Jones Soda Co. is probably most infamous for their Thanksgiving sodas that come in flavors like Turkey & Gravy, Cranberry, and Brussels Sprouts. I don?t know if I?m adventurous enough to try those, but when I saw Jones Soda Co. Carbonated Candy (BUY) while standing in line at the checkout aisle, I picked up a tin. It helped that the candy was Green Apple, not turkey, flavored.
photo courtesy of Jones Soda Co. website
First of all, I love the tin that these candies come in. It?s about the size of a big pack of gum (the 30-stick size), which makes it quite grip-able, and it can be opened by a flick of the thumb. When I finish off the candy, I plan on keeping the tin and stashing M&Ms or Jelly Bellies or something in there. Opening the lid reveals a customer-submitted fortune on the underside, just like the ones on the Jones Soda bottle caps. Mine reads, ??jeans, the human napkin.? -Merrilee, from Boise.? Utterly useless, but kind of cute, I guess. At least the sayings serve to drive customer participation, which promotes loyalty to the brand.
The candies themselves are about the size of an aspirin and have a J imprinted on both sides. My green apple ones were the same speckled green of a Sweet Tart. Also like Sweet Tarts, Jones candies are made of compressed sugar and share the same crunchy texture. The Jones candies have the added bonus of tingling the tongue as they dissolve. The slight fizziness is pretty neat, and the extreme fizziness that comes from chewing up the candies creates an addictively bizarre sensation.
Taste-wise, these candies are only so-so. The apple taste is very mild, and if you eat too many of them like I did, they leave a sugary aftertaste behind that?s rather unpleasant. I would?ve preferred a much stronger apple taste.
I probably won?t buy these again. At $1.50 per 50-count tin, they?re a little on the pricey side for a snack I only enjoy for the fizzy taste. On the other hand, they also come in Fufu Berry and Berry Lemonade flavors, and Orange & Cream, Cream Soda, and M.F. Grape are supposed to come out this year. Perhaps one of those flavors would tempt my palate more.