Thursday, December 9, 2010

Exactly As They Claim, Pink Grapefruit Jelly Bellys Would Be Great, If Their Taste Didn't Fade!

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


The Good: Great realistic flavor, Environmentally responsible bulk
The Bad: No real nutritional value, Taste fades quickly.
The Basics: Despite the flavor fading ridiculously quickly, Pink Grapefruit Jelly Bellys taste like what they claim, but are a tough sell for stocking up on.


Woe to those who eat many, many Jelly Bellys (as I do!); sometimes eating these yummy beans excessively leads the flavor to fade quickly. Sadly, this is the case with some of the best flavors Jelly Belly replicated and that sort of thing lowers the overall value of the massive ten pound boxes that some of us get to bulk up on. This is what happens, for example, with Pink Grapefruit flavored Jelly Bellys, one of the more intriguing fruit flavors Jelly Belly makes.

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 Café Latte, Sour Lemon, Dr. Pepper, or their signature flavor Buttered Popcorn.

Who needs ten pounds of Pink Grapefruit flavored Jelly Bellys? Anyone who bears the scars for the pully system they built back in the day in Home And Career Skills to lift heavy boxes of grapefruits might want the ten pound box. Then again, anyone who felt the thrill of victory from the same exercise might want these as a reward. Anyone who might like Pink Grapefruit 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

Pink Grapefruit 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 Pink Grapefruit and they live up to that exceptionally well.

Pink Grapefruit 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 say, "I always understood pullies and got an 'A' in Home And Careers, so I think I deserve them." I suspect that for most people, a ten pound case is a year's supply of these jelly beans.

Pink Grapefruit flavored Jelly Bellys are fairly easy to recognize and distinguish from other Jelly Bellys, despite being an odd mix of orange and pink. They are probably most easily confused with the Orange Juice or Cantaloupe flavored Jelly Bellys as both of those are also translucent orange in color. The Pink Grapefruit ones are a paler, slightly pink, orange that makes it possible to pick them out for those paying attention.

Ease Of Preparation

These are jelly beans, not building a Home and Careers pully system. 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, because they do not come in convenient giant fruits with peels to contain them, going into the box might be the easiest way to get them. As a result, going into the box is perfectly appropriate.

Taste

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.

Unfortunately, Pink Grapefruit flavored Jelly Bellys diminish in taste greatly when you eat vast quantities of them, or even just a few! Usually within seven beans, these begin tasting generically sugary and like lesser brands' standard jelly bean. I suppose they overwhelm the taste buds and leave them somewhat tired before the next round. Unfortunately, this means that the ten pound box is hardly a great value, unless one wants Jelly Bellys but wants to ration them pretty strictly. Still, so few beans before they go to generic is unfortunate.

Nutrition

Again, these are jelly beans, so anyone looking to them for nutrition needs to understand they are not actual grapefruits. 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. These do not have any of the vitamins of actual pink grapefruits either.

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 and this flavor doesn't even last six months usually). 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 do not have rinds and who knows where your hands were before they went for the box?! Show some respect for the beans!). I've never had Pink Grapefruit Jelly Bellys stain anything.

Overall

Pink Grapefruit Jelly Belly jelly beans are a great flavor of Jelly Belly jelly beans, but their taste fades far too quickly for them to be considered anything other than a pleasant, diverting Jelly Belly between the binging flavors.

For other Jelly Belly flavors reviewed by me, please check out:
Sour Blueberry
Orange Crush
Sour Raspberry

6/10

For other food and drink reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2010, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.




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