Jelly Belly Chocolate Dips review

I love Jelly Belly jelly beans. They've become an integral part of my Christmas and birthday celebrations  every year because my mum and dad know I'm rather partial to them (slight understatement !) and invariably buy me some as part of my present ! There are only two flavours I don't like - the licorice and cappuccino ones, yuck ! - but even that makes it fun because I bite into all the brownish and blackish ones rather like a bush tucker trial, waiting to see if I get a lovely flavour or one that makes me go ewww !

But despite my long-standing love affair with all things Jelly Belly (I even had Jelly Belly lip balm at one point!), I did take a sharp intake of breath when I saw their latest creation. Chocolate covered jelly beans? That's almost sacrilegious ! I love chocolate but wouldn't it kill the taste of the gorgeous fruity jelly beans?

Well, when the opportunity arose to review them, I jumped straight in there, hoping my fears would be unfounded. Inside the 117g gift box, you get five flavours - Very Cherry, Orange, Raspberry, Coconut and Strawberry - they've obviously selected only a few flavours that work well with chocolate, which is reassuring. I worked my way through the flavours and have to say, they are all really nice. The flavours of fruity jelly bean and dark chocolate complement each other very well and aren't jarring or shocking to your taste buds - the very cherry ones remind me of Mon Chéri minus the alcohol, actually. But for a die-hard Jelly Belly fan, you get the impression that you're eating really nice chocolate rather than jelly beans. I would happily eat my way through the box - they're all totally delicious - but they wouldn't quell my cravings for jelly beans when nothing else will hit the spot.

This could be down to my way of eating them though. I can't resist chewing them, which means that your mouth floods simultaneously with the chocolate and fruity jelly bean flavours. If you sit and slowly suck them, letting the chocolate melt in your mouth, you get the rich chocolatiness and then, once that's starting to fade, you get the power of the jelly bean coming through with just a backnote of chocolate. Sadly, 99% of the time, I don't have the willpower to not chew them though !

I also received a 125g "10 Individual Flavours" box which was a revelation. I usually pour all my jelly beans into a jelly bean distributor (like a bubble gum machine) and twist the knob for a handful of random beans at a time. Having the individual flavours clearly marked so you know which flavour bean you're eating really helps you appreciate the flavour of each one. You get a lovely selction of flavours too - watermelon, very cherry, coconut, peach, green apple, tutti-frutti, juicy pear, blueberry, buttered popcorn and pomegranate - no licorice or cappuccino in sight, which I was very pleased about !

After picking through the different Jelly Belly flavours, I couldn't resist going back to the Chocolate Dips ones. They're definitely growing on me. I might have to buy a few more boxes just to make sure though !!

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £5.68 for 117g

for more information : http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/jelly-belly-candy/496/chocolate-dips-117g-gift-box.html

Disclosure : I received two boxes of jelly beans in order to write an honest review.

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