I’m on the record as disliking apocryphal Skittles flavours. The original five flavours are amazing, so why bother tinkering with perfection. It’s like the lengthy parade of post-Connery Bond movies, trying to top the untoppable.
And yet, as a Skittles fanboy, I can’t help wanting to try a bag of new flavours, even if it’s likely going to be a disgusting dud.
In the hopes that history won’t repeat itself, and that I’ll actually like a variant Skittles flavour, here’s my take on each of the five new flavours in this oddball Skittles Blenders pack. I’ve rated them from worst to best, countdown-style.
5. Green Apple Watermelon Freeze (green): Not as bad as I thought it would be. I don’t like artificial watermelon flavour, but it mostly works with the green apple.
4. Cherry Tropicolada (red): Cherry of the cough drop variety, with some pineapple and creamy coconut suntan lotion in the finish. Not my favourite.
3. Melon Berry Burst (blue): Shares some similar traits with the cherry flavour. There’s melon, but the berry is artificial blue raspberry. I wanted to try more of them to get a better sense of the flavour, but there were only two or three in my whole bag.
2. Mango Lemonade Blast (light orange): Lemonade with mango. Simple as that. Great combination. Nice to see more mango-flavoured candies these days. I’m getting a hint of vanilla in the finish. Very good.
1. Strawberry Lime Blast (pink): Two of my favourite regular Skittles flavours, together in one candy. Is it better than the sum of its parts? Not really – but it’s still delicious.
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RATINGS AND DETAILS
Cost: $1.35 at Home Depot. (Yeah, Home Depot. The people at the till seemed both happy and confused by my new-Skittles-flavour enthusiasm.)
Value for cash money: About right.
Availability: First time I spotted these was in May. Check convenience stores, grocery stores, etc.
Nutrition?: Per 56-gram bag: 220 calories, 2.5 grams of fat (all saturated), no protein, no fibre, but 40 grams of sugars. Also, each handful contains an estimated (though mysteriously unlisted) 38 grams of rainbows and sunshine.
Vegetarian friendly?: Yessir. They’re gelatin-free. But careful eaters may not like all the corn syrup in there.
The verdict: Worth trying once, if just for confirmation that the original five flavours are still the best. There’s one new flavour that I love (mango lemonade), and one new flavour I love that’s actually just a mix of two old flavours I love.