Very Cherry Chocolate Dips Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
The Good: Tastes very good, Nothing bad in them
The Bad: Environmentally irresponsible packaging for most consumers.
The Basics: Very Cherry Chocolate Jelly Bean Dips are a flavorful, utterly guilty pleasure that replaces one's equally expensive chocolate-covered cherries.
Some things that I originally look at as gimmicks turn out to be surprisingly substantive when I actually give them a chance. For example, when I received my latest batch of Jelly Belly jelly beans, I thought that the Chocolate Covered Jelly Bean Dips were a novelty whereby Jelly Belly was ridiculously inserting itself into a very different candy market. Now, having had the Mint Jelly Bean Dips (reviewed here!) and the Orange Jelly Bean Dips (reviewed here!), I am convinced this was an inspired idea, not some attempt at a new Jelly Belly cashcow. The Very Cherry Jelly Bean Dips cemented the idea of how worthwhile this candy truly is.
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, Candy Corn, Cocktail Classics Assortment, or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.
Basics
Very Cherry is a flavor of Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans. The Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans are approximately one-half inch long by one-quarter inch wide and they are roughly bean-shaped. These are bigger than the usual Jelly Belly jelly beans by only a few millimeters due to the chocolate shell. These Jelly Bean Dips are Very Cherry (reviewed here!) Jelly Bellys with a chocolate coating.
Very Cherry flavored Jelly Belly Dips Jelly Belly's are currently available in either 2.8 oz. plastic packages which are terrible for the environment or the ten pound bulk boxes most of us appreciate. The packages contain approximately eighty beans and mine was right on with that estimate. The environmental impact of this product is less sever when purchased by the 10 lb. box and it is more affordable that way as well.
Very Cherry flavored Jelly Bean Dips Jelly Bellys are impossible to recognize from other Dips flavors as the six currently-available Dips flavors are all coated in chocolate and thus look more or less alike. The Very Cherry flavor are dipped in dark chocolate, so they are a darker shade of brown than milk chocolate products like the average chocolate-coated raisin.
Ease Of Preparation
These are jelly beans, not discovering the illusive chocolate covered cherry with pit intact in your box of chocolate covered cherries! Preparing them is as easy as opening the packet, and popping the beans into your mouth. In the case of the stiff plastic bag, which is not resealable, the jelly beans may be consumed all at once or over several days with no adverse effects to the freshness. I wouldn't know anything about trying to make these last as I have managed to eat almost an entire bag already. The bulk box can be opened and as long as the bag in the box is sealed, they remain fresh and delicious.
Taste
The scent of the Very Cherry Jelly Bean Dips is distinctly that of dark chocolate. Opening the bag or box, there is little hint of cherry, instead the nose is instantly dominated by the aroma of rich, dark chocolate, just like what is promised on package.
The flavor of the Very Cherry Chocolate Dips is precisely that of a chocolate-covered maraschino cherry. The dark chocolate is slightly soft, very dry and as it cracks open, the sweet, full flavor of cherry comes through. There is a sour aftertaste, which is accented some by the dryness of the dark chocolate shell. But when bitten into or sucked on, the flavor is full, chocolatey and then sweet with a tart kick that is distinctive of cherry. In other words, this is a flavor that Jelly Belly got just right!
Nutrition
Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone expecting them to provide the health benefits of even cherries rinds will be surprised. Jelly Bean Dips are not a legitimate source of nutrition. As a chocolate-covered sugary snack they are loaded with calories (150 in the 40 bean serving) and no real nutrients.
Unlike most Jelly Belly jelly beans, Jelly Bean Dips do have a little fat (4 grams per serving) and no protein. For those who have to worry about Vegan compliance, these are not Vegan compliant despite not containing gelatin! They have beeswax and, more importantly, milk, which eliminates them from consideration for Vegans, though milk-consuming vegetarians ought to be fine with them. The main ingredients are corn syrup, dark chocolate and sugar, so it's not like this is an all-natural food, but they could be far, far worse.
Storage/Clean-up
Jelly Bean Dips jelly beans have a shelf life of over one year and because they come in an individual sealed package, they retain their freshness. Kept in a cool, dry place, the beans retain their flavor perfectly. The package I received three weeks ago would have expired on November 2, 2012 had I been able to resist eating them all in about half an hour (no joke, this is why I usually use the ten pound boxes for my reviews!).
As for cleanup, unless one allows the Jelly Belly to get hot to the point that the chocolate coating on the bean melts, the beans do not bleed or denature, so there is usually no cleanup necessary, not even washing one's hands after eating them (though basic hygiene rules suggest it's a good idea to wash your hands anyway before eating them!). I've never had Very Cherry Jelly Belly Jelly Bean Dips stain anything.
Overall
Very Cherry Jelly Bean Dips Jelly Bellys are a perfect alternative to chocolate covered cherries for those who do not want the pesky fletting benefits of actual fruit in their chocolate. The chocolate is a surprisingly good dark chocolate, which makes this a real taste treat that is likely to surprise those of us who would have figured this for a gimmick!
For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Fruit Punch Sport Beans
Berry Sport Beans
Lemon Lime Sport Beans
10/10
For other food reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Very Cherry Chocolate Dips Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!
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