Jelly Belly jelly beans provides Vitamin C and the RDA of deliciousness!
When it comes to Jelly Belly jelly beans, there are so many different ways to get most of the flavors that it is a wonder that Jelly Belly makes their assortments so specific. But in the case of the Sunkist Citrus Mix, it is pretty easy to figure out how and why Jelly Belly came up with the assortment. Having revamped five of their fruit flavors and leased the name to Sunkist, they are eager to highlight their five citrus fruit flavors together. So, the five-flavor Sunkist Citrus Mix has a logical quality to it, even it if is a bit limited to citrus fruit flavors.
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 Plum, Caramel Apple, Chocolate Covered Cherry or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.
Who needs ten pounds of Sunkist Citrus Jelly Bellys? Anyone who likes getting their vitamin C without drinking, squeezing or eating their fruit and who does love jelly beans! Anyone who might like Sunkist Citrus 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 Sunkist Citrus Assortment of Jelly Belly Jelly beans is a mix of five flavors of Sunkist Citrus Jelly Bellys:
Sunkist Tangerine
Sunkist Orange
Sunkist Lemon
Sunkist Pink Grapefruit
and Sunkist Lime
There are no duds in this collection and each flavor tastes wonderfully accurate for the fruit flavor it is intended to! Jelly Belly jelly beans are approximately one half inch long by one quarter inch wide and they are roughly bean-shaped.
The Sunkist Citrus assortment of 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, "Can you think of a better way to get Vitamin C?!" I suspect that for most people, a ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans.
There are only five Sunkist Citrus flavors and they are exceptionally easy enough to tell apart. All of these beans are translucent, but their colors and flavors are pretty obvious, with only the Orange and Tangerine coming close to one another. Lemon is predictably yellow, while Pink Grapefruit is obviously pink, and Lime is a soft green color. Sunkist Tangerine is a light, pale orange color, while Sunkist Orange is a slightly darker, more robust orange color. Unless one is in low lighting, it is very easy to tell them apart.
Ease Of Preparation
These are jelly beans, and it is a very limited assortment. There are approximately two pounds of each of the flavors in this assortment in the box and they require no real preparation. 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, they become no less vitamin-packed if you leave them out or have the box open! Eat them freely from the box or however you please!
Taste
Sunkist Tangerine is a good Jelly Belly jelly bean. The beans do not have any sort of strong bouquet, so much of their taste comes from the actual taste, not the scent. They taste, as one might expect, just like tangerines. There is the sweet, vaguely citrus taste that spreads over the tongue and rewards the person eating them with the solid, fruit taste of tangerines. They lack the tang of pure tangerines in their unadulterated form, but they also lack the rinds, so it's a good tradeoff as far as I am concerned! The drawback to Sunkist Tangerine Jelly Bellys, in addition to being a more subtle flavor than a straight out orange might have been, is that the taste of these jelly beans fades quickly. After eating a handful, these beans begin to taste generically sugary and vaguely fruity as opposed to precisely like tangerine.
When one places the Sunkist Orange Jelly Belly on their tongue, they are greeted with a very typical orange flavor. The flavor is only slightly less sweet than the tangerine and slightly less overwhelming to the tongue than the Orange Juice. If Orange Juice is concentrated orange flavor, Sunkist Orange is a little more realistic and thus a little more watery than just orange. But the flavor of orange is quite true.
Sunkist Lemon is a perfect Jelly Belly. Unlike most jelly beans that taste like a combination of gelatin and sugar, Jelly Belly jelly beans actually taste like the flavor they claim to, in this case coming down strongly as a lemon-flavored jelly bean. In fact, the amazing thing about Sunkist Lemon Jelly Bellys is how accurately they capture the tartness of lemons. These may have a sugary coating and start sweet, but they have a sour aftertaste that completes the lemon taste one expects from Jelly Belly.
Sunkist Pink Grapefruit Jelly Bellys have a subtle sugary aroma which does not inform the consumer what they are in for when they pop one of them in their mouth. And that experience is one that is likely to surprise those not ready for it. The shells of these Jelly Bellys are bland, then kick out a sour taste, much like a pink grapefruit does. It lulls the consumer in with a slightly sweet taste, then hits the consumer with the full, fruity and sour taste of grapefruit. Biting into this Jelly Belly afterward only increases the misery; they become even more sour, ravishing the tongue in an accurate and unpleasant way. But then, after a moment, the sour lets up and there is a fruity and sweet taste left on the tongue. This tastes like the full range of taste that comes from a pink grapefruit.
Sunkist Lime Jelly Belly jelly beans are decent, but not terribly (or realistically) sour. The jelly beans do not have a bouquet, so that they are packed with as little flavor as they actually is not much of a surprise. Unaided by any strong scent, Sunkist Lime Jelly Belly jelly beans are a very mild Jelly Bean. Biting into the Sunkist Lime Jelly Belly, one is instantly hit with a kick of sharp, taste that is much like a lime coated in sugar. This actually tastes very much like lime juice and the flavor is very much lime without lemon added to it. Unfortunately, the taste fades remarkably quickly. More than a handful of Sunkist Lime Jelly Belly jelly beans consumed at a time leaves the consumer with the vague taste of sugar in their mouth, not anything wonderful or as distinct as the initial flavor. Of course, if one can limit themselves to about half a cup of these little gems at a time, there ought to be no problem!
Nutrition
Again, these are jelly beans, but the Sunkist Citrus Assortment jelly beans comes with 25% of one’s RDA of Vitamin C and each flavor is made with real fruit juice or fruit puree in the recipe. 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! Some Vegans consider the wax in the coating in the Jelly Belly jelly beans to be not Vegan compliant. I suppose it depends on just how strict a Vegan your Vegan is, if this matters at all. Generally, they are animal free! Jelly Belly jelly beans 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 assortment isn't going to last six months, one way or the other!). 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 cool 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 (there's nothing wrong with excessive handwashing . . . well, unless it's a symptom of a debilitating psychological condition, but that has never been caused by jelly beans, Jelly Bellys or citrus fruit!). I've never had Sunkist Citrus Jelly Bellys stain anything.
Overall
Ultimately, the Sunkist Citrus Assortment is an awesome assortment, but I knocked it out of perfection because the whole is less than its parts. When I site down to Jelly Belly jelly beans, I'm often looking for a taste treat which is diverse, delicious and interesting. In the case of these beans, though, the flavors are more monotonous than inspired eating. In other words, the citrus zest is not broken up by other flavors and this assortment becomes a little more boring with continued consumption (as I neared the bottom of my box, I kept thinking, "I wish I had a Peanut Butter Jelly Belly to cleanse the palate."). Either way, these are excellent beans, but those who love Jelly Bellys will probably enjoy a more complete assortment more.
For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Bubble Gum
Strawberry Cheesecake
Juicy Pear
8/10
For other food or drink reviews, please visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!
© 2011, 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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