Tuesday, November 16, 2010

It Might Look Like Margarita, But Mojito Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Stand On Their Own!

Mojito Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk
Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!


The Good: Great realistic flavor, Environmentally responsible bulk, Taste does not fade
The Bad: Erratic flavor among the beans.
The Basics: Anyone who loves the cocktail mojito will love the way Mojito Jelly Belly jelly beans capture the dominant flavors of the beverage without getting them buzzed!


In the magical little Jelly Belly shop I found in Erie, Pennsylvania on the way to visiting the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I discovered several new-to-me Jelly Belly flavors in bulk which are not necessarily available in new assortments or in all markets. I am proud to review those Jelly Bellys and help those who do not have access to them covet the coming flavors. One of the best I found in the Pennsylvania shop was Mojito. It is worth noting that because of my sobriety, I've never had an actual Mojito to drink, so for the comparative analysis to the real thing, I relied upon my wife's judgment and tastebuds. Considering how many alcohol reviews she has written around here, she is worth trusting in this regard and when she smiled and told me that the Mojito Jelly Belly tasted just like the drink I was psyched. No longer was I simply raving about a great new Jelly Belly for the flavors I could taste, but I could say that it lived up to what it is supposed to taste like!

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 Tutti-Fruitti, Blueberry, Dr. Pepper, or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.

As part of their new Cocktail Creations mix, Mojito seems like a sensible drink choice to make into a Jelly Belly when one considers how many flavors there are in the drink. The fact that they get the diverse flavors right (mostly) is impressive! Who needs ten pounds of Mojito flavored Jelly Bellys? I suppose anyone who would drink that many Mojitos, but doesn't want alcohol poisoning. Anyone who might like Mojito 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

Mojito 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 Mojito - the alcoholic beverage - and they live up to that exceptionally well, I am told. I just know they taste exceptional. In fact, they embody the flavors present in a Mojito perfectly, which is why it is easy to recommend this jelly bean.

Mojito 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 what ten pounds of real mojitos would do to the average person's liver?!" I suspect that for most people, a ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans, though mine is disappearing much faster!

Mojito flavored Jelly Bellys are remarkably easy to recognize and distinguish from other Jelly Bellys, except in low lighting when they might be mistaken for Margarita. Mojito is a translucent pale green color bean with dark green swirls peppered throughout them.

Ease Of Preparation

These are jelly beans, not keeping your liver healthy while drinking a ton of mojitos! 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, so go ahead! Eat them from the box if you so desire!

Taste

Mojito Jelly Bellys have almost no aroma. This unnerved me when I opened the box, because usually the best Jelly Belly jelly beans have a bouquet to them and this jelly bean did not. As a result, I prepared myself for a mediocre Jelly Belly experience.

I needn't have, though! Mojito Jelly Belly jelly beans are wonderful, if somewhat problematic. Mojito Jelly Bellys are flavored with lemon, lime and mint flavors and almost every bean I have eaten starts off sweet, then transitions to the lime sour before finishing with a cool mint blast. It's extraordinary how the flavors transform and develop on the tongue. These are delicious and the variety of flavors in each and every bean make for a wonderful taste experience.

Oddly, though, while every Mojito Jelly Belly I have tasted has a full flavor to it, very few of the Mojito beans I've eaten have all of the flavors. Some are more lemon and lime, some are lime and mint, some are lemon and mint. There are very few that have all of the fruit flavors expressed and then the cold mint to finish with. At least, Mojito flavored Jelly Bellys do not diminish in taste when you eat vast quantities of them. No, these taste like some permutation of the full Mojito bite after bite, never fading and that only adds to the value of the ten pound case.

Nutrition

Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone looking to them for nutrition needs to understand they are not the drink 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! Some more militant Vegans might object to the bee's wax in the shell, but generally these are considered Vegan compliant. 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 (no need to worry about spilling these Jelly Bellys, but having clean hands always makes good sense). I've never had Mojito Jelly Bellys stain anything.

Overall

Mojito Jelly Belly jelly beans are a truly wonderful, original jelly bean that is absolutely worth stocking up on, even if bean by bean they have different proportions of the three flavors represented. I probably would have rated this a perfect bean if only more of mine had possessed the mint flavor in greater proportion.

For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Sour Cherry
Very Cherry
Sizzling Cinnamon

9.5/10

For other food reviews, please check out my index page!

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

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Mojito Jelly Belly Jelly Beans - 10 lbs bulk Click to buy directly from Jelly Belly!

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