The Natural Confectionery Company Smoothie Chews

It's been a while since The Natural Confectionery Company added something new to their massive range of lollies. (The last was Strawberries & Cream Bliss, back in October of last year.) TNCC have already produced a range of chews, a lolly type which isn't hugely common here in Australia. They are available in a bag, and years ago were also available in a bar format. The current 'Fruit Chews' bag contains the following flavours: raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, orange and lemon.

 
 The first of TNCC's two new Chews bags is 'Smoothie Chews', a bag containing lollies that are a 'smooth combo of fruitiness and creaminess'. (The other flavour is 'Sour Chews' which I will be reviewing at a later date.)

The four flavours included are apple & raspberry (green), mixed berry (purple), mango & passionfruit (orange) and strawberry & banana (pink). These definitely sound like smoothie-inspired flavours that I'm excited to try. Unfortunately when I tipped the bag contents out, the selection was definitely lopsided, with only three Mango & Passionfruit chews included, but lots of Mixed Berry.

Each of the chews are wrapped in a colour-coded label, also marked with the name of the flavour, so they are good to toss a couple in your bag. The pieces are about 2.2cm long by 1.5cm wide and high, so they are not too small but also not too big. The chews are also each made up of two colours representing the flavours.

Apple & Raspberry is up first. Apple and raspberry flavour mixes remind me of a childhood favourite, the apple and raspberry-flavoured Prima (which is a flavoured fruit drink for non-Australians). This chew has a green outer and pink centre. It feels quite stiff and has a mild berry scent. In the mouth, the apple is the first obvious flavour but is quickly balanced out by the raspberry, leading me to believe the colours are purely decorational and not individully flavoured. The chew softens quickly, and tastes a bit like a toffee apple (an actual toffee-covered apple) - it's sweet but delightfully tart and very juicy. I don't get any 'smoothie' notes from this as the flavours are bright and bold. I really enjoyed this flavour and wish I had a bag of them all by themselves.

Next is Mixed Berry, in the purple wrapper. This chew has a pink outer with a dark magenta centre. It has a mild sweet scent of nothing in particular. The first flavour I get is a tart raspberry, followed by notes of mellow blackberry. Like the Apple & Raspberry, the flavours are quite strong - they make me think more of smoothie syrup rather than a smoothie itself. I found this chew a little bit tart as well, but not as much as the Apple & Raspberry, and a little less sweet.

Mango & Passionfruit is in the orange wrapper, and has an orange outer and yellow centre. It has a vague citrus scent that is nothing interesting. The mango flavour is very strong and bold. It's actually quite a close representation of real mangoes in flavour. I did get a touch of creaminess in the flavour, but not enough to balance out the flavour. I couldn't taste the passionfruit at all. I am not a fan of mangoes so didn't not really enjoy this chew.

The final flavour is Strawberry & Banana in the pink wrapper. It has a yellow outer, and pink centre. This is he most smoothie-like of the flavours. The banana is first present, but quickly sweetened by the presence of the strawberry. It's nice and much less mild than the other flavours, and is also more creamy.

If you feel contemplative while eating these, check out the wrappers - they contain questions. I wonder if they are supposed to rival Nestle's Allen's Fantales (which have movie star trivia questions). The questions are rather boring: "Who is your favourite relative?", "What song do you secretly love to listen to?", "What is the most embarrassing thing you have done?" but I suppose they have to keep them family friendly.

Interestingly, these are made in Thailand! The Natural Confectionery Company Smoothie Chews are a sugar confectionery, and contains wheat, glucose syrup and may contain traces of soy. A serve is 3.3 pieces.