Fruit pastilles. How to describe them? More or less, they’re firm fruit jellies with a somewhat hard, crusty sugar coated exterior. In short, a delight for the senses.
I haven’t had too many different kinds of pastilles, but I know enough to know that there’s different interpretations of them in the wild: some don’t have the crusty exterior, some omit the sugar coating, but for me, it will always be about Rowntrees pastilles. I spent quite some time obsessing on them, and still, they never disappoint.
Acquired in an international candy trade with Candy Mike, I’ve been sitting on these for a while. Hey, there’s lots of candies to review, cut me some slack.
Traditionally we have “traditional” flavors in pastilles, but this variation turns that on its head. How would they compare?
First…they’re a bit odd shaped. Rowntrees’ normal pastilles are perfect little hockey pucks, whereas these are more of a drop. Not to worry though, because who the hell cares about that?
Here’s my breakdown of flavors:
Apple & elderberry (green): what IS an elderberry? Someone hip me to that jive, cause I don’t believe they exist. Regardless, these are kinda weird. I’m definitely not getting apple, but instead a very floral perfume like thing. In fact, it’s a bit off-putting. Not into it.
Raspberry & pomegranate (purplish red): these were pretty good, and while I got a hint of raspberry, the pomegranate didn’t stand out-and after a few moments chewing, it really tasted a lot like strawberry jam. Pretty dece, but not so much like the intended flavors.
Orange & grapefruit (salmon/pink): first, how good can a candy be when the color is described as salmon? I’ll tell ya: damn good. This one is the best of the bunch. I’ve never had a flavor combo of orange and grapefruit, but it’s a good idea and it works. Gentle, not too tangy orange combines with the bitter grapefruit to culminate in a mostly grapefruit finish. I love grapefruit candy, and while this isn’t the best I’ve had by a long shot, it’s very good.
Still though, …what do I think of these? I think I wouldn’t buy them again. They’re ok, but the flavors actually make things kinda confusing and ultimately way inferior to their classic taste on pastilles. However, they’re not bad, and if chasing odd flavor combos is your bag, then these probably are going to be pretty interesting for you. Lastly, bonus points for being pretty much all natural.
Check out the link right here, but also do yourself a favor and try some of the classics.
The only elderberry I’m familiar with – Elderberry Wine (an Elton John song). Now that I’ve shown my age I’m done commenting!