Albanese Krunchy Bears [Review]

I’ve wanted to try Albanese Krunchy Bears ever since I read Cybele’s review of them. While they’re pretty cheap on the Albanese website, the shipping costs negate those savings (though now that I know they’re on Amazon, may add a bag or two to my next order, as they qualify for free shipping), so I just kept my eyes peeled, hoping to stumble across them in person someday.

I finally found them in the bulk bin of a candy store in Myrtle Beach and immediately snatched up a bag. I also learned that the deliciously and prodigiously flavored non-krunchy gummi bears of our campus convenience store were made by Albanese. Right before I was due to graduate and move away, of course.

The Albanese Krunchy Bears flavors?

These vibrant and whimsical bears are a treat for the eyes and the tongue. They come in six flavors of nonpareil-coated gummi bear. From left to right:

Pink is a lovely floral strawberry. I usually don’t care for red fruit candies, finding them blah, but this was refreshingly enjoyable.

Red is cherry, of the black cherry flavor persuasion. The deep tones of the super concentrated cherry flavor carry a slight medicinal tinge, but it’s still pleasant.

Orange is orange. It’s extremely bright and citrusy, with a zesty finish, placing it more on the tangerine end of the orange flavor spectrum.

Yellow is an even zestier lemon flavor. Acidic high notes give way to a tinge of bitter finish, making this a genuine, enjoyable citrus treat.

Green is a mellow apple. Instead of tasting like a sour green Granny Smith, I find this to be more apple juice/Fuji flavored.

Blue is either blue raspberry or blueberry. It tastes of berry, with round, mellow notes and no seediness. I’m leaning towards blue raspberry.

The overall conclusion of Albanese Krunchy Bears?

The texture of these bears is certainly unique. At first, it seems strangely gritty and chewy at the same time, and I wonder how necessary the nonpareils are. Maybe they serve some sort of flavor enhancing or trapping function? The Krunchy Bears, when compared to my memory of the regular Albanese bears, seem to have much stronger and much more concentrated fruity flavors, making the Krunchy bears much more flavorful.

The great density of flavor makes these much more satisfying as well. Instead of mindlessly chomping through them, I wanted to savor them, so a little went a long way. The citrus fruits get an OMG, while the others get an OM. I’d buy a mixed bag of them any day, but if I saw them in a bulk bin, I’d disproportionately pick out the citrus flavors.